Government shutdown begins as nation faces new period of uncertainty
LAT, LISA MASCARO/MARY CLARE JALONICK/STEPHEN GROVES: "Plunged into a government shutdown, the U.S. is confronting a fresh cycle of uncertainty after President Donald Trump and Congress failed to strike an agreement to keep government programs and services running by Wednesday’s deadline.
Roughly 750,000 federal workers are expected to be furloughed, some potentially fired by Trump’s Republican administration. Many offices will be shuttered, perhaps permanently, as Trump vows to “do things that are irreversible, that are bad” as retribution. His deportation agenda is expected to run full speed ahead, while education, environmental and other services sputter. The economic fallout is expected to ripple nationwide."
READ MORE -- What to know as the US government shuts down over budget standoff --Sac Bee, STAFF; Federal shutdown: Latest on which Bay Area national parks are open, closed or TBA -- Chronicle, TARA DUGGAN; Government shuts down despite SD Democrats’ calls for GOP negotiations -- Times of San Diego, STAFF
California voters were mailed inaccurate guides ahead of November special election
LAT, SEEMA MEHTA: "Californians were mailed inaccurate voter guides about the November special election asking them whether to redraw congressional district boundaries, according to the secretary of state’s office. The state agency announced that it would mail postcards correcting the information to voters, which is likely to cost millions of dollars.
“Accuracy in voter information is essential to maintaining public trust in California’s elections,” said Secretary of State Shirley Weber. “We are taking swift, transparent action to ensure voters receive correct information. This mislabeling does not affect proposed districts, ballots, or the election process; it is solely a labeling error. Every eligible Californian can have full confidence that their vote will be counted and their representation is secure.”"
Your guide to the 2025 California special election
LAT, STAFF: "Voting in California’s special election continues through election day, Nov. 4.
Proposition 50, a measure that would draw new congressional districts for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections and the only measure on California’s statewide ballot this election, is the latest volley in a national political brawl that could alter the outcome of the 2026 midterm elections and the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives."
SB 646 raises unnecessary alarm on prenatal vitamin safety (OP-ED)
Capitol Weekly, STEVE MISTER: "Certain metals occur naturally with essential nutrients. Policies must protect pregnant women from contaminants and nutritional gaps, not frighten them into nutritional deficiency.
A recent opinion piece in MedPage Today, by Dr. Shilpa Mathew, “Toxic Metals Have No Place in Prenatal Vitamins,” makes an important point—every expectant parent wants the safest possible start for their baby. Safety must always be the first priority—any discussion of regulation should begin with the shared goal of protecting pregnant women and their babies. And we can all agree: prenatal vitamins should contain as little heavy metals as possible, and manufacturers should be transparent."
YouTube, Disney and Meta have all settled. Inside President Trump’s $90-million payday
LAT, CERYS DAVIES: "On Monday, YouTube became the latest media and tech company to settle one of President Trump’s lawsuits.
The Google-owned streamer agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit Trump filed after his account was banned following the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol. That brings Trump’s haul from media and tech companies to more than $90 million in the last year."
Capitol Briefs: The race to the finish begins
Capitol Weekly, STAFF: "Newsom signs AI, abortion access bills: With the end of session safely in the rearview, Gov. Gavin Newsom is now deep into considering the mountain of bills on his desk. He recently signed some notable pieces of legislation:
Newsom has two weeks left to act on many more significant measures, including:"
Sacramento City Council makes history with approval of new city manager
Sac Bee, MATHEW MIRANDA: "Sacramento made history on Tuesday morning with the appointment of its new city manager Maraskeshia Smith, making her the first Black woman to hold the position.
Smith’s appointment was announced at a Tuesday morning press conference and marks the end of a nationwide search that began earlier this year. The appointment fills one of City Hall’s most influential roles."
READ MORE -- Meet Sacramento’s new city manager. How the city ‘definitely scored a winner’ -- Sac Bee, MATHEW MIRANDA; What does Sacramento’s city manager actually do? Here’s why they are important -- Sac Bee, GRAHAM WOMACK
S.F. proposal to cut red tape on city contracts passes in wake of fight over obscure advisory group
Chronicle, LUCY HODGMAN: "The San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a bill to streamline the city’s unwieldy contracting process on Tuesday, but the political struggle that stalled the measure for months is likely to continue.
The bill, which the Board unanimously passed, is an amended version of the one proposed earlier this year to cut the red tape for small vendors daunted by the 31-page list of requirements to do business with the city. The idea is that by opening up bidding to more vendors, the city could save time and money."
The Micheli Minute, September 29, 2025
Capitol Weekly, STAFF: "Lobbyist, author and McGeorge law professor Chris Micheli offers a quick look at what’s coming up this week under the Capitol Dome."
ICE deportations in California are up 78% under Trump, new data shows
Chronicle, CHRISTIAN LEONARD: "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported roughly 5,500 people from California during the first seven months of this year, new data shows, reflecting a significant jump in removals since President Donald Trump took office. And the number of deportations is only growing.
That figure, which comes from a Chronicle analysis of data obtained by the Deportation Data Project at UC Berkeley, reflects a 78% increase from the 3,000 California deportations ICE oversaw from January 2024 to July 2024. This year’s sum doesn’t include more than 900 “voluntary departures,” cases in which someone arrested by ICE agrees to leave the country instead of fighting their case, sometimes to avoid having a deportation order on their immigration record or being stuck in the sometimes-dismal conditions of a detention center. There were just 46 voluntary departures from California in the first seven months of 2024."
U.S. could begin accepting new DACA applications for first time in years
EdSource, ZAIDEE STAVELY: "The federal government announced it has plans to accept new applications for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, for the first time in years, in every state except Texas, if a judge agrees.
DACA, launched during the Obama administration, offers temporary protection from deportation and permission to work for about 533,280 young people who were brought to the U.S. as children, have graduated from high school, completed a GED, or are veterans of the U.S. military. Every two years, recipients must apply for renewal."
Waiting for affordable medications is a matter of life and death (OP-ED)
Capitol Weekly, FRANCISCO PRIETO: "“Sorry doc, but I just can’t afford my insulin.”
As a practicing physician for over 30 years, I have heard those words too many times from my patients. Young and old, type 1 or type 2 diabetes- it doesn’t matter. The cost of insulin has skyrocketed over the last few decades, and people feel the crunch in their pockets, and in their worsening health."
Trump administration restores research grants to UCLA following judge’s order
EdSource, STAFF: "Nearly $500 million in National Institutes of Health grants for scientific research have been restored to UCLA by the Trump administration in response to a federal judge’s order last week.
The money was suspended in July because of allegations of campus antisemitism, use of race as a criterion for admission and because the campus recognized transgender students’ gender identities, according to the Trump administration."
How expensive private school tuition is in S.F. Bay Area, school by school
Chronicle, JACK LEE/NAMI SUMIDA: "The cost to attend some Bay Area private schools can be incredibly high. Combining tuition and fees, a number of schools in the region top out at more than $60,000 annually, and a few even reach over $70,000. But prices for a private education vary substantially, with some schools costing less than $6,000 per year.
So how much does it take to attend each school? With no authoritative database on private school expenses, gathering information about private school costs is difficult. Price details are scattered across scores of webpages, and sometimes not even available online."
The definitive guide to California college admissions
Chronicle, STAFF: "Information and advice on how to get into top schools like UCLA, UC Berkeley and Cal Poly SLO, grounded in years of reporting from the San Francisco Chronicle’s award-winning team of education and data reporters"
Bay Area braces for wettest day since spring. Here’s how rain could impact your commute
Chronicle, GREG PORTER: "A significant rain event is poised to move into the Bay Area on Wednesday. Unlike Monday’s sputtering system, this one carries more moisture and a better chance of breaking San Francisco’s monthslong run without a meaningful wet day. The city hasn’t logged more than a tenth of an inch in one day since early May, a mark that could easily fall on Wednesday.
Showers will begin seeping into the North Bay before dawn, with the Marin Headlands and Highway 101 corridor first in line. Some predawn rain bands may drift south of the Golden Gate into San Francisco and the Peninsula, though the focus of the initial burst of rain remains north of the bridge. By sunrise, the forecast grows trickier."
Almost no one is building new apartments in Los Angeles. Here’s why
LAT, ROGER VINCENT: "Los Angeles developer Cliff Goldstein just completed a plush new apartment complex on the Westside, but that’s the last one he’s going to build for the foreseeable future.
Even though demand for housing in the region is red hot, many people who build apartments for a living have paused putting shovels in the ground because, they say, it’s just too hard to turn a profit."
Polarizing L.A. police official keeps post by default after City Council fails to vote
LAT, LIBOR JANY: "A polarizing figure on the Los Angeles Police Commission will retain his seat despite having never received an approval vote from the City Council.
Erroll Southers, who previously served as president of the civilian panel that watches over the LAPD, has taken criticism for what critics say is his unwillingness to supervise police Chief Jim McDonnell, while also facing renewed scrutiny in recent months for his past counterterrorism studies in Israel."
With solo drivers kicked out of California carpool lanes, how bad will traffic get for rest of us?
LAT, KAREN GARCIA: "A new era in commuting begins today for clean-air vehicles with new rules that kick solo drivers out of California carpool lanes and uncertainty over how it will impact commute times and traffic.
As of Aug. 14, more than half a million motorists statewide had an active decal on their vehicle to access carpool lanes. California has an estimated 1,171 carpool lane-miles, with 803 miles in Southern California and 366 miles in Northern California, according to a UC Berkeley study."
Is this Rancho Cordova light rail station pitched 40 years ago back on track?
Sac Bee, EMMA HALL: "Light rail passengers who have wanted another Rancho Cordova stop may finally get their wish — even if it has been more than 40 years in the making.
Sacramento Regional Transit has secured the funding to build a new station between the Gold Line’s La Riviera Butterfield and Rancho Cordova Mather stops, slicing in half the 2.5-mile distance between them."
Muni scales back Potrero Yard housing plan in light of S.F. transit agency’s budget issues
Chronicle, J.K. DINEEN: "Facing a projected $307 million budget shortfall, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is ditching a plan to build 465 housing units on top of a new Potrero Yard in the Mission, instead focusing on financing and constructing the modern bus storage and maintenance facility.
While the new plan, which was presented to the Potrero Yard Neighborhood Working Group on Tuesday night, scraps the housing-over-bus-yard vision, it still carves out a parcel on the Bryant Street side of the property where a stand-alone building with about 100 affordable apartments will be built."
