Immigration crackdown in the S.F. Bay Area: Here’s everything we know right now
Chronicle, BROOKE PARK: "More than 100 federal agents were dispatched Wednesday to the East Bay under President Donald Trump’s long-anticipated immigration enforcement action plan for the Bay Area.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents will stage in the U.S. Coast Guard’s Alameda base — the “place of operations” for its agents — the Chronicle first reported. Critics say the operation could intentionally seek to incite violence and provide a pretext for the Trump administration to deploy the National Guard. Local leaders have cautioned protestors to dissent peacefully."
READ MORE -- Crime is down in San Francisco. Trump may send troops anyway -- CALMatters, LYNN LA; S.F. DA Brooke Jenkins says she’ll prosecute federal immigration agents who cross the line -- Chronicle, JOE GAROFOLI; Bay Area immigration advocates launch defense plans as Trump sends federal agents to region -- Chronicle, ST. JOHN BARNED-SMITH/ANNA BAUMAN/KO LYN CHEANG/RAHEEM HOSSEINI/SARAH RAVANI; He tracked and posted videos of ICE raids in L.A. Now this TikTok streamer is in federal custody -- LAT, BRITTNY MEJIA/RUBEN VIVES/SALVADOR HERNANDEZ; How California is trying to keep the National Guard away from Trump’s immigration crackdown -- CALMatters, MIKHAIL ZINSHTEYN; Newsom asks California to ‘remain peaceful’ as feds prep for San Francisco deployment -- Sac Bee, ROSALIO AHUMADA/LIA RUSSELL; Newsom says border patrol deployment to SF will follow ‘authoritarian playbook’ -- Sac Bee, LIA RUSSELL
Newsom accuses Trump of using Border Patrol to suppress votes, Trump warns him ‘be careful’
Chronicle, SOPHIA BOLLAG: "President Donald Trump and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s traded insults and threats Wednesday after the Chronicle reported the federal government is planning a Bay Area immigration enforcement surge.
Newsom accused Trump of trying to suppress Californians’ vote by sending more than 100 immigration agents to the region this week, describing the move as part of the “authoritarian playbook.” Newsom said he sees the crackdown as a pretext for sending the National Guard to San Francisco, something Trump has repeatedly threatened to do in recent days."
What went wrong when Marines fired over Interstate 5? California leaders demand answers
CALMatters, DEBORAH BRENNAN: "California lawmakers are demanding answers after a live fire demonstration over Camp Pendleton Saturday led to a misfire that rained shrapnel on Interstate 5, striking two California Highway Patrol vehicles.
An artillery shell exploded over the freeway during a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Marine Corps, attended by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Pieces of shrapnel scattered on the closed roadway and struck a patrol vehicle and motorcycle."
Will EV market survive without subsidies? (OP-ED)
Capitol Weekly, KERRY JACKSON: "Sept. 30 was the last day of the generous, sales-boosting federal subsidies for electric-vehicle purchases. It was also the final day that EVs could access carpool lanes with only the driver in the car.
For years, various low- and zero-emission automobiles have been the darlings of policymakers, such as Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Gov. Jerry Brown, a host of Sacramento lawmakers, activists and consumers who felt the need to show off their green bona fides. To the astonishment of no one, they became particularly popular in California. But now a curiosity arises: How will their popularity fare without special government treatment?"
Health care costs and mental health access weigh on Californians, poll shows
CALMatters, ANA B. IBARRA: "Californians are overwhelmingly concerned about the costs of health care, and most want better access to mental health services, according to a new poll released Thursday. The survey – commissioned by the California Wellness Foundation – also found that beyond broader economic worries, 57% of respondents statewide are concerned about federal immigration enforcement actions, which are influencing some health-related choices.
“Californians don’t see health as a single dimension, it really is about an overall quality of life,” said Shakari Byerly, managing partner at Evitarus, the research firm that conducted the polling."
Judge orders UC to release Trump UCLA settlement offer at the center of private negotiations
LAT, JAWEED KALEEM: "A state court on Wednesday ordered the University of California to release the $1.2-billion UCLA settlement proposal from the Department of Justice, handing a victory to faculty members who are pushing UC for more transparency in its negotiations with the Trump administration.
The one-sentence decision signed by 1st Appellate District acting Presiding Justice Carin T. Fujisaki means that UC has until Friday to disclose a 28-page document that describes federal demands for vast policy changes at UCLA that are in line with President Trump’s vision for higher education."
More than 100 firefighters battle hazardous blaze at General Motors in Pasadena
LAT, CLARA HARTER: "More than 100 firefighters and a hazardous materials team were working Wednesday night to combat a fire involving lithium ion batteries and prototype cars at General Motors’ design studio in Pasadena, authorities said.
At one point, a firefighter was trapped in the structure amid the ferocious blaze and sent out a mayday call."
AI wants your data. Should you be paid for it?
LAT, ANITA CHABRIA: "Hello and happy Thursday. It’s Anita Chabria again. Today, I’m coming to you from a coffee shop where I just used Apple Pay to buy a dirty chai.
Why does that matter? Because in the last five minutes, I’ve dropped all kinds of data into the universe. What I drink, how much I’ll pay for it, how long I sat here using this Wi-Fi and dozens of other details that companies are willing to pay for but that I don’t even think about — much less benefit from."
Marin County town officials renew fight over proposed housing, even as a recall election looms
Chronicle, J.K. DINEEN: "With less than two weeks before Fairfax voters decide whether to recall the town’s mayor and vice mayor, the development project at the heart of the divisive fight continues to roil the waters of the laid-back Marin community.
This week the battle over a proposed 243-unit apartment complex on the edge of downtown Fairfax escalated once again with the developer arguing that the project is administratively approved under state law while a pair of embattled elected town officials countered that the application is still not complete."
New Trump rule may require airline travelers to assign themselves a gender
Chronicle, RACHEL SWAN: "Air travelers with a gender-neutral “X” on their passports may now be asked to assign themselves “male” or “female,” under a Trump Administration executive order that took effect this month.
The rule stems from a suite of hard-line gender prescriptions that President Donald Trump issued shortly after taking office in January, with the sweeping title of “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.” It pertained to everything from prisons, to passports, to allocating federal funds for medical procedures."
Californians bought a record number of EVs before Trump budget cuts
LAT, TONY BRISCOE: "Californians purchased a record number of zero-emission and plug-in hybrid vehicles in the third quarter of 2025, seizing their final opportunity to claim federal tax incentives before they were eliminated under President Trump’s sweeping budget cuts.
California residents bought more than 124,700 zero-emission vehicles or plug-in hybrids from July 1 to Sept. 30, marking the highest quarterly sales of clean vehicles since the state began tracking those numbers in 2008, according to the California Energy Commission. Electric vehicles and long-range hybrids made up 29% of new car sales statewide, capturing the largest quarterly market share in that 17-year span."
LA County moves to limit license plate tracking, citing CalMatters report
CALMatters, PHOEBE HUSS/KHARI JOHNSON: "Drivers in Los Angeles County have a powerful new privacy advocate after the Board of Supervisors pushed to restrict how their license plates are scanned by law enforcement.
The board recently voted to ask the Sheriff’s Department to more stringently regulate its use of the license plate data it collects through high-tech camera systems mounted on patrol cars and above roads. The measure it approved cited reporting from CalMatters that roughly a dozen police and sheriff’s departments throughout Southern California shared such data with federal immigration agencies."
