Northern California storm brought snow dump to the Sierra and flooding Sacramento
SacBee, ISHANI DESAI: "A storm in the first weekend of 2026 dumped several inches of snow on Northern California’s mountains while flooding the Sacramento region.
Palisades Tahoe, Sierra-at-Tahoe resort and Heavenly each reported anywhere from 10-14 inches of snow by Sunday morning. Gusty winds and powder were forecast above 5,000 feet and prompted authorities on Sunday afternoon to recommend postponing travel plans in the mountains. The Winter Storm warning issued by the National Weather Service office in Sacramento will last until 4 p.m. Monday."
Epic stretch of SoCal rainfall muddies roads, spurs beach advisories. When will it end?
LA Times, KAILYN BROWN and STACY PERMAN: "California’s wet winter continued Sunday, with the heaviest rain occurring into the evening, and more precipitation forecast for Monday before tapering off on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
A flood advisory was in effect for most of Los Angeles County until 10 p.m. Los Angeles and Ventura counties’ coastal and valley regions could receive roughly half an inch to an inch more rain, with mountain areas getting one to two additional inches Sunday, officials said. The next two days will be lighter, said Robbie Munroe, a meteorologist at the weather service office in Oxnard."
Bay Area hit by one-two punch of flooding from rain, king tides
Chronicle, ANTHONY EDWARDS and ANNA BAUMAN: "Forecasters warned of more coastal flooding Sunday along San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Coast after record high tides Saturday pushed sea water into places that had never experienced coastal flooding before.
Tidal inundation Sunday was not forecast to be as extensive as Saturday, but low-lying areas were still expected to be covered. High tide in San Francisco was predicted to peak at 1.9 feet above normal at 11:18 p.m. Sunday, more than half a foot lower than Saturday."
These are the biggest challenges facing California’s economy in 2026
Chronicle, ROLAND LI: "A weak job market, concerns over federal policies and an artificial intelligence bubble could spell trouble for the California and the Bay Area economies in 2026, experts said.
In November, the state legislative analyst’s office forecast an $18 billion budget deficit this year, citing “significant headwinds” that include tariff uncertainty and the possibility of an overheated stock market that’s betting too heavily on AI."
Ties between California and Venezuela go back more than a century with Chevron
LA Times, JACK DOLAN: "As a stunned world processes the U.S. government’s sudden intervention in Venezuela — debating its legality, guessing who the ultimate winners and losers will be — a company founded in California with deep ties to the Golden State could be among the prime beneficiaries.
Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves on the planet. Chevron, the international petroleum conglomerate with a massive refinery in El Segundo and headquartered, until recently, in San Ramon, is the only foreign oil company that has continued operating there through decades of revolution."
LOCAL Five rescued from flooded Dry Creek island homeless camp near Galt
SacBee, DARRELL SMITH: "Five people were rescued early Monday after rising waters from Dry Creek flooded a homeless encampment along the Sacramento-San Joaquin county line, according to fire officials.
San Joaquin County sheriff’s dispatchers received the call around 3 a.m., said Woodbridge Fire Department Battalion Chief Eric Edwards. A fast-moving Dry Creek, swollen by heavy weekend rains, trapped the five individuals — ranging in age from their 50s to 70s — on a marshy island south of Galt."
California Legislature returns to Sacramento for new year with big bills, ambitions
SacBee, KATE WOLFFE: "On Monday, the gears of California’s legislative machine begin turning once again.
The 120 men and women who conduct their business on the floors of the Assembly and Senate will return from a four-month recess, and suits and dress shoes will again crowd the sidewalks of downtown Sacramento."
L.A. mourns losses, celebrates progress on anniversary of devastating fires
EdSource, MALLIKA SESHADRI and BETTY MARQUEZ ROSALES: "A year ago, Tanya Reyes watched in disbelief as the Eaton fire incinerated her Altadena home. As her three daughters listed everything they had lost in the days that followed, Reyes kept reminding them that what mattered most was that they still had each other.
A year later, Reyes is struggling. The steadiness she once summoned for her children has been worn down by chronic back pain, brought on by the strain of moving every few months, and the emotional toll of rebuilding her family’s life while working her teaching job supporting pregnant and parenting teens."
Big deficits loom for California. Will state raise revenue, cut programs or both
CalMetters, YUIE STELLA YU: "Gov. Gavin Newsom opened this year with a rosy forecast: Buoyed by $17 billion more in revenue than previously planned, California would have a modest surplus of $363 million for fiscal year 2025-26, he told reporters in January. But life turns on a dime.
The January wildfires that ripped through Los Angeles forced the state to spend billions in disaster aid and delay tax filings for LA residents. The cost of Medi-Cal, the state-run health insurance program for low-income residents, ballooned to $6 billion more than anticipated."
Yes, Orange County has always had a neo-Nazi problem. A new deeply reported book explains why
LA Times, COSTA BEAVIN PAPPAS: "It should come as no surprise that Orange County, a beloved county for the grandfather of modern American conservatism, Ronald Reagan, would be the fertile landscape for far-right ideology and white supremacy.
Reaganomics aside, the O.C. has long since held a special if not slightly off-putting place, of oceanfront leisure, modern luxury and all-American family entertainment — famed by hit shows (“The Real Housewives of Orange County,” “The O.C.” and “Laguna Beach,” among others). Even crime in Orange County has been sensationalized and glamorized, with themes veneered by opulence, secrecy and illusions of suburban perfection. To Eric Lichtblau, the Pulitzer Prize winner and former Los Angeles Times reporter, the real story is far-right terrorism — and its unspoken grip on the county’s story."
