Senate panel backs Kennedy’s nomination as health secretary
LAT, SEEMA MEHTA/KAREN KAPLAN: "Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s nominee to lead the sprawling federal bureaucracy responsible for the healthcare of millions of Americans, received the backing of a key Senate committee on Tuesday despite his history of denying the science supporting vaccinations and support of disproved medical conspiracy theories.
GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana physician, who has vocally struggled with supporting Kennedy, ultimately voted in line with his party in the face of fierce pressure from fellow Republicans to support the nominee, including threats of a primary challenge in 2026."
Air traffic control understaffed in Bay Area, elsewhere as D.C. crash highlights problem
The Chronicle, RACHEL SWAN: "Chronic understaffing of air traffic control towers may have contributed to last week’s deadly crash between a military helicopter and a passenger flight in Washington, D.C. — which underscored a crisis at airports across the country, including in the Bay Area.
Data from the Federal Aviation Administration suggests that controllers in San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose are under similar strain as their counterparts in other cities and states, who work grueling hours and cover the duties of multiple people. At Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, one such worker was handling two jobs at the time of the stunning collision."
READ MORE -- Does Sacramento’s airport have an air traffic controller shortage? Here’s what the FAA says -- Sac Bee, ARIANE LANGE
Trump’s tariffs may cost California wine its largest export market
The Chronicle, JESS LANDER: "The struggling California wine industry was dealt another blow over the weekend when Canada, the largest export market for U.S. wine, imposed 25% tariffs on U.S. goods, including alcohol. Moreover, Canada’s largest two provinces announced they will pull American alcohol from store shelves starting Tuesday.
These actions were taken in retaliation to President Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on Canadian imports. The president also enacted tariffs on goods from Mexico and China, prompting fears of a trade war, but the levies on Canada and Mexico were paused for a month on Monday afternoon before going into effect."
L.A. City Council proposes new measures to protect immigrants from Trump
LAT, TONY BARBOZA: "The Los Angeles City Council will consider a series of proposals intended to protect immigrants from President Trump’s planned crackdowns.
Among the five proposals to be introduced Tuesday by Hugo Soto-Martínez and other City Council members is one that could require businesses to report federal workplace immigration enforcement actions, including raids and audits, to the city."
A Bay Area ‘band of bros’ is aiding Elon Musk’s efforts to freeze government functions
The Chronicle, JOE GAROFOLI: "Congressional Democrats and public policy experts are sounding the alarm about a government “coup” led by Elon Musk — an effort that is being aided by cyber experts with Bay Area connections, including from Stanford and UC Berkeley. Musk’s allies have gained access to classified federal government data and trillions in taxpayer dollars, and there is little that Democrats can unilaterally do to stop it.
Helping Musk are a half-dozen cyber experts under the age of 24, none of whom have government experience or security clearances, according to Wired magazine. One of the engineers working with Musk is Akash Bobba, who “has attended UC Berkeley, where he was in the prestigious Management, Entrepreneurship, and Technology program,” Wired reported. Bobba was an “investment engineering intern at the Bridgewater Associates hedge fund as of last spring and was previously an intern at both Meta and Palantir,” Wired wrote."
Priorities for 2025, with Asm. Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (PODCAST)
Capitol Weekly, STAFF: "Cecilia Aguiar-Curry represents California’s 4th Assembly District, which includes Napa, Lake, Yolo, Colusa Counties and part of Sonoma County. She is the chair of the bipartisan California Legislative Women’s Caucus and is also the Assembly Majority Leader. As Majority Leader, Aguiar-Curry guides her party’s legislative strategy, coordinates with committee chairs and helps ensure the efficient progression of bills. As chair of the Women’s Caucus, she helps promote policies and budget priorities that improve the well-being of women, children and families. She sat down with hosts Rich Ehisen and Tim Foster to talk about finding common ground with her Republican colleagues, her role in helping new legislators get their feet under them, and Democratic priorities for 2025."
Exclusive: Sacramento mayoral candidate Flo Cofer details alleged bribery call
Sac Bee, JOE RUBIN: "Flojaune Cofer wasn’t surprised to receive a phone call from California Black Chamber of Commerce President Jay King on Sep 24. The two had been speaking on and off for months.
King took an interest in a candidate who won the primary last March and stood on the doorstep of becoming Sacramento’s first Black female mayor."
Rising Stars: Seve Christian, Legislative Director, Office of Sen. Scott Wiener
Capitol Weekly, MOLLY JACOBY: "If you follow California legislation around artificial intelligence, LGBTQ rights, or public health, chances are you’re familiar with the work of Seve Christian, Legislative Director to Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco). At just 29 years old, Christian has already left an enduring mark on California policy.
Raised in northern California, Christian moved between Ukiah, Dairyville, Chico, and Red Bluff growing up. They recall having a strong relationship with their parents, who were very accepting of their gender and sexual identity. Christian’s father was often deployed in the National Guard, and those experiences introduced them to the complexities of conflict and justice from a young age."
State Farm warns of ‘dire’ financial situation in California, asks for ‘emergency’ rate hike
The Chronicle, MEGAN FAN MUNCE: "State Farm General, already facing financial peril before the Los Angeles wildfires, has asked state insurance regulators to approve an immediate price hike to prevent “a dire situation” for both its policyholders and the entire California market.
On Monday, the company sent a letter to the California Department of Insurance asking for an immediate interim rate increase — including an average 22% hike for homeowners, 15% for condo owners and 38% for rental dwellings — as it faces the most costly natural disaster in company history. A Chronicle analysis of company data found State Farm insures more homes in the neighborhoods in and around the fire perimeters than any other insurer."
READ MORE -- State Farm seeks emergency rate increase averaging 22% after L.A. fires -- LAT, LAURENCE DARMIENTO
Malibu balks at proposal to unload fire debris near City Hall as EPA struggles to find sites
LAT, HAILEY BRANSON-POTTS: "A request by the Environmental Protection Agency to open a processing site for fire debris near Malibu City Hall prompted swift backlash from residents and local officials alarmed by the prospect of hazardous waste being stored in a busy part of town near multiple schools.
In a special meeting of the Malibu City Council on Monday, federal officials said they hoped to use a concrete-covered lot near the Civic Center as a temporary staging area for potentially hazardous household items — such as paint, bleach, asbestos, propane tanks and lithium-ion batteries — removed from the Palisades fire burn zone."
LA clinics lose funding for transgender health care as Trump executive orders take hold
CALMatters, KRISTEN HWANG: "A Los Angeles health clinic says it’s losing federal funding as a result of President Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting transgender people.
St. John’s Community Health, one of the largest free and reduced-cost providers in Los Angeles, reported that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday terminated a $1.6 million grant that was supposed to support its transgender health and social services program."
S.F.’s first new YMCA in 30 years opens Tuesday
The Chronicle, JK DINEEN: "It may be a “baby Y,” but it’s no small deal for Dogpatch.
On Tuesday the YMCA of Greater San Francisco will celebrate the opening its first new facility in 30 years, a 4,073-square-foot mini-gym and community center in a port-owned building in Crane Cove Park."
Lawsuit alleges University of California illegally considers race in admissions
EdSource, STAFF: "A lawsuit filed Monday in federal district court alleges that the University of California illegally considers race in undergraduate admissions and gives preference to “non-Asian racial minorities,” including Black and Latino students.
The lawsuit was filed by Students Against Racial Discrimination, an organization founded last year by Richard Sander, a law professor at UCLA, and Tim Groseclose, a professor of economics at George Mason University in Virginia. Sander is a prominent critic of affirmative action and previously filed a lawsuit against UC in 2018. That lawsuit sought more information about UC applicants and suggested that the university might be considering race in admissions, according to Inside Higher Ed."
California should continue to invest in teacher recruitment, retention, study says
EdSource, DIANA LAMBERT: "California has spent more than $1 billion since 2018 on programs to aid in the recruitment and retention of TK-12 teachers. It must continue to make those investments if it wants to end the persistent teacher shortage, according to a report, “Tackling Teacher Shortages: Investing in California’s Teacher Workforce,” released last week.
Major investments include $672 million for the Teacher Residency Grant Program, $521 million for the Golden State Teacher Grant Program and $250 million for the National Board Certified Teacher Incentive Program."
In major shift, Yosemite delays reservation system amid Trump administration review
The Chronicle, KURTIS ALEXANDER: "Yosemite National Park finally figured out a way to eliminate bumper-to-bumper traffic and hour-long waits at entrance stations: limit the number of visitors by requiring reservations.
But the reservation system, which was scheduled to permanently take effect this year, is now on hold to give the Trump administration time to review the planned changes. Some say it may not proceed anytime soon, or at all."
Bay Area to see heavy rain, strong winds from atmospheric river storm. Here’s a timeline of impacts
The Chronicle, GREG PORTER/ANTHONY EDWARDS: "The most significant atmospheric river event in the current series of storms has arrived in the Bay Area and is expected to bring heavy rain Tuesday, which could trigger flooding. Up to 8 inches of rain could fall in parts of the Bay Area by Tuesday night.
Minor river flooding is possible wiht this storm, and small streams and creeks will probably spill their banks. Heavy rainfall rates may overwhelm the capacity of storm drains, so urban flooding is likely, especially in San Francisco."
California must act now to stop methane leaks from landfills (OP-ED)
Capitol Weekly, JACQUI IRWIN: "California has long been a leader in the fight against climate change, but in the crucial battle to reduce methane emissions from landfills, we are falling behind. It’s time for the California Air Resources Board to address this problem before it’s too late.
Methane is an immensely potent greenhouse gas, more than 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. In California, landfills are among the top sources of methane emissions, and the situation is more urgent than many realize. A recent study found over 100 large methane plumes from California landfills in 2023, presenting dangers to both environmental and public health."
Should ‘aiding’ or ‘abetting’ a homeless camp be illegal? It might soon be a reality in this Bay Area city
CALMatters, MARISA KENDALL: "The East Bay city of Fremont is set to vote on a new ordinance that would make it illegal to camp on any street or sidewalk, in any park or on any other public property. But, in an apparent California first, it also would make anyone “causing, permitting, aiding, abetting or concealing” an illegal encampment guilty of a misdemeanor – and possibly subject to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail.
That unusual prohibition — the latest in a series of crackdowns by communities following a Supreme Court decision last summer — has alarmed activists who worry it could be used against aid workers who provide services to people living in encampments. While Fremont Mayor Raj Salwan told CalMatters that police won’t target outreach workers handing out food and clothing, the ordinance doesn’t specify what qualifies as “aiding, abetting or concealing.”"
S.F.'s struggling jail is filling up amid staffing shortage. What does that mean for conditions?
The Chronicle, DANIELLE ECHEVERRIA: "Last May, deteriorating conditions and frequent lockdowns in San Francisco jails prompted a tense public hearing in front of the Board of Supervisors. The challenges, the Sheriff’s Office said, stemmed from the number of people behind bars ramping up while staffing lagged behind.
Since then, the numbers have not improved, a Chronicle analysis found: the average daily jail population surpassed the numbers just prior to the pandemic by late 2024 and has continued to grow, reaching nearly 1,300 people in January 2025. At the same time, the number of deputies assigned to the jails still lags far behind 2019 levels. Meanwhile, the number of fights between inmates reached a five-year high in 2024."
