California National Guard troops deployed to L.A. were sent to marijuana raid 130 miles away
Chronicle. BOB EGELKO: "National Guard troops who were deployed to combat immigration protesters in Los Angeles have also taken part in a raid on a suspected marijuana farm in rural Riverside County, more than 130 miles away, Trump administration lawyers told a federal judge Monday.
In a filing supporting President Donald Trump’s orders for 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to protect federal immigration officers and buildings in Los Angeles, Justice Department lawyers said some National Guard forces were also sent to the Coachella Valley last week to search for undocumented immigrants at a marijuana farm that was being raided by the Drug Enforcement Administration."
(OPINION) California politicians ignore agriculture’s troubles, but boost movie business
CalMatters, DAN WALTERS: "When James Marshall discovered traces of gold in the American River in 1848, he ignited the famous California Gold Rush that attracted a tidal wave of immigration and led to statehood just two years later.
However, not everyone who made the arduous trek to California in the mid-19th century was seeking gold. Many — including those in the ill-fated 1846 Donner Party — wanted farmland."
These Northern California fire districts could fold. ‘People would end up dying’
SacBee, ISHANI DESAI: "Fire Chief David Garrison surveyed fields of golden grass in Yolo County connected to him for generations. He drove through Dunnigan on a recent morning recalling fighting fires across the small area’s rolling wildlands early in his career.
Garrison, chief of the Dunnigan Fire Protection District and sworn to protect about 1,300 residents, is among 15 rural district chiefs representing unincorporated parts of Yolo County. And he is among those on the front lines fighting for the survival of their district."
Veterans’ advocates warn of low morale amid L.A. deployment: ‘This is not what we signed up for’
LA Times, HAILEY BRANSON-POTTS and PHI DO: "Ever since President Trump seized control of the California National Guard and deployed thousands of troops to Los Angeles, calls from distressed soldiers and their families have been pouring in to the GI Rights Hotline.
Some National Guard members and their loved ones have called to say they were agonizing over the legality of the deployment, which is being litigated in federal court, according to Steve Woolford, a resource counselor for the hotline, which provides confidential counseling for service members."
LAPD chief defends police tactics during protests: ‘Swift and measured action’
LA Times, LIBOR JANY: "Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell defended his department’s handling of recent protests, saying officers acted appropriately to quell unrest — pushing back against criticism about aggressive crowd control tactics used during demonstrations against President Trump’s immigration crackdown.
McDonnell said in a statement released Monday that the department would conduct a “comprehensive evaluation of each use-of-force incident.” The chief said the LAPD wouldn’t shy away from scrutiny — and would take action against any officer “who has fallen short” of the department’s standards."
8th body found from fatal Tahoe boat flip during rare June storm surge Saturday
SacBee, ETHAN WOLIN: "At noon Saturday, the wind blew at just 7 mph, with gusts of 11 mph, at one buoy near the center of Lake Tahoe.
By 3 p.m., the wind speed reached 29 and gusts hit 45, according to National Weather Service data. It was at approximately that time that the day after the summer solstice on North America’s largest alpine lake turned deadly, as a 27-foot Chris-Craft boat capsized near Rubicon Point, leaving eight people dead, authorities said."
Senate plan to sell land near Tahoe, Sacramento deemed ineligible for budget bill
SacBee, DAVID LIGHTMAN and NICOLE NIXON: "The plan to put millions of acres of California forests, parks and other public federal lands at risk of being sold got a devastating, probably lethal, blow as the Senate parliamentarian ruled lawmakers could not consider the proposal as part of its “Big Beautiful Bill” this week.
Before such legislation can be considered by the Senate, Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has to make sure what’s in it involves fiscal policy. She decided the plan to sell the land did not meet the standard."
Is a California highway project ‘dumping half a billion dollars into the ocean’?
SacBee, ARIANE LANGE: "Caltrans has proposed a $500 million project to widen a wine country highway that the agency said could be underwater in 25 years. Members of the California Transportation Commission will decide at a public meeting beginning Thursday whether to award Caltrans and local agencies a $73 million grant that would cover some of the cost to widen Highway 37 — a roadway linking Vallejo to Sears Point across the Napa Sonoma Marsh, much of which is only one lane in each direction.
In the long term, Caltrans has a plan to replace the current road with an elevated causeway that would move vehicles above the wetlands below. That project would cost more than $10 billion and is not funded."
‘Who are these people?’ Masked immigration agents challenge local police, sow fear in L.A.
LA Times, NATHAN SOLIS and RICHARD WINTON: "Increasingly aggressive immigration raids carried out by masked federal agents, sometimes using unmarked vehicles, are creating problems for local law enforcement agencies.
Police have little or no insight into where the federal enforcement actions are taking place but often have to deal with the aftermath, including protests and questions from residents about what exactly happened. In some cases, local cops have been mistaken for federal agents, eroding years of work to have immigrant communities trust the police."
As Trump goes to NATO, DHS says US remains at heightened risk
Chronicle-AP: "President Donald Trump, aboard Air Force One to the NATO conference, has sought to maintain a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, and said he’s not seeking regime change in Tehran.
U.S. intelligence leaders will provide classified briefings as Congress prepares to debate whether to invoke the War Powers clause restraining Trump. Some Democrats filed to impeach him for striking Iran without congressional approval. Homeland Security meanwhile warns of a heightened risk of a domestic attack.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, joins USC law school faculty
LA Times, SEEMA MEHTA: "Former Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, attorney Doug Emhoff, is joining the USC faculty to teach law students, the university plans to announce later Monday.
Emhoff, who received his law degree from USC in 1990, will start the job at the USC Gould School of Law on July 1. He taught at Georgetown University’s law school while his wife served as then-President Biden’s vice president and when she was the 2024 Democratic nominee for president."
