Storm drifting over California will unleash historic winter system across U.S.
CHRONICLE, GREG PORTER: "A weak storm system drifting over California on Thursday is about to transform into one of the most significant winter storms to hit the U.S. in years.
By this weekend, that system will have exploded into a sprawling storm stretching 2,000 miles across the country and threatening more than 175 million Americans with a dangerous combination of hazards. That includes potentially catastrophic freezing rain and ice accumulations across Tennessee, Kentucky and the Carolinas and heavy snow from the Appalachians to the I-95 corridor."
White House blocks Gavin Newsom from interview at official U.S. venue in Davos
CALMATTERS, JEANNE KUANG: "Gov. Gavin Newsom accused the White House of blocking a magazine interview at the official U.S. venue at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, a day after Newsom criticized European leaders for not pushing back harder against President Donald Trump.
The incident marks another escalation in the governor’s long-running feud with Trump and his administration. Newsom and the president have not spoken since Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles last summer. During a visit to Washington in the winter to renew his request for wildfire recovery aid, Newsom complained that the administration refused to grant a meeting."
Newsom, on world stage, accuses Trump of trying to suppress dissent
LAT, MELODY GUTIERREZ: "Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday morning said he was not surprised the Trump administration blocked his appearance at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland the day before, saying it was another example of the president trying to stifle dissent.
“Is it surprising the Trump administration didn’t like my commentary and wanted to make sure that I was not allowed to speak?” No,” said Newsom, who is weighing a 2028 presidential run. “It’s consistent with this administration and their authoritarian tendencies.”"
Fearing deficits, California senators ask Gavin Newsom for budget transparency
SACBEE, STEPHEN HOBBS: "A bipartisan group of state senators on Wednesday expressed alarm about budget deficits California is expected to face in upcoming years and called on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration to be more transparent with its spending plans.
“It’s simply an irresponsible position to be putting ourselves in,” state Sen. Catherine Blakespear, D-Encinitas, said about the upcoming shortfalls. “And it does expose us to tremendous risks in the event and likelihood that we do have a downturn in our economy.”"
She prosecuted S.F. corruption for the feds. Now she’s taking on City Hall from the inside
CHRONICLE, MICHAEL BARBA: "Alex Shepard has a message for City Hall: The time for corruption is over.
For the first time in its history, San Francisco has hired an inspector general to root out waste, fraud and abuse."
As California exodus continues, one state bucked the trend
CHRONICLE, DANIELLE ECHEVERRIA: "An estimated half a million more people left California for other states than came in in 2023 and 2024 combined, according to newly released U.S. census data. But there were a few places that the data suggests sent more residents to California than the other way around. Chief among them was Illinois.
In 2023 and 2024, the most recent years with data available, an estimated 10,000 more people moved to California from Illinois than the other way around, the Chronicle found. The data are based on surveys of only a share of the population, so are not exact, but the number for Illinois was so large that it was almost certainly positive."
Fentanyl testing law named for California teen gets bipartisan Senate support
SACBEE, DAVID LIGHTMAN: "Senators from both parties are advancing “Tyler’s Law,” legislation that would require emergency rooms to improve how they test for deadly fentanyl overdoses.
The bill, unanimously approved last week by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, is named for Tyler Shamash, a Los Angeles teenager who died in 2018 after an overdose."
Fires burn swiftly, but insurance battles linger: New bills propose consumer-friendly regulations
CALMATTERS, LEVI SUIMAGAYSAY: "Jen Egan is still dealing with the aftermath of the Palisades Fire that damaged the home of her 83-year-old father, Paul, last January.
That has meant more than a year of going back and forth with State Farm, which has assigned three different claims adjusters to their case. Egan also hired a public adjuster to help her navigate the process, who she says has been a “saving grace.”"
Some types of bills require specified statements
CAPITOL WEEKLY, CHRIS MICHELI: "Urgency statutes, fiscal emergency statutes, right of public access, local or special statutes, and reimbursement disclaimers utilize explanatory statements. Of course, I would like to see more bills contain explanatory statements. Several of these three types of measures are actually required to do so by the state Constitution.
It is an excellent practice by the Office of Legislative Counsel (OLC) to use explanatory statements in all of the different types of legislation. Let’s take a closer look at these five types of bills:"
Lush Cosmetics urges Gov. Newsom to clear California’s death row
CAPITOL WEEKLY, CARRIE HARAMBASIC: "Lush Cosmetics has launched a campaign at our 35 California locations calling on Governor Gavin Newsom to commute all death sentences. From January 9 – 20, every store is featuring a window display and in-store materials to educate our customers on how to voice their support.
Some may wonder why a beauty company would take on an issue such as the death penalty. Those people don’t know Lush."
A measles resurgence has put the U.S. at risk of losing its ‘elimination’ status
LAT, CORINNE PURTILL: "One year ago this week, a case of measles was recorded in Gaines County, Texas.
It was the start of an outbreak that killed two children and sickened at least 760 people. Thousands more in the U.S. have contracted measles since."
Kaiser nurses plan open-ended strike across California and Hawaii starting Monday
CHRONICLE, CATHERINE HO: "The union representing 31,000 nurses and other health care workers at Kaiser Permanente plan to start an open-ended strike Monday at dozens of Kaiser locations in California and Hawaii, including in the Bay Area.
The union, UNAC/UHCP (United Nurses Association of California/Union of Health Care Professionals), issued a notice to strike last week over what workers say are unsafe staffing levels, access to care and fair wages. The union’s contract with Oakland-based Kaiser expired Sept. 30, and the two sides have been in contract negotiations since then."
Falling enrollment. Budget uncertainty. LAUSD warns of layoffs and cuts
LAT, HOWARD BLUME: "Los Angeles school officials warned this week of impending staff reductions — including likely layoffs — as they grapple with steadily falling enrollment and a three-year budget projection that ends with a deficit.
The budget uncertainty is exacerbated by ongoing Trump administration moves that threaten California school funding over culture war issues — including parental notification related to a student’s gender identity and transgender athlete policies — under court review."
$4 million sought from EPA to remove toxic ‘Mount Marysville.’ ‘Hope it works.’
SACBEE, JAKE GOODRICK: "When “Mount Marysville” will disappear depends on who will pay to haul it away.
Marysville officials, after paying to demolish the historic Hotel Marysville and bury its remains in concrete spray, want help with the anticipated multimillion-dollar cost to rid downtown of it."
Some ‘American’ wine legally contains cheap foreign juice. Can California close that loophole?
CHRONICLE, ESTHER MOBLEY: "A bottle labeled “American wine” may not contain entirely American wine. Under current U.S. law, up to 25% of the liquid in that bottle could come from another country.
This labeling loophole has become a major talking point within the California wine industry over the last two years. Advocates of California grape growers argue that the current laws aren’t merely unclear, running the risk of misleading consumers, but also harmful to the local industry. When a big California winery buys cheap bulk wine from Chile to round out its red blend, the neighboring vineyard — which likely is struggling to sell its grapes during this wine downturn — misses out on selling its grapes to that winery."
Thousands of affordable homes could have been built — if not for $1.2 billion in California fees
CHRONICLE, CHRISTIAN LEONARD: "Affordable housing developers paid California cities and counties more than $1.2 billion in “impact fees” over four years, according to a new report. Instead, the report found, that money could have paid for roughly 5,000 additional homes for low-income families.
The report, published Thursday by the UC Berkeley Terner Center for Housing Innovation, analyzed about 700 California affordable housing projects from 2020 to 2023. The vast majority of those projects paid “impact fees,” as most market-rate projects also do — fees that municipalities use to offset the expected effect of the project on their water or transportation systems, or to pay for parks and other public facilities."
Man charged in ‘largest jewelry heist in U.S. history,’ avoids trial by getting deported
LAT, BRITTNY MEJIA/RICHARD WINTON: "A man facing federal charges in what authorities have called the largest jewelry heist in U.S. history was deported to Ecuador late last month, bringing the case against him to a crashing halt, according to recent court filings.
Jeson Nelon Presilla Flores was one of seven men charged last year with breaking into a Brinks big rig and stealing around $100 million worth of gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and luxury watches in 2022. The inquiry into the heist has seen investigators chase leads across the globe, apprehend one suspect in Panama and explore the alleged thieves’ ties to Ecuador. Much of the loot has not been recovered."
