California Democrats have new plans for confronting ICE: Taxes, lawsuits and location bans
CALMATTERS, CAYLA MIHALOVICH/MAYA C. MILLER: "California Democratic senators advanced a measure Tuesday that would make it easier for people to sue federal agents over civil rights violations, a bill shaped by fears of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement practices.
The bill from Sens. Scott Wiener and Aisha Wahab, both Bay Area Democrats, took on additional significance after federal agents gunned down Alex Pretti, a U.S. citizen and ICU nurse, in Minnesota last weekend. Senators discussed the measure on the floor for more than 90 minutes before voting along party lines, 30 to 10, to send it to the Assembly."
READ MORE -- ICE expected to have ‘major, visible’ presence at Super Bowl LX -- SACBEE, VERONICA FERNANDEZ-ALVARADO; California Republicans issue mixed and muted response to ICE shooting of Alex Pretti -- SACBEE, ANDREW GRAHAM/DAVID LIGHTMAN; Immigration agents, leaders defy best practices honed by U.S. police for half a century -- LAT, KEVIN RECTOR
How past ICE funding votes are reshaping California’s race for governor
LAT, NICOLE NIXON: "Two of the top Democratic candidates in the race for California governor are taking heat for their past votes to fund and support federal immigration enforcement as the backlash against the Trump administration’s actions in Minnesota intensifies after the shooting death of Alex Pretti.
Fellow Democratic candidates are criticizing Rep. Eric Swalwell and former Rep. Katie Porter for voting — in Swalwell’s case, as recently as June — to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and support its agents’ work."
California leaders say state would fight to investigate shootings by federal agents
CHRONICLE, MICHAEL BARBA: "If the Trump administration tried to block outside investigators from probing a killing by a federal agent in California, the state would be ready to fight.
That was the message issued by California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Tuesday in response to the Trump administration impeding local and state authorities in Minneapolis from investigating the killings of two protesters by federal immigration agents in recent weeks."
Teamsters California endorses proposed billionaires tax
CHRONICLE, JOE GAROFOLI: "Teamsters California, with 250,000 members statewide, is endorsing the billionaires tax that could be on the November ballot, becoming the largest union to back the ballot measure.
“We see taking on billionaires as part of our larger fight around these big corporations and their billionaire owners,” Teamsters California Co-Chair Peter Finn told the Chronicle. “They’re already undermining our democracy and now they’re looking to undermine our and distort our economy.”"
Los Angeles won’t be tweaking its ‘mansion tax.’ Now the debate is likely to go statewide
CALMATTERS, BEN CHRISTOPHER: "Los Angeles will be keeping its controversial “mansion tax” just the way it is, thank you very much.
On Tuesday morning, L.A.’s city council rejected an eleventh hour proposal to place a re-write of the city’s four-year-old tax on high value real estate sales onto the June 2026 local ballot."
San Diego sues federal agencies over razor wire fencing on city land
CALMATTERS, DEBORAH BRENNAN: "The city of San Diego is suing the federal government for building razor wire fencing on city land near the Mexican border, arguing that the fence damages sensitive habitat and trespasses on city property.
The lawsuit, filed with the federal Southern District Court on Jan. 5, names the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense, along with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other federal officials. It argues that U.S. Marines illegally entered city land in December and built fences in Marron Valley, east of Otay Mountain."
SB 694’s harm is out in the open (OP-ED)
CAPITOL WEEKLY, SKY AINSWORTH: "As we begin 2026, California stands at a crossroads. Senate Bill 694, touted as a legislative shield to protect veterans from predatory practices, is once again moving forward as the Legislature reconvenes. But what was framed as protection has increasingly revealed itself lately as a bill that threatens to strip veterans of meaningful help, widen inequities, and weaken the community support systems many service members depend on to survive the VA benefits process.
For context, SB 694 aims to bar unaccredited individuals and companies from charging fees to assist veterans with Department of Veterans Affairs disability claims by expanding California’s consumer protection law. On its face, that sounds reasonable. But as scrutiny grows, it has become clear that the bill’s real-world consequences would be far more damaging than its supporters acknowledge."
Cal Fire task force recommends tougher fireworks oversight after Esparto blast
SACBEE, DANIEL LEMPRES: "A state task force on Tuesday issued wide-ranging recommendations aimed at tightening California’s fireworks laws and oversight in the wake of the deadly Esparto fireworks explosion July 1.
The panel presented its initial findings in San Diego to Cal Fire’s General Fireworks Advisory Committee. Cal Fire formed the task force in August, about six weeks after an unpermitted fireworks facility exploded in rural Yolo County, killing seven people and sparking a 78-acre wildfire."
New bill asks state to craft urgent wildfire smoke safety standards after Chronicle investigation
CHRONICLE, SUSIE NEILSON/MEGAN FAN MUNCE/SARA DINATALE: "A new bill would ask California to create comprehensive scientific standards for how to address the toxic debris left inside buildings after wildfires.
The proposed law follows a Chronicle investigation that revealed how experts and insurance companies have at times contradicted science findings and minimized lab results showing chemical contamination within the homes of Los Angeles wildfire survivors."
Expiration of federal health insurance subsidies: What to know in California
LAT, MELODY PETERSEN: "Thousands of middle-class Californians who depend on the state-run health insurance marketplace face premiums that are thousands of dollars higher than last year because enhanced federal subsidies that began during the COVID-19 pandemic have expired.
Despite fears that more people would go without coverage with the end of the extra benefits, the number enrolling in Covered California has held steady so far, according to state data."
California mental health hospitals warn of cuts after state hands down staffing rules
CALMATTERS, KRISTEN HWANG: "The California Department of Public Health delayed emergency staffing rules for acute psychiatric hospitals after significant outcry from hospitals, nurses, law enforcement and lawmakers.
The proposed rules, which would increase the required number of health workers on staff, were set to take effect Jan. 31, roughly one month after the department first published them."
California audits 428 schools with low vaccination rates
EDSOURCE, DIANA LAMBERT/DANIEL J. WILLIS: "The state of California is auditing 428 of its public schools because more than 10% of their kindergartners or seventh grade students were not fully vaccinated last school year. An additional 80 schools did not report their vaccination information to the state.
Shifting federal policies and new measles cases are again making vaccination a national conversation. Last year, there were 2,255 measles cases nationwide — the most since the 1990s. The California Department of Public Health reported 25 cases of measles in the state in 2025. Just last week, an unvaccinated student in Napa County was diagnosed with measles after being exposed to it while visiting South Carolina."
Bachelor’s degrees at community colleges: Lawmakers say yes, UC and CSU say slow down
CALMATTERS, MIKHAIL ZINSHTEYN: "In the past two years, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed three bills that would have allowed community colleges to award students more bachelor’s degrees. Unfazed, lawmakers are now backing a fourth bill that does much of the same.
The measure, Assembly Bill 664, cleared its first legislative tests by passing the Assembly Jan. 26, potentially setting up another collision course between state lawmakers and the governor. While Newsom supports more bachelor’s degrees for students, he’s repeatedly stated his opposition to adding more community college baccalaureate programs that go outside an agreed-upon process in a law that he and lawmakers approved in 2021."
Calm skies, rough seas: Bay Area warms up as dangerous surf and high tides loom
CHRONICLE, ANTHONY EDWARDS: "Wednesday’s weather will be about as calm as can be across the Bay Area after a round of light rain showers moved through Tuesday evening.
Overnight wind and rain should clear the air and wipe away pollutants that accumulated in the lower atmosphere during the recent stretch of stagnant weather. After patchy morning fog burns off, skies will be mostly sunny in the afternoon."
New California bill targets federal push to sell off public lands
SACBEE, CHAEWON CHUNG: "On Tuesday, California lawmakers held a news conference introducing a bipartisan environmental bill — Assembly Bill 1624 — aimed at strengthening protections for the Golden State’s public lands from federally-backed “privatization and irreversible development.”
Led by Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, D-Hollywood, the conference took place on the southwest lawn of the Capitol, where Zbur criticized the Trump administration’s push for land policies that could cause significant environmental harm for California’s lands."
Wolves and other predators present ‘a crisis,’ state environment chief says
SACBEE, SHARON BERNSTEIN: "California lawmakers on Tuesday took initial steps toward addressing the public safety concerns posed by the state’s growing populations of wolves, mountain lions and other predators — issues the state’s top environmental official called a crisis.
A packed hearing before the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife drew lawmakers from throughout the state and nearly 100 members of the public. They were there to begin discussions on how to protect both wildlife and people after a bloody spring and summer during which a single wolf pack killed 92 calves in Sierra Valley, stressing law enforcement resources and terrifying residents and local ranchers."
Chevron’s HQ left California. A developer now plans to add thousands more homes in its place
CHRONICLE, SARAH RAVANI: "Three weeks after moving into a gleaming new office building at San Ramon’s Bishop Ranch in 2024, Chevron called with news that would devastate most landlords: the oil giant was pulling out of California entirely and moving to Texas. The company’s move would officially hit news sites within 24 hours.
Alex Mehran Jr., whose family owns Bishop Ranch, didn’t panic. Mehran’s family had originally sold Chevron its office campus at Bishop Ranch and then built and leased a new, smaller campus for the oil company a few years ago when it decided to downsize. The departure reaffirmed a vision Mehran had been shaping for years to transform the massive suburban office park into a small, walkable “10-minute” city that allows residents to access basic necessities like groceries, schools and parks within walking or biking distance of their homes."
‘Finally, a renter’s market’: L.A. rent prices drop to four-year low
LAT, JACK FLEMMING: "Sandra Gomez braced for impact as she opened the lease renewal offer for her East L.A. apartment in September. She paid $2,000 for the last 12 months, but since the unit wasn’t covered by L.A.’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance, her landlord could jack up the price for the next lease.
The new price? $1,950."
