Cuba is ‘ready to engage’ in talks with U.S. amid escalating pressure from Trump
LAT, ANA CEBALLOS: "Cuba’s top diplomat in Washington says Havana is prepared to enter diplomatic talks with the United States, reiterating the country’s willingness to engage even as tensions escalate with President Trump asserting that the island nation’s government could soon collapse.
“We are ready to engage with the U.S. on the issues that are important for the bilateral relations, and to talk about those in which we have differences,” Ambassador Lianys Torres Rivera, who leads Cuba’s mission in Washington, told The Times on Wednesday."
S.F. judge releases man who fought with Mayor Lurie’s bodyguard, saying he was ‘violently assaulted’
CHRONICLE, J.D. MORRIS/DAVID HERNANDEZ: ""A San Francisco judge on Wednesday ordered the release of the man charged with assaulting Mayor Daniel Lurie’s police bodyguard, after viewing video of the scuffle and saying it appeared the man was “violently assaulted.”
Judge Sylvia Husing’s decision came after Tony Sheravaughn Phillips’ attorney pushed for his release while a prosecutor argued that he had repeatedly failed to appear in court in prior cases. Phillips, 44, sat next to his attorney in an orange jail suit."
The new pillar of progressive politics
CAPITOL WEEKLY, CHRIS RAMIREZ: "There’s a wave of wealth tax proposals likely to appear on California ballots this year. Despite mounting opposition from lawmakers and some of the state’s wealthiest residents, progressives feel confident voters will to approve them.
Taxing high earners has become a pillar of modern progressive politics. The slogan “eat the rich,” coined during the 18th-century French Revolution, regained popularity among progressives in 2020 — a response to growing economic inequality amid the pandemic. That phrase has evolved into calls for taxing billionaires and their corporations in the June primary and November midterm elections."
What is the SRIA?
CAPITOL WEEKLY, CHRIS MICHELI: "What is the SRIA? The acronym stands for “standardized regulatory impact analysis.” For those involved in significant regulatory work at California’s 200+ rulemaking agencies, departments, boards, and commissions, you have probably heard of a SRIA being done for any “major regulations.”
Under existing law, all regulations are required to have an analysis of the potential economic impact of a regulation. Specifically, pursuant to Government Code Section 11346.3, a state entity proposing to adopt, amend, or repeal any regulation must assess the potential for adverse economic impact on California business enterprises and individuals."
Will Newsom hand Californians the bill for plastic pollution?
CAPITOL WEEKLY, JASON SCORSE: "A Financial decision is around the corner that will impact local governments, ratepayers, and our environment in a big way. CalRecycle is anticipated to finalize regulations any day aimed at implementing Senate Bill 54—the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act. But disappointingly, economic benefits owed to Californians through implementation of the state’s landmark plastic pollution prevention law won’t be realized if pending regulations are adopted as is. Currently, at the Governor’s direction, the latest regulations include massive industry giveaways that threaten to leave us holding the bill to deal with the single-use plastic waste industry floods into our everyday lives.
Plastic packaging is ubiquitous in American life, wrapping most products we purchase for use in our bathrooms and kitchens, children’s toys, and take-out food. And so is plastic pollution, with tons of single-use plastics ending up in our waterways, beaches, and now disturbingly, in our bodies and bloodstreams thanks to the scourge of microplastics. Many of these tiny plastic particles come from disposable packaging that is often used momentarily and then tossed away, like single-use plastic cutlery, coffee cups and lids, and the plastic wrapping that accompanies our online purchases."
‘A Top Gun pilot like no other’: The story behind a 100-year-old veteran’s surprise Medal of Honor
CALMATTERS, DEBORAH BRENNAN: "In 1952 Navy pilot Royce Williams flew into a 35 minute dogfight against seven enemy planes during the Korean War, shooting down four before landing his badly damaged plane on the USS Oriskany.
That air battle would make military history, but only after half a century of silence and secrecy. It took the U.S. decades more to recognize his victory."
10 projects from Newsom’s mental health bond were supposed to open in 2025. That didn’t happen
CALMATTERS, MARISA KENDALL: "None of the projects expected in 2025 under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s mental health ballot measure have opened, CalMatters has found, even though the governor says the bond is exceeding its goals.
Newsom promised that thousands of mental health treatment beds would come out of Proposition 1, a $6.4 billion bond California voters passed by a narrow margin in 2024. But projects in the initial round have hit delays, in some cases pushing back opening dates by two years, or been cancelled."
Charts show acceptance rates by major at every UC and Cal State
CHRONICLE, NAMI SUMIDA: "UC Berkeley's first-year acceptance rate for the fall of 2025 was 11%, ranking it among the most selective universities in the country. But that number was far higher or lower depending on the major to which that student applied. For computer science, just 6% of students were admitted, while 25% of those intending to get an arts and humanities degree were let in.
That variation in admission rate by major holds true across many UC and Cal State campuses. Some of the most competitive majors, like computer science and engineering, saw higher admission rates in fall 2025 than in previous years at many campuses, newly released data shows. At UC Santa Barbara, for example, admissions for computer science rose from 17% in 2024 to 34% in 2025."
How to fix the contamination in the Tijuana River? A new report lays out the multi-step solution
CALMATTERS, DEBORAH BRENNAN: "Authorities charged with cleaning up Tijuana River pollution should finish upgrades to wastewater plants on both sides of the border, fund operations as well as construction of those facilities, and plan for eventual wastewater reuse, a report issued today recommended.
Those are some key suggestions of the report “Tijuana River Contamination Crisis: A Five-Pillar Framework for Binational Solutions,” released today by the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Prebys Foundation. Maria Elena Giner, former Commissioner of the U.S. International Boundary and Doug Liden, a former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official, authored the report."
Why Bay Area allergies are suddenly so bad this year
CHRONICLE, GREG PORTER: "Bay Area subreddits have been lighting up with allergy complaints since late February.
A couple living near Golden Gate Park said they sneezed for days but weren’t sick. Another city resident joked about buying stock in Kleenex due to using so many tissues."
‘We’re talking about people’s lives:’ California lawmakers grill DMV director on deadly failures
CALMATTERS, LAUREN HEPLER/ROBERT LEWIS: "The man in charge of California’s Department of Motor Vehicles finally had to face tough questions Tuesday about what his agency is doing to address an increase in road deaths in recent years.
Though he didn’t provide many answers."
What if gas hits $10 a gallon? Many Bay Area commuters say they’d keep driving anyway
CHRONICLE, RACHEL SWAN: "Grand Gasoline on San Pablo Avenue has a direct sightline to the El Cerrito Del Norte BART station. But many drivers who fill up there say they wouldn’t consider taking BART — even if gas prices hit $10 a gallon.
“For me, it’s just not an option,” said Leo Sanchez of Concord, hooking a fuel nozzle into his white Chevrolet pick-up truck. He uses the vehicle for work and said he currently pays about $20 a day for gas, a figure that could quickly increase amid the ongoing war with Iran."
California’s richest real estate: Why these cities top our list without Silicon Valley gold
LAT, TERRY CASTLEMAN: "It’s hundreds of miles from the AI boom and tech billionaire class of Silicon Valley.
It maintains an image, at least in some minds, as a beachside mecca for old money, big yachts and conspicuous consumption."
Why hundreds of people in L.A. are strapping cameras on their bodies to do chores
LAT, NILESH CHRISTOPHER: "The hottest new gig-economy job in Los Angeles is performing at home to help artificial intelligence understand how humans move.
Hundreds of people from Santa Monica to Los Feliz are strapping cameras on their heads and hands as they do chores at home so bots can watch how they make coffee, scrub toilets, water plants and wash dishes."
