Mudslides, flooding, rescues, possible tornado as storm batters Southern California
LAT, RONG-GONG LIN II/NATHAN SOLIS/HANNAH FRY/CLARA HARTER: "The biggest storm of the winter walloped Southern California on Thursday, forcing the closure of Pacific Coast Highway, damaging homes and vehicles and bringing with it the possibility of “life-threatening” debris flows just a month after fierce Santa Ana winds propelled a firestorm across L.A. County.
Street flooding and mudslides were reported across the region as the storm moved through late Thursday, with some of the worst damage taking place along PCH. Mud flows and flash floods have also been reported in the Eaton fire burn area in Altadena and on Mulholland and Outpost drives in the Hollywood Hills."
When will the California storms end? Here’s when to expect sunshine to return
The Chronicle, ANTHONY EDWARDS: "Scattered rain and mountain snow showers will continue across Northern and Central California on Friday morning. But stormy conditions will fade across California by the evening, giving way to generally quiet weather for the three-day holiday weekend.
Continued showers could add up to an additional foot of snow in the Sierra Nevada above 5,000 feet, with the heaviest snowfall in the morning and midafternoon Friday. Travelers heading across the Sierra for the holiday weekend should prepare for winter driving conditions."
Should builders permit their own projects? Post-fire LA considers a radical idea
CALMatters, BEN CHRISTOPHER: "The speedy processing of building permit applications is not typically considered a popular political cause.
The recent Los Angeles firestorm may have changed that."
DWP hires law firm, at up to $1,975 an hour, to defend against Palisades fire lawsuits
LAT, MATT HAMILTON/DAVID ZAHNISER: "Faced with a deluge of litigation from the Palisades fire, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power approved a three-year, $10-million contract with a top law firm to defend the utility.
The Board of Water and Power, which is made up of mayoral appointees, voted Tuesday to retain the L.A. firm Munger, Tolles & Olson to investigate anticipated claims related to the fire and respond to lawsuits from residents whose homes were destroyed or damaged."
Bills used in the California Legislature
Capitol Weekly, CHRIS MICHELI: "In the California Constitution, it sets forth the method of enacting new laws, or statutes, in this state. That lawmaking power is shared between the Legislature and the People (through the initiative power in Article II). In Article IV, Section 8(b)(1), it states: “The Legislature may make no law except by statute and may enact no statute except by bill.” As a result, in order to create a new state law (i.e., a statute), the Legislature must use a bill to do so.
This article first notes the myriad types of bills used in the California Legislature, followed by addressing some of the most common questions and their answers regarding bills:"
Capitol Spotlight: Freshman Sen. Jesse Arreguín
Capitol Weekly, JULIET WILLIAMS: "Jesse Arreguín became Berkeley’s mayor just as Donald Trump first took the White House.
Now, as the Democrat enters the California Senate representing District 7, he’s preparing to face similar challenges on a bigger stage after defeating Democratic Socialist Jovanka Beckles for the seat formerly held by termed-out Nancy Skinner."
How Linda McMahon’s mission to dismantle the Education Department could affect California
LAT, STAFF: "Linda McMahon, President Trump’s nominee to head the U.S. Department of Education, stood in solidarity Thursday with his goal of dismantling the department — an overhaul that could affect how billions of dollars in K-12 funding, financial aid and student loans flow to California schools and colleges.
McMahon told lawmakers during her Senate confirmation hearing that federal funding for students in need would continue — including Title I funding for schools that serve low-income families and funds for students with disabilities. The Education Department also assists low-income college students, students who are learning English and protects students’ civil rights."
How wealthy are S.F. City Hall power brokers? A look into Mayor Lurie, elected officials’ finances
The Chronicle, ALDO TOLEDO: "Some of San Francisco’s elected leaders are sitting on millions of dollars of stocks and expensive real estate while others are renters with barely any assets.
Every year, San Francisco employees — including the mayor and supervisors — must fill out a statement of economic interest, also known as Form 700, disclosing gifts, assets, loans, stock and other investments, some property holdings and other sources of income. It’s the first glimpse into the financial situation of Mayor Daniel Lurie and five new supervisors, who were required to file a Form 700 shortly after taking office. The six other supervisors have Form 700s dating from 2023, which they filed in 2024."
A new bill could require California to monitor wastewater for disease in the Central Valley
LAT, SUSANNE RUST: "State Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) is frustrated by the lack of wastewater monitoring for H5N1 bird flu in the state’s most at risk communities: regions of the Central Valley where dairy workers, dairy herds and commercial poultry operations are most concentrated.
On Tuesday, she introduced a bill to fix that. Called the Wastewater Surveillance Act, if passed, it would require at least one wastewater monitoring site in every California county. The bill would require the state’s department of public health to expand its current wastewater network, known as Cal-SuWers, to include all counties “and prioritize underserved and high-risk areas.”"
Trump’s crackdown on immigrants includes people who share information with them
LAT, SARA LIBBY: "As President Donald Trump’s administration moved to demolish the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which regulates big banks, the agency created a tipline — not to disclose corporate wrongdoing, but to report ongoing moves to protect consumers.
The White House has similarly directed federal employees to report any agency that continues to utilize diversity, equity and inclusion programs — and even warned employees who don’t could face “adverse consequences.”"
The LAPD has immigrant officers protected by DACA. Could Trump try to deport them?
LAT, LIBOR JANY: "Will a badge and gun be enough to shield someone from potential deportation under President Trump’s immigration crackdown?
That is the question facing the Los Angeles Police Department and the handful of other law enforcement agencies who employ police officers protected by DACA, the Obama-era program that is short for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals."
How Trump’s drastic K-12 plans will — and won’t — change California schools
CALMatters, CAROLYN JONES: "From private school vouchers to threats over “woke” curriculum, the Trump administration has launched a slew of reforms intended to reshape K-12 schools. But it’s still too soon to determine how — or if — those efforts will play out in California, experts say.
“There’s been a strategy of rapid-fire change, and Trump is very publicly testing his authority,” said Julie Marsh, executive faculty director at Policy Analysis for California Education. “That’s led to a lot of anxiety and uncertainty. But the state still makes most decisions about what happens in schools.”"
Fresno Unified teachers condemn district for plan to cut extra class time for students
EdSource, LASHERICA THORNTON: "About 100 Fresno Unified educators slammed the state’s third-largest school system for its “unilateral” decision to eliminate a decadelong initiative for underserved students during a news conference Wednesday evening.
The district’s decision-making is being challenged as leaders face pushback for getting rid of a student-focused program that, from the district’s perspective, isn’t consistently meeting the needs of those students."
The Sacramento Zoo will be renamed with Elk Grove move. Here’s what it will be called
Sac Bee, EMMA HALL: "Elk Grove city officials voted unanimously to name its new zoo the “Elk Grove – Sacramento Zoo,” on Wednesday night, with support from the Sacramento Zoological Society.
“I think it’s important to recognize that it isn’t necessarily about the city of Sacramento. It’s about the brand of Sacramento Zoo, right? There’s kind of two separate pieces there,” said Councilmember Kevin Spease, who represents Elk Grove’s District 3. “I think we could all agree that if Sacramento wanted to keep it, they could have, but it isn’t about that.”"
‘Mrs. Paul Pelosi’? The cringey history of the Chronicle’s first Nancy Pelosi photos
The Chronicle, PETER HARTLAUB: "Nancy Pelosi is a lot of things: A local icon. A symbol of San Francisco politics. A Speaker emerita. A matriarch. A badass.
So when retired Chronicle librarian Bill Van Niekerken found 1972 photos of the former Speaker of the House of Representatives last year, we were both struck by the name on the front:"
