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Today, December 3, is Giving Tuesday - a day to support nonprofit organizations. Open California, the nonprofit organization that produces Capitol Weekly, The Roundup, The Capitol Weekly Podcast and many other nonpartisan projects is taking part in this year’s event, and we have received an incredible offer:
The Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations has graciously offered to MATCH all donations we receive today, up to $2,500! The value of your donation will be DOUBLED if received today!
We don't need to tell you how important independent, fact-based journalism is in this era… but we will say that the support of people like you is how we continue to produce The Roundup, and all of our other programs.
We hope you will take this opportunity to support informed, nonpartisan public policy journalism from Capitol Weekly and Open California. For your convenience, we've provided this link: https://capitolweekly.net/donations/
Thank you!
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Gov. Gavin Newsom announces $25 million fund to fight Trump administration
LIA RUSSEL and NICOLE NIXON, SacBee: "Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to create a $25 million fund to prepare the Department of Justice and other agencies for potential litigation against President-elect Donald Trump’s policies. The special fund would “help safeguard critical funding for disaster relief, health care, and other vital services,” according to a press release from the governor’s office.
Newsom called for a special legislative session, which begins Monday, to prepare California to “defend its values” from the incoming administration. Newsom said lawmakers will soon introduce related legislation, which he expects to sign into law by Jan. 25."
Sen.-elect Adam Schiff doesn’t want to talk about Trump. He wants to talk about the economy
LAT's KEVIN RECTOR: "Sen.-elect Adam B. Schiff doesn’t really want to talk about President-elect Donald Trump. He wants to talk about the economy.
“The issue of the last election — which we didn’t satisfactorily answer, which we’re going to need to answer as a country — is if you’re working hard in America, can you still earn a good living?” Schiff said in a recent interview. “For too many people, that’s not the case.”"
California has a new Legislature — while votes are still being counted
YUE STELLA YU, CalMatters: "Today, a newly-elected class of state lawmakers was sworn into office — before their election results are certified. And in one competitive Assembly district, a leading candidate took office even though her race is still not called.
This is the reality under California’s notoriously slow ballot counting process — a process that one state lawmaker is vowing to change.
Assemblymember Marc Berman, a Palo Alto Democrat who led the Assembly Elections Committee from 2017 to 2021, is introducing legislation to help counties speed up the ballot counting process. He was also the author of the law that made vote-by-mail permanent in California."
5,000 bills is too many. California Legislature sets new max on legislation
SAMEEA KAMAL and RYAN SABALOW, CalMatters: "California’s legislative leaders will reduce the number of bills that members of the state Assembly and Senate could introduce during each two-year session, from 50 to 35 in the Assembly and from 40 to 35 in the senate, according to rules adopted by each chamber at the kickoff of the new session.
“Everyone in this room has good and important ideas … but we all know that our time and energy here are limited,” he said in remarks at the swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol. “So this session, we are lowering the number of bills Legislators can carry and introduce from 50 to 35. And we’re doing so because we want every leader in this room to have the greatest possible bandwidth to focus on laws that uplift affordability and prosperity.”
Rising Stars: Katie Van Deynze of Health Access
Capitol Weekly's MOLLY JACOBY: "When Katie Van Deynze talks about healthcare policy, people listen. At 29 years old, she serves as Senior Legislative Advocate at Health Access California, where she has established herself as a trusted voice in the Capitol community.
Originally from Manitoba, Canada, Van Deynze’s parents moved to Davis, California, just before she was born. Van Deynze grew up interested in healthcare policy, as she and her parents frequently discussed the differences between the American and Canadian healthcare systems. She saw family members with serious illnesses navigate the Canadian healthcare system, knowing that if they went through the same thing in the United States, it could cause devastating financial consequences for the family."
The Latina Vote, with Sonja Diaz (PODCAST)
Capitol Weekly's STAFF: "One of the many stories out of the 2024 election was President Trump’s improved performance with voters of color. While voter data is still being analyzed, it is clear that the former and future president made significant inroads in 2024 with constituencies with whom he has historically lagged, notably Latinos. For a politician who based his first presidential campaign on a promise to build a wall between the US and Mexico and referring to Mexican immigrants as drug dealers, criminals and rapists, ANY improvement is a big shift.
But, that shift was not uniform: While a majority of Latino men favored Trump in November, three in five Latina voters supported Vice President Kamala Harris, rejecting Trump for the third time. Why the disparity between Latinas/Latinos, and could the Democrats have done more outreach to this crucial constituency?"
‘I want you to be my agent.’ What to know about Trump’s ties with Hollywood power player Ari Emanuel
LAT's STACY PERMAN: "Last month, President-elect Donald Trump entered a sold-out Madison Square Garden to attend the mixed martial arts extravaganza UFC 309. Kid Rock’s “American Bad Ass” played and the crowd erupted in cheers, chanting “USA! USA!”
The incoming 47th president was flanked by UFC president Dana White and a cortege of Trumpworld insiders tapped for the new administration, including Elon Musk, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard."
‘A very low moment’: Justices to weigh gender-affirming care for minors
The Chronicle's BOB EGELKO: "In 2020, the Supreme Court — led by Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Donald Trump appointee — ruled that a federal law against sex discrimination also banned discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. This week, the court will consider whether the same standard applies to state laws banning gender-affirming care for minors. And some opponents of those laws are not optimistic.
“This is a very low moment for transgender rights. The Supreme Court will find it difficult not to be swayed by politics,” said Jessica Clarke, a University of Southern California law professor who filed arguments with the court on behalf of other professors and the National Women’s Law Center. She noted Trump’s anti-transgender messages in this year’s campaign, including an ad that proclaimed, “Kamala (Harris) is for they/them. President Trump is for you.”"
Until this summer, the Spartans’ transgender player had gone through her career without incident. But, for the past few months, she was harassed, outed and targeted in a cruel and hateful manner."
Native American students miss school at higher rates. It only got worse during the pandemic
AP: "After missing 40 days of school last year, Tommy Betom, 10, is on track this year for much better attendance. The importance of showing up has been stressed repeatedly at school — and at home.
When he went to school last year, he often came home saying the teacher was picking on him and other kids were making fun of his clothes. But Tommy’s grandmother Ethel Marie Betom, who became one of his caregivers after his parents split, said she told him to choose his friends carefully and to behave in class."
Bay Area temperatures could reach rare highs after November rain
The Chronicle's GREG PORTER: "Holiday lights are appearing on more houses each day, and Christmas tree lots are buzzing with activity — hallmarks of the first week of December.
What’s not typical for this time of year? Temperatures approaching 70 degrees. San Jose and Santa Rosa both stand a good chance at topping that threshold on Tuesday. And later in the week, the 70 degree warmth will spread to the Tri-Valley and more interior locations across the North Bay."
Landlords are using AI to raise rents — and California cities are leading the pushback
WENDY FRY, CalMatters: "If you’ve hunted for apartments recently and felt like all the rents were equally high, you’re not crazy: Many landlords now use a single company’s software — which uses an algorithm based on proprietary lease information — to help set rent prices.
Federal prosecutors say the practice amounts to “an unlawful information-sharing scheme” and some lawmakers throughout California are moving to curb it. San Diego’s city council president is the latest to do so, proposing to prevent local apartment owners from using the pricing software, which he maintains is driving up housing costs."
South Korean president declares emergency martial law, accusing opposition of anti-state activities
AP: "South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declared an “emergency martial law,” Tuesday accusing the country’s opposition of controlling the parliament, sympathizing with North Korea and paralyzing the government with anti-state activities.
Yoon made the announcement in a televised briefing Tuesday, vowing to “eradicate pro-North Korean forces and protect the constitutional democratic order.”"
