“The impacts to the entirety of the Sierra region, including Truckee, are potentially very catastrophic,” Truckee Town Councilmember Courtney Henderson told the Chronicle. She has been fielding comments from constituents for weeks."
Progressives seek health privacy protections in California, but Newsom could balk
VANESSA G. SANCHEZ, Chronicle: "When patients walked into Planned Parenthood clinics, a consumer data company sold their precise locations to anti-abortion groups for targeted ads. When patients picked up prescriptions for testosterone replacement therapy, law enforcement retrieved their names and addresses without a warrant.
And when a father was arrested by immigration authorities, agents allegedly accessed his personal information from a medical clinic where he received diabetes treatment."
‘This will make our town uninhabitable’: The long-awaited Delta tunnel strikes fear in locals
ALASTAIR BLAND, CalMatters: "Change tends to come at a creeping pace, if at all, in the Sacramento River community of Hood. Families that settled in this Delta outpost generations ago remain today, and pear orchards planted decades ago are still the region’s signature crop.
Now Hood, population 271, is facing a formidable transformation that residents fear will shatter their sleepy agricultural community. One of the smallest towns in the region, Hood lies at ground zero of the main construction site for the Newsom administration’s proposed Delta water tunnel project."
‘Huge blow’: Youngest California condor in flock killed by lead poisoning
JULIE JOHNSON, Chronicle: "Lead poisoning killed the youngest member of an endangered flock of California condors in Redwood National Park in Humboldt County, Yurok tribal wildfire officials said Wednesday.
The 18-month-old condor, which was named Pey-noh-pey-o-wok' by the tribe, was found dead in January, and a subsequent pathology examination discovered a lead air gun pellet in its gizzard and high concentrations of lead in its liver and bone, officials said."
Rain, possible tornado slam L.A. area amid flooding, mudslide concerns
LA Times' HANNAH FRY: "Southern California was being pounded by a major storm Thursday morning, bringing evacuation warnings and fears of mudslides — and at least one tornado. Officials issued flood and severe thunderstorm warnings for parts of the region Thursday morning as steady rain fell.
There were reports of some debris flows in burn areas as well as some scattered hail. Intense bursts of rain caused scattered street flooding. The Los Angeles Fire Department said it was trying to rescue someone who was stuck on a concrete alcove along the Los Angeles River in Boyle Heights."
Introducing the Capitol Weekly Insiders Survey
Caitol Weekly Staff: "By the time you read this you might have already found a new Capitol Weekly feature in either your text messages or email inbox: the Capitol Weekly Insiders Survey. In partnership with Paul Mitchell of Political Data Inc., we have constructed a series of surveys we think offer the Capitol community and beyond a chance to quickly and anonymously share their thoughts on issues that matter to them and which impact their daily work lives. Our plan to is have a new one for you every few weeks, with a story to follow that sums up what we’ve learned."
Consumer Angst Is Striking All Income Levels
JINJOO LEE, Wall Street Journal: "American consumers have had a lot to fret about so far this year, between never-ending tariff headlines, stubborn inflation and most recently, fresh fears about a recession. These concerns seem to be hitting spending by both rich and poor, across necessities and luxuries, all at once.
Take low-income consumers: At an interview at the Economic Club of Chicago in late February, Walmart Chief Executive Doug McMillon said “budget-pressured” customers are showing stressed behaviors: They are buying smaller pack sizes at the end of the month because their “money runs out before the month is gone.” McDonald’s said in its most recent earnings call that the fast-food industry has had a “sluggish start” to the year, in part because of weak demand from low-income consumers. Across the U.S. fast-food industry, sales to low-income guests were down by a double-digit percentage in the fourth quarter compared with a year earlier, according to McDonald’s."
‘I’ve been betrayed.’ Tesla drivers are pushing back on Elon Musk
CAROLINE PETROW-COHEN, La Times: "In late February, Culver City resident David Andreone posted a photo of his black Model 3 Tesla on Facebook and Instagram and offered it for sale for $35,000. Though the posts received dozens of comments, no buyers emerged.
Andreone, 59, said he loves driving the car, but made the decision to sell after the brand’s association with co-founder and Chief Executive Elon Musk became too much to bear."
New poll crystallizes Trump’s self-inflicted wounds on Musk and tariffs
AARON BLAKE, Washington Post: "Last week, President Donald Trump used the first big speech to Congress of his second term to repeatedly goad Democrats to support what he claimed was already a historic presidency.
“In fact, it has been stated by many that the first month of our presidency … is the most successful in the history of our nation,” Trump said, without providing citations. He added: “So Democrats sitting before me: For just this one night, why not join us in celebrating so many incredible wins for America? For the good of our nation, let’s work together, and let’s truly make America great again.”
If Trump cuts Medicaid, this California Republican’s House seat would be imperiled
MELISSA GOMEZ and FAITH E. PINHO, LA Times: "Rep. David Valadao faced a no-win decision last month: Fall into line behind President Trump and vote for a budget resolution that would almost certainly cut into Medicaid funding, risking his constituents’ wrath; or vote against it, catapulting his party into chaos and setting himself up for a primary opponent possibly backed by Trump.
Valadao, a Republican dairy farmer from Hanford, chose his party. In his speech on the House floor ahead of the vote, Valadao acknowledged that he’d “heard from countless constituents” advocating for continued support of the program."
