Category: California

By Sara Jacobs / Op-Ed San Diego Union-Tribune / August 20, 2025

Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom called for a special election this November in California. Our state isn’t supposed to have another statewide election until 2026, but Newsom recognizes the urgency of this moment.

Why? Because Donald Trump and Texas Republicans are making an unprecedented power grab to steal congressional seats and rig the 2026 election before a single vote is cast.

Trump knows that if the midterms are a fair fight, he and his friends in Congress will lose. The start of Trump’s second term has been an unmitigated disaster. He has imposed sweeping tariffs that have hurt California families and businesses, denied much-needed disaster aid to fire victims, and ordered inhumane immigration raids that have left families torn apart and businesses without a workforce. Across the board, his approval ratings are tanking. And he knows that if House Democrats retake the majority, we’ll put an end to his disastrous agenda.

by Noah Goldberg / LA Times / August 20, 2025 

After a tense and sharply divided debate Tuesday, the Los Angeles City Council voted to oppose a state bill that aims to vastly expand high-density housing near public transit hubs, arguing that the state should leave important planning decisions to local legislators.

The council voted 8 to 5 to oppose Senate Bill 79, which seeks to mitigate the state’s housing shortage by allowing buildings of up to nine stories near certain train stops and slightly smaller buildings near some bus stops throughout California.

“A one-size-fits-all mandate from Sacramento is not safe, and it’s not responsible,” said City Councilmember Traci Park at a news conference before the vote.

Park, who was joined at the news conference by Councilmembers Monica Rodriguez and John Lee, said the bill was an attempt by its sponsor, state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), and other state legislators to “hijack” local planning from the city.

Lee, who authored the resolution opposing the bill, called it “not planning” but “chaos.”

By Andrew Oxford and Greg Giroux / Bloomberg Yahoo / August 15, 2025 

Top Democrats released a draft congressional map Friday that may lead to Republicans losing five US House seats as Gov. Gavin Newsom pushes to offset possible GOP gains from redistricting in Texas.

The California map released Friday by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee would imperil the 2026 re-election bids of Republicans including Reps. Doug LaMalfa, Kevin Kiley, David Valadao, Ken Calvert, Young Kim and Darrell Issa. It would also bolster some swing-district Democrats who won close 2024 elections.

“We will not stand by as Republicans attempt to rig the election in their favor and choose their voters,” Julie Merz, executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in a statement.

Newsom (D) said he will ask California voters to approve new congressional districts in a special election on Nov. 4 if Republican lawmakers in Texas or any other state go ahead with redrawing congressional maps at President Donald Trump’s urging. The governor was joined by other federal and state Democratic officials Thursday at an event to build support for the plan.

By Neighbors for a Better California Board

Sacramento, CA – Senate Bill 79, a contentious piece of legislation aimed at increasing housing density near transit stops across California, has ignited fierce debate among lawmakers, local governments, and community advocates. While the bill seeks to address the state’s housing crisis by mandating up-zoning within a quarter to half-mile of transit hubs, critics argue it undermines local governance, threatens affordable housing, and risks displacing vulnerable communities.

Introduced to boost housing supply near transit corridors, SB 79 categorizes areas into tiers, allowing building heights of 45 to 75 feet, and a 20-foot bonus when immediately adjacent to a transit stop. Moreover, additional density bonuses already in state law can be stacked and allow the developer to double these heights and density. Neighbors For A Better California (NFABC) analysis of the bill’s amendments reveal significant concerns about its clarity, affordability mandates, and impact on lower-income neighborhoods.

One major criticism is the bill’s vague language regarding bus routes, which critics describe as “convoluted” and prone to loopholes. This lack of precision could allow developers to exploit ambiguities, undermining the bill’s intent.

by Alexei Koseff / Cal-Matters / August 11, 2025

If former state Senate leader Toni Atkins is elected governor next year, she would oversee a state contract that puts money in her own pocket.

Following a directive from Gov. Gavin Newsom to develop state-owned properties for affordable housing, the California Department of General Services in 2020 hired a consulting firm to help prioritize sites, conduct market research and evaluate applications from contractors.

That firm, LeSar Development Consultants, is owned by Atkins’ spouse, Jennifer LeSar. And because of California’s community property law that gives couples equal ownership of assets in their marriage, the $1 million contract — which was reupped in February through 2028 — has been worth tens of thousands of dollars to Atkins, according to financial disclosures.

It’s just one of the potential conflicts of interest with her spouse’s business dealings that Atkins faces as she seeks the most powerful office in California. Nearly half of the major clients last year at LeSar’s companies employed lobbyists to influence government policy.

Disclosure forms filed by Atkins and LeSar list 51 different entities, including the Department of General Services, from which they received more than $10,000 in income last year through LeSar Development Consultants, LeSar Support Services, LeSar Holdings, Inc. or Global Policy Leadership Academy — all firms for which LeSar serves as president or CEO.

A CalMatters analysis found that 24 of those clients are registered lobbyist employers. They include the counties of Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange, the cities of San Jose, Oakland, and Palm Springs, the insurance provider Elevance Health, the Bay Area homelessness advocacy group All Home and the homebuilder Brookfield Residential.

As Lone Star State Republicans prepare to do Trump’s bidding, expect the GOP’s gerrymandering war to expand.

By Ana Marie Cox / The New Republic RSN / August 11, 2025

As Texas Democrats fled the state to protest a redistricting map drawn at Donald Trump’s request—a map designed to all but shut Democrats out of conessional power—I spent the day at a public hearing where the only people left to debate it were the Republicans who drew it and the everyday Texans begging them not to.

One of them was a familiar face in the Capitol building. Dan Chandler—“Pastor Dan” to some Capitol employees—is a fixture in the marble halls. On Thursday, he parked himself behind a walker draped with U.S., Texas, and Confederate flags, surrounded by placards declaring global warming a lie and “tranny madness” a threat. He wears a white T-shirt covered in Bible verses and a red hat that reads, in gold embroidery, Ultra MAGA.

I noticed him when I first walked into the redistricting hearing because of the Confederate flag adorning his ad hoc set up. I wondered if he was there to observe or participate. It turned out to be both.

When he was called to testify, Chandler gave a folksy shrug—retired, didn’t need to be there, could be out fishing. Turning to the matter at hand, he dismissed the earlier pleas to address the deadly July 4 floods. “They talk about the flood,” he said. “You’re doing something about the flood right here.”

Then he revved up: “The best thing you can do for us is turn every district red. The best thing you can do for black people, the white people, the brown people, all of them—turn the districts red and take it away from these people.”

By JW August

President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice, as reported by the Associated Press, is asking 15 states, including California, for copies of voter registration lists from election administrators for 2020 and 2024.  The Department of Justice is leading the effort to pursue what it’s calling “widespread” voter fraud. It’s a reversal of the department’s longtime policy of protecting access to the ballot box.

These debunked claims of fraud have long been perpetuated by Trump and his allies.

My Feb. 1 story published by the OB Rag now appears to have been just the beginning — a small reveal inside the Pandora’s box of this president’s politics. 

By Carl Yaeckel / Op-Ed San Diego Union-Tribune / July 31, 2025 

Climate change is coming.

This year climate seems to be the forgotten topic (there are a few other things going on!). But ignoring something doesn’t make it go away.

Have you heard that due to climate change impacts (fire, flood, storm) in “10 or 15 years, there are going to be regions of the country where you can’t get a mortgage,” quoting Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s recent testimony to Congress?

Did you know during the last year the United States spent 3% of its GDP on recovery from climate disasters? That’s a trillion dollars. Throw in increased insurance premiums and the figure goes higher. Oh, about insurance, particularly homeowners insurance: it’s required for a mortgage and the price is going up, particularly in areas more prone to fire, flood and storm. Premiums have doubled since 2017.

Got kids (or grandkids)? A recent study published in the journal Nature concludes that “children and young people born in the present decade face exposure to heatwaves, crop failures, floods, droughts, wildfires and tropical cyclones, in a way that their parents and grandparents never did — and that this applies pretty much anywhere in the world.”

Climate change is coming, even if you believe, hope or pretend it isn’t.

By Lynne Miller

Hey, we locals who are reaching into our 7th and 8th decades may not be happy with the ‘state’ of California. We just may have noticed that our government is not serving local people.

Most of us in this age group have paid a TON of taxes, and know more are to come.  We have been ‘marked’ as NIMBYS who are selfish, heartless, and not concerned about people who are sick, homeless, and/or penniless.

Truth is, we who are approaching the final graduation from life have worked hard, volunteered, raised families, supported less fortunate, and when inspired for our own reasons, protested and fought against unfair and unjust groups, laws, and politicians.  So now, looking over our shoulders at the rubble created by new laws, we not only have the right to speak out, but the right to consider our personal options.

By City News Service / July 22, 2025

The owner of the Los Angeles Times plans to take the newspaper public in the next year, allowing it “to be democratized and allow the public to have ownership of this paper,” he said.

Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong told Jon Stewart on Monday’s episode of “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” that he was “working through” the move with “an organization that’s putting that together right now.”

Soon-Shiong did not say whether the deal would involve an initial public offer to sell shares of the company or another investment arrangement.

I took 10 minutes to make calls! You can do this!

Every action, every voice matters! Danna wrote an article in the OB RAG that will help your voice be heard. The article is titled:
Proposed SB 79 Makes SB 10 and Bonus ADUs Look Like ‘Gentle Density’ — Contact Our Assembly Members Today to Oppose It

Take 5 minutes to read the article in the Rag, and another 5-10 minutes to call all of the assembly people listed, and ask them to vote no on SB 79. They will ask for your full name and Zip Code.

By Lorena Gonzalez / San Diego Union-Tribune Op-Ed / July 13, 2025

Abundance.

Of course!

But abundance for whom?

The labor movement has always been supportive of dreaming big, building large projects, increasing housing supply and completing massive infrastructure projects.

That’s what union workers do — skillfully build things, advocate within our communities for government-driven investments and large infrastructure projects, and support campaigns for those investments. And, I would argue, our unions know better than anyone what happens when government-funded infrastructure projects and jobs get held up with unnecessary delays, duplicative permitting processes and red tape.

We see it with the waning interest in California high-speed rail as the delays and permitting impediments make it a punching bag for right-wing politicians. We saw it with our own members, as massive public investments by President Biden simply took too long for the effect to trickle down and be felt in terms of the good union jobs that were guaranteed.

Our main criticism with “the Abundance agenda” isn’t about what it does — in terms of reducing regulations to speed up development to increase supply — but what it fails to do. Streamlining development must be tied to labor and environmental standards so that there is a clear public benefit and not just a giveaway to developers.