CA Senate elects first woman of color as next leader

Amid protesters rallying against immigration raids in Los Angeles, and California suing President Donald Trump for mobilizing National Guard troops without state approval, the California Legislature is still in session. Besides releasing a state budget agreement Monday, legislators shook up their leadership in the Senate and pushed for bills. Let’s dive in:

• Next Senate leader: After being elected for the position in February 2024, Democratic Sen. Mike McGuire of Santa Rosa will be replaced by Sen. Monique Limón as President Pro Tem starting early next year. McGuire intended to lead the Senate until the end of his term in 2026, but Limón secured enough votes from Democratic lawmakers to take over the position. A union-backed progressive, the Santa Barbara Democrat is the first woman of color to serve in the role. Read more from CalMatters’ Jeanne Kuang.

• Relief for renters: Though California lawmakers say that the state’s cost of living is too high, bills that aim to help renters have met varying levels of success this session. One bill that would have capped the fees landlords could charge tenants in addition to rent was shelved until at least next year. A few other bills are still wending through the Legislature, including ones to further regulate landlords. Read more from CalMatters’ Ben Christopher. 

• Food allergens: The Assembly is considering a bill that would require restaurants to notify customers if any menu items contain food allergens, specifically: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame. Roughly 4 million Californians have food allergies, which can be life-threatening. The California Restaurant Association opposes the bill, arguing that training would be more effective than labeling, and that labeling would create a false sense of security for customers with allergies. Read more from CalMatters’ Kristen Hwang.

CalMatters’ Sergio Olmos has been on the ground reporting from the L.A. protests since Sunday. While recording footage of the demonstrations, Sergio was hit in the chest by less-lethal munitions fired by Los Angeles Police Department officers. I spoke with him about his experience covering the protests so far, and if you want to keep updated with his reporting, follow him on social media. This interview has been shortened for clarity and length.

What’s it been like these past few days? What are local officers and federal agents doing? 

The LAPD, the county sheriff’s and the highway patrol are doing crowd control. Local agencies have been pushing crowds away from the federal buildings, making a bubble around the buildings. National Guard troops are just standing around, mostly. It is a display. No one is storming those buildings.

Trump said he’ll withdraw troops “when there’s no danger.” How long do you think the protests will last? 

There isn’t danger towards (officers). This kind of cinema that they have to protect the federal buildings is a casus belli (occasion for war). “We need to protect federal buildings so we sent the National Guard and the Marines.” But the protest started because these immigration agents were going into the communities and snatching people up at Home Depots.

What’s different about these protests about other ones you’ve covered?

On Sunday police fired more less-lethal rounds in a single day of protests than I’ve ever seen. California law enforcements are trained not to shoot these less-lethal rounds at the head and neck area because they can cause severe injuries. And you’re not supposed to use them to disperse people. But the LAPD is using them to move crowds back, which goes against their training.

The protests themselves are not necessarily all that different from other protests I’ve seen, but the federal response to them is way out of proportion. The idea that Marines are needed — that is a choice. But this is not a warzone. It’s a protest. And people are allowed to assemble and disagree with the government. 

In addition to tussling over the protests in L.A., Trump and Gov. Gavin Newsom have recently renewed their ongoing disagreement over withholding federal funds. Over the weekend the federal administration considered wide-ranging funding cuts to the state in response to what it sees as California’s lack of compliance with the president’s executive orders.

Newsom, in turn, publicly weighed the idea of withholding federal taxes, citing a study that found that California paid more than $83 billion in federal taxes than it received from the federal government in 2022. 

But how plausible is that notion, really? 

As CalMatters’ Levi Sumagaysay explains, several tax experts she spoke to said Newsom’s suggestion was a “vague” threat, and that residents and businesses pay state and federal governments directly when they file their income taxes. Californians contribute the most of any state in federal taxes: In 2023-24 the state paid $806 billion, or nearly twice as much as Texas.

Read more here.

The California Supreme Court is reviewing a policy that requires people to affirm that false complaints against LAPD officers can lead to prosecution. CalMatters’ Nigel Duara and video strategy director Robert Meeks have a video segment on why the city of L.A. argues the policy violates free speech rights as part of our partnership with PBS SoCal. Watch it here.

And check out another video by CalMatters’ Marisa Kendall and Robert about why L.A. County is dissolving its joint homeless agency with the city. Watch it here.

SoCalMatters airs at 5:58 p.m. weekdays on PBS SoCal.