Gov. Gavin Newsom wants the California National Guard out of Los Angeles. He released a letter Sunday criticizing President Donald Trump’s deployment of troops over the weekend, a move that Trump said he made to protect immigration enforcement officers.
As CalMatters’ reporters explain, beginning Friday federal agents conducted raids in downtown L.A. and in the city of Paramount, including at a garment company’s warehouse in L.A.’s Fashion District, where agents detained 20 workers.
Agents also arrested David Huerta, the leader of a California janitors’ union, who was protesting a raid. Huerta is one of the nation’s most prominent union leaders in L.A., helping to lead the union’s successful push last year for a $25 minimum wage for health care facility workers, writes CalMatters’ Jeanne Kuang. He was released from the hospital Saturday after being treated for injuries, but remains in custody.
After two days of rising tensions and clashes between agents and protestors, Trump sent 2,000 National Guard troops Sunday, citing “incidents of violence and disorder.”
In an interview with KNBC-TV, Bill Essayli, the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California and former Republican Assemblymember, said agents were under duress while conducting the raids.
State Senate GOP leader Brian Jones of San Diego said in a statement that the situation in L.A. would have been “easily preventable” if lawmakers passed his bill that would have rolled back California’s sanctuary city policies.
But California Democratic leaders strongly opposed the deployment. L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said the move was “an intentional effort to sow chaos.” On social media Newsom urged residents to “speak up” and “stay peaceful,” and argued that Trump’s “attempts to militarize California are an alarming abuse of power.”
The last time a president deployed the National Guard without the cooperation of the state governor was in 1965. Legal experts are split on the severity of Trump’s actions, according to CalMatters’ Mikhail Zinshteyn. While some say deploying troops could be seen as a deliberate provocation, others disagree with Newsom’s characterization that Trump authorized “a complete takeover” of the California National Guard.
CalMatters on the radio: Stay updated on the demonstrations in L.A. through our California public radio partners. You can hear on-the-ground coverage from our partner LAist on today’s episode of AirTalk. Stream online starting at 9:00 a.m. KQED will also be sharing updates via this morning’s California Report and the 10:00 a.m. hour of Forum.
Inside the newsroom: John D’Anna joins CalMatters as managing editor during the news organization’s 10th anniversary year. He was most recently managing editor at The Press Democrat in Santa Rosa, directing nationally award-winning projects on wildfire recovery, death with dignity, clean energy and government corruption.
Other Stories You Should Know
A higher fee for car buyers?
As state lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle say that California’s cost of living is too high, the Senate advanced a measure last week to raise the cap car dealers can charge for processing documents, write CalMatters’ Ryan Sabalow and Jeanne Kuang.
The proposal defies recent efforts by state lawmakers to crack down on hidden or junk fees. If passed, dealers would be able to separately charge customers as much as 1% of a car’s purchase price, up to $500. The current cap is $85. Car dealers argue that the cost of doing paperwork — such as processing loan documents and Department of Motor Vehicles registrations — has steadily increased.
The bill’s author, Sen. Dave Cortese, has received at least $7,000 in campaign donations from the California New Car Dealers Association. The San Jose Democrat told CalMatters he is working with the association to lower the cap while the Assembly considers the bill.
How does PG&E spend its money from Diablo Canyon fee?
State utility regulators plan to vote next week on proposed rules that would require Pacific Gas & Electric to report more information about how it spends the money it receives from a special fee it charges its customers and customers of other utilities statewide.
The fee is intended to keep Diablo Canyon, the state’s remaining nuclear plant, operating, reports CalMatters’ Malena Carollo. The plant provides about 8% of the state’s total energy. Currently PG&E does not provide regulators at the California Public Utilities Commission enough details to confirm whether its shareholders are benefiting from the fee, and consumer advocates argue that the fee serves as a multibillion-dollar annual slush fund for the utility.
But PG&E argues that regulators don’t have enough authority to oversee certain specifics about the fee, and that the way it spends the money outside Diablo Canyon helps control costs for customers. The company was able to set the fee to $13 per megawatt hour when lawmakers passed legislation in 2022 to keep the plant open.
And lastly: CA regulators vote on gas appliances
After a spirited five-hour hearing last week, air quality regulators in Southern California voted on controversial rules that aim to phase out water heaters and other heating systems powered by natural gas. Find out what they decided from CalMatters’ Alejandra Reyes-Velarde.
California Voices
California Voices aims to broaden our understanding of the state by spotlighting those who are directly impacted by policy — or its absence. Give it a look.
Other things worth your time:
Trump administration weighs broad cancellation of CA funding // The Washington Post
Newsom floats withholding federal taxes as Trump threatens CA // Politico
CA senate eyes a leadership change // Capitol Weekly
The river that came back to life: A journey down the reborn Klamath // The Guardian
ACLU sues Sonoma County over use of drone surveillance for code enforcement // The Press Democrat
‘PayPal Mafia’: How Musk, Thiel and Sacks rode Silicon Valley startup success into Trump White House // The Mercury News
Farmworkers file federal challenge against CA card check unionization law // The Fresno Bee
LA Mayor Bass says she has reached a deal to restore police officer hiring // Los Angeles Times
US Attorney warns Santa Ana an ICE notification policy could violate federal law // The Orange County Register
Only 4% of San Diego’s homeless camping ban cases have actually made it to court // The San Diego Union-Tribune