California Democratic officials often tout California as a sanctuary state, but some local police departments — including police at UC San Diego — have been participating in a federal program that provides agencies millions of dollars to collaborate with Border Patrol, writes Phoebe Huss of CalMatters’ College Journalism Network.
Operation Stonegarden is a U.S. Department of Homeland Security program that provides nearly $11 million a year to dozens of California law enforcement agencies. Started as a pilot program in 2005, local participation in the program has persisted through Democratic and Republican federal administrations, and after California adopted sanctuary policies in 2017.
At UC San Diego, police patrol Interstate 5 and the shores of La Jolla, Black’s Beach and Torrey Pines. On its website, the university says there are “unfortunately” Border Patrol stations in San Diego County, and warns students about the locations of Border Patrol checkpoints. Last year, dozens of UC San Diego students had their visas revoked (and later reinstated), and at least one was detained at the border.
Citing concerns over racial profiling and endangering immigrant communities, some agencies across the U.S. have pulled out of Stonegarden over the years. Last year, an Arizona sheriff withdrew because he said he didn’t want his department to participate in President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign.
In a 2025 memo to the Trump administration, the Electronic Frontier Foundation criticized Stonegarden, arguing that technology companies steer police into applying for the program to sell them needless surveillance technology.
But Chad Bianco, Riverside County’s sheriff and an outspoken critic of California’s sanctuary policies, said he is proud his department works with Border Patrol. Bianco is also a Republican candidate for governor.
- Bianco: “By providing local law enforcement resources through Operation Stonegarden to combat … public safety concerns, Border Patrol and other federal agents are more able to dedicate their resources to immigration enforcement and border security.”
What should justice look like in California today? Join us in Los Angeles or virtually on Feb. 25 for a conversation with L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, former CDCR Director Dave Lewis and Heidi Rummel of the Post-Conviction Justice Project, on prosecution, incarceration and whether reform or tougher policies will define the state’s future. Register here.
Other Stories You Should Know
Legislature approves Planned Parenthood funding
The state Legislature on Monday approved additional funding to prop up California’s Planned Parenthood clinics, after the Trump administration stripped its federal funding last year.
After a lengthy debate in the Assembly, legislators green lit a budget trailer bill setting aside $90 million for Planned Parenthood. In October, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Planned Parenthood would receive $140 million from the state — which included $90 million from the voter-approved Proposition 35 from 2024 and $50 million from a statewide abortion-fund program.
The additional $90 million on Monday would bring the total amount of state funding to $230 million since the passing of Trump’s sweeping spending bill that gutted Planned Parenthood’s funding.
Ten Assembly Republicans voted against the measure, arguing that Planned Parenthood would receive grant money with little oversight as struggling rural hospitals receive loans they must pay back. Two GOP assemblymembers voted for the measure, however: Juan Alanis of Modesto and Greg Wallis of Rancho Mirage.
Still waiting for stair study
State regulators blew through a deadline to submit a report looking into whether allowing apartment buildings to have a single staircase could boost housing construction in California, writes CalMatters’ Ben Christopher.
The Office of the State Fire Marshal had until Jan. 1 to finish its analysis on single-stair apartment buildings. Nearly every other city in the U.S. requires buildings taller than three stories to have at least two staircases, partly due to fire safety concerns.
But in an effort to encourage development, one city in Los Angeles passed an ordinance in September allowing six-story complexes, under certain conditions, to have only one staircase.
A draft version of the report circulated in October included recommendations that building codes could be loosened for buildings up to four stories. When finalized, the report won’t have any enforcement mechanism, but could help guide policy if lawmakers decide to take up the issue.
And lastly: The AI boom and CA
California is collecting a growing share of income tax revenue from artificial intelligence companies. CalMatters’ Levi Sumagaysay and video strategy director Robert Meeks have a video segment on what it means for the state if this AI bubble bursts, as part of our partnership with PBS SoCal. Watch it here.
SoCalMatters airs at 5:58 p.m. weekdays on PBS SoCal.
California Voices
CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: The mayoral bid of Nithya Raman, a progressive L.A. city councilmember, poses a serious threat to Mayor Karen Bass’ reelection campaign.
A dispute over a dirt bike race in the California desert reveals how impunity helped make Southern California an epicenter of anti-environmental rhetoric, writes Julia Sizek, an anthropologist.
Hospital bills keep rising in part because hospitals often hide the true cost of care, making it harder for small firms to provide coverage for employees, writes Bianca Blomquist, the California director for the Small Business Majority.
Other things worth your time:
Judge blocks CA ban on federal agents wearing masks but requires badges be clearly seen // AP News
CA teachers navigate difficult discussions about current events after ICE shootings // EdSource
Sacramento politicians love GOP Assemblymember Flora, but local Republicans have given up on him // The Modesto Focus
SF teachers walk out in first strike in nearly 50 years // KQED
Trump administration demands citizenship checks for SF public housing tenants // San Francisco Chronicle
Trial starts in LA lawsuit alleging Instagram and YouTube knew apps harmed kids // Los Angeles Times
Can mountain lions survive as humans close in? CA is trying to find a way // The New York Times
Coalition rallies to defend Cypress Park day labor center amid disputed Home Depot eviction threat // Los Angeles Times