California is suing the Trump administration after it said it plans to pull over $600 million in public health care funds to four Democratic-led states, including California.
Last week President Donald Trump’s budget office directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to rescind the grant money from California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement that this action “would irreparably harm the states,” and filed a lawsuit Wednesday with the other states to block the cuts from happening.
Trump’s budget office said those states were singled out because the money was “inconsistent with agency priorities,” according to The New York Times. Nearly two-thirds of the money is earmarked for California over several years.
Grants that are potentially on the chopping block have been reported by the San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times to include:
- $7.5 million to the California Department of Public Health
- $1.3 million to Alameda County to hire more staff at its health department
- $1.7 million to the Santa Clara Public Health Department
- $1.1 million to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to monitor HIV risk
- $383,000 to the Los Angeles LGBT Center to prevent HIV in local communities
In a statement to CalMatters, the state’s public health department said it is “actively monitoring the situation” but has yet to receive official notification from the CDC. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said Wednesday that Trump’s directive follows “a familiar pattern.”
- Marissa Saldivar, Newsom spokesperson, in an emailed statement: “The President publicly claims he will rip away public health funding from states that voted against him, while offering no details or formal notice.”
In other health news: A spate of measles cases has Shasta County on edge, but officials say they are monitoring the outbreak, which was first reported on Jan. 30. At least eight residents were recently confirmed to have the illness so far — the most out of any California county this year — and are remaining in isolation. As of Monday, the state has had a total of 17 measles cases. California’s first 2026 measles case was reported in January in San Mateo County.
Reimagining economic opportunity: Learn how California can help people with jobs, education and internet access, and the roles everyone can play in making that happen, in the latest Knowledge Hub expert reports from our partners at the UC Berkeley Possibility Lab.
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Jennifer Siebel Newsom scolds press at bill signing
First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom reprimanded members of the press Wednesday, during a bill signing with her husband. The legislation sets aside $90 million in state funds for Planned Parenthood, but reporters’ questions related to other matters involving the governor prompted Siebel Newsom to say, “You wonder why we have such a horrific war on women in this country … because you don’t seem to care.”
It is relatively rare for reporters to get the chance to ask the governor questions directly — not through a communications team — and it is not at all uncommon for reporters to ask government officials questions unrelated to the event at which they are appearing. In January, for instance, Newsom took several questions at the end of a press conference that did not relate to the initial topic.
Moderate vs. progressive race heats up
California’s 22nd Congressional District, near Bakersfield, is one of the handful of districts Democrats hope to pick up during the 2026 midterm elections, where a conservative leaning, mostly Hispanic populace voted for Trump in 2024.
But two Democratic candidates making a bid for the seat highlight the rift among the party over how best to oust the district’s GOP incumbent, writes CalMatters’ Maya C. Miller.
The labor union SEIU California, several California legislators and the political action committee Emily’s List support Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains. The Bakersfield Democrat and physician is one of the more moderate members of her party in the Legislature, and was the only Democrat to vote against the plan to fast-track the special election for Proposition 50.
Meanwhile, leaders of the district’s local county Democratic Party, the Working Families Party and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont have endorsed Randy Villegas, a political science professor. Though new to politics, Villegas backs progressive policies, including Medicare for All and raising the hourly minimum wage to $25.
California Voices
CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: As California struggles with chronic budget gaps, one legislator has landed on a proposal to tax multinational businesses as a way to clean up the state’s finances.
As California’s next insurance chief, I will push for Natural Disaster Insurance for All, and capping insurance profits and executive pay, writes Jane Kim, former San Francisco Supervisor who is running for Insurance Commissioner.
Reader reaction: The safety that single-person jail cells offer should not be used to reward good behavior, because incarcerated people should have an unconditional right to a safe and healthy environment, writes Arthur Jackson, inmate at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center.
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San Jose Mayor Mahan’s run for governor spotlights his shelter strategy // KQED
LAPD to train their body cameras on immigration agents, under mayor’s directive // Los Angeles Times
Rampant post-fire price gouging went unpunished, report alleges // Los Angeles Times