https://washingtonsun.com/california/northern Northern California en-US Fri, 15 Aug 2025 20:44:54 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/technology/democrats-trump-ai-chips-deal-national-security Tinashe Chingarande Despite agreeing with the spirit of the deal, Democrats want Congress to play an active role in approving export licenses. Fri, 15 Aug 2025 20:44:54 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/technology/democrats-trump-ai-chips-deal-national-security Some Democrats are troubled by President Donald Trump’s recent deal to allow two tech companies to sell artificial intelligence chips to China as long as they provide the U.S. government some of the revenue.

“I certainly have concerns about what we might call linkage, that is linking revenue to the Treasury to national security decisions,” Rep. Sam Liccardo, whose district contains portions of Silicon Valley, told NOTUS in a phone interview. “Because you wouldn’t want to have compromises made for the purposes of revenue.”

There has been a long-held bipartisan agreement that the U.S. should limit chip exports to China and certain other countries in the race for AI dominance. While Liccardo and other Democrats said they support requiring export licenses on these chips, they don’t want the administration to forget about the national security concerns of selling them to China.

Liccardo's office said in an email that "he supports the issuance of export licenses to AMD and Nvidia, but objects to linking the licensing to revenue generation, because of the primacy of national security concerns."

Trump signed a deal Monday with companies Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices that requires them to pay the U.S. government 15% of the revenue they receive from chip sales to China, and suggested he’d consider similar arrangements with other companies that create chips powering artificial intelligence.

The office of Rep. Ami Bera, who represents Sacramento County, another tech company hub in California, said he is worried about the national security implications of Trump’s deal and whether the U.S. will keep up with China in the tech space. Bera raised similar issues last month when he introduced bipartisan legislation that would increase U.S. investments in critical minerals.

One lawmaker is planning a bill to address the matter.

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, an Illinois Democrat and ranking member on the House’s select committee on China, is “finalizing legislation” that would require Congress to play an active role in export policy for chips that power AI, according to his office.

“He is deeply concerned about both the national security implications of this step and the legality of collecting this type of revenue in exchange for a license,” Krishnamoorthi’s office told NOTUS in a statement.

It’s not clear how much support he will receive. Earlier this year, after Chinese startup DeepSeek released an AI model developed with less-advanced chips, some congressional Republicans pushed for tighter regulations on exports to China and other countries.

In April, the Trump administration barred Nvidia from selling its H20 chips, which the company developed to comply with former President Joe Biden’s chip export controls, to China.

Trump reversed the ban in July ahead of trade talks with China.

During a press conference announcing the new Nvidia and AMD deal, Trump argued in favor of selling the H20 chips to China because the chip “still has a market.” He also called the chip “obsolete” and “an old chip that China already has.”

Trump and the White House have shot back at officials who have raised national security concerns about the chip’s sale.

“It’s quite rich to see Democrats and irrelevant ‘experts’, who were totally MIA when Joe Biden’s autopen administration let H20 chips and other advanced technologies freely flow to China, now pretend to care about our national and economic security,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement.

AMD did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Nvidia said the company follows “rules the U.S. government sets for our participation in worldwide markets.”

“While we haven't shipped H20 to China for months, we hope export control rules will let America compete in China and worldwide,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “America cannot repeat 5G and lose telecommunication leadership. America’s AI tech stack can be the world’s standard if we race."

Two former national security officials from Trump’s administration criticized the deal to The New York Times, calling it “a strategic misstep that endangers the United States’ economic and military edge in artificial intelligence.”

Rep. John Moolenaar, a Michigan Republican who chairs the select committee on China, questioned the legal basis of Trump’s deal.

And Liccardo said that he and his Democratic colleagues may write letters to the Trump administration demanding details.

“I’d much rather we’re doing this out in the open rather than have China get access to the same chips without our ability to have any insight about where and how those chips are being used,” he said.

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This story was produced as part of a partnership between NOTUS and San José Spotlight.

This story has been updated to include a statement from Liccardo's office.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/congress/doug-lamalfa-republican-town-hall-furious-constituents-shouting Em Luetkemeyer The California Republican got a near-constant stream of shouting from the crowd during a town hall event in his district. Mon, 11 Aug 2025 23:12:41 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/congress/doug-lamalfa-republican-town-hall-furious-constituents-shouting The heckling at a town hall hosted by Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa on Monday morning got so bad that a constituent — who identified himself as a Democrat — asked the crowd if interrupting the lawmaker was productive.

LaMalfa, a Republican from a safely red northern California district, faced questions and criticism on a range of topics, from the reconciliation bill passed by Republicans this summer to redistricting. He’s the latest Republican to face down angry crowds back home over the Trump administration’s agenda in Washington.

“Why are you part of this movement toward fascism?” a constituent asked about an hour into the town hall in Chico, California.

“You’re a little loose with the word fascism when there’s plenty of it going on on the other side of the aisle,” LaMalfa replied, not pointing to any examples.

The crowd erupted in response. But there was a near-constant stream of shouting from the crowd throughout the entire event, with some attendees peppering insults like “fuck you” and “shame” throughout.

Republicans are facing another round of angry crowds at town halls this August recess, an extension of anger they saw at events earlier this year. It’s been something they’ve spent months figuring out how to adjust to: Rep. Richard Hudson, head of the National Republican Congressional Committee, told members in March not to host town halls in person because of it.. And now, if Republican lawmakers are holding public events at all, they’ve often taken steps to tighten up who gets to speak at the events.

https://x.com/MorePerfectUS/status/1955036991415865854One constituent asked if LaMalfa was supporting the redistricting efforts in Texas, where Republicans have proposed a new congressional district map that they’re hoping will help them pick up additional seats in next year’s midterms. Officials in California, a state controlled by Democrats, are signaling they’ll respond by trying to add Democratic seats in their state if Texas approves its new map.

LaMalfa, who could be at risk of losing his seat if lines are redrawn, previously told The Hill that the redistricting tit-for-tat is “disgusting.” During the town hall, he said he “strongly supported” efforts two decades ago to put redistricting efforts under the control of an independent commission and away from legislators’ “grubby hands.”

“It's really ugly, and no matter what side of the aisle you’re on, it doesn't look good. It doesn't give you more faith in the political process,” LaMalfa said.

Republicans, however, have been the ones going to new lengths to try to pick up congressional power.

Later in the town hall, a constituent who said his parents were Holocaust survivors compared the WWII-era Japanese internment camps to the ramped-up ICE raids and deportations happening under the Trump administration today.

“Will the name LaMalfa be mentioned in the same sentence as Goebbels, Mengele and Trump?” the constituent asked.

“I predict no,” Lamalfa responded.

LaMalfa also answered a question about the Jeffrey Epstein files, a topic that has come up repeatedly during recent town halls and that Republicans are getting pressured on from across the political spectrum.

“It’s interesting the Epstein situation was not an issue during the Biden administration,” LaMalfa said, though President Donald Trump campaigned on releasing the files. He added that he wants the victims’ identities to be protected, and that he expects more information will be out by September.

LaMalfa has another in-person town hall meeting scheduled for Monday evening.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/california/northern/northern-california-lawmakers-trump-military Em Luetkemeyer “It’s not limited to California or Los Angeles,” one Northern California lawmaker told NOTUS. Tue, 10 Jun 2025 01:25:16 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/california/northern/northern-california-lawmakers-trump-military Northern California’s representatives are keeping a close eye on the swell of militarized law enforcement sent to Los Angeles this week, predicting that President Donald Trump may expand his use of the tactics in the coming days.

While many Democratic lawmakers call for peace as more troops move in, one Northern California lawmaker said the use of the military may not be isolated to the south of her district. Rep. Zoe Lofgren told NOTUS that Trump’s memo suggests he will deploy the military everywhere he sees fit — and that Trump intends to “further inflame” the situation.

“It’s not limited to California or Los Angeles,” Lofgren said. “It’s illegal, but he’s saying he’s going to send troops where he wants.”

“I’m speaking up, and I would like to know where are the Republicans, both House and Senate,” Lofgren added. “Are they just going to stand by while our constitutional system is crushed?”

Trump deployed the California National Guard to Los Angeles on Sunday — against Gov. Gavin Newsom’s wishes — after protests erupted against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids carried out there over the weekend. He activated at least 2,000 troops for a 60-day span to respond to the protests, which he contested were an “act of rebellion” that deliberately interfered with the government’s ability to enforce federal law.

California’s Attorney General announced Monday that the state is suing the Trump administration, which Newsom has said illegally federalized the National Guard to respond to a situation that local authorities had under control.

“Make no mistake. There was no risk of rebellion, no threat of foreign invasion,” state Attorney General Rob Bonta added during a press conference Monday. “It is the president that needs to put a mirror up to himself … the unlawful actor is him and his administration.”

Sam Liccardo AP - 24320626584493 (5304x3536, AR: 1.50)
Trump also called for Newsom’s arrest on Monday after Tom Homan, Trump's border czar, said there had been no discussion of it. Later that day, the administration mobilized hundreds of U.S. Marines to the Los Angeles area.

Another Northern California lawmaker, Rep. Sam Liccardo, said he called a press conference Sunday over his concern of a “slippery slope toward military deployment in cities for law enforcement, which of course is illegal and incredibly dangerous.”

On Monday evening, Liccardo told NOTUS it was important for Democrats to call out Trump’s actions.

“There's a calculated decision being made to deploy National Guard in a way that could incite a reaction,” Liccardo said. “I am urging all the protesters not to take the bait. It's very important for lots of reasons why we want all protests to remain nonviolent, but we certainly don’t want to provoke greater militarization of law enforcement.”
https://x.com/RoKhanna/status/1931887969574560172Rep. Jimmy Panetta told NOTUS he’s “always concerned” a conflict of this type could bleed into his district, but he diverted to the broader contention Californians have with the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

“When you send in the National Guard, this type of violence can escalate things,” Panetta said. “Obviously we're concerned, being the representative of the Central Coast district, being a fellow Californian, but also being an American.”

Rep. Ro Khanna’s office directed NOTUS to his statement on X: “The LA crisis is a test of federalism. Political violence must be condemned—but so must executive overreach. California had control. Trump’s attempt to override [Newsom’s] Guard authority defies the Constitution and the American principle of limited federal power.”

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Em Luetkemeyer is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow. John T. Seward contributed reporting.

This story was produced as part of a partnership between NOTUS and San José Spotlight.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/california/democrats-trump-threats-trans-student-athlete-policies Samuel Larreal President Donald Trump threatened fines over California’s trans student athlete policies. Wed, 04 Jun 2025 16:52:47 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/california/democrats-trump-threats-trans-student-athlete-policies California lawmakers said the state should stand up to President Donald Trump after his threat to impose large-scale fines on the state over trans student athletes.

“We can’t bend the knee,” Rep. Ro Khanna told NOTUS. “You have to take it to court if we need to and make sure that we don’t get intimidated. “I think this is part of a government overreach. Trump attacks any state, university, or institution he dislikes.”

A trans high school student won two events over the weekend at a state-wide track and field event, sharing the first-place wins with cisgender competitors. The Trump administration said on Monday that by allowing trans student athletes to participate in sporting activities, the California Interscholastic Federation was allowing discrimination against cisgender athletes.

The Department of Justice accused the federation — a state-wide institution that organizes sporting competitions between school districts — of potentially violating the equal protection clause, and the president threatened fines.

“A Biological Male competed in California Girls State Finals, WINNING BIG, despite the fact that they were warned by me not to do so. As Governor Gavin Newscum fully understands, large scale fines will be imposed!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social Tuesday.

California lawmakers said that Trump’s attacks are part of a retribution campaign for a state he sees as unfriendly to him politically. They said they stand for LGBTQ+ youth in the state.

“I think California should always be a state that supports all people; we have a long history of supporting the LGBTQ+ community,” Rep. Robert Garcia told NOTUS. “I don’t think that attacking trans youth is the way to go, and I think we should stick to supporting everyone in the state.”

Other Democrats said Trump needs to stop focusing on California policies.

“He’s wading into state issues, and he has larger issues — that he himself created — and that are tanking the economy,” Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove said. “He needs to get over it, or run for governor.”

Rep. Jimmy Gomez called the whole matter “nonsense”: “People in California didn't care, and it’s just this guy trying to make this into an issue. We will stand for the people who live in our state.”

California Democrats are in a tough spot when it comes to dealing with Trump’s White House. Many in the delegation believe they need to be the tip of the spear when it comes to leading an opposition to Trump’s policies. But the state needs federal funds, including disaster aid, to help the long-term recovery of Southern California after unprecedented wildfires earlier this year.

California freshman Rep. Sam Liccardo said there might not be many alternatives left when it comes to negotiating with Trump.

“I’m not sure there’s much of a relationship to maintain here,” Liccardo said. “The days of thinking that there was going to be a relationship to maintain are in the past.”

On Tuesday, Governor Gavin Newsom backed the California Interscholastic Federation's recent rule that allows trans female athletes to compete in events but adds a spot for another cisgender female athlete as well.

This is a pivot from when earlier this year, Newsom attracted backlash from the California congressional delegation after saying he completely agreed with right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk on the issue of trans athletes.

“This is all a pretext on Trump’s part to attack our state,” Sen. Adam Schiff told NOTUS. “This just seems to be a deliberate anti-California campaign."

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Samuel Larreal is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.

This NOTUS story was produced in partnership with San José Spotlight and with NewsWell, home of Times of San Diego and Stocktonia.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/house/democrats-doge-bill-liccardo-min-vindman Samuel Larreal “We need to buttress the Constitution and provide a bulwark against future authoritarian form this administration or any others,” Rep. Sam Liccardo told NOTUS. Thu, 15 May 2025 20:48:01 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/house/democrats-doge-bill-liccardo-min-vindman A trio of freshmen House Democrats introduced a bill on Thursday that would allow individuals to sue the government — and even specific officials like Elon Musk — over decisions that block congressionally approved spending.

California Reps. Sam Liccardo and Dave Min, along with Virginia Rep. Eugene Vindman, introduced the Protect Our Constitution and Communities Act to address cuts from DOGE. It’s meant to be an enforcement mechanism to ensure the executive branch follows laws like the Impoundment Control Act, which limits the president’s ability to block congressionally appropriated funds.

Although the Democrats’ bill is dead-on-arrival in a Republican-controlled Congress, Liccardo said he hopes it can serve as a blueprint for future legislation.

“We need to buttress the Constitution and provide a bulwark against future authoritarian actions from this administration or any others,” Liccardo told NOTUS.

In the past few months, universities, government agencies and other grant recipients across the country have faced sudden freezes on their previously approved funds. DOGE cuts have disproportionately impacted blue states.

If the bill were enacted by Congress, it would allow individuals and institutions to sue over such decisions.

“If DOGE were to decide that any NIH grants that contain the word diversity, should be slashed,” Liccardo said, then an institution or an individual laid off as a result of that project “could bring a lawsuit.”

It's unlikely but Democrats could demand adding some of the language on this bill on a piece of must-pass legislation if the Republican majority can’t find the votes in their conference, Min said.

The bill would also provide a mechanism for lawsuits to take away the qualified immunity from certain government workers so “someone like Elon Musk would be personally liable for the billions of dollars of harm caused by these reckless and half-hazard decisions,” Liccardo said.

Protect Our Constitution and Communities Act would also cover legal spending for individuals suing the government and triple the damage liability if courts found the impoundments were cut in bad faith.

“The problem is that they are moving fast and breaking things. They are deleting and terminating entire agencies," said Min. "And two months later a court will rule that they can’t fire all these people... but the damage is already done.”

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Samuel Larreal is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.

This NOTUS story was produced in partnership with San José Spotlight and with NewsWell, home of Times of San Diego and Stocktonia.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/technology/house-republicans-ai-regulation-moratorium Samuel Larreal Comprehensive AI legislation should pass Congress well before the 10-year moratorium on state laws expires, Rep. Jay Obernolte said. “I hope it's months, not years.” Thu, 15 May 2025 17:37:18 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/technology/house-republicans-ai-regulation-moratorium California and other states are rushing to regulate the development of AI, but a provision in House Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill could stop them from doing so for a decade.

The section of the bill from the House Committee on Energy and Commerce contains a provision that could stop states and local governments from enforcing “any law or regulation” on most AI software for the next 10 years. If enacted, this measure would freeze efforts in states including California and Colorado to set guardrails for the development and deployment of AI software.

Republicans argue the moratorium is necessary to give Congress time to pass a comprehensive policy governing AI and avoid a patchwork of policies. And while even critics of the moratorium agree a federal law would be better than state-by-state regulations on AI, they’re skeptical that policy is coming quickly enough to address a ballooning industry.

“I do think that we should have a debate on what AI guardrails should look like instead of having 50 different pieces of legislation, but Congress isn't doing it,” Democratic Rep. Ami Bera of California told NOTUS. “So that’s why you see a lot of states enacting different legislation — Congress specifically needs to come up with a framework.”

Republican Rep. Jay Obernolte of California told NOTUS he is confident the moratorium will make it to the final reconciliation bill. But he said he hopes that comprehensive AI regulation makes it through Congress in “months, not years.”

“The idea is not to have a moratorium, the idea is to replace the moratorium with the federal framework with some preemptive guidelines,” he said.

There’s a reason for Bera’s and others’ skepticism. No bills comprehensively regulating AI development have been introduced this Congress. And House leadership did not continue the Bipartisan Task Force on Artificial Intelligence, an effort to help Congress draft AI legislation, this year.

Some of the largest tech companies have lobbied Congress to stop states from regulating AI, Politico reported.

Jonathan Mehta Stein, chair of the California Initiative for Technology and Democracy, characterized the moratorium in the budget reconciliation bill as a “handout to Big Tech.”

“This provision gives Big Tech what it wants, which is: no rules, no accountability, and billions in profit,” Mehta Stein said. “They aren't passing this moratorium in tandem with comprehensive AI regulations, they're just passing a get-out-of-jail-free card from state legislation.”

The moratorium would be particularly pivotal in California. Since most of the advanced AI labs are located there, the California state legislature has an outsized influence in regulating how AI is developed.

Last year, Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener pushed for comprehensive AI legislation that was intended to create safeguards for the development of frontier AI models in California. The bill passed the California legislature but was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

In February, Wiener reintroduced a more concise version of the bill meant to create additional protections for whistleblowers and create incentives for responsible AI development. This type of legislation would be put on ice under the House budget reconciliation bill.

The moratorium could also bring unintended consequences, critics say.

“It's framed in such an overbroad way that at this moment where every company is saying that they're an AI company, it's entirely unclear what sort of aperture the contours this moratorium would end up being,” Zeve Sanderson, founding director of the NYU Center for Social Media and Politics, told NOTUS.

For example, financial services companies might use AI to determine optimal mortgage rates, Sanderson said. If the AI ends up using discriminatory practices in its determination, states could be unable to enforce legislation to stop it, he said.

Obernolte said that the provision takes this issue into account and that states can still enforce their existing laws on consumer protection even if AI is involved.

“The language is very specifically written to exclude laws that apply broadly and not specifically to just AI,” Obernolte said. “Consumer protection laws that states have already have in place, or fraudulent business practices, all of those would still be operative and still be enforceable against the deployment of AI.”

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Samuel Larreal is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.

This NOTUS story was produced in partnership with San José Spotlight and with NewsWell, home of Times of San Diego and Stocktonia.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/housing/gavin-newsom-homeless-encampments-housing-advocates Amelia Benavides-Colón, Samuel Larreal The governor released a blueprint for ordinances that would help ban homeless encampments. Housing advocates say that could hurt California’s outsized unsheltered population. Tue, 13 May 2025 00:00:13 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/housing/gavin-newsom-homeless-encampments-housing-advocates Gov. Gavin Newsom is pushing California municipalities to ban homeless encampments, saying Monday it’s time to take steps that let the public “see results.”

Newsom issued a model ordinance that municipalities can adopt to ban homeless encampments on public property, the latest rightward step the governor has taken on housing issues. Newsom, a prominent Democratic figure and potential 2028 presidential candidate, has spent the last few years trying to stake himself to the right of most of his fellow Democrats on several issues, including this one.

“It’s not human to allow people to live three, four, five years in encampments. It’s not human to allow the status quo to continue,” Newsom told reporters Monday during a press conference where he said the measures he proposed reflect a “deeper sense of clarity” between state and local efforts to address the homelessness crisis in California.

The model ordinance, which includes citations or arrest as possible consequences for those who violate the ban, is not an executive order. Instead, localities would need to implement it themselves. Newsom also announced $3.3 billion to help fund mental health and homelessness solutions.

Last year California voters approved more than $6 billion in funding to build additional mental health facilities and homeless shelters in the state. On Monday, Newsom also called on local governments to streamline their permitting processes to speed up the building of these facilities.

Lawmakers and housing advocates were still trying to understand the governor’s proposal, and some of them expressed alarm at what this could mean for their state’s homeless people. California has an outsized unsheltered population, with nearly 187,000 homeless people across the state, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.

Dennis Oleesky, interim CEO of Los Angeles Mission, a nonprofit faith-based organization focused on homelessness, said Newsom’s model ordinance “leans heavily on enforcement without offering sufficient guarantees that real housing or services will be in place before people are displaced.”

“Yes, the ordinance includes language about offering shelter and services — but we’ve seen that those offers often amount to temporary fixes: a mat on a floor for one night, or a referral to a shelter that’s already full,” Oleesky said in a statement to NOTUS. “There’s no meaningful path to permanence for most people being displaced, and unless that’s addressed, this policy risks being a revolving door of disruption rather than a real solution.” 

Sen. Alex Padilla, who told NOTUS he was just learning about the push to crack down on encampments, said he felt a combination of approaches would be necessary to cut down on homelessness.

“We should be doing everything we can to help get people off the street, but that includes doing everything we can to get people the treatment they need if they’re suffering from a mental illness,” Padilla told NOTUS.

Sen. Adam Schiff, who also said he was just learning of Newsom’s recommendations, told NOTUS that while he doesn’t want to see Democrats “criminalizing homelessness,” he also feels homeless people have a right to a safe environment.

“We first need to make sure that there are beds available in shelters, but if there are available spaces, I think a city has the right to make sure that people can walk down their sidewalk, that businesses can make sure customers can enter their buildings without stepping over people, and we protect against debris that can pose a health and fire risk,” Schiff told NOTUS.

Midnight Mission, the oldest continuously operating homeless outreach organization in Los Angeles, which primarily serves Skid Row, told NOTUS it is “still learning more about Governor Newsom’s new mandate on homeless encampments, we are committed to continuing our work and helping those who need it most.”

“There is still much that remains unclear regarding the full impact of this policy, and we will be closely monitoring developments as they unfold,” Georgia Berkovich, chief communications officer at Midnight Mission, said in an email to NOTUS.

This push is not the first sign of Newsom’s rightward shift on homelessness. The California governor has distributed $3.2 billion to help localities clear encampments since taking office, Newsom said at a press conference last year, and has a history of temporarily withholding funds for not clearing encampments.

Last year, Newsom doubled down his efforts to use his executive power in an effort to radically decrease homeless encampments in California, an effort that has attracted criticism from homeless advocacy groups and some Democratic-run cities like Los Angeles.

Last summer, when the Supreme Court ruled that cities have the right to criminally prosecute people for sleeping in public spaces, Newsom supported the decision. He then issued an executive order mandating every state agency clear homeless encampments on state property.

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Amelia Benavides-Colón and Samuel Larreal are NOTUS reporters and Allbritton Journalism Institute fellows.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/california/northern/trump-alcatraz-prison-california-lawmakers Mark Alfred “I won’t suggest who should go there first,” Rep. Sam Liccardo said. Tue, 06 May 2025 00:28:14 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/california/northern/trump-alcatraz-prison-california-lawmakers California lawmakers reacted to President Donald Trump’s suggestion that he would reopen Alcatraz with laughter, mockery and, for Democrats, indignation.

“It’s another bullshit distraction,” Rep. Salud Carbajal told NOTUS.

Trump posted on Sunday evening that he was ordering the refurbishment of Alcatraz, the island prison-turned historic landmark and tourist site off of San Francisco, to again incarcerate “the dregs of society.”

“REBUILD, AND OPEN ALCATRAZ!” Trump said online, casting the move as both a workaround from judges that ruled against his deportation efforts and as a “symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE.”

The Bureau of Prisons is now pursuing “all avenues to support and implement” Trump’s agenda, its administrator said. But members of Congress aren’t taking the Alcatraz reopening seriously.

“The president says so many stupid things,” Carbajal told NOTUS. “This is yet another one, trying to distract from the fact that he hasn’t addressed the cost of living for everyday Americans, childcare, housing, groceries.”

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose district encompasses Alcatraz, said online that “The President’s proposal is not a serious one.”

And Rep. Ro Khanna said he was taking it “just as seriously as I’m taking the suggestion that he’s gonna make Canada the 51st state.”

The prison was closed in 1963 by then-U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, fewer than three decades after it opened. The costs to service the island and the deteriorating prison infrastructure built upon it had grown too great.

“The institution was too expensive to continue operating,” per the Federal Bureau of Prisons. “It was more cost-effective to build a new institution than to keep Alcatraz open.”

“That was closed because it needs a tremendous amount of investment for repair. It’s so old and inadequate,” Rep. Mike Thompson said. “I don’t know how you do it, just from a business perspective. It’s dumb.”

As a tourist hotspot, though, Alcatraz generates tens of millions in revenue, according to the National Parks Service.

“I know a lot of tourists will be disappointed,” Rep. Ami Bera said. “There’s no seriousness there.”

“It’s a stupid idea,” Bera continued.
”It’s old, outdated, it’s a tourist attraction — it doesn’t make any sense. That’s just Donald Trump being a troll.”

One of California’s Republican lawmakers was similarly dismissive.

“Whatever,” GOP Rep. Jay Obernolte told NOTUS. “What-ever. He says a lot of things.”

In Trump’s post, he said he tasked the FBI, DOJ, DHS and the Bureau of Prisons to coordinate on the reopening of “a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ, to house America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders.”

“I guess we’ll see what the agencies come up with when they’ve done a physical feasibility study,” Obernolte said.

Rep. Lateefah Simon said she thinks “it’s a distraction.”

“I’ve been to Alcatraz many a time,” she added. “Clearly, it’s what he wants to do, but we’ll see. I’m not a supporter.”

A number of lawmakers simply laughed at Trump’s Alcatraz ambitions.

“I won’t suggest who should go there first,” Rep. Sam Liccardo said.

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Mark Alfred is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.

This NOTUS story was produced in partnership with San José Spotlight and with NewsWell, home of Times of San Diego and Stocktonia.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/california/education-dei-california-officials Mark Alfred The president wants states to abandon DEI efforts at schools. California officials might resist. Tue, 08 Apr 2025 22:16:57 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/california/education-dei-california-officials California Democrats in Congress say they don’t want state leaders to cave to the Trump administration’s attempts to attach strings to federal support and its most recent demand to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs at schools — even if that means the state could lose out on millions or billions of dollars in federal funding.

“The whole country loses a lot if we do play ball,” Rep. Sam Liccardo told NOTUS. “We can fight this.”

Last week, the Trump administration threatened to pull education funding for states that continue DEI programs and policies, giving states less than two weeks to comply.

The administration instructed state education officials to sign on to a letter that certifies they have met the administration’s requirements to eliminate programs tied to diversity, equity and inclusion, or face a reduction of Title I funds that support schools with a large number of low-income students. The administration policy goes so far as to disallow special graduation ceremonies for Black or Hispanic students, as is common at University of California campuses and others in the state.

Instead, California state education officials appear poised to resist. They have questioned the administration’s authority to retaliate should California decline to sign on, The Los Angeles Times reported. If it does, the refusal would be the latest in a litany of actions the state has taken as part of its broad resistance to President Donald Trump’s efforts to reshape the federal government.

California has already filed a dozen lawsuits against the Trump administration, most recently on Tuesday when it sued over an executive order that demanded several agencies “be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.” Among them were the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Minority Business Development Agency. Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom urged countries to exempt California from retaliatory tariffs to the sweeping levies imposed by Trump.

“The governor is appropriately standing up for the state,” Rep. Eric Swalwell said. “Federally, we are a donor state, not a taker state. It’d be foolish to try and punish California because you’re just punishing every American who benefits from our productivity.”

Some other states have been similarly resistant to Trump’s pressure campaign. New York state leaders flatly said they would not eliminate DEI programs from schools, arguing that they do not violate federal law. And Democratic mayors have defended so-called “sanctuary” policies that protect undocumented populations.

But the Trump administration has already seen success in its attempts to strong-arm concessions, particularly from law firms and universities.

Trump terminated hundreds of millions of dollars worth of grants to Columbia University — including millions for Alzheimer’s and cancer research. The campus acquiesced to Trump’s demands that it crack down on student protest groups and ban masks, among other concessions.

California Democrats, however, said they have no intention of caving to the president.

“I think it’s terrible public policy, and I think it's terrible public service,” Rep. Mike Thompson said. “I don’t think you just arbitrarily cut grants and pull funding because they’re upset with somebody or something — it’s not a good way to run the government.”

Thompson said federal lawmakers and constituents ought to keep pressuring the administration to change course.

“We need to highlight those, speak out, bring it to the attention of the administration and to the public,” Thompson said. He noted he has seen “a couple of successes” reinstating grants terminated by the administration.

DOGE has made broad cuts to programs and personnel across California, which is home to more federal workers than any other.

The Department of Health and Human Services, at Trump’s direction, stripped hundreds of millions of dollars in promised funding for research projects across University of California campuses, per a list of terminated funds obtained by NOTUS.

The department also reversed course on over half a billion dollars worth of public health funding for California, along with additional cuts to the state’s mental health and substance abuse centers.

Several lawmakers pointed to the fact that California sends more money to the federal government than it receives.

“We would hope that President Trump recognizes that we send more tax dollars to the rest of the country than we get back,” Rep. Ami Bera said. “We’ll use legal remedies, we’ll look at options as to whether we could keep more tax revenue in the state, but we’re in unprecedented circumstances.”

Lawmakers pointed to the courts as the best venue to combat Trump’s moves.

“A lot of what he’s doing is illegal, and the courts are dealing with those issues,” Rep. Salud Carbajal said. “I’m confident that a lot of those actions will be thrown out, and it’s just ridiculous what he’s doing.”

Rep. Ro Khanna told NOTUS that California ought not to give in to Trump’s demand, even with the threat of decreased funding.

“We have to stand for principle, we need to not compromise on the Constitution or on our values and continue to fight to make sure we get California the funding it needs.”

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Mark Alfred is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/democrats/sam-liccardo-fundraising Reese Gorman, Mark Alfred Liccardo is also raising his profile by transferring $110,000 to other Democrats. Wed, 02 Apr 2025 08:01:00 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/democrats/sam-liccardo-fundraising California Democrat Sam Liccardo raised nearly $1.5 million in his first quarter as a member of Congress, according to a source familiar with the Liccardo camp — a hefty sum for a freshman lawmaker.

Additionally, Liccardo, the former mayor of San Jose, transferred $110,000 to Democratic frontline members, the source told NOTUS. The transfers not only aid Democrats in their efforts to take back the majority next cycle but also help boost Liccardo’s profile with his new colleagues.

“Sam knows that regaining the majority will take fresh ideas, hard work and resources. That’s why he’s already given $110,000 to frontline members who will be the majority makers in 2026,” the source said.

Liccardo’s fundraising total was $1.46 million.

Before seeking public office, Liccardo served as a prosecutor at the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office and later as a federal prosecutor in southern California.

He launched his congressional bid after twice being elected as San Jose’s mayor and leading the California Big City Mayors coalition for two years. Term limits prevented him from running again.

Not long into his term, Liccardo introduced legislation seeking to bar President Donald Trump and other public officials from hawking crypto ventures and other assets while in office.

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Reese Gorman is a reporter at NOTUS. Mark Alfred is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.]]>