Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Trying to ‘Trump-proof’ California’s 2028 Ballot

By Lynn La, CALMATTERS

State lawmakers are already taking legislative steps to “Trump-proof” California’s elections, starting with a bill designed to keep President Donald Trump off of California’s ballot in 2028.

The bill from Sen. Tom Umberg, a Santa Ana Democrat and chairperson of the Senate Judiciary Committee, would make it illegal for the California Secretary of State to place on the ballot any candidate for president or vice president who does not meet the constitutional requirements of those offices.

The Constitution’s 22nd Amendment already states that no individual can hold the presidency for more than two terms.

Senate Bill 46 would take that one step further and require any candidate to affirm under oath, and penalty of perjury, that they are indeed constitutionally qualified for the ballot. An elector could challenge the qualifications of a candidate by petitioning the Superior Court of Sacramento.

“Apparently there’s some cockamamie scheme that exists in the mind of the president,

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

LA County Looks to Establish `ICE-Free Zones’ at County-Owned Facilities

CITY NEWS SERVICE

The county Board of Supervisors unanimously directed its attorneys Tuesday to draft an ordinance creating “ICE-Free Zones” to prevent county facilities from being used as staging areas or processing centers by federal immigration-enforcement authorities.

According to the motion authored by Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Hilda Solis, the move is modeled after an October executive order by Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson designed to prohibit immigration authorities from using city-owned property during their operations — following the use of several school and city-owned parking lots by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

“On October 8, 2025, federal agents conducted a raid in San Pedro at Deane Dana Friendship Park and Nature Center, a county park in Supervisorial District 4,” the motion states. “The agents arrested three people and threatened to arrest staff from the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation who responded to the scene. Because of this raid, county residents avoided the park, were unable to access it and use it for recreation as intended,

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

DOJ to Ask LA Judge to Pause New Law Banning Masks on Federal Officers

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice are expected to urge a federal judge Wednesday morning to block new legislation that prohibits federal immigration agents and other law enforcement officers from wearing masks and that requires them to identify themselves.

The laws, passed by the state Legislature and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, came in the wake of the Trump administration’s immigration raids in California in the summer, during which masked, unidentified federal officers detained people as part of the president’s mass deportation program.

U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said the laws were unconstitutional and endanger federal officers.

The DOJ sued the state of California, Newsom and state Attorney General Rob Bonta in September, challenging what the federal government claims is an “unconstitutional” attempt to impede federal law enforcement by imposing the mask ban and identification requirement on officers.

The laws made California the first state in the nation to prohibit federal law enforcement,

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Altadena Mural Honored as LA County Declares Jan. 24 “Robert Vargas Day”

BASED ON A STORY BY CITY NEWS SERVICE

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously declared Jan. 24 “Robert Vargas Day,” recognizing the Boyle Heights muralist whose recent “From the Ashes” artwork was created in tribute to fire-impacted Altadena.

The declaration, introduced by Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Hilda Solis, honors Vargas for his public art contributions across Los Angeles and internationally. The motion notes that his murals “reflect the surrounding community members, their cultural heritage, and historic moments,” and credits his work with strengthening Los Angeles’ reputation as a global center for public art and creative expression. The motion also highlights his community involvement and charitable work.

Vargas’ murals appear throughout the region, including a Shohei Ohtani tribute in Little Tokyo, “Fernandomania” in Boyle Heights and the “Nourishing the Community” mural at Project Angel Food’s Vine Street headquarters.

In Altadena, Vargas painted “From the Ashes” at Fair Oaks Burger following last January’s Eaton Fire. Supervisor Kathryn Barger,

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Emergency Housing ‘Safety Net’ Made Permanent for Altadena in New 211 LA Pact

Following the 2025 wildfires, a $100,000 commitment from Airbnb.org aims to unlock free shelter within 24 hours of a crisis.

The makeshift network that kept thousands of Altadena families off the streets during the Eaton Fire is no longer makeshift.

On Tuesday, Jan. 13, the nonprofit Airbnb.org and 211 LA signed a formal agreement to streamline emergency housing, turning a successful pilot program into a permanent fixture of Los Angeles County’s disaster response. The partnership, backed by $100,000 in housing credits for 2026, sets a new operational goal: mobilizing free listings for displaced residents within 24 hours of a disaster.

“Families deserve stability in the hardest moments of their lives,” said Christoph Gorder, executive director of Airbnb.org, in a statement. “Partnering with 211 LA allows us to mobilize quickly, work hand-in-hand with local responders, and help give more people a free, comfortable place to stay when they need it most.”

The formalized pact builds on the massive relief effort seen during the January wildfires,

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Supervisor Barger Condems Antisemitic Graffitti Painted on Ruins of Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger on Tuesday condemned the vandalism discovered at the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, calling it a “despicable hate crime” against a community still recovering from the Eaton fire.

Barger said she was “deeply disturbed” by the anti-Jewish graffiti found on the temple’s exterior wall last weekend. She said the act targeted a congregation “still healing and rebuilding after last year’s devastating Eaton Fire” and pledged to support law enforcement and community partners as the investigation continues.

The vandalism was first reported by The New York Times, which wrote that a temple member discovered anti-Zionist graffiti on Sunday morning.

Synagogue leaders told the Times the finding had shaken congregants already in an “emotionally fragile” moment, coming less than a week after several hundred community members gathered to mark the first anniversary of the Eaton fire.

Rabbi Joshua Ratner told the Times the vandalism “was devastating in many ways.” According to the Times,

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

LA County Supervisors to Vote Tuesday Morning on Barring ICE From County Property, $40 Million for Fire-Damaged Parks

The Board of Supervisors considers two measures addressing immigration enforcement and wildfire recovery one year after devastating fires

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday on whether to bar federal immigration agents from using county parks, clinics, and social service offices as staging areas — a move that would make the nation’s most populous county one of the largest jurisdictions to impose such restrictions.

The same meeting will address another legacy of crisis: a $40 million appropriation to restore parks destroyed in the January 2025 wildfires, including Eaton Canyon Natural Area and Nature Center, which burned when the Eaton Fire tore through Altadena one year ago.

The ICE-Free Zones motion, introduced by Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, instructs County Counsel to draft an ordinance within 30 days. The ordinance would require clear signage on county-owned property stating it cannot be used for unauthorized civil law enforcement, mandate physical barriers such as locked gates where appropriate, and require civil immigration enforcement entities to seek permits for operations—except in exigent circumstances or when holding judicial warrants.

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Newsom’s Final Budget Faces a Litany of Political and Financial Challenges

By Dan Walters, CALMATTERS

On paper, the annual process of drafting a state budget is rational. In practice, it’s more akin to voodoo.

It starts, as state law requires, with the governor’s introduction of a preliminary version in January, as Gavin Newsom did last week, unveiling a $349 billion budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Theoretically, the Legislature will spend the next four months going through its details, Newsom will make some revisions in May, and he and legislators will finalize a version for adoption by the June 15 constitutional deadline.

A few decades ago, that’s what more or less happened each year. Over the last couple of decades, however, it’s gone off the rails.

As Democrats gained overwhelming control of the Legislature, they resented having minority Republicans having any input. Their allies in the public employee unions sponsored a 2010 ballot measure to lower the vote requirement for budgets from two-thirds to a simple majority,

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Calmatters Guest Opinion | Chad Hanson: Here’s How We Can Stop LA Firestorms From Happening Again

By Chad Hanson, CALMATTERS

One year ago, in early January, the Eaton and Palisades fires devastated the communities of Altadena and Pacific Palisades. Driven by extremely dry, warm and powerful winds, the fires destroyed more than 10,000 homes and claimed at least 31 lives.

How can we make sure it doesn’t happen again?

The good news is, science has provided a clear answer: The only effective way to protect homes and lives from wildfires is to implement direct measures to create fire-safe communities — including home hardening, defensible space pruning next to homes and businesses, and evacuation planning and assistance.

This community-based approach is highly successful in saving towns from firestorms.

Importantly, the evidence also indicates that vegetation removal and management beyond 100 feet from homes and other structures provide no additional safety benefit.

More bad news: State and federal politicians of both parties are supporting the wrong things.

At the state level, 

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

State Launches Investigation Into Eaton Fire Emergency Response

Audit will examine why western Altadena received evacuation alerts hours after fire began

The oaks and pines and Deodar Cedars that burned in Altadena a year ago are gone. So are 19 of the people who lived among them—most in the western part of the community, where evacuation alerts arrived hours after the Eaton Fire had already swept through.

Now, one year after the deadliest 24 hours in Altadena’s history, a state investigation has officially begun to determine what went wrong.

The audit, ordered in June by Assemblymember John Harabedian (D-Pasadena) in his capacity as Chair of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, started last week under the direction of the California State Auditor. It will examine emergency preparedness and response across all agencies involved before, during, and after the fire—including the delayed alerts that left western Altadena residents without warning while flames consumed their neighborhood.

“Survivors and loved ones still do not have answers about everything that went wrong that night,”