Waste of time or necessary prep? The state’s special session begins with partisan trenches
Good morning. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.
- State lawmakers kick off a special session.
- Some Democrats are disturbed by the Hunter Biden pardon.
- 13 tasty gifts you can only get from L.A. restaurants.
- And here’s today’s e-newspaper.
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California’s special session prepares for Trump
California’s lawmakers met in Sacramento on Monday, kicking off a special session aimed at shoring up the Golden State’s liberal policies against expected challenges from Donald Trump’s incoming administration.
One key goal of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who called for the session, is for legislators to secure a $25-million fund for legal challenges to federal polices that clash with California’s approach to civil rights, abortion access, immigration, climate action and more.
Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) introduced a bill that would set aside that amount, plus an additional $500,000 to cover the costs of “initial case preparation.”
“While we always hope to collaborate with our federal partners, California will be ready to vigorously defend our interests and values from any unlawful action by the incoming Trump Administration,” Gabriel, chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, wrote in a statement. “We know from President-elect Trump’s statements — and from the more than 120 lawsuits that California filed during the first Trump Administration — that we must be prepared to defend ourselves.”
However, Newsom’s action “is largely symbolic,” my colleague Taryn Luna noted last month, since lawmakers will most likely “pass the legislation at the same speed as they could have through the regular process.”
And as Times political reporter Mackenzie Mays explained, the state’s Democratic leaders are attempting to walk a line between a second Trump resistance and addressing some of the economic anxieties that helped get him reelected.
“Legislative leaders — under pressure to prove that the special session is more than just political theater, as alleged by some Republicans — tried to balance their concerns about a second Trump term with state issues important to constituents such as the rising cost of living,” she wrote.
The state Senate’s nine Republicans all voted no on the joint rules for the special session, with some expressing that it should have never been called and framing their Democratic peers as unpragmatic and fiscally imprudent.
“We do not want to put in place rules for something that shouldn’t exist,” state Sen. Kelly Seyarto (R-Murrieta) said, adding:
“What we’re doing today is sending that exact message that we’re going to fight you tooth and nail for everything. And you know what that means? They’re going to fight us tooth and nail for everything.”
State Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) said they should rather “work with the administration to make [Californian]’s lives better.”
Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) offered a different perspective, saying the incoming administration would “take a wrecking ball” to education funding and healthcare access in the state.
He also noted Trump’s threat to use military force “to mass deport more than a million Californians.”
“We will act, and we will prevail, and that’s what this special session is about,” Wiener said.
State Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta had already been strategizing what his office could implement should Trump win, prepping for a potential barrage of environmental, immigration and civil rights lawsuits.
“If Trump doesn’t break the law, if he doesn’t violate the Constitution, if he doesn’t overreach his authority in unlawful ways, there’ll be nothing for us to do,” Bonta told The Times.
Though Newsom built political clout as a key resistance leader during Trump’s first term, the governor is now trying to put some distance between himself and the resistance brand.
“I want our president to succeed and our job — my job — is not to wake up every single day and get a crowbar and try to put it in the spokes of the wheel of the Trump administration,” Newsom told donors last month.
The recent changeup “underscores Newsom’s challenge as he tries to strike a delicate balance between the political brawler that his Democratic base admires and a more measured national leader capable of winning back disenfranchised voters across the country who backed Trump in the election,” Taryn wrote.
The legislature will continue meeting in the coming weeks as key bills move through committees in both chambers. Newsom expects bills to reach his desk and be signed into law before Jan. 20.
Today’s top stories
Some Democrats are disturbed by the Hunter Biden pardon
- Critics said President Biden’s action might embolden President-elect Donald Trump to pardon his allies. But some defenders noted that Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
- President Biden said the charges against his son were politically motivated. Here is what the facts show.
Nathan Hochman will be sworn in by Schwarzenegger as Los Angeles County district attorney
- Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will swear in Hochman in front of the downtown Hall of Justice around noon Tuesday.
- Hochman is expected to roll back policies implemented by his predecessor, progressive George Gascón. Hochman wants to renew misdemeanor prosecutions and pursue long prison terms in cases that involve guns or gangs.
Educators debate how to ban cellphones in California schools
- Newsom recently met with educators who agree that cellphones should not be in classrooms, but they question how to enforce such limitations on a generation obsessed with their phones.
- Every school district in California must devise a plan for campus cellphone bans or restrictions by July 2026. Schools in Los Angeles plan to enforce a ban in February.
The casual moviegoer is a thing of the past. That’s a big problem for Hollywood
- Casual moviegoing — when people show up to the theater on a whim and watch whatever is available — has been decreasing, particularly since the pandemic.
- Theaters are searching for ways to bring back crowds. The domestic box office regularly generated more than $10 billion in yearly ticket sales before COVID-19. This year, it’s expected to do about $8.5 billion.
What else is going on
- Adam B. Schiff says fixing the economy will be his top priority in the Senate.
- Hannah Kobayashi crossed into Mexico alone, police said.
- The head of the L.A. city agency overseeing animal shelters is stepping down amid high euthanasia rates.
- Elevated levels of cancer-causing radiation was detected at a popular spot for hikers and dog walkers in the Bay Area.
- A college volleyball team featuring a transgender player saw its season end quietly.
- An Anaheim church’s youth orchestra inspires musicians to play tunes by artists as varied as Bach and Beyoncé.
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Commentary and opinions
- Taking trans rights to the Supreme Court isn’t about politics, writes Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the ACLU.
- The U.S. betrayed its climate leadership, and the world is already suffering, writes Michael E. Mann, presidential distinguished professor and director of the Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media at the University of Pennsylvania.
- Trump’s vow to stop the war in Ukraine may lead to concessions to Vladimir Putin and Russia, writes Nina L. Khrushcheva, professor of international affairs at the New School.
This morning’s must read
A colony of bees is living at this SoCal mall. The landlord couldn’t be happier. The bees came at the invitation of mall’s owner, which sells their honey to shoppers.
The arrangement reflects a growing trend among owners of shopping centers and other commercial buildings who are looking to set their properties apart from the competition and underscore their commitment to improving the environment.
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to [email protected].
For your downtime
Going out
- 🍽️ Here are 13 tasty gifts you can only get from L.A. restaurants.
- 🎁 From Malibu to Pasadena, here are 90 stores where you can find the perfect holiday gift.
- 🎄 Need a dose of sparkles and joy? Check out these dazzling holiday light displays that make SoCal shine.
- 🎬 Director Steve McQueen says his goal with “Blitz” is to paint a more truthful portrait of WWII London.
Staying in
- 📺 “Shogun,” “Elsbeth” and “Time Bandits” are among the best TV shows of the year, our critic writes.
- 🍲 The Times’ Food team names the best cookbooks of 2024, including several titles from L.A. authors.
- 📚 Need something to read? Here are 10 books to check out this month.
- 🧑🍳 Here’s a recipe for turkey hash.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.
A question for you: Which famous Californian, living or dead, would you want to have dinner with and why?
From Julia Child to Zendaya, there’s no shortage of famous people from the Golden State.
Theo Moreno says he would like to have dinner with Kevin Starr. Theo writes: “The quintessential California focused historian wrote a six volume cultural and social history of our great state, which served as a constant inspiration in my career as a guide at Hearst Castle.
“Through his writings, I came to realize that being a Californian was not a unique experience. Starr’s writings of the people who made it this far west showed me to be part of a greater movement of individuals and ideas, hopes and dreams, and even tragedies and troubles. Indeed, though not unique, I realized that being Californian makes us not better or worse than other Americans, just distinctly different.”
Email us at [email protected], and your response might be included in the newsletter this week.
And finally ... your photo of the day
Today’s great photo is from Stephen Blakesley of San Diego: a beach just south of Del Mar that can be accessed from Torrey Pines State Park.
Stephen writes: “Taking an afternoon beach walk on Thanksgiving during a coastal fog low-tide is the reason why I live here. The endless Del Mar beach was home to this flock of whimbrels waiting for a feast.”
Show us your favorite place in California! Send us photos you have taken of spots in California that are special — natural or human-made — and tell us why they’re important to you.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Defne Karabatur, fellow
Andrew Campa, Sunday reporter
Hunter Clauss, multiplatform editor
Christian Orozco, assistant editor
Stephanie Chavez, deputy metro editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
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