ICE agents have reportedly claimed to be police officers to gain consent to enter a person’s home – a tactic that is viewed as unethical, but within the powers granted to the officers. Civil rights groups supported Kalra’s bill, looking to stymie the Trump administration’s promise to use any and all available tools to deport undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes. Many groups fear Trump will expand deportations to include all undocumented immigrants, their families and relatives.   read more

A 2015 audit by Yee’s office found that the board mistakenly sent $47.8 million in sales tax revenue to the state’s general fund, but the Finance Departmen’s newest audit revealed that the board has done little since then to stanch the bleeding. After interviewing more than 70 board employees and managers scattered throughout the state, the Finance Department found that board members routinely redirect staff to projects in their districts, a violation of state law in some cases.   read more

Headlines speak of California as a bulwark against a new president who sees climate change as a “hoax” and his promise of the most pro-drilling Cabinet in U.S. history. But behind the headlines is oil’s enduring power in the Golden State. In spite of international praise for California's efforts to fight climate change, Big Oil has spent more than $122 million on campaign contributions and on lobbying to boost production, weaken regulatory agencies and mold energy policy.   read more

“This has violated the trust of our community and we cannot tell you how disappointed we are by the betrayal of the DHS,” police chief Vogel said. The severing of trust means the department will no longer work with Homeland Security or ICE, he added. Santa Cruz and other California communities feel unease from Trump’s promises to round up undocumented immigrants and deport them. Trump has also threatened to withhold federal dollars from sanctuary cities.   read more

The 10 aquifers in question were supposed to be protected by the state, but a bureaucratic snafu led officials to believe that the oil companies had obtained exemptions under the U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act, which shields groundwater supplies from pollution. The oil companies had been dumping leftover water from drilling for three decades by the time state regulators found out in 2014 that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had never granted them permission to do so.   read more