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California is suing the Trump administration after it said it plans to pull more than $600 million in public health funds in four Democratic-led states, including California.
Last week, President Donald Trump’s budget office ordered the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to cancel grant money from California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement that this action “will irreparably harm the states,” and filed a lawsuit Wednesday with the other states to block the cuts.
Trump’s budget office said those states were chosen because the money was “inconsistent with the agency’s priorities,” according to New York Times. Nearly two-thirds of the money is earmarked for California over several years.
Grants potentially in the process of being cut have been reported by San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times to include:
- $7.5 million to the California Department of Public Health
- $1.3 million for Alameda County to hire more health department employees
- $1.7 million for the Santa Clara Department of Public Health
- $1.1 million to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health for HIV risk surveillance
- $383,000 for the Los Angeles LGBT Center to prevent HIV in local communities
In a statement to CalMatters, the state Department of Public Health said it is “actively monitoring the situation” but has not yet received official notification from the CDC. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said Wednesday that Trump’s directive follows a “familiar pattern.”
- Marisa SaldivarNewsom’s spokesman, in an emailed statement: “The president has publicly said he will strip public health funding from states that voted against him, while offering no details or formal notice.”
Other health news: A spate of measles cases has put Shasta County on edge, but officials say it is outbreak monitoringwhich was first reported on January 30. At least eight residents have recently been confirmed to have the disease so far – the most of any California county this year — and remain in isolation. As of Monday, there are a total of 17 measles cases in the country. California’s first measles case of 2026 was reported in January in San Mateo County.
Rethinking Economic Opportunities: Learn how California can help people with jobs, education and Internet access, and the roles everyone can play to make that happen, at the latest Knowledge Center expert reports from our partners at the UC Berkeley Possibility Lab.
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Other stories you should know
Jennifer Siebel Newsom sparred with the press at the signing of the bill
First Lady Jennifer Siebel Newsom scolded members of the press Wednesday during a bill signing with her husband. Legislation sets aside $90 million in government funding for Planned Parenthoodbut the reporter’s questions were related to other matters related to 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’s relatively rare for reporters to get the chance to ask questions of the governor directly — not through a communications team — and it’s not at all unusual for reporters to ask questions of government officials unrelated to the event they’re appearing at. In January, for example, Newsom asked a few questions at the end of a press conference unrelated to the original topic.
The moderate vs. progressive race is heating up
California’s 22nd congressional district, near Bakersfield, is one of the few districts Democrats hope to pick up in the 2026 midterm elections, where the conservative, largely Hispanic population voted for Trump in 2024.
But two Democratic candidates vying for the seat underscore the rift in the party how best to unseat the GOP incumbent in the districtwrites Maya S. Miller of CalMatters.
SEIU California, several California lawmakers and political action committee Emily’s List endorse Assembly member Jasmeet Bains. The Bakersfield Democrat and physician is one of his party’s more moderate members of the Legislature and was the only Democrat to vote against the plan to expedite the Proposition 50 special election.
Meanwhile, leaders of the county’s local Democratic Party, the Working Families Party and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont have endorsed Randy Villegas, a political science professor. Although new to politics, Villegas supports progressive policies, including Medicare for all and raising the minimum wage to $25 an hour.
California voices
CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: As California grapples with chronic budget holes, one lawmaker has settled on a proposal to tax multinational corporations as a way to clean up the state’s finances.
As California’s next insurance directorI will push for natural disaster insurance for all and caps on insurance profits and executive salaries, Jane Kim writesa former San Francisco executive running for insurance commissioner.
Reader Reaction: The safety offered by solitary confinement should not be used to reward good behavior because prisoners should have an unconditional right to a safe and healthy environment. writes Arthur Jacksonan inmate at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center.
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The feds require cost information for CA’s delayed Next Gen 911 system // The Sacramento Bee
California’s Great Housing Act facing unstable implementation // A politician
CA retirees could choose to waive property taxes under the proposed initiative // The Sacramento Bee
Tribe buys 10K acres north of Lake Tahoe from Santa Clara in historic land deal // The Mercury News
Big tech companies are gearing up to avoid Trump’s $100K H-1B fee // The Wall Street Journal
San Jose Mayor Mahan is running for governor illuminates its shelter strategy // KQED
Los Angeles police to train their body cameras on immigration agents, according to the mayor’s directive // Los Angeles Times
Magical price increase after fire went unpunished, report claims // Los Angeles Times