California Democrats call on ICE

Californians are one step closer to being able to sue federal officials — including federal immigration enforcement agents — for violations of their constitutional rights after a bill passed the state Senate on Tuesday.

In a speech advocating for his bill, Sen. Scott Wiener cites the recent deaths of Renee Good and Alex Prettytwo American citizens who were shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis. The San Francisco Democrat, who is also running for Congress, argued that residents’ inability, under current law, to hold federal officials accountable is “unfair and deeply harmful.” It also makes it harder for local law enforcement to do their jobs, Wiener said.

The proposal passed on a party-line vote, with all 10 GOP senators voting no. In his opposition to the bill, Sen. Shannon Grove of Bakersfield said that rolling back California’s sanctuary policies by allowing cooperation between local law enforcement and federal authorities would help mitigate the problem.

• Grove: “This (federal) administration inherited a total disaster when it comes to immigration. … Both sides are to blame for the disaster we’re facing here today.”

More on California and federal immigration action:

• Funding from ICE: Since Pretty’s death, at least 50 California Democratic lawmakers have called on their colleagues in Congress to block further funding for immigration measures. The spending package, which would fund the Departments of Homeland Security, Defense and others, is currently being considered by the US Senate. Lawmakers in California are concerned that Senate Democrats in battleground states might give the package enough votes to send it to President Donald Trump’s desk for approval. Read more by Maya C. Miller of CalMatters.

• San Diego sues the feds: Earlier this month, the city of San Diego filed a lawsuit against the federal administration over barbed wire fencing on city land near the Mexican border. The city claims that the U.S. Marines trespassed to install the fence and that the fence is damaging sensitive habitat. Read more by Deborah Brennan of CalMatters.

A California bill that would allow Chula Vista Community College to expand its undergraduate programs is sparking a wider controversy among public higher education systems, writes Mikhail Zinstein of CalMatters.

Assembly Bill 664 — which is before the Senate after clearing the Assembly on Monday — would allow Southwestern College to create up to four additional bachelor’s programs in applied disciplines such as teaching English to non-English speakers and website design. MP David AlvarezChula Vista Democrat and author of the bill, said his proposal aims to develop programs to meet workforce needs in his district.

Both the University of California and California State University oppose the bill, arguing that it would undermine the state’s 2021 law by paving the way for more community colleges to duplicate bachelor’s programs the university systems already offer.

Read more here.

Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to reject a proposal it would potentially change the city’s 2022 tax on high-value real estate sales, CalMatters’ Ben Christopher reports.

The failed proposal would have placed a measure on the June 2026 local election ballot requiring voters to approve some exemptions from the city’s “mansion tax,” which has so far raised more than $1 billion in revenue for affordable housing and rental assistance for low-income tenants. Real estate developers, landlords and pro-housing politicians say the tax stifles housing production and investment.

A growing number of state and local lawmakers, like the failed proposal’s author, Council Member Nitya Raman, fear that local opposition to the tax will help fuel a statewide ballot campaign being waged by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. This possible measure could have severe consequences for municipal budgets. Raman’s proposal sought to allay local concerns in order to alienate potential allies of Howard Jarvis’ initiative.

Read more here.

The California Department of Public Health is delaying its proposed rules to increase the required number of health care workers at severe treatment psychiatric hospitals. The move comes after hospitals, nurses and law enforcement officials warned that the state’s aggressive one-month deadline to implement the new policies would lead to a wave of psychiatric bed closures. Read more by Kristen Huang of CalMatters.