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Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday called for US Homeland Security Secretary Kristy Noem will resign and Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino to be fired a day after federal immigration officials shot another American citizen multiple times in Minneapolis, killing him.
Weeks after the death of Renee GoodeBorder Patrol agents killed Alex Pretty on Friday, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse who worked for the US Department of Veterans Affairs. During an altercation in which Pretti observed and documented federal agents in advance, multiple officers tackled Pretti to the ground. Pretti reportedly had a gun he had for legal permit to carry. After an agent took the gun away while Pretti was fastened on the ground, officers it looks like they fired at him at least 10 times.
Immediately after the shooting, members of the Trump administration called Pretty a domestic terrorist. First Assistant U.S. Attorney and former California Republican Assemblyman Bill Esailly defended the agents, saying there’s a “high probability” law enforcement officers “would be legally justified in shooting you” if you approached them with a gun — a claim the National Rifle Association called “dangerous and wrong.”
On Sunday, so did President Donald Trump blamed Democrats and asylum lawslike those in California, for the two deaths in Minneapolis.
In response, Newsom called for Border Patrol agents to return to the border, ending the militarization of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and investigations into “every single federal agent who breaks the law.” His office also published a a guide to knowing your rights to work with local police and immigration officials.
But the governor’s statements are part of a political calculus playing out as he makes a likely bid for the presidency. After Good’s death, Newsom’s team responded that ICE was “state sponsored terrorism.” Newsom eventually abandoned that description during an interview with conservative commentator Ben Shapiro.
Meanwhile, as Congress weighs a spending deal that would include billions more dollars for the US Department of Homeland SecurityMP Isaac Bryan from Culver City called for a general strike to oppose ICE, like a large-scale demonstration organized in Minneapolis.
So did California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a brief in support of Minnesota’s case opposition to the federal government’s immigration campaign in the state. Along with 19 other attorneys general, the brief argued that the government’s “unlawful conduct … violates (Minnesota’s) constitutionally guaranteed state sovereignty” and that without legal intervention, the government “will undoubtedly threaten other states and local communities across the nation.”
CalMatters Events: Mi Escuelita, a preschool in San Diego, is transforming the way young children recover from trauma. Join our February 5th event, in person in Chula Vista or virtually, to hear from California leaders in trauma-informed care about what’s working, what it takes to sustain it, and how policymakers can expand these programs. Register today.
What should justice look like in California today? Join us in Los Angeles or in practice on February 25 for a conversation with Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman, former CDCR Director Dave Lewis and Heidi Rummel of the Post-Conviction Justice Project about prosecution, incarceration and whether reform or tougher policies will define the state’s future. Register here.
Other stories you should know
Fewer murders in California for second year in a row
California homicide rates decreased for the second year in a rowin line with a nationwide trend following a spike in crime during the pandemic, CalMatters’ Nigel Duara reports.
In the city of Los Angeles, homicides fell by more than 18 percent to 230 in 2025, and San Francisco had its lowest rate since 1954. In addition to major cities, homicides also decreased in cities including Oakland, Fresno, Richmond and Lodi, although Kern County remained the highest in the state.
The drops mark a milestone after California saw an increase in homicides during the pandemic, although crime in 2020-21 nationally and in California is still well below the peaks seen in the early 1990s.
Many factors may be contributing to the declining numbers, crime researchers say. Magnus Lofstrom, criminal justice policy director at the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California, said the spike in pandemic-era homicides may be the result of a variety of social upheavals, such as school closings, unemployment and the suspension of public services.
The feds are withdrawing their search for patient records for now
The US Department of Justice agreed reduce the demand for medical records to more than 3,000 young transgender patients at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, writes Ana B. Ibarra of CalMatters.
In July 2025, the Justice Department said it had sent subpoenas to more than 20 medical providers who offer gender-affirming care to minors. Hospitals were ordered to provide a wide range of documents, including those “sufficient to identify any patient … who was prescribed puberty blockers or hormone therapy,” court documents show.
The department said it was investigating doctors and clinics for potential “health fraud” and “false claims.” But the department never provided evidence of fraud, said the director of one of the law firms representing families suing the department in a class-action lawsuit to stop the subpoenas.
Under the settlement, the Justice Department will waive its requests until 2029 for documents that identify patients or their families.
Finally: Los Angeles “estate tax” rebates?
The Los Angeles City Council is expected to vote Tuesday on a proposal that would change the city’s 2022 policy on taxing high-value real estate sales. In an effort to encourage more construction, the proposal calls for certain development projects, such as condos and apartments, to be exempt from the tax. An anti-tax group wants to bring a similar statewide measure to voters. Read more by Ben Christopher of CalMatters.
California voices
Politicians in California need to keep funding trauma recovery centers — where trained staff members help crime survivors heal from trauma — now that the passage of Proposition 36 has put funding streams for such programs at risk, writes Cathy Brown-Lowea survivor of crime and trauma living in LA
Other things worth your time:
CA will join the WHO Health Network to rebuke Trump // A politician
CA sues Trump administration on plans to restart oil pipelines along the coast // AP news
FEMA cuts payments to local fire departments forest fire response // San Francisco Chronicle
Congressman Swawell says CA should cut jobs and driver’s licenses from ICE agents // San Francisco Chronicle
Rich gubernatorial candidate Steyer calls for an end to corporate PAC spending // The Sacramento Bee
The hardest part about being a billionaire in California: I prove that you have left // The Wall Street Journal
The GOP opposes Newsom’s late date for a special election to fill the seat of rep. LaMalfa // Los Angeles Times
Rural CA sees the craziest choices in the years. Can a progressive win it? // The Guardian
