Judge rules on CA’s law enforcement mask ban

A federal judge has put the brakes on a California law banning local and federal employees from wearing masks. But both sides — California lawmakers and the Trump administration — are claiming victory.

In her decision On Monday, District Judge Christina Snyder, a Clinton appointee, said that because the legislation exempts state law enforcement, it discriminates against federal agents and is therefore unconstitutional. Author of State Sen. Scott Wienerthe law was supposed to take effect on Jan. 1 but was delayed after the Trump administration filed a lawsuit last November to block the measure. Snyder’s temporary ban takes effect on February 19.

U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi called the decision “key court victory” on social media, adding that the federal Department of Justice will “continue to fight and win in court for President (Donald) Trump’s law and order agenda.”

So why then did Wiener consider the decision “a huge win“?

Wiener argued that Snyder’s decision simply means that the law “must apply to all levels of police,” including state employees, to be considered constitutional.

The San Francisco Democrat said he initially included the split based on conversations with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office, a claim Newsom aides deny, reports New York Times — and now plans to introduce a bill that includes government officials.

At the signing of an unrelated bill in Sacramento on Tuesday, Newsom told reporters he was “disappointed in (the court’s) decision” and that he thought the measure “should have been a federal cover-up bill, period.”

In his ruling, Snyder disagreed with the Justice Department’s argument that the law prevents federal agents from doing their jobs. Instead, she said, “The Court finds no intelligible justification for law enforcement officers to conceal their identities in the course of their routine performance.”

Monday’s ruling also supports a companion law requiring employees to be easily identifiable, which the bill’s original author, Sen. Sasha Rene PerezDemocrat from Pasadena – referred to as “a big win.”

Newsom signed legislation Tuesday that bans the unaccredited private military veteran billing companies for help with their claims to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, writes CalMatters’ Adam Ashton.

Critics of these private companies say they are predatory because consulting fees can often exceed the monthly benefits veterans receive from the VA. Army veteran Adan Montalvo, who CalMatters spoke with last yearwas billed $5,500 after receiving benefits that would have paid him $1,100 a month.

• Newsomin a statement: “We’re making sure veterans and service members keep more money in their pockets, not filling the coffers of predatory actors.”

Before it reached Newsom’s desk, the bill was one of the most talked about proposals last yearand more than two dozen lawmakers on both sides of the aisle either opposed the measure or abstained from voting. Critics say the legislation limits options for veterans and that some companies do help service members navigate the slow and laborious VA claims process.

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Celinda Gonzalez, member of the Yurok tribe and mental health advocate, died at the age of 59 in an apparent murder-suicide, CalMatters’ Nigel Duara reports.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office said they found two bodies in a house in Weitchpec’s Yurok Reservation Village last week. Although the office did not identify the people they found, the Yurok tribe confirmed Gonzalez’s identity on social media.

• The statement: “She was a beloved friend to many tribal council members, staff and community members. This is a tremendous tragedy for the tribe.”

CalMatters talked to Gonzalez in 2020 for her work in suicide prevention in Humboldt County, where more than twice as many residents die by suicide per capita as the rest of the state. Motivated by her own family’s losses to suicide, Gonzalez trains local police and fire departments to recognize the warning signs of suicide risk.

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