Good morning. It’s Tuesday, Jan. 27.
- Gregory Bovino is said to be returning to El Centro.
- A tabloid newspaper makes its debut in Los Angeles.
- And researchers track down the elusive Humboldt marten.
Statewide
1.
Greg Bovino is being sent back to California, sidelining the brash Border Patrol commander who has been the face of President Trump’s traveling immigration crackdown, several reports said on Monday. The sudden demotion came as Trump seeks to deflect anger over a second fatal shooting in Minnesota. Over the weekend, Bovino applauded the agents who killed Alex Pretti, while accusing the intensive-care nurse of planning to “massacre” law enforcement. Bovino will return to his former post in El Centro, where he is expected to retire soon, sources said. The Atlantic | N.Y. Times
2.
On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom accused TikTok of censoring content critical of President Trump as he launched a review of the social media site’s content moderation practices. In a post on X, Newsom’s office said it received reports of suppressed content after the platform finalized a deal to create a new American TikTok controlled by a board with ties to Trump. In one instance, the office said, TikTok rejected a message containing the word “Epstein,” warning that it may violate community guidelines. Politico | Reuters
3.
The California Post, a West Coast version of the conservative-friendly tabloid New York Post, launched on Monday in Los Angeles. Editor-in-chief Nick Papps, an Australian, said a staff numbering between 80 and 100 would focus on issues that matter to “everyday, hardworking” Californians, including homelessness, affordability, technology, and law and order. Skeptics abound, but Gabriel Kahn, a journalism professor at USC, noted that California’s statewide press “is boring as bathwater.” “It could be entertaining,” he said. A.P.
4.
As many as 31,000 healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente walked off the job in California and Hawaii on Monday in an indefinite strike aimed at gaining better contract terms. The action threatens to disrupt operations at dozens of hospitals and clinics operated by Kaiser, the nation’s largest not-for-profit medical provider. The union asked for 25% pay raises over four years; Kaiser offered 21.5%. Registered-nurse wages currently average $77.43 an hour, Kaiser said. Both sides accused the other of bad faith and intimidation. KQED | S.D. Union-Tribune
5.
It’s become a gospel among many CEOs that California is a terrible place to do business. Yet startups keep forming here. In 2025, California startups raised a staggering 62% of all U.S. venture capital dollars, according to PitchBook. Artificial intelligence giants drove massive deals. But the total number of startups funded, big and small, was also impressive. Last year, California was home to 31.5% of all U.S. capital venture deals. The runner-up, New York, had just 13.3%. Axios
6.
At Yosemite National Park, people typically start clearing out around 4 p.m., as bus tours wrap up and day trippers head home. But linger a bit and, weather permitting, another spectacle appears, as the diffracted rays of the setting sun pour into the east-west valley and bathe the granite walls in a soft reddish light. Patrick Chabrar, a hiker, shared an awesome photo that he captured from the Tunnel View parking lot on Jan. 8, pictured above. See a larger version.
Northern California
7.
The Humboldt marten is said to be as ferocious as it is cute. Native to the redwood forests along the North Coast, the ferret-sized carnivore is extremely elusive. To learn more about their ways, researchers from Oregon State University placed 135 remote cameras across roughly 150 square miles of Humboldt and Del Norte counties. Their recently published study added insights on the marten’s habitat and population — along with some fantastic new images. Popular Science | KATU
- See video of the Humboldt marten. 👉 YouTube
8.
“It’s like living next to a dive bar and a Holiday Inn.”
In the coastal city of Pacifica, an ordinance cracking down on short-term rentals essentially strangled the local Airbnb market, but not everywhere. West of Highway 1, the law couldn’t take effect because it still needs approval from the Coastal Commission. As a result, Pacifica’s oceanfront neighborhoods remain Airbnb hubs. The divide is a stark example of California’s patchwork fight over short-term rentals. S.F. Chronicle
9.
San Francisco’s Presidio, established in 1776 as a Spanish military fortress, is today one of the Bay Area’s dreamiest parks. Sprawling across the city’s northern edge in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge, the national park is a haven for art and recreation with miles of trails — and some people people get to live there. Roughly 3,000 San Franciscans rent former military housing in Presidio. “My wife says it’s like living in Camelot,” said Marc Kasky, a longtime resident. S.F. Standard
10.
Michael O’Reilley, who has Alzheimer’s disease, forgot he’s been married for 39 years. In November, his wife, Linda Feldman, was visiting his memory care facility in Berkeley when O’Reilley pulled her close. “Will you marry me?” he asked. “Yes,” Feldman replied. When staff members heard about the proposal, they offered to plan the wedding. The bride and groom married a second time on Jan. 10 in a small ceremony attended by friends, family, and caregivers. Washington Post
Southern California
11.
Parents have long accused social media platforms such as Meta’s Instagram and ByteDance’s TikTok of getting teens addicted to their products. Now they are getting a chance to make the case in court. On Tuesday, jury selection begins in a landmark personal-injury trial involving a young woman’s claim that social media caused her a host of mental-health problems. It is the first such case to go to trial as thousands of similar lawsuits wait in the wings. Washington Post | Wall Street Journal
12.
The 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, which lapped at the edges of renowned research institutions, are already the most studied urban wildfires in history. One surprise lesson gleaned from early studies is that indoor air didn’t become safe once the smoke cleared. As people hunkered down, they unwittingly breathed in a cocktail of hazardous chemicals. “The outdoor air became cleaner, but the indoor levels went up,” said Yifang Zhu, an environmental scientist at UCLA. The Atlantic
Correction
An earlier version of this newsletter misstated where new Airbnb rules have yet to take effect in Pacifica. The area is west of Highway 1, not east.
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