Even more than one year after her Eliot Arts Magnet classroom was destroyed in the Eaton fire, Mary Herrera nearly daily goes through a mini-emotional rollercoaster.
She’ll remember a folder filled with letters that her students have written her in her 20 years of teaching. And then she realizes she left that at Eliot.
“Every day, you still notice new things that you have lost or didn’t know you had left at work,” Herrera said.
Her place of work for the last three years was consumed by the catastrophic blaze.
The Eliot Art Magnet School auditorium along Lake Avenue in Altadena on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Since Jan. 7, 2025, Eliot has been housed at McKinley School in Pasadena and will be for the foreseeable future. Eliot and the handful of other campuses relocated due to the fire remain displaced from their home sites.
Herrera said she and her colleagues have experienced the last year in stages of acceptance. The first four months teachers grappled with the reality that their school and all their stuff was gone. The following few months the realization that this would be her classroom for awhile, but still a hesitance to fully settle in.
“Honestly, in the last month it has felt like a whole new realization that this is where we’re going to be,” Herrera said. “I’m going to teach here at this school for the next, what, five years at a minimum.”
Eliot teachers described their students as being crammed into a small number of classrooms and separate from the McKinley campus. Teachers shared the frustration over a lack of support from the Pasadena Unified School District when their new McKinley home is across the street from the PUSD central office.
Teachers said they’ve relied on community donations and Amazon wish lists to fill in the supply gap left by what some feel is a lack of district support.
“I don’t know how they can treat people who have had everything taken from them like that,” Herrera said.
Eliot teachers and staff have been waiting months to use portable rooms being installed at McKinley. The promises of when they would be usable started in the months following the fire and continue today and they are not ready.
McKinley officials could not be reached for comment.
Bungalows are being built for Eliot Arts Magnet at McKinley School in Pasadena where they have temporarily relocated to after their school was damaged in the Eaton fire. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
PUSD officials did not respond with an estimated time when teachers could move in. They did confirm that all schools that were displaced by the fire have not returned to their original campuses.
The district suffered damage or complete loss to five of its nine elementary and middle schools, all in Altadena. Eliot moved to McKinley, Aveson School of Leaders moved from its Noyes Elementary School campus to the Cleveland campus, Odyssey Charter South moved from the Edison Campus to the Arts Center and Rosebud Academy moved from Loma Alta Elementary School to Don Benito.
Mandi Holmes, a parent at Aveson, said students continue to be using combined classrooms at their relocated site.
“We have no idea what is happening with our campus or any plans PUSD has for us, if any,” Holmes said in an email.
Eliot Arts Magnet middle school at 2184 Lake Ave, Altadena has debris removed on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
During its debris removal operation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers prioritized PUSD campuses and removed more than 174 tons of debris from campuses. Eliot represented one of the final debris removal projects the Corps of Engineers completed in Altadena.
While those campuses were destroyed in the fire, Altadena Arts Magnet did not suffer fire damage, but its students have been relocated to Allendale due to Altadena Arts’ proximity to the destroyed properties.
It was a year of upheaval for PUSD students at school and at home. According to the district, nearly 75% of PUSD’s 14,000 students evacuated during the fire and almost half of the district’s employees.
In addition, more than 980 families and 120 employees lost their homes in the fire.
District spokesperson Hilda Ramirez Horvath said the Board of Education adopted a resolution to rebuild Eliot and that the other impacted campuses will be part of the Superintendent’s Facilities Advisory Committee, which launches this year.
According to the district, the committee will provide, “coordinated, transparent and strategic oversight of the district’s long-range facilities planning and bond programs.”
“The Eaton Fire destroyed or significantly damaged five of our district sites, and it is vital that we align our bond and facilities planning to this new reality,” Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco said in a statement. “This council ensures that every decision we make moving forward is transparent, data-driven, fiscally responsible, and aligned with our mission and community values.”
Herrera lost her home in the fire along with about a third of her students a handful of her Eliot colleagues
Despite the relocation and subsequent hurdles of the past year Herrera said Eliot students have continued to push forward and stayed positive throughout.
“I think we’re building a really special place and it would be so nice if the district let us know that they thought we were special, too,” Herrera said.
In addition to being a PUSD teacher on and off for about 15 years, Herrera is also a PUSD parent. Her daughter attends Altadena Arts Magnet, whose campus survived the fire but whose students have been relocated to the vacant Allendale campus due to the need for smoke remediation at Altadena Arts.
Herrera said Altadena Arts students have limited a play area space and lack basic playground equipment like a swing set or monkey bars.
“Loma Alta Park, they rebuilt their whole park and had a grand opening,” Herrera said. “People are there as we speak playing on it right now, and this district could not get a swing set put in?”
Rallies began Saturday morning in Los Gatos and Mountain View, with more planned later into the day in Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, San Jose, Richmond and San Francisco. Many were organized by a coalition of groups including May Day Strong, Indivisible and others.
Robin Dosskey, of Mountain View, waves at motorist while protesting in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. About 25 people gathered at the corner of West El Camino Real and Grant Road to protest the recent immigration enforcements and President Donald Trump’s military actions in Venezuela. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
In a statement, May Day Strong called for unity against U.S. occupation of Venezuela and the removal of “reckless untrained ICE agents from our communities.” They argued overseas wars and increased immigration enforcement enriched billionaires at a human cost, and that tax money should be used for “good jobs, better schools, access to health care and (getting) our basic needs met.”
At Los Gatos, David Bowie’s “Under Pressure” blared to over 100 people as passing cars honked in support of the demonstration.
George Hoffman, a 49-year-old Los Gatos resident, said he’s been protesting regularly at the town’s Tesla dealership since April 2025, in an effort to push back against Elon Musk’s support of Trump.
Hoffman said he started attending protests because he was tired of keeping quiet on the Trump administration’s actions and “feeling like everything was broken.”
“It was killing me,” he said. “I was in a hole of despair and loneliness.”
One week ago, a U.S. strike in Venezuela killed about 80 people and ended with the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, who are now in New York City awaiting trial on federal drug charges. Trump and others in his administration have said the U.S. would “run” the country, taking millions of barrels of oil with the blessing of the South American nation’s acting leadership.
Lynda Turkus, of Mountain View, shakes a cowbell while protesting in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. About 25 people gathered at the corner of West El Camino Real and Grant Road to protest the recent immigration enforcements and President Donald Trump’s military actions in Venezuela. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Susanne Rondeau, of Sunnyvale, shakes a cowbell while protesting in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. About 25 people gathered at the corner of West El Camino Real and Grant Road to protest the recent immigration enforcements and President Donald Trump’s military actions in Venezuela. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Susanne Rondeau, of Sunnyvale, shakes a cowbell and waves a US flag while protesting in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. About 25 people gathered at the corner of West El Camino Real and Grant Road to protest the recent immigration enforcements and President Donald Trump’s military actions in Venezuela. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
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Lynda Turkus, of Mountain View, shakes a cowbell while protesting in Mountain View, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. About 25 people gathered at the corner of West El Camino Real and Grant Road to protest the recent immigration enforcements and President Donald Trump’s military actions in Venezuela. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Many within the U.S. and internationally criticized the attack as a flagrant violation of international law that ignores Venezuela’s sovereignty. However, Venezuelan expatriates in Florida and elsewhere were supportive of Maduro’s removal after years of reported human rights violations and economic troubles in the country.
In Mountain View, a couple dozen people went to a Chevron gas station to protest. Cindy Ferguson, a 73-year-old Mountain View resident, has been going to several demonstrations, including the No Kings protests in June. She specifically wanted everyone to rally around Chevron due to the president’s actions in Venezuela to gain control of their oil reserves. Ferguson was formerly in the Army between 1973 and 1976. She criticized the similarities she saw between the U.S.’s intervention in Iraq and Iran and the attacks in Venezuela, saying “none of it worked, then or now.”
“They stand to profit really big, so he’s just paying off his billionaire buddies, and all the money and spending is for that,” Ferguson said. “Why aren’t we feeding kids? Why aren’t we giving health care? We could do a lot with that money, too. Let’s care for everyone.”
On Wednesday, a Minnesota woman named Renee Good was fatally shot by a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis, a killing caught on video that quickly sparked outrage and, from the Trump administration, unsupported claims that Good was a “domestic terrorist.” A day later, two people were wounded in Portland, Oregon, when federal immigration officers shot them in their car outside of a hospital. Both of the shootings inspired vigils and demonstrations against crackdowns authorized by Trump.
Many people that were protesting in the South Bay were enraged over the Good’s death. John Elliott, a 77-year-old Los Gatos resident, said that he had seen the video footage of Good’s shooting and thought it was “striking” that there were people who could justify it. Similarly, 20-year-old Campbell resident Michael Zambon felt that Good’s death was an extrajudicial killing.
“This is really not just about the murder of Renee Nicole Good. It’s also about the rule of law,” Zambon said. “This is a regime of lawlessness. And I believe we need to push back as best we can in order to ensure that the rule of law can endure in the consciousness of the country.”
Lisa Guevara, a 58-year-old resident of Menlo Park, is affiliated with Showing Up for Racial Justice, an organization to help white people organize against racial discrimination. Guevara connected the ICE-involved shootings with the attack on Venezuela as examples of Trump’s government trying to convince Americans that they have a right to enter Venezuela or American cities to strong-arm them.
“I think all of it is connected; It’s all this fascist, patriarchal, white supremacy situation,” Guevara said. “It’s this idea of being able to to determine other people’s lives for them, whether it’s in foreign countries or whether it’s in our own neighborhoods.”
Hoffman said Good’s death was another example of the Trump administration lying to people about what has been happening in the nation.
“We need to stop seeing this as a single issue,” Hoffman said. “It’s all the same fight.”
This is a developing report. Check back for updates.
Tijuana, Mexico — After a month away, Catherine Vermillion came home to her San Diego apartment and an empty parking space.
“I looked up and realized my car was gone,” Vermillion told CBS News. “I remembered that I had an AirTag in the car, so I checked my phone, and the AirTag showed that my car was in Tijuana, Mexico.”
When she saw where the AirTag popped up, she said she was in “shock and disbelief.”
Disbelief turned into frustration after she said local police couldn’t help.
“They just said that because it’s across the border, they’re not able to go and get it even though I could show them it was only 45 minutes away,” Vermillion said.
It’s a frustration shared by the California Highway Patrol.
“When it comes to country borders, we cannot cross that line,” CHP Lt. David Navarro said.
Navarro warned that organized theft rings are going after high-end SUVs, pickups and performance cars, stealing them in the U.S., then smuggling them into Mexico. He said it’s lucrative, hard to track and often impossible to recover those cars once they cross the border.
In just the last four years, CHP data shows the number of stolen vehicles tracked crossing the border from California, Arizona and Texas jumped 79%.
“If a vehicle’s stolen in the middle of the night, and the victim does not wake up till 7 in the morning, well if it’s stolen at 2, you have roughly five hours to transport that vehicle,” Navarro said. “If that vehicle’s not reported in the system, and it passes through that camera, then no, it’s not going to be alerted at all.”
That’s exactly what happened to Vermillion’s Jeep. The difference was she knew exactly where it ended up — 46 miles away, over the border in Tijuana.
Catherine Vermillion’s car was tracked to this lot in Tijuana, Mexico.
CBS News
Enter Phil Mohr, a repo man who has spent the last 20 years as a stolen car bounty hunter in Mexico.
Mohr said a lot of stolen cars end up next to the airport in Tijuana, a few hundred yards from the U.S.-Mexico border.
“This is a organized drop-off point,” Mohr said.
Organized in many cases by cartels, who federal agents told CBS News drive the cars into Mexico and use them to traffic drugs and weapons.
Mohr worked with local law enforcement in Mexico to repossess Vermillion’s car and bring it back to San Diego.
“It feels like a win,” Mohr said. “It feels like you made it right, that you righted a wrong in the world.”
A neighbor of Vermillion’s took a picture to capture the moment when Mohr brought her car back.
“I just have my hands up, like, whoa,” Vermillion said. “It was like the best day ever.”
For Vermillion, it was the best day ever, but for most, that day never comes.
FREMONT — A bison rancher is appealing the city’s order demanding he remove a gate that blocks public access to a regional park, with a hearing over the matter expected to take place soon.
Rancher Chris George is fighting tooth-and-nail to keep the gate on Morrison Canyon Road in rural Fremont, despite city officials determining it was illegally constructed and blocks a city right-of-way.
A hearing date has not been set but could happen as early as this month. He could face a minimum fine of $100 per day that the fence remains up, according to a notice the city served to the George family in November shortly after the gate’s construction.
The city’s removal order came after the Alameda County Board of Supervisor late last year voted to hand responsibility of the 0.2-mile stretch over to the George family. Within two weeks, the rancher erected a gate, escalating a yearslong fight over the 1,000 feet of road that provides access to Vargas Plateau Regional Park, a popular park for hiking, biking and horseback riding.
According to a notice signed by Israel Vazquez–Comonfort, a city code enforcement officer, George had until Nov. 26 to “immediately” remove the gate “that obstructs the use of the public street,” or face penalties. But George, who did not respond to a request for comment, has refused to dismantle it.
In an earlier letter, Fremont City Attorney Rafael Alvarado Jr. told George and his attorney that the city legally took ownership of the road when it incorporated into Alameda County about seven decades ago.
“For the past seventy years, the public has used and enjoyed the roadway as a public right of way, and said public use of the roadway has been open, notorious, continuous, and adverse to any purported private interest of your client,” Alvarado wrote. He also added that George has “no legal authority” that would allow “a private party to construct a private gate over public land.”
In response, George’s attorney, Clark Morrison, wrote to the city appealing their order, claiming that it was issued “without evidence” that the roadway is a public street.
“The gate and fence are constructed entirely on private property,” Morrison wrote, adding “it is not legally possible” for his clients to have violated any municipal code. He demanded the city rescind the order, which he also claims has “invited and encouraged trespass by certain third parties on the Georges’ private property, and harassment of the Georges by those same third parties.”
The Georges have long battled environmental and public access advocates over the stretch of Morrison Canyon Road.
In 2008, George and a neighbor filed a lawsuit over traffic and roadway conditions, leading to a settlement in 2012 that delayed the opening of Vargas Plateau Regional Park while the East Bay Regional Park District and the city of Fremont spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to improve the road and reduce the number of parking spaces there.
Jason Bezis, an attorney who represents the anti-gate crowd, told this news organization on Friday that George’s claim to the land is “really outrageous.”
“They’re very much like the Donald Trump ethos, or Donald Trump mindset, of making false statements and hoping that no one questions them,” Bezis said.
He said that the roadway is proven to be “a public road until the City Council says it’s vacated.”
Bezis likened the land fight to one at Martins Beach in San Mateo County. In that case, a judge ruled that a Silicon Valley billionaire was illegally restricting public access to the popular beach by gating off his own driveway and blocking the only road to the ocean. But Bezis’ said the situation in Fremont is more egregious.
“This is just absolutely brazen and not supported by any facts,” he said.
Some people think a proposed tax on California’s billionaires to make up for cuts in federal funding to hospitals and healthcare programs will drive money out of the state.
To Seema Kanani, a medical social worker for a major hospital system in Northern California, it is time to sound the alarm about the future of healthcare in the state.
“We need to do this now. We can’t wait 5-10 years,” she said. “We are at risk in the near future, actually, of having hospitals, ERs, and community clinics close down.”
She’s been a member of the healthcare justice union, the Service Employees International Union – United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW), for 19 years.
Her union is proposing a billionaire wealth tax to make up for massive federal healthcare spending cuts that are set to take place over the next decade, which will largely impact middle- and lower-income Californians.
“A lot of my patients will choose to kind of ration their diabetes medication or other medications they cannot afford because they have to choose between paying their electricity bill or getting their medication,” Kanani said.
The idea is to levy a one-time, 5% tax on the wealth, not income, of billionaires that live in California.
“There are over 200 billionaires just in California. So, it’s time for them to step up and do their part for the state that has given them so much,” she said. “This is not meant to be a long-term fix. That’s why it’s an emergency, one-time tax. It’s not a long-term tax.”
A December analysis from California’s non-partisan Legislative Analyst’s Office revealed the proposed billionaire tax would likely generate tens of billions of dollars for the state over several years. It also notes that state income tax revenues would likely decrease by hundreds of millions of dollars per year on an ongoing basis if the ultra-wealthy were to leave the state.
The latter is what San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan fears will happen if the idea comes to fruition.
“We will actually increasingly have to rely on middle-class and working families to fill that gap. That’s who will lose here. People who will benefit are the taxpayers of Texas and Arizona and Florida, who will now have more billionaires relocating to their state and sharing in the burden of paying for their public services and infrastructure,” Mahan said.
Mahan believes the concept would do more harm than good in the long-run for California.
“It’s an incredible risk. We are talking about putting at risk the driver of our economy, the job creation engine of California, for a one-time tax, to subsidize a system that is ripe with waste, fraud, and abuse,” he said. “Let’s get serious about tackling economic inequality by closing loopholes, not pushing capital out of state.”
He acknowledges there are bigger-picture solutions needed for addressing wealth inequality in the Bay Area, California, and the nation.
“Wealth inequality is a very real issue. It deserves serious solutions. I think there are a number of them out there that we ought to pursue. We make it far too easy for very wealthy individuals to avoid paying taxes on their accumulated assets. I’ve heard from folks who are quite wealthy who acknowledge that they can borrow against their assets and never pay taxes on them – they can pass them on, tax-free, to their heirs,” Mahan said. “There are very real ways that are pragmatic that we could, at a national level, close massive loopholes related to wealth accumulation that would level the playing field, generate additional public revenues, and really, create a more fair economy for everyone.”
From Kanani’s standpoint, this step is needed to help save California’s healthcare system, and it is not meant to be a silver bullet for solving wealth inequality.
“The life and the American Dream that California is known for is not going to exist if the healthcare collapse happens,” she said. “I would welcome anyone that has other ways to tackle this to suggest so.”
She’s hopeful the proposition will receive enough petition signatures and will be put to voters in November. It will need 874,641 signatures by June 24 to qualify for the November ballot, according to Ballotpedia.
On Thursday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves held a moment of silence in honor of Good before tipoff against the Cavaliers.
“I’m glad that the Timberwolves recognized her life and the tragic nature of her death,” Kerr said during his pregame press conference on Friday. “It’s shameful, really, that in our country, we can have law enforcement officers who commit murder and seemingly get away with it.”
Good was shot in her SUV in a neighborhood south of downtown Minneapolis.
Video from multiple bystanders showed officers surrounding the vehicle and attempting to open the driver’s side door, and then an officer shooting Good as she began to drive forward.
Whether any officers were hit by the vehicle is open to interpretation.
The federal government, led by President Donald Trump, has taken the side of ICE and characterized Good’s shooting as self-defense.
“It’s shameful that the government can come out and lie about what happened when there’s video and witnesses who have all come out and disputed what the government is saying,” Kerr said. “So very demoralizing, devastating to lose anybody’s life, especially in that manner. Terribly sad for her family, and for her and that city, and I’m glad the Timberwolves came out and expressed that sadness.”
This is far from the first time the Warriors coach has commented on current events and social justice matters.
Kerr has consistently voiced political opinions during his 11-year career in charge of the Warriors, including an appearance as a speaker at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, and has already made headlines multiple times over the past year for sharing thoughts about hot-button issues.
In December, Kerr again called for change after a mass shooting at Brown left several dead and more wounded.
“It’s human nature to just not want to deal with this stuff, and it’s human nature to just think this is so horrible, let’s not think about it,” Kerr told reporters in Portland. “We have to think about it.”
A federal judge in New York has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s move to freeze $10 billion in child-care funds in five Democrat-led states including California.
The ruling Friday afternoon capped a tumultuous stretch that began earlier this week when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told California officials and those in Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York that it would freeze federal funding over fraud concerns.
On Thursday the states sued the administration in federal court in Manhattan. The states sought a temporary restraining order, asking the court to block the funding freeze and the administration’s demands for large volumes of administrative data.
An attorney for the states argued Friday morning that there was an immediate need for funding — and that withholding it would cause chaos by depriving families of their ability to pay for child care, and would harm child-care providers who would lose income.
In a brief ruling, Judge Arun Subramanian said that “good cause has been shown for the issuance of a temporary restraining order.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The federal government’s effort has been viewed as a broad attack on social services in California, and jolted tens of thousands of working families and the state’s child-care industry. Providers told The Times that the funding freeze could imperil child-care centers, many of which operate on slim margins.
“The underscoring issue is that child care and these other federally funded social services programs are major family supports,” said Nina Buthee, executive director of EveryChild California. “They are essential infrastructure that our communities need and depend on, and should not be political tools. So the fact that this judge went in and blocked this very dramatic freeze, I think is only a good thing.”
In a trio of Jan. 6 letters addressed to Gov. Gavin Newsom, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it was concerned there had been “potential for extensive and systemic fraud” in child care and other social services programs that rely on federal funding, and had “reason to believe” that the state was “illicitly providing illegal aliens” with benefits.
The letters did not provide evidence to support the claims. State officials have said the suggestions of fraud are unsubstantiated.
Newsom has said he welcomes any fraud investigations the federal government might conduct, but said cutting off funding hurts families who rely on the aid. According to the state Legislative Analyst’s Office, about $1.4 billion in federal child-care funding was frozen per the letters from Health and Human Services.
“You want to support families? You believe in families? Then you believe in supporting child care and child-care workers in the workforce,” Newsom told MS NOW.
After Subramanian issued the ruling, Newsom’s press office said on X that “the feds went ghost-hunting for widespread ‘fraud’ (with no evidence) — and ended up trying to rip child care and food from kids.”
“It took a federal judge less than 24 hours to shut down Trump’s politically motivated child care cuts in California,” the account posted.
In instituting the freeze, Health and Human Services had said it would review how the federal money had been used by the state, and was restricting access to additional money amid its inquiries. The federal government asked for various data, including attendance documentation for child care. It also demanded beefed-up fiscal accountability requirements.
“Again and again, President Trump has shown a willingness to throw vulnerable children, seniors, and families under the bus if he thinks it will advance his vendetta against Democratic-led states,” Bonta said in a statement following the ruling. “Cutting funding for childcare and other family assistance is cruel, reckless, and most importantly, illegal.”
For Laura Pryor, research director at the California Budget & Policy Center, it is “a sigh of relief.”
California is suing the Trump administration over its “baseless and cruel” decision to freeze $10 billion in federal funding for child care and family assistance allocated to California and four other Democratic-led states, Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta announced Thursday.
The lawsuit was filed jointly by the five states targeted by the freeze — California, New York, Minnesota, Illinois and Colorado — over the Trump administration’s allegations of widespread fraud within their welfare systems. California alone is facing a loss of about $5 billion in funding, including $1.4 billion for child-care programs.
The lawsuit alleges that the freeze is based on unfounded claims of fraud and infringes on Congress’ spending power as enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“This is just the latest example of Trump’s willingness to throw vulnerable children, vulnerable families and seniors under the bus if he thinks it will advance his vendetta against California and Democratic-led states,” Bonta said at a Thursday evening news conference.
The $10-billion funding freeze follows the administration’s decision to freeze $185 million in child-care funds to Minnesota, where federal officials allege that as much as half of the roughly $18 billion paid to 14 state-run programs since 2018 may have been fraudulent. Amid the fallout, Gov. Tim Walz has ordered a third-party audit and announced that he will not seek a third term.
Bonta said that letters sent by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announcing the freeze Tuesday provided no evidence to back up claims of widespread fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars in California. The freeze applies to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, the Social Services Block Grant program and the Child Care and Development Fund.
“This is funding that California parents count on to get the safe and reliable child care they need so that they can go to work and provide for their families,” he said. “It’s funding that helps families on the brink of homelessness keep roofs over their heads.”
Bonta also raised concerns regarding Health and Human Services’ request that California turn over all documents associated with the state’s implementation of the three programs. This requires the state to share personally identifiable information about program participants, a move Bonta called “deeply concerning and also deeply questionable.”
“The administration doesn’t have the authority to override the established, lawful process our states have already gone through to submit plans and receive approval for these funds,” Bonta said. “It doesn’t have the authority to override the U.S. Constitution and trample Congress’ power of the purse.”
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Manhattan and marked the 53rd suit California had filed against the Trump administration since the president’s inauguration last January. It asks the court to block the funding freeze and the administration’s sweeping demands for documents and data.
West Sacramento’s mayor is the latest person to announce plans to campaign for one of California’s congressional districts in the 2026 midterm election since the passing of Proposition 50.The voter-approved measure aims to send more Democrats to Congress by redrawing five Republican-heavy districts to include more Democratic voters. While District 6 is not one of those five targeted districts, the current officeholder — Democrat Ami Bera — has since announced plans to run for District 3, which is targeted.As a result, several people have announced campaigns for District 6, which now includes Martha Guerrero running as a Democrat.“I am running for Congress because our communities deserve a representative who has been in the trenches for working families,” Guerrero said in a release. “They deserve someone laser-focused on lowering costs and protecting their rights.”Guerrero in the release also touted her achievements in serving West Sacramento, citing public safety, flood protection, supporting small business and job growth, government transparency and homelessness.The mayor is in her third term as West Sacramento mayor after serving in the city council.Other candidates for District 6 include former State Sen. Dr. Richard Pan, Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho and Republican Christine Bish.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
West Sacramento’s mayor is the latest person to announce plans to campaign for one of California’s congressional districts in the 2026 midterm election since the passing of Proposition 50.
The voter-approved measure aims to send more Democrats to Congress by redrawing five Republican-heavy districts to include more Democratic voters. While District 6 is not one of those five targeted districts, the current officeholder — Democrat Ami Bera — has since announced plans to run for District 3, which is targeted.
As a result, several people have announced campaigns for District 6, which now includes Martha Guerrero running as a Democrat.
“I am running for Congress because our communities deserve a representative who has been in the trenches for working families,” Guerrero said in a release. “They deserve someone laser-focused on lowering costs and protecting their rights.”
Guerrero in the release also touted her achievements in serving West Sacramento, citing public safety, flood protection, supporting small business and job growth, government transparency and homelessness.
The mayor is in her third term as West Sacramento mayor after serving in the city council.
Other candidates for District 6 include former State Sen. Dr. Richard Pan, Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho and Republican Christine Bish.
SAN FRANCISCO – Draymond Green did not have to look very far – in both a space or time sense – to recall the last time his mother was disappointed in the way he had acted during a game.
Holding his phone in his right hand during Wednesday’s press conference after a 120-113 Warriors win over the Milwaukee Bucks, Green read off, rapid-fire, a number of recent texts from his mother, Mary Babers.
“Remember what you love, and stop abusing it,” one text read, while another, written after a recent ejection, was simply: “What happened?”
Basketball is an emotional game, with its players and coaches sometimes prone to losing their cool. And if there was one thing to be learned from the press conference before and after Golden State’s victory, it was this:
Age and basketball accomplishments cannot diminish a man’s fear or respect for his mother.
A few days earlier, Steve Kerr, 60, had drawn the ire of official Brian Forte when the Warriors coach had to be restrained while directing a stream of profanities in his direction after the Warriors were on the wrong end of several controversial calls.
Kerr, who was ejected in the loss to the Clippers, was not worried about how the league or his players would react to his outburst. Instead, his biggest critic after the ejection was his mother, Ann Kerr, who lives in Southern California and made the short trip to Inglewood.
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr gestures to his team during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Ms. Kerr was not pleased with her son’s behavior.
“She looked horrified afterwards, and she asked me if I was going to hit the referee,” Kerr said. “I said, ‘Mom, I’ve never hit anybody in my life …. She said, ‘Why were all of those men holding you back?’ Well, that’s all part of the theatrics.”
Theatrics got superstar Steph Curry in trouble with his mother, Sonya, during a 2018 playoff series with Houston.
“I did the ‘This is my (expletive) house,’ and right into the camera, too,” Curry said, sheepishly adding. “No plausible deniability.”
Even the opposing team got in on the action. Bucks coach Doc Rivers, an accomplished point guard back in the 1980s and 1990s, once disappointed his mother by using foul language in the heat of the action.
“Oh yeah, my mom, she is a churchgoing lady, and I wasn’t using the right language one game, she called and let me have it,” Rivers said. “It’s interesting ’cause you say ‘I’m sorry,’ but you do know the next day you’re gonna do it again. It’s a tough one.”
After several years of providing legislators with a pre-recorded video link for his annual State of the State address, Gov. Gavin Newsom will deliver his final address live and in-person inside the California State Capitol on Thursday.
The governor’s State of the State has been required in writing since California became a state in 1850. All those years of speeches are housed in one place, across the street from the Capitol, in the State Library and court building.
The very first State of the State address in 1850 shows the status of California’s statehood then, written by Gov. Peter Burnett, with the first sentence reading: “Gentlemen of the Senate and Assembly, the circumstances under which you have assembled are most new interesting and extraordinary.”
Alex Vassar, spokesperson for the California State Library, said that 176 years later, the annual address offers a snapshot of California’s triumphs and tragedies and everyday troubles.
“The requirement has always been that it’s important for the governor as the first person who oversees the operation of the state, the head of the executive branch, that he notified the legislature of what his concerns are, how things are running,” Vassar said.
Newsom seemed to be carrying on the traditional speech when he took office in 2019. However, since the COVID-19 pandemic, he has not delivered his State of the State speech in the Capitol building. Instead, he delivered his 2021 remarks from an empty Dodger Stadium and resorted to pre-recorded video in the final week of the legislative session in 2025.
State Senator Tony Strickland (R-Huntington Beach) said he is looking for the governor to address the state’s $18 billion budget deficit, unemployment, and affordability problems.
“We’ve got serious problems in California. We need serious leadership,” Strickland said. “His record is abysmal in California.”
Assemblymember Alex Lee (D-Milpitas) is calling for a crackdown on tax breaks.
“I’m looking for the governor, hopefully, closing tax loopholes on corporations and billionaires,” Lee said. “And I hope he paints a strong picture that yes, we have problems, but here’s how we get to the next stage of California.”
Gov. Earl Warren began delivering the State of the State in the form of a speech to the legislature in the 1960s.
Now, in his final year in office, Newsom is expected to return to that tradition.
How to watch
Newsom will deliver his final State of the State address inside the California State Capitol on Thursday.
The address is expected to begin at 10:30 a.m. PT and will stream live on CBS News Sacramento.
Anecdotal data suggest there is also an exodus of regular people who load their belongings into rental trucks and lug them to another state.
U-Haul’s survey of the more than 2.5 million one-way trips using its vehicles in the U.S. last year showed that the gap between the number of people leaving and the number arriving was higher in California than in any other state.
While the Golden State also attracts a large number of newcomers, it has had the biggest net outflow for six years in a row.
Generally, the defectors don’t go far. The top five destinations for the diaspora using U-Haul’s trucks, trailers and boxes last year were Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Texas.
California experienced a net outflow of U-Haul users with an in-migration of 49.4%, and those leaving of 50.6%. Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Illinois also rank among the bottom five on the index.
U-Haul didn’t speculate on the reasons California continues to top the ranking.
“We continue to find that life circumstances — marriage, children, a death in the family, college, jobs and other events — dictate the need for most moves,” John Taylor, U-Haul International president, said in a press statement.
While California’s exodus was greater than any other state, the silver lining was that the state lost fewer residents to out-of-state migration in 2025 than in 2024.
U-Haul said that broadly the hotly debated issue of blue-to-red state migration, which became more pronounced after the pandemic of 2020, continues to be a discernible trend.
Though U-Haul did not specify the reasons for the exodus, California demographers tracking the trend point to the cost of living and housing affordability as the top reasons for leaving.
“Over the last dozen years or so, on a net basis, the flow out of the state because of housing [affordability] far exceeds other reasons people cite [including] jobs or family,” said Hans Johnson, senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California.
“This net out migration from California is a more than two-decade-long trend. And again, we’re a big state, so the net out numbers are big,” he said.
U-Haul data showed that there was a pretty even split between arrivals and departures. While the company declined to share absolute numbers, it said that 50.6% of its one-way customers in California were leaving, while 49.4% were arriving.
U-Haul’s network of 24,000 rental locations across the U.S. provides a near-real-time view of domestic migration dynamics, while official data on population movements often lags.
California’s population grew by a marginal 0.05% in the year ending July 2025, reaching 39.5 million people, according to the California Department of Finance.
After two consecutive years of population decline following the 2020 pandemic, California recorded its third year of population growth in 2025. While international migration has rebounded, the number of California residents moving out increased to 216,000, consistent with levels in 2018 and 2019.
Eric McGhee, senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, who researches the challenges facing California, said there’s growing evidence of political leanings shaping the state’s migration patterns, with those moving out of state more likely to be Republican and those moving in likely to be Democratic.
“Partisanship probably is not the most significant of these considerations, but it may be just the last straw that broke the camel’s back, on top of the other things that are more traditional drivers of migration … cost of living and family and friends and jobs,” McGhee said.
Living in California costs 12.6% more than the national average, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. One of the biggest pain points in the state is housing, which is 57.8% more expensive than what the average American pays.
The U-Haul study across all 50 states found that 7 of the top 10 growth states where people moved to have Republican governors. Nine of the states with the biggest net outflows had Democrat governors.
Texas, Florida and North Carolina were the top three growth states for U-Haul customers, with Dallas, Houston and Austin bagging the top spots for growth in metro regions.
A notable exception in California was San Diego and San Francisco, which were the only California cities in the top 25 metros with a net inflow of one-way U-Haul customers.
PORTLAND, Ore. — Federal immigration officers shot and wounded two people outside a hospital in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday, a day after an officer shot and killed a driver in Minnesota, authorities said.
What You Need To Know
The FBI’s Portland office said it was investigating an “agent involved shooting” that happened around 2:15 p.m.
Their conditions were not immediately known
Portland police secured both the scene of the shooting and the area where the wounded people were found pending investigation
The city officials said “federal militarization undermines effective, community‑based public safety, and it runs counter to the values that define our region
The FBI’s Portland office said it was investigating an “agent involved shooting” that happened around 2:15 p.m. According to the Portland Police bureau, officers initially responded to a report of a shooting near a hospital.
A few minutes later, police received information that a man who had been shot was asking for help in a different area a couple of miles away. Officers then responded there and found the two people with apparent gunshot wounds. Officers determined they were injured in the shooting with federal agents, police said.
Their conditions were not immediately known. Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney said during a Portland city council meeting that Thursday’s shooting took place in the eastern part of the city and that two Portlanders were wounded.
“As far as we know both of these individuals are still alive and we are hoping for more positive updates throughout the afternoon,” she said.
Portland police secured both the scene of the shooting and the area where the wounded people were found pending investigation.
“We are still in the early stages of this incident,” said Chief Bob Day. “We understand the heightened emotion and tension many are feeling in the wake of the shooting in Minneapolis, but I am asking the community to remain calm as we work to learn more.”
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson and the city council called on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to end all operations in Oregon’s largest city until a full investigation is completed.
“We stand united as elected officials in saying that we cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts,” a joint statement said. “Portland is not a ‘training ground’ for militarized agents, and the ‘full force’ threatened by the administration has deadly consequences.”
The city officials said “federal militarization undermines effective, community‑based public safety, and it runs counter to the values that define our region. We’ll use every legal and legislative tool available to protect our residents’ civil and human rights.”
They urged residents to show up with “calm and purpose during this difficult time.”
“We respond with clarity, unity, and a commitment to justice,” the statement said. “We must stand together to protect Portland.”
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, urged any protesters to remain peaceful.
“Trump wants to generate riots,” he said in a post on the X social media platform. “Don’t take the bait.”
Spencer Pratt announced on the one-year anniversary of the start of the Palisades Fire that he plans to run for mayor of Los Angeles.
Pratt, whose home burned down during the fires last year, made the announcement during a “They Let Us Burn!” protest in the Pacific Palisades near the remains of his home Wednesday.
“On Jan. 7, 2025, [his wife] Heidi [Montag] and I lost our home. We lost every material possession we own. My parents lost their home too and, with it, decades of memories lost inside those walls,” Pratt emotionally told the crowd on Wednesday, calling it the “worst day of my life.”
The 42-year-old noted he grew up in the Palisades, “thinking that my two boys would grow up here just like I did with that same hometown feeling. Then, right before my eyes, that future that I envisioned burned to the ground.”
Spencer Pratt announced on the one-year anniversary of the start of the Palisades Fire that he plans to run for mayor of Los Angeles.(Spencer Pratt/Instagram; MEGA/GC Images)
Pratt, a frequent critic of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom, said the most “heartbreaking” part of the last year was the “realization that all of this was preventable.”
The former “The Hills” reality star accused the state of letting “brush grow wild” in Topanga State Park for 50 years without wildfire maintenance and creating a “hostile” insurance environment that prompted carriers to drop them before the fires.
Spencer Pratt announces he’s running for mayor of Los Angeles on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, on the first anniversary of the Palisades Fire. (Backgrid)
“I have realized that the city I love is being managed into the ground by people who don’t have the courage to actually lead,” he said. “Business as usual is a death sentence for Los Angeles, and I’m done waiting for someone to take real action. That’s why I am running for mayor. And let me be clear, this just isn’t a campaign. This is a mission.”
After making his announcement, Pratt posted a photo of himself with his signed paperwork to run for mayor, writing, “Yes, it’s official. Papers are filed and campaign is open: mayorpratt.com.”
Since losing his home, Pratt has been vocal on social media, accusing city and state leaders of mismanagement, corruption and “criminal negligence” in their response to the fires.
Former reality television star Spencer Pratt, who lost his home in the Palisades fire, has been an outspoken critic of California leaders over their management of the wildfire recovery efforts.(MEGA/GC Images)
In January 2025, Pratt and Montag sued the city of Los Angeles and the Department of Water and Power over the destruction of their home.
The “Hills” alums filed the suit Jan. 21, 2025, along with 20 other property owners, blaming the city and the utility company for the damage.
“When people are like, ‘How do you feel about Republican senators opening a congressional investigation into the Palisades?’ I’m just happy anyone is investigating why the people who paid almost $700,000,000 in taxes, to these people who are employees, aren’t being questioned in front of every judge, jury, investigator, cop, sheriff, detective,” Pratt said last year.
Spencer Pratt surveying his property after his home was destroyed.(Spencer Pratt Instagram)
He was also joined in the Palisades by U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler, who toured the damage amid delayed rebuild permits.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Pratt, Newsom and Bass for comment.
“It’s no shock that in advance of his imminent book release, a reality TV ‘villain’ who once staged a fake divorce to boost ratings and spent the last summer spewing post-fire misinformation and disinformation to pump up his social media following, would now announce he’s running for Mayor,” Douglas Herman, Bass’ campaign strategist, told Fox News Digital.
A spokesperson from Newsom’s office told Fox News Digital in part, “Topanga State Park is within LA city limits. By law, the fire response is the responsibility of the Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD), not the state. Parks is not a firefighting agency and does not direct fire response.”
The governor’s office said, “With respect to the origin of the fire, the U.S. Department of Justice has determined that it was intentionally set by an out-of-state arsonist who was arrested in Florida. The governor expects the suspect to be held fully accountable under the law.
“Gov. Newsom has been focused on stabilizing and modernizing California’s home insurance market, especially as climate change drives more severe wildfire risk.”
The spokesperson added that California insurance rates “remain below the national average and significantly less than some other states.”
The 2025-2030 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which updates recommendations for a healthy diet, was released by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Wednesday.
Among the changes from the previous version, issued in 2020:
“Highly processed foods”: It urges avoiding “packaged, prepared, ready-to-eat or other foods that are salty or sweet, such as chips, cookies and candy.”
Saturated fats: Butter and beef tallow are included as recommended whole-food sources of saturated fats.
Protein: The previous recommendations called for 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (0.36 grams per pound of body weight) — about 54 grams daily for a 150-pound person. The new recommendation is 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. An average American man consumes about 100 grams of protein per day.
Added sugar: Previous guidelines recommended limiting added sugars to 10% of daily calories, but to aim for less. That’s about 12 teaspoons a day in a 2,000-calorie daily diet. The new document says no one meal should contain more than 10 grams of added sugars, or about 2 teaspoons.
Alcohol: The new guidelines roll back previous recommendations to limit alcohol to 1 drink or less per day for women and 2 drinks or less per day for men. Instead, the recommendation is to “consume less alcohol for better health.”
NEW YORK — Warner Bros. again rejected a takeover bid from Paramount and told shareholders Wednesday to stick with a rival offer from Netflix.
What You Need To Know
Warner Bros. is again rejecting a takeover bid from Paramount and telling shareholders to stick with a rival offer from Netflix
Warner’s leadership has repeatedly rebuffed Skydance-owned Paramount’s overtures — and urged shareholders just weeks ago to support selling its streaming and studio business to Netflix for $72 billion
Paramount, meanwhile, has made efforts to sweeten its $77.9 billion hostile bid for the entire company
Warner Bros. Discovery said Wednesday that its board determined Paramount’s offer isn’t in the best interests of the company or its shareholders and doesn’t meet the criteria of being a superior proposal
Warner’s leadership has repeatedly rebuffed Skydance-owned Paramount’s overtures — and urged shareholders just weeks ago to back its the sale of its streaming and studio business to Netflix for $72 billion. Paramount, meanwhile, has made efforts to sweeten its $77.9 billion hostile offer for the entire company.
Warner Bros. Discovery said Wednesday that its board determined Paramount’s offer is not in the best interests of the company or its shareholders. It again recommended shareholders support the Netflix deal.
“Paramount’s offer continues to provide insufficient value, including terms such as an extraordinary amount of debt financing that create risks to close and lack of protections for our shareholders if a transaction is not completed,” Warner Bros. Discovery Chair Samuel Di Piazza Jr. said in a statement. In contrast, he added, the company’s agreement with Netflix “will offer superior value at greater levels of certainty.”
Paramount did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company’s hostile bid is still on the table. Warner shareholders currently have until Jan. 21 to “tender” their shares.
Late last month, Paramount announced an “irrevocable personal guarantee” from Oracle founder Larry Ellison — who is the father of Paramount CEO David Ellison — to back $40.4 billion in equity financing for the company’s offer. Paramount also increased its promised payout to shareholders to $5.8 billion if the deal is blocked by regulators, matching Netflix’s breakup fee.
In its Wednesday letter to shareholders, Warner expressed concerns about a potential deal with Paramount. Warner said it essentially considers the offer a leveraged buyout, which includes a lot of debt, and also pointed to operating restrictions that it said were imposed by Paramount’s offer and could “hamper WBD’s ability to perform” throughout a transaction.
The battle for Warner and the value of each offer grows complicated because Netflix and Paramount want different things. Netflix’s proposed acquisition includes only Warner’s studio and streaming business, including its legacy TV and movie production arms and platforms like HBO Max. But Paramount wants the entire company — which, beyond studio and streaming, includes networks like CNN and Discovery.
If Netflix is successful, Warner’s news and cable operations would be spun off into their own company, under a previously-announced separation.
A merger with either company could take over a year to close — and will attract tremendous antitrust scrutiny along the way. Due to its size and potential impact, it will almost certainly trigger a review by the U.S. Justice Department, which could sue to block the transaction or request changes. Other countries and regulators overseas may also challenge the merger. And politics are expected to come into play under President Donald Trump, who has made unprecedented suggestions about his personal involvement on whether a deal will go through.
Trade groups across the entertainment industry have continued to sound the alarm about both deals.
In a statement addressed to a Congressional antitrust subcommittee on Wednesday, Cinema United — which represents more than 60,000 movie screens worldwide — reiterated it was “deeply concerned” that Netflix’s acquisition could harm both moviegoers and people who work in theaters, pointing to the streaming giant’s past reliance on its online platform. The group said its concerns were “no less serious” for Paramount’s bid — warning of consequences of further consolidation overall, which it said could result in job losses and less diversity in filmmaking.
LOS ANGELES — The high-profile private attorney for Nick Reiner resigned from his case Wednesday for reasons he said he could not reveal, and he later told reporters that under California law his client is definitely not guilty of murder in the killing of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner.
What You Need To Know
Jackson would not specify what he meant and took no questions at the brief news conference, but it was the first direct statement from a Nick Reiner representative about his guilt or innocence in the 3 1/2 weeks since the killings
After meeting with the Judge Theresa McGonigle in chambers, Jackson, at his own request, was replaced by a public defender and the plea hearing was postponed to Feb. 23
A Reiner family spokesperson said in a statement after Wednesday’s hearing that “They have the utmost trust in the legal process and will not comment further on matters related to the legal proceedings”
Reiner, 32, the third of Rob Reiner’s four children, has been held without bail since his arrest hours after his parents were found dead on Dec. 14
“Circumstances beyond our control and more importantly circumstances beyond Nick’s control have dictated that, sadly, it’s made it impossible to continue our representation,” lawyer Alan Jackson said as he stood with his team outside a Los Angeles courthouse.
But, Jackson added, after weeks of investigation, “what we’ve learned, and you can take this to the bank, is that pursuant to the laws of this state, pursuant to the law of California, Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder. Print that.”
Jackson would not specify what he meant and took no questions at the brief news conference, but it was the first direct statement from a Nick Reiner representative about his guilt or innocence in the 3 1/2 weeks since the killings.
He spoke after a hearing where Reiner was supposed to be arraigned and enter a plea to two charges of first-degree murder. Instead, after meeting with the Judge Theresa McGonigle in chambers, Jackson, at his own request, was replaced by a public defender and the plea hearing was postponed to Feb. 23.
Jackson does not say why he has to quit case
Jackson said that for legal and ethical reasons, he could not reveal why he had to resign. He first appeared in court representing Nick Reiner at a hearing a few days after the beloved actor-director and his wife of 36 years were found dead with stab wounds in their home in the upscale Brentwood section of Los Angeles. Jackson did not say how he was hired — or who hired him. Generally, defendants use public defenders when they can’t pay for a private attorney.
Jackson has become one of the most prominent defense attorneys in the nation in recent years after his defense of clients including Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and Karen Read at her intensely followed trials in Massachusetts.
Deputy Public Defender Kimberly Greene took over as Reiner’s attorney during the hearing.
“The Public Defender’s Office recognizes what an unimaginable tragedy this is for the Reiner family and the Los Angeles community,” LA County Public Defender Ricardo D. Garcia said in a rare public statement on a case from the office. “Our hearts go out to the Reiner family as they navigate this difficult time. We ask for your patience and compassion as the case moves through the legal process.”
A Reiner family spokesperson said in a statement after Wednesday’s hearing that “They have the utmost trust in the legal process and will not comment further on matters related to the legal proceedings.”
Nick Reiner appears in jail clothes, without suicide prevention smock
During Wednesday’s hearing, Reiner stood behind glass in a custody area of the courtroom wearing brown jail garb and with his hair shaved. Two deputies stood behind him. Jackson and his team stood in front of him on the other side of the glass. At one point, Reiner stood on his tiptoes to peer over the lawyers’ heads to look at the audience. He spoke only to agree to the delayed arraignment.
McGonigle approved the use of cameras inside the courtroom but said photos and video could not be taken of the defendant. Reiner did not wear the suicide prevention smock he had on at his initial court appearance on Dec. 17.
Reiner, 32, the third of Rob Reiner’s four children, has been held without bail since his arrest hours after his parents were found dead on Dec. 14.
Jackson says he ‘dropped everything’ to represent Reiner
Jackson, a former LA County prosecutor, had given no indication of the plans for his defense.
He said that just hours after Nick Reiner’s arrest, he and his team were in New York when they got a call about representing him. He did not say who called him.
“We dropped everything,” Jackson said. “For the last three weeks, we have devoted literally every waking hour to protecting Nick and his interests. We’ve investigated this matter top to bottom, back to front.”
He said they remain “deeply, deeply committed” to him and said, “We’re not just convinced; we know that the legal process will reveal the true facts.”
Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 70, were killed early on the morning of Dec. 14, and they were found in the late afternoon, authorities said. The LA County Medical Examiner said in initial findings that they died from “multiple sharp force injuries.” A court order has prevented the release of more details. Police have said nothing about possible motives.
Prosecutors have said they have not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty for Nick Reiner.
Rob Reiner was a prolific director whose work included some of the most memorable and endlessly watchable movies of the 1980s and ’90s. His credits included “This is Spinal Tap,” “Stand By Me,” “A Few Good Men,” and “When Harry Met Sally …,” during whose production he met Michele Singer, a photographer, and married her soon after.
A decade ago, Nick Reiner publicly discussed his struggles with addiction and mental health after making a movie with his father, “Being Charlie,” that was very loosely based on their lives.
Valero on Tuesday said it will continue to provide the Bay Area with gasoline even after it completely idles its Benicia Refinery later this year.
It will begin to idle its processing units in February as part of a phased approach and expects to have most of its refining processing units idled by April 2026.
Valero is Benicia’s largest employer as well as the city’s single largest source of tax revenue, and in its announcement, the company said it is preparing to submit a Worker Readjustment and Retraining Notification, as required by law. WARNS are required when a company with 75 or more employees lays off 50 or more employees in a 30-day period.
As for the impact on Bay Area drivers, Valero announced the company will import fuel into the region and use existing inventory to keep drivers supplied.
“Valero remains committed to fulfilling its contractual supply obligations in the California market and anticipates importing additional gasoline volumes to the Bay Area in the near term,” the company said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office touted the plan as one that will “help maintain steady supply and stable prices as discussions continue on a path forward for the refinery.”
“We’re in ongoing discussions with Valero to evaluate options for continued operations at the Benicia refinery and I appreciate the company planning responsibly, including planning for imports of refined products to supply the market in the meantime,” Newsom said.
How long Valero will import fuel into the region was not stated, and California and the California Energy Commission are still working on the refinery’s future.
“We want to express our appreciation to Valero for continuing to work with us collaboratively to evaluate options for the Valero Benicia refinery and for maintaining fuel supply to Northern California,” said Siva Gunda, CEC Vice Chair.
Ashwini Rao has lived in Benicia for about a year. During that time, the future of the refinery has been a big question. Now that they know the answers, they say a lot of people will feel the impact, good and bad.
“It does affect people, the local jobs, so definitely it’s a loss for people here,” said Rao. “But I do see a lot of pollution here happening, so that’s kind of better.”
Severin Borenstein is a professor at UC Berkeley and the faculty director of their energy institute. He said he saw the move coming.
“The demand for Californian gasoline is declining, and refineries have been talking for a long time about their financial viability as California uses less and less gasoline,” Borenstein said.
There was none of the strong winds that whipped embers into hungry flames at the place where the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center once stood. But on Tuesday night, on the eve of Jan. 7, about 400 people gathered under big white tent on North Altadena Drive, the first time the synagogue’s congregants have been together at the site.
“Tonight is our time to grieve for the loss we endured one year ago,” the temple’s Rabbi Joshua Ratner said. “This space is for all of us to mourn together, pay tribute to those we lost, and acknowledge the depth of our sorrow.”
Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center Rabbi Joshua Ratner speaks during a commemoration ceremony at the site of the temple which was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, in Pasadena on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Lanterns made by children from the Louis B. Silver Religious School sit outside a commemoration ceremony at the site of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, which was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, in Pasadena on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Members of the Louis B. Silver Religious School carry lanterns to a commemoration ceremony at the site of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, which was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, in Pasadena on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center Rabbi Joshua Ratner, bottom right, speaks alongside Cantor Ruth Berman Harris during a commemoration ceremony at the site of the temple which was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, in Pasadena on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Community members gathered with officials and faith leaders for a commemoration ceremony at the site of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, which was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, in Pasadena on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Taylor Berke, 10, bottom left, wraps an arm around Noah Sandoval, 10, as they attend a commemoration ceremony at the site of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, which was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, in Pasadena on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Children from the Louis B. Silver Religious School carry lanterns to a commemoration ceremony at the site of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, which was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, in Pasadena on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Community members gathered with officials and faith leaders for a commemoration ceremony at the site of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, which was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, in Pasadena on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Children from the Louis B. Silver Religious School carry lanterns to a commemoration ceremony at the site of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, which was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, in Pasadena on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Heather Sandoval Feng, 42, of Altadena, attends a commemoration ceremony at the site of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, which was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, in Pasadena on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Rabbi Ed Feinstein, center, speaks during a commemoration ceremony at the site of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, which was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, in Pasadena on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger speaks during a commemoration ceremony at the site of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, which was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, in Pasadena on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Vicky Balmot, 72, of Arcadia, right, attends a commemoration ceremony at the site of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, which was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, in Pasadena on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center Rabbi Joshua Ratner speaks during a commemoration ceremony at the site of the temple which was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, in Pasadena on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Luca Shulman, 12, left, of Pasadena, wraps an arm around Connor Richardson, 10, of Arcadia as they attend a commemoration ceremony at the site of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, which was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, in Pasadena on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
The empty lot where the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center stood before it was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, in Pasadena on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Noah Sandoval, 10, helps carry a lantern into a commemoration ceremony at the site of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, which was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, in Pasadena on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
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Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center Rabbi Joshua Ratner speaks during a commemoration ceremony at the site of the temple which was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, in Pasadena on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Ratner, who began his tenure at the temple in July, invited his congregation to rededicate the hallowed ground of their longtime sanctuary in many ways, including collecting colored stones to place at a Tree of Life, collecting testimonials of memories from the old campus, and having congregants grow trees that they can later replant when the synagogue and campus is rebuilt in three to four years.
The communal memorial gathering marks the one-year anniversary of the Eaton fire, which burned thousands of homes and killed at least 19 people.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who received an award at the event, acknowledged the next day’s anniversary will be a difficult one for her, even as she thanked the Jewish community for making her a better leader.
“Tonight, I look at this as a time of hope, of what can be done when we work together,” she said.
Mournful Kaddish were sung to tally the losses: the synagogue and campus, including the B’nai Simcha Community Preschool, which served 400 families, and the original building, which was constructed in 1941. About 15 member families lost their homes in the blaze, and many remain displaced.
“Many people haven’t even been able to handle driving by before tonight,” Melissa Levy, executive director of the temple, said of the temple’s 430 member units, which include individuals or families. The sacred space they knew looks different now, she added, but they can look at it as a clean slate.
Without its buildings, congregants celebrated Shabbat at donated spaces, such as Mayfield Senior School in Pasadena, before renting offices at First United Methodist Church in Pasadena. The preschool has found new quarters at Frostig School down the street from their original site. Jewish holidays were celebrated in members’ homes or rented locations such as Caltech in Pasadena.
Cantor Ruth Berman Harris, her husband and a team of temple members saved the temple’s 13 Torah scrolls the night the blaze exploded. The Torah scrolls are now safely in the keeping of the Huntington Library in San Marino.
According to the Jewish Federation Los Angeles, between 45,000 and 59,000 Jewish households were affected bv the fires, or a total of about 147,000 people. The federation raised just over $9 million for its Wildfire Crisis Relief Fund, with about 70% of that total coming from out of state donors.
Theresa Brekan of Pasadena, is the operations manager for the temple. Her job now includes juggling two sites and any rentals they need for events and programs. Returning to the cleared lot of the temple for the first time since the fires, Brekan said she got chills.
“There were so many memories in this place, and I can still feel the love,” she said.
