I’m CalMatters reporter Adam Echelman and I’m subbing in for Lynn today.
After students walked out of school to protest ICE back in February, the Clovis and Los Angeles Police Department threatened to arrest adults who helped them leave. No charges have been filed yet, but Alfred Aldrete expects a call from the police any day.
On Feb. 10, students across California protested federal immigration enforcement after agents shot and killed ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. In Clovis, roughly 50 students from Buchanan High School walked out of school that day, escorted by a group of community members including Aldrete, one of the co-founders of the anti-ICE grassroots organizing group Fresno Resistance. Counterprotesters also descended on the school that day, including livestreamer Josh Fulfer, who was present during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.
The Clovis Police Department said that they are considering charging up to six adults for inducing students into truancy, and Aldrete thinks he’s on the list because police officers asked for his name, date of birth and phone number during the mile-long walk.
- Aldrete: “And they weren’t stopping any of these (counterprotesters) who were driving by, smogging, throwing water or yelling s—. But they did stop me and two of the other adults.”
In Oklahoma and Virginia, schools suspended students for walking out that day. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he’s investigating teachers in three school districts where students participated in the walkout.
Students have a First Amendment right to protest as long as their actions don’t disrupt school. A spokesperson for the Clovis Unified School District said the students could have protested at school rather than leaving.
Read more here.
California’s water crisis, explained: CalMatters has a detailed look at how California might increase its water supply, and a dashboard tracking the state’s water situation. There’s a lesson-plan-ready version of the water explainer — especially made for teachers, libraries and community groups — as part of the CalMatters for Learning initiative.
Other Stories You Should Know
CA sues over housing discrimination
California’s top law enforcement officer is taking the Trump administration to court — its 62nd lawsuit and counting — to defend the state’s right to enforce fair housing law on behalf of seniors, veterans and LGBTQ Californians.
The case challenges a memo issued by the federal Housing and Urban Development department last September that would “force states to jettison their protections against housing discrimination,” according to the lawsuit filed Monday by Attorney General Rob Bonta and 15 other attorneys general.
Since 1968, the federal government has outsourced enforcement of fair housing laws to local agencies who use federal dollars to sue those accused of civil rights violations.
In its September memo, HUD told these certified agencies, including that California Civil Rights
Department, that federal law only protects people based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status and disability. Any agency deviating from that list to protect groups based on “sexual orientation and gender identity or expression, language, criminal records, and source of income” risked losing their certification and funding.
The memo also barred fair housing agencies from promoting “gender ideology,” abortion and illegal immigration, while more narrowly defining illegal discrimination — anti-”woke” prohibitions commonly issued by the administration.
HUD responded to a request for comment by sharing a social media post by Secretary Scott Terner, in which he characterized the suit as one seeking “extra rights for politically favored groups.”
How USC marketed an opioid-like plant to its students
Kratom leaf contains chemicals that interact with the brain like an opioid, potentially leading to insomnia, psychosis, addiction and even death. Yet the University of Southern California marketed a kratom product to its students, giving out free samples and advertising it at USC athletic events, reports Phoebe Huss of CalMatters’ College Journalism Network.
The university signed a three-year contract around 2020 with the beverage company Botanic Tonics to market the kratom drink, Feel Free, to USC students, according to Jose Eskenazi, the university’s former associate athletic director. After complaints that people were using the beverage to get high, he said the university terminated the contract.
- Eskenazi: “In retrospect, I mean, could we have dug a little deeper? Maybe. But from what I recall, the research that was done, there was nothing negative that came up at the time.
Kratom is not legal to sell, but the California Department of Public Health has only recently been cracking down on it. In October, Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state had seized $5 million in kratom and related products. Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains, a Bakersfield Democrat, introduced a bill last year to further restrict access to kratom. The bill is still working its way through the Legislature.
Read more here.
California Voices
CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: If any California-based billionaires do relocate to other states to escape a potential wealth tax, it would reflect tensions Ayn Rand wrote about long ago.
Wildfires and climate change have caused the price of homeowners’ insurance to outpace the ability of Californians to pay for it, writes Marcella Cranford. Homeowners need more protections, she argues.
Other things worth your time:
State worker union membership falls. The consequences of a 2018 Supreme Court decision. // Sacramento Bee.
A potential win for data privacy advocates. A judge partially allows a California law protecting kids’ data privacy to go into effect. // San Francisco Chronicle
Southern states target Bay Area doctor in legal battles over abortion. A Healdsburg doctor was indicted in Louisiana in January and has faced lawsuits in Texas. // San Jose Mercury News
Downtown LA looks to San Francisco to help revitalize vacant storefronts. SF’s Vacant to Vibrant has helped revitalize some small businesses. // Los Angeles Times
Haitians are safe from deportation — for now. The long-term fate of roughly 350,000 Haitians with Temporary Protected Status remains in limbo. // New York Times
Heatwave could further shrink California’s dwindling snowpack. California relies on the snowpack for water. // Los Angeles Times
The Iran War could drive up prices of technology, home goods. The straight of Hormuz is a key shipping route for fertilizer, helium, and semiconductors. // Politico
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