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This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

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California’s battleground House districts might get the lion’s share of national attention for their role in deciding which party rules Congress’s lower chamber.

But in a handful of California’s deep blue districts, an intra-party battle over the future of the Democratic Party is brewing in the wake of grim losses during last year’s presidential race.

In Sacramento, Napa County and Los Angeles, three younger challengers are arguing that Democrats need to give voters fresh faces with bold new ideas to energize the party’s base, rather than aging incumbents who are entrenched more in Washington insider culture than in their districts.

“Status quo politics isn’t going to protect our communities,” said Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang, 40, who is running against 10-term Rep. Doris Matsui, 81. “We need leaders who can meet the moment. And that’s why I decided to step into the ring.”

Vang is the first formidable primary challenge that Matsui has faced in the two decades since the congresswoman won her late husband’s seat in 2005. Former Rep. Bob Matsui held that seat for 26 years prior.

Two other senior California congressional Democrats have also attracted primary challengers. Rep. Mike Thompson, 74, of Napa County, a Vietnam veteran vying for his 15th term, faces a challenge from Eric Jones, 34, a former San Francisco venture capitalist.

And farther south, former Obama and Biden White House climate aide Jake Levine, 41, is challenging Rep. Brad Sherman, 71, of Los Angeles, who is seeking his 16th term. All three challengers have vowed not to take corporate PAC money as their incumbent opponents do.

Around California and across the country, younger challengers argue that Democratic incumbents in safe districts take their seats for granted since they so rarely receive serious challenges. That false sense of security, Vang said, results in out-of-touch members who have fewer incentives to show up in their districts and talk to voters.

Part of meeting the current moment, Vang argues, means taking “bold and courageous” positions on important issues, such as speaking out forcefully against the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics.

Vang said she wants Matsui to more strongly condemn immigration raids that have torn Sacramento families apart and violated residents’ due process rights. She was disappointed that Matsui’s denunciations centered around the unsanitary conditions of the John E. Moss federal building, where advocates said detainees were being held without access to proper hygiene, rather than on the separation of families and indiscriminate detentions.

“For the past several months we’ve had neighbors, people in our community that have been kidnapped by ICE, taken by ICE, and Doris hasn’t spoken up against that at all,” Vang said. “And especially as someone who was born in the internment camps, I would think she would be on the front lines to speak out on the issues.”

Matsui was born in the Poston War Relocation Center internment camp in Arizona, where her parents were incarcerated during World War II.

“That’s nonsense,” said Roger Salazar, a campaign spokesperson for Matsui, noting local news coverage of Matsui’s statement against an immigration raid on a South Sacramento Home Depot and her attempt to access an ICE detention facility. “She needs to watch the news.”

Matsui in October hosted a rare in-person forum only after constituents spent months calling on her to meet with them. Angry Sacramentans also hosted an empty-chair town hall in March to highlight Matsui’s absence, not even two weeks after House Democrats did a nationwide blitz of showing up in Republican districts to prove a similar point.

Some senior leaders are sticking around

Calls for generational change within the Democratic Party, while not new, have increased significantly as the party works to find its footing after 2024. The dynamic played out first in internal House leadership races earlier this year, where younger members like Rep. Robert Garcia of Long Beach leapfrogged more senior colleagues to lead powerful committees.

Rep. Thompson, Matsui’s congressional counterpart in neighboring Napa County, said his constituents have stopped him in public and asked him to run again.

“I can’t tell you how many times I had people tell me, ‘I sure hope you’re gonna stick around. We need you more now than ever,’” Thompson told CalMatters. “No one’s asked me to retire. No one has suggested that I’ve been there too long. And everyone knows that not only am I capable, but I’m in good shape.”

In Sacramento, Vang, the eldest of 16 children whose Hmong parents came to the United States as refugees, said she has the utmost respect for the Matsuis and their long history of service.

Still, she has called on Matsui to follow the examples of House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi — who announced last month that she would retire next year and not seek reelection to a 21st term in Congress — and Rep. Nydia Velazquez of New York, who told The New York Times that “now is the right moment to step aside and allow a new generation of leaders to step forward.”

But Matsui remains steadfast that she has much more work to do in Congress, such as overseeing groundbreaking for Sacramento’s new I Street bridge and securing federal funds for flood prevention and wildfire recovery, and said she will stay in the race. She emphasized that the deep relationships she’s built over 20 years in Washington are critical to her ability to deliver on those projects.

“It’s important to not only have advocates, but have people who understand that once you’re in Congress, you have to learn how to govern, too,” Matsui said. “We cannot just throw everything out and start over again.”

As for Vang’s intra-party primary challenge, Matsui said anyone is “perfectly free” to run against her at any time. “I’m fine with that. This is our democracy. This is America.”

But she insisted that her record would reinforce to voters how hard she works.

“I show up every single day working for Sacramento,” Matsui said, “whether it’s in Sacramento or in D.C.”

The risk of Dem-on-Dem challenges

One risk of primarying veteran members of Congress is the loss of institutional wisdom, said Gale Kaufman, a Sacramento-based Democratic strategist, particularly with the Trump administration testing the limits of the law and boundaries of power.

“Especially when you’re up against stuff like this, which we’re not familiar with, breaking every norm you could possibly imagine,” Kaufman said, “having some of those people around is not a bad thing.”

Even among younger Democrats, there’s not wide consensus that incumbents are out and young challengers are automatically in. Evan Cragin, president of the Sacramento County Young Democrats, echoed Kaufman’s point that a blanket policy of “vote out all incumbents over a certain age” could be counterproductive.

While the Young Democrats have yet to endorse anyone in the congressional races, Cragin said he is personally conflicted about who to support.

“I don’t know who I’m going to vote for,” Cragin said. “It’s nice to have a strong member at the moment, but also, there is part of me that wants to make sure we support our younger members. And Councilmember Mai Vang is a very strong challenger. She’s very community oriented.”

Those who support intra-Democratic challenges argue that they drive important dialogue and force candidates to clearly articulate their ideas and earn voters’ trust, rather than taking their support as a given. Incumbent Democrats across the country could benefit from primary challenges as the party soul searches, said Alex Niles, vice president of political affairs for the Sacramento County Young Democrats.

“We need to have a reckoning and figure out, ‘What does it mean to be a Democrat? What do we stand for? What do people want and who are we serving?’” Niles said.

“The circular firing squad in blue districts hurts our ability to win swing districts.”
— U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman of Los Angeles

Unsurprisingly, many incumbents and political strategists disagree, denouncing intra-party primaries as expensive distractions that deplete safe members’ fundraising that could otherwise support colleagues in more vulnerable districts.

“The circular firing squad in blue districts hurts our ability to win swing districts,” Rep. Sherman told CalMatters in an interview.

Candidates in safe districts often support their more vulnerable colleagues to gain clout within the party, whether through direct transfers of campaign cash or by urging their donors to channel their contributions to more contested races. Sherman argues that a competitive intra-Democratic primary forces a safe incumbent to invest more in their own reelection rather than helping flip battleground seats. He repeatedly mentioned tight races in Iowa and Ohio that he views as critical to Democrats reclaiming the House.

“What happens in swing seats may determine whether America’s a democracy,” Sherman said. “Democrats have got to win seats in Iowa, and we can’t do it unless the strong Democrats in Bel Air and Brentwood and Malibu are focused on Iowa.

“It’s hard to get people in Brentwood to focus on Iowa if there’s a real race in Brentwood.”

He added that while it matters which Democrat represents California’s 32nd Congressional District, the Los Angeles-area seat that he’s represented for almost 30 years, it’s “not life or death for our democracy.”

Sherman’s challenger Levine, who outraised the congressmember last quarter and appears to be the frontrunner in a crowded field, agrees that Democrats need to flip GOP-held seats to reclaim control of the House. But at the same time, if their party wants to retain the majority and win back disaffected voters, Democrats need to prove they’re focused on lowering the cost of living and improving their quality of life, in addition to preserving democracy.

After leaving Los Angeles to pursue a climate policy career in Washington, D.C., Levine moved back home earlier this year to help his mother after she lost her house — his childhood home — in the devastating Palisades Fire. He was frustrated by the disjointed local and state response to recovery, and he had hoped Sherman would step up and coordinate the response.

“The things that people want to hear about, and the things that I’m trying to talk about, are the issues in the district,” he said. “Those issues really are not about the composition of the House. They’re not about Washington inside-the-beltway questions of power.”

Instead, Levine wants to see his member of Congress answer the kinds of questions that families like his own think about every day — “Can I afford my rent? Can my kids stay in the same neighborhood where they grew up, and even in the same state, because it’s so prohibitively expensive?”

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The Ma-le’l Dunes is one of the most pristine dune systems in the Pacific Northwest. Located on the Samoa Peninsula west of Arcata, its undulating sand mounds, sprawling coastal forest, salt marshes and diverse native flora have earned the area recognition as a National Natural Landmark — a designation reserved for the nation’s most “outstanding biological and geological resources.” 

But do you know how the Ma-le’l Dunes came to be? In today’s episode of Humboldt Outdoors, local documentarian Ray Olson and Friends of the Dunes Restoration Manager Justin Legge discuss the unusual geological events that shaped the dunes and the ancient forest that still lies beneath the surface.

Olson points to an ancient tree partially buried in sand. | Screenshot. 

“This isn’t just a story about geology,” Olson says in the video above. “In the path of these advancing Dunes is an ancient and rare forest. It’s a relic from the Ice Age! And as these dunes are moving in, they’re slowly smothering large swaths of this ancient forest. Leading edges of this dune have already reached Humboldt Bay.”

Legge also shares his expertise on the unique flora and fauna that reside in the coastal dunes, including a strange little beetle that swims through sand and a pine species that only grows as tall as the dunes that surround it. How ‘bout that!

“Once you climb out of that rare, weird dune forest on top of that giant sand sheet, it feels like you’re out on the moon — your entire vision is just open sand dunes and maybe a little peek of the ocean,” Legge said. “And it just feels like such an alien landscape, so different than anywhere else in Humboldt County.”

Do yourself a favor and click “play” on the video above to learn all about one of Humboldt County’s greatest treasures. Want to see it for yourself? Check out the Bureau of Land Management’s website before you go.

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Our beautiful angel, Denise Renee Griffith Simons, age 59, of Redway, Calif., passed away on Sunday, November 9, 2025, at Providence St. Joseph Hospital after a courageous 15-month battle with lung cancer. She was surrounded with love, family, and friends. She was able to spend her last two days saying goodbye to numerous loved ones, including around 30 goodbye phone calls.

Deni (“Denny”), as she was called by family and friends, was born on July 21, 1966, at Redwood Memorial Hospital. She was the second child of David Griffith Sr. and Zemona Fuell Griffith, joining big brother David Jr.

Denise grew up in Rio Dell and lived her whole life in Humboldt, other than nine months in Utah while in the 8th grade. She graduated from Rio Dell Elementary School in 1980 and Fortuna High School in 1984.

After high school, Deni married Kevin Waters, and they welcomed her oldest son, Kevin Wayne Waters, on November 10, 1985. After Deni and Kevin divorced, she met Mark Johnson, and they welcomed her only daughter, Patricia LeeAnn Johnson, on November 25, 1988, and her youngest son, Justin David Johnson, on March 20, 1990. In 1995, she met Dan Simons, whom she later married, and together they raised her children. They hosted many family gatherings in their beautiful home and yard throughout the years.

Deni will be remembered for her kindness, her love of gardening and cooking, and her devotion to family. Known as Nene to her nieces, nephews, and second cousins—whom she loved having at her house in Holmes Flat—she taught them to cook, bake, garden at night, hunt snails, and chase possums after dark on quads. Nene also let them take the truck down the flat and up the avenue to the Redcrest store starting at 13 years old (something their parents did not know about for a few years).

Deni devoted her life to her grandsons, born six days apart in 2011, August and Liam. She had them every chance she got, and they learned to love garage shopping with her. Deni’s generous and loving nature led her to raise her grandson Guss since he was a toddler. She later became a foster parent for Guss’s brother, Cyder (already his Grammy by heart). She continued fostering for Charlotte, Kayden, Jolene, and Marshall, while also caring for Dona.

Deni’s greatest dream when she grew up was to be a mom and homemaker. The only thing that brought her more joy than motherhood was being a Grammy to her boys. Deni always worked outside of the home (mostly for Aunt Ruby), but that never stopped her from being an amazing homemaker.

At 19, Deni spent many hours sewing Connie a cherished and beautiful white satin and pink lace gown for prom. She was an amazing cook and baker. She took great satisfaction in her yard and gardening (and houseplants). Deni was proud of the things she taught herself, becoming self-sufficient around the house. Her home was always decorated beautifully, and you could feel the love she put into it.

The hardest part of her cancer and treatment was that she no longer had the energy to cook. Deni loved to crochet, and she tried so hard to finish an afghan for each of her loved ones before her neuropathy became too severe. Casey spent a week with her Nene, giving Patricia a week off. During that time, Casey learned a couple of Nene’s best recipes and how to crochet.

Denise is survived by her loving children Kevin and Angelina Waters, Trish Johnson, and Justin Johnson; her father, David Griffith Sr.; and her grandsons Liam Waters, August Etter Johnson, and Cyder Etter. She is also survived by her brother (lifetime bestie and bestie/sister-in-law) David and Renee Griffith Jr.; her sister (lifetime bestie) and brother-in-law Connie and Mike O’Neal; her sister and best friend since grammar school, Wendy Hudson; her sister and brother-in-law Tina and Jeff Ketner; her sister Brandi Mangum; her brother Brandon Fierro; her stepsister Debbie Stuart; and her stepbrother Gary Davis.

She was the most amazing Nene to Natasha Brooks, Tyler Barisdale, Kolbi Brandt, Jacob Evenson, Darien Griffith, David Griffith III, Casey Vitali, Cory Hall, Sean O’Neal, Shannan O’Neal-Jacobson, Kyle Hudson, Ryan Hudson, Kenzie Hudson, Brandon Fowler, Tiffany Christianson-Port, Jennifer Ketner, Jordan Mangum, Michaela House, Ava Fierro, Aerien Fierro, Parker Fierro, Sarah Dillon, Ashley Stuart, and John Urich. She was a great-Nene to Kellan, Kinzley, Korbin, Kamden, Chandler, Harper, Kayson, Taytum, Louis, Aliyanna, Cameron, Grayson, Kaiden, Carson, Baby Girl Vitali (on her way), Devlin, Zayne, Hunter, Griffyn, Livy, Maddox, Jace, Jax, Sawyer, Avery, Logan, Holden (on his way), Soren, Madison, Asher, Jonathan, Hunter, Bryce, Kacee, Brogan, Echo, Oscar, JJ, Savannah, Aviannah, Ivy, and John.

She is also survived by special Aunt and Uncle Vickie and Alan Aust; special Uncle and Aunt Tom and Barbara Griffith; and special Aunt Sherri Nieto; plus hundreds of cousins from an exceptionally large family, many of whom she was close to (and they know who they are). Deni also had many dear friends. We won’t attempt to name them all for fear of forgetting someone, but her friends knew how she felt about them. (If you were part of “Updates on Denise,” she considered you more than just a friend.)

Special mention goes to Curtis Tatum for all of his hours of friendship over the last year, especially during her last month—we are so grateful to you; to Ana for the many hours of talking and traveling to visit her; and to Terra for being her cancer-warrior sister. Thank you to John and Cindy Slater and Don and Melinda Doran for all of your spiritual support. A few months ago, John baptized Deni, which was such a special night for our whole family. Knowing that my sister accepted God before passing is comforting.

Denise was preceded in death by her mother, Mona Fuell Fierro; her grandparents Bill and Elsie Griffith and Justin and Zemona (“Beeba”) Fuell; her ex-husband and friend Dan Simons; her special brother-in-law Mark Hudson; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins, including Marvin and Ruby Holmes, Jim and Billie Brown, John and Joyce Griffith, and Jack and Irene Eacker.

Davie, Wendy, and Connie would like to thank Trish for changing her life to come home and take over her mom’s household—which included a disabled lady (Dona), her two grandsons, foster kids, and caring for her mom. Your momma appreciated it, even when she did not feel her best and was not easy to live with. My favorite is when I’d get calls from both of you because you were spending too much time together, fighting, and you both almost gave me a stroke. The best was when she needed to stay a night with me for Wendy to pick her up for an early morning appointment, and Trish kicked her out for four days, lol. Mike and Connie loved having her at their house, and she loved the guest bed—but they got a laugh out of her being “kicked out.”

Over the last 15 months, Trish took care of the home, while Connie, Wendy, Mike, and Trish shared taking her to her many appointments, and Davie joined many over the phone. Connie was lucky enough to spend time alone with her during trips to UCSF and will cherish those memories forever—her beautiful angel and sissy.

Our family would like to thank Dr. Baird for his care over the last 15 years, but especially since her diagnosis, as well as Providence for their care over the last 15 months. This includes all of her doctors, oncology staff, chemo nurses, Radiation Oncology staff, and the Med-Surg staff who cared for her during the last 2½ weeks of her life—especially Patti, the palliative NP, and the hospitalist team.

Celebration of Life will be Saturday, January 24th at 2 p.m. at the Rio Dell Fire Hall, 50 West Center Street, Rio Dell, Calif.

In lieu of flowers, please plant something in her memory. If you would like to make a monetary donation in her name, kindly donate to the Rio Dell Fire Hall or the Eureka Rescue Mission.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Denise Renee Griffith Simons’ loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.

UPDATE, 2:44 p.m.: EPD reports that the patient has been transported to the hospital by ambulance. The roadway is now open.

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Original Post: Emergency personnel have responded to the corner of C and Fourth streets in Eureka where a patient is being treated after reportedly being hit by a car.

Traffic is reduced to one lane. The Eureka Police Department is asking that people avoid the area.

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Press release from the California Department of Justice:

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced the recipients of the California Department of Justice (DOJ)’s Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Proposition 56 Tobacco Grant Program. The grant recipients are 62 local government agencies located throughout the state, including law enforcement agencies, prosecuting agencies, public health departments, cities, and counties. In total, they will receive $28.5 million to support their efforts to reduce illegal tobacco sales to underage youth. This year’s funding prioritized retail enforcement and education as part of Attorney General Bonta’s commitment to fighting the illegal sales and marketing of tobacco products to minors. Funded activities include “flavor ban” enforcement efforts, minor decoy operations, shoulder tap operations, prosecution, tobacco retail license inspections, retailer education programs, task force coordination, training for officers on tobacco laws and ordinances, monitoring retailer compliance, and more.

“The sale of tobacco products to underage youth remains a serious problem. For almost a decade, Proposition 56 has provided much-needed funding to address that challenge,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “The grant recipients we have selected this year are committed to both holding accountable those who break the law and ensuring a healthier, safer future for the next generation. I’m proud to support and partner with these local government agencies.”

“The Fresno County Department of Public Health looks forward to working with the California Department of Justice to further protect the health and safety of our residents,” said Joe Prado, Director, Fresno County Department of Public Health.

“Receiving the Tobacco Grant is an important step in strengthening our community’s commitment to protecting youth,” said Brian Stephens, Eureka Police Chief. “The Eureka Police Department is proud to partner with the California Department of Justice to ensure local retailers follow the law and prevent access to tobacco products by minors. This collaboration reinforces our dedication to education, compliance, and the long-term health of our community’s young people.”

“Recognizing the dangers of tobacco use by children, the El Cajon Police Department is proud to partner with the California Department of Justice in accepting this grant,” said Jeremiah Larson, El Cajon Police Department Chief of Police. “This collaboration strengthens our commitment to preventing underage tobacco access and increasing awareness throughout our community and among local businesses.”

“The City of Sacramento Code Enforcement Division is honored to be selected, through this highly competitive process, for 2025/26 California Department of Justice’s Tobacco Grant Program,” said Peter Lemos, Code and Housing Enforcement Chief, the City of Sacramento. “We sincerely thank the CA DOJ for reviewing and selecting our application, and for recognizing the need within our community. This funding will strengthen our ability to expand our tobacco enforcement efforts and enhance public health and safety within the City of Sacramento.”

“This grant is more than funding, it’s a commitment to protecting our neighborhoods,” said Jeremy Profitt, Police Support Manager, the City of Fairfield. “Through it, we will strengthen quality of life, reduce crime, and cut down on the flow of tobacco products that target our youth and underserved communities.”

“San Joaquin County Public Health Services is fortunate to receive this grant as an opportunity both to address the need to protect the community from illegal sales of commercial tobacco and to promote collaboration among our law enforcement agencies to create a meaningful impact on community safety and public health,” said Vince Nallas, Public Health Educator/Smoking & Tobacco Prevention Program (STOPP) Project Coordinator, San Joaquin County Public Health Services.

“I am honored to accept this award on behalf of the City of South El Monte. This recognition reflects our steadfast commitment to safeguarding the health and wellbeing of our residents, especially our youth. Preventing the sale of and accessibility to tobacco products in our community has been a priority and we will continue to advance policies that promote a healthier, safe future for all families,” said Gloria Olmos, Mayor of South El Monte. “I am grateful to our community partners, city staff, and colleagues who have supported these efforts. Together, we are creating a stronger more resilient South El Monte.”

“The City of Orange Code Enforcement Division is grateful and excited to receive its first tobacco grant, which will help prevent illegal sales to minors and reduce the availability of unlawful smoking devices and tobacco products,” said Rafael Perez, Code Compliance Manager, the City of Orange.

Earlier this year, Attorney General Bonta reminded tobacco manufacturers and importers that, pursuant to Assembly Bill (AB) 3218 (Wood, 2024), the Attorney General’s Office is required to establish a Unflavored Tobacco List (UTL), a list of unflavored tobacco products that are lawful for sale in California. To be considered for the initial publication of the UTL, tobacco manufacturers and importers were required to submit completed applications by October 9, 2025. The Attorney General will publish the UTL by December 31, 2025.

Tobacco use is the number one preventable killer in the United States. Smoking-related illness accounts for approximately 40,000 deaths annually in California. Nicotine, a key component of cigarettes and most e-cigarettes, is highly addictive and harmful to the developing brains of children and young adults.

DOJ’s Tobacco Grant Program aims to reduce childhood addiction to tobacco products by, among other things, supporting local partners that:

• Enforce the statewide retail flavor ban and similar local retail flavor ordinances.
• Prosecute and penalize retailers who violate statewide and local tobacco laws, including those who sell or market tobacco products to youth under the age of 21, including over the internet.
• Conduct retail inspections to ensure compliance.

The program is funded by Proposition 56, the California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016. With this year’s awards, the Tobacco Grant Program has made over 540 grant awards and distributed over $240 million in funding to local agencies through a competitive process.

This story, reported by Adam Echelman and Mikhail Zinchteyn, was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

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In summary

The Trump administration is suing California, asking the state to end its policies allowing students without legal status to access in-state tuition and financial aid. But the administration’s legal argument is weak, according to top legal experts.

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Hours after the Trump administration sued California last week, threatening to end key benefits for students without legal status, Michelle was scrolling social media when she saw a video that made her panic.

The Trump administration is challenging California’s policy of providing in-state tuition, scholarships and subsidized loans to immigrants without legal status — including Michelle, an immigrant who is a community college student in San Mateo County. CalMatters has agreed to withhold her full name because she fears drawing attention to her legal status.

On TikTok, rumors swirled. Michelle saw a video of a young man, around her age, asking if the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is gone. In reality, FAFSA is still around, and while the new lawsuit could affect some students’ financial aid, some top legal experts say the Trump administration is unlikely to win. Regardless, the court process may take weeks or much longer to resolve the government’s claims against California.

In the lawsuit, the U.S. Department of Justice alleges that California’s policy of granting in-state tuition and financial aid for some students without legal status is unconstitutional. Federal lawyers also argue that California’s policies violate a 1996 federal law, which bars states from providing benefits to residents without legal status that aren’t also available to U.S. citizens who live anywhere in the U.S. The Justice Department is arguing that California either needs to drop the policy or let all U.S. citizens, including those who are out-of-state, pay the same rate.

In California, over 100,000 college students lack legal status, according to one estimate by an alliance of university leaders who advocate for immigrants. Federal assistance, such as Pell grants and federal student loans, are off-limits to anyone who isn’t a U.S. citizen or does not have permanent legal status. California has its own money for college financial aid, which it distributes according to state law.

As long as individuals meet certain requirements, such as attending three years of high school in California, they’re eligible for in-state tuition, saving as much as $39,000 of dollars each year compared to their out-of-state peers. Once they meet those requirements, students without legal status can also qualify for the state’s cornerstone financial aid program, known as Cal Grant, though only a small fraction of these students actually apply for and receive it.

To Kevin Johnson, a law professor at UC Davis, Trump’s actions may be more about political wins than legal ones. “The Trump administration is engaged in a full-court press on undocumented immigrants and so-called sanctuary jurisdictions, and California and Governor Newsom in particular,” Johnson said. That the U.S. Department of Justice named the suit “United States of America v. Newsom” is another indication that this is political, he added.

Others noted that states have already invested in students without legal status and denying them an affordable path toward a college education is a waste of resources. Economists have pointed out that immigrants without status also are integral to the U.S. workforce and aren’t easily replaceable.

‘We didn’t expect them to go this low’

Even weak lawsuits or outright misinformation can make students nervous during November, when college and financial aid application season is in full swing.

On TikTok, videos of students panicking about the financial aid system surfaced last winter, after the Biden administration delayed and botched the rollout of the new FAFSA. Among its many glitches, the new form prevented students whose parents lacked a Social Security number from submitting their information.

After Trump was elected last November, fears about the total demise of federal financial aid swirled again on TikTok. Over the course of this year, as his administration targets universities and continues to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, those fears have persisted.

In California, Trump seeks to impose a $1 billion penalty on UCLA for alleged civil rights abuses, though a federal judge recently handed the White House a temporary loss on that front. His administration is also suing California colleges and universities for alleged antisemitism violations and has sought to freeze or curtail billions of dollars in federal research funding.

Much of those freezes have been blocked or reversed by federal judges, but hundreds of millions of dollars still remain cut off to campuses. Much, if not all, of those friction points between California and Trump could be resolved through settlements and negotiations, which are political in nature, said UCLA law professor Hiroshi Motomura in an interview.

Before Trump was elected, state leaders, including Assemblymember David Alvarez, a Chula Vista Democrat, pushed for California to offer additional benefits to students without legal status, such as the opportunity to work campus jobs.

Now, with access to financial aid programs at risk for these students, Alvarez said the focus is shifting. “We didn’t expect it would go this low as to go after students that the president had previously said should be welcomed here.” In 2024, Trump told a podcast host that students should “automatically” receive “a Green Card,” otherwise known as permanent residency, when they get their college diploma.

Legal scholars doubt Trump’s lawsuit will win

The lawsuit against California is the Trump administration’s sixth against states with policies allowing in-state tuition for students without legal status. The White House went after Texas first, in June. Underscoring how much of a bipartisan issue in-state tuition is, Texan lawmakers were the first in the U.S. to enshrine the policy in 2001. In all, more than 20 states passed some in-state tuition policy benefiting some residents without legal status.Trump’s legal attacks on the policy this year prompted leaders in Kentucky, Oklahoma and Texas to side with the White House to terminate the benefit in those respective states. Some legal groups that want to continue in-state tuition for students lacking legal status are challenging those states’ moves.Trump has also sued Minnesota and Illinois, states with Democrats as governors and attorneys general who are challenging Trump’s lawsuits.

The U.S. Department of Justice says that the federal law in question bars students without legal status from receiving in-state tuition and financial aid benefits based on their living in the state. This, the federal lawyers argue, violates federal law since public campuses in California require U.S. citizens from other states to pay higher tuition rates. However, California’s law, Assembly Bill 540, doesn’t extend in-state tuition based on where students live, scholars and a previous court ruling say. Instead, students generally need to prove that they attended three years of high school or community college in California; they also need to earn in California a high school diploma or obtain enough community college credits to be eligible for transfer into a public university.The Department of Justice says those three-year high school or community college requirements are tantamount to an in-state residency criteria and therefore violate the 1996 federal law.But the California Supreme Court in 2010 already struck down that interpretation. The high court observed that some students living in areas bordering California are permitted to study at California high schools. High school students from out of state enrolled in private boarding schools also satisfy the requirement; they don’t count as residents of California either. And students who were residents of California during high school but moved to a different state could still enroll in California colleges or universities paying in-state tuition.

All of these scenarios require a student to complete the same AB 540 application as students who lack legal status. The only difference is that students without status must also complete an affidavit that they’ll pursue legal residency as soon as they can.

In fact, the University of California enrolled more students under AB 540 who were legal U.S. residents than those who weren’t, the state high court said then.

“If Congress had intended to prohibit states entirely from making unlawful aliens eligible for in-state tuition, it could easily have done so,” the state Supreme Court wrote in 2010. But Congress didn’t do that, the court noted.Lawmakers in California who passed AB 540 in 2001 knew what the federal law restricted, said Motomura, and they crafted a state law that wouldn’t contravene what Congress intended. “It was drafted to avoid the residency test, and it was drafted to avoid the exclusion of U.S. citizens,” he said.

What’s likely next

California has already signaled that it will fight the lawsuit. “The Trump Administration has once again missed the mark with its latest attack on California, and we look forward to proving it in court,” wrote Nina Sheridan, a spokesperson for the California Department of Justice.

Both the UC and the community college system said their tuition and financial aid policies have always been legally compliant. The Cal State University system did not respond to a request for comment.The Trump administration may also seek a preliminary injunction to halt California’s in-state tuition law for nonresidents, which would again expose Californians to a seesaw of temporary court orders, sometimes contradictory in nature, while the full legal merits of the case play out slowly in court.Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, or MALDEF, thinks the U.S. Supreme Court will likely side with California despite its conservative orientation if the case goes that far.A major legal question underscoring the case against California is when and how federal rules preempt or supersede state laws. The Trump White House is arguing California’s in-state policies are preempted by federal law. But the legal concept of preemption is a pillar in jurisprudence. Liberal and conservative interests benefit similarly from a consistent application of preemption as a legal concept, Saenz said. For example, businesses rely on preemption rules in situations where a state law is more progressive or consumer-friendly than a federal rule and want courts to defend them from following the more demanding state rules.The U.S. Supreme Court is “going to be very wary of making bad law in the realm of preemption, because it could then come back to bite the right wing in protecting businesses,” Saenz said.

For Michelle and other students without legal status navigating their own financial aid applications — and the misinformation online — a series of temporary court orders could create more panic. Financial aid is top of mind, said Michelle, but she doesn’t have time to track the legal back-and-forth of her eligibility.

In addition to being a full-time student, Michelle works four days a week at a restaurant, saving up money not only to support herself but also her family. She’s the oldest of four kids and said she sends $500 to her parents each month.

College is “an opportunity for me to be someone in life, to make my parents proud,” she said. Asked about the lawsuit at the cafeteria of her college, Michelle made a choking gesture with her hand, as though the threat of losing financial aid next year could kill her. “Trump is taking that opportunity away because he doesn’t like immigrants.”

The deadline to submit financial aid applications for community college is Sept. 2, but Michelle is already working on her application, just in case.

Press release from the City of Eureka:

The City of Eureka is alerting residents and businesses about a fraudulent email scam impersonating the City’s Planning and Development Services Department. This email, sent from planning.eurekaca@usa.com, is not associated with the City of Eureka. 

Details of the Scam 

The scam involves a fraudulent invoice attached to the email, requesting a wire transfer payment. The invoice falsely uses the City of Eureka logo and includes incorrect contact information. These fraudulent emails are designed to appear official but are not affiliated with the City of Eureka. 

What to Do 

• Do not respond to the email or provide payment.
• Verify invoices of communications by contacting City of Eureka directly or the Development Services Department at 707-441-4160.
• If you have sent money or feel you have been a victim of a scam, contact the City of Eureka Police Department at 707-441-4044. 

How to Identify Legitimate City Communications and Invoices 

• All official City of Eureka emails end with @eurekaca.gov or @ci.eureka.ca.gov. Be cautious of any communication claiming to be from the City that does not follow this format.
• If you receive a suspicious email about payment for a planning or building application or have doubts about an email’s authenticity, please contact the Development Services Department immediately at 707-441-4160. 

Thank you for your vigilance in helping to protect our community safe from scams. 

Contact for Questions

For questions regarding the fraudulent Development Services emails and invoices, contact Miles Slattery, City Manager, phone: (707) 441-4184, email: mslattery@eurekaca.gov.