The State of California is pushing back after last night’s shock announcement from Trump Administration ordering a pause on all federal grants and loans, which is set to take affect today. 

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Tuesday morning that he is joining other attorneys general across the country in a lawsuit aimed at stopping Trump’s action. Read the full release from Bonta’s office below:

California Attorney General Rob Bonta today, along with New York Attorney General Letitia James, led a coalition of 23 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to block implementation of a memo by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) threatening to freeze up to $3 trillion in federal assistance funding effective at 2pm PT / 5pm ET today. The attorneys general are seeking a temporary restraining order to block the memo from taking effect, citing immediate harms to their states, which stand to lose billions in funding essential for the administration of vital programs that support the health and safety of their residents. Already, the order has thrown state programs into chaos and created uncertainty around their administration. Impacted programs include disaster-relief funding necessary for Los Angeles’ recovery from recent wildfires, as well as public health, education, public safety, and government programs.

“The Trump Administration is recklessly disregarding the health, wellbeing, and public safety of the people it is supposed to serve,” said Attorney General Bonta. “This directive is unprecedented in scope and would be devastating if implemented. Already, it has created chaos and confusion among our residents. I will not stand by while the President attempts to disrupt vital programs that feed our kids, provide medical care to our families, and support housing and education in our communities. Instead of learning from the defeats of his first Administration, President Trump is once again plowing ahead with a damaging – and most importantly, unlawful – agenda. I’m proud to co-lead a coalition of attorneys general in taking him to court.” 

The OMB directive freezing federal funding less than 24 hours after it was announced will cause immediate and irreparable harm to the states every day that it is in effect — in the form of millions of dollars in funds and mass regulatory chaos. Many states could face immediate cash shortfalls, making it difficult to administer basic programs like funding for healthcare and food for children and to address their most pressing emergency needs. This will result in devastating consequences for California in particular, given the uncertainty around continued disbursement of FEMA funding that is essential for recovery from the Los Angeles wildfires, which have caused an estimated $150 billion in economic losses.

In the lawsuit, the attorneys general argue that the OMB directive violates the U.S. Constitution, violates the Administrative Procedure Act, and is arbitrary and capricious. Specifically, the attorneys general argue that Congress has not delegated any unilateral authority to OMB to indefinitely pause all federal financial assistance under any circumstance, irrespective of the federal statutes and contractual terms governing those grants, and without even considering them. The directive also violates the “separation of powers” between Congress and the Executive Branch because the Spending Clause of the U.S. Constitution gives the power of the purse exclusively to Congress. The attorneys general seek a temporary restraining order to block the directive from being implemented.   

Attorney General Bonta is joined by the attorneys general of New York, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia in filing the lawsuit.  

A copy of the lawsuit and TRO will become available here.  

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Additionally, North Coast congressman Jared Huffman weighed in on Trump’s move by issuing the following statement:

Today, Founder of the Stop Project 2025 Task Force and Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee Jared Huffman (CA-02) released a statement decrying the Trump administration’s illegal order for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to block and redirect vast swaths of federal funding approved by Congress.  This radical attempt to override laws and subordinate Congress’ Article I power to the whims of Trump’s Executive Orders comes on the heels of Trump’s purge of more than a dozen independent agency watchdogs known as Inspectors General in blatant violation of a 2022 bipartisan law enacted in response to Trump’s previous attempts to evade oversight and accountability from independent inspectors general.  

“Trump is wasting no time testing the sideboards of democracy, betting that his feckless Republican Congress and his MAGA Supreme Court will stand back and stand by as he claims virtually unlimited power.  With this one memo, Trump is sidelining Congress and placing supreme authority over most of the federal budget and the federal bureaucracy in the hands of Russ Vought – the principle architect of Project 2025 who has written that we are living in a “post-Constitutional” time and that his role as OMB Director is to be “keeper of commander’s intent.”  Vought has called for Trump to ignore statutory reforms that protect Congress’ Article I spending authority and to aggressively freeze or “impound” federal spending and agency actions, daring the courts to stop him.  In Project 2025, he wrote that OMB is the only agency with enough power to “override” federal agencies efforts to implement laws, and now Trump is ordering him to do it,” said Huffman. “We cannot allow this dangerous power grab to be lost in the fog of confusion as Trump bombards us with one extreme executive order after another.  What Trump is doing here, especially in conjunction with last week’s shocking midnight purge of inspectors general, is crystal clear:  he is setting the stage to operate as a king, with no oversight or accountability.”  

“This is simultaneously an attack on democracy and hardworking American families. To benefit his billionaire donors and wealthy corporations, Trump just illegally ordered his cronies to steal taxpayer dollars that communities rely on to support families, defend against wildfires, research cancer, pay teachers and first responders, create jobs, and much more.

“Like it or not, an existential test of American democracy is upon us.  The American people and many of my colleagues may be distracted, exhausted, and overwhelmed, but we face a binary choice:  confront this sweeping authoritarian takeover and defend the rule of law, or let Trump be a dictator and hope he will heed the recent prayer from Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde to “have mercy.”  I know where I stand, and I will urge my constituents and all of my congressional colleagues, including any Republicans who still believe in the Constitution, to join me.” 

How Trump’s Power Grab Will Hurt Americans

Among much else, the directives in the memo could block funding for:

• PUBLIC SAFETY: Grants for law enforcement and homeland security activities will cease to go out the door, undermining public safety in every state and territory.
• DISASTER RELIEF: Public assistance and hazard mitigation grants from the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) to state, tribal, territorial, and local governments and non-profits to help communities quickly respond to, recover from, and prepare for major disasters will be halted—right as so many communities are struggling after severe natural disasters, most recently in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and California.
• INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS: All federally-funded transportation projects across the country—roads, bridges, public transit, and more—will be halted, including projects already under construction.
• COMBATTING FENTANYL CRISIS: Funding for communities to address the substance use disorder crisis and combat the fentanyl crisis will be cut off.
• 988 SUICIDE AND CRISIS LIFELINE: Funding for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, as well as grants for mental health services, will be cut off.
• BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH: There will be immediate pauses on all funding for critical health research, including research on cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes, as well as clinical trials at the NIH Clinical Center and all across the country—disrupting lifesaving and often time-sensitive research.
• EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS: Critical preparedness and response capability funding used to prepare for disasters, public health emergencies, and chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear events will be stopped.
• FIREFIGHTING: Grants to support firefighters across the country will be halted—this includes grants that help states and localities purchase essential firefighting equipment and prepare for and reduce wildfire risk.
• HEAD START: Funding for Head Start programs that provide comprehensive early childhood education for more than 800,000 kids and their families will be cut off. Teachers and staff would not get paid and programs may not be able to stay open.
• CHILD CARE: Child care programs across the country will not be able to access the funding they rely on to keep their doors open.
• K-12 SCHOOLS: Federal funding for our K-12 schools will be halted. School districts may not be able to access key formula grant funding including Title I, IDEA, Impact Aid, and Career and Technical Education, which would pose tremendous financial burdens on schools in the middle of the school year.
• HIGHER EDUCATION AND JOB TRAINING: Millions of students relying on Pell grants, federal student loans, and federal work study will have their plans to pursue postsecondary education and further their careers thrown into chaos as federal financial aid disbursements are paused.
• HEALTH SERVICES: Federal funding for community health centers that provide health care for over 30 million Americans will be immediately withheld, creating chaos for patients trying get their prescriptions, a regular checkup, and more.
• SMALL BUSINESSES: The Small Business Administration will have to halt loans to small businesses—including those in disaster ravaged communities in North Carolina, Texas, and Florida.
• VETERANS CARE: Federal grants to help veterans in rural areas access health care and grants to help veterans get other critical services, including suicide prevention resources, transition assistance, and housing for homeless veterans, will be cut off.
• NUTRITION ASSISTANCE: Millions of American citizens who rely on nutrition assistance programs like SNAP, WIC, and school lunch programs will be left hungry as funding is cut off and non-profits who provide additional assistance lose federal funding.
• TRIBES: Funding to Tribes for basic government services like health care, public safety, programs, Tribal schools, and food assistance will be halted.
• PREVENTING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: All Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) grants, as well as funding for victims assistance and state and local police, will be cut off.
• U.S. COMPETITIVENESS: Existing grants to support research for AI and quantum computing will be halted and any new grant funding would be paused—undermining U.S. innovation and competitiveness with China and putting American jobs at risk.
• ENERGY JOBS: Grants for critical energy projects nationwide will be cut off—halting billions of dollars in investment nationwide and jeopardizing good-paying American jobs. The Department of Energy Loan Program Office will halt loans in 28 states, impacting hundreds of thousands of construction and operations jobs.
• FOOD INSPECTIONS: Some states will have to take on the full financial burden of ensuring the nation’s meat supply is safe if federal cooperative agreements for meat inspection are halted.
• SUPPORT FOR SERVICEMEMBERS: Support for a host of DOD financial assistance and grant programs supporting servicemembers and their families will be halted, including the Fisher House, Impact Aid, community noise mitigation, ROTC language training, STEM programs, and the USO.
• WEAKENS MILITARY READINESS: Grants and other assistance appropriated to strengthen military effectiveness and defense capacity will be halted, including Defense Production Act support for the defense industrial base, basic research grants necessary to advance key technologies, and small business support to strengthen supply chains.
• AMERICANS OVERSEAS: Programs that track and combat the spread of infectious diseases, create business opportunities for American companies in emerging markets, combat terrorism, and counter the influence of the PRC, Russia, and Iran—and efforts to ensure the safety and security of Americans implementing these programs—are all suspended and could be terminated.

Fact sheets detailing how presidents lack power to unilaterally override spending laws and deny enacted funding to communities through impoundment can be found here and here. 

Humboldt Bay Fire release:

At approximately 8:49 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 28, Humboldt Bay Fire (HBF) was dispatched to a reported structure fire at the 1500 block of Harris Street. HBF responded with a first alarm assignment consisting of four fire engines, one ladder truck, and a Battalion Chief.

Engine 8114 arrived on scene first and reported an attached garage on fire with smoke and flames visible. E8114 connected to the hydrant across the street which blocked Harris Street, and EPD was requested to the on scene to assist with traffic control. Engine 8115 arrived on scene next and assisted with fire attack. Battalion 8103 arrived on scene and assumed incident command. Mutual aid was later requested for coverage of the district. Truck 8181 and Engine 8112 arrived at scene to assist. Fire control was achieved in approximately 15 minutes. PG&E responded and secured all utilities to the structure.

The pre-fire value of the structure was approximately $465,000 with estimated fire loss totaling $50,000. Upon our arrival all occupants were out of the home, however, one occupant sustained a minor cut on his hand from breaking a window to exit the structure. There were no other civilian or firefighter injuries.

After investigation by HBF investigators, the cause of the fire was determined to be improper disposal of smoking materials.

Humboldt Bay Fire would like to thank our mutual aid partners from Arcata Fire, Samoa Fire, along with the Eureka Police Department and PG&E who all assisted directly with the incident or provided coverage for the rest of the emergency calls in our area while the fire was being mitigated.

Humboldt Bay Fire would like to remind everyone to be sure your smoking materials are dead out when disposed.

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Press release from Providence Northern California:

Providence St. Joseph Hospital and Providence Redwood Memorial Hospital are excited to announce the availability of Ceribell, an advanced AI-enabled technology providing 24/7 EEG monitoring with real-time alerts to help clinicians identify non-convulsive status epilepticus (NCSE), a potentially life-threatening condition. he

NCSE, which often occurs in hospitalized patients without visible signs of seizure, has historically been difficult to diagnose and treat. Ceribell is now being used in the emergency departments and intensive care units at St. Joseph Hospital and Redwood Memorial Hospital allowing for rapid and accurate detection of non-convulsive seizures. This advanced technology empowers bedside teams to screen patients within minutes, making it a first line point of care intervention.  

“Ceribell significantly improves our confidence in clinical decisions and guides our treatments more effectively,” said Sarah Park, RN, BSN, chief nursing officer. “This technology not only reduces the length of hospital stays and unnecessary interventions but also helps to potentially avoid the need to transfer patients out of the area for a higher level of care. It truly offers our bedside team a ‘window’ into the brain.” 
 
On the very first day of its implementation at St. Joseph Hospital, an ICU nurse successfully identified a patient experiencing a non-convulsive seizure using the Ceribell technology. Patients wear a disposable head band that monitors brain activity, and the AI reads EEG data in real-time, providing immediate alerts and recommendations, enabling health care providers to make swift, informed treatment decisions. 
 
“When treating patients who may be having a seizure, time is brain,” said Adam Rizvi, MD, neurologist, specializing in critical care. “Ceribell allows care teams to detect seizures early, treat them early and improve patient outcomes.” 
 
By facilitating quicker diagnoses and reducing the need for additional tests or transfers, Ceribell is helping streamline patient care on the North Coast ensuring optimal outcomes for those at risk of NCSE.

Providence is the only health care organization in Humboldt County using this innovative technology. 

Back in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump is once again trying to break a policy California Democrats adopted during his first term to protect certain undocumented immigrants from being deported.

One of his first executive orders targets the state’s so-called sanctuary law, which generally limits how local cops interact with federal immigration officers. Trump’s order, titled the “Protecting the American People Against Invasion”, would deny federal funds to sanctuary jurisdictions across the country.

It’s not clear yet what kind of federal funds the Trump administration would withhold. But, for a state of 39 million people that relies heavily on federal dollars for its public programs and currently for its wildfire recovery, withholding money could be a crippling blow.

It’s worth noting that Trump attempted something similar during his first term. California sued and the courts sided with the state.

Before Trump took office, a nonprofit led by his policy adviser Stephen Miller sent letters to hundreds of local elected officials around the country warning them they faced “legal consequences” if their sanctuary policies interfered with immigration enforcement.

So what does the state’s sanctuary law do exactly and what does it mean for Trump’s mass deportation plans?

Here are five things to know about the California Values Act.

It’s about what California cops can do

In October 2017, Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law Senate Bill 54, the California Values Act, commonly referred to as the state’s sanctuary law. That law bars state and local police from investigating, interrogating, or arresting people for immigration enforcement purposes, and limits — but does not entirely prohibit — police cooperation with federal immigration officials.

Kevin De Leon, the former state Senate leader who authored the law, told NPR in 2017 that the point of the law was to make clear that the feds cannot enlist local police “as a cog in the Trump deportation machine.”

The “sanctuary” movement goes back to the 1980s when Central American refugees fled civil war and immigrated to the U.S. When they were denied asylum, they sought protection from deportation in churches and other places of worship.

Today the sanctuary law does not actually refer to a place or territory where immigrants can seek protection. Living in California alone does not shield someone from deportation.

Instead, the law clarifies what state and local law enforcement in California can and cannot do with regard to immigration. For example, the law says that local police cannot detain or keep someone in custody more than 48 hours past their release date just for immigration officials to pick them up.

The law does not restrict what the federal government can do in the state. To be clear, that means U.S Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) can still arrest and deport undocumented people living in California and other sanctuary jurisdictions.

“The federal government has a lane that they are entitled to move in, they can enforce immigration law,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said last week during a press conference in San Diego. But “They can’t conscript or force the city or the county or the state law enforcement entities to do their job for them.”

Who isn’t protected by sanctuary law

President Trump and his allies have repeatedly argued that sanctuary laws shield dangerous criminals. They have at times pointed to specific crimes committed by undocumented immigrants to argue the sanctuary law puts the greater public at risk. In 2019, for example, Trump pointed to the slaying of a police officer in Stanislaus County to criticize the sanctuary law and demand more funding for border protection.

But that’s not the whole story. The law says police can tell immigration authorities about an inmate’s upcoming release if that person has been convicted of a serious crime or felony, such as: murder, rape, kidnapping, robbery and arson, among many others.

And as some sheriffs have noted, there is nothing that stops immigration officials from using jail websites and fingerprints databases to identify people of interest.

It is up to ICE to pick up individuals on their release. Between 2018 and 2023, California jails transferred more than 4,000 individuals to immigration authorities. At the same time, ICE doesn’t always show up when someone is released from jail or prison. For example, ICE picked up about 80% of undocumented immigrants released from state prisons between 2017 and 2020, according to a 2022 Senate legislative analysis.

“It is an absurdity to be talking about SB 54 as preventing bad, non-citizens with serious criminal convictions from being turned over to (the Department of Homeland Security), it doesn’t do that,” said Niels Frenzen, a professor at USC’s Gould School of Law and co-director of the school’s immigration clinic. “But those facts are just not part of the political debate.”

Immigrants who are protected by the sanctuary state law are usually those who are arrested for less serious offenses, such as traffic violations and driving without a license or insurance, Frenzen said.

Courts upheld California’s sanctuary state law

After California enacted its Values Act, Trump’s Justice Department took the state to court, arguing that the state law “interferes with federal immigration authorities’ ability to carry out their responsibilities under federal law.”

Some immigration attorneys, however, have pointed out that the state law seemed to have little impact on ICE’s ability to do its job.

For example, the Justice Department in its 2018 lawsuit said that in 2017 ICE apprehended 20,201 unlawfully present people in California, which represented about 14% of all ICE arrests made that year.

ICE was on track to exceed that number in the following year. In the first two months of 2018 after the sanctuary law took effect, it arrested 8,588 people in California, or about 14% of all arrests nationwide, according to a filing in the lawsuit by Trump’s Justice Department.

In 2019, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the California Values Act did not impede enforcement of federal immigration law. When the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to review the case, it refused to do so, leaving the law as is.

In a separate fight, California sued the Trump administration for its policy to withhold federal law enforcement grants from jurisdictions with sanctuary policies. A federal judge sided with California.

Studies show no effect on crime

Critics of the law have long claimed that the sanctuary state law harms public safety. The Hoover Institution, a conservative think tank at Stanford, for example, has linked the law to the fentanyl epidemic, noting that a spike in fentanyl-related deaths started happening around 2018, soon after the sanctuary policy went into effect. Whether causation or coincidence, there isn’t much in the way of official research that proves this.

To prove such a claim, one would have to isolate the sanctuary state law’s specific impact on crime, researchers say.

A 2020 analysis of California’s law by researchers at the University of California, Irvine examined the state’s 2018 violent and property crime rates and compared them to estimated crime rates had Gov. Brown not signed the sanctuary policy. The study found that the law did not have a significant impact on either violent crime or property crime.

Charis Kubrin, who authored the study, said the takeaway of her research was that changing the state’s sanctuary status is not likely to result in major reductions in crime. “Getting rid of SB 54, for example, is not going to make crime go down because it didn’t cause crime to go up in the first place,” Kubrin said.

A separate study by researchers at Stanford and Princeton looked at sanctuary policies across the country and found that these measures reduce the overall number of deportations by one-third, but they did not reduce the number of deportations on people with violent criminal convictions.

That study also found that these policies don’t have much of a direct effect on crime.

Conflict expected in ‘sensitive areas’

During the Biden administration, the federal government had in place a “sensitive areas” order, which discouraged immigration agents from making arrests in places like schools, hospitals, churches and courthouses. Last week, the Trump administration rescinded that order.

“When ICE engages in civil immigration enforcement actions in or near courthouses it can reduce safety risks to the public,” reads a Jan. 21 memo to staff from ICE Acting Director Caleb Vitello.

The sanctuary state law asks officials at the same places to adopt policies to limit public participation with immigration enforcement, such as requesting a warrant from ICE agents before they attempt to arrest anyone. That could create a conflict for local officials if the immigration crackdown in the new administration hits their venue, said Alvaro Huerta, director of litigation and advocacy at Immigrant Defenders Law Center.

Given Trump’s recent rule reversal, Huerta said, “the federal government may attempt some (immigration) enforcement in those spaces, but the state government is asking those spaces to require warrants.”

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CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

The Republican Party tried hard last year to keep one of its members, Carl DeMaio, from taking a seat in the California Legislature.

It endorsed his Republican opponent. A trio of prominent Republicans — serving in local, state and federal office — publicly urged local and state prosecutors to investigate him for criminal charges just days before the election. And a political campaign committee employing a prominent Republican consultant’s firm spent $2.1 million to defeat him.

None of it mattered.

DeMaio, a conservative talk-radio host and former San Diego City Councilman, easily beat the Republican Party’s chosen candidate by a double-digit margin.

Now, as he takes a seat representing San Diego in the state Assembly, he’s criticizing the party that tried to take him out.

“There are Californians who are relying on Republicans getting their shit together and actually … (be) a functioning, opposition party,” DeMaio said. “They’re not, they haven’t been, and it’s gotten worse and worse each year. They know how to surrender versus fight.”

DeMaio, 50, has made no shortage of enemies in and out of his party in his two decades as a conservative activist, even as his Reform California organization has grown to be one of the most prolific grassroots Republican fundraising machines in the state.

Now, California’s political watchers expect Sacramento will see a steady dose of his radio persona as a Donald Trump-esque, “own-the-libs” conservative with a heavy dose of self-aggrandized branding mixed in. That includes leaning heavily into a role as a political outsider who’s not afraid to push around the elites, even if they’re on the same team.

“He’s trying to be what Donald Trump would do in California,” said Thad Kousser, a political science professor at UC San Diego who’s followed DeMaio’s career. “(DeMaio) was not the team player who would, you know, follow party elites and wait his turn.”

In one of his first actions since he was sworn-in last month, DeMaio sent a letter to Congressional Republicans urging them to act on Donald Trump’s threats to impose strict conditions on federal aid for Los Angeles wildfires unless California agreed to GOP demands on water policy, forest management and other regulatory reforms.

Trump and GOP Congressional leaders’ threats to withhold wildfire aid have earned sharp rebukes from Democrats including Gov. Gavin Newsom. Some Republican leaders said the aid should not be conditional, though others have taken the same stance as DeMaio.In another example of how he has no intention to play nice, DeMaio, the GOP’s first openly gay Assemblymember, likened the Democrats on the Legislature’s influential LGBTQ Caucus to the snippy, petty characters in the 2004 film “Mean Girls.”

“Bitch, I don’t want to sit at your Mean Girl table,” he said. Meanwhile, he’s coauthor of a bill Democrats are almost certain to kill that would block trans females from playing in girls’ sports.

DeMaio feuds with Republicans

But DeMaio is just as likely to infuriate his Republican colleagues in and out of the Legislature.His GOP critics cite his relentless self-promotion, his criticism of his party and his tendency to take credit for victories he played little or no part in to help him fundraise and elevate his political brand. They also allege he breaks or bends campaign finance rules to advance his political ambitions, allegations DeMaio calls “baseless complaints.”

“Carl doesn’t want to play by the same rules that everybody else is,” said David Burton, a longtime conservative activist from the San Diego area.

Acrimony also tends to follow in DeMaio’s wake. During his Assembly race last year, he set off a vicious internal fight among San Diego County Republicans that included allegations he threatened to destroy the political career of a fellow San Diego GOP activist.As one San Diego journalist covering the intra-party dispute noted, the conflict shouldn’t have surprised anyone since “almost every one of DeMaio’s 20 years in San Diego have featured dramatic fallouts with friends and former allies.”

That happened with Justin Schlaefli, another San Diego GOP activist. Schlaefli was an early supporter of DeMaio, but he said DeMaio publicly turned on him after a disagreement. He said DeMaio’s default setting is to say, “If you cross me on anything, you’re dead to me.”

“But when you say, ‘If you cross me, you’re dead to me,’ you have a long history of people crossing; you have a lot of people who are dead to you,” Schlaefli said. “A movement involves people. It does not involve just one person. And I’m sorry to say Carl DeMaio is no Donald Trump.”

DeMaio says he’s not a divisive person.

“I would say I might be a thorn in the side of the professional politicians and professional consultants when they’re not doing their jobs,” he said. “I’m not going to hold back. I’m not.”

Carl DeMaio’s rise to power

DeMaio’s rise to state office stems from tragic beginnings.

In his teens in Orange County, his father left the family and his mother died two weeks later. He went to Jesuit boarding school in Maryland and later attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. After graduating with degrees in international politics and business, he founded two firms that made millions training government agencies and corporations how to be more efficient. He later sold the companies.

DeMaio moved to San Diego in the early 2000s, where he inserted himself into local politics by giving the city of San Diego an award for financial management, only to pivot to being a self-described reformer once the city’s shaky finances became the center of a massive political scandal.

He was elected to the San Diego City Council in 2008 and served the next four years. DeMaio may have later rebranded himself as a no-compromise, Trump-like idealogue, but at the start of his political career, DeMaio “forged surprising alliances with some Democrats who also wanted to shake up government,” said Kousser, the San Diego political scientist.

Along the way, he infuriated public employees, including police and firefighters, for his efforts to cut salaries and other benefits to address the city’s more than $1 billion pension debt, which was draining the city’s annual budget. California’s powerful public employee unions detest DeMaio for it to this day, which is why they took the rare step of backing his Republican opponent, Andrew Hayes, in the 2024 Assembly race.

“Everything was aimed at working people, workers and unions,” said Lorena Gonzalez, the president of the California Labor Federation and a former Democratic Assemblymember from San Diego. “He spent a couple years doing that at a time when our city budget was tough, and he basically pointed the finger at working people and blamed them.”

During DeMaio’s unsuccessful run for San Diego mayor in 2012, a former fellow councilmember and ally called DeMaio a “political sociopath,” and local media criticized him for claiming to blow the whistle on San Diego’s financial crisis, which was already a full-blown public scandal by the time DeMaio rose to prominence.

“In both San Diego and Washington, DeMaio appeared out of nowhere, seized an issue headed for prominence, worked relentlessly, took credit even when it wasn’t quite due and eventually found real success,” according to a Voice of San Diego profile of DeMaio at the time. “It’s never been clear, either in Washington or San Diego, if DeMaio is working on behalf of himself or the ideas he’s promoting.”

DeMaio joined KOGO as a talk radio host after losing his first congressional bid in 2014 (He lost again in 2020). DeMaio was one of the sponsors of the 2017 campaign that successfully recalled Democratic state Sen. Josh Newman from office in response to Newman casting a key vote to raise gas taxes. It was followed by an unsuccessful effort DeMaio led to repeal the state’s gas tax.

DeMaio left the radio to campaign for his Assembly seat but he still found a way to reach listeners. Since early 2023, he’s produced nearly 400 podcast episodes, according to his YouTube channel, which has 128,000 subscribers.

DeMaio’s November 14-point victory over Hayes fit with the theme of DeMaio as an outsider taking on the establishment.

Hayes, who didn’t respond to an interview request, had endorsements from the state and local GOP as well as the region’s Republican Congressman, Darrell Issa, and Sen. Brian Jones, the state Senate’s Republican leader from San Diego. Hayes worked for Jones as his district director.

DeMaio did have one major advantage: A more than $1 million fundraising lead over Hayes, though that was offset by an independent expenditure committee that spent at least $2.1 million opposing DeMaio and supporting Hayes in last year’s race. The California Professional Firefighters’ union sponsored the committee and helped fund it along with other unions and business groups.

Republicans, union allege DeMaio broke finance rules

DeMaio’s Reform California raises so much money, much of it from small-dollar donors, it insulates him from needing to rely on the Republican Party. It’s also a big part of why DeMaio can criticize his fellow Republicans so freely.

Reform California raised at least $5.8 million since 2023, according to campaign finance reports. By comparison, the state Republican Party raised $24 million over the same time period. The top 10 legislators who raised the most money before the last election each only took in between $1.9 and $3.3 million, according to the Digital Democracy database

DeMaio’s critics in the GOP contend that Reform California primarily benefits just one person: Carl DeMaio.

“It’s called Reform California, but it’s really Carl DeMaio Incorporated,” said Republican political consultant Matt Rexroad.

DeMaio called Rexroad “a failed for-profit political consultant,” a reference to Rexroad working for the firefighters’ independent expenditure committee. Otherwise, DeMaio declined to address unspecific allegations from critics who claim he uses Reform California to benefit himself. DeMaio did not list any income from Reform California on his “statement of economic interests” form he filed as a candidate.

During DeMaio’s campaign, the president of the state’s police union filed a complaint with state campaign regulators last year alleging DeMaio violated campaign finance laws.

“Based on publicly available information, it appears that Mr. DeMaio has misused Reform California funds to benefit his Assembly campaign in direct violation of state law,” the complaint says.

A spokesperson for the California Fair Political Practices Commission said the complaint is under review.

Unions weren’t the only ones to ask for an investigation last year. In the days before the November election, Senate minority leader Jones, U.S. Rep. Issa and San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson wrote a letter to the California Attorney General and the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office urging a criminal investigation into what they called “willful violation of California election law in (DeMaio’s) campaign for the California State Assembly.”

The AG’s office didn’t respond to CalMatters. A DA’s office spokesperson said the office doesn’t confirm whether an investigation is underway. Issa, Jones and Anderson each declined interview requests via their spokespeople.DeMaio called the allegations “a rehash of the same false complaints” from “Sacramento swamp politicians” attempting to “stop us from actually fighting tax increases and helping people get elected.”

DeMaio said the November election and other recent victories showed what’s possible for California conservatives. Republicans flipped three Democratic legislative seats, voters rejected a slew of progressive ballot initiatives and they passed Proposition 36, a tough-on-crime initiative that Newsom and progressives opposed.

DeMaio said it shows that Republicans in Sacramento “need to stop having a Stockholm Syndrome mindset of, you know, ‘Boy, these (Democrats) are the masters. These are the people in charge, and we just have to accept the crumbs.’

“I am not accepting crumbs,” DeMaio said. “I want to be an opposition party.”

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CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

Dorothy “Dot” Sherian (Brown) Meng
May 3, 1942 – December 27, 2024

Dorothy “Dot” Sherian (Brown) Meng, age 82, passed away peacefully on December 27, 2024. She was born on May 3, 1942, in Homedale, Idaho, to Glenn Everal Brown and Ruth Hazel (Reynolds) Brown.

Dorothy grew up in her beloved Idaho, where she developed a deep love for nature and animals. She fondly remembered her childhood days, especially her time in Hagerman during her teenage years. Dorothy worked at her family’s resort on the Snake River, Brown’s 1000 Springs Resort, where she and her older brother, Don, had many adventures. She learned to water-ski on the river, swam with seals her father purchased to attract guests, and enjoyed countless outdoor activities with her dogs and horses. A treasured memory from her childhood was the time she spent at her Uncle Glen Cunningham’s ranch in Kansas. She adored him, and he imparted many valuable life lessons that would shape her future. His inspiring story of overcoming great adversity to become an Olympic runner was one she often shared with others, encouraging them to persevere in difficult times.

As a young woman, Dorothy married Jack Meng, and together they raised two sons, Michael and John. In 1964, while living in Klamath, California, they lost their home in the devastating flood. They later moved to Humboldt County, where Dorothy and Jack developed a property in Dow’s Prairie. Dorothy loved raising her boys in the country, surrounded by nature, animals, and wide- open spaces. She spent summers taking her boys and their friends to the river for swimming and sunbathing. She loved a good tan! She was the ultimate “boy mom,” enjoying adventures with her sons that included riding motorcycles, horses, and playing basketball. She gave them the freedom to explore the forests and ride their bicycles until the sun went down, always ready to patch them up when they returned home.

When her sons were older, Dorothy worked for Sundquist Paints, K & M Glass, and Bank of America for many years, where she formed lasting friendships with her coworkers. In the 1990s and early 2000s, she and her dear friend Linda Scott co-owned and operated the Arcata Bowl and E & O Lanes in Blue Lake. Together, they not only ran two businesses but also traveled and shared many memorable adventures.

Dorothy was a true lover of all things Western. She was in her element during her rodeo days and shared many years of excitement with Jack, participating in rodeos, horseback riding, and living the cowboy life. A cowgirl at heart, she was most comfortable in jeans and cowboy boots but also enjoyed the comfort of her “Birks” (Birkenstocks). Horses, dogs, camping, and socializing with others who shared her love of animals and the Western lifestyle were always a central part of her life.

In retirement, Dorothy moved back to Idaho, settling in the scenic town of Crouch. Spending time with her brother and his family as well as her dear friends, Pat and Judy, were some of her favorite ways to pass a day. While there, she also enjoyed snowmobiling and ATV riding, relishing the beauty of the mountains. However, as the harsh winters grew difficult, she relocated to Eugene, Oregon, to be closer to her family there. In Eugene, Dorothy found new favorite pastimes, which included going to the movies with her son, John, and grandsons, Jackson and Cody—especially action-packed Marvel films or gripping fantasies. She loved attending band gigs, whether featuring her daughter-in-law, Francie, or grandkids, Cody and McKenna. Dorothy always looked forward to lunch dates with her dear friend, Jan, and “The Lovely Lunch Ladies.” She had a special fondness for her visits with Sergio, who cared for her garden when she could no longer tend to it herself. She especially loved attending Sunday services at Lively Stone Fellowship, where her son, John, served as the pastor, and was an active participant in church activities.

Dorothy also made frequent trips back to Humboldt, where she visited with old friends and spent extended time with her son Mike and his family. She enjoyed scenic drives, the beach, and seafood, especially clam chowder. Big family gatherings were a highlight of her time in Humboldt, where special events, birthdays, and holidays were celebrated with delicious meals. She savored dinners prepared by her daughter-in-law, Carole, talked endlessly about art with her grandson, Cameron, and shared travel anecdotes with her granddaughter, Katelynn. This is also where she spent time with her three great-grandchildren Otis, Amelia, and Theo. She enthusiastically played with cars on the floor, joyfully read countless stories, and cradled them until they fell asleep. The most special moments with her great-grandchildren were found in long walks to observe bugs, pick flowers, and blow dandelion fluff to watch the seeds float through the air.

Family was always Dorothy’s top priority. She was immensely proud of each member, and was particularly proud of her sons being a teacher and a preacher. As a daughter, she took great care to stay in close touch with her parents when they were living. She visited them frequently whether they lived in Idaho, Oregon, California, or Arizona. After her father passed, Dorothy took her mother on several memorable road trips across the U.S. One of her favorite family memories was taking everyone to Tennessee to watch her brother perform at the Grand Ole Opry. Dorothy’s love for family extended to her nieces, her grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, with whom she maintained regular phone calls and FaceTime chats. She helped to raise Julie and Charlene, treating them as her own daughters. Dorothy was always ready to care for family members in need and emphasized the importance of love and family closeness. She lived what she preached, creating a legacy of love, care, and devotion.

Dorothy was fiercely independent. Whether it was fixing her car or tackling home improvement projects, she was always willing to do it herself. Jack would often come home from work to find Dorothy in the middle of a renovation project. She continued this self-sufficiency into her later years, installing new floors and baseboards throughout her home in her 70s. Just last year, she replaced her kitchen faucet with a little help over the phone from one of her sons. Her resourcefulness, determination, and hard work defined her life.

Dorothy had many talents and was always eager to share her gifts. She was a gifted gardener, especially fond of growing roses. She was a skilled seamstress and made clothes for herself and her sons when they were young, later gifting quilts and pillowcases to loved ones. Dorothy also loved painting, her artwork has become treasured family heirlooms. She could hang wallpaper like no other and helped many friends and family beautify their homes. She had an affinity for Native American history and art, which was reflected in much of her own artwork. A naturally gifted teacher, she served as a den mother for her sons’ Scout troops, coached junior bowlers, taught painting classes, and led Sunday School and Vacation Bible Camp.Athleticism was another hallmark of Dorothy’s life. She was proud to be a state champion basketball player in high school and later became a bowling champion, with at least two 300 games to her name. She loved horseback riding, swimming, snowmobiling, dancing, and water skiing, and continued to stay active throughout her life. A fan of sports, she rarely missed a University of Oregon Ducks game and enjoyed attending the Emeralds baseball games with her girlfriends in the summer.

Dorothy never met a stranger. Her gift of gab and outgoing nature made every conversation memorable. Whether at the grocery store or at a social event, she could strike up a conversation with anyone and leave them with a smile. Her laughter was infectious, and she had a unique ability to spread joy wherever she went.

A woman of deep faith, Dorothy loved God and believed in the power of prayer. She read the Bible regularly, and hosted study classes in her home. She loved listening to gospel music and singing worship songs in church. At the end of her life, she often asked visitors, “Do you know Jesus?” providing an opportunity to share her faith.

Dorothy is survived by her sons, Michael (Carole) and John (Francie); grandchildren, Katelynn (Morgan), Cameron (Melissa), Jackson, Cody (McKenna); and great- grandchildren, Otis Meng, Amelia Meng, and Theodore Wright. She is also survived by many nieces, nephews, and friends who were an important part of her life. Dorothy will be remembered for her radiant smile, contagious laughter, and the love she gave so freely. Though she will be greatly missed, we take comfort in knowing she is dancing in Heaven with Jesus.

The family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to the church family at Lively Stone Fellowship for their unwavering support, love, and care during Dorothy’s final months. We also thank Cascade Health Hospice of Eugene for their compassionate care and providing Dorothy with the grace and dignity of spending her final days in her own home.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, May 3, at 1 p.m. at the Blue Lake Community Church, 440 Wahl Street, Blue Lake, California. In accordance with Dorothy’s wishes, her ashes will be scattered on the family property in McKinleyville, a place that held great meaning to her.

If you would like to honor Dorothy’s memory, please consider making a donation to your local animal shelter, something Dorothy would have loved.

Connie L. (Bartlett) Parker
March 16, 1938 – January 10, 2025