Latest news with #LaborFederation
Washington Post
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Dodgers announce $1 million donation to aid families of immigrants affected by federal raids
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers have donated $1 million to assist families impacted by two weeks of immigration raids in Southern California. The defending World Series champion Dodgers also said Friday that they intend to form partnerships with the California Community Foundation, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and other organization to continue providing aid to immigrant families.
Politico
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Newsom finds his resistance voice
Presented by Californians for Energy Independence DRIVING THE DAY — Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass imposed a curfew in her city's downtown last night in an attempt to prevent looting and vandalism as immigration protests stretched into their fifth day. Later, Gov. Gavin Newsom addressed the state, accusing President Donald Trump of intentionally inflaming the situation in Southern California and issuing an ominous warning. 'Democracy is under assault right before our eyes,' Newsom said. 'The moment we've feared has arrived.' IN HIS ELEMENT — Newsom wobbled finding his political footing in the initial months of Donald Trump's second term, but leading the Democratic resistance to the president's use of executive powers has put him squarely back in his element. Newsom has emerged as the national face of Democratic opposition to the president in recent days — as California fights Trump's unilateral deployment of the military and National Guard to quell civil unrest in Los Angeles following immigration raids. As our colleagues Jeremy B. White and Melanie Mason report, the California governor had faded from the forefront of national politics as attention shifted to Washington and politics in his home state was embroiled in questions over Kamala Harris' political future. The governor also faced chilling relations with Democratic lawmakers in Sacramento over his pivot to the center on issues like transgender girls in sports and scaling back health insurance for undocumented immigrants. Trump and Republicans have made Newsom the target of their ire as they accuse Democrats of being unable to stop turmoil that has led to burning cars and violence in a handful of areas in downtown Los Angeles — a focus that has, in turn, elevated Newsom's status on the left as he eyes a potential presidential run in 2028. 'I think this is helping Trump broadly,' said Mike Madrid, a California-based Republican consultant who opposes Trump. 'I also think it'll help Gavin — especially if he gets arrested.' Newsom has embraced the role of chief antagonist in his standoff with the Trump administration, which he's framed as an existential battle over the balance of power in America. Newsom accuses Trump of marching toward authoritarianism as he threatens to arrest Newsom and inciting conflict by deploying troops. Even California Democrats who've been critical of Newsom in recent months have cheered his feisty rhetoric and his willingness to push back on the White House. 'We've been waiting to feel like the governor is standing up and fighting for California and every Californian, and he seems to be doing that,' Lorena Gonzalez, head of the state Labor Federation, told Jeremy. Newsom has personalized the conflict by daring the administration to follow through on a threat by Trump and his border czar, Tom Homan, to arrest him — a sitting governor from the opposite political party. The Democratic Party's official social media account posted a glam shot of a stoic-looking Newsom emblazoned with his 'come and get me' quote. He's also suing to try to end the deployment of Marines and Trump's commandeering of thousands of the state's National Guard troops. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, the younger brother of retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, denied the state's request for an immediate injunction, though a hearing is set for Thursday. Newsom has a history of seizing on moments that he sees as moral inflection points. During the first Trump administration, he relished leading California's resistance to his administration on climate policy. And as the former mayor of San Francisco, Newsom defied state and federal law when he began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2004. 'Resistance for the sake of performative politics is not something he cares to participate in,' said Brian Brokaw, a veteran Democratic consultant and Newsom adviser. 'But this is a very real moment. He has to draw a line somewhere.' Read more about how Newsom is navigating the crisis in Jeremy and Melanie's piece. GOOD MORNING. It's Wednesday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. You can text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as 'CA Playbook' in your contacts. Or drop us a line at dgardiner@ and bjones@ or on X — @DustinGardiner and @jonesblakej. WHERE'S GAVIN? In Los Angeles, coordinating the state's response to the maelstrom. TRANSPORTATION FIRST IN POLITICO: SMOG ALERT — Trump plans to sign a trio of resolutions Thursday to revoke California's nation-leading vehicle emissions standards, our colleague Alex Nieves scooped. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito ( author of a resolution to nix the state's electric vehicle sales mandate via the Congressional Review Act, and Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) confirmed that the White House has scheduled the signings at 11 a.m. Thursday. The move will cap a monthslong effort to eliminate California's authority to set stricter-than-national electrification rules for passenger vehicles and commercial trucks. ON THE HILL SENATE QUERY — California Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla pressed the Trump administration in a letter Tuesday to explain the legal basis for its deployment of Marines to Los Angeles and argued the decision was unnecessary. They asked for a response within 48 hours. 'A decision to deploy active-duty military personnel within the United States should only be undertaken during the most extreme circumstances, and these are not them,' the senators wrote. OUT ON A LIMB — Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette Clarke of New York went further, saying the military deployment is an impeachable offense, our Nicholas Wu reported. 'I definitely believe it is. But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it,' Clarke said at a news conference Tuesday. NOT FOLLOWING — California Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu was asked by CNN whether he agreed. He didn't say but warned of broader implications. 'You don't want all 50 states subject to Marines showing up in their local jurisdictions. That's authoritarian. It's un-American, and it would be illegal,' Lieu said. CHANGE OF GUARD — Some Hill Republicans who supported the National Guard's deployment drew the line at sending out active-duty Marines, marking a subtle split with Trump. 'I would draw a distinction between the use of the National Guard and the use of the Marines,' Republican Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) told reporters at the Capitol. 'Active duty forces are generally not to be involved in domestic law enforcement operations.' FRONT-LINER APPROACH — Republican Rep. Young Kim of California led a resolution pushing California leaders to work with the federal government to end what it called 'riots.' But she also told CNN she didn't think the Marine Corps deployment was necessary. 'We don't need any more chaos,' she said. 'I do not think that we need to get to the Marines.' THE THING ABOUT TRUMP AND THE MILITARY — Trump loves displays of military force and is parading two very different kinds this week, our colleagues Megan Messerly, Jack Detsch and Paul McLeary write. On one coast, military forces are arriving by the thousands to defend federal buildings and agents, facing off with civilians protesting the president's immigration agenda. On the other, they're readying a celebration of American military might in a parade held on the Army's — and Trump's — birthday. The scenes in Los Angeles and Washington underscore how Trump is leveraging his role as commander-in-chief in a much clearer and more urgent way than he did during his first term — embodying the image of a strong military commander that he has long admired in other foreign leaders, allies and adversaries alike. Read the full story here. INSIDE TRUMP'S THINKING — Trump's response to the protests isn't just an opportunity to battle with a Democratic governor over his signature issue. The president sees it as a chance to redo his first-term response to a wave of civil unrest, our Myah Ward writes. As protests broke out after the killing of George Floyd in 2020, Trump's instincts were to deploy thousands of active-duty troops across U.S. cities. But some administration officials resisted the idea and reportedly urged the president against invoking the Insurrection Act to do so. Five years later, Trump sees something familiar as protests rage across Los Angeles in response to the administration's immigration raids. He responded with the deployments and repeatedly signaled his willingness to invoke the Insurrection Act if protests continue to escalate. There's a chief motivating factor driving his aggressive response: The president is eager to avoid a repeat of the summer of protest that followed a Minneapolis police officer's killing of Floyd. Read the full story here. STATE CAPITOL NOT TOO SPECIAL — California is not the only state bracing for a special session to address budget problems depending on the fate of Trump's 'big, beautiful bill.' Connecticut, New York, New Mexico and Minnesota are among the other Democratic states weighing the need to call lawmakers back, as our colleague Jordan Wolman writes for The Fifty. While Democratic governors may not be able to stop Trump's agenda, they may use the special session threat as a way to mollify constituents upset over cuts to safety net programs. In California, legislative leaders have acknowledged the possibility of having to deal with new budget realities brought by federal cuts, and Democratic lawmakers such as Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens are willing to 'come back any day … if it means protecting some of these programs.' But Republicans could also put the blame on the majority party for overspending to begin with. 'I would say that our priorities have been on the goofy side,' said Republican Assemblymember Tom Lackey. 'We're trying to offer too much to too many people when we can't even offer basic services.' — Eric He CLIMATE AND ENERGY MAKING LIMÓNADE — Senate Democrats elevated one of their biggest environmental champions when they picked Sen. Monique Limón as their next chamber leader. On Tuesday, she signaled a willingness to follow a consensus even if it strays from her progressive leanings. Read last night's California Climate for more on her EJ roots as well as the upcoming tests of her newfound influence. TOP TALKERS MAHAN'S MASTER PLAN — The San Jose City Council approved Mayor Matt Mahan's Responsibility to Shelter proposal Tuesday, The Mercury News reports. The ordinance allows police to arrest homeless people who repeatedly refuse shelter and comes as the city plans to increase its shelter capacity by more than 1,400 beds this year. 'San Jose residents have shown tremendous compassion, but they've also entrusted us with millions of their hard-earned tax dollars. They deserve to see the results,' said Vice Mayor Pam Foley. GUARD ASSIGNMENT — National Guard troops are now protecting ICE agents as they make arrests in Los Angeles, the Associated Press reports. ICE says the troops were 'providing perimeter and personnel protection for our facilities and officers who are out on daily enforcement operations.' AROUND THE STATE — Manny's, a popular cafe and political watering hole in San Francisco, was vandalized with antisemitic slurs during a protest in the Mission District. (San Francisco Chronicle) — A brush fire reported Tuesday afternoon prompted evacuations in Burbank. The Bethany fire primarily affected neighborhoods at the base of the foothills. (Los Angeles Times) — Fresno County provided $2.7 million to Community Health System at the same time the embattled provider is accused of participating in a kickback scheme to reward doctors for referrals. (GV Wire) Compiled by Nicole Norman PLAYBOOKERS BIRTHDAYS — actor Shia LaBeouf … Peter Dinklage … WNBA star Diana Taurasi WANT A SHOUT-OUT FEATURED? — Send us a birthday, career move or another special occasion to include in POLITICO's California Playbook. You can now submit a shout-out using this Google form.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Labor's new front in the AI fight
SACRAMENTO, California — California's powerful Labor Federation is channeling George Orwell in its latest fight to influence how and where surveillance tools are deployed in the workplace. The goal: keep big bosses (and Big Tech) from becoming Big Brother. 'We need guardrails and we need regulation that applies to everybody,' Labor Fed President Lorena Gonzalez told POLITICO's California Decoded newsletter in an exclusive interview laying out the group's 2025 priorities. 'It doesn't matter where you work. You should have that right to privacy.' The Labor Fed has for years been a regular driving force behind workers' rights legislation in the nation's most populous state, though it has also faced political headwinds from California's homegrown, lucrative tech industry, which often has the ear of Gov. Gavin Newsom. Gonzalez said the group is sponsoring three first-in-the-nation bills in Sacramento this year that could inspire efforts in other states as well, aimed at limiting how companies can use AI-powered monitoring systems to track their employees' movements. It's a notable strategy shift for the Labor Fed. The group of 1,300 unions representing more than 2.3 million workers has previously thrown its weight behind AI bills on issues within a specific sector like call centers or trucking. That approach was mostly a dud last year: Only one of the five bills in the Federation's tech and AI package became law. Two of those measures — Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry's bid to stick human safety operators in driverless trucks and Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas' proposal to limit the number of self-checkouts in grocery and retail stores — are back this year to round out the Labor Fed's broader, five-bill package on AI and automation, though both are scaled back compared to their 2024 counterparts. The labor group is hoping the new approach could improve its odds with Newsom after he rejected the autonomous trucks bill and a handful of other ambitious AI measures last year, citing a need to balance safety concerns with the state's emphasis on bolstering innovation. 'I don't think anyone can argue innovation should outweigh the right to be able to use the restroom or eat your lunch in private without being watched and surveilled by your boss,' Gonzalez said. 'I don't think the governor is going to have that argument, but if somebody wants to, we're happy to have that. That's a winning issue.' She cited tools like Cisco's Spaces, which can enable managers to track workers' location in an office space. And Walmart has considered using facial recognition to identify unhappy customers, according to Bloomberg. Gonzalez acknowledged Newsom could still foil this year's efforts, citing the trucking bill and others that have breezed through the Legislature only for the governor to tank them. But she's optimistic that privacy is a salient issue that could galvanize workers and capitalize on Democrats' growing mistrust of Big Tech as high-profile leaders cozy up to President Donald Trump. A Pew Research poll from 2023 found voters overwhelmingly opposed employers using AI to track employees' movements while at work. 'For a long time in California, Democrats were lulled into believing that the Silicon Valley, venture capitalist tech bros were their friends, and I think it's very clear now that they're not,' she said. 'They care about becoming billionaires at the expense of working people. Nobody's privacy is ensured.' The Labor Fed could face pushback from business groups it's faced before, with companies like Cisco arguing its tech already offers privacy protections in compliance with state and national laws, as well as Europe's more stringent data security rules. And there are still plenty of unknowns on the table. Just one of the three bills in the Labor Fed's privacy package is public so far: Assemblymember Sade Elhawary's effort to stop companies from monitoring off-the-clock employees. The Los Angeles Democrat's bill would bar employers from using AI systems or other tracking tools, like devices that record workers' biometric data, to monitor employees while they're outside the office or in off-duty spaces like break rooms and cafeterias. The other two AI surveillance bills from Assemblymember Isaac Bryan and state Sen. Jerry McNerney are still placeholder measures with scant details. Gonzalez declined to share specifics before the full texts drop but said Bryan's legislation will seek to restrict companies' use of employee data gathered through AI surveillance tools. Bryan, a Los Angeles Democrat, told California Decoded his bill reflects worker concerns that employers are using personal data collected without consent to 'unfairly put decision-making outside of the hands of managers and real people.' McNerney spokesperson Bob Gammon said the Stockton Democrat and former representative was 'still working on language' for his bill and declined to share details. Like this content? Consider signing up for POLITICO's California Decoded newsletter.
Politico
04-03-2025
- Business
- Politico
Labor's new front in the AI fight
SACRAMENTO, California — California's powerful Labor Federation is channeling George Orwell in its latest fight to influence how and where surveillance tools are deployed in the workplace. The goal: keep big bosses (and Big Tech) from becoming Big Brother. 'We need guardrails and we need regulation that applies to everybody,' Labor Fed President Lorena Gonzalez told POLITICO's California Decoded newsletter in an exclusive interview laying out the group's 2025 priorities. 'It doesn't matter where you work. You should have that right to privacy.' The Labor Fed has for years been a regular driving force behind workers' rights legislation in the nation's most populous state, though it has also faced political headwinds from California's homegrown, lucrative tech industry, which often has the ear of Gov. Gavin Newsom. Gonzalez said the group is sponsoring three first-in-the-nation bills in Sacramento this year that could inspire efforts in other states as well, aimed at limiting how companies can use AI-powered monitoring systems to track their employees' movements. It's a notable strategy shift for the Labor Fed. The group of 1,300 unions representing more than 2.3 million workers has previously thrown its weight behind AI bills on issues within a specific sector like call centers or trucking. That approach was mostly a dud last year: Only one of the five bills in the Federation's tech and AI package became law. Two of those measures — Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry's bid to stick human safety operators in driverless trucks and Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas' proposal to limit the number of self-checkouts in grocery and retail stores — are back this year to round out the Labor Fed's broader, five-bill package on AI and automation, though both are scaled back compared to their 2024 counterparts. The labor group is hoping the new approach could improve its odds with Newsom after he rejected the autonomous trucks bill and a handful of other ambitious AI measures last year, citing a need to balance safety concerns with the state's emphasis on bolstering innovation. 'I don't think anyone can argue innovation should outweigh the right to be able to use the restroom or eat your lunch in private without being watched and surveilled by your boss,' Gonzalez said. 'I don't think the governor is going to have that argument, but if somebody wants to, we're happy to have that. That's a winning issue.' She cited tools like Cisco's Spaces, which can enable managers to track workers' location in an office space. And Walmart has considered using facial recognition to identify unhappy customers, according to Bloomberg. Gonzalez acknowledged Newsom could still foil this year's efforts, citing the trucking bill and others that have breezed through the Legislature only for the governor to tank them. But she's optimistic that privacy is a salient issue that could galvanize workers and capitalize on Democrats' growing mistrust of Big Tech as high-profile leaders cozy up to President Donald Trump. A Pew Research poll from 2023 found voters overwhelmingly opposed employers using AI to track employees' movements while at work. 'For a long time in California, Democrats were lulled into believing that the Silicon Valley, venture capitalist tech bros were their friends, and I think it's very clear now that they're not,' she said. 'They care about becoming billionaires at the expense of working people. Nobody's privacy is ensured.' The Labor Fed could face pushback from business groups it's faced before, with companies like Cisco arguing its tech already offers privacy protections in compliance with state and national laws, as well as Europe's more stringent data security rules. And there are still plenty of unknowns on the table. Just one of the three bills in the Labor Fed's privacy package is public so far: Assemblymember Sade Elhawary's effort to stop companies from monitoring off-the-clock employees. The Los Angeles Democrat's bill would bar employers from using AI systems or other tracking tools, like devices that record workers' biometric data, to monitor employees while they're outside the office or in off-duty spaces like break rooms and cafeterias. The other two AI surveillance bills from Assemblymember Isaac Bryan and state Sen. Jerry McNerney are still placeholder measures with scant details. Gonzalez declined to share specifics before the full texts drop but said Bryan's legislation will seek to restrict companies' use of employee data gathered through AI surveillance tools. Bryan, a Los Angeles Democrat, told California Decoded his bill reflects worker concerns that employers are using personal data collected without consent to 'unfairly put decision-making outside of the hands of managers and real people.' McNerney spokesperson Bob Gammon said the Stockton Democrat and former representative was 'still working on language' for his bill and declined to share details. Like this content? Consider signing up for POLITICO's California Decoded newsletter.
