| The intense scrutiny of teenage transgender athletes in California intensified this week as the U.S. Justice Department announced it was investigating the state for allowing them to participate in girls' sports and President Trump threatened to cut federal funding over the issue. |
| My colleagues Kevin Rector, Brittny Mejia and Howard Blume reported that the Justice Department is investigating whether California, its interscholastic sports federation, and the Jurupa Unified School District are violating the rights of cisgender high school girls by allowing trans athletes to compete alongside them. |
| The department also threw its support behind a pending lawsuit alleging similar violations of girls' rights in the Riverside Unified School District, said U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli, who oversees much of the Los Angeles region, and Assistant Atty. Gen. Harmeet Dhillon, who heads the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. |
| The announcements came one day after Trump threatened to cut federal funding to the state if it continued to allow trans athletes to compete in women's sports. |
| In a Truth Social post Tuesday, Trump blasted Gov. Gavin Newsom — whom he called "Radical Left Democrat Gavin Newscum" — saying that under his leadership, the state "continues to ILLEGALLY allow 'MEN TO PLAY IN WOMEN'S SPORTS.'" |
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| President Trump has threatened to cut federal funding to California over transgender youth participation in sports. (Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press) |
| The president referenced "a transitioned Male athlete" who "won 'everything,' and is now qualified to compete in the 'State Finals' next weekend." |
| My colleagues Blume, Hannah Fry, Steve Henson and Taryn Luna reported that Trump appeared to be referencing a transgender Jurupa Valley High School junior who won the girls' long jump and triple jump during the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Masters Meet last week. |
| Trump said he would be "ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow the transitioned person to compete in the State Finals. This is a totally ridiculous situation!!!" |
| The California Interscholastic Federation, which oversees sports at more than 1,500 high schools, announced that it would expand the number of athletes eligible to compete in the upcoming state championship. |
| Under the new rules announced Tuesday, cisgender female athletes who fell one sport short of qualifying for the state track meet will be allowed to compete in the championship. Transgender athletes are not disqualified from participating. |
| The state track meet begins Friday in Clovis. The city's mayor pro tem, Diane Pearce, wrote on Facebook that the new rules showed that CIF officials "know they're in the wrong" and that "we must keep up the pressure!" Earlier this week, Pearce criticized the competition of "a biological male" in the event. |
| Newsom praised the CIF rules. |
| "CIF's proposed pilot is a reasonable, respectful way to navigate a complex issue without compromising competitive fairness — a model worth pursuing," said Izzy Gardon, a spokesperson for Newsom, in a statement. "The governor is encouraged by this thoughtful approach." |
| The Democratic governor— an outspoken champion of LGBTQ+ rights since he was mayor of San Francisco — called trans athletes' participation in women's sports "deeply unfair" during a podcast interview in March, splitting from many in his party on an issue that Republicans capitalized on during the presidential election. |
| Trump has repeatedly targeted transgender rights during his first four months back in the White House. |
| The president issued an executive order barring the federal government from recognizing genders other than male or female. And he has pushed to ban transgender Americans from the U.S. military, writing in an executive order that transgender identity is a "falsehood" inconsistent with the "humility and selflessness required of a service member." The Supreme Court this month cleared the way for that ban to take effect. |
| In February, Trump signed an executive order titled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports," which gave federal agencies the ability to penalize schools for allowing transgender athletes to compete — something the Trump administration says violates Title IX, the federal civil rights law that prohibits sexual discrimination. |
Today's top stories |
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| Entire blocks of homes in Altadena were destroyed by the Eaton fire. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times) |
Did insurers collude to force homeowners onto the state insurance plan? |
- Two Los Angeles County Superior Court lawsuits accuse dozens of California home insurers of dropping policyholders and forcing them onto the FAIR Plan — the state's insurer of last resort — where polices cover less and cost more.
- The Times spoke to both sides, as well as multiple experts to better understand the high-stakes litigation, which faces obstacles but could shake up California's home insurance industry.
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Santa Monica residents go to war against Waymo |
- There's a battle brewing in Santa Monica with a fleet of unmanned, electric Waymo vehicles on one side, and exhausted, weary locals on the other.
- Using cones, cars and sometimes themselves, residents have taken to blocking the Waymos from entering their company-funded parking lot, so much so that the company has called the cops on them a half dozen times.
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A warming planet is poised to get even hotter |
- The hottest year in nearly two centuries was recorded only last year. But a United Nations report predicts the world will probably shatter that record yet again by 2029.
- That means we can expect many more days when the weather feels freakish and far more natural disasters that cost people their homes, health or lives.
- For California and the western U.S., that means higher chances of drought, heat waves and longer fire seasons with more intense wildfires.
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| What else is going on |
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Commentary and opinions |
- Stock market investors don't have much to cheer about in the second Trump term, except perhaps for a new and almost flawless trading strategy — the 'TACO' trade, writes columnist Michael Hiltzik.
- What do the Dodgers and Giants have in common? An iconic ad — for Big Oil, columnist Sammy Roth writes.
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This morning's must reads |
| | | Christopher Boyce and Andrew Daulton Lee journeyed from the Palos Verdes Peninsula suburbs to become Soviet spies, a story emblematic of 1970s California. | | | |
Other must reads |
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For your downtime |
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| A view of Philippe the Original, one of Los Angeles's oldest restaurants, founded in 1908. (Alex Justice/For The Times) |
Going out |
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Staying in |
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| Keep up with California | Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times. | | | | | |
A question for you: What is your favorite California city to visit? |
| Karen says, "Murphys in Calaveras County."
Pasqual says, "Mendocino." |
| Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week. |
And finally ... your photo of the day |
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| Comedian Richard Kind, who serves as the announcer on "Everybody's Live With John Mulaney," is photographed outside the show's set at Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood. (Christina House/Los Angeles Times) |
| Today's great photo is from Times photographer Christina House on the set of "Everybody's Live With John Mulaney" with actor Richard Kind. |
Have a great day, from the Essential California team |
| Hailey Branson-Potts, staff reporter
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, Sunday writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters |
| How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com. |
