‘It’s a garbage fire’: Some CA legislators leave X

In the past few months, some Democratic state legislators have joined the reported exodus of users on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter. These include Assemblymembers Tina McKinnor of Inglewood, Marc Berman of Palo Alto and Akilah Weber Pierson of San Diego.

The most recent is Sen. Scott Wiener, who on Wednesday said he was shifting away from the platform due to “escalating negative changes” at X. The San Francisco lawmaker has been a user since 2009, but cited “extremist content, unending junk/spam posts, and bizarre changes to the algorithm,” for his reasons for leaving.

• Wiener, in a statement: “I enjoyed using it for so many years — but at this point, it’s a garbage fire.”

McKinnor told me the platform “got very mean” and is distracting. “At 60 years old, I’ve never been targeted by people in my life like that,” she said. “It’s not healthy and it doesn’t make you feel safe.”

The website has been owned since 2022 by Elon Musk, the tech mogul and current head of the White House’s new Department of Government Efficiency under the President Donald Trump administration. 

Since his takeover, the company gutted thousands of jobs, including deep cuts to its moderation, trust and safety and accessibility teams; reversed the ban of several divisive public figures; and leaned in on Community Notes, as a user-driven, fact-checking feature. (Though Musk has recently expressed doubts about it.) 

Rampant misinformation and disinformation spreading on the site, as well as higher instances of hate speech, have also been reported. 

Musk has said he wanted to buy X to protect free speech. For Assemblymember Joe Patterson, a Rocklin Republican and regular X user, he told me the site remains useful to communicate with constituents about public policy, and to stay in touch with reporters, agencies and colleagues within the Capitol community.

• Patterson, to CalMatters: “Legislators need to be where the people are at. … When you put yourself out there and do things people disagree with, people get nasty on all platforms. It’s not unique to X.” 

For the record: Thursday’s newsletter had an incorrect link to CalMatters’ story on homeless encampments sweeps. Read the story here: ‘Look, there’s nowhere else to go’: Inside California’s crackdown on homeless camps.

The latest federal budget proposal passed by the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives indicates that deep cuts to Medi-Cal could be imminent, reports CalMatters’ Ana B. Ibarra.

Roughly 14.9 million Californians are enrolled in Medi-Cal, California’s version of the federal Medicaid program that provides health coverage to low-income households. Over the past decade the program has expanded its coverage, most recently to undocumented immigrants.

California’s budget includes $161 billion for Medi-Cal — more than half of that is paid for with federal funds. But the House passed a budget plan this week directing the committee that has jurisdiction over Medicaid to slash spending by $880 billion over the next decade.

It’s unclear as of yet which services would be cut or how many people would lose coverage if this budget plan passes. But California health advocates, providers and county officials are ringing the alarm bells.

• Amanda McAllister-Wallner, interim executive director of Health Access California, in a statement: “These cuts would rip care away from children, seniors, disabled Californians, and more while raising costs for everyone, all to give tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy.”

Read more here.

As Trump carries out plans for mass deportations, California sheriffs in charge of local jails can either enforce the state’s sanctuary law or choose to fully cooperate with federal immigration enforcement agents. 

While some sheriffs CalMatters previously spoke with said federal agents would be free to use certain resources available to local law enforcement, such as jail websites and fingerprints databases, one wants to take it a step further.

As CalMatters’ Nigel Duara explains, Amador County Sheriff Gary Redman said he plans to push the boundaries of state law by contacting immigration authorities at the time of a person’s arrest if they are in the country illegally. 

Redman argues that by doing this, he’s upholding federal law that forbids harboring people in the country illegally. He said he’s responding to the requests of his deputies, who are frustrated about the limitations placed on them when encountering someone in the country illegally. 

In an emailed response, the California Attorney General’s office said federal courts have already found California’s sanctuary law to “not be in conflict with federal law,” and that it is “closely monitoring law enforcement compliance” with the state’s sanctuary law.

Read more here.

The state Legislature has effectively run out of money to help community colleges build student housing. Learn more about how students, particularly from California’s rural community colleges, are struggling to find places to live from CalMatters’ Adam Echelman.