Rady Children’s Hospital to end gender-affirming care – Meilani Rodgers, Contributing Writer
SAN DIEGO — Rady Children’s Hospital announced on Jan. 20 that it will stop providing gender-affirming care, including procedures, prescriptions, and medical interventions.
By Friday, the hospital will no longer offer these services to individuals under 19 years old, providing no alternative care options for patients. On Jan. 24, dozens gathered outside of Rady Children’s Hospital to protest this decision in a rally organized by the Alliance for TransYouth Rights.
In a statement from the hospital, it said its decision was influenced by “escalating federal actions,” and a possible federal investigation by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“Taken together, these developments affect our role and responsibilities as a provider participating in federal programs such as Medicaid and Medicare, which are essential to caring for all children and families in our communities,” the statement read. “For these reasons, we will no longer be providing gender-affirming medical interventions, procedures and prescriptions.”
On Jan. 30, California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against Rady for ending its gender-affirming care.
In a press release, Bonta said, “Rady Children’s Health has chosen to violate its merger agreement and California law in response to the Trump Administration’s illegal campaign against providers of gender-affirming care.”
Bonta had conditionally approved a merger between Rady and Children’s Hospital of Orange County in 2024, given that “Rady maintain existing levels of specialty healthcare services — including gender-affirming care — through 2034.”
Government enters partial shutdown – Natalie Ambler, Associate News Editor
WASHINGTON — The government entered a partial shutdown at midnight on Saturday, as Congress continues to negotiate funding for the Department of Homeland Security. The spending package that passed on Friday provides funding for most government agencies for the entirety of the 2026 fiscal year, while other agencies, including DHS, will experience a temporary lapse in funding until a new bill is negotiated.
Senate Democrats refused to pass the original version of the DHS spending bill, citing a lack of reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer made a deal with President Donald Trump on Thursday to separate the initial version of the DHS bill from a larger package of six appropriations bills that passed on Friday.
“The nation is reaching a breaking point,” Schumer said following the Senate’s vote. “The American people are demanding that Congress step up and force change.”
Democrats want the new bill to require ICE officers to keep their body cameras on, remain unmasked, and allow local law enforcement to investigate ICE-related incidents. The deal struck with Trump on Thursday provides temporary stopgap funding for DHS at current levels for the next two weeks, allowing time for Congress to potentially implement these reforms prior to that deadline.
The House is expected to discuss reformed funding legislation on Monday morning that could end the partial shutdown.
Matt Mahan to run for California governor – Giselle Hinojosa, Senior Staff Writer
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Matt Mahan, who has served as mayor of San Jose, California, since 2023, announced on Thursday that he would run for California governor in the 2026 election. Mahan, a frequent critic of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s policies, is entering the race.
During his time as mayor, Mahan aimed to reduce crime and homelessness with initiatives that put him against Newsom and other Democratic leaders. Last year, Mahan proposed arresting homeless people who refuse housing three times. In 2024, he also backed Proposition 36, which aimed to increase penalties for certain shoplifting and drug offenses.
In an interview, Mahan expressed that he would not hesitate to file lawsuits against the Trump administration to protect California against federal actions.
Before running for public office, Mahan was a tech entrepreneur known for co-founding Brigade, a San Francisco-based political organizing platform.
There is no clear frontrunner in June’s gubernatorial primary. Xavier Becerra, former secretary of health and human services during the Biden administration; Katie Porter, former California representative; Antonio Villaraigosa, former mayor of Los Angeles; and California Rep. Eric Swalwell are among the candidates who are running for governor.
SEIU-UHW proposes 2026 Billionaire Act, sparks controversy – Natalie Ambler, Associate News Editor
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West proposed a ballot measure that, if passed, would impose a one-time 5% tax on the wealth of Californians who are worth more than $1.1 billion. The measure, called the 2026 Billionaire Tax Act, needs 900,000 signatures from California voters to be placed on the November ballot later this year.
The proposed measure recently sparked debate among California Democrats. Gov. Gavin Newsom opposes the tax, arguing that the measure could push tech and business investors out of the state. Newsom described private conversations with individuals who would be affected by the tax during a Bloomberg interview in San Francisco on Thursday.
“I’ve met with all of them, and they’re all in different stages of their lives, careers, and their abundance,” he said. “And some will never give a penny away, some I respect, some I don’t, some I never have. But I met with those as well. Yet, I still reached out and met with those folks because I’m very mindful as a guy who budgets for this state, that we rely on a very small number of people, that allow us to do historic things.”
SEIU-UHW chief of staff, Suzanne Jimenez, disagreed with Newsom’s position on the tax in a statement to the Sacramento Bee.
“If Governor Newsom could see what frontline healthcare workers see every day — seniors, people with disabilities, and veterans at risk of losing care because of massive federal healthcare cuts in H.R.1 — he wouldn’t be standing in the way of this ballot measure,” she said.
If passed, the state would be required to spend 90% of the tax revenue on healthcare. SEIU-UHW claims that this spending is to compensate for “roughly $100 billion” that will be lost by the state’s healthcare infrastructure as a result of federal funding cuts. The state would also be required to spend the remaining 10% of earned revenue on supporting public education and food assistance programs.
SEIU-UHW has until June 24 to collect enough signatures from Californians to place it on the November ballot.
Federal Judge denies block of ICE crackdown in Minnesota – Giselle Hinojosa, Senior Staff Writer
MINNEAPOLIS — Federal Judge Katherine M. Menendez denied a request by Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul to temporarily block the deployment of 3,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to the Twin Cities on Saturday. The state claims that the surge of federal immigration agents has violated its sovereignty and directly led to two fatal shootings and many arrests in the past month.
The state filed its lawsuit on Jan. 12, five days after a federal agent shot and killed U.S. citizen Renee Good in Minneapolis, arguing that the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement campaign, known as Operation Metro Surge, violated the state’s sovereignty under the 10th Amendment. The state argued that the administration is unlawfully urging local authorities to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
In Minneapolis, on Jan. 14, a federal agent shot and injured a Venezuelan national. On Jan. 24, an agent shot and killed Alex Pretti, a U.S. citizen and intensive care unit nurse. Menendez ruled that the state and local governments could not prove that the immigration crackdown was unconstitutional.
Although Menendez denied the state’s bid to block Operation Metro Surge, she expressed concern over tactics used by federal agents and said there is evidence that they are engaging in racial profiling and using excessive force.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the judge’s decision is a “win for public safety and law and order.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey expressed disappointment and ensured the local government would continue to pursue the lawsuit.
“This decision doesn’t change what people here have lived through — fear, disruption and harm caused by a federal operation that never belonged in Minneapolis in the first place,” Frey said in a statement last Monday.
