Ballot bill, MLB bid. Top Sacramento stories you may have missed this week
From mountain lion warnings in Lassen County to West Sacramento’s pitch for a Major League Baseball team, the Sacramento Bee covered a busy week of California news.
Here’s a quick rundown of the top stories from May 24-29:
- Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an emergency bill banning uniformed law enforcement from inspecting ballots without a court order. The legislation followed Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s seizure of more than 650,000 ballots last month, and violations are now felonies punishable by up to three years in jail.
- West Sacramento launched a formal bid for a Major League Baseball expansion team, backed by $1 billion in public investment and $500 million in commitments from two local tribes. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred wants an expansion process in place by 2029 to grow the league from 30 to 32 teams.
- A Lassen County sheriff’s warning about mountain lions near Susanville triggered statewide alarm, but state biologists concluded the animals posed no threat and had moved on, highlighting tensions over California’s predator protections. The state has about 4,200 mountain lions, which have been protected since 1972.
- Three California natives — Max Arfsten of Fresno, Cristian Roldan of Pico Rivera and Haji Wright of Los Angeles — were named to the U.S. Men’s National Team World Cup roster. The U.S. is the betting favorite to win Group D and will face Paraguay in its opener.
- The United Farm Workers union faces a reckoning following March revelations that co-founder Cesar Chavez sexually abused women and minors for years. Membership has fallen from 70,000 in the early 1970s to just above 5,000, and the union could face significant financial liability under California’s expanded statute of limitations for sexual abuse claims.
- Cali Rays Sourdough Deli, a fast-growing sandwich chain founded by former nurse Gurdeep Bains, opened five Central Valley locations simultaneously last weekend in Lodi-Kettleman, Lodi Reynolds Ranch, Visalia, Porterville and Galt. The chain now has 22 locations, with several sites previously operating as West Coast Sourdough franchises.
- Sacramento Regional Transit is seeking community input on a $164 million streetcar project connecting downtown Sacramento and West Sacramento. The 1.8-mile line would add three new stations, cross the Tower Bridge and connect to Sutter Health Park, with construction expected to begin in early 2027.