Villaraigosa: Dems must ‘accept responsibility’ for California’s issues
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert. I’m Amelia Wu, the Bee’s state workers intern.
On the anniversary of Sept. 11, firefighters statewide will participate in the annual 9/11 Memorial climb at the Esquire Plaza Tower to remember the 343 firefighters and first responders who made the ultimate sacrifice 24 years ago.
VILLARAIGOSA: BRING BACK MENTAL INSTITUTIONS AND NUCLEAR
Via Nicole Nixon...
Donald Trump is a threat to California, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and current candidate for governor says, but the Republican president isn’t the cause of some of the state’s biggest problems.
“We can’t blame homelessness on him. We can’t blame the housing crisis on him. We’ve got to accept responsibility, and too few of us accept responsibility,” he said.
“What you have on the streets of California cities is chaos,” Villaraigosa, who also spent two years as speaker of the Assembly, said during an interview Wednesday at a Sacramento coffee shop.
To fix the state’s homelessness and affordability crises, the former mayor suggests returning to policies of decades past.
California Democrats, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, “lament that (then-Gov.) Ronald Reagan closed the mental institutions 50 or 60 years ago. We’ve been in office for 30 years, why haven’t we opened any? We need mental institutions.”
Villaraigosa, 72, said he’s “not a refinery guy” but that California’s war against oil and gas has contributed to the high cost of living. (A deal announced Wednesday by Newsom and legislative leaders would make it easier for companies to drill in Kern County).
“We need an ‘all of the above’ strategy’ on energy,” he said. “What is that? It’s solar, wind, geothermal, big hydro, little hydro. It’s natural gas, it’s hydrogen, it’s small nuclear.”
Following the anti-nuclear movement, California has moved away from nuclear power. It has just one plant, Diablo Canyon near San Luis Obispo, in operation. The plant received extensions on its eventual decommissioning, which is scheduled for 2030. It produces about 8% of the power generated in California.
In recent days, Villaraigosa has rolled out two new TV ads and notched an endorsement from current L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, who said California needs steady and experienced leadership.
For all his plans for California, Villaraigosa still has an eye trained on the Trump administration. He praised Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta for legally challenging the president’s aggressive immigration enforcement and threats to education funding.
“This man is a threat to our democracy, and I think the next governor needs to push back,’ he said. “But we also need to be clear: The best way to push back is to win elections and to accept responsibility for the problems we’ve created.”
SENATE DEMOCRATS’ EPSTEIN MANEUVER FAILS
Via David Lightman...
The Senate Wednesday rejected 51 to 49 a Democratic-led effort to compel release of government files on sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
California’s senators backed full disclosure.
“This should not be controversial. Democrats are simply giving our Republican colleagues the opportunity to finally give closure to survivors by compelling the release of the Epstein files in the DOJ’s possession,” Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, told The Bee.
“Senate Democrats are not taking no for an answer on the Epstein files. Now, Republicans are about to face a choice: Release the files, or endorse the president’s cover-up,” Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California, said before the vote. “Will they choose transparency? Or Trump’s gaslighting?”
The Trump administration has been reluctant to release all relevant files, despite pleas from Democrats and some conservative Republicans. Two Republicans, Josh Hawley of Missouri and Rand Paul of Kentucky, backed the Senate’s disclosure effort.
In the House, a bid led by Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Santa Clara, would require the release. They are petitioning for a vote, and have collected 216 signatures. All Democrats and four Republicans have signed.
Two more signatures are needed to force a vote. But the Senate vote Wednesday is a strong indication that the measure won’t become law.
RELIEF AS DELTA FAST TRACK HALTS
Via Amelia Wu...
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s controversial push to fast-track the Delta Conveyance Project has been rejected by the Legislature.
The Delta Conveyance Project is an infrastructure plan to build a single 45-mile long tunnel to move water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to different California regions. The multi-decade effort has gone by several names, with its 1960s debut as the State Water Project.
While unveiling a revised state budget in May, Newsom pushed for legislation that would fast track the nearly $20 billion project. After initial pushback from the Legislature, Newsom doubled down with an accountability action plan for the project, including a $200 million Community Benefits Program.
The largest irrigation district in the nation, Imperial Irrigation District, with more than 3,000 miles of canals in Southern California, announced its support on Sept. 3 for the plan. The unusual endorsement stemmed from providing relief for the Colorado River.
After proposed Delta Tunnel trailer bills did not move forward Wednesday, reactions of relief emerged from the Legislative Delta Caucus and other environmental organizations.
“California won’t be the Golden State if it destroys its rivers, silences or sacrifices working families for the benefit of a handful of wealthy water contractors,” said Scott Artis, executive director of the Golden State Salmon Association in a statement. “These bills would have done exactly that.”
Delta Caucus Co-Chairs Sen. Jerry McNernery, D-Pleasanton and Assemblymember Lori Wilson, D-Suisun City, said in a statement that the plan would be destructive for the Delta region communities.
“I am relieved to see that the proposed Delta Tunnel trailer bills did not move forward,” Wilson said in a statement released Wednesday. “Once a short-sighted policy, always a short-sighted policy, and no amount of money, including the attempted $200 million payoff to Delta communities, can make up for the lasting harm this project would cause.”
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“The best way to honor Charlie’s memory is to continue his work: engage with each other, across ideology, through spirited discourse. In a democracy, ideas are tested through words and good-faith debate — never through violence.”
— Gov. Gavin Newsom in an X post after the death of conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk
BEST OF THE BEE:
- Gavin Newsom calls fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk ‘disgusting,’ via William Melhado and Lia Russell
- California leaders race toward deadline for cap-and-trade deal, via Kate Wolffe
- Kevin Kiley says Adam Schiff owes him an apology over CA redistricting tiff, via David Lightman
This story was originally published September 11, 2025 at 4:55 AM.