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California news | cal poly humboldt closes campus for rest of semester over gaza protests, california news, california news | newsom is on vacation in a state where official california travel is banned.

By Emily Hoeven, CalMatters

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office finally confirmed he is on vacation in Montana — one of the states to which California has banned state-funded travel.

The governor’s office said Friday that the governor had left California to spend time with family, but it did not until Tuesday answer Cal Matters’ questions about where he was or when specifically he would return, a noticeable difference from communication surrounding other recent out-of-state trips.

A spokesperson said Newsom hasn’t yet booked his return trip, but that he will return to California over the weekend and be back in the office on Monday.

Montana is among the 22 states to which California has banned state-funded and state-sponsored travel, citing policies it deems discriminatory to LGBTQ+ people.

Montana is also one of the states Newsom’s office has called out for restricting abortion access.

Anthony York, Newsom’s senior adviser for communications, told Cal Matters: “We don’t legislate where people vacation. Never have. The travel ban applies to expending state funds. The governor’s travel is not being paid for by the state.”

Asked if the state is paying for Newsom’s security while he is in Montana, York said: “We don’t comment or provide details on the governor’s security.”

The parents of Newsom’s wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, own a ranch in Montana. The couple was married there, and their oldest child is named Montana.

The reluctance of Newsom’s office to share details about the vacation suggests the governor is aware of the politically perilous optics of vacationing in a red state while he attempts to position himself at the vanguard of the Democratic Party — and, indeed, the news was seized upon by conservative news outlets including the National Review, Breitbart and the Washington Examiner.

Harmeet Dhillon, California’s Republican National Committeewoman, issued a statement that said, in part: “We’d love to know the gas prices and the COVID emergency status where the Governor is. Most Californians can’t afford to take their normal holidays this year, thanks to Gavin Newsom and his party’s lack of leadership of our state.”

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California Today

Why California Banned State-Funded Travel to Florida and Elsewhere

Tuesday: Officials are expanding a ban on taxpayer-funded travel to places that have enacted anti-L.G.B.T.Q. legislation.

By Jill Cowan

Good morning.

California will ban state-funded travel to Arkansas, Florida, Montana, North Dakota and West Virginia in response to anti-L.G.B.T.Q. legislation in those places, officials announced on Monday.

“There has been a coordinated attack on fundamental civil rights,” Rob Bonta, California’s attorney general, said at a news conference. “It’s about aligning our dollars with our values.”

There are now 17 states under California’s ban, including Texas, Tennessee, and North and South Carolina.

The law, approved by the State Legislature in 2016, requires California to add states to the list if they enact laws that discriminate against or remove protections for people on the basis of sex, gender identity or sexual orientation. It was enacted amid a backlash against states where lawmakers were trying to pass “ bathroom bills ” to prevent transgender people from using restrooms that aligned with their gender identity.

Bonta, a progressive ally of Gov. Gavin Newsom , said that “a wave of discriminatory new bills” was sweeping across the country and that he was required to take action.

Evan Low, a California lawmaker who wrote the ban, said it was meant to keep state workers safe and out of situations where they might be discriminated against.

“The current culture war is not a game,” he said.

In 2017, Low acknowledged that banning state-funded travel to Texas was largely symbolic . Still, he said this week that he hoped California’s moves would prompt big businesses to follow suit.

Officials didn’t say how much money the state had withheld as a result of the ban, and the attorney general’s office said it didn’t track anything related to the law beyond the list of states.

But Richard C. Auxier, a researcher at the Tax Policy Center , said that while the amount might be relatively small, the effects could snowball.

He cited North Carolina’s “bathroom bill,” which prompted a national outcry after it was enacted in 2016. In addition to travel bans like California’s, the N.C.A.A. and the N.B.A. moved tournaments in protest, and performers refused to play gigs there. The law was repealed, and the state’s Republican governor was ousted in part because of frustration over the economic fallout.

The question is how much state lawmakers respond to economic pain felt by local businesses and governments as they try to coax back visitors lost during the pandemic.

“These cities are all dying for people to come back — to go to the bars, to go to events,” Auxier said, so if other organizations take their cues from California, local tourism groups or businesses could be hurt enough to prompt them to push back against their leaders.

“‘Will it work?’ is a giant political question,” he said.

Ryland Whittington, a 13-year-old from San Diego whom officials invited to speak at Monday’s news conference, said that the ability to feel safe, play sports and get any care he needed wasn’t political, in no small part because of where he lives.

“Being trans is just a small part of who I am,” he said. “I know I’m lucky to live in California.”

He asked lawmakers to “give all kids the opportunity to be happy, healthy and to live their lives in freedom and peace.”

Read this story from 2017 about when California announced its ban on state-funded travel to Texas .

Get to know Bonta and his priorities .

See the full list of states where state-funded travel is banned and read about exceptions to the ban from the attorney general’s office.

Here’s what else to know today

Compiled by Jonathan Wolfe

CalMatters has a list of five things you should know about the state’s final (for now) record-busting budget deal.

One of the biggest barriers to mass immunity in the U.S. is persuading skeptical young adults to get the coronavirus vaccine .

Some 4,000 nonviolent federal offenders who were sent home early in the pandemic to help slow the spread of the coronavirus could be forced to return to prison .

State Democrats want the option to speed up the recall election to take advantage of what they see as favorable conditions for Newsom, The Associated Press reports.

A federal court threw out the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust complaint against Facebook, a major setback to the government’s push to break up the social media giant.

A new report found that California’s white and Black populations are declining , while its Asian and Hispanic populations continue to grow, The San Francisco Chronicle reports.

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There’s only one drug designed to treat postpartum depression . KQED asks: “Why does Kaiser Permanente make it so hard to get?”

Californians are fueling Austin’s housing boom , The San Francisco Chronicle reports.

A visit to Nobu in Malibu, writes Tejal Rao, The Times’s California restaurant critic, “should seem predictable and dated and maybe even mildly embarrassing, like coming across an old photo of yourself in a dress over bedazzled jeans. But somehow — and this is a part of Nobu Malibu’s magic — it doesn’t. ”

Real estate: What $730,000 gets you in California.

And finally …

This year, across California, the biggest Pride parades were canceled because of the pandemic. But thousands of L.G.B.T.Q. Californians have still celebrated in ways large and small.

Just this past weekend, hundreds of revelers descended on Dolores Park in San Francisco .

And in Los Angeles, Boyle Heights hosted its inaugural Orgullo Fest, which organizers said they hoped would become a home for the city’s Latinx L.G.B.T.Q. community.

“Bienvenidos a casa,” Luis Octavio, an organizer of the Pride event, told The Los Angeles Times . “You no longer have to leave your community to celebrate yourself.”

California Today goes live at 6:30 a.m. Pacific time weekdays. Tell us what you want to see: [email protected] . Were you forwarded this email? Sign up for California Today here and read every edition online here .

Jill Cowan grew up in Orange County, graduated from U.C. Berkeley and has reported all over the state, including the Bay Area, Bakersfield and Los Angeles — but she always wants to see more. Follow along here or on Twitter .

Jill Cowan is the Californ ia Today correspondent, keeping tabs on the most important things happening in her home state every day. More about Jill Cowan

California adds 5 states to list of places where state-funded travel is banned

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California bans government travel to states with laws deemed discriminatory to LGBTQ people

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California is expanding to 17 the number of states to which it is restricting government-financed travel because of laws deemed to discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity, the state attorney general said Monday.

The states added to the sanctions list are Florida, Montana, West Virginia, Arkansas and North Dakota, California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta said.

Bonta said new laws in those states are part of a recent wave of bills harmful to LGBTQ people, including a Florida law that he criticized for preventing transgender women and girls from participating in school sports consistent with their gender identity.

“Rather than focusing on solving real issues, some politicians think it’s in their best interest to demonize trans youth and block lifesaving care,” Bonta said. “Make no mistake: We’re in the midst of an unprecedented wave of bigotry and discrimination in this country — and the state of California is not going to support it.”

California’s action drew a strong backlash Monday from leaders in other states.

“While state employees may be barred from traveling here, Californians are fleeing by the thousands to places like Arkansas for our lower taxes, lower cost of living, and abundant opportunities,” Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in a statement.

A spokeswoman for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized California officials, saying the law he signed is not discriminatory.

“In fact, it’s the opposite — the legislation ensures that women’s sports remain fair,” said Christina Pushaw, the governor's press secretary. “On the contrary, allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports is discriminatory, because it puts girls and women at a disadvantage based on immutable, innate characteristics.”

Pushaw, a former resident of California, said state politicians here should focus on solving problems of their own state instead of worrying about Florida.

“It is disappointing that the politicians calling the shots in Sacramento are not willing to stand up for women and girls in California,” she said.

Bonta said there have been more than 250 "anti-LGBTQ+ bills" introduced in other state legislatures, including more than 95 that discriminate against transgender people.

Under a law approved by the California Legislature in 2016, state agencies are prohibited from paying for or sponsoring nonessential travel by state workers, commissioners and others to states that pass laws deemed discriminatory against gay, lesbian and transgender people, or that repeal laws that protect them.

There are exceptions for travel required for public health and safety purposes, including law enforcement and litigation, as well as employee training required for state grants and licensing.

Although the law applies to the University of California and California State University systems, many college sports teams have continued traveling to the sanctioned states using funds collected from non-state sources, including private donations.

In addition, state lawmakers, including some who supported the law restricting travel, have used political accounts and personal funds for trips to sanctioned states including Texas to attend conferences.

Other states previously added to the list include Alabama, Kansas, Idaho and Kentucky.

The new travel restrictions will be imposed starting on different dates next month, based on when the sanctioned state’s new laws are effective.

Bonta said that West Virginia, Montana and Arkansas were also being sanctioned for laws that he said prevent transgender women and girls from participating in school sports consistent with their gender identity.

The attorney general also cited a new law in Arkansas that he said restricts physicians from providing gender-affirming healthcare to transgender minors.

North Dakota was added to the list because of a state law that repeals protections at some public universities by permitting certain publicly funded student organizations to restrict participation by LGBTQ students.

Bonta announced the additions to the travel ban list at the GLBT Historical Society Museum in San Francisco, where he was joined by activists and legislators including Assembly Member Evan Low (D-Campbell), chair of the Legislature’s LGBTQ Caucus.

“It's important for our state to send a strong message that we will not endorse any type of discrimination, whether it is based on sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression,” Low said.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times .

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Tired of Clear travelers cutting the airport security line? A California lawmaker wants change

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Tired of watching Clear customers get escorted to the front of the airport security line?

California state Sen. Josh Newman sure is.

Newman (D-Fullerton), who frequently travels between his Orange County district and Sacramento, said Clear’s system of charging a premium for special access to a taxpayer-funded service has become a regular source of outrage.

“Over time, you get kind of aware of the degree to which the Clear service has kind of an adverse effect on the people who don’t use it,” Newman said, noting that he’s among that group. “There’s something very elitist, almost un-American, about it to me.”

So Newman authored a bill that would require third-party security vendors like Clear that strike deals with airports after Jan. 1, 2025, to operate through a dedicated security lane, instead of alongside mainstream lines. Currently, Clear operates at nine of the state’s largest airports.

Newman’s team believes it is the first legislation of its kind in the nation.

The original version of the bill, SB 1372 , would have required Clear to use separate, dedicated security lanes in all California airports, including the ones it’s already serving. Newman said his goal wasn’t to ban Clear, which for now appears to be the only vendor that would be affected, but to have the company to work with the federal Transportation Security Administration to “re-engineer this process to separate these two lines” in California airports.

“The people who don’t [use Clear] shouldn’t be inconvenienced or frustrated,” Newman said in an interview, calling it an issue of equity.

The Senate Transportation Committee weakened the bill Tuesday so that it would allow Clear to keep its current operations intact while implementing a moratorium on new airport deals by Clear — or potential competitors — until separate queues with the TSA can be arranged. The panel then approved the bill and sent it to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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There is no companion bill in the state Assembly.

Clear enables its customers, who pay about $200 a year, to go to the front of TSA lines after their identity is verified. Clear customers are required to go through TSA security screening and bag checks.

It wasn’t immediately known how difficult it would be for Clear to set up separate security lanes — though the process would surely require more space, employees and buy-in from the TSA — but Newman said it’s possible, pointing to Delta Air Lines’ separate check-in area and security line at Los Angeles International Airport for its highest-paying Delta One customers.

“We are proud to partner with nine airports across California — creating hundreds of jobs, sharing more than $13 million in annual revenue with our California airport partners, and serving nearly 1 million Californians,” a Clear spokesperson wrote in a statement. “We are always working with our airline and airport partners as well as local, state, and federal governments to ensure all travelers have a safer, easier checkpoint experience.”

The spokesperson did not answer questions about Newman’s bill, but the company is listed in opposition. According to the bill’s analysis, about 10% of airport patrons are Clear customers.

Newman said he found little evidence that Clear made the the airport experience more efficient or enhanced security as promised. Instead, he noted, the company has come under increased scrutiny in Washington after multiple security breaches, including an incident in which someone used a boarding pass found in the trash, as reported by Politico last year.

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“Are they really adding value?” Newman asked. “Does that justify the inconvenience that is visited upon the people who don’t use it?”

He also called the revenue generated to state airports “incremental.”

But a Clear representative at the bill’s Tuesday hearing called the recent security issues isolated incidents resulting from human error — not an issue with it’s biometric screening process.

Most major airlines, airports and chambers of commerce near the state’s largest airports opposed the measure.

In a letter to the Senate Transportation Committee chair, major U.S. airlines said the bill “not only threatens to increase fees on air carriers but also severely restricts airports’ ability to effectively manage lines at the security checkpoint.”

“Given SB 1372’s elimination of $13 million in revenue currently paid by Clear, we are concerned that the bill’s passage could further increase air carrier operating costs in the state, potentially resulting in increased fares or decreased service options,” said the letter, which was signed by Alaska, Delta, Hawaiian, United, JetBlue and Southwest airlines. “In 2023 alone, Clear verified our frequent fliers over 5 million times in California — which means our most loyal customers find value in using Clear. We find that Clear’s operation supports overall checkpoint efficiency for all travelers by helping balance queues and by performing quick and secure identity checks across the airports where they operate.”

Two major unions, representing flight attendants and Northern California transportation security officers, have lobbied in support of the changes to Clear.

The Assn. of Flight Attendants said in a letter to Senate leaders that the bill would restore equal access to security lines and mentioned growing concerns after “continuing reports about irregularities in Clear’s verification.”

“One passenger using a ‘cut the line’ program with a false identity to board an aircraft is one too many,” the flight attendants’ letter said.

But some senators Tuesday questioned the value of addressing this issue when there’s clearly enough demand for such a service that has a limited effect on others.

“Yes it’s annoying, ... [but] it only takes a second,” said Sen. Kelly Seyarto (R-Murrieta). “That’s not a big enough inconvenience to me.”

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Proposed bill would ban Clear users from skipping security lines at California airports

California lawmakers are looking to crack down on airport line-jumpers with a proposed bill that would ban security screening company Clear from general security lines across the state.

The bill is sponsored by state Sen. Josh Newman, a Democrat who represents the 29th Senate District.

Newman told CBS MoneyWatch the bill, which is set to come before the California State Senate's transportation committee on Tuesday, lets wealthier people skip in front of passengers who have been waiting to be screened by Transportation Security Administration agents, and that the bill aims to resolve a "basic equity issue."

Republican state Sen. Janet Nguyen told Politico she understands the frustration stated in Newman's bill and that "it becomes a haves vs. have nots" where people who can afford Clear jump in front of everyone else. However, a spokesperson for Nguyen sought to clarify to USA TODAY on Tuesday that Nguyen had not reviewed the bill in its entirety when she spoke to Politico last week.

"When it comes to making one’s way through airport security, the quality of that experience shouldn’t be contingent on a traveler’s income or willingness to pay," Sen. Newman said in an emailed statement to USA TODAY. "And yet, in many of California's airports, travelers who choose not to participate in the Clear concierge screening service are subject to the indignity of being shunted aside to make way for those who do," the statement continues.

"This is inequitable, especially in light of the fact that it's their tax dollars which fund airport security services in the first place," Newman's statement reads.

What is Clear?

According to its website, Clear charges members $189 a year and allows customers to verify their identities at kiosks upon arriving at airports, where customers can their boarding pass and eyes or fingerprints. After identity verification, a Clear ambassador will then escort customers to the front of the security line.

The service is currently being used in dozens of airports across the country and in major California airports in Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco, as well as in many sports stadiums and other venues.

"We are proud to partner with nine airports across California − creating hundreds of jobs, sharing more than $13 million in annual revenue with our California airport partners, and serving nearly 1 million Californians," a Clear spokesperson said in an emailed statement to USA TODAY.

"We are always working with our airline and airport partners as well as local, state, and federal governments to ensure all travelers have a safer, easier checkpoint experience,” the statement reads.

What does SB-1372 propose?

Newman's bill, SB-1372, would require third-party vendors like Clear to get their own dedicated security lane, separate from the one used by general travelers. The bill would apply to new agreements between public airports and third-party security services after Jan. 1, 2025.

He told Politico he is not trying to ban Clear but believes its system is neither efficient nor secure.

"SB-1372 doesn't seem to terminate the Clear concierge service at airports; instead, it seeks to have Clear and other third-party screening services operate separate lines for subscribers, thereby eliminating the friction and frustration caused by the current system," Newman said in a statement.

While the bill faces support from union groups representing flight attendants and TSA employees, it faces strong pushback from six major airline companies: Delta, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue, Alaska Airlines, Southwest and United.

The airlines, in a letter to Senate Transportation Committee chair Dave Cortese and published by Politico, said the bill "not only threatens to increase fees on air carriers but also severely restricts airports' ability to manage lines at the security checkpoint, resulting in a negative travel experience for our California customers."

The airlines argue that SB-1372 could eliminate millions in revenue dollars currently paid by Clear, which could further increase air carrier operating costs in the state and leading to increased fares.

The Northern California branch of the American Federation of Government Employees, a federal employee union group, argued in a letter to Cortese that "expedited screening service providers no longer make meaningful contributions to aviation security, and their continued presence at California's airports instead degrade the public's traveling experience."

Sarah Nelson of the Association of Flight Attendants, a union group representing flight attendants in the U.S., said it is concerned by "continuing reports about irregularities in Clear's verification of passenger identification," raising concerns about the integrity of aviation security, according to a letter to Cortese also published by Politico.

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X  @GabeHauari  or email him at [email protected].