Sophia Bollag
California politics reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle
- Reposted by Sophia BollagI expected the cuts would be bad but I'm honestly stunned and sickened seeing how many great journalists the Washington Post just lost. People who nailed huge investigations, documented war zones, exposed horrific crimes, dropped all at once for failures they did not cause.
- Reposted by Sophia BollagA truly great read in which Newsom's spox tells @sophiabollag.bsky.social that the gov's ongoing kneepads bit is "not about a blowjob" www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
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- Reposted by Sophia BollagReporting from the streets of Minneapolis: “Like a military occupation.” Arrests and aggressive tactics by ICE and the Border Patrol, many seen on viral videos, have intensified the frustration and fear among residents. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/u...
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- After threatening to leave the National Governors Association over the organization’s silence on National Guard deployments, Gov. Gavin Newsom says he’ll stay in the group but has stopped paying dues. www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
- California faces an $18B deficit – and the threat of an AI bubble, according to a new report from the LAO, which prepares budget estimates for the state Legislature www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
- Reposted by Sophia BollagSCOOP from @sophiabollag.bsky.social: As part of the FBI's probe of Gov. Gavin Newsom's ex-chief of staff, it intercepted comms from within the governor's office. www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
- Following @liaoffleash.bsky.social's reporting that the FBI told several lobbyists it intercepted their communications as part of its investigation into Newsom's former chief of staff, Newsom's office confirms some members of his admin were also notified: www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
- Crypto bros spent millions attacking Katie Porter. Now she’s winning some over, @joegarofoli.bsky.social writes: www.sfchronicle.com/politics/joe...
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- The evolution of Prop 50 — which went from a vague, half-baked idea to a resounding victory in less than four months — is a big win for Newsom as he sets his sights on life after the governor’s office www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
- Reposted by Sophia BollagBREAKING: Alex Padilla tells reporters in DC he will not run for governor of California in 2026. www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
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- California-branded insulin will soon hit the shelves. Newsom says GLP-1s could be next www.sfchronicle.com/health/artic...
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- The same day Democrats released proposed new congressional maps, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sent Newsom and the head of the California National Guard a letter saying 300 troops would remain under federal control through Nov. 4. www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
- NEW: California National Guard troops sent to Chicago to help train soldiers from other states www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
- Reposted by Sophia BollagSCOOP from @sophiabollag.bsky.social: Donald Trump is sending California National Guard members to Portland. Gov. Gavin Newsom says he's weighing another lawsuit over it. www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
- Exclusive: Trump is sending California National Guard troops to Portland, Newsom says www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
- Reposted by Sophia BollagA great dispatch from the mean streets of Portland from @joegarofoli.bsky.social, where Oregonians are not interested in taking Trump's bait. www.sfchronicle.com/politics/joe...
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- Environmental justice advocates say California missed an opportunity to advance its clean air goals against a hostile Trump administration and resurgent oil industry, @raheemfh.bsky.social reports www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
- In the battle over redistricting in California, supporters led by Gov. Gavin Newsom have amassed a huge network of more than 65,000 individual donors, campaign finance filings released Friday show, compared with about 130 donors reported by opponents. www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
- This morning, @governor.ca.gov Gavin Newsom announced another international climate agreement, this time with Kenya. More on Newsom's international climate strategy in this story we published yesterday - www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
- In New York, Newsom tries ‘filling the void’ left by Trump on climate leadership www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
- Reposted by Sophia BollagCalifornia Republicans have rejected 10 bills to create independent redistricting commissions over the last two decades. Now that Prop 50 is going before voters, they've changed their tune. www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
- In the last 16 years, votes on all 10 measures to transfer redistricting power from politicians to independent commissions have gone the same way in the California Legislature: Republicans voted no while Democrats voted yes. With Prop 50, that dynamic flipped. www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
- @joegarofoli.bsky.social explains why one major Democratic group is prioritizing candidates who have struggled financially: www.sfchronicle.com/politics/joe...
- ‘Worse than doing nothing’: Online safety advocates slam changes to AI chatbot bill, @katewolffe.bsky.social reports www.sacbee.com/news/politic...
- As California lawmakers finish their work for the year, the threat of possible vetoes looms especially large as federal cuts and budget pressures intensify demand for limited state funding. www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
- Several high-profile voices on elections and democracy have softened or changed their position on Newsom’s redistricting campaign. www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
- Newsom has touted AI’s lofty potential. Now he’s using it to post a stream of Trump memes www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
- California lawmakers this morning are poised to pass several bills that would facilitate a November special election to approve new congressional maps, putting the Golden State at the forefront of a nationwide redistricting fight. www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
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- Newsom is the face of California’s redistricting push. That could help him — and hurt the plan www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
- Reposted by Sophia BollagCalifornia schools are facing such an onslaught from sexual abuse lawsuits that many are looking to insurance companies in Bermuda or the UK for coverage. www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
- California law enforcement agencies have been increasingly hiring officers who were previously fired or dismissed from other departments, @meganrcassidy.bsky.social, Nami Sumida and @jennifergollan.bsky.social report www.sfchronicle.com/projects/202...
- Gavin Newsom sent a letter to Donald Trump this morning offering to stop California’s redistricting push if the president calls off similar efforts in red states. www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
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- California Democrats say new redistricting maps will be unveiled next week www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
- Shocking findings here that groundwater pumping contributes significantly to sea level rise. Big implications for California water policy: bsky.app/profile/prop...
- Was a dog sent a ballot? Inside the DOJ’s strange lawsuit seeking California voter data, @saralibby.bsky.social reports: www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
- This story of a U.S. citizen marked for deportation illustrates what experts say are due process violations in a system that can ensnare vulnerable people with little understanding of what’s happening to them. www.sfchronicle.com/us-world/art...
- A shuttered Oakland school was slated for affordable housing. Then squatters moved in, @maggieangst.bsky.social reports: www.sfchronicle.com/eastbay/arti...
- In the courts, over the airwaves and on the internet, Newsom has gone full troll. www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
- The LA Times details how ICE arrested a deaf DACA recipient during a raid on the car wash where he worked (legally -- as a DACA recipient he has a permit to work in the US). They shipped him to a migrant detention facility in Texas: www.latimes.com/california/s...
- California launched an AI chatbot for wildfires. But CalMatters reporter @malenacarollo.bsky.social found it doesn’t reliably provide information such as a list for evacuation supplies and can’t tell users about evacuation orders. calmatters.org/economy/tech...
- Gov. Gavin Newsom says he’s contemplating a special election to gerrymander California’s congressional districts to counter similar efforts in Texas. www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
- California officials were not satisfied with the announcement Tuesday that President Donald Trump is recalling nearly half of the National Guard troops sent to Los Angeles, and continued to urge the administration to recall all troops. www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
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- California sues over school funding freeze as SCOTUS OKs killing Education Department www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
- Gavin Newsom suggested he’s contemplating a response to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s efforts to redraw congressional maps to favor Republicans, but California’s laws will make any counter moves by Newsom difficult — if not impossible. www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
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- California courts have failed to report hundreds of vehicular manslaughter convictions to the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles over the past five years, allowing roadway killers to improperly keep their driver’s licenses, a @calmatters.org investigation has found. calmatters.org/investigatio...
- Nearly a third of the California National Guard troops who had been doing drug enforcement work have been pulled away as part of President Donald Trump’s deployment of troops to Los Angeles, according to data from CalGuard. www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
- Less than 20% of the nearly 5,000 National Guard and Marine troops deployed to Los Angeles were actually on the ground in the city as of earlier this week, according to text messages by a state official with direct knowledge of staffing. www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
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- “It looks like a preparation for a military assault,” said State Sen. Tom Umberg, a retired Army colonel and JAG officer. “This looks like a subterfuge to create some sort of rationale for some sort of invocation of the Insurrection Act.” www.sfchronicle.com/us-world/art...
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- ‘Wildly underprepared’: National Guard troops seen sleeping on floors in exclusive photos www.sfchronicle.com/california/a...
- California officials were already bracing for President Donald Trump to try clawing back a big chunk of federal funding when he intensified his attacks on the state in a different way by deploying federal troops to Los Angeles. www.sfchronicle.com/california/a...
- A spokesperson for Gavin Newsom says Donald Trump called him this afternoon while the governor was busy at an event. This morning, Trump threatened to cut funding for California if it continues to let trans athletes compete in girls sports. More context here: www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
- Congress' proposed AI regulation ban could interfere with the state's ability to crack down on AI-generated child abuse images and deepfake scams targeting seniors, state officials say. @shiramstein.bsky.social and I detail their concerns and what's at stake: www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
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- Newsom backs cuts to undocumented health care as budget deficit looms www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
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- California sues Trump administration over threats to pull school funds over DEI www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
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- Long before El Salvador’s president cozied up to Trump, Gavin Newsom paid him a visit www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
- "The president is yet again acting as if he is above the law. He isn't," California Attorney General Rob Bonta said just now while announcing a new lawsuit against the Trump administration seeking to block the president's tariffs. "He must be stopped." www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
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- Five months after California voters approved harsher punishments for repeat theft and drug crimes, an early snapshot of charging data reveals uneven implementation of the law across the state. Reported with @maggieangst.bsky.social and David Hernandez: www.sfchronicle.com/california/a...
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- Massive $4 billion sexual abuse settlement sends ‘tremors’ through California schools www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
