Daily Business Reprt: Jan.15, 2025
Why Newsom invited Trump to visit LA fire zones
amid worries he’ll block disaster aid
By Alexei Koseff and Yue Stella Yu | CalMatters
After days of sniping back and forth with President-elect Donald Trump over California’s handling of the fires ravaging Los Angeles, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday invited the incoming Republican president to visit the state and survey the damage.
The Democratic governor signed his public overture “with respect and an open hand.” But he also included praise for outgoing President Joe Biden and implicit criticism of Trump’s early handling of the tragedy — reflecting the tricky balance between cooperation and controlling the narrative that Newsom is trying to maintain as he seeks help from his biggest political nemesis to address one of the worst disasters in California history.
“In the spirit of this great country, we must not politicize human tragedy or spread disinformation from the sidelines,” Newsom wrote in a letter also shared on social media. “Hundreds of thousands of Americans — displaced from their homes and fearful for the future — deserve to see all of us working in their best interests to ensure a fast recovery and rebuild.”
Since Tuesday, when a series of fires driven by hurricane-force winds began breaking out across the Los Angeles region, Trump has repeatedly blasted Newsom and other California leaders online for mismanaging the state’s water and called on “Newscum” to resign.
The hostile rhetoric has raised fears that Trump may follow through on earlier threats to withhold disaster aid from California unless the state overhauls its water policy by allowing more supply to flow south to Central Valley farmers and Southern California. That would make it substantially more costly for the state to recover from the Los Angeles fires, which are already estimated to have caused economic losses of more than $50 billion.
Former Trump administration officials told Politico last fall that the president-elect was flagrantly political with disaster funding during his first term. Trump reportedly withheld approval for aid related to California’s 2018 wildfires because of the state’s Democratic leanings, until aides showed him that many of the residents of the affected areas had voted for him.
On the campaign trail last year, he vowed that if the governor didn’t agree to divert more money to farmers, “we won’t give him money to put out all his fires.”
The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to an inquiry about Newsom’s invitation to visit.
Frustrations that some fire hydrants ran dry as crews battled a massive blaze in the Pacific Palisades — a failure that Newsom on Friday ordered the state to investigate — has underpinned much of the criticism.
The hostile rhetoric has raised fears that Trump may follow through on earlier threats to withhold disaster aid from California unless the state overhauls its water policy by allowing more supply to flow south to Central Valley farmers and Southern California. That would make it substantially more costly for the state to recover from the Los Angeles fires, which are already estimated to have caused economic losses of more than $50 billion.
Former Trump administration officials told Politico last fall that the president-elect was flagrantly political with disaster funding during his first term. Trump reportedly withheld approval for aid related to California’s 2018 wildfires because of the state’s Democratic leanings, until aides showed him that many of the residents of the affected areas had voted for him.
On the campaign trail last year, he vowed that if the governor didn’t agree to divert more money to farmers, “we won’t give him money to put out all his fires.”
The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to an inquiry about Newsom’s invitation to visit.
Because President Biden has already issued a major disaster declaration for the Los Angeles fires, unlocking critical aid for the response and recovery, Trump could try to punish California by reversing the order.
That would be an unprecedented move that would almost certainly be challenged in court, said Daniel Farber, a law professor at UC Berkeley.
Federal law gives sitting presidents the power to issue a disaster declaration but does not spell out if they can retract one, Farber said. “I don’t think that ever occurred to Congress that that would be an issue.” He noted that the statute’s purpose was to dispense disaster aid “orderly and efficiently” — so a president reversing a previous administration’s declaration “would really undermine the whole premise.”
“I think there are no backseats,” Farber said.
But Trump could still slow-walk how the Federal Emergency Management Agency distributed funds. That’s something he did in his first term, after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017. A 2021 federal report found that the Trump administration delayed $20 billion in disaster aid to the island.
“He could definitely let FEMA know to drag their feet,” Farber said. “You say they are dragging their feet deliberately for political reasons, and they just say, ‘No, we are doing the best we can. There’s a lot of paperwork.’”
Top Photo:Gov. Gavin Newsom, right, tours the downtown business district of Pacific Palisades as the Palisades Fire continues to burn in Los Angeles on Jan. 8, 2025. Newsom is appealing to President-elect Donald Trump to visit the LA fires. (Photo by Eric Thayer, Getty Images)
Landmark Hillcrest Cinema closes
A longtime hub for indie movies, Landmark Hillcrest closed on Jan. 6. It opened inside the Village Hillcrest mall in 1991. Another local theater operated by Landmark, the Ken Cinema on Adams Ave., closed in 2020 amid the pandemic. The closure comes amid a trend for people to watch movies at home rather than at the theater.
Mr. Moto Pizza announces discounted pizzas
Every Monday, guests are invited to enjoy 50% off on any large cheese, pepperoni or specialty pizza at Mr. Moto Pizza, with locations in North Park, Seaport Village, and Little Italy. Enter code “Monday50” at checkout to indulge in some of San Diego’s tastiest pies at an even tastier price. Discount not valid for any additional toppings. Not valid on Gluten-free pizzas or through 3rd party order platforms.
This announcement follows a similar initiative in November where pizzas were free on Mondays, with customers urged to donate instead. After their Moto Gone Crazy campaign, they donated $3,000 to the YMCA.
Mama’s Pies raises more than $170,000
Mama’s Pies, San Diego County’s largest annual bake sale, was a smashing success in its 20th year, raising more than $172,000 for Mama’s Kitchen’s critical medically tailored meal delivery services. That is a whopping $27,000 more than the organization’s original $145,000 goal set for this year’s pie sale.
This year, more than 68 pie sellers across 19 pie teams amassed more than 3,000 total pie sales. The top pie-selling teams were Jack in the Box/Del Taco, Klinge Realty Group, and Volunteer with Cheli, while the top individual sellers were Neda Nourani, Dr. Matt Hubbard, and Steve Carnes.
City seeks volunteers for boards, commissions
As the season of fresh starts and New Year’s resolutions gets underway, the City of San Diego is inviting residents to kick off 2025 by making a difference in their community. Volunteering for one of the City’s boards and commissions offers San Diegans a chance to get involved and help shape the future of their city.
City boards and commissions play an important role in guiding San Diego’s policies, regulations and community priorities. With nearly 50 boards and commissions, there are numerous opportunities for residents to contribute their skills and perspectives to a range of areas.
To be considered for a board or commission, applicants must complete an online application, which asks for information such as employment history, references and specific interests related to the board or commission. Some board seats have specific requirements as to an applicant’s skills, political affiliation or demographicts.
MTS hires Keen Independent Research for equity statement
The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) hired Keen Independent Research to help the agency develop an Equity Statement and Equity Policy that reflects the agency’s commitment to equitably serving the public.
To complete this work, Keen Independent Research will assess MTS’ current service delivery and collect input from riders, other local residents and employees. In 2022, MTS conducted a Social Equity Listening Tour to identify the needs and priorities of hard-to-reach community members. The agency used the information to fund improvements such as new shelters and lighting, better trash cans to help address cleanliness, beautification and more.
Keen Independent Research will build on these efforts to help the agency craft the Equity Statement and Policy.
SD Unified receives $1.5 million grant for military-connected schools
The U.S. Dept. of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) has awarded San Diego Unified a $1.5 million grant to enhance STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) instruction at seven elementary schools with a minimum of 10% military-connected students.
The goal of the Operation QUEST (Questioning, Understanding, Experiencing, Sharing and Thinking) grant is to collaborate with the San Diego Unified STEM Department in engaging students in grades TK-5 in interdisciplinary STEAM curriculum. The approach is to expand and enhance problem-based classroom instruction and student-centered instructional strategies that incorporate hands-on experiences and emphasize the development of social-emotional skills.
Library’s Winter Reading Challenge
Pick up a new book in the new year and join the City of San Diego Public Library’s (SDPL) Winter Reading Challenge. This year’s theme is Be a Reading Machine and focuses on the world of engineering, invention and high-tech skills.
The Winter Reading Challenge runs from Jan. 1 to Jan. 31, 2025, and is open to readers of all ages. Participants can earn prizes by completing a combination of five books, five hours of reading or literacy-based activities like attending a library STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) program, creating a simple do-it-yourself machine or using a free tool to learn more about coding. Upon completion, readers will be eligible for prizes, including museum passes, a bendable robot and a special edition robot pin featuring Odi, SDPL’s mascot.
Participants can register online and view a list of recommended books and activities by visiting sandiego.gov/WinterReading. Registration is also available in person at any SDPL location and participants can visit the SDPL calendar online to find storytimes and book discussions near them.
