California Democrats Plan To Take Measured Approach During Trump's Second Term

Here are the morning’s top stories on Monday, December 16, 2024…

• The first time Donald Trump was elected president, blue state Democrats — particularly those from California — asserted themselves as the frontline of the resistance. Eight years later, they say they’re making an intentional decision to stay calm, at least for now.
• It’s official. California regulators are enforcing an agreement with the state’s largest insurance companies that they hope will stem the insurance crisis.
• Crews have been working around the clock in the community of Scotts Valley in the Santa Cruz Mountains after a rare tornado touched down in the city on Saturday. At least five people were injured.

California Democrats Adopt Measured Approach As Trump Returns To The White House

The first time Donald Trump was elected president, blue state Democrats — particularly those from California — asserted themselves as the frontline of the resistance. Eight years later, they say their best strategy for confronting a second Trump presidency is to stay calm.

Take California’s newly sworn-in U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff: The former House member garnered national attention during Trump’s first term. Schiff led the first impeachment of the president-elect, served on the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, and regularly appeared on TV news as a spokesperson for a defiant Democratic party. However, as he begins his first term as senator, Schiff said his primary focus is on what he can get done for his home state. “We have a lot of serious challenges that people talk to me up and down the state as I traveled to California during the campaign,” he said, going on to cite the state’s high cost of living, water and air quality, and wildfires. “My first priority is solving those problems, meeting the needs of Californians.”

Schiff isn’t alone. As blue state Democrats brace for the president-elect to be sworn in again, even those he’s named as political enemies, like Schiff and others on the Jan. 6 committee, say they won’t be the ones picking a fight.

California Issues New Rules For Home Insurers

The state’s insurance department is requiring companies to write more policies in risky wildfire areas. In exchange it will let them use forward-looking risk models to set rates.

That will likely mean consumers will pay more for insurance, but state officials say this is far better than the alternative.

Many Californians have not been able to get any insurance at all, after companies pulled back from the state following years of disastrous fires and high inflation. Previously, California had forced the insurance industry to use historical data to set rates. But that did not account for how wildfires have intensified as the climate changes.

Santa Cruz County Tornado Reached 90 Miles Per Hour, Injured 5

The National Weather Service says a tornado that touched down in Santa Cruz County Saturday afternoon had maximum wind speeds of 90 miles per hour.

The tornado, which briefly wreaked havoc in the small mountain town of Scotts Valley, injured five people, according to the Scotts Valley Police Department.

“Of those injured, three individuals were transported to area medical facilities, with one being admitted for continued treatment,” the department said in a statement Sunday. “Fortunately, there were no reported fatalities, and we are actively following up with the remaining injured parties to monitor their recovery and ensure their well-being.”