Remembering Jimmy Carter And His Impact In California

Here are the morning’s top stories on Tuesday, January 7, 2025…

• Californians are remembering the legacy of late president Jimmy Carter as his family and his remains make their way from the Jimmy Carter Center in Atlanta to Washington DC.
• After facing two years of multi-billion dollar deficits, Governor Gavin Newsom says California’s state budget for the upcoming fiscal year can be balanced without new cuts or taxes. 
• Southern Californians are bracing for what forecasters are calling dangerous and “life-threatening” wind conditions over the next few days. A widespread red flag warning is in effect through Thursday due to the Santa Ana wind event, which could bring gusts of more than 80 miles per hour.
• President Joe Biden is visiting the Eastern Coachella Valley Tuesday, where he’ll formally dedicate a new national monument.

Former President Carter Remembered Fondly By Californians

The remains of former President Jimmy Carter are scheduled to arrive on Tuesday in Washington, D.C., where he will be honored with a ceremony in the U.S. Capitol before lying in state through Thursday morning.

The casket carrying the 39th president will leave the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta, where thousands of mourners paid their respects over the weekend, and will travel to Dobbins Air Reserve Base before boarding Special Air Mission 39 to Joint Base Andrews.

Californians are remembering Carter for everything from his work on the environment and immigration to his life after he left office, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity.

Newsom Projects Slight Budget Surplus, With Focus On Saving, Accountability

Bolstered by the rosiest fiscal picture of his second term, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday announced a plan to balance the state budget without any spending cuts — prioritizing existing programs and future savings over any ambitious new investments.

As he unveiled his $322.2 billion spending plan for the 2025–26 budget year, Newsom called on the Legislature to approve modest new investments in economic development and funding potential court battles with the incoming Trump administration, along with reforms to allow California to save more money for future budget downturns.

“It’s about more transparency, it’s about reform and it’s about being prepared for uncertainties into the future,” Newsom said of the budget plan. Officially, the administration is projecting a slight surplus in the spending plan, although the governor did not specify the surplus amount. In November, the Legislative Analyst’s Office had projected a $2 billion shortfall, which it described as leaving the budget “roughly balanced.”

SoCal Braces For ‘Life-Threatening’ Wind Storm

Forecasters are warning residents about damaging winds and extreme fire weather for Southern California in what could be the strongest wind event since 2011.

On social media, the National Weather Service called it “life-threatening” and warned that areas not typically affected by big wind events won’t be spared. The agency also said turbulence could force delays at LAX, Hollywood Burbank and Long Beach airports.

A red flag warning is in effect from 10 a.m. Tuesday for L.A. and Ventura counties until 6 p.m. Thursday due to the strong Santa Ana winds, which could lead to downed trees and power lines. “CalFire has strategically placed 45 additional engines throughout Southern California from San Luis Obispo down to San Diego. We’ve upstaffed all of our units down here so there’s additional staffing already with the firefighters in San Bernardino, Riverside and San Diego,” said CalFire Battalion Chief Brent Pascua.

Biden Creates 2 New National Monuments, Setting A Conservation Record

President Biden is creating two new national monuments in California on Tuesday, preserving the lands from development and setting a record for the most land and waters conserved by any president, the White House said.

The Sáttítla Highlands National Monument covers more than 224,000 acres in Northern California and includes the ancestral homelands of the Pit River Tribe and Modoc people. A dormant volcano is at its center, and it is home to the longest-known lava tube system in the world.

The Chuckwalla National Monument covers more than 624,000 acres south of Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California and includes sacred sites important to five groups of Indigenous people and 50 rare species of plants and animals, including the chuckwalla lizard.