Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!
DOGE EYES CALIFORNIA OFFICES FOR CLOSURE
More than five dozen federal offices in California are set to be eliminated by the new Department of Government Efficiency.
DOGE, led by billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk, is carrying out President Donald Trump’s plan to shrink the federal government. It has laid off thousands of federal workers and claims to have canceled contracts worth billions of dollars.
As of Thursday, 64 of the 748 potential lease terminations listed on the DOGE website were in California, with locations ranging from Yreka to San Diego.
They include a 315-square-foot office in Chico for the Small Business Administration, which rents for $7,560 per year, and a $2.4 million, 58,000-square-foot office space in Los Angeles for the Securities and Exchange Commission.
According to Bloomberg, the SEC informed staff this week that it would be terminating leases for its Los Angeles and Philadelphia offices.
The US Geological Survey also has a 20,000-square-foot office in Menlo Park, which it left last year to relocate to nearby Mountain View.
Overall, the California leases in DOGE’s crosshairs total $20.5 million per year.
DOGE claims to have discovered $105 billion in federal savings, but an NPR review of the posted receipts revealed that the agency has vastly overstated expected savings.
It’s unclear how the planned office closures will affect Trump’s executive order, which calls for federal employees to return to work full-time.
According to DOGE’s website, the following federal offices in the Sacramento area are scheduled to close, along with their annual lease cost:
- General Services Administration, Auburn, $31,025
- Unnamed agency office, Folsom, $39,208
- Small Business Administration, Chico, $7,560
- Natural Resources Conservation Service, Woodland, $117,085
- Farm Service Agency- State, Madera, $115,740
- Internal Revenue Service National Office, Stockton, $352,524
- Mine Safety Health Administration, Vacaville, $348,025
- Bureau of Prisons, Stockton, $1,160,491
- Internal Revenue Service National Office, Visalia, $208,585
- Internal Revenue Service National Office, Modesto, $234,073
- Civil Corps of Engineers, Davis, $508,914
NEWSOM’S BUDGET WON’T COVER FREE SCHOOL MEALS
Students are increasingly taking advantage of California’s universal school meals program, which provides free breakfast and lunch to all K–12 students.
According to a report by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, schools served 9% more breakfasts and nearly 4% more lunches between the academic years 2022 and 2023, despite declining overall school enrollment.
Even though Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed an additional $84 million for the program, the LAO believes it will not be enough to cover the 5% expected increase in school meals and recommends an additional $32 million.
The universal school meals program launched in 2022, when Newsom and lawmakers used a portion of a historic $100 billion surplus to provide two free meals to all students.
The program has persisted, but the state has done an inadequate job of estimating its true annual growth and costs: the Department of Finance has approved budget increases for school meals for three years in a row, according to the report.
In the current fiscal year, the state will spend $1.8 billion to cover meals that are not already subsidized by the federal government, which pays $2.7 billion for existing free and reduced lunch programs.
The LAO also recommends that Newsom cut $150 million from kitchen infrastructure upgrades and training to support fresh meals prepared on-site. It notes that the program has provided $750 million in recent years, which some districts are still spending.
Studies have shown that universal school meals reduce food insecurity as well as the stigma and embarrassment associated with eating school meals.
DEMS PREP FOR MIDTERMS
Five California Democratic congressmen were among 26 named by the party Thursday to receive special attention and funding because they are considered among the most vulnerable incumbents.
They are known as “frontliners” and are expected to play a critical role in Democrats’ efforts to gain a net of four house seats, allowing them to control the chamber.
Many are in congressional districts that have previously switched parties or supported President Donald Trump.
The list includes Rep. Adam Gray, a Central Valley freshman who defeated incumbent Republican John Duarte by fewer than 200 votes last year. Trump won the district by approximately 5 percentage points.
Rep. Josh Harder (D-Tracy) is also on the list. Donald Trump won his district by 1.8 percentage points. Harder won the race by 3.6 points.
Other Californians on the list include Reps. Dave Min of Irvine, George Whitesides of Palmdale, and Derek Tran of Garden Grove.
Whitesides and Tran defeated Republican incumbents, while Min won in a congressional district split between Democrats and Republicans.
Their designation as frontliners means that the national Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will promote, fundraise for, and assist them.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Sometimes Gavin Newsom goes for the Profile in Courage, sometimes not. We woke up profoundly sickened and frustrated by these remarks.”
- Sen. Caroline Menjivar and Asm. Chris Ward, leaders of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, criticize Newsom for saying trans women in sports is “deeply unfair” in the first episode of his new podcast.
