Levi Sumagaysay
LightNews LightNews
banner
levisu.bsky.social
Levi Sumagaysay
@levisu.bsky.social
550 followers 530 following 140 posts
Economy reporter for CalMatters. Bay Area-based. Covered tech, business at MarketWatch and Mercury News. Rhymes with Chevy.

Signal: levisu.36

https://levisu.me/
https://calmatters.org/author/levi-sumagaysay/
Mastodon: @[email protected]
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Levi Sumagaysay
propublica.org
Nevada regulators have accused Elon Musk’s Boring Co. of nearly 800 environmental violations in the last two years as it digs a sprawling tunnel network beneath Las Vegas for its Tesla-powered “people mover.”

By @anjeanette-damon.bsky.social and Dayvid Figler
Elon Musk’s Boring Co. Accused of Nearly 800 Environmental Violations on Las Vegas Project
Nevada could’ve fined the company more than $3 million, but regulators are seeking a reduced penalty of $242,800, citing an “extraordinary number of violations.”
www.propublica.org
November 25, 2025 at 8:11 PM
levisu.bsky.social
"If you did let your imagination run wild, especially if you were undocumented, everywhere you look, around the corner, is somebody that you’re fearful is going to try and get you and deport you.”

Nice deep dive by my colleague @nigelduara.bsky.social

calmatters.org/economy/2025...
How fear of Trump's immigration blitz is changing life in California farm towns
Tax receipts are down almost 30% in one California farm town, where immigrants are afraid to go out and some longtime workers are weighing self-deportation. People panicked when probation agents in gr...
calmatters.org
November 24, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Reposted by Levi Sumagaysay
calmatters.org
California nursing homes affiliated with Shlomo Rechnitz are facing lawsuits alleging that patients were raped, ignored and unnecessarily exposed to COVID-19. His companies deny the allegations. bit.ly/4i6FmLa

📝 @jocelynwiener.bsky.social
📸 Paul Kitagaki
🎨 Adriana Heldiz
Los Angeles entrepreneur Shlomo Rechnitz owns one of California’s largest nursing home chains. Several of the nursing homes are in court over patient allegations of neglect and negligence. Illustration by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters. Source image: Sacramento Bee photo by Paul Kitagaki. Hed: He built a nursing home empire despite state investigations. Now, lawsuits are piling up
November 20, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Reposted by Levi Sumagaysay
calmatters.org
New federal regulations could leave California with 61,000 fewer truck drivers as the Trump administration bans certain immigrants from operating large vehicles. With fewer truck drivers on the road, consumers may see higher shipping costs, too. bit.ly/4peUFUC

📸 Larry Valenzuela
Trucks carrying crops drive through farmland outside of Firebaugh in Fresno County on Sept. 24, 2025. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local. Hed: Up to 61,000 truck drivers in California could soon lose their licenses. Here’s why
November 20, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Reposted by Levi Sumagaysay
carlquintanilla.bsky.social
TEN MONTHS IN:

The national debt is higher.

The trade deficit is wider.

The inflation rate has worsened.

The unemployment rate is up.
November 20, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Reposted by Levi Sumagaysay
danlamothe.bsky.social
WAPO SCOOP: U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses as hate symbols

wapo.st/3Mbd9a6
U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses as hate symbols
The military service, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, has drafted a new policy that classifies such items “potentially divisive.”
wapo.st
November 20, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Reposted by Levi Sumagaysay
frombenc.bsky.social
I wrote about how Culver City became the first municipality in California (and likely the last for now) to ditch the ubiquitous two staircase requirement for mid-rises. As YIMBYs turn to impediments to construction beyond zoning, Culver City is an early test case.

calmatters.org/housing/2025...
One California city’s idea to tackle the housing crisis: Take the stairs
For champions of more housing development, ditching the extra staircase has become a buzzy cause in fighting California's housing crisis.
calmatters.org
November 17, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Reposted by Levi Sumagaysay
pbsnews.org
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday to get rid of tariffs on a broad swath of commodities, including beef, coffee and tropical fruits. It’s part of a response to pressure from consumers who complain prices are too high.
https://to.pbs.org/47YR6L4
Trump drops tariffs on beef, coffee, tropical fruit as pressure rises over consumer prices
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday to get rid of tariffs on a broad swath of commodities, including beef, coffee and tropical fruits. It's part of a response to pressure from cons...
www.pbs.org
November 15, 2025 at 12:31 AM
levisu.bsky.social
What will other Silicon Valley tech billionaires say?
reidhoffman.bsky.social Reid Hoffman @reidhoffman.bsky.social · 14d
Trump should release all of the Epstein files: every person and every document in the files.
November 15, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Reposted by Levi Sumagaysay
atrupar.com
Kevin Hassett on the October jobs report: "We'll maybe be able to concoct something, but we'll never actually know for sure what the unemployment rate was in October."
November 13, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Reposted by Levi Sumagaysay
paulgp.com
NBER grants to fund research into economic measurement - I find this agenda very compelling and important #linkoftheday
www.nber.org/news/nber-la...
November 13, 2025 at 1:32 PM
levisu.bsky.social
"The complete moral collapse happens when access becomes everything and truth becomes nothing."
November 12, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Reposted by Levi Sumagaysay
calmatters.org
“We feel alone, we feel forgotten,” one L.A. fire survivor said as she called for Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to step down. The elected Democrat counters that his reforms need time to work. bit.ly/43jCJzG

📝 @levisu.bsky.social
📸 Fred Greaves
Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara speaks during an event at CalMatters' studio in Sacramento on Sept. 19, 2024. Photo by Fred Greaves for CalMatters. Hed: ‘We feel alone’: L.A. fire survivors call for California’s insurance commissioner to resign
November 8, 2025 at 12:21 AM
Reposted by Levi Sumagaysay
carlquintanilla.bsky.social
The. Supreme. Court.

@politico.com #SNAP
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
November 8, 2025 at 12:45 AM
levisu.bsky.social
Los Angeles County fire survivors, frustrated about delayed and denied insurance claims, want CA insurance regulator Ricardo Lara to resign. They also accuse him of being too cozy with the industry. Would his exit make a difference in the state's insurance market?

calmatters.org/economy/2025...
'We feel alone': L.A. fire survivors call for California's insurance commissioner to resign
“We feel alone, we feel forgotten,” one L.A. fire survivor said as she called for Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to step down. The elected Democrat counters that his reforms need time to work.
calmatters.org
November 7, 2025 at 11:46 PM
Reposted by Levi Sumagaysay
legal.reuters.com
BREAKING: Trump administration must fully fund food aid benefits by Friday, US judge rules reut.rs/3LtkSQz
November 6, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Reposted by Levi Sumagaysay
calmatters.org
Breaking: It’s a yes for Prop. 50. California voters approved the measure to temporarily suspend the state’s nonpartisan citizens redistricting commission until 2030. bit.ly/3WAJfhI

📝 @mayacmiller.bsky.social& @jeannereporter.bsky.social
📸 Ted Soqui
Gov. Gavin Newsom smiles during a rally about redistricting at the Democracy Center of the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles on Aug. 14, 2025. Photo by Ted Soqui for CalMatters. Text: Breaking: Prop. 50 passes in California The gerrymandering plan has significant stakes far beyond California’s borders
November 5, 2025 at 4:11 AM
Reposted by Levi Sumagaysay
ndrew.bsky.social
oh cool an extra hour of 2025, exactly what everyone wanted
November 2, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Reposted by Levi Sumagaysay
calmatters.org
One California Head Start program has closed and three others face imminent closure due to the federal government shutdown, affecting about 1,000 very-low-income children and 270 teachers. bit.ly/4ofmdcf

📝 @carolynjones100.bsky.social
📸 Florence Middleton
Children listen during storytime at the Ralph Hawley Head Start Center at the YMCA of the East Bay in Emeryville on Dec. 9, 2024. Photo by Florence Middleton for CalMatters
October 31, 2025 at 10:08 PM
Reposted by Levi Sumagaysay
calmatters.org
The company behind ChatGPT is converting to a for-profit company and settling an investigation by California’s attorney general. Experts and advocates say the company could still exploit its charitable roots. bit.ly/4oJqKnd

📝 @levisu.bsky.social& @khari.bsky.social
📸 Eric Risberg, AP
OpenAI restructured to a for-profit company in a moved tied to an agreement with California Attorney General Rob Bonta. Company CEO Sam Altman participates in a discussion in San Francisco on Nov. 16, 2023. Photo by Eric Risberg, AP Photo. Hed: OpenAI just cut a deal with California. Critics say it’s full of holes
October 31, 2025 at 1:44 AM
Reposted by Levi Sumagaysay
chrisgeidner.bsky.social
BREAKING: Federal judge rules that the Trump administration likely illegally suspended SNAP benefits, ruling that at least reduced distribution is required to go forward under law using the $6 billion reserve fund.

Judge gives the Trump admin until Monday to respond as to whether it will act.
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS ET AL., Plaintiffs, V. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE ET AL., Defendants. * * * * * * * * * * * Civil Action No. 1:25-cv-13165-IT MEMORANDUM AND ORDER October 31, 2025 TALWANI, D.J. Pending before the court is Plaintiffs' Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order [Doc. No. 3] seeking to enjoin, on an emergency basis, Defendants' November 1, 2025 suspension of benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ("SNAP"). For the reasons stated below, Plaintiffs have standing to bring this action and are likely to succeed on their claim that Defendants' suspension of SNAP benefits is unlawful. Where that suspension of benefits rested on an erroneous construction of the relevant statutory provisions, the court will allow Defendants to consider whether they will authorize at least reduced SNAP benefits for November, and report back to the court no later than Monday, November 3, 2025. A. Likelihood of Success on the Merits Plaintiffs have demonstrated a strong likelihood of success on the merits of their claim under the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. § 706(2)(A), (C), that Defendants' suspension of SNAP benefits is contrary to law. At core, Defendants' conclusion that USDA is statutorily prohibited from funding SNAP because Congress has not enacted new appropriations for the current fiscal year is erroneous. To the contrary, Defendants are statutorily mandated to use the previously appropriated SNAP contingency reserve when necessary and also have discretion to use other previously appropriated funds as detailed below. As both parties acknowledge, Congress has not yet appropriated any new funds for SNAP benefits for Fiscal Year 2026, which began on October 1, 2025. Pls.' Mem. 6 [Doc. No. 4]; Defs.' Opp'n 7 [Doc. No. 18]. But Congress took steps to protect against the deprivation of SNAP assistance. In the 2024 Consolidated Appropriations Act, Pub. L. No. 118-42, § 6, 138 Stat. 25, 93-94, Congress separately appropriated $6 billion to the SNAP program "to remain available through September 30, 2026" and "be placed in reserve for use only in such amounts and at such times as may become necessary to carry out program operations." See also Pub. L. No. 119-4, § 1101(a), 139 Stat. 9, 10 (2025). As Plaintiffs point out, given the mandatory nature of SNAP benefits under 7 U.S.C. § 2014(a) and the appropriation of these funds to be available 10 Case 1:25-cv-13165-IT Document 26 Filed 10/31/25 Page 11 of 15 through this current fiscal year, the government is obligated to use this contingent reserve account to fund SNAP "as may become necessary to carry out program operations." 138 Stat. at 93-94; Pls.' Mem. 11 [Doc. No. 4]. Defendants argue out that a "suspension" is permitted under USDA's regulations, and that USDA "has consistently interpreted its authority to allow for the suspension or cancellation of benefits when necessary." Defs. Opp'n 6 [Doc. No. 18). The regulation at issue, 7 C.F.R. $ 271.7(a), sets forth procedures to be followed if monthly SNAP allowances "must be reduced, suspended, or cancelled to comply with section 18 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008" (emphasis added). But that the regulation allows for a suspension when there are no funds does not mean that Defendants may choose a suspension over a reduction while funds do remain. If the regulation did authorize such discretion, it would be inconsistent with the statutory mandate that benefits "shall" be paid unless funding is no longer available.
October 31, 2025 at 5:59 PM
levisu.bsky.social
A must-read.
calmatters.org CalMatters @calmatters.org · Oct 30
Once upon a time, California showed that you can reduce drunk driving deaths simply by trying. Now, the state’s headed backward.

And as deaths have increased, law enforcement has done less: DUI arrests statewide dropped from nearly 200K in 2010 to 100K in 2020.

1/6
Hed: California has some of the weakest DUI laws in the U.S. Subhed: The state allows repeat drunk and drugged drivers to stay on the road with little punishment. Here, drivers generally can’t be charged with a felony until their fourth DUI within 10 years, unless they injure someone. In some states, a second DUI can be a felony.
October 30, 2025 at 11:14 PM
levisu.bsky.social
No! OMCA is my favorite California museum.
October 30, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Reposted by Levi Sumagaysay
calmatters.org
Even if Congress approves Adan Schiff's or Doug LaMalfa’s legislation, the hospital is still left with another problem: reopening a closed facility requires cash, and lots of it. bit.ly/4qzZGZd

📸 Chris Kaufman
Licensed vocational nurse Jasman Gill, right, works with student vocational nurse Karissa Mena in the medical surgical unit at Glenn Medical Center in Willows on June 13, 2025. Photo by Chris Kaufman for CalMatters. Hed: Adam Schiff and Doug LaMalfa want to reopen this county’s only hospital. But it won’t be easy
October 29, 2025 at 7:01 PM
levisu.bsky.social
"The officer who shot him did not speak to him before he opened fire, did not identify himself, did not provide a verbal warning that he might use force, and did not provide medical attention after the incident. No CBP or Coast Guard officers tried to help him."
October 29, 2025 at 11:15 PM