Padilla and Schiff vote to block arms sales to Israel, citing Iran war
U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-CA) voted Wednesday in favor of Senate resolutions introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to block the sale of military bulldozers and 1,000-pound bombs to Israel — a notable shift for both California senators, who had opposed similar measures in prior votes.
The two resolutions failed, rejected 40-59 and 36-63 respectively, with all Republicans and seven Democrats voting against them. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was among the seven Democrats who voted no, breaking with the overwhelming majority of his caucus.
“Being a stalwart friend of Israel does not mean agreeing with all decisions of the Israeli Government or Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” Padilla and Schiff said in a joint statement. “We oppose actions that further deepen the United States in an unauthorized conflict in Iran — one with no clear strategy, no legal authority, and no defined end.”
The two senators affirmed their support for Israel’s right to defend itself while drawing a line on specific weapons transfers.
“We voted to oppose the U.S. sale of specific weapons and equipment to Israel, which might be used in Iran or to facilitate further settlement activity, which we believe undermines Israel’s long-term security and our own,” they said. Both also announced they plan to vote against the president’s war supplemental funding bill.
The votes marked a significant shift — Schiff, who is Jewish and has been a reliable supporter of Israel, was among several Jewish senators to flip their position for the first time.
Bass unveils sweeping Climate Action Plan with carbon neutrality by 2045
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass released her Climate Action Plan yesterday, a roadmap of more than 50 actions aimed at reaching carbon neutrality by 2045, doubling local solar production, and installing 120,000 EV chargers across the city.
Bass made the announcement at the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant in Van Nuys, currently under construction to double its water-purifying capacity to 45 million gallons per day — enough to serve 500,000 Angelenos — by 2027.
“We’ve already made L.A. coal-free, opened one of the largest solar and battery storage facilities in the country, and doubled the number of EV chargers in Los Angeles,” Bass said. “With this plan, we’re doubling down on that progress and moving full steam ahead to clean our air, create green jobs, and build a more sustainable city.”
The plan sets targets including 100% clean energy by 2035, electrification of all LADOT transit buses by 2028, a 25% reduction in per capita water use by 2035, and an oil and gas drilling ordinance in 2026 that would prohibit new extraction and phase out existing operations citywide.
The full plan is available at plan.mayor.lacity.gov.
Muratsuchi leads bipartisan push for statewide bell-to-bell smartphone ban in schools
Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Palos Verdes, Gardena, and the South Bay) introduced a bipartisan bill (AB 1644) this week that would require all California public schools, from transitional kindergarten through 12th grade, to ban student smartphone use throughout the school day.
The bill builds on legislation Muratsuchi authored in 2019 and 2024, each time tightening restrictions on school phone use. AB 1644 would go further, mandating a full bell-to-bell ban with exceptions only for student safety, health needs, and teacher-approved educational purposes. It is co-authored by Assemblymembers Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach, Signal Hill, Carson), Josh Hoover (R-Folsom), and Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland).
“Research clearly shows that excessive smartphone use leads to negative academic and mental health outcomes, including reduced focus, increased depression and anxiety, and lower overall social and emotional well-being,” said Muratsuchi. “California should join New York, Texas, and other states in enacting a statewide bell-to-bell smartphone ban.”
“We are in the middle of a youth mental health crisis, and the research is clear: excessive smartphone use is making it worse,” said Lowenthal. “Right now, students are on their phones during passing periods, lunch, and every free moment — scrolling instead of connecting. AB 1644 creates bell-to-bell, phone-free schools across California so that time at school is spent on learning and on each other, not on adding to their screen time.”
At least 10 states have already adopted similar bans. A four-year nationwide study published in the JAMA Journal in 2025 found that by age 14, roughly a third of participants showed signs of increasing social media addiction and about a quarter showed increasing mobile phone addiction.
The bill is scheduled for a hearing in the Assembly Education Committee next week.
Bonta leads 19-state brief urging Supreme Court to preserve Haitian, Syrian TPS
California Attorney General Rob Bonta co-led a coalition of 19 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief before the U.S. Supreme Court, urging the justices to preserve Temporary Protected Status for Haitian and Syrian nationals, as the court prepares to hear oral arguments in the consolidated cases on April 29.
The brief was filed in Trump v. Miot and Mullin v. Doe — the two cases the Supreme Court fast-tracked together because a ruling in either will set precedent affecting all 1.3 million TPS holders across 17 countries currently protected from deportation.
The Trump administration terminated TPS for both Haiti and Syria in November 2025, despite the U.S. State Department continuing to classify both as Level 4: Do Not Travel countries.
“From the outset of the Trump Administration, lawful immigrants have been targeted in ways that defy our nation’s values and weaken our communities,” said Bonta. “We will not stand idly by as our neighbors and colleagues are ripped from their families and forced to return to countries that are still dangerous.”
The coalition argues the terminations would harm state economies, raise healthcare costs, and make communities less safe by deterring TPS holders from reporting crimes. A federal district court has blocked the terminations pending the Supreme Court’s ruling, expected in May or June.
The House added pressure Wednesday, passing a bipartisan bill 224-204 to extend Haiti TPS through 2029 — though the measure faces an uncertain path in the Senate and a promised presidential veto.
No member of the Los Angeles County congressional delegation issued a public statement on the vote, despite the county being home to an estimated 5,300 Haitian residents concentrated largely in Inglewood, Gardena, and Lancaster.
