Can the Central Valley’s agriculture industry survive the Trump administration?
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Good morning. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.
- Trump’s immigration plan could affect California’s harvest.
- The U.S. and Colombia back down from a trade war over deportation flights.
- How Pasadena Playhouse is helping kids affected by the L.A. fires.
- And here’s today’s e-newspaper.
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Deportation fears could affect state harvests
California has an estimated 162,000 farmworkers and more than half of them are undocumented, federal data show.
Given that, it’s no surprise that immigrant communities in the Central Valley and beyond are on heightened alert as President Trump looks to follow through on his vows of historic mass deportations.
After dozens of people were arrested during a Border Patrol operation in Bakersfield earlier this month (in the final weeks of Joe Biden’s presidency), immigrant advocates voiced concerns that it was a harbinger of what to expect in Trump’s second term.
Now community groups are mobilizing in response to those fears, encouraging residents to report sightings of U.S. Border Patrol or Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
And as California braces for a promised blitz of raids and deportations, farmers in the state are expressing fears that targeting their workforce could lead to lost harvests and higher food prices.
Strike teams work to ‘build power, not panic’
The last time Trump was president, grassroots rapid-response networks launched across California and the U.S. as a first line of defense for immigrant communities fearful of raids and deportations.
“The premise was straightforward,” The Times’ Rebecca Plevin explained in her recent reporting. “People who see immigration or border agents in their community call or text a hotline. A dispatcher notifies volunteers, who respond to the reported address to confirm whether there is, in fact, an active operation. If verified, the dispatcher can send out a legal observer to monitor the situation, as well as an attorney to provide legal assistance.”
The groups can help decipher facts from rumors in a charged social media landscape that can deter some from going to work or taking their kids to school. The networks also work to inform immigrants of their rights and provide legal defense to those detained by federal officials.
“Our primary goal is to build power, not panic,” Lisa Knox, co-executive director and legal director for the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice, told Rebecca.
Deportation fears are being felt on Central Valley farms — and could affect harvests.
In recent weeks, news organizations have reported that many Central Valley farmworkers are not showing up for work, fearing they’ll be arrested or deported.
Some in the agriculture industry are warning that losing the vital labor — either from fear or federal enforcement — could do a number on California’s lucrative crops and would soon be felt by consumers, too.
“They’re not going to show up for work and that means crops will remain in the field and not be harvested and probably lost at that point,” Monterey County Farm Bureau Executive Director Norm Groot told NBC Bay Area News earlier this month, adding that scarce produce could lead to higher food prices.
I reached out to the California Farm Bureau to find out what it’s hearing from farmers and workers this week. The group’s director of media relations did not have information on that, but shared statements from its president, Shannon Douglass.
“Immigrant employees are the backbone of California’s agricultural sector, with roughly one-third of the nation’s agricultural workforce located in our state. These employees play a critical role in producing the fruits, vegetables and nuts that make California the nation’s leader in specialty crops,” Douglass wrote. “Indiscriminate deportations could disrupt California agriculture, rural communities and the broader economy.”
Today’s top stories
Rain and snow across Southern California temper the fire threat — for now
- By midmorning Monday, the heaviest rain and snowfall had mostly passed, but cleanup and recovery efforts were ongoing after bursts of intense downpours — some that hit near fragile burn scars.
- The amount of rain that fell isn’t quite enough to end Los Angeles’ fire season dragging into February. Officials said the region needs 2 to 4 inches of rain to comfortably ditch the ongoing wildfire threat; this storm dropped a half-inch to 1.5 inches across the L.A. Basin.
- The possibility for isolated showers will remain across the Los Angeles Basin into Tuesday.
The U.S. and Colombia back down from trade war
- An impasse between the United States and Colombia over Colombia’s refusal to accept deportation flights has ended, following a day in which each side threatened tariffs on the other.
- On Sunday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro turned back two U.S. military flights carrying deportees as part of President Trump’s plan to expel millions of migrants.
- In response, Trump said he was ordering a 25% tariff on all Colombian exports to the U.S. that would rise to 50% in a week if flights were not resumed.
The Air Force restores the use of Tuskegee Airmen training materials
- The Air Force had removed training courses with videos of its storied Tuskegee Airmen and the Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs, on Sunday to comply with the Trump administration’s removal of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a post on X that any move to cut the training was “immediately reversed.” But the swirl of confusion reflects an ongoing struggle as leaders across the Defense Department try to purge diversity mentions from their websites and training.
The countdown to Super Bowl LIX begins
- Here’s everything you need to know about the game, including start time, TV channel, how to stream, betting odds and more.
- Are officials favoring the Chiefs? Drue Tranquill tells conspiracy theorists to ‘kick rocks.’
- Dick Vermeil, who coached Eagles and Chiefs, says Super Bowl LIX will be one for ages.
What else is going on
- ‘The process of healing can begin’: Pacific Palisades fully reopens to residents.
- ‘It’s a PR stunt’: Some fire victims claim Airbnb’s free housing vouchers are useless.
- A new strain of bird flu was found on a California duck farm.
- Is Xavier Becerra’s next move running for governor? He’s not saying. Yet.
- At this year’s Sundance Film Festival, disconnection reigns and rabbits rule.
- Health groups prepare for the unthinkable: Working with RFK Jr.
- Thousands of Palestinians stream back to northern Gaza as cease-fire with Israel holds.
- ‘This is the home we have left’: Fire victims face deadline to leave L.A. County RV park.
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Commentary and opinions
- Did a famous grave in the Altadena hills survive the fires? Columnist Gustavo Arellano investigates.
- Everyone wants fire cleanup to be fast, columnist Anita Chabria writes. Will we regret it?
- Stop the outrage. To cope with Trump, ignore what he says and watch what he does, writes columnist Mary McNamara.
- Not a speck of evidence has emerged showing that the COVID virus leaked from a Chinese lab. So why does a just-released CIA statement claim that it did? Blame politics, columnist Michael Hiltzik writes.
- As the cease-fire takes effect, Gaza is full of grief and defiance, guest columnist Emad Moussa writes.
This morning’s must reads
Stranded in Mexico City, these migrants hoping to reach the United States have no good options. It was supposed to be a temporary stop, a place for the migrant camp of La Soledad to regroup and wait for the right moment to continue on toward the United States. Then President Trump issued decrees that effectively shut down migration along the U.S.-Mexico border. Despondent and broke — many sold homes, borrowed cash, paid smugglers and left children behind in pursuit of the American dream — they now face an existential reckoning: What next?
Other must reads
- Once homeless, his house burned in Altadena fire. ‘This isn’t the first time I’ve had nothing.’
- A blind boy went viral after the L.A. fires. But what happens when the internet moves on?
- For some affluent homeowners, private fire hydrants are in big demand after devastating L.A. wildfires.
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to [email protected].
For your downtime
Going out
- 🥟🥮24 delicious ways to celebrate the Lunar New Year in Los Angeles.
- 🎭How Pasadena Playhouse is helping kids affected by the L.A. fires.
Staying in
- 📺Morris Chestnut is putting his “bad doctor” days behind him, taking on a new specialty as a compassionate geneticist and internist in CBS’ medical drama “Watson,” a modern reboot of the Sherlock Holmes mythology.
- 🍜This food-relief organization is giving ‘soup energy.’ Here’s how to make its nourishing recipes.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.
A question for you: What movie do you think should win the Oscar for Best Picture?
Luis Carlos Gutiérrez-Negrín writes: “To me, the Oscar must go to ‘Conclave,’ a film with an excellent story, very good performances (Ralph Fiennes, Isabella Rosselini) and an unexpected end, that was wisely directed. It helps to expose much of the good, the bad and the ugly of Vatican politics, particularly when it’s necessary to elect a new Pope.”
Email us at [email protected], and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.
And finally ... your photo of the day
Today’s great photo is from Times photographer Jason Armond at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where Times reporters and photographers have been documenting actors, writers, directors and documentary subjects shaping the cultural conversation in Park City, Utah, Hollywood and beyond.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Defne Karabatur, fellow
Andrew Campa, Sunday reporter
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Hunter Clauss, multiplatform editor
Christian Orozco, assistant editor
Stephanie Chavez, deputy metro editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
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