Levi Sumagaysay
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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: @levisu@sfba.social
Posts Replies Media Videos
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 · 2d
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 · 17d
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
Reposted by Levi Sumagaysay
bloomberg.com
It’s the second time this week the GOP-held Senate has split from the president over tariffs.
Senate Rebuffs Trump on Canada Tariffs Amid GOP Dissent on Trade
The Republican-controlled Senate narrowly passed a bill to end Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada, highlighting GOP divisions over the duties just days after the president threatened to increase them further to punish the US’s northern neighbor.
bloom.bg
October 29, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Reposted by Levi Sumagaysay
mychal3ts.bsky.social
If you and your children are not ready for a particular book, that is okay. It is not okay to limit the access to books, stories, and experiences for other families. Every book is not for everyone, but every book is for someone.

bookriot.com/the-day-the-books-disappeared-school-visit-cancelation/
Why Did These Authors Have Their School Visit Canceled? They Were Talking About Their Book About Book Bans.
Country Club Elementary School in California's Bay Area canceled an author visit moments before it began. Why? It covered book bans.
bookriot.com
October 29, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Reposted by Levi Sumagaysay
calmatters.org
California has nearly 500,000 young people ages 16 to 24 who are neither working nor in school. Finding them a job is part of the solution, but it goes much deeper than that. Many are struggling socially and emotionally, too, making it even harder to move forward. bit.ly/4oO75CJ

📸 Felix Uribe
Jodeah Wilson, 22, on his laptop at his off-campus apartment near Sacramento State University on Oct. 17, 2025. Wilson, a former Sac State student, left school this semester after being unable to afford tuition. Photo by Felix Uribe for CalMatters/Catchlight. Quote: “(My father) supports me where it’s necessary, but in other aspects of my life, he shouldn’t, because I’m a man. I’m supposed to kind of do what I got to do.” Jodeah Wilson, 22, owes $4,000 in missed tuition payments and has been rejected by more than 50 employers over the past two years.
October 29, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Reposted by Levi Sumagaysay
darinself.com
Stagflation

The Fed Chair is describing stagflation but does not want to say the word.
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 18d
Powell: "In the near term, risks to inflation are tilted to the upside, and risks to employment to the downside -- a challenging situation. There is no risk-free path for policy as we navigate this tension between our employment and inflation goals."
October 29, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Reposted by Levi Sumagaysay
jamiedupree.bsky.social
🚨 The Senate votes 52-48 to overturn President Trump's 50 percent tariffs on Brazil. 5 GOP Senators break ranks to vote against Trump: Collins ME, McConnell KY, Murkowski AK, Paul KY, and Tillis NC.
October 28, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Reposted by Levi Sumagaysay
leximcmenamin.com
"If everyone has to cobble together their own constellation of individual creators $5 at a time? That’s not a media ecosystem. It’s a privatized patchwork of tip jars. Counting on people who pay you directly isn’t the same as not having a boss. You have 100 and can’t afford to piss off any of them."
Patron-Supported Journalism Can’t Be the Future of News
Writing about the failure of patron-supported journalism is itself a kind of...
talkingpointsmemo.com
October 27, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Reposted by Levi Sumagaysay
calmatters.org
Faced with deep federal cuts to social services programs, labor and health care groups are asking voters to circumvent the governor – to tax a very small number of people.
bit.ly/4huU66r

📸 Anne Wernikoff
A doctor listens to a patient's heartbeat at the Mountain Valley Health Center in Bieber on July 24, 2019. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters
October 24, 2025 at 8:49 PM