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California Policy and Politics Tuesday
Navarro’s bid to stave off jail sentence denied at Supreme Court -- Chief Justice John Roberts on Monday turned down Navarro’s emergency motion to stave off his imminent jail sentence — set to begin Tuesday at 2 p.m. in a Miami federal prison — for his defiance of a subpoena from the House Jan. 6 committee two years ago. Kyle Cheney, Josh Gerstein Politico Ann E. Marimow in the Washington Post$ -- 3/19/24.
Supreme Court lets ‘insurrectionist’ ban against New Mexico official stand -- The Supreme Court has turned away a convicted member of the Jan. 6 mob who was barred from public office in New Mexico under the Constitution’s “insurrection clause” seeking to reverse his disqualification. Kyle Cheney, Zach Montellaro Politico -- 3/19/24
Prop. 1 backers and foes both seek count of thousands of disqualified ballots -- Opponents and proponents of Governor Gavin Newsom’s Prop. 1 mental health bond measure are seeking to correct rejected ballots from the March 5 primary — usually rejected due to a voter’s missing signature or a mismatched signature — as the fate of Prop. 1 hangs by a razor-thin margin. Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 3/19/24
Down to the wire: Joe Simitian leads Evan Low by 12 votes in race to replace U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo -- After nearly two weeks of counting ballots, Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian leads state Assemblymember Evan Low by just 12 votes in California’s Congressional District 16 race. Grace Hase in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/19/24
RFK Jr.’s potential VP pick is Bay Area local with strong ties to tech -- The emerging frontrunner to join RFK Jr.'s presidential ticket is a wealthy Bay Area attorney who could give him better access to the tech community. Joe Garofoli, Sara Libby in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/19/24
New SCOTUS rules for pols who block social media critics could impact case against S.F. Supervisor Dean Preston -- A Supreme Court ruling on public officials’ social media platforms could improve conservative journalist Susan Dyer Reynolds’ prospects of being allowed to sue San Francisco Supervisor Dean Preston for blocking her from his Twitter account, where she had repeatedly criticized him. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/19/24
AAPI leaders pressure Breed, police chief over ‘accidental’ 2023 death of Chinese immigrant -- Nearly a year after Yanfang Wu died from a fall, Asian American and Pacific Islander community members are demanding SFPD release video of the incident and investigate it as a possible hate crime. Ko Lyn Cheang in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/19/24
Oakland mayor touts public safety successes as stats tell a somewhat encouraging story -- Leaders say the crime trends are turning a corner in the East Oakland neighborhood where In-N-Out will soon close. Shomik Mukherjee in the East Bay Times$ -- 3/19/24
Housing
Hundreds of homes may replace part of huge Silicon Valley tech campus -- Several hundred homes could be built on a large chunk of a huge tech campus in the South Bay, a proposal that points to the ongoing and relentless shift in the Bay Area’s economy and real estate sector. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/19/24
Develop
A sign of the times: Tearing down an emptying O.C. office complex to build a warehouse -- A perfectly good office complex is being demolished to make way for a warehouse-distribution center in Santa Ana. Roger Vincent in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/24
Environment
California policy protecting major rivers upheld in long-awaited court decision -- California’s Bay-Delta Plan to protect big rivers by cracking down on water pumping from cities and farms was affirmed in a key court decision. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/19/24
Education
Schools get sudden donations after ‘The Last Repair Shop’ wins Oscar -- ‘The attention has been overwhelming, and we’re honored,’ said Steve Bagmanyan, part of a small team that repairs instruments for Los Angeles school students Cathy Free in the Washington Post$ -- 3/19/24
Guns
Firearm restrictions on defendants awaiting trial are constitutional, 9th Circuit rules -- While specific to the two cases in question, the court’s analysis adds to one of the most contentious debates in modern constitutional law: the scope of the 2nd Amendment’s protections when it comes to accused criminals. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/24
Street
L.A. authorities accuse Rebecca Grossman of ‘illegal conduct’ from jail, her legal team of jury tampering -- Deputy Dist. Atty. Ryan Gould and his colleague Jamie Castro filed a motion Monday that detailed several jailhouse calls Grossman had with her daughter and husband since her Feb. 23 conviction for killing two young brothers in a crosswalk while speeding on a residential Westlake Village street. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/24
Stalked with an AirTag? A class-action lawsuit against Apple in California will move forward -- Friday’s decision by U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco came in a class-action lawsuit that accuses Apple of taking inadequate steps to prevent stalkers from using the AirTag tracking devices, which the Silicon Valley company once called “stalker-proof.” Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/24
How was Hollywood exec’s daughter-in-law killed? Headless body gives few clues -- The wife of a prominent Hollywood agent’s son could have been shot, suffocated, poisoned, beheaded. Without more evidence, it’s impossible to determine, an autopsy says. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/24
California speeds plans to empty San Quentin’s death row -- California is accelerating its efforts to empty San Quentin’s death row with plans to transfer the last 457 condemned men to other state prisons by summer. Hannah Wiley in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/24
California Policy and Politics Monday
Trump’s lawyers say it is impossible for him to post bond covering $454 million civil fraud judgment -- Donald Trump’s lawyers told a New York appellate court Monday that it’s impossible for him to post a bond covering the full amount of his $454 million civil fraud judgment while he appeals. Associated Press -- 3/18/24
Adam Schiff: DOJ should have moved faster with Trump indictments -- Adam Schiff blames the Justice Department — at least partially — for the possibility that former President Donald Trump may not face trial in his federal cases before the 2024 election. Sophie Gardner Politico -- 3/18/24
McManus: Trump has big plans for California if he wins a second term. Fasten your seatbelts -- Former President Trump is bashing California in his 2024 campaign; if he wins he wants to force it to change — on environment, immigration, LGBTQ issues and more. Doyle McManus in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/18/24
A Central Valley politician was charged with voter fraud. Right-wing conspiracies took over -- After the arrest of former Lodi City Councilman Shakir Khan, San Joaquin County election officials have struggled to regain voters’ trust. Mackenzie Mays in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/18/24
Another downtown San Francisco hotel stops loan payments -- The real estate developer that owns Four Seasons San Francisco at the Embarcadero, has not made loan payments on the property in months, according to published reports. Clare Fonstein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/18/24
Can Asian voter turnout increase in Orange County? That’s the goal for this new coalition -- In the past several years, national Democrats and Republicans as well as grassroots organizations have increasingly targeted the Asian American constituency in Orange County in an effort to tip the influence of the growing voter bloc in their favor. Hanna Kang in the Orange County Register -- 3/18/24
S.F. corruption scandal: Prosecutors seek prison time for former PUC chief Harlan Kelly -- A jury convicted Harlan Kelly of fraud last year but his powerful friends are sticking by him: bureaucrats and businessmen and former politicians – including former Mayor Willie Brown. St. John Barned-Smith in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/18/24
Covid-Era Case on Free Speech to Test Supreme Court -- Justices to consider whether federal officials unlawfully pressured tech companies to suppress posts opposed to vaccines. Jan Wolfe, Jacob Gershman in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/18/24
Khanna Explains Opposition to TikTok Bill While Senators Signal Openness -- Representative Ro Khanna, the California Democrat representing Silicon Valley, laid out his case against a sweeping ban of the social media platform TikTok on Sunday after opposing legislation that overwhelmingly passed the House last week, saying the bill would be ineffective. Minho Kim in the New York Times$ -- 3/18/24
Fisker
Fisker to Pause Production for Six Weeks -- The embattled electric-vehicle maker disclosed the stoppage Monday amid a series of updates on its efforts to avoid potential bankruptcy, saying the pause will allow it to “align inventory levels” and focus on strategic and financing initiatives. Dean Seal in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/18/24
Border
The most iconic stretch of border wall is being replaced. New murals have a lot to say about that -- The replacement project in Playas de Tijuana isn’t even finished, but muralists have already returned to keep alive the tradition of the using the wall as a canvas for ideas about the border and migration. Alexandra Mendoza in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/18/24
San Diego Tax
San Diego leaders want voters to raise the city’s sales tax this November. Here’s what that could mean -- Details of the proposed one-cent hike, which city officials have been negotiating for months in closed-door meetings, were just revealed publicly for the first time. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/18/24
Sacramento Diocese
Catholic Diocese of Sacramento sets date for planned bankruptcy protection filing -- The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento, which announced in December that it planned to file for bankruptcy protection because of a crush of sexual abuse lawsuits, will file with the bankruptcy court on April 1. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/18/24
South San Francisco
This Bay Area city is the latest to try and reconnect neighborhoods divided by freeways -- In the span of a mile, two highways and a rail line slice through the heart of South San Francisco, forming barriers that residents must navigate daily on their way to work, school or to visit family. Ethan Varian in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/18/24
Housing
Big San Jose housing project may zip through streamlined approvals -- A big San Jose housing development proposed for a site near a key transit stop that could produce hundreds of residences is poised to zip through the city approval process in a streamlined fashion. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/18/24
Realtors settlement brings confusion, relief to Southern California’s real estate industry -- Local Realtors say it's too soon to decipher the impact of a proposed pact ending more than 20 antitrust lawsuits. Jeff Collins in the Orange County Register -- 3/18/24
Education
Don Shalvey, ‘fearless’ charter school pioneer and mentor, dies at 79 -- He founded California’s first charter school, instigated changes in state law and inspired charter leaders. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 3/18/24
School activities that combat racism may also reduce bullying. Will California use this strategy? -- The same strategy that combats racial intolerance among K-12 students also produces schools where children are less likely to be bullied or feel alone, research has shown. Cathie Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/18/24
Environment
Coast Guard vessel gushes diesel into ocean off Northern California coast -- The 500-gallon diesel spill on Friday was the result of an operator error and was not expected to affect the shoreline, officials said. Nora Mishanec in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/18/24
Street
More than half of San Diego pursuits start for minor violations, and crashes are common, data show -- The city’s Commission on Police Practices, a civilian oversight board, is taking a look at the department’s pursuit policy after a vehicle fleeing police smashed into a car, killing two young boys Lyndsay Winkley in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/18/24
Also
Walking to the airport? LAX construction spurs lengthy traffic delays, misery among fliers -- Construction delays led to bumper-to-bumper traffic at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday morning, with some travelers claiming it took them nearly an hour to get through the congestion. Jack Flemming in the Los Angeles Times$ Mona Darwish in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 3/18/24
See what’s fueling the return of supersonic passenger flights -- In January, more than 100 people gathered at an airplane hangar in California to watch NASA unveil its X-59 demonstrator jet — a futuristic aircraft designed to travel faster than the speed of sound that has helped revive excitement for supersonic travel. Lori Aratani, Monica Rodman in the Washington Post$ -- 3/18/24
As hungry bears awaken from hibernation, a California mountain village braces for invasion -- At Pine Mountain Club in Kern County, home and vehicle break-ins by bears are a recurring source of stress, as well as community division. Louis Sahagún in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/18/24
Alan G. Sieroty, former state senator who helped create the Coastal Commission, dies at 93 -- Former state Sen. Alan G. Sieroty, a Democrat from Beverly Hills who championed disability rights and efforts to protect California’s coast, died Saturday. He was 93. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/18/24