Updating . .
California oil regulator cites ‘serious concerns’ on data collection -- Pressed by lawmakers about failing to shield protected aquifers from waste generated during oil drilling, California’s state regulator overseeing the oil industry conceded Wednesday that his agency is falling short. Jeremy B. White in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/11/15
Police support for Harris: A warning sign to Villaraigosa -- In any other campaign, a labor union backing a Democrat for U.S. Senate would be routine. Michael Finnegan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/15
Ports to stop unloading cargo for four days amid labor dispute -- Shipping companies said they will stop unloading ships at West Coast ports for four of the next five days because they don’t want to pay overtime to workers they allege have deliberately slowed operations. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/15
Gavin Newsom announces he'll run for California governor in 2018 -- California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is opening a campaign committee to run for governor in 2018, becoming the first candidate to enter the race, he announced Wednesday. Josh Richman in the San Jose Mercury$ Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ Carla Marinucci in the San Francisco Chronicle David Siders in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/11/15
Kamala Harris Heading to Hollywood for Senate Fundraiser -- Wednesday evening, Emmy Award-winning producer and co-founder of 3 Arts Entertainment Michael Rotenberg and his wife Shannon will host Harris’ first local senatorial fundraiser at their Bel Air home. Hollywood went all in for Harris during her successful run for State Attorney General, contributing at least $1.4 million to her campaign. Tina Daunt Hollywood Reporter -- 2/11/15
California’s 2014 Voter Turnout Was Even Worse Than You Thought -- For a state whose political leaders pride themselves on being focused on the future, California’s 2014 elections seem to have decidedly been driven by its past — as in, its older voters. Or put another way: It was the Year of the Grandparents. John Myers KQED -- 2/11/15
Why moving elections to even years is odd if L.A. -- In March 2013, Los Angeles voters went to the polls and defeated Measure A, a half-cent sales tax increase that would have boosted city revenues by $215 million a year. For city leaders, the defeat prompted some soul-searching — not so much about the city's finances or about the electorate's lack of trust in its leadership, but rather about the electorate itself. Turnout was low. In keeping with a long-term downward trend, just 21 percent of registered voters showed up to the polls. Gene Maddaus LA Weekly -- 2/11/15
Cap-and-trade: Transportation fuels on the block -- For the first time, permission slips to sell an array of fuels used in California – and which account for nearly 40 percent of the state’s carbon emissions – will be put on the auction block as part of the state’s landmark law to curb climate-changing greenhouse gases. John Howard Capitol Weekly -- 2/11/15
BART measles alert: riders may have been exposed -- BART officials warned riders Wednesday that they may have been exposed to measles after a passenger with the virus commuted to and from the LinkedIn offices in San Francisco from Feb. 4 to Feb. 6 — and urged those who think they have symptoms to see a doctor immediately. Kurtis Alexander and Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/11/15
Senator calls for mandatory helmets for California cyclists -- Sen. Carol Liu on Wednesday announced a bill, SB 192, that will require bicycle riders to wear helmets or face a $25 fine. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/11/15
Stem cells reduce MS brain damage -- In what could herald a major advance in treating multiple sclerosis, brain damage was significantly reduced in patients getting stem cell transplants, compared to a control group. Results of the small Phase 2 trial -- the first of its kind -- are preliminary but promising, according to experts not involved with the trial. Bradley J. Fikes UT San Diego$ -- 2/11/15
Benzene in fracking water in California is 700 times federal safety level -- Hoping to better understand the health effects of oil fracking, the state in 2013 ordered oil companies to test the chemical-laden waste water extracted from wells. Julie Cart in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/15
California cops, cities offer new medical marijuana bill -- With one eye on a looming effort to legalize recreational marijuana in California, organizations representing the state's cities and police officers are pushing a Sacramento-area lawmaker’s bill to regulate medical cannabis. Jeremy B. White in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/11/15
Cancer patients, doctors sue to allow physician-assisted death for terminally ill -- A group of cancer patients and physicians filed a lawsuit Wednesday to clarify the ability of mentally competent, terminally ill patients in California to obtain prescription drugs from their physician to hasten their death if they find their suffering unbearable. Patrick Mcgreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/15
Charter school enrollment surges -- Statewide enrollment in charter schools grew 7 percent this school year, so that more than one in 12 California public school students attends a charter school, according to an advocacy group's report released Wednesday. Sharon Noguchi in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/11/15
L.A. Business Council endorses Garcetti's proposed minimum-wage hike -- The Los Angeles Business Council, a Westside-based coalition of firms that has supported progressive causes such as affordable housing and clean-energy projects, appeared with Garcetti at a City Hall press conference. Peter Jamison in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/15
Should UC system's out-of-state students pay even more? -- Pennsylvania resident Amy Shao enrolled at UCLA last year knowing that she would pay a steep $23,000 more for tuition than her classmates who grew up in California. But with a lot of help from her parents, large loans and some federal grants, she has managed to pay her UC bills. Larry Gordon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/15
Stanford tuition rising this fall -- The new fees will raise the undergraduate tab to $60,427 for next year, a total that includes $14,107 for room and board and $591 for a mandatory health fee. Katy Murphy in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/11/15
L.A. to offer rewards for information in hit-and-run crashes -- In a push to solve and prevent more hit-and-run traffic collisions, Los Angeles city officials said Tuesday that they will launch an alert system to share information about drivers who flee the scenes of crashes. Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/15
Google buys Altamont wind energy to power Googleplex -- The tech giant has no plans to brand the blades with its multicolored logo, but its 20-year power purchase agreement with Florida-based NextEra Energy will dramatically transform the rolling, treeless landscape that connects the Bay Area with the Central Valley. About 770 old turbines from the 1980s will be replaced this year by 48 new machines producing twice as much energy, enough to power Google's corporate campus in Mountain View with 100 percent renewable power. Matt O'Brien in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/11/15
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Judge says families can push state to devise execution protocol -- Family members of murder victims have the right to try to force the state to move forward with execution plans for administering lethal injection, a Sacramento judge has ruled. Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/15
Sides square off over climate change proposals by California Democrats -- The release of climate change proposals by Senate Democrats on Tuesday quickly spawned a heated debate over the direction of California's economy and the potential effect of new environmental regulations. Chris Megerian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/15
Senate leader casts environmental package as jobs bill -- One month after Gov. Jerry Brown proposed dramatically expanding California’s greenhouse gas reduction laws, Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León announced legislation Tuesday to enact the proposal. David Siders in the Sacramento Bee$ Judy Lin Associated Press Amy Quinton Capital Public Radio David R. Baker in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/11/15
Unclaimed property policy has conflict, needs improvement, state report says -- The state has a reduced incentive to track down the owners of unclaimed bank accounts, insurance policies and other financial valuables because those assets provide $400 million in annual revenue for the state budget, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office. Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/15
AG Kamala Harris promises to talk about 2016 Senate run … soon -- Menlo Park — It was billed as an “official” event to discuss Internet safety with teens, but California Attorney General Kamala Harris‘ star turn at Facebook headquarters Tuesday was also a preview of what her coming run for U.S. Senate is going to look — and sound — like. Carla Marinucci in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/11/15
Kamala Harris' Senate bid endorsed by ex-state party chief Art Torres -- Former state lawmaker and state Democratic Party chairman Art Torres endorsed Kamala Harris’ bid for the U.S. Senate on Tuesday. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/15
New L.A. alert system will broadcast when fatal hit-and-run occurs -- There is an epidemic of hit-and-run incidents in L.A. Nationwide, 11% of vehicle crashes are hit-and-run. In L.A., it's almost 50%. Los Angeles police say nearly half of all crashes in Los Angeles end with the culprit fleeing the scene. Laura J. Nelson and Amy Hubbard in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/15
California officials to fete Michael Peevey -- Amid the ongoing drip of revelations into backchannel communications between Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and the California Public Utilities Commission, Brown administration officials and other political heavyweights are sponsoring a tribute dinner for Michael Peevey, the embattled former president of the PUC. David Siders in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/11/15
Google gives $1 million to historic Lick Observatory -- While other donors have helped buy high-end instruments, Google's gift is different because it will pay day-to-day operating expenses of the historic observatory, perched on a 4,200-foot summit above San Jose and the only observatory in the UC system where students can design and build their own astronomy projects. Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/11/15
San Jose: Neighbors band together to fight burglaries in cop-starved city -- Frustrated by a shrinking San Jose Police Department and growing response times, fed-up residents are banding together to find their own solutions -- in some cases taking "neighborhood watch" to a whole new level. Mark Emmons, Robert Salonga and Mark Gomez in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/11/15
$8.3 million settlement in death of Alameda County inmate -- Alameda County and a company that provides health care to jail inmates agreed to pay $8.3 million to settle a federal lawsuit filed by the four adult children of an inmate who died in 2010 after sheriff’s deputies stunned him with Tasers during a confrontation. Henry Lee in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/11/15
Herdt: A milestone in state's prison crisis -- It happened with little notice and no fanfare, but at the end of last month California reached what one of the state’s leading public safety analysts calls a “historic milestone.” Timm Herdt in the Ventura Star$ -- 2/11/15
Watchdog: Donors fined for illegal contributions in 2012 Irvine election -- Out-of-state interests illegally funneled $200,000 into the 2012 Irvine City Council race, according to California’s elections watchdog agency. The money was part of conservatives’ successful bid to wrest majority control of the council – a majority that continues today. Democrats had controlled the council since 2001. Martin Wisckol in the Orange County Register$ -- 2/11/15
House subcommittee assails VA over West L.A. campus leases -- A congressional subcommittee on Tuesday ripped into the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for issuing commercial leases on its sprawling West Los Angeles campus while thousands of homeless veterans slept in the streets. Gale Holland in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/15
Taxes, Fees, Rates
San Francisco Supervisors want city to maintain street trees but lack the money -- While the supervisors enthusiastically support the principle of having the city pay for pruning, maintenance and general upkeep of the urban forest, the reality is that they didn’t allocate a nickel toward the $15 million to $20 million annual cost of tree upkeep. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/11/15
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
L.A. Unified sides with farmworkers union in dispute with grower -- The Los Angeles Board of Education on Tuesday sided with United Farm Workers in its dispute with an agricultural firm, calling on the company to honor a labor contract. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/15
Edison's plans to cut jobs, hire foreign workers is assailed -- Southern California Edison's plans to lay off hundreds of employees and hire foreign workers instead is coming under attack from lawmakers in Congress and local unions. Shan Li, Matt Morrison in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/15
L.A. workers protest prolonged labor talks -- Los Angeles city workers staged a series of demonstrations Tuesday to protest proposed wage freezes and reductions in pension and healthcare benefits, underscoring mounting tensions in labor talks that have dragged on for close to a year. Peter Jamison, Soumya Karlamangla in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/15
Black, Latino neighborhoods aren’t sharing in San Francisco housing boom -- The study released Monday by real estate website Zillow tells the story of the widening wealth gap through the changing demographics and home values in the metropolitan area, which includes San Mateo, Marin, Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/11/15
The robots are coming: What they mean for our economy -- Call it the rise of the machines. A new report says that more cheaper, better robots will replace human workers in over the next decade, pushing labor costs down 16 percent. Anthony York Grizzly Bear Project -- 2/11/15
PG&E Profit Rises 52% on Fewer Pipeline Charges -- The San Francisco-based utility has been aiming to update its gas-pipeline system and move beyond the fatal 2010 natural-gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno, Calif., that killed eight people and leveled part of a neighborhood. Tess Stynes in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 2/11/15
Home Depot aims to hire 1,500 in Sacramento area -- Atlanta-based Home Depot Inc. said Tuesday that it plans to hire 1,500 staffers for its 33 Sacramento-area stores, part of a nationwide push to hire 80,000 for the chain’s busy spring season. Mark Glover in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/11/15
Pay for California prison officers up 5 percent -- Average full-time total pay for members of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association grew 5.9 percent last year, according to state wage data, after remaining virtually flat from 2012 to 2013. Jon Ortiz in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/11/15
California high-speed rail opponents challenge federal ruling -- California's high-speed rail project faces another challenge after a group of counties and activists filed a lawsuit on Monday to overturn a decision they said fails to apply state environmental law to a segment of the train's route. Robin Respaut Reuters -- 2/11/15
Want your park, what's your hurry? -- Developers have paid more than $157 million in impact fees since San Diego approved the charges on new construction in the 1980s, and despite a litany of needs the city has spent only half the money, budget records show. Jeff McDonald UT San Diego$ -- 2/11/15
Lopez: Farmer Brothers leaving the state, in bitter blow to family of workers -- It's a nice narrative, but the company whose five stated principles include "treat our employees as a Farmer Brothers Family," informed 350 of them last week that they are about to get the ax. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/15
Education
As Latino population grows, so does push for place at California universities -- When the University of California, Santa Barbara, announced last month that it had been named a Hispanic-Serving Institution, it made a small bit of history. Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/11/15
CSU to turn 23 campus libraries into one giant, cloud-based network -- The system should increase campus collaboration and form a more equitable research system for students, from Chico State to the Channel Islands, and from San Bernardino to San Diego State, according to officials. Josh Dulaney in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 2/11/15
USC set to elect first female student body president since 2006 -- For nearly a decade, only men have been elected as student body president at USC, and many of them have been fraternity members. From 2006 — the last time a female Trojan held the job — to 2014, not a single woman even tried to run for president, virtually unheard of at other large schools. Jason Song in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/15
Autism advocacy group states vaccination link unfounded -- In the midst of a nationwide measles outbreak tied to unvaccinated children and adults in California, the nation’s leading autism advocacy group has changed its position and now clearly states there is no link between vaccinations and autism. Jane Meredith Adams EdSource -- 2/11/15
How many kindergarteners opted out of vaccines at your school? -- Got a child who is in, or will be entering, kindergarten? Use our database to see the vaccination rates at your child’s school. John C. Osborn EdSource -- 2/11/15
Drought
Water cutbacks loom but San Diego County agency says it's prepared -- The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is considering possible water cutbacks of 10% or more to local agencies as the region's drought shows no signs of lifting despite recent rains. Tony Perry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/15
Five-fold hike in water wasting fines likely for some L.A. area residents -- The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday gave preliminary approval to a measure that would boost fines from $100 to $500 for each offense. The increase would bring the county into line with state conservation efforts, if it receives final approval in the coming weeks as expected. Jean Merl in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/15
Immigration / Border
L.A. school district lawyers will assist students facing deportation -- Under the proposal, brought forward by the general counsel's office, district lawyers could volunteer time on behalf of these students, which could number in the thousands within the nation's second-largest school system. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/15
Environment
California fishermen land court ruling -- In monumental decision, California 3rd District Court of Appeals rules for fish farmers, stocking. Ed Zieralski UT San Diego$ Denny Walsh in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/11/15
Top U.S. scientists urge pursuit of technology to cool planet -- Proposals to cool down the Earth’s climate with high-risk chemical or mechanical technologies have been largely dismissed in the debate over global warming, but a panel of the nation’s top scientists say the time has come to significantly increase research efforts and prepare to step in should there be a climate catastrophe. Ralph Vartabedian, Evan Halper in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/15
Jackson bill aims to achieve elusive goal of reforming key environmental law -- Near the end of last year’s lawmaking session, state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, chairwoman of the Judiciary Committee, decided the job had fallen to her to try to tackle one of the thorniest litigation issues in modern California. Timm Herdt in the Ventura Star$ -- 2/11/15
Apple is investing $850 million to build a giant solar farm that will power its new headquarters -- Apple CEO Tim Cook told an audience at the Goldman Sach's Technology and Internet conference that the company is very focused on making environmentally responsible decisions. Ben Popper The Verge -- 2/11/15
PG&E aims to install 25,000 electric car charging station across California -- The state's biggest utility wants to install 25,000 electric car charging stations across Northern and Central California and have customers foot the bill. Kristin J. Bender Associated Press -- 2/11/15
The 405 through Orange County ranked in top 5 worst bottlenecks in California -- Four of the top five are located in Los Angeles County. The top spot went to the 6-mile stretch of I-5 between I-710 and I-605 that pass through Norwalk. Motorists traveling the five routes spend around 2.5 million hours of delay annually. Louis Casiano Jr. in the Orange County Register$ -- 2/11/15
The Lumber Man In Charge of Climate Policy -- Bay Area billionaire Robert Fisher profits by logging California's North Coast forests, even as Governor Jerry Brown has tapped him to help implement the state's anti-global warming agenda. Will Parrish East Bay Express -- 2/11/15
Health
Anti-vaccine book draws ire from pro-vaccine readers -- As the California measles outbreak spreads to other states, with at least 123 reported cases, many vaccine supporters are expressing their frustration on the Amazon page of an anti-vaccination children's book called "Melanie's Marvelous Measles." Michael Schaub in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/15
Doctors turning away unvaccinated children -- When the mother of an 18-month-old visited Dr. Charles Goodman's practice last week, he explained that under his new policy, the toddler would have to be immunized to remain a patient. The mother walked out of his office. Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/15
Marin School District Considers Endorsing Ban of Vaccine ‘Personal Belief Exemption’ -- As first reported on State of Health, the face of the vaccine debate in southern Marin’s small Reed Union School District is Rhett Krawitt. He’s a first grader at Reed Elementary in Tiburon. Rhett was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 2 and went through three years of chemotherapy. Lisa Aliferis KQED -- 2/11/15
With more patients insured, county trims HIV medical care spending -- Los Angeles County officials on Tuesday cut back on contracts to provide medical care to AIDS and HIV patients, citing increased numbers of people now insured under the federal healthcare overhaul. Abby Sewell in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/15
Study supports affordability of Obamacare for CSU students -- As this year's deadline to sign up for Obamacare fast approaches, California State University officials are trying to show students that buying health insurance makes financial sense. Soumya Karlamangla in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/15
The Collapse of Berkeley Health Center -- A nonprofit that provides medical services to low-income people has mismanaged public funds, filed for bankruptcy, and failed to prepare patients for its closure. Sam Levin East Bay Express -- 2/11/15
Newport Beach celebrity dentist featured on 'The Swan' accused of 86 claims of misdiagnoses, botched procedures -- A Newport Beach dentist, whose website lists celebrity clients and TV appearances, is facing a litany of accusations from the Dental Board of California involving one patient who sued the dentist for malpractice and won in May 2012. Deepa Bharath in the Orange County Register$ -- 2/11/15
Funds for HIV/AIDS healthcare contracts reduced by L.A. County -- Los Angeles County officials cut back Tuesday on contracts to provide medical care to AIDS and HIV patients, citing increased numbers of people now insured under the federal government's overhaul of healthcare. Abby Sewell in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/15
POTUS 44
Obama privately backed gay marriage while publicly opposing it, book says -- It was a calculation that reflected the political assumption of the time, wrote former White House senior adviser David Axelrod, which was that being in favor of gay marriage put a politician out of sync with the mainstream. Juliet Eilperin in the Washington Post$ -- 2/11/15