Updating . .
Jerry Brown warns of climate change, terrorists using nuclear weapons and other ‘horrors that might unfold’ -- In a sprawling speech and on-stage discussion lasting more than two hours, Brown said work among states and countries on measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions was forming a habit that could be used to address terrorism and nuclear proliferation. David Siders in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/9/15
Republican Rocky Chávez rips GOP leaders for indifference to U.S. Senate race -- Republican Assemblyman Rocky Chávez, a candidate for the U.S. Senate, accused the California GOP of deciding to “take a walk” on his top-of-the-ticket race, and challenged its leaders to “stand up and fight.” Christopher Cadelago in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/9/15
Racist remarks in emails put California officials on defensive -- The emails by William Bosan and Theo Johnson, both Department of Toxic Substances Control employees, run from to mid-2013 to the beginning of this year. The emails contain derogatory remarks about people with ethnic names, accents and the poor. Jon Ortiz in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/9/15
Poll: Trump's statements on Muslims -- A slight majority of 500 San Diego residents polled strongly or somewhat agreed with Donald Trump's statements on Muslims. Beto Alvarez in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 12/9/15
Obama uses slavery speech to strike back at Trump -- Americans betray their past and their ideals if they fail to “push back against bigotry in all its forms,” President Barack Obama said Wednesday in a veiled but forceful rebuttal to Donald Trump. Obama's speech on Capitol Hill was officially a commemoration of the Constitutional amendment that ended slavery. But his contemporary message was unmistakable in the context of the explosive national debate over discrimination prompted by Trump’s call to block Muslims from entering the United States. Sarah Wheaton Poliitico -- 12/9/15
Republicans fear Trump could jeopardize control of Congress -- Republicans have spent many years and hundreds of millions of dollars wresting control of the House and Senate from Democrats. Now they say Donald Trump is putting it all in jeopardy. Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer Politico -- 12/9/15
Donald Trump rips Time magazine after being snubbed for Person of the Year -- Real-estate mogul Donald Trump panned Time magazine on Wednesday for its Person of the Year declaration. The magazine selected German Chancellor Angela Merkel, praising how she handled Europe's currency and refugee crises. Colin Campbell in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/9/15
Californians have high poverty, high incomes -- The bureau has developed a “supplemental measure” that takes those and other factors into account and by that method, California’s poverty rate is the nation’s highest at 24.3 percent, largely due to its extraordinarily high housing costs. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/9/15
Middle-class families, pillar of the American dream, are no longer in the majority, study finds -- Rapid growth of upper-income households, coupled with an increase in less-educated, low earners, has driven the decline of the middle-income population to a hair below 50% of the total this year, the Pew Research Center reported Wednesday. In 1971, the middle class accounted for 61% of the population, and it has been declining steadily since. Don Lee in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
Chanel pays record price for retail space on Rodeo Drive -- Chanel bought its 11,500-square-foot store at 400 N. Rodeo Drive, which it had been leasing, for about $152 million, or $13,217 per square foot, according to Elkins Kalt Weintraub Reuben Gartside, one of the law firms involved in the transaction. James F. Peltz in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
Drivers get big boost in lawsuit vs. Uber -- In a major setback for Uber, a federal judge on Wednesday dramatically expanded the scope — both financially and in number of drivers affected — of a class-action lawsuit by California drivers seeking to be reclassified as employees. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/9/15
California's 3 largest health insurers among few to show Obamacare profit in 2014 -- In the first year of the massive coverage expansion, California's three largest health insurers bucked the national trend of heavy losses and accounted for half of the gains reported under the Affordable Care Act in 2014. Chad Terhune in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
The No Child Left Behind replacement could disrupt California's school rating plan -- But even before the bill made it to Obama’s desk, a debate about what the new bill means for California’s schools began to swirl. Joy Resmovits in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
California Democrat withdraws support for the high-speed rail project -- Assemblywoman Patty Lopez (D-San Fernando) says she is withdrawing her support for the project, and she says five other Democrats in the Legislature are reviewing their positions. Ralph Vartabedian in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
Plan to assemble Fresno County land for high-speed rail maintenance facility hits brakes -- A financial plan to assemble land in Fresno County for the California High-Speed Rail heavy maintenance facility has changed, and county officials are looking for new ways to organize a land deal as the clock keeps ticking. Marc Benjamin in the Fresno Bee -- 12/9/15
Up to 50 Chapman University students sickened in norovirus outbreak, school says -- norovirus outbreak that may have sickened as many as 50 students at Chapman University in Orange appears to be slowing down, school officials said Wednesday. Veronica Rocha in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
California Scheming? Funneled Donations Raise Ethics Queries -- The elected chairman of the California State Board of Equalization has been an important figure in getting money into the hands of nonprofit organizations since he joined the board in 2009, but it hasn't come without questions. Laura Mahoney Bloomberg BNA -- 12/9/15
Feds raid 2 card clubs, make a dozen or more arrests -- Federal agents raided two San Diego County card rooms and arrested more than a dozen people this morning as part of a long-running federal investigation into the gambling halls. Greg Moran in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 12/9/15
Commutes to San Francisco get longer for those earning under 40k -- Valoria Russell-Benson was born and raised in San Francisco, but when she couldn’t afford to raise a family there, she moved across the bay to San Leandro. When her landlord converted her apartment into a condo, the nurse’s assistant moved to Vacaville. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/9/15
Venice activists sue city of Los Angeles over beach curfew -- Citing the right to public commons stretching back to the Roman Empire, Venice activists filed suit Wednesday to strike down the city of Los Angeles' 27-year-old overnight beach curfew. Gale Holland in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
Berkeley High School 'takes back' Dec. 9 after message threatened public lynching -- Berkeley High School officials increased security at the Bay Area campus on Wednesday and scheduled a series of events intended to fight racism after a student posted threatening comments last month about a "public lynching." Veronica Rocha in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
Death penalty overturned because of Bible quotes -- A judge has overturned the death sentence in the murder of an Oceanside housewife, finding the prosecutor committed “egregious misconduct” by telling jurors the Bible calls for murderers to be sentenced to death. Kristina Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 12/9/15
Lawmaker criticizes unspent California charitable donations -- Sen. Bob Hertzberg, chairman of the Senate Governance and Finance Committee, will hold a hearing on Wednesday to look into the waylaid funds that Californians donated for causes like cancer research when they filed their tax returns. The Associated Press first reported on the unspent money in August. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 12/9/15
L.A. to pay $15 million to settle suit filed by family of girl killed at NoHo crossing -- The Los Angeles City Council agreed Wednesday to spend $15 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that the city knowingly ignored the dangers of a North Hollywood intersection that lacked a stoplight before a car struck two sisters crossing the street there, killing one and severely injuring the other. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
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Investigators Probe Man Who Bought Guns Used in San Bernardino Shooting -- Investigators probing last week’s bloody terror attack in California are closely examining the man who bought the semiautomatic weapons the suspects used in the shooting, and whether he knew of the suspects’ plot, according to officials familiar with the matter. Tamara Audi and Zusha Elison in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 12/9/15
The man who bought the rifles: Who is Enrique Marquez? -- 24-year-old Wal-Mart security guard, known to friends as a shy cycling enthusiast who wanted to join the military, has emerged as a key figure in last week's terror attack at a San Bernardino social services center. Matt Hamilton, Kate Mather and James Queally in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
San Bernardino shooters began plotting attack before their marriage, FBI chief says -- FBI Director James Comey said Wednesday that Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, began scheming to carry out a terrorist attack long before they were engaged and before she moved to the United States on a fiancee visa last year. Richard A. Serrano in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
Prison worker’s East Bay clash with Muslims probed as hate crime -- Denise Slader, an employee of the California Department of Corrections, confronted two men of Middle Eastern descent, who were praying near the entrance to Lake Chabot Regional Park around 3 p.m. Sunday, said Carolyn Jones, a spokeswoman for the park service. Slader began shouting at the men “your God is Satan,” “Allah is Satan,” and “the Quran is evil,” Jones said. Evan Sernoffsky and Hamed Aleaziz in the San Francisco Chronicle Rick Hurd in the San Jose Mercury$ Jon Brooks KQED -- 12/9/15
San Bernardino County mosque to host 'Muslims for Life' blood drive -- San Bernardino County mosque will be hosting a blood drive on Sunday in honor of the victims of last week’s attack at the Inland Regional Center. Hailey Branson-Potts in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
One brother hatched a terrorist massacre, the other served his country in the U.S. Navy -- As investigators probe the San Bernardino massacre, they are trying to understand the family dynamics of shooter Syed Rizwan Farook. Sarah Parvini, Matt Hamilton and Richard A. Serrano in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
Buena Park Sikh leaders call for investigation after temple vandalized -- Gang graffiti was found scribbled on the exterior of the Sikh Center in Buena Park on Sunday, while an expletive and the word "ISIS" was scrawled on a community member’s truck, according to the Sikh Coalition. Veronica Rocha in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
Police Chief Jarrod Burguan kept his cool and a city calm during the San Bernardino massacre -- As police officers kicked open doors in the Inland Regional Center in the search for the armed assailants who just massacred 14 county employees, San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan was outside scanning the terrain for a safe place to coordinate the sweeping emergency response. Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
Fox: A Refugee Story of Yesterday and Today -- In a feat of deft literary juggling, former Sacramento Bee editorial editor Peter Schrag has written a memoir with his father about their escape from Europe during the early years of World War II. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 12/9/15
Greenhut: Brown: coercion is the key to innovation -- “Government is not reason, it is not eloquence – it is force. Like fire it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.” That quotation, often attributed to George Washington but actually of unknown origin, sprung to mind after Gov. Jerry Brown’s press conference this week at climate talks near Paris. Steven Greenhut in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 12/9/15
California Policy & Politics This Morning
California’s tough gun laws scrutinized after San Bernardino shootings -- California lawmakers have acted repeatedly to give the state what are considered the nation’s strictest gun laws. So, how was it that guns obtained here legally came to be used in the worst terror attack on domestic soil since Sept. 11? Christopher Cadelago in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/9/15
Mixed Record in Sacramento on Gun Control Laws; New Calls For Further Limits -- The Golden State is known for having the strongest gun restrictions in the nation — but efforts in the state Capitol to push those laws even further in recent years have ended with mixed results. Marisa Lagos KQED -- 12/9/15
Victory for PG&E — judge caps top fine in San Bruno-related trial -- A federal judge cut in half the maximum fine that prosecutors can seek against Pacific Gas and Electric Co. for its alleged criminal conduct connected to the deadly natural-gas explosion in San Bruno, ruling Tuesday that the government had no legal basis for trying to penalize the company more than $1.1 billion. Jaxon Van Derbeken in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/9/15
Feinstein-McCarthy clash dooms prospects for drought law for year -- A closed-door attempt to rewrite California water law crashed late last week in a public row between Sen. Dianne Feinstein and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy that could doom drought legislation for yet another year. Carolyn Lochhead in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/9/15
Why Jerry Brown’s shifting focus on pollutants could help the planet – and his political causes -- Following the legislative defeat of his proposal to reduce petroleum use in motor vehicles this year, Gov. Jerry Brown adopted a shift in message around the climate policies he supports. Instead of focusing so much on carbon dioxide and the broader effects of global warming, Brown began talking more about pollution in some of the most impoverished areas of the state. David Siders in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/9/15
Jerry Brown heckled in France -- Gov. Jerry Brown, at the conclusion of a speech here Tuesday, was heckled by a group of protesters opposed to carbon offset programs they said could hurt indigenous people. Brown, accompanied by several South American governors at a 19th century mansion in Paris, has finished brief remarks urging further efforts to counteract climate change when protesters started yelling, “No REDD.” David Siders in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/9/15
Tom Steyer makes his climate pitch in Paris -- Tom Steyer, the billionaire environmentalist, was about to go on stage in an auditorium at France’s national stadium, and Nick Henry, founder of the London-based group Climate Action, was doling out praise. David Siders in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/9/15
Disaster officials brace for havoc from historic El Niño -- Federal disaster officials warned Tuesday that El Niño-fueled storms in California could inflict millions of dollars in damage this winter — from mud-soaked homes to broken levees to downed electrical lines — and said they’re taking steps to minimize the toll. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/9/15
Another exhausting year for California high-speed rail -- California’s high-speed rail might be remembered in 2015 as a real-life example of the Little Engine That Could. Allen Young Sacramento Business Journal -- 12/9/15
San Jose leaders approve easing medical pot rules -- With the looming threat of medical marijuana collectives supporting a ballot measure that wipes out San Jose's pot regulations, city leaders Tuesday eased the rules and approved major compromises -- including allowing collectives to grow weed anywhere in the state. Ramona Giwargis in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/9/15
Activists endorse California marijuana legalization bid backed by Gavin Newsom, Sean Parker -- A handful of legacy activists in the state’s marijuana community have agreed to support the recreational legalization effort backed by Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and expected to receive financial support from former Facebook President Sean Parker. Christopher Cadelago in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/9/15
Walters: Property tax feud still rages -- Millions of Californians will be paying billions of dollars in local government and school property taxes this week. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/9/15
Business-friendly Democrats pick new leaders for informal, but powerful Sacramento caucus -- The informal but increasingly powerful cadre of business-aligned Democrats in the Legislature tapped two assemblymen to lead their caucus Tuesday afternoon after last week's decision by the group's current chairman to leave office at the end of the month. Assemblymen Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove) and Rudy Salas Jr. (D-Bakersfield) now share top billing of the so-called Moderate Caucus. Melanie Mason in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
Rep. Mike Thompson to host gun violence hearing in Sacramento -- With the nation still reeling from a mass shooting in San Bernardino, Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, plans to convene a Sacramento hearing on gun violence next Monday. Jeremy B. White in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/9/15
California members stall business on House floor as Democrats try to force gun control votes -- Democrats in Congress attempted to force a vote on gun control measures in both houses Tuesday, further pressuring Republicans to address gun violence days after the San Bernardino shootings. Sarah D. Wire and Christine Mai-Duc in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
Lopez: On skid row, a chorus of hallelujahs for 'Messiah' -- Nathaniel Ayers, who lives at a board and care home in Whittier, was summoned to the house phone Friday morning to take my call. "Mr. Ayers," I said, "how are you today, and would you like to attend a concert this afternoon?" Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
Calbuzz: Certified Dimwits: The Key to Herr Trump’s Lead -- Donald Trump leads among Republicans because he has a stranglehold on the most ignorant voters in America. That’s not just our opinion, but an Actual Fact. Jerry Roberts and Phil Trounstine CalBuzz -- 12/9/15
San Bernardino
American Muslims raise more than $100,000 for families of San Bernardino shooting victims -- Faisal Qazi had no idea the shooters who massacred 14 people in San Bernardino last week were Muslims, like himself. The Pomona-based neurologist only knew that the victims and their families were his Inland Empire neighbors, and his faith obligated him to help. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
San Bernardino medic had 5 seconds to check if each massacre victim was alive or dead -- As the water raining down from the overhead sprinklers pooled in rivers of blood and the smell of gunpowder hung in the air Wednesday, Ryan Starling remembered his training. He got out his white tape. Ben Welsh, Thomas Curwen, Tony Barboza and Paloma Esquivel in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
San Francisco online lender credited with loan to San Bernardino shooter -- Could a terrorist organization have funneled money to the San Bernardino shooters through an online lending platform? That question arose Tuesday after Bloomberg News and others reported that Syed Farook received a $28,500 loan from San Francisco online lender Prosper Marketplace just weeks before he and his wife killed more than a dozen victims. James Rufus Koren in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
San Bernardino mass shooter Syed Farook had photos of a Rialto high school on cell phone -- San Bernardino mass shooter Syed Farook had multiple photos of a Rialto high school on his cell phone, according to sources close to the investigation. As a health inspector for the San Bernardino County Department of Health, Farook inspected the majority of Rialto Unified’s 30 food preparation facilities twice a year, according to the district. Beau Yarbrough, Doug Saunders in the San Bernardino Sun$ -- 12/9/15
L.A. County supervisors vote to welcome Syrian refugees -- The supervisors also voted to send a letter to President Obama and the county’s congressional delegation “expressing the board’s support of federal efforts to help Syrians fleeing violence and oppression and to increase the overall number of refugees that the U.S. will resettle over the course of the next two years.” Abby Sewell in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
Bay Area Muslims respond to Trump, San Bernardino -- After the San Bernardino killings last week by a Muslim couple, some Bay Area Islamic mosques fearful of retaliation stepped up their security measures and advised their members to lay low in public. Except at least one. "We are doing the opposite," said Zakir Agha, a member and volunteer spokesman for the Baitul Baseer Mosque in Milpitas. "We're encouraging our members to go out and meet their neighbors, talk with their neighbors, teach their neighbors and tell them who we really are." Joe Rodriguez in the Contra Costa Times$ -- 12/9/15
San Bernardino shooting: Attackers may have left bomb to kill police, used loan to buy weapons -- The $28,500 loan came from WebBank.com, a Utah-based company. According to its website, WebBank is an FDIC-insured, state-chartered industrial lending institution headquartered in Salt Lake City. It was organized in 1997 and provides “niche financing to businesses and consumers. Richard Winton, Richard A. Serrano and Corina Knoll in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
After San Bernardino attack, rattled residents reach for their guns -- Nicholson, a 23-year-old Redlands resident, said he had thought about buying a firearm in the past. But the attack that claimed 14 lives at a San Bernardino social services center on Wednesday — about five miles away from Gun Boss Armory — made up his mind. Kate Mather, Peter Jamison, Ben Poston, Taylor Goldenstein and Nigel Duara in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
Lopez: Mourners are as diverse as the victims of the massacre -- If you have seen photos of the dead, you were looking at the California yearbook. They were white, Asian, African American, Latino. One had fled Eritrea to escape violence, another had come from the Middle East for the same reason. The visitors to the vigil looked like them. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls
California members of Congress urge regulators to protect rooftop solar program -- Two dozen members of California's congressional delegation urged state regulators this week to protect the compensation program for rooftop solar owners who send power to the electric grid. Ivan Penn in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Cal Fire’s hinky hiring habits -- More trouble at Cal Fire. This time a new report from the State Personnel Board says Cal Fire gave “inconsistent and contradictory information” during a probe into how two academy fire captains who cheated to gain promotions got demoted – and then quickly regained their lost rank. Jon Ortiz in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/9/15
San Francisco supervisors OK Warriors arena for Mission Bay -- The Golden State Warriors’ three-year campaign to bring professional basketball back to San Francisco reached its final political milestone Tuesday night, as the Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to support the construction of an 18,500-seat, $1 billion arena in Mission Bay. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/9/15
L.A. City Council approves labor deal, setting hiring goal of 5,000 -- The Los Angeles City Council approved a wide-ranging salary agreement with its civilian unions Tuesday, resolving a dispute over pension cuts and setting the stage for thousands of new hires. David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
Sacramento County officials press Motel 6 to hire armed guards, pay $755,000 -- Steve Grippi, Sacramento County chief deputy district attorney, said the company that has become synonymous with low-cost overnight stays has long been known to county prosecutors for something else: crime, especially prostitution and drug dealing, by some of its customers. Brad Branan in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/9/15
Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile sued by California for overcharging customers -- Forty-two California government entities, including the Regents of the University of California and Sacramento and Los Angeles counties, have joined a lawsuit against four giant wireless companies alleging they overcharged government customers by more than $100 million. Associated Press -- 12/9/15
Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer under fire as company's long-term strategies considered -- The 40-year-old tech executive was brought in to effectively clean house and restore Yahoo to its late-'90s tech titan glory, but efforts to turn things around proved tougher than expected for this former Google star. Chris Barylick in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/9/15
Hyperloop Technologies to test engine component in Nevada -- A company seeking to bring Elon Musk’s hyperloop transportation concept into reality plans to begin work this month on a small test site in North Las Vegas. Paresh Dave in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
Lobster rolls at eight San Diego sushi restaurants lacked a key ingredient: lobster -- Investigators bought the rolls at a sampling of restaurants and then sent them to a laboratory for DNA testing. The results revealed that less-expensive seafood, including crawfish or pollock, had been substituted for lobster. Dana Littlefield in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
Drought
California mulls new water plan to save imperiled salmon -- California officials, eyeing another season of drought, outlined a plan Tuesday for holding more water back at Lake Shasta in 2016 in an effort to save the endangered winter-run Chinook salmon. Dale Kasler and Phillip Reese in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/9/15
Education
Cal State San Bernardino class on Islamic world grapples with students' questions about shooting -- Professor Dany Doueiri stood at the front of a lecture hall dressed in jeans, with a red polo shirt peaking out of a dark sweater. “You’re living a historic moment,” Doueiri told his students in the World of Islam class. “Tonight is your night. You’re going to speak up.” Sonali Kohli in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
Congress poised to bury No Child Left Behind -- After 13 years of Uncle Sam serving as the national superintendent of public schools, the education pendulum is about to swing back, returning control to states and local school districts. Sharon Noguchi in the Oakland Tribune$ -- 12/9/15
With teachers priced out, Cupertino school district — among the nation's best — wants to build 200+ apartments for its teachers -- The Cupertino Union School District is famous for its high-achieving schools, with student test scores that make other district officials drool with envy. But Superintendent Wendy Guadalewicz has a problem: Attracting new teachers and hanging on to the ones she has. Nathan Donato-Weinstein Silicon Valley Business Journal -- 12/9/15
New documents provide details of LAUSD probe that led to firing of famed educator Rafe Esquith -- The Los Angeles Unified School District’s internal investigation into celebrated fifth-grade teacher Rafe Esquith found that he allegedly fondled children in the 1970s and that in recent years he inappropriately emailed former students describing them as hotties, “sexy” and referring to himself as their personal ATM, according to new documents. Zahira Torres in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
Sacramento area teachers make extra money selling lesson plans, curriculum online -- Chery Akaba-McCumber has created educational games for her students ever since she started teaching 32 years ago, but now she gets paid to share them. Diana Lambert in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/9/15
New school improvement agency makes four key hires -- The state agency charged with overseeing school improvement under California’s new accountability system has chosen four top administrators, putting it in a position to move ahead next year with its work. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 12/9/15
Immigration / Border
Sky Bridge to Tijuana Airport Opens Wednesday Morning -- The new Cross Border Xpress is a full-service, 24-hour airline terminal in San Diego from which passengers can depart to daily flights from Tijuana to 34 destinations throughout Mexico as well as Tokyo and Shanghai. Chris Jennewein Times of Sandiego -- 12/9/15
Environment
California falling short in push for more clean vehicles -- In a state with sprawling suburbs, stiff traffic and a longtime love affair with the internal combustion engine, slashing the amount of gasoline burned is a tall order. But unless it finds a way, California won’t accomplish the emissions goals it has promoted as a model for the rest of the world. Chris Megerian in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
The Pacific Ocean 'blob' is gone, but not its problems -- The "blob," a warm patch of water in the northern Pacific Ocean associated with algal blooms and marine die-offs, is gone. But that doesn't mean the associated wildlife problems will go with it, scientists say. Amy McDermott in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/9/15
In new California climate initiative, bill will target key pollutants -- California would target certain harmful emissions under new legislation being introduced by state Sen. Ricardo Lara in an effort to boost public health while battling global warming. Known as short-lived climate pollutants, the emissions include diesel exhaust and methane from agriculture. Chris Megerian in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
Whales entangled at alarming rate along California coast -- This year alone, more than 60 whales entangled in fishing gear have been spotted along the coast - a more than 400 percent spike over normal and a pattern that began in 2014. Scientists believe the whales may be following prey closer to shore as warm water influences feeding patterns, putting them on a collision course with fishermen, crabbers and lobstermen. Gillian Flaccus Associated Press -- 12/9/15
Also . . .
White House interested in Oakland police study on routine traffic stops -- White House officials were in the Bay Area on Monday and Tuesday for a series of community discussions on how body cameras used by Oakland police have lead to a significant reduction in citizen complaints and use-of-force incidents the last four years. Mike Blasky in the Contra Costa Times$ -- 12/9/15
Apple tries to turn lemons to lemonade, releases battery case for iPhone -- It seems that even Apple is frustrated with the iPhone’s abbreviated battery life. Troy Wolverton in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/9/15
Jerry Brown’s small talk diplomacy, and a Brazilian governor on Brown’s “fiber” -- There’s the kind of small talk you make when you sit down with someone, and there’s the kind you make when you are Jerry Brown. David Siders in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/9/15
North Face co-founder Douglas Tompkins dies in kayaking accident at 72 -- North Face co-founder Douglas Tompkins, who abandoned his executive life in the Bay Area to pursue his passion for ecology — and spent his fortune on land purchases in South America as part of a quixotic and sometimes controversial mission to save the continent's remaining wild terrain — died Tuesday of severe hypothermia after a kayaking accident, Chilean authorities said. Jill Leovy and Patrick J. McDonnell in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
POTUS 44
Beltway
Decker: Ignoring Donald Trump didn't work for Republicans. What now? -- So now Republicans know that hoping it will all go away is not a successful strategy against Donald Trump. That raises a tough question: What, if anything, will work? Cathleen Decker in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
Proposed ban on Muslims’ entry isn’t hurting Trump — yet -- Hot-button statements haven’t hurt Trump in the past, and that’s not likely to happen now — at least in the short term, said Bill Whalen, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution and former aide to GOP Gov. Pete Wilson. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/9/15
From a severed pig's head to a bullet-riddled Koran, attacks on Muslims are rising -- Attacks on mosques appear to have become more frequent and threats against Muslims more menacing since the terrorist attacks in Paris and the shooting in San Bernardino. Molly Hennessy-Fiske in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
Republicans condemn Trump but won't rule out backing him if he becomes the nominee -- Facing a hail of criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike, Donald Trump on Tuesday reiterated his call for a religious test barring Muslims from entering the United States as a way, in his view, to prevent future terrorist attacks. Lisa Mascaro and Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times Eli Stokols Politico -- 12/9/15
White House: Trump's pursuit of ban on Muslims entering U.S. is 'morally reprehensible' -- The White House weighed in Tuesday on Donald Trump’s call for a ban on Muslim immigration, saying it made him unfit to serve as president and challenging Republicans to condemn his rhetoric or risk being “dragged into the dustbin of history” with him. Michael A. Memoli in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/9/15
Brits to Trump: Stay away -- British residents have started an official petition seeking to ban him from visiting the UK. Nahal Toosi Politico -- 12/9/15
Cruz takes climate-science detour from campaign trail -- Less than eight weeks before the crucial Iowa caucuses in which he’s leading the latest polls, Cruz convened a Senate subcommittee hearing where he criticized environmentalists as “alarmists” and questioned “the objectivity of climate research." Also joining the hearing were a half-dozen Democrats, only too eager to get another chance to lampoon the GOP as a party that opposes science. Darren Goode Politico -- 12/9/15
Sanders compares Trump to other divisive ‘demagogues’ on ‘Tonight Show’ -- Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders took aim at Donald Trump during an appearance Tuesday on “The Tonight Show,” accusing the Republican front-runner of trying to deliberately divide Americans with his plan to ban Muslims from entering the country. John Wagner in the Washington Post -- 12/9/15