Updating . .
How the UC system is bracing for an escalation of political clashes ahead of Trump -- It was the biggest political showdown at UC Davis in years: Hundreds of students and activists turned out last week with protest signs and noisy chants, ultimately shutting down a planned talk by provocative conservative Milo Yiannopoulos. Get ready for more like it. Paige St. John, Joel Rubin, Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/17
13.5 million Californians are covered by Medi-Cal. Here's how Trump's plan could cost the state -- Along with his vow to repeal Obamacare, President-elect Donald Trump has promised to restructure Medicaid, the nation’s low-income health program — a move that could be acutely felt in California, where 1 in 3 residents receive health coverage through the state version, experts say. Soumya Karlamangla in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/17
Medical info of 3,600 Children’s Hospital Los Angeles patients on stolen laptop -- Thousands of families whose sons and daughters are patients at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles will receive letters this week notifying them that their personal health information may have been breached. Susan Abram in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 1/16/17
Martin Luther King Jr. fought for more than civil rights. This was the protest less remembered -- In January 1967, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. packed several suitcases and secluded himself on the coast of Jamaica, far from the telephone, far from the crises roiling America. Matt Pearce in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/17
Thousands march for racial unity on MLK Day in Sacramento, but rival gatherings strike an angrier note -- A crowd of thousands poured out from the Sacramento City College Campus Monday morning, chins high and arms locked as they began the annual Martin Luther King day march from Land Park to downtown. Sammy Caiola and Claudia Buck in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/16/17
Wife of Orlando nightclub shooter arrested outside Oakland for obstruction, faces court hearing Tuesday -- Noor Zahi Salman, the wife of gunman Omar Mateen, will face federal charges filed in central Florida after making an initial court appearance in Oakland scheduled for Tuesday morning, federal prosecutors said in a brief message on Twitter, not giving further information. Matt Pearce in the Los Angeles Times$ Evan Sernoffsky and Kimberly Veklerov in the San Francisco Chronicle Annie Sciacca in the San Jose Mercury$ Eric Tucker Associated Press -- 1/16/17
Trump's pick for Education secretary could put school vouchers back on the map -- Fifteen years ago, a controversial question about America’s schools dominated headlines, prompted ballot measures in California and other states and led wealthy philanthropists to dig deep into their pockets in the name of educational reform. Joy Resmovits in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/17
L.A. organizers propose linked, simultaneous Olympic ceremonies for Coliseum, Inglewood stadium -- As LA 2024 officials finalize their bid to bring the Summer Olympics back to Southern California, they have faced a difficult choice regarding the location of the opening and closing ceremonies. David Wharton in the Los Angeles Times$ Scott M. Reid in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 1/16/17
Marijuana shops are trying to look like the Apple store -- On a bustling stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard lined by vintage stores and eateries, the MedMen shop looks right at home. Shan Li in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/17
There are many Asian American attorneys, yet few are judges, study finds -- When Goodwin Liu joined the seven-member California Supreme Court in 2011, he became its fourth sitting member of Asian descent. The number is remarkable. Associated Press -- 1/16/17
Picketers call out Tarzana hospital for ‘effective termination’ of housekeepers -- Union workers will picket Providence Tarzana Medical Center today to protest what they say is the hospital’s “effective termination” of roughly half its housekeeping staff, many of whom they claim had been vocal union supporters. The item is in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 1/16/17
Reverse mortgages cost some surviving spouses their Bay Area homes -- In the past, just one spouse was often listed on the reverse mortgage application as a way of qualifying for a higher amount or in instances where the other spouse was not yet 62. But there was a downside many homeowners didn’t anticipate: If the mortgage wasn’t in someone’s name, the remaining occupant had to either pay back the loan or face foreclosure. Karina Ioffee in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/16/17
A Silicon Valley down payment could buy you an entire house in much of the U.S. -- The median 20 percent down payment on a house in metro San Jose is $192,320. Give or take a few bucks, that sum is equal to the median value of an entire house in the United States: $192,500. Richard Scheinin in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/16/17
Oakland: Airbnb issue highlights city’s gentrification fears -- As city leaders here take their first steps toward regulating Airbnb, they have made one concern abundantly clear: they don’t want what San Francisco has. Marisa Kendall in the East Bay Times -- 1/16/17
Lester Holt: Sacramento’s diversity prepared him for his NBC job -- Journalists are taught not to become part of the stories they cover – a lesson Lester Holt has learned is easier said than done since becoming anchor of the NBC “Nightly News” in 2015. Brad Branan in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/16/17
Trump national security spokeswoman Monica Crowley to forgo post amid plagiarism charges -- Monica Crowley, recently appointed by President-elect Donald Trump to a key national security communications job, said Monday that she would relinquish the post amid multiple allegations of plagiarism. John Wagner in the Washington Post$ -- 1/16/17
Big money names behind Trump inaugural start to come out despite his secrecy plan -- Donald Trump is trying to keep the names of the people and companies donating millions of dollars to his inauguration festivities this week a secret — a break from his Republican and Democratic predecessors in the White House. Anita Kumar McClatchy DC -- 1/16/17
Endangered bighorn sheep share a controversial lush life on the greens at La Quinta's desert golf courses -- This is a sunbaked oasis of walled and gated neighborhoods, chic boutique hotels and verdant golf courses at the base of the rugged Santa Rosa Mountains. Louis Sahagun in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/17
California Policy & Politics This Morning
San Francisco rally to save Obamacare draws Joan Baez, political leaders -- John Gonzales made the drive from his Napa home to San Francisco on Sunday to show support for the Affordable Care Act. For him — just like it was for hundreds who turned out at City Hall to protest President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to undo the health care law — it was personal. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/16/17
Kamala Harris hosts rally against Obamacare repeal in LA -- California Sen. Kamala Harris hosted a rally Sunday outside Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center in Boyle Heights as part of a nationwide string of actions planned by Democrats who oppose the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. KPCC -- 1/16/17
State Dems streaming to Washington to protest Trump inauguration -- Bay Area filmmaker Tiffany Shlain was planning for months to attend the presidential inauguration. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/16/17
State Republicans excited to see others in GOP at inauguration -- Donald Trump wasn’t Hilary Hagenbuch’s first choice for president. The San Franciscan was, admittedly, “a Romney girl.” But even though the former Massachusetts governor’s 2016 campaign didn’t materialize, Hagenbuch wasn’t a never-Trumper and eventually supported her party’s nominee. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/16/17
How these Los Angeles-born pink hats became a worldwide symbol of the anti-Trump women's march -- Krista Suh plans to attend the women’s march in Washington, D.C., this week to protest Donald Trump’s presidency, and she wanted to make a statement. But she also had a more primal goal: staying warm. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/17
Kevin Starr on California, in his own words -- Kevin Starr, California’s leading historian, devoted his life to chronicling the state, warts and all — the enlightenment and brilliance, the cruelty and greed, the vanity and sacrifices. Shelby Grad in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/17
Kellogg: Kevin Starr on history: 'You don't make up your world. You find it.' -- The agricultural development of the Imperial Valley should be dry as dust, but in Kevin Starr’s hands, it was a riveting tale of politics and personalities, environment and ambition and commerce, echoing so many themes of California as a whole. I remember exactly where I was when I read it: in my yard in Echo Park, sitting on the damp green grass. Carolyn Kellogg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/17
Kevin Starr, author of California histories and former state librarian, dies at 76 -- Former California State Librarian Kevin Starr, who produced rich social, cultural and political histories that chronicled the origins and rapid transformation of the Golden State, has died. He was 76. David Zahniser and Matt Hamilton in the Los Angeles Times$ Joaquin Palomino in the San Francisco Chronicle Jim Miller in the Sacramento Bee$ Olga Rodriguez Associated Press -- 1/16/17
Skelton: California's bail system punishes the poor, and it's time for the government to do something about it -- It’s a recurring nightmare: You get busted, perhaps for drunk driving and causing an injury accident, or maybe on a bum rap. You’re jailed and can’t make bail. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/17
Walters: California union dues case dies, but another rises up -- When Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died unexpectedly 11 months ago, it was a fatal blow to a landmark California case dealing with compulsory union dues. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/16/17
Oakland: Ghost Ship fire survivor’s parents share story -- For the past six weeks, Stockton residents Wendi and Bill Maxwell have spent the bulk of their days within the confines of the pale blue walls that make up Saint Francis Hospital’s burn unit, watching their son, Sam, fight for his life. Erin Baldassari in the East Bay Times -- 1/16/17
Calbuzz: Villaraigosa: California Must Spread the Wealth -- In one of the first in-depth interviews about his 2018 campaign, Antonio Villaraigosa told Calbuzz that the next governor must focus heavily on creating economic opportunities in areas of inland California that have not rebounded along with prosperous coastal cities. Jerry Roberts and Phil Trounstine CalBuzz -- 1/16/17
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
State pension costs doubled after rate increases -- State payments to CalPERS next fiscal year are expected to total $6 billion, nearly double the $3.2 billion paid six years ago before a wave of employer rate increases. Ed Mendel Calpensions.com -- 1/16/17
Fashion: Worn in the USA, but made overseas -- The United States is one of the world’s largest apparel markets, but 97 percent of the garments sold here are made elsewhere. So it will come as no surprise if fashion is the first industry to be affected when President-elect Donald Trump launches his trade strategy after taking office on Friday. Rachel Uranga in the Los Angeles Daily News$
Education
Fresno Unified students are sicker than most but district lacks school health centers -- While Fresno Unified students generally are unhealthier than their peers across the state, the district is falling behind when it comes to school-based health centers, according to a new report. Mackenzie Mays in the Fresno Bee -- 1/16/17
Cannabis
With medical marijuana returning to Long Beach, officials push for educational campaign -- With the impending return of medical marijuana dispensaries to Long Beach, city officials want to launch an education outreach campaign that explains the health and safety risks of marijuana use in youth and cautions against drug-impaired driving. Courtney Tompkins in the Long Beach Press Telegram$ -- 1/16/17
Health
6 surprising things that could disappear with Obamacare -- The Affordable Care Act of course affected premiums and insurance purchasing. It guaranteed people with pre-existing conditions could buy health coverage and allowed children to stay on parents’ plans until age 26. But the roughly 2,000-page bill also included a host of other provisions that affect the health-related choices of nearly every American. Julie Appleby and Mary Agnes Carey in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 1/16/17
Wearable Sensors Help Diagnose Lyme Disease in Stanford Study -- A next step for smart watches and fitness trackers? Wearable gadgets gave a Stanford University professor an early warning that he was getting sick before he ever felt any symptoms of Lyme disease. Lauran Neergard Associated Press -- 1/16/17
PrEP Awareness Programs Aim to Reduce Disparities in New HIV Infections -- Although one of the most powerful biomedical drugs in the fight against HIV/AIDS has been available for the past four years, California health officials say the disease continues to disproportionately affect populations including Black and Latino gay and bisexual men, black women and transgender women. Linda Childers California Health Report -- 1/16/17
Also . . .
Eight men own as much wealth as the poorest half of the world's population, report says -- The gap between the super-rich and the poorest half of the global population is starker than previously thought, with just eight men, from Bill Gates to Michael Bloomberg, owning as much wealth as 3.6 billion people, according to an analysis by Oxfam released Monday. Pan Pylas Associated Press -- 1/16/17
Tijuana protest march draws thousands; border traffic diverted -- Thousands of Tijuana residents protesting Mexico’s gasoline price hike marched through the city’s streets at midday Sunday, while later in the day crowds of demonstrators swarmed the city’s main port of entry across from San Ysidro at El Chaparral, with a smaller group at the secondary port of Otay Mesa. Sandra Dibble in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/16/17
Want to share your thoughts with Donald Trump? This system will do it for you -- A new micro-lobbying tool, born in a small office in the South Bay, could streamline the way people connect with politicians by allowing users to craft personalized letters about hot-button issues with a few clicks of the mouse. Courtney Tompkins in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 1/16/17
POTUS 45
Trump vows ‘insurance for everybody’ in Obamacare replacement plan -- President-elect Donald Trump said in a weekend interview that he is nearing completion of a plan to replace President Obama’s signature health-care law with the goal of “insurance for everybody,” while also vowing to force drug companies to negotiate directly with the government on prices in Medicare and Medicaid. Robert Costa and Amy Goldstein in the Washington Post$ -- 1/16/17
Donald Trump blames dissolution of European Union on refugees — 'all of these illegals' -- President-elect Donald Trump blamed Europe’s acceptance of Mideast refugees — as he put it, “all of these illegals” — for the decision by Britain to leave the European Union, and predicted the organization would disintegrate barring a reversal of immigration policies promoted by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Cathleen Decker in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/17
He’s with her: Donald Trump revives Hillary Clinton’s idea about kicking media out of White House -- Twenty-four years ago, newly minted first lady Lady Hillary Clinton wanted to boot journalists out of the White House. Reporters threw a fit, and the Bill Clinton administration abandoned the idea. It even gave up on a less-extreme plan of walling off a door connecting the media workroom to the rest of the West Wing. Callum Borchers in the Washington Post$ -- 1/16/17
In feud with John Lewis, Donald Trump attacked ‘one of the most respected people in America’ -- n 2010, days after returning from Selma, Ala., Mike Pence went on a GOP website and gushed about “my friend” John Lewis. Then a congressman from Indiana's 6th District, Pence said he was “honored” to walk beside a man personally recruited by Martin Luther King Jr. Cleve R. Wootson Jr. in the Washington Post$ -- 1/16/17
Trump’s administration will regulate Trump’s businesses, raising prospect of conflicts -- Airplanes belonging to Donald Trump’s businesses will be inspected over the next four years by employees of the Federal Aviation Administration that he will lead. Disputes over Trump’s trademark registrations could be reviewed by judges appointed by his hand-picked commerce secretary. Rosalind S. Helderman, Drew Harwell and Tom Hamburger in the Washington Post$ -- 1/16/17
In Trump’s Feud With John Lewis, Blacks Perceive a Callous Rival -- Days before his inauguration, President-elect Donald J. Trump is engaged in a high-profile feud with some of the country’s most prominent African-American leaders, setting off anger in a constituency already wary of him after a contentious presidential campaign. Yamiche Alcindor in the New York Times$ Janell Ross and Vanessa Williams in the Washington Post$ -- 1/16/17
Beltway
A departing Obama acknowledges some failures and warns Trump about the perils of Washington's partisanship -- In a farewell interview with CBS' "60 Minutes," President Obama warned successor Donald Trump on Sunday about the downsides of a presidency as improvisational as his campaign, and suggested that Trump’s vow to implement change may fall to the same forces of partisanship that hampered his presidency. Cathleen Decker in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/17
Democrats rally across the country to save and expand Obamacare -- Democrats and labor organizers spent Sunday at dozens of rallies across the country, pledging to fight in Congress against the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and any attempt to change Medicare or Medicaid. The party’s leaders faced crowds ranging in size from dozens to thousands of people, urging them to call Republicans and protest the push for repeal. David Weigel in the Washington Post$ -- 1/16/17
-- Sunday Updates
Sen. Dianne Feinstein says Russian involvement changed the outcome of the election -- Russian interference in the presidential election “altered the outcome,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Sunday, adding that classified briefings had laid out a “very sophisticated effort” by Moscow to impede Hillary Clinton’s campaign. The California Democrat did not specifically say whether she thought Clinton would have won absent the Russian actions, but strongly suggested that she believed Clinton would have. Cathleen Decker in the Los Angeles Times$ Sean Cockerham in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/15/17
Outgoing CIA chief rips into Trump on Russia threat -- The outgoing CIA director charged on Sunday that Donald Trump lacks a full understanding of the threat Moscow poses to the United States, delivering a public lecture to the president-elect that further highlighted the bitter state of Trump's relations with American intelligence agencies. Steve Peoples and Laurie Kellman Associated Press -- 1/15/17
Author of California histories and former State Librarian Kevin Starr dies at 76 -- Former California State Librarian Kevin Starr, who wrote rich cultural, economic and political histories on the birth, growth and maturation of the Golden State, died on Saturday. He was 76. David Zahniser and Matt Hamilton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/17
Few Asian-Americans Hold Top Legal Jobs, New Study Says -- When Goodwin Liu joined the seven-member California Supreme Court in 2011, he became its fourth sitting member of Asian descent. The number is remarkable. Sudhin Thanawala Associated Press -- 1/15/17
McSwain: Chargers exit may help San Diego, if its leaders are wise -- It’s been clear for years that San Diego may do better, economically speaking, without the Chargers — if keeping the team had required tax dollars to help them build a ne w stadium. Dan McSwain in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/15/17
Why Russia Loves the Idea of California Seceding -- Once again, Moscow is winking at a long-shot breakaway movement in the U.S. Casey Michel Politico -- 1/15/17
10 years after iPhone launch, innovation flagging at Apple -- But as the company delves into new devices and services, including the Apple Watch, AirPods wireless earbuds and software that links Internet-connected home devices to a smartphone, some analysts are wondering whether Apple should rethink its strategy. Wendy Lee in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/15/17
Border tunnels left unfilled on Mexican side pose security risk, officials say -- Mexican drug cartels have burrowed dozens of tunnels in the last decade, outfitted them with rail and cart systems to whisk drugs under the U.S. border and, after being discovered by authorities, abandoned them. But some of the illicit passageways live on. Richard Marosi in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/17
Parade, service projects to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day in L.A. County -- Southern California will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday with a parade and activities designed to educate, entertain and improve communities. David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/17
Some malls are banning teens amid disturbances and unruly gatherings fueled by social media -- It seemed like a typical Saturday evening at the Westfield shopping mall in Culver City, until chaos erupted. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/17