Updating . .
High-speed rail taking shape even as opponents seek to kill it -- For many Californians, the plan to run high-speed trains between San Francisco and Los Angeles remains in the realm of fantasy. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/12/17
Thanks to storm runoff, there's a lot of water over California's second-largest reservoir -- Bloated with storm runoff, the reservoir had gone from 80% full to overflowing in less than a week when managers were forced to reduce releases on Oroville’s heavily damaged concrete spillway. Bettina Boxall and Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/12/17
Water flowing out of Lake Oroville emergency spillway -- State water officials watched nervously Sunday as thousands of cubic feet of water continued to gush over Lake Oroville’s emergency spillway every second — an unprecedented measure to reduce water volume in the state’s second largest reservoir that neared capacity this weekend. Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/12/17
24 hours later, no problems reported with Oroville Dam’s emergency spillway -- A dry spell has helped considerably, reducing the amount of water flowing into swollen Lake Oroville. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/12/17
Feinstein fundraising machine fires up for re-election run -- Aspiring Senate hopefuls got some bad news the other day when Sen. Dianne Feinstein sent out invites for a “Feinstein for Senate 2018” campaign kickoff fundraiser March 18 in Bel-Air. Matier & Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/12/17
Atop Mt. Wilson, retired engineers keep alive astronomy's 'Sistine Chapel' -- Dressed in parkas and knit caps, the three volunteers lug crates of power tools and spooled wire into the gleaming mountaintop edifice that some have called astronomy’s “Sistine Chapel” and immediately start tinkering. Louis Sahagun in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/12/17
‘Not on our watch’: Trump resistance catches fire in Bay Area -- Before Donald Trump was elected president, Dave Emme had no idea who his congressional representative was. The 32-year-old environmental engineer, who lives in Oakland, was so disengaged from national politics that the first time he voted for president was for Hillary Clinton in 2016. Tammerlin Drummond in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/12/17
Thousands march against Trump in Mexico City: 'Pay for your own wall!' -- Thousands of demonstrators waving Mexican flags and signs denouncing President Trump marched through central Mexico City on Sunday, the largest mobilization in the capital to date against the controversial polices of the Trump White House. Patrick J. McDonnell in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/12/17
Next Porter Ranch gas leak fight may be over money -- Last week the Southern California Gas Co. announced it would pay $8.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by air regulators. Now it looks to some, especially residents, that the community got short-changed. Greg Wilcox in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 2/12/17
How much could the Rams and Chargers make in their new stadium? We ran the numbers -- The Rams and Chargers came to Los Angeles for one simple reason: money. James Rufus Koren, Roger Vincent in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/12/17
Diaz: California’s housing crisis: It’s a matter of will -- In one sense, California’s housing crisis is a matter of simple math. This state was not building anywhere close to the number of homes that would be required to accommodate the addition of 300,000 residents a year over the past decade. John Diaz in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/12/17
Hillary Clinton Is Running Again -- Hillary Clinton will run for president. Again. No inside information informs this prediction. No argument is advanced as to whether her run is a good or a bad idea—there are many ways to make a case either way. Instead this is just a statement of simple facts (if facts mean anything anymore, that is). Matt Latimer Politico -- 2/12/17
Trump impeached? You can bet on it -- Gambling houses all over the world are taking in action on whether Trump, inaugurated just last month, will resign or be impeached. And the odds aren’t as long as you might think. Steven Shepard Politico -- 2/12/17
California Policy & Politics This Morning
With pension reform looming, these California departments went on a hiring spree -- More than 200 California public workers started their jobs on New Year’s Eve in 2012. The next day, a law restricting CalPERS pensions for new hires took effect. Adam Ashton and Phillip Reese in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/12/17
Effort to delay opening Aliso Canyon gas field clears a hurdle in Sacramento -- A bill to block the re-opening of the Southern California Gas Co.’s Aliso Canyon natural gas field, responsible for the nation’s biggest methane leak, has cleared a key state Senate committee. Gregory J. Wilcox in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 2/12/17
'This is the worst I have seen': California's roads are in dire shape, says former Caltrans director -- Kempton, 69, who is retiring as executive director of the advocacy group Transportation California, said he is “frustrated and disappointed” that California has failed for decades to agree on a plan to pay for a $136-billion backlog of repairs on state highways and local roads. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/12/17
Political Road Map: What does the state spend more money on, prisons or schools? -- Let’s not beat around the bush. There are an awful lot of Californians who don’t know where the state government spends most of their hard-earned tax dollars. It’s a problem that’s been going on for years. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/12/17
With term limits and political roadblocks ahead, what's next for California Senate leader Kevin de León? -- Kevin de León has started his third year as leader of the California state Senate facing threats to his left-leaning agenda from President Trump, and uncertainty over the future path of his political career. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/12/17
Morain: Newsom runs for governor, waging 140-character war against Trump -- Time was, Gavin Newsom dismissed the office of lieutenant governor by wondering what the job did and whether it should exist. The answers: not much and no. But six years into it and aspiring to move over to the governor’s suite, Newsom is using the position of lite guv to be everywhere. Dan Morain in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/12/17
Raids across the U.S. leave immigrant communities and activists on high alert -- Sweeping raids by U.S. immigration officials in recent days nabbed hundreds of individuals believed to be in the country illegally, spreading alarm among immigrant rights groups as they scrambled to gather information and warn people in communities nationwide. Kurtis Lee and Jenny Jarvie in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/12/17
Immigration rumors of checkpoints and deportation spark fear in Southern California communities -- Before a “surge” this week during which immigration officials targeted about 160 undocumented immigrants with felony records and fugitives, the rumors began to fly. Alejandra Molina and Liset Márquez in the Long Beach Press Telegram$ -- 2/12/17
All quarters prepare for Trump immigration actions -- Protests sprang up across the nation this past week as tensions heightened over immigration enforcement — although it’s not clear whether raids, checkpoints and deportations that sparked the unrest represented business as usual or the new priorities of President Donald Trump. Kate Morrissey and Kristina Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/12/17
What does California’s 1994 immigration battle tell us about the US’s immigration battles today? -- In 1994, debate over immigration, especially of undocumented immigrants from Mexico, nearly tore California apart. Beau Yarbrough in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 2/12/17
Tech firms find their voice in resisting Trump, for now -- President Trump’s controversial travel and immigration ban is giving the tech industry something many of its members have long craved: a political stand on a cause that is not motivated primarily by profit. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/12/17
Trump’s travel ban derails dreams of Bay Area bride-to-be -- When Afsaneh got a call from her local bridal shop in San Jose letting her know that the simple, ruffled, elegant gown she had carefully chosen weeks ago was ready for pickup, she was excited that the final pieces of her spring wedding were falling into place. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/12/17
75 Years Later, Japanese-Americans Recall Incarceration, Forced Farm Labor -- When President Trump signed an executive order last month banning people from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S. and advocated for a Muslim registry, some of the loudest opponents were Japanese-Americans. Lisa Morehouse KQED -- 2/12/17
Sonoma County’s jail is central to role of local authorities in immigration enforcement -- For undocumented immigrants booked into the jail, the biometric data triggers a process that could abruptly end their local criminal court case and put them in the hands of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, for civil deportation proceedings. The jail is at the center of the role Sonoma County law enforcement plays in immigration enforcement. Julie Johnson in the Santa Rosa Press -- 2/12/17
Protests at Planned Parenthood clinics met with opposition -- Demonstrators in the Bay Area joined abortion opponents outside Planned Parenthood facilities across the country Saturday for protests calling for an end to government funding for the organization. Jenna Lyons in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/12/17
Protesters seize political momentum, rally against Planned Parenthood -- It wasn’t just about standing against abortion. On Saturday, deacons, musicians, health care workers, college students, lawyers, Christians, parents and children stood side by side outside Planned Parenthood centers to seize political momentum for defunding hundreds of clinics across the nation. Nancy Luna, Rachel Uranga, Rachel Luna, and Ryan Hagen in the Long Beach Press Telegram$ -- 2/12/17
Thousands of protesters rally to save Planned Parenthood funding in Encinitas -- Roughly 2,000 protesters in Encinitas on Saturday advocated for Planned Parenthood, a nonprofit which offers abortion services that is facing scrutiny under President Donald Trump and a Republican Congress. Phillip Molnar in the San Bernardino Sun$ -- 2/12/17
As political strife continues, Planned Parenthood serves as latest protest battleground -- An anti-abortion protest at Sacramento’s Planned Parenthood regional office Saturday morning was swamped by a larger crowd of abortion-rights demonstrators in the latest social battle in a deeply divided political environment. Nashelly Chavez in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/12/17
Anti-Planned Parenthood protest in Fresno outnumbered by supporters of clinic -- In an effort to join national groups protesting Planned Parenthood, a small Fresno group stood across the street from the Fulton Street clinic on Saturday. But their protest was quickly drowned out by a larger, and louder, crowd of clinic supporters. Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado in the Fresno Bee -- 2/12/17
Willie Brown: A day without women: ‘General strike’ against Trump gains traction -- When it comes to calling out our new president, it’s the nation’s women who are leading the charge. Whether it was the huge Women’s March or Elizabeth Warren on the Senate floor, women have been at the forefront. Willie Brown in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/12/17
Walters: Regulators in Sacramento and Washington need oversight -- Barack Obama’s administration issued a flurry of new regulations before he vacated the White House, and the Republican-controlled Congress is busily repealing many of them. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/12/17
Oroville Dam, for 1st time in history, uses emergency spillway -- California’s second-largest reservoir filled with so much water Saturday, thanks to extraordinary winter storms and unexpected damage to a release channel, that officials at Oroville Dam took the unprecedented step of opening the lake’s emergency spillway. Kurtis Alexander and Filipa A. Ioannou in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/12/17
As emergency spillway flows, state says repairs to crippled Oroville Dam could run $200 million -- For the first time since Oroville Dam was completed in 1968, water from its storm-swollen reservoir overtopped the emergency spillway Saturday, sending sheets of water down a forested hillside and adding to the murk and debris churning in the Feather River below. Dale Kasler and Peter Hecht in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/12/17
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Elon Musk’s alliance with president poses big risks, potentially big rewards -- More than just a visionary, Elon Musk is a gambler. But while his creation of rocket and electric car companies out of thin air built a solid corps of supporters, his latest venture is antagonizing those very same loyalists. Sandy Mazza in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 2/12/17
Who wins big at the Grammys? LA businesses to the tune of $200 million -- The hairstylist leaned over actress-model Samantha Diane, clipped in a blond hair extension and created a do dazzling enough for any red carpet. It was just so. Just right. And on the money at Blo Blow Dry Bar in Hollywood days before Sunday’s 59th annual Grammy Awards. Anita Bennett and Dana Bartholomew in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 2/12/17
Unease over immigration hurting tech recruiting -- Facing uncertainty about their prospects for working in the U.S. and wary of exposing themselves and their families to complications with their immigration status, some tech workers are choosing to put any plans to change jobs on hold, recruiters say. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/12/17
Education
Most Sacramento area schools do not test drinking water for lead -- Parents may not be aware of this fact: Schools aren’t required to test for lead in their drinking water. And most campuses don’t. Diana Lambert in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/12/17
Cannabis
Abcarian: Los Angeles may finally get cannabis right, and help minorities get a stake in the industry -- After years of barely controlled chaos, Los Angeles voters will have the opportunity on March 7 to finally harness the city’s unruly cannabis industry. Proposition M will give the City Council authority to regulate, tax and create an enforcement scheme for medical and recreational marijuana. Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/12/17
Are cities’ new marijuana laws about safety, or blocking Proposition 64? -- California law now says every resident 21 or older has a right to grow up to six marijuana plants for personal use. The law also says cities or counties can “reasonably regulate” homegrown pot. Brooke Edwards Staggs in the Long Beach Press Telegram$ -- 2/12/17
Health
LA County push to educate doctors about anti-HIV drug -- The Los Angeles County public health department has launched an effort to educate doctors and nurses at hundreds of community clinics about Truvada, the once-a-day pill that can dramatically reduce the risk of contracting HIV. George Lavender KPCC -- 2/12/17
Health care’s new majority -- The white population is shrinking, and minorities will soon be the majority. Is the healthcare system ready? Sophie Quinton Politico -- 2/12/17
POTUS 45
Trump: Media has 'abused' Ivanka -- President Donald Trump on Saturday tweeted that the media "abused" his daughter, Ivanka, likely in the aftermath of a decision by Nordstrom to drop her clothing label and an ensuing ethics controversy involving the president. Rebecca Morin Politico -- 2/12/17
Obama wanted to be the high-speed rail president. It might be Trump instead -- The Obama administration spent nearly $10 billion to improve passenger rail service across the country. While it accomplished that goal to some degree, it did not build the faster trains passengers can ride in Europe, Japan and China. Curtis Tate McClatchy DC -- 2/12/17
When the President Owns the Venue -- President Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan toured Trump’s golf courses and stayed at his resort in Florida, drawing attention to properties from which he has not divested himself. Julie Hirschfeld Davis in the New York Times$ -- 2/12/17
Beltway
Swift repeal of Obama rules leaves former staffers steaming -- Joe Pizarchik spent more than seven years working on a regulation to protect streams from mountaintop removal coal mining. It took Congress 25 hours to kill it. Alex Guillén and Marianne Levine Politico -- 2/12/17
-- Saturday Updates
Oroville Dam's emergency spillway used for first time amid rising waters; officials say public safe -- Capping days of tense planning at the nation’s tallest dam, water flowed down an emergency spillway Saturday at the Oroville Dam for the first time after the dam’s main spillway suffered significant damage. Bettina Boxall, Chris Megerian, Chris Megerian and Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ Filipa A. Ioannou in the San Francisco Chronicle Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ Denis Cuff in the East Bay Times -- 2/11/17
Immigration arrests heighten fears in Southern California as hoaxes, false rumors swirl -- The alarm sounded a few minutes past 3. A leading advocacy group for immigrant rights blasted out an email alert Thursday afternoon, warning that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were sweeping up immigrants in raids throughout Los Angeles and nearby counties. Joel Rubin, Brittny Mejia, James Queally and Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/17
Mexicans Vow to Fight Trump by Jamming U.S. Courts -- Influential Mexicans are pushing an aggressive and perhaps risky strategy to fight a likely increase in deportations of their undocumented compatriots in the U.S.: jam U.S. immigration courts in hopes of causing the already overburdened system to break down. José De Córdoba and Santiago Pérez in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 2/11/17
How the 31-year-old behind Trump’s travel ban forged his conservative identity in liberal Southern California -- Stephen Miller, a top adviser to President Trump, was one of the leading advocates of the executive order banning travel from seven Muslim-majority nations, and he wrote some of Trump’s most strident campaign speeches. Rosalind S. Helderman in the Washington Post$ -- 2/11/17
UC Berkeley police shift to safety over force at protests -- The most forceful action by UC Berkeley police recently against hordes of demonstrators protesting a campus appearance by right-wing agitator Milo Yiannopoulos was to shoot pepper-and-paint balls at them from a distance. Compared with past demonstrations, campus police in this case were positively kind. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/11/17
The price to visit Disneyland and California Adventure is going up -- Effective Sunday, it will cost $97 to go to one of the parks on Value days, the lowest-priced days of the year, up $2. A visit on a Regular day will be $110, while a Peak day will cost $124, both up $5. Tickets are more on days when demand would be higher. Joseph Pimentel in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 2/11/17
Lopez: If you think public schools are failing, you haven't met these kids -- Some of the students arrived early. As much as 30 minutes early. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/17