Updating . .
'Presidential credibility, once squandered, may never be fully regained': Rep. Adam Schiff, in Democrats' weekly speech --Schiff, who had a busy week as ranking Democrat on the House Select Committee on Intelligence, used the weekly Democratic address to lay out details of the committee's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, but ended with a plea directly to Trump. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/25/17
Raiders’ move to Las Vegas looks like a certain bet -- On Feb. 11, 2016, Raiders owner Mark Davis and Oakland city officials got together at Oracle Arena and smiled in front of all the TV cameras. They agreed to a one-year lease extension at the Coliseum and pledged to work together to build a permanent facility for the football team. They haven’t met since. Vic Tafur in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/25/17
Silicon Valley’s real estate race reaches working-class Alviso -- High-tech encroachment, high housing prices are driving out some longtime residents. Richard Scheinin in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/25/17
Justice Department action signals serious legal concerns for Hunter -- The Department of Justice request that the U.S. House Committee on Ethics defer action in its review of campaign-finance allegations against Rep. Duncan Hunter is a rare move that has signaled serious trouble for other lawmakers in recent history. Morgan Cook in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/25/17
Russia's state news service applies for White House pass -- The Russian state-owned news website Sputnik has applied for a White House hard pass and is seeking membership in the White House Foreign Press Group in order to become a part of pool rotations. Hadas Gold Politico -- 3/25/17
Balz: With his presidency off course, Trump confronts the lessons of the health-care debacle -- The president has an opportunity to adjust, adapt and ultimately to recover, if he’s prepared to undertake a sober analysis of what happened on health care, and more broadly, how to operate as president. Dan Balz in the Washington Post$ -- 3/25/17
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Obamacare still alive, but in LA County ‘no mission accomplished yet’ -- The withdrawal of the Republican-sponsored health care bill before a House vote Friday was met with momentary relief, but also continued uncertainty for some Los Angeles County lawmakers and those who work in the community clinic sector, who agreed-the fight isn’t over. Susan Abram in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 3/25/17
GOP health law repeal thwarted, but ‘Trumpcare’ already under way -- Most notably, the Internal Revenue Service has relaxed its enforcement of the requirement to buy insurance, known as the individual mandate. Republicans largely oppose the requirement as onerous, but Democrats view it as a vital to the law’s effectiveness, because it means people who are healthy — not just those who are sick — must buy insurance. That spreads the risk of incurring high health costs across more people. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/25/17
Transportation deal taking shape between Jerry Brown, Democratic leaders -- Gov. Jerry Brown and Democratic legislative leaders are putting the final touches on legislation to raise several billion dollars for road maintenance and repairs, yet with no assurance that the measure will pass by a self-imposed April 6 deadline. Jim Miller in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/25/17
ICE agent accused of helping Mexican national with convictions reenter the U.S. -- A veteran U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agent was accused this week of working with an organized crime figure to help a Mexican national with multiple convictions reenter the country illegally. Veronica Rocha in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/25/17
Mexican man’s widow sues over Otay Mesa jail death, says pleas for help ignored -- The widow of a Mexican man who crossed into the U.S. illegally in the trunk of a car is suing the federal government on allegations that staff at a detention facility in Otay Mesa repeatedly ignored his pleas for medical care, causing him to die in a hospital from complications of pneumonia weeks later. Kristina Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/25/17
State water agency unlikely to meet deadlines to repair Oroville Reservoir, expert says -- An engineering expert who visited the troubled Oroville Reservoir said this week that it would be nearly impossible for the state to complete temporary repairs to its fractured and eroded main spillway by a target date of Nov. 1. Joseph Serna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/25/17
Dispute in California Senate leads to ethics complaint against leader Kevin de León -- Republican state Sen. Andy Vidak on Friday filed an ethics complaint asking for an investigation into whether Democratic Senate leader Kevin de León engaged in an improper "cover-up" of threats allegedly made by former state Sen. Isadore Hall III against a group of farmers. Anthony Reyes, a spokesman for De León, defended the decision not to investigate allegations against Hall. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/25/17
Even with Issa in D.C., protesters and supporters rally outside Vista event -- More than 100 critics of President Donald Trump and his policies, and another three dozen or so Trump supporters, rallied outside a Vista event that was supposed to feature Rep. Darrell Issa on Friday evening. The congressman, who endorsed Trump during his presidential campaign, was not there. Teri Figueroa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/25/17
Harsh portrayal of their hometown congressman Devin Nunes riles his neighbors and friends -- Nunes & Sons dairy north of Tulare, where embattled local congressman Devin Nunes learned the dairy business as a youth, is feeding and milking Jersey cows 24 hours a day. Lewis Griswold in the Fresno Bee -- 3/25/17
Robert Lee Ahn raised the most money by far in latest campaign finance reports for L.A.'s congressional race -- Congressional candidate Robert Lee Ahn far outstripped some of the top fundraisers in the 34th Congressional District, taking a surprise lead in campaign finance reports filed Thursday. Christine Mai-Duc in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/25/17
California Upholds Auto Emissions Standards, Setting Up Face-Off With Trump -- California’s clean-air agency voted on Friday to push ahead with stricter emissions standards for cars and trucks, setting up a potential legal battle with the Trump administration over the state’s plan to reduce planet-warming gases. Hiroko Tabuchi in the New York Times$ -- 3/25/17
Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds
LA controller opposes city plan to borrow up to $60 million for lawsuit payouts -- Los Angeles Controller Ron Galperin warned city leaders Friday against going forward with a plan now under consideration to borrow up to $60 million to cover the cost of an unusually large crop of lawsuit payouts. Elizabeth Chou in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 3/25/17
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
San Jose and Oakland area job markets tumble -- Santa Clara County and the East Bay suffered their worst two-month stretch of job losses since the Great Recession during January and February, state jobs data showed Friday, raising questions about the region’s economic strength. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/25/17
Investors wonder if the collapse of a healthcare bill signals trouble for Trump's tax cuts -- For investors, the healthcare debacle was just the warm-up act for the Trump administration production they really want to see: tax cuts. Jim Puzzanghera and James F. Peltz in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/25/17
LA County is gaining jobs, but these retailers closing stories could lead to cuts -- Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire both added jobs in February, with both regions seeing a drop in their unemployment rates, the state Employment Development Department reported Friday. Additional figures show that California continues to lead the nation in year-over-year job growth. Kevin Smith in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 3/25/17
Oakland Makes Last-Ditch Effort to Keep Raiders From Las Vegas -- With the Raiders gazing at Las Vegas and sticking one foot out the door, Oakland is making a last-minute plea to hang onto them. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf on Friday shared details of investors’ plans for the first time for a stadium on the current Coliseum site, and vowed that she and the city are doing all they can to keep the team. Andrew Dalton Associated Press J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle Elliot Almond in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/25/17
The Onetime ‘Tesla Killer’ Abandons Plans to Build Vallejo Car Factory -- Electric car startup Faraday Future has scrapped a deal with the city of Vallejo to build a vehicle plant on the north end of Mare Island. The move comes 10 months after the City Council approved the company’s plans to create a factory on a 150-acre site on the former naval shipyard. Ted Goldberg KQED Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/25/17
Writers Guild of America seeks a strike authorization vote -- The union called for the strike authorization vote — a tactic that unions use to gain leverage in contract negotiations — after talks broke down with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television producers, which represents the major studios, TV networks and independent producers. David Ng in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/25/17
Education
After therapy dog refuses to drink, San Diego Unified finds lead in water -- A dog’s reluctance to drink from a bowl in a San Diego classroom led to the discovery of lead in the school’s water system, and testing of all pipes in the San Diego Unified School District will begin soon. Gary Warth in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/25/17
Bill would require state colleges to provide medical abortions -- A bill in the California legislature would require all public universities and community colleges in the state to provide medical abortions at student health centers. Sen. Connie Leyva (D- Chino) introduced the measure; she said it's important to make medical abortions available on campus. George Lavender KPCC -- 3/25/17
What does it mean to be a 'sanctuary campus?' Two college presidents weigh in -- "We do have an obligation to create a safe space here, but we will have differences in opinion. We have donors who have threatened to withdraw their resources because we are 'breaking the law' — which we are not," said Melvin Oliver, Pitzer's new president, who in November became one of the first to declare a college as sanctuary. Rosanna Xia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/25/17
Cannabis
Regulating marijuana in California will be turbulent, state official says -- Crafting comprehensive state marijuana regulations this year will likely be a turbulent process of trial and error, California’s top marijuana official told a few dozen San Diego industry leaders during a forum this week. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/25/17
Immigration / Border
Immigration lawyers warn of visa delays and more denials with beefed-up vetting -- Heightened security procedures for vetting some visa applicants at U.S. embassies worldwide will likely cause long delays for would-be travelers as the government scrutinizes everything from work history to social media, immigration lawyer and advocates said Friday. Carol Morello and Erin Cunningham in the Washington Post$ -- 3/25/17
Environment
L.A. officials push for new steps to address health risks from homebuilding near freeways -- In a new push to address health risks from a surge in residential construction near freeways, Los Angeles officials have requested a study of development restrictions, design standards and other steps to protect residents from traffic pollution. Tony Barboza and David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/25/17
12,000 Imperial County children already have asthma. Will Salton Sea make it worse? -- Another threat looms at year’s end, when mitigation water transferred to the deteriorating Salton Sea, which straddles Imperial and Riverside counties, will end as part of an agreement with the state. The result over time, scientists say, will expose much of the sea’s bottom, potentially releasing considerably more harmful dust into the air. Marisa Agha in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/25/17
Also . . .
Law enforcement: Cooperation key in response to terrorist, mass shooting incidents like San Bernardino -- Part of the reason the San Bernardino terrorist attack didn’t lead to more loss of life started years before. Beau Yarbrough in the Long Beach Press Telegram$ -- 3/25/17
Parents of man killed by sheriff's deputy in Yorba Linda sue Orange County -- The parents of a man shot and killed last year by an Orange County sheriff’s deputy outside a Yorba Linda motel have filed a lawsuit against the county claiming the deputy didn’t have cause to fire his gun at their son and offering a wildly different account of events than told by law enforcement. Jordan Graham in the Orange County Register -- 3/25/17
POTUS 45
‘The closer’? The inside story of how Trump tried — and failed — to make a deal on health care -- Shortly after House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) unveiled the Republican health-care plan on March 6, President Trump sat in the Oval Office and queried his advisers: “Is this really a good bill?” Robert Costa, Ashley Parker and Philip Rucker in the Washington Post$ -- 3/25/17
In Dropping Health Vote, Trump Swallowed Need for a Showdown -- When Speaker Paul D. Ryan arrived at the White House on Friday to inform President Trump that the health care bill he had made his first major legislative push could not pass, Mr. Trump had one reaction: He wanted revenge. Julie Hirschfeld and Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ -- 3/25/17
Inside the GOP’s Health Care Debacle -- Eighteen days that shook the Republican Party—and humbled a president. Tim Alberta Politico -- 3/25/17
Fact Check: Trump’s Misleading Claims on the Health Bill Failure -- Reeling from a major blow to his legislative agenda, President Trump blamed Democrats on Friday after House Republicans rescinded their bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. He insisted it wasn’t an immediate priority anyway. Here is an assessment of his claims. Linda Qiu in the New York Times$ -- 3/25/17
Trump learns that dealmaking is not the same as leadership -- President Trump has gotten a hard lesson from his first legislative debacle: Leadership takes more than being able to close a deal. Karen Tumulty in the Washington Post$ -- 3/25/17
Affordable Care Act remains ‘law of the land,’ but Trump vows to explode it -- In the coming weeks and months, the White House and a highly conservative health and human services secretary will be faced with a series of choices over whether to shore up insurance marketplaces created under the Affordable Care Act — or let them atrophy. These marketplaces are currently a conduit to health coverage for 10 million Americans, but they have been financially fragile, promptin g spiking rates and defections of major insurers. Amy Goldstein and Juliet Eilperin in the Washington Post$ -- 3/25/17
Beltway
California Rep. Adam Schiff becomes leading voice of opposition -- California Rep. Adam Schiff has been all over the news this week as the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, which is investigating links between Russia and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/25/17
-- Friday Updates
New parole rules released as California prisons near court-ordered cap -- As the state prison population comes close to exceeding a court-mandated limit, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is pursuing new regulations that aim to get more inmates paroled more quickly over time. Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/24/17
California’s vow to reduce auto pollution may be setting up a full-out war with Trump -- Wielding the same authority created decades ago to fight smog, California regulators on Friday moved forward with tough new pollution-reduction requirements for automakers selling cars in the state. Chris Megerian in the Los Angeles Times$ Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/24/17
Tax reform next? Maybe not. -- The GOP was counting on repeal of Obamacare and its nearly $1 trillion in taxes to help finance sweeping tax cuts. Aaron Lorenzo Politico -- 3/24/17
White House launches damage control after health bill collapses -- ‘This is 100 percent a Ryan failure,’ one senior administration official said after the Obamacare repeal bill was pulled on Friday. Matthew Nussbaum and Tara Palmeri Politico -- 3/24/17
House GOP abruptly pulls troubled health care bill -- Republican leaders have abruptly pulled their troubled health care overhaul bill off the House floor, short of votes and eager to avoid a humiliating defeat for President Donald Trump and GOP leaders. Associated Press -- 3/24/17
Ghost Ship owners knew of dangerous electrical system before deadly fire -- More than two years before December’s Ghost Ship fire claimed 36 lives, the building’s owners knew of dangerous electrical problems there — including a transformer fire in an adjacent space never reported to authorities — and learned that tenants had installed power upgrades without city permits, according to emails obtained by this news organization. But they resisted efforts to fix the problems. Aaron Davis, Matthias Gafni, Thomas Peele and David Debolt in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/24/17
Audit: California tax collectors on ‘parking lot duty’ for promotional events as politicos push boundaries -- A soon-to-be released audit of the state Board of Equalization finds that the agency still can’t explain how it misallocated tens of millions of dollars worth of tax revenue and describes how one of its elected leaders effectively swelled his political staff by “redirecting” civil servants to his own projects. Adam Ashton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/24/17
UC Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks improperly accepted free fitness benefits, university probe finds -- UC Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks improperly accepted free university benefits, including membership to the campus fitness center, two years of personal training sessions and the unauthorized transfer of exercise equipment from the public gym to his private residence, a university investigation has found. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/24/17
Like an invisibility cloak, Latina Muslims find the hijab hides their ethnicity — from Latinos -- Magdalena Al Omari, a Mexican American convert to Islam, slipped on the hijab and braced for whatever may come. It happened a few months later, in the checkout line of a grocery store in Santa Ana. Cindy Carcamo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/24/17
California to free 9,500 inmates in 4 years -- Corrections officials adopted new criminal sentencing rules on Friday that aim to trim California's prison population by 9,500 inmates after four years. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 3/24/17
L.A. City Council backs plan to knock down Parker Center, build office tower -- Over the objections of preservationists, the Los Angeles City Council voted Friday to demolish the LAPD’s Parker Center and replace the former police headquarters with a $483-million office tower for city employees. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ Elizabeth Chou in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 3/24/17
California Uber drivers would need only one business license under new legislation -- Senate Bill 182 from state Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Los Angeles) attempts to make it easier for drivers to comply with local rules governing taxation and registration for independent contractors — an employee classification the companies have long argued fits their drivers. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/24/17
Robots could take over 38% of U.S. jobs within about 15 years, report says -- More than a third of U.S. jobs could be at “high risk” of automation by the early 2030s, a percentage that’s greater than in Britain, Germany and Japan, according to a report released Friday. Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/24/17
California adds 22,900 jobs in February; unemployment rate ticks down to 5% -- Employers in California increased their payrolls by a net 22,900 employees in February, according to data released Friday by the state’s Employment Development Department. Natalie Kitroeff in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/24/17
Why higher tariffs would hurt the Inland Empire economy -- In his annual forecast for San Bernardino and Riverside counties, economist John Husing cautioned Thursday that the region will suffer if President Donald Trump follows through on his campaign promise to increase taxes on imports. Andrea Bernstein KPCC -- 3/24/17
California’s Chief Justice: Trump Dissing Judges Threatens the Courts -- A week after telling federal officials to stop “stalking undocumented immigrants” in the state’s courthouses, California’s Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye says she’s none too happy about President Donald Trump’s disparaging comments about judges, either. Scott Shafer KQED -- 3/24/17
Stem cell agency founder eyes $5 billion in state funding -- The man often called the father of the California stem cell agency all but said he is set to launch an effort to pump an additional $5 billion in state funding into the research effort, which is scheduled to run out of cash in about three years. David Jensen Capitol Weekly -- 3/24/17
Voters pound Valley GOP congressmen’s phones as health care vote approaches -- Every staff person at Rep. David Valadao’s office in Washington, D.C., had one job Friday – answering telephones that were ringing non-stop. So many calls were coming into the Hanford Republican’s office that Valadao spokesman Anna Vetter wasn’t surprised if people were getting busy signals. Barbara Anderson in the Fresno Bee -- 3/24/17
Fox: There Ought to Be a Law…That is Ignored -- UCLA basketball is facing Kentucky in the Sweet 16 tonight in Memphis, Tennessee. Eyebrows were raised when the trip to Tennessee was justified despite a state law that prohibits California tax-supported individuals from traveling to certain states blackballed because those states passed laws tabbed discriminatory by California politicians. Tennessee has a law that allows therapists to deny service to gay and transgender clients. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 3/24/17
Jeffe & Jeffe: Congressman Schiff: Ready for His Close-Up -- With Barack Obama keeping a low profile and Bill and Hillary Clinton sidelined, there has been a lot of hand wringing about the lack of fresh Democratic leadership. Now, from the relative obscurity of the California Congressional delegation, a new Democratic “person of the hour” has materialized –Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Burbank). Sherry Bebitch Jeffe & Doug Jeffe Fox & Hounds -- 3/24/17