Updating . .
Jerry Brown rips Trump’s wall: ‘We’re not going to sit around and just play patsy’ -- Gov. Jerry Brown won’t allow President Donald Trump to deport millions of people and build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, he said in an interview that aired Sunday. Christopher Cadelago in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/26/17
Gov. Jerry Brown says California won't 'be running to the courthouse every day' to fight President Trump -- With many of his fellow Democrats demanding multiple challenges to President Trump's proposals, Gov. Jerry Brown said this week he will continue to support a more measured approach. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/26/17
San Francisco’s voter-approved camp-sweep measure more symbol than substance -- Nearly five months after San Francisco voters approved the anti-tent-camp Proposition Q, hoping it would trigger a tsunami of sweeps clearing the streets of homeless encampments, here’s how many times the new ordinance has been used: Zero. Kevin Fagan and Emily Green in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/26/17
Big Sur lost a bridge and slipped back in time. Now residents are wondering what happens next -- Outside the Big Sur Taphouse, a little before 9 p.m., the hint of marijuana is in the air. A country-psychedelic-surf rock band from Monterey plays on an iPhone propped on a stone ledge, and Blake Cusack is skipping rope in the parking area just off Highway One. Thomas Curwen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/26/17
The other side of Eden: Commercial marijuana takes root in Steinbeck country -- John Steinbeck’s quintessential California novel “East of Eden,” about pain and poverty in an agricultural paradise, cast this setting in near biblical tones, depicting it as a place of mystical breeze and light, “full of sun and loveliness” and warm like “the lap of a beloved mother.” Peter Hecht in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/26/17
PG&E quietly clearing toxic soil from pricey Marina district -- For four years, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. has been quietly buying multimillion-dollar homes in the Marina and scooping out their backyards. The utility, California’s largest, is trying to remove chemical contamination that has lurked beneath a corner of the neighborhood for more than a century, toxic waste from two long-gone fuel manufacturing plants. Emily Green and David R. Baker in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/26/17
The Vegas Raiders gamble: Why Sin City is betting big-time on pro sports -- Few tumbleweed towns engender more mythology than this one. Las Vegas has a way of brightening the bleak desert landscape with its colorful images of Sin City and Glitter Gulch. With NFL owners poised to vote on relocation Monday, Las Vegas is on the cusp of getting the Raiders after already securing the NHL’s first expansion team since 2000. Elliot Almond in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/26/17
Facebook pioneer donates $75 million to UCSD for data science -- UC San Diego’s push to raise a record $2 billion in private donations got a big lift Saturday when a scientist who helped turn Facebook into a social-media giant gave the campus $75 million. Taner Halicioglu’s gift is meant to make the campus a national leader in data science and to launch the public phase of a capital campaign that’s already produced almost $1 billion. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/26/17
Why This California Town’s Water Costs Way More Than the National Average -- The town of Lucerne in Lake County is tucked between mountains and a lake. When you drive in on the main two-lane highway, the sign that greets you calls it the “Switzerland of America.” But David Cruz has a different nickname for the place. Audrey Dilling KQED -- 3/26/17
Debbie Reynolds, Carrie Fisher celebrated with tears, music and ‘Star Wars’ tributes -- On a tranquil Saturday afternoon, more than a thousand people gathered to bid farewell to two generations of Hollywood royalty. Matthew Carey in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 3/26/17
GOP struggles to govern despite a monopoly in Washington -- The Republican Party of "no" for Democrat Barack Obama's eight years is having a hard time getting to "yes" in the early Donald Trump era. Thomas Beaumont and Bill Barrow Associated Press -- 3/26/17
Blaming conservatives, Trump signals new openness to Dems -- President Donald Trump on Sunday attacked conservative lawmakers for the failure of the Republican bill to replace former President Barack Obama's health care law, as aides signaled a greater willingness to work with moderate Democrats on upcoming legislative battles from the budget and tax cuts to health care. Hope Yen Associated Press -- 3/26/17
How a secret Freedom Caucus pact brought down Obamacare repeal -- The behind-the-scenes story of the staredown between a few dozen conservative true believers and a novice president. Rachael Bade, Josh Dawsey and Jennifer Haberkorn Politico -- 3/26/17
Trump handed Merkel ‘outrageous’ NATO bill: report -- U.S. President Donald Trump handed German Chancellor Angela Merkel a bill for money supposedly owed to NATO when they met last weekend in Washington DC, the Sunday Times reported. Nicholas Vinocur Politico -- 3/26/17
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Violence erupts at pro-Trump rally in Huntington Beach -- Violence erupted at a Make America Great Again rally in Huntington Beach on Saturday after a protester opposed to President Trump allegedly doused a female organizer of the event with pepper spray, sparking a brawl that ended with several arrests. Cindy Carcamo, Ben Brazil and Ben Brazil in the Los Angeles Times$ Deepa Bharath in the Orange County Register -- 3/26/17
'They’re so scared.’ Trump brings heartache, fear in L.A.’s ‘Ellis Island’ -- Past the looming maze of freeway interchanges on the west side of Cesar Chavez Avenue in Boyle Heights sits Biky’s Market, a light blue building with a dusty green awning. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/26/17
Pelosi, Speier greet hundreds at Balboa High town hall meeting -- Pink Pussyhats and poster board protest signs dotted the auditorium at Balboa High School on Saturday as hundreds of San Franciscans turned out to hear House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Jackie Speier speak about a wide range of topics, including health care reform and the Trump administration’s fresh defeat, Russian influence in U.S. politics, climate change and more. Marissa Lang in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/26/17
Buoyed by Republican failure, Lofgren urges more citizen engagement -- The political math at Rep. Zoe Lofgren’s office for the Republican plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act wasn’t advanced calculus: More than 900 callers opposed the bill. About 10 supported it. Louis Hansen in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/26/17
Here's how state lawmakers plan to reform the bail system in California -- State lawmakers have unveiled an ambitious plan to reform how counties in California award defendants bail while they wait for their cases to be resolved or go to trial. Jazmine Ulloa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/26/17
Walters: Legislators try to fix, not repeal, very bad limit on school reserves -- There’s a saying among Capitol insiders about legislation: You shouldn’t amend a bad bill. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/26/17
Golden Gate Bridge, Transamerica Pyramid go dark for a cause -- When the lights go down in the city — especially when the Golden Gate Bridge and the Transamerica Pyramid go dark — it doesn’t have anything to do with rock ’n’ roll, but with the survival of planet Earth. Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/26/17
8,000-mile ride in a prison van left this man bleeding, sleep-deprived and near death -- The prisoner wore no underwear. Or socks. Or shoes. David Hastings said he was led away from the Orange County Jail medical wing just after midnight on April 5, 2014, wearing nothing more than a white paper jail-issue jumpsuit. His hands and feet were shackled to his waist. Keith Sharon in the Orange County Register -- 3/26/17
Schnur: Legislators stood tall on LGBT rights until UCLA made Sweet 16 -- Last fall, California’s Legislature stood in solidarity with the LGBT community, voting to prohibit publicly funded travel to states that discriminate against gay and transgender individuals. Dan Schnur in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/26/17
Low voter turnout could make this California congressional race an election for friends and insiders -- Just as the campaign for L.A.’s only open congressional seat this year began to intensify, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti had a warning. Christine Mai-Duc in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/26/17
Willie Brown: Trump puts the exclamation mark on an epic blunder -- President Trump’s decision to go for broke on the repeal and replacement of Obamacare was not a smart move, tactically or politically. You never force a vote until you know the vote will go your way. Willie Brown in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/26/17
California Politics Podcast: Gov. Jerry Brown strikes a careful tone in Washington -- This week: Gov. Jerry Brown's big trip to the nation's capital in one of its most bruising political periods. Plus, we discuss the politics of the tuition hike announced by CSU. And a brief look at new voter registration numbers that spell big trouble for California Republicans. With John Myers and Melanie Mason of the Los Angeles Times and Marisa Lagos of KQED News. Link Here -- 3/26/17
Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds
Political Road Map: All those tax breaks cost Sacramento $55 billion a year, but they're here to stay -- Everyone loves paying less in taxes. And politicians certainly enjoy making their constituents happy, which means that proposals for creating new tax breaks are a perennial favorite in Sacramento. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/26/17
Housing
Rents rise anew in Long Beach, which cracks top 10 list of cities with steepest hikes -- Did they raise the rent? If you live in a Long Beach apartment or rental home, the answer just might be an emphatic, “Yes!” David Downey in the Long Beach Press Telegram$ -- 3/26/17
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Casinos might need more than games to keep gamblers as competition grows -- With two casino projects on the horizon in an already bustling market, tribal operators old and new will have to offer entertainment and other amenities to retain the loyalty of customers in what experts say is a gaming market that will soon reach a breaking point. Richard Chang in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/26/17
LAX trains workers to provide 'gold standard' service for fliers -- Los Angeles International Airport was recently ranked one of the 10 most improved airports in the world. Hugo Martin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/26/17
In the winter that won't quit, resorts extend their ski and board seasons. Ready to hit the slopes on July 4? -- What a winter. What a wedding cake. From Tahoe south, California ski resorts have enjoyed a remarkably generous season, getting as much as 60 feet of snow in some areas and more than 40 feet in Mammoth. Chris Erskine in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/26/17
New Report Shares Details of Possible 2024 Olympics in LA -- The state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office released a report this week diving into the details of what a potential Olympics in Los Angeles would look like. The city is competing with Paris for a bid to host the 2024 games. Parth Shah KQED -- 3/26/17
Fans, politicians rally to keep Raiders in Oakland -- Raiders fans filled a wing of the Oakland Coliseum with a cacophony of chants, stomping and speeches Saturday morning, their last stand to keep the team in town before NFL owners vote on a Las Vegas relocation this week. Kimberly Veklerov in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/26/17
Roger Goodell paints bleak picture for Raiders fans in letter to Oakland mayor -- Painting a grim picture of the city’s chances of keeping the Raiders from moving to Las Vegas, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told Mayor Libby Schaaf in a letter Friday that the Ronnie Lott-led Oakland stadium proposal is filled with uncertainty. David Debolt in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/26/17
Environment
New technology highlights potential toxic risks in Southern California air -- As the reports began landing on Wayne Nastri’s desk last fall showing alarmingly high levels of cancer-causing pollution had been unexpectedly detected in a working-class area of southeast Los Angeles County, a stark concern arose: This may not be an isolated problem. Rachel Uranga and David Danelski in the Orange County Register -- 3/26/17
POTUS 45
Trump Becomes Ensnared in Fiery G.O.P. Civil War -- President Trump ignites a lot of fights, but his failure to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the biggest defeat in his short time in the White House, was the result of something else: a long-running Republican civil war that humbled a generation of party leaders before he ever came to Washington. Glenn Thrush and Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ -- 3/26/17
After health care loss, Trump needs a victory soon -- Even before the Republican health care bill died Friday, President Trump badly needed a legislative win after two months of self-inflicted wounds, stumbles and legal setbacks. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/26/17
Republicans wonder whether Trump's heart was in healthcare fight -- White House officials have insisted that Trump wanted the win, but some in his party say that in the run up to the vote, his mind seemed to be elsewhere. Annie Karni Politico -- 3/26/17
Beltway
Why the Republicans were in such a hurry to reconfigure health care -- Only by rushing to reshape a sixth of the U.S. economy without knowing exactly how they would be reshaping it could Republicans use health care to pave the way for the rest of their agenda. In other words, the GOP didn't want to let the loss of health insurance for 24 million people get in the way of tax cuts for the rich. Matt O'Brien in the Washington Post$ -- 3/26/17
-- Saturday Updates
'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