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California Policy & Politics This Morning  

California moves - slowly - toward resuming executions -- California has long been what one expert calls a "symbolic death penalty state," one of 12 that has capital punishment on the books but has not executed anyone in more than a decade. Prodded by voters and lawsuits, the nation's most populous state may now be easing back toward allowing executions, though observers are split on how quickly they will resume, if at all. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 4/23/17

Jeff Sessions and Xavier Becerra trade jabs over California's immigration policy on ABC's 'This Week' -- U.S. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions on Sunday disputed criticism from California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra that a federal immigration crackdown is “reckless,” and accused state officials of jeopardizing public safety with so-called sanctuary city policies that restrict cooperation with federal agents. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/23/17

For 90 years, Californians have tried to kill this tax board. This is why they failed -- A California tax agency called “duplicative” or worse for nearly a century by government reformers had its closest call with destruction when the Terminator came looking for it. Adam Ashton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/23/17

Trump's election has mobilized a resistance like no other, but will Democrats' answer to the tea party divide the ranks? -- She knew to hold her tongue during a business trip to Chicago the night Donald Trump was elected, and endured a long evening of schmoozing with the other sales reps and executives. Lisa Mascaro in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/23/17

'We need to be out here': Thousands march in downtown L.A. to support science in the Trump era -- Dressed in long sleeves and a sensible safari hat, Dr. Diane Brown carried a sign that read, “My patients need science because lupus is not cured, juvenile arthritis is not cured … CANCER is not cured!” Deborah Netburn and Javier Panzar in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/23/17

Fearing Trump policies, 15,000 in San Diego join science marches across the globe -- As many as 15,000 scientists and their supporters, increasingly disillusioned with President Donald Trump’s posture on climate-change policy and proposed cuts to federal research agencies, gathered on Saturday in downtown San Diego as part of international day to champion science in government decision making. Joshua Emerson Smith in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 4/23/17

March for Science draws thousands to Capitol with chants to ‘Make America think again’ -- An estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people participated in the local March for Science, part of a series of rallies held globally Saturday in support of the sciences. The rallies in more than 600 cities put scientists, who generally shy away from advocacy and whose work depends on objective experimentation, front and center in a public policy debate. Nashelly Chavez in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/23/17

Thousands rally in Southern California as part of nationwide March for Science -- Thousands of scientists and supporters hit the streets in Southern California and elsewhere around the U.S. and the world on Saturday for the March for Science, intended to promote science and defend it from attacks and proposed budget cuts. Shane Newell in the Orange County Register -- 4/23/17

The wittiest signs from the San Francisco March for Science -- Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of San Francisco on Saturday to participate in the March for Science. Walking from Justin Herman Plaza to Civic Center, many of the peaceful marchers were armed with clever signs. Michelle Robertson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/23/17

Tom Steyer is on the fence about running for office, but his March for Science address sounded like a stump speech -- Will environmental activist and mega political donor Tom Steyer make a run for governor? Keep waiting for that answer. Javier Panzar in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/23/17

Democrats could tighten grip on California political control -- Republicans have a lock on power in Congress and the White House. But far across the country in California, the party of Reagan is seeing yet another threat to its fraying relevance. Democrats who control every statewide office and command the Legislature are pushing changes in two of the state's largest counties that could leave California even more tightly in a Democratic vice. Michael R. Blood Associated Press -- 4/23/17

How 'schools not prisons' became a favorite rallying cry for criminal justice reformers -- A bill winding its way through the Legislature proposes a creative way to fund early childhood education: imposing a tax on companies that do business with California’s prison systems. Melanie Mason in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/23/17

Panel concludes San Diego judge violated judicial ethics rules -- In the 90-page report, a three-judge panel appointed by the state Commission on Judicial Performance said Judge Gary Kreep committed willful misconduct, prejudicial misconduct and improper actions. Greg Moran in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/23/17

Willie Brown: Berkeley betrays its free speech legacy -- The battle over free speech in Berkeley has flipped the two sides in the old generation gap. When the Free Speech Movement got rolling at UC Berkeley in the 1960s, the whole point was winning the right to speak out about civil rights, sex, the Vietnam War or anything else on your mind. Willie Brown in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/23/17

Though shovels are ready, Trump officials delay grant for Caltrain upgrade -- The railway shuttles 65,000 people a day between San Francisco and San Jose, its cars crammed with Silicon Valley workers tapping on sleek laptops and hoisting bikes into designated cars. But the signs of aging are unmistakable — 1980s control panels devoid of digital technology, the dusting of sea-green foam that has escaped from the seat cushions and settled on the floor. Juliet Eilperin in the Washington Post$ -- 4/23/17

Poitical Road Map: To know whether California's budget will balance, watch this month's tax collections -- Here’s a nifty, if not mind-blowing, way to think about all the tax dollars showing up right now in Sacramento: Over the past week, California collected about $8 billion in state income taxes — more money in just a handful of days than New Mexico’s general fund receives in an entire year. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/23/17

VW’s electric vehicle investment plan overlooks poor, critics say -- An $800 million investment proposal from Volkswagen aimed at increasing the adoption of zero-emission vehicles in California has come under sharp criticism from elected officials, regulators and advocacy organizations, who accuse the automaker of largely overlooking disadvantaged and polluted communities, particularly in the Central Valley. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/23/17

Walters: Academic turf wars block access as California faces college gap -- Earlier this year, the Public Policy Institute of California issued a report that highlighted a growing shortage of college-educated workers. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/23/17

Housing  

With portfolio of modern homes, couple emerging as urban infill heroes -- To describe what Erica and Nathan Cunningham do is easy. They buy vacant lots no one else wants and build houses no one else thinks are possible. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/23/17

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions 

Here's why Chinese money is pouring into Temecula's wine region -- David Liu made his first fortune more than two decades ago, exporting American scrap metal to his rapidly industrializing home country of China. After the financial crisis, he scored big again buying thousands of distressed apartments in the United States and selling them later for a tidy profit. David Pierson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/23/17

In costly Bay Area, even six-figure salaries are considered ‘low income’ -- In the high-priced Bay Area, even some households that bring in more than six figures a year can now be considered “low income.” That’s according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which recently released its 2017 income limits — a threshold that determines who can qualify for affordable and subsidized housing programs such as Section 8 vouchers. Annie Sciacca in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/23/17

Meet a new breed of hipsters: flipsters, millennials who flip homes -- That ever-present real estate breed, the home flipper, has spawned a new progeny: flipsters, or hipsters who flip homes — often to a hipster market. R. Daniel Foster in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/23/17

Environment 

Charging station goes on line in Lynwood on Earth Day -- The first in a network of electric vehicle charging stations goes on line in Lynwood Saturday in celebration of Earth Day. SoCal Edison's $22 million "Charge Ready" program will install more than 1,000 stations across Southern California in 12 to 18 months. KPCC -- 4/23/17

Health 

State vaccination rates up sharply in wake of new law -- Not long after the state issued a new law requiring all students be vaccinated before starting kindergarten, the Lagunitas School District held a meeting with parents to talk over the mandate. Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/23/17

Also . . . 

Los Angeles State Historic Park bridges past and present at grand opening celebration -- Hundreds of people from every corner of Los Angeles County — along with the state’s top political leadership and the chief of a Los Angeles Native American tribe — celebrated Saturday morning the opening of California’s newest state park, situated on a former rail yard with a stunning view of the Los Angeles skyline. Ralph Vartabedian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/23/17

Lopez: Care to learn Spanish? Dodger broadcast legend Jaime Jarrin teaches almost nightly, and the course is free -- One day in the locker room I overheard an Asian gent tell someone he learned English by listening to the radio as a kid. Namely, he tuned in to the late Chick Hearn calling Laker games and Vin Scully calling Dodger games. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/23/17

Navy SEAL accused of molesting girl on camera, raping a woman and hoarding a stash of child porn -- A Navy SEAL stationed in San Diego filmed himself molesting a sleeping girl, raped a woman in Virginia and kept a stash of child porn on his cellphone that included footage involving an infant having sex with a dog, according to allegations unsealed in federal court in Virginia Beach, Va. Carl Prine in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/23/17

POTUS 45  

Trump to hold rally same night as White House Correspondents' Dinner -- President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he is holding a rally the same night as the White House Correspondents' Dinner. "Next Saturday night I will be holding a BIG rally in Pennsylvania. Look forward to it," the president tweeted. Rebecca Morin Politico -- 4/23/17

Trump Reaches Beyond West Wing for Counsel -- Relationships have always been President Trump’s currency and comfort, helping him talk his way into real estate deals over three decades in New York. Those who know him best say that his outer confidence has always belied an inner uncertainty, and that he needs to test ideas with a wide range of people. Maggie Haberman and Glenn Thrush in the New York Times$ -- 4/23/17

Nearing 100 days, Trump’s approval at record lows but his base is holding -- President Trump nears the 100-day mark of his administration as the least popular chief executive in modern times, a president whose voters remain largely satisfied with his performance, but one whose base of support has not expanded since he took the oath of office, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Dan Balz and Scott Clement in the Washington Post$ -- 4/23/17

Beltway 

Comey Tried to Shield the F.B.I. From Politics. Then He Shaped an Election. -- The day before he upended the 2016 election, James B. Comey, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, summoned agents and lawyers to his conference room. They had been debating all day, and it was time for a decision. Matt Apuzzo, Michael S. Schmidt, Adam Goldman and Eric Lichtblau in the New York Times$ -- 4/23/17

Conservative groups open to new Obamacare repeal push -- The same groups that encouraged conservatives to buck the president on the last health care bill say they’re ready to see a deal. Josh Dawsey and Rachael Bade Politico -- 4/23/17

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy Dismissed -- U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, a physician advocate for the Affordable Care Act appointed by former President Barack Obama, was abruptly removed from the post by the Trump administration Friday. Louise Radnofsky in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/23/17