California Policy & Politics This Morning  

San Francisco leaders see big benefits in sanctuary. Trump administration sees danger -- San Francisco prosecutors had a problem. They’d charged a suspect in a beating, but the key witness refused to testify, putting the case in jeopardy. Then came a break that prosecutors credited to good luck as well as the city’s pro-immigrant sanctuary laws — which restrict cooperation between local authorities and federal deportation agents and have come under increasing fire from the Trump administration. Hamed Aleaziz in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/11/18

Anita Hill talks about sexual harassment and politics in Oakland lecture -- The woman who jolted national politics in 1991, when she accused a Supreme Court nominee of sexual harassment, has a piece of advice for the “#MeToo” movement. “I say, get better candidates” into political office, Anita Hill, now a Brandeis University professor, told an audience at the downtown Oakland Marriott on Saturday night. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/11/18

Female tech leaders give Rep. Ro Khanna an earful -- Bay Area Congressman Ro Khanna promised to bring to the nation’s capital the lessons learned from a forum Saturday on gender equality in tech, but the ideas proposed may not be welcomed by the current U.S. administration. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/11/18

Here are the challengers who signed up for the tough task of trying to unseat California's House Democrats (in 2018, at least) -- Republicans are going to be largely on the defensive this year in California’s House races, defending 10 of their 14 seats, seven of which were won by Hillary Clinton in 2016. Christine Mai-Duc in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/11/18

Myers: California's voter guide offers a reality check on Prop. 70: Most Democrats are against it -- We may never know the exact terms of a bipartisan deal in Sacramento that resulted in a ballot measure to govern future climate change spending in California. What we do know is that many prominent Democrats had no intention of actually encouraging anyone to vote for it. In fact, it seems the only prominent Democrat embracing the deal is Gov. Jerry Brown. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/11/18

Yountville killer Albert Wong hoped Pathway Home could help him. It couldn’t -- After rough combat as an Army infantryman in Afghanistan, Albert Wong came home to the Bay Area and couldn’t shake the battle horror in his head. So he turned to a highly regarded residential treatment center for troubled veterans — the Pathway Home in Yountville. But he didn’t get fixed. He left the program two weeks ago, with indications that his departure wasn’t voluntary. On Friday morning, he came back with a rifle. Kevin Fagan, Jenna Lyons and Lizzie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/11/18

Shooter saw vets program as path to heal after deployment -- When Albert Wong returned from an Army deployment in Afghanistan in 2013, he knew it had affected him. He had trouble adjusting to regular life, couldn't sleep at night and was hyper-vigilant about his surroundings. Michael Balsamo Associated Press -- 3/11/18

Afghanistan war impacted Army vet behind California attack -- The Army veteran who killed three women after a siege in California had long dreamed of serving his country in the military, but his skill as a marksman led to dangerous missions in Afghanistan that left him anxious and wary when he came back home, according to people who knew him. Michael Balsamo and Ellen Knickmeyer Associated Press -- 3/11/18

Victims at Yountville veterans facility who brought 'humanity to their jobs' are mourned -- As the community mourned the victims, authorities on Saturday were trying to sort out the motive of a former Army soldier once deployed to Afghanistan who killed three people Friday at a veterans facility in Napa County where he was once a resident. Victoria Kim, Joseph Serna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/11/18

Villaraigosa is not the former mayor of Los Angeles — at least not on the ballot for governor -- Antonio Villaraigosa is best known as the former mayor of Los Angeles. But that title will not be on the ballot when voters choose the next governor of California. Instead, Villaraigosa will be listed as a "Public Policy Advisor," a reference to his most recent profession. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/11/18

Lopez: Welcome to California, President Trump! Now skip the wall and let us educate you -- If it's not too late to juggle his itinerary, I'd like to offer an invitation to President Trump on his first visit to California since he took office. Why not stop by my Monday night class at Cal State L.A.? Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/11/18

Walters: Red meat aside, immigration flap poses real issue -- That was quite a show that politicians staged in Sacramento last Wednesday. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions swooped into town to tell an audience of police officials that he was suing the state to overturn three laws aimed at helping millions of undocumented immigrants avoid deportation. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 3/11/18

Tijuana judge charged with drug smuggling after 38 pounds of cocaine found in his Jeep -- A Tijuana municipal judge has been charged with drug smuggling after 38 pounds of cocaine were found hidden in his Jeep Liberty while crossing the border, according to a complaint filed in San Diego Federal Court. Eduardo Francisco Sais Peinado was arrested Feb. 10 at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, according to the complaint and jail records. Kristina Davis, Sandra Dibble in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/11/18

'Hamilton' tickets without the wait — or the cost? It helps to be an L.A. politician -- When "Hamilton" came to the Pantages Theatre last year, Angelenos clamored for tickets to the celebrated musical. Some spent hours in line. Others ponied up hundreds or even thousands of dollars to scalpers for resold tickets. But for many Los Angeles politicians, getting into the hottest show in town was much easier. Instead of making them line up outside the theater, the Pantages came to them, offering each one a coveted pair of tickets to opening night. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/11/18

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

Garcetti gives L.A. police up to 5% raises with no change to controversial retirement program -- A new, one-year contract overwhelmingly approved by police union members this week gives pay increases of up to 5% for patrol officers and up to 4.5% for detectives, city officials acknowledged. Jack Dolan, Gus Garcia-Roberts in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/11/18

Steel tariffs bring vindication for Trump's feisty trade advisor Peter Navarro -- The 68-year-old former UC Irvine economics professor looked almost gleeful as he waited for Trump to issue final orders levying 25% duties on foreign steel and 10% on aluminum, all in the name of national security. Trump's move defied his own party and has infuriated U.S. allies. Don Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/11/18

Revival of a blighted South L.A. neighborhood is stalled by its onetime dentist, critics say -- Dr. Alan Kleinman’s former neighbors wonder why he stayed in South Los Angeles after his dental office was destroyed in the 1992 riots. Some say he was never much connected to the community. When the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church held parking lot barbecues, he never joined other shopkeepers from the street, said Roscoe Baker, longtime deacon of the church. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/11/18

Trump budget calls for CT scanners to check carry-on luggage — possibly cutting airport wait times -- At a conference on security this week, Transportation Security Administration Administrator David Pekoske praised a budget request to spend nearly $71 million to purchase 145 new airport scanners that rely on computed tomography to check carry-on bags. Hugo Martin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/11/18

As Tower Records grew, so did employees’ love for founder Russ Solomon -- Solomon and his stores inspired the kind of employee loyalty that retailers fantasize about. People who worked for him as teenagers made their careers at Tower Records, and many who moved on looked back at the store as a highlight of their youth. Benjy Egel in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/11/18

Sacramento developer Ali Youssefi, instrumental in downtown resurgence, dies at age 35 -- Ali Youssefi, a dynamic young developer involved in some of Sacramento’s most important projects during its current renaissance, died Saturday after a battle with cancer. He was 35. Ryan Lillis and Marcos Bretón in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/11/18

Water  

California water use back to pre-drought levels as conservation wanes -- For the seventh time in the last eight months, the amount of water saved by urban Californians has declined, according to new data from the State Water Resources Control Board. In other words, lawn sprinklers are back on, showers are getting longer and overall, California’s water use, after five years of conserving, is now back to where it was before the drought began. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/11/18

Homeless  

'Eye-popping' number of hypodermic needles, pounds of waste cleared from Orange County riverbed homeless encampment -- Crews from the Orange County Public Works department have collected nearly 14,000 hypodermic needles and cleared more than 5,000 pounds of hazardous waste — including human waste — from the vast homeless encampment along the Santa Ana River trail. Anh Do in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/11/18

Seattle judge rules a homeless man's truck was his 'home,' and that has city officials worried -- Steven Long, 57, has been calling his 2000 GMC Sierra pickup "home" for the last few years. Now he's got a judge agreeing with him and the court papers to prove it. Then again, if the judge's recent ruling stands, say its critics, Seattle could become one of America's most crowded, and socially lenient, places to live and sleep in your vehicle. Rick Anderson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/11/18

POTUS 45  

Trump celebrates winning 52 percent of women in 2016 — which is only how he did among whites -- President Trump arrived in western Pennsylvania on Saturday night for one of his favorite presidential tasks: delivering a long, free-association speech at a political rally. At one point he began rehashing the 2016 election, as he does. “Women!” he yelled. “Women, we love you. We love you. Philip Bump in the Washington Post$ -- 3/11/18

Stormy Daniels has successfully navigated the media ‘puke funnel’ -- Political strategist James Carville had a term for the process through which salacious gossip about President Bill Clinton flowed from tabloids to the mainstream press. He called it the “puke funnel.” Stormy Daniels has successfully navigated the puke funnel. Callum Borchers in the Washington Post$ -- 3/11/18

A felon pleaded his case on ‘Fox & Friends.’ Days later, Trump pardoned him -- Some 1.6 million people tune in to “Fox & Friends” every morning, but when Kristian Saucier told the network why he believed he should be pardoned for his national-security-related felony conviction, he clearly had one very specific, very powerful fan of the show in mind: the viewer-in-chief. Cleve R. Wootson Jr. in the Washington Post$ -- 3/11/18

Trump Talks With Clinton Impeachment Lawyer About Aiding in Mueller Response -- The overture to Emmet T. Flood appears to be an acknowledgment that the investigation by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, is unlikely to end anytime soon. Maggie Haberman and Michael S. Schmidt in the New York Times$ -- 3/11/18

Beltway 

G.O.P. Rushed to Pass Tax Overhaul. Now It May Need to Be Altered -- Companies and trade groups are pushing the Treasury Department and Congress to fix the law’s consequences, some intended and some not, including provisions that disadvantage certain farmers, hurt restaurateurs and retailers and could balloon the tax bills of large multinational corporations. Jim Tankersley and Alan Rappeport in the New York Times$ -- 3/11/18