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Thousands of students protest gun violence in nationwide walkout -- Hundreds of students at schools across San Francisco walked out of class at 10 a.m. Wednesday, joining untold thousands of their peers nationwide in what was the largest coordinated school-day protest in recent memory. Jill Tucker and Jenna Lyons in the San Francisco Chronicle$ John Woolfolk and Emily DeRuy in the San Jose Mercury$ Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times Benjy Egel in the Sacramento Bee$ Ezra David Romero, Ben Adler, Julia Mitric, and Bob Moffitt Capital Public Radio Megan Burks KPBS Luis Gomez in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/14/18

California legislators join student protests over gun laws -- The legislators, joined by staff members and young people, stood in silence for 17 minutes in homage to the 17 people who lost their lives at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. last month. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/14/18

Where were California GOP candidates Tuesday? Not with Trump -- President Trump vowed earlier this year to stump for Republicans in competitive House races, saying he would spend "probably four or five days a week" helping GOP candidates get elected. As he made his first visit to California, a state with several seats in play, few Republicans seemed interested in taking him up on his offer. Christine Mai-Duc in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/14/18

State lawmaker unveils proposal to preserve net neutrality in California -- The latest version of Senate Bill 822 by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) would bar broadband companies doing business in the state from blocking, throttling or interfering with a customer’s internet access based on the nature of the content or type of service. It also would prevent providers from varying speeds between websites, or charging customers additional fees for their services to reach more people. Jazmine Ulloa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/14/18

Theranos and CEO Elizabeth Holmes committed 'massive fraud,' SEC alleges -- The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued Theranos Inc. and company founder and Chief Executive Elizabeth Holmes, accusing her and the firm's former president of raising more than $700 million from investors through an elaborate fraud in which they exaggerated or made false statements about their technology, business and financial performance. Bloomberg via the Los Angeles Times$ Ken Sweet Associated Press Jon Brooks KQED Katie Thomas in the New York Times$ -- 3/14/18

UC students aim to 'shut down the vote' on tuition increase for nonresidents at regents meeting -- University of California students from across the state plan to converge on the Board of Regents meeting Wednesday at UCLA to protest a proposal to raise tuition on out-of-state students. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$-- 3/14/18

California presses ahead with color-coded school reporting plan despite a dig from DeVos -- When Betsy DeVos spoke to a group of education leaders in Washington last week about her dissatisfaction with states' efforts to satisfy a major education law, she gave California a subtle shout-out. One state, the Education secretary said, "took a simple concept like a color-coded dashboard and managed to make it nearly indecipherable." Joy Resmovits in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/14/18

At California’s top public universities, why a dearth of Latino professors matters -- In the middle of a talk on immigration policy, UC Berkeley lecturer Pablo Gonzalez suddenly gets personal. Standing at the front of a windowless classroom on this prestigious public university campus, he recounts how his mother and other women in his West Berkeley neighborhood each year would mark the anniversary of their arrival to the United States. Felicia Mello Calmatters -- 3/14/18

Fox: Trump vs. California — Final Round in 2020 -- There is no doubt the president is not popular in California. The vote in the 2016 presidential election and polls indicate that. But, the fight between Donald Trump and California won’t find resolution until the 2020 presidential election. Whose side the rest of the country is on would best be settled if it’s a Californian who faces Trump in that election. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 3/14/18

Lopez: In Newport Beach, Trump is passing for Reagan -- Can you guess which Southern California city has a John Wayne Day on the birthday of the late actor and staunch conservative? Clue: It's the same city that has a statue of former President Ronald Reagan. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/14/18

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Single-payer bill all but dead this year as California lawmakers craft new health package -- California Democratic lawmakers are quietly working on a package of up to 20 health care bills that would soften the political blow from the all-but-certain death of a single-payer universal care bill this year. Angela Hart in the Sacramento Bee$ Melanie Mason in the Los Angeles Times$ Michelle Faust KPCC -- 3/14/18

Morain: Who paid for ad attacking Gavin Newsom? A most unlikely source -- An independent political action committee paid for an ad slamming Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom partly with money from groups that are backing his run for governor. Welcome to the wild ways of campaign money, circa 2018. Dan Morain Calmatters -- 3/14/18

Joaquin Avila dies at 69; fought bias against Latinos as leader of MALDEF -- Civil rights lawyer Joaquin Avila, who fought discrimination in classrooms, workplaces and voting booths as a leader of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, has died. He was 69. Avila died Friday of cancer at his Seattle home, the advocacy group said. Associated Press -- 3/14/18

More pedestrians die in California than any other state, report finds -- Between January and June 2017, the earliest period for which data is available, 352 people were struck and killed by motor vehicles in California, the study by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) claims. By comparison, Hawaii and Wyoming experienced only one pedestrian fatality each during the same period. Michelle Robertson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/14/18

Sexual harassment scandals, women candidates shape LA County’s state legislative races -- For months, as the sexual misconduct scandals involving Los Angeles-area Democrats widened, it appeared the 2018 elections in state legislative districts would be different from other years. Just how different they’ll be is clearer now that the lists of candidates for L.A. County’s 23 Assembly and six state Senate seats are all but official. Kevin Modesti in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 3/14/18

Harder wrote of Trump on candidate statement. Stanislaus registrar told him to stop -- Josh Harder of Turlock, a Democratic candidate for Congress, said his younger brother’s need for health coverage was a big reason that he’s running in the 10th Congressional District. Ken Carlson in the Modesto Bee -- 3/14/18

Walters: Democrats allow GOP to game top-two primary -- California’s Republican Party hasn’t shown much political acumen in recent years, which is one reason why it’s been, in the words of former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, “dying at the box office.” Dan Walters Calmatters -- 3/14/18

A combative Trump has busy day in California -- Over the course of a day that marked the president’s first visit to California since his election, the president fired his secretary of state, attacked Gov. Jerry Brown and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf for their support of sanctuary policies, inspected prototypes for his long-promised $18 billion wall on the Mexican border, and warned that without that wall, “you won’t have a country.” And that was all by lunchtime. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/14/18

Trump's visit to California sparks protests, rallies -- President Donald Trump's motorcade Tuesday zipped past demonstrators who both jeered and cheered him and his plans for a "big beautiful border wall" after he inspected prototypes. Julie Watson and Elliot Spagat Associated Press -- 3/14/18

A day of passionate voices, pro and con, on Trump's wall -- On Tuesday, Air Force One touched down at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station under an overcast sky. No other shades of gray marked President Trump’s visit to San Diego. Demonstrators blasted him. “This president,” Rep. Juan Vargas told an anti-Trump rally in San Ysidro, “he’s not my president. In fact, I voted twice to impeach him.” Peter Rowe and Greg Moran in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/14/18

Politifact CA: No, Mr. President, California is not ‘begging’ for a wall -- During his visit to the U.S.-Mexico border near San Diego, President Donald Trump made this confounding claim: "The state of California is begging us to build walls" along the border. Deep blue California is "begging" the federal government to build a wall? Really? The president’s statement seemed false on its face, but we dug in for a fact check just to make sure. Chris Nichols Politifact CA -- 3/14/18

Trump runs for reelection against California: 'The place is totally out of control' -- Inspecting prototypes for his proposed wall along the Mexican border during his first presidential visit to California on Tuesday afternoon, President Donald Trump couldn't resist getting in a few digs at the state. Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/14/18

Demonstrators for, against Trump line SoCal streets for president’s visit -- More than 600 people converged at the Beverly Gardens Park in Beverly Hills on Tuesday to protest President Donald Trump’s visit to California. One of the anti-Trump protesters, Bronwen Burke, took the day off to join the anti-Trump rally. Olga Grigoryants in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 3/14/18

Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds 

‘Split roll,’ the ghost of Prop. 13, haunts 2018 -- Months after President Trump slashed corporations’ federal tax rate, a coalition of progressive California groups is hoping to raise their property taxes. Lisa Renner Capitol Weekly -- 3/14/18

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

What's next for Qualcomm? Restore faith of shareholders, deliver results -- With the U.S. government stepping in to block Broadcom’s hostile takeover, Qualcomm has won its battle to remain ia stand-alone company.. But the cellular technology giant and San Diego’s largest tech employer still faces significant headwinds that it must overcome if it hopes to remain independent. Mike Freeman in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/14/18

Even With Takeover Bid Blocked, Qualcomm ‘Is in a Tight Spot’ -- While rival Broadcom no longer appears to be a threat, the American chip maker faces other troubles, including lawsuits and dissatisfied shareholders. Don Clark in the New York Times$ -- 3/14/18

Tariff pushback? New rules mean red ink for Fontana steel maker -- You’d think California Steel Industries would be happy with President Donald Trump’s new tariff on steel imports. But executives at the Fontana steel manufacturer said the tariff, intended to protect American steel production, poses a unique burden to their business, one that won’t be faced by other U.S. steel manufacturers. Jeff Horseman in the Riverside Press Enterprise$ -- 3/14/18

It’s pricey to live in Southern California — here’s the proof -- The Economic Policy Institute’s latest Family Budget Calculator shows that a family of two adults and two children in L.A. County need to earn $7,691 a month, or $92,295 a year, to meet all of its living expenses. That outstrips L.A. County’s median family income, which is just $66,203 per year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Kevin Smith in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 3/14/18

Once ‘Deadwood City,’ Redwood City becomes startup hub -- Four years ago, cloud computing firm Box outgrew its space in Los Altos and went hunting for a larger office. First, it had to grapple with its CEO’s desire to remain near Palo Alto, where many draw Silicon Valley’s northern border. Wendy Lee in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/14/18

Larry Page’s pilotless air taxis now flying openly in New Zealand -- Ride in a pilotless flying taxi, anyone? Larry Page’s Kitty Hawk has been testing such a vehicle in New Zealand since late last year and is coming out of stealth mode, the Silicon Valley company announced Monday. Levi Sumagaysay in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/14/18

Tesla's plan in Santa Monica: a drive-in restaurant with electric-car charging stations -- Tesla Inc.'s Elon Musk recently mused about creating "an old school drive-in, roller skates & rock restaurant" in the Los Angeles area where people could eat while charging their electric cars. Russ Mitchell in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/14/18

Housing  

New Housing Grows Fastest in Southern California's Most Fire-Prone Areas -- New houses are being built fastest in the places where they are most likely to burn: the wild fringe of urban areas, where neighborhoods are surrounded by canyons, hills or other open land covered in flammable vegetation. That’s the finding of a new study published Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Emily Guerin KQED -- 3/14/18

Measure A R.I.P. -- Recent state laws that require cities to build more housing - along with new legislation in Sacramento - are making no-growth initiatives like Alameda's Measure A obsolete. Robert Gammon East Bay Express -- 3/14/18

Education 

Ready, set, walk out: Schools prepare for expected student protests on Wednesday -- As a 16-year-old in high school and a student of history, Axel Ortega faces a tough choice on Wednesday morning: Does he walk out of class at Garfield to take a stand or stay put? And if he walks out, does he leave his East Los Angeles campus? Howard Blume, Sonali Kohli in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/14/18

At a Fresno middle school, students can't mention guns during gun violence protest -- Roan Gordon, 13, and other student government leaders at the Fresno Unified magnet school have been planning an event for National School Walkout Day, where students across the country plan to leave class for 17 minutes to call for stronger gun laws and honor the victims of last month's Florida school shooting. But Roan said Computech principal Andrew Scherrer "highly encouraged" the students to make the event only a memorial for the victims and shy away from discussing gun policy. Mackenzie Mays in the Fresno Bee -- 3/14/18

LAUSD students to ‘stand together’ for Parkland shooting victims with protests, on-campus activities -- Miguel Armas’ brother was in the classroom next door when an accidental shooting injured two students at Salvador Castro Middle School in early February. Not knowing at first whether his younger brother, Jacob, was injured was frightening for the senior at the nearby Los Angeles School of Global Studies at the Miguel Contreras Learning Complex downtown. Brenda Gazzar in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 3/14/18

Teacher accidentally fires gun during safety lecture at Monterey County high school -- A teacher at a Monterey County high school accidentally fired a gun in a classroom Tuesday afternoon during a lecture on "public safety awareness," authorities said. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ Jason Green in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/14/18

Former OCC student accused of vandalizing campus security vehicles with swastikas sues college for negligence -- A former Orange Coast College student who is facing a felony vandalism charge for allegedly defacing campus security vehicles with swastikas has filed a lawsuit claiming the college failed to adequately address his mental disability. Kelly Puente in the Orange County Register -- 3/14/18

L.A. Unified renames first all-girls school after retiring Supt. Michelle King -- The Girls Academic Leadership Academy, which eventually will serve grades six through 12, used to be known as GALA but will now have a much longer name. Officially, it will be the Girls Academic Leadership Academy, Dr. Michelle King School for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Sonali Kohli in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/14/18

Linking a school massacre to Obama-era school discipline policies – It is perhaps not surprising that sooner or later President Donald Trump and other conservative lawmakers would find a way to blame former President Barack Obama for the Parkland school massacre. Louis Freedberg EdSource -- 3/14/18

Gov. Brown’s plan to change community college funding to promote student success faces scrutiny – Gov. Jerry Brown's proposal to link over $3 billion in funding for California's community colleges to the number of low-income students they enroll and to student outcomes in general is coming under increasing scrutiny — and is likely to face more in the coming months. Mikhail Zinshteyn EdSource -- 3/14/18

Guns 

California Lawmakers Eye New Gun Bills After Parkland Shooting -- Bills introduced or being considered in the Assembly would tackle a variety of gun control issues, from raising the minimum purchase age for all firearms to 21-years-old to making it easier to rapidly issue gun violence restraining orders. Ben Bradford Capital Public Radio -- 3/14/18

Grenade launchers, guns seized through unique California program -- State attorney general announces arrests from gun-confiscation program targeting felons and people with firearm prohibitions. Robert Salonga in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/14/18

Cannabis 

Got a pot charge on your record? After Prop. 64, the county can help you with that -- Yolo County's district attorney and public defender are collaborating to help people purge their records of pot-related offenses. In addition to legalizing recreational marijuana use in California, Proposition 64 retroactively reduced penalties for many marijuana-related crimes. Ellen Garrison in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/14/18

Immigration / Border 

ACLU Challenges ICE Workplace Raids in Court -- Federal immigration agents have swept up hundreds of people in raids up and down California in recent weeks. Now, the case of one Los Angeles man -- a car mechanic arrested under suspicious circumstances last September -- is challenging how workplace raids are conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Jenny Hamel KQED -- 3/14/18

Health 

Pharmacists Aren't Using Contraceptive Powers -- A new law expands pharmacists' abilities to include prescribing birth control methods, but few do so, research shows. Kate Darby Rauch East Bay Express -- 3/14/18

As Surgery Centers Boom, Patients Are Paying With Their Lives -- The surgery went fine. Her doctors left for the day. Four hours later, Paulina Tam started gasping for air. Internal bleeding was cutting off her windpipe, a well-known complication of the spine surgery she had undergone. Christina Jewett KQED -- 3/14/18

Environment 

Around 100,000 San Joaquin Valley Residents Live Without Clean Water; Study Suggests Access Is Close -- These low-income communities, without city-government representation, live in eight San Joaquin Valley counties. But 66 percent of these people live within one mile of a system that could supply them clean water. Ezra David Romero Capital Public Radio -- 3/14/18

Also . . . 

Sacramento DA Helps Refugees Understand Legal Rights -- There's a new push to educate immigrants in the Sacramento area about their legal rights. The Sacramento County District Attorney's Office says its new program, called Understanding Your Rights, was sparked by an influx of refugee resettlement groups moving into apartment complexes in the Arden-Arcade area last year. Steve Milne Capital Public Radio -- 3/14/18

Cameras capture a mountain lion using a culvert to cross 101 Freeway -- For only the second time in 16 years, a mountain lion has been recorded crossing the 101 Freeway south into the Santa Monica Mountains, National Park Service officials said Tuesday. Joseph Serna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/14/18

POTUS 45  

In California, Trump Attacks Jerry Brown and ‘Sanctuary Policies’ -- President Trump ventured into what his team regards as enemy territory on Tuesday, and it was not a peace mission. Peter Baker and Tim Arango in the New York Times$ -- 3/14/18

Smolens: Trump's visit to wall prototypes barely cracked the big news of the day -- In the 24 hours encompassing President Donald Trump's visit to San Diego, his tour of the border wall prototypes was the least consequential thing he did. Michael Smolens in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/14/18

Pennsylvania vote shows that Trumpism has its limits — even in Trump country -- The neck-and-neck result in Tuesday’s special congressional election in a reliably Republican Pennsylvania district revealed that the appetite for President Trump’s style of politics may have its limits in the land of shuttered steel mills and coal mines that has been the core of his support base. Robert Costa in the Washington Post$ -- 3/14/18

As White House’s Revolving Door Whirls, Chaos Is the Only Constant -- President Trump explained on Tuesday that he fired Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson because they do not see eye to eye on certain major issues. Then he confirmed that he may hire Larry Kudlow as his economics adviser even though they do not see eye to eye on certain major issues. Peter Baker in the New York Times$ -- 3/14/18

 

-- Tuesday Updates 

Zinke: Oil and gas exploration off the Pacific coast might not happen -- Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke expressed doubt Tuesday that oil and gas exploration will happen off the Pacific coast as part of the Trump administration’s proposal to dramatically expand offshore leasing, saying California, Oregon and Washington have “no known resources of any weight” for energy companies to extract. Darryl Fears in the Washington Post$ -- 3/13/18

Trump uses visit to San Diego to bash California, Jerry Brown, Libby Schaaf -- President Trump used his first official visit to California to talk up his planned border wall and slam both Gov. Jerry Brown and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf for “putting the entire nation at risk” and becoming “the best friend of criminals” for their support of sanctuary policies for undocumented residents. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/13/18

No tax breaks for building Trump's wall, lawmaker says -- Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, has introduced Assembly Bill 2355, which would prohibit companies that contract or subcontract with the federal government to help build a wall along the U.S. - Mexico border from receiving certain California tax breaks. Billy Kobin in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/13/18

After spokesman quits in protest, ICE says it ‘can’t put a number’ on missed arrests -- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said Tuesday that they “can’t put a number on how many targets avoided arrest” because of Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf’s public warning before an operation, confirming the complaints of an ICE spokesman who resigned over what he saw as false assertions by officials. Hamed Aleaziz in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/13/18

Sacramento mayor encourages students to leave class Wednesday to protest gun violence -- Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg not only supports high school students walking out on Wednesday to protest gun violence. - he plans to join the students. Ryan Lillis in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/13/18

Trump administration signals fight with California over pollution from cars -- California plans to slash greenhouse gas emissions from cars. Nationally, the Trump administration wants to ease up on those restrictions to make life easier for automakers. On Tuesday, after nearly a year of negotiations, the possibility of a compromise appeared to go up in smoke. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/13/18

Trump: Gov. Brown is "doing a terrible job running the state of California' -- President Trump seemed to confirm Gov. Jerry Brown’s recent complaint that the president is “going to war against” the state, telling reporters during his first visit that Brown is “doing a terrible job.” Noah Bierman and Brian Bennett in the Los Angeles Times$ John Wagner in the Washington Post$ -- 3/13/18

Trump arrives in California without the usual lawmakers in tow -- President Trump broke with standard practice Tuesday, flying to California without any lawmakers from the state. Such trips are normally a perk, most often for lawmakers of the president’s political party, who get to ride on the prestigious Air Force One and enjoy access to the president as well as some local publicity. Noah Bierman and Brian Bennett in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/13/18

California lawmaker proposes a new gun and ammo fee to pay for school counselors and safety officers -- Californians who buy guns or ammunition would have to pay a new fee to fund more counselors and safety officers at schools under legislation proposed in response to the recent mass shooting at a Florida high school. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/13/18

L.A. County supervisors OK motion to study stricter gun laws -- The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to explore options for regulating firearms, including restricting sales to anyone under 21, banning .50-caliber handguns, strengthening safe storage laws and prohibiting gun sales near schools. The item is in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/13/18

Trump arrives in California for first visit as president, confronting the resistance movement on its home turf -- He plans to spend about an hour inspecting border wall prototypes built at his direction in San Diego, then speak at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and travel to a fundraiser in Beverly Hills that is expected to raise $5 million for the Republican National Committee. Brian Bennett and Noah Bierman in the Los Angeles Times$ Julie Watson and Jill Colvin Associated Press -- 3/13/18

California attorney general mocks Trump's proposed border wall as 'medieval,' suited only to 'keep us safe from knights on horses' -- As President Trump headed for the San Diego area Tuesday to look at prototypes for a proposed border wall, state Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra mocked the project at a news conference in Los Angeles, saying it would not make America safer. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/13/18

Trump's California supporters hope to inspire other conservatives to come out from 'behind enemy lines' -- Dozens of Trump supporters gathered early Tuesday at the corner of Britannia Boulevard and Bristow Court, about half a mile from the border, in chilly weather beneath cloudy skies. “Build that wall! Build that wall!” they chanted. “Trump 2020! Trump 2020!” Hailey Branson-Potts in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/13/18

Fox: Looking to Trump the Cost of the Bullet Train -- It is more than a coincidence that Gov. Brown invited President Trump to see where the high-speed rail is being built days after a new business report states the cost of the train has soared. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 3/13/18

Abcarian: If Trump really wants to fix our border problems, he should visit the sewage pools, not his silly walls -- On Sunday, I stood at the end of a barren cul-de-sac overlooking a field on the U.S. side of the border, staring toward Mexico. Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/13/18

Rookie San Francisco cop fired 3 months after fatal shooting -- On his fourth day on the job, rookie San Francisco cop Chris Samayoa was still getting out of his patrol car when he fatally shot an unarmed carjacking suspect. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/13/18

North Bay fires fuel a population explosion in homeless camps -- Andreas Gunn reckons he had a pretty sweet life before Oct. 8. The 22-year-old was working a job he liked swabbing grease out of kitchens, lived with his uncle in the Santa Rosa subdivision of Coffey Park and was saving money for a car. Kevin Fagan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/13/18

Why Sacramento County dumped 290 tons of recyclables in a landfill -- "The last thing I want to do is put curbside recycling in the landfill," Sloan said. The problem originated with one of the three recycling contractors. Ed Fletcher in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/13/18

Amazon looks at dropping packages onto your patio from as high as 25 feet -- It’s not that drones get tired, it’s just that if they’re delivering your box of cat food and low-rise socks, dropping down to put it on your patio and flying back up for the next delivery takes power that they need to conserve. Better to just hover over your home and drop the box, a new patent from Amazon proposes. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/13/18