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Democrats brace for potential California disaster -- In a state that’s central to the battle for control of the House, Democrats emerged from a filing deadline late Wednesday resigned to the possibility that no Democratic candidate will appear on the November ballot in several key House races. David Siders Politico -- 3/15/18

California doesn't want this towering water project. Trump administration may build it anyway -- The Trump administration is pushing forward with a colossal public works project in Northern California — heightening the towering Shasta Dam the equivalent of nearly two stories. The problem is that California is dead-set against the plan, and state law prohibits the 602-foot New Deal-era structure from getting any taller. Evan Halper and Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/15/18

Gavin Newsom's past affair disqualifies him from governorship, rival Renteria says -- California gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom's past sexual misconduct disqualifies him from holding higher office, rival Democrat Amanda Renteria said Thursday, and he should resign from his position as lieutenant governor. Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/15/18

Top Democrats split with state party in race against Rohrabacher -- Three congressional Democrats who represent Orange County are endorsing Harley Rouda in the race against Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher. Christine Mai-Duc in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/15/18

Dianne Feinstein vs. driverless cars: Why California senator is squaring off against high-tech -- The senior U.S. senator from the country’s most tech-savvy state has for months blocked a bill championed by some of California’s biggest tech companies that would cut regulations and get self-driving cars onto roads sooner — and she made it clear Wednesday she’s not backing down. Casey Tolan in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 3/15/18

As businesses cite blight, overnight RV parking bans on L.A. streets grow — and the homeless scramble -- For a while, Vincent Neill and his family parked their weathered RVs on a stretch of roadway in Canoga Park, where the kids had friends down the street. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/15/18

San Francisco Police Commission approves Taser policy for officers -- The San Francisco Police Commission voted to adopt a policy Wednesday night regulating how officers can use Tasers, bringing a months-long debate over the electroshock weapons to an end and clearing the way for the rollout of the devices at the end of the year. Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/15/18

CSUN professor says she stopped teaching out of fear after this test question about Donald Trump -- After asking students to label Donald Trump’s speech as “anti-Mexican,” “anti-Muslim,” “anti-woman,” or “all of the above” on an exam, a veteran Cal State Northridge professor says she fears for her safety and accuses the university of doing little to respond to her concerns about threatening online posts that surfaced when a few of her test questions became public. Brenda Gazzar in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 3/15/18

No cops on campus? East Bay schools debate law enforcement removal -- After 17 students and staffers were shot to death in last month’s high school massacre in Florida, President Trump suggested that arming weapons-savvy teachers and other employees could head off such atrocities. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/15/18

Taylor: Putting riders’ lives at risk is not an OK way of protesting bike shares -- If she had been in the car’s lane, there would’ve been a collision. Shaken, Wheeler returned to the docking station for another bike. “Come to find out, every single bike had the brakes broken,” she said. “It was a full rack. Every single bike.” Even some tires had been slashed. Not cool. Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/15/18

Yountville veterans center where 3 were shot to death suspends operations -- The veterans care center in Yountville where a former Army soldier shot and killed three health care workers has suspended operations indefinitely, administrators said Wednesday. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/15/18

Fox: Firing Up a “New Way”-- How provocative and different will New Way California be? That’s the group founded by Assemblyman Chad Mayes and supported by former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in an effort to revive the California Republican Party. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 3/15/18

Trump Repeats False Claim About Canada After Admitting Uncertainty Over Figure -- President Trump repeated his false assertion on Thursday that the United States runs a trade deficit with Canada, the morning after telling Republican donors at a private dinner that he had knowingly insisted on that claim in a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada without knowing if it was true. Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Ian Austen in the New York Times$ -- 3/15/18

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Undocumented immigrant appointed to state post in California -- The Senate Rules Committee on Wednesday appointed the first undocumented resident to a statewide post, according to Senate President pro Tem Kevin de León's office. Lizbeth Mateo, a 33-year-old attorney and immigrant rights activist, will serve on the California Student Opportunity and Access Program Project Grant Advisory Committee. Taryn Luna and Billy Kobin in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/15/18

2 dead in Kern County after vehicle overturns while fleeing ICE agents -- The SUV had pulled over after a car activated its emergency lights behind it. But when federal immigration agents got out of the car, the undocumented couple in the SUV drove away, police said. They would end up dying in a fatal crash in the city of Delano. Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ Jason Green in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/15/18

How California went from anti-immigration to ‘sanctuary state’ -- Amparo Cid traces her work as an attorney helping recent immigrants and their families in the Central Valley fight injustices and potential deportation, to her experience as a child in 1994. Farida Jhabvala Romero KPCC -- 3/15/18

Skelton: Trump should tour Central Valley farm fields — and leave his immigration agents at home -- Hard-liners who want to deport all immigrants living here illegally should visit a California farm at harvest. In fact, that's especially a good idea for President Trump. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/15/18

Caltrans porn ring could cost taxpayers more than $5 million -- The attorney who represented a former Caltrans employee in a salacious workplace pornography lawsuit is taking credit for the resignations of two high-ranking state executives and requesting millions of dollars in legal fees for his work over the past five years. Adam Ashton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/15/18

Homeless man couldn’t afford $330,000 bail, so judge orders him free for now -- A homeless San Francisco man who spent the past 7½ months in jail while awaiting trial on burglary and theft charges has been freed by a federal judge, who said there was no legitimate reason to hold him indefinitely by setting bail he couldn’t afford. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/15/18

Walters: Is it still a ‘train to nowhere?’ -- Ten years ago, California voters approved – very narrowly – a $9.95 billion bond issue to partially finance what was described as a $40 billion high-speed train system linking the northern and southern regions of the state. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 3/15/18

What makes Democrats run — besides loathing Trump -- Regardless of what they think of President Trump, Democrats should thank him for one thing: His election inspired a lot of smart, engaged people to run for office. And against everything he stands for. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/15/18

Environmental and consumer groups call for L.A. to replace its DWP watchdog -- Environmental and consumer groups urged the city Wednesday to pick a new watchdog to monitor the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, arguing that Fred Pickel had failed to fight for the interests of local ratepayers. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/15/18

Jury awards $33.5 million to parents of 29-year-old man killed by San Bernardino County deputy -- Nathanael Pickett had recently moved into the El Rancho Motel in Barstow when he was approached by a San Bernardino County deputy who suspected him of trespassing. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/15/18

Capitol reporters ask Legislature to release harassment records routinely -- Last month, legislative leaders broke from their custom of keeping records about sexual harassment in the Capitol secret when they released a decade of documents about misconduct by lawmakers and high-level staff. But in the weeks since, reporters who cover the state Capitol have faced a mishmash of responses when we’ve sought additional harassment records from the Legislature—including long delays for some reporters. Laurel Rosenhall Calmatters -- 3/15/18

Sexual harassment training for nearly all California workers if Democrat gets her way -- State law requires supervisors at companies with 50 or more employees to participate in two hours of sexual harassment training once every two years. Senate Bill 1343, introduced by Sen. Holly Mitchell, D-Los Angeles, would require companies with five or more employees to provide at least two hours of sexual harassment training to all workers by 2020 and then once every two years. Taryn Luna in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/15/18

Supreme Court challenge to California law could hand abortion foes a victory—or backfire on them -- Should an organization that opposes abortion be required to tell women where they can seek an abortion? It’s a question the U.S. Supreme Court will face this month as it considers a challenge to a California state law. Laurel Rosenhall Calmatters -- 3/15/18

Man who stayed free while rape kit went untested is accused of 2015 murder -- A man who allegedly committed at least one sexual assault while a rape kit that implicated him in a 2008 attack in Berkeley went untested for years has now been charged with raping and murdering a UCSF dental student in 2015, authorities said. Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/15/18

California needs new laws to boost earthquake safety, assemblyman says -- A Los Angeles lawmaker says California needs new statewide laws that boost earthquake safety, and wants to toughen rules on how strong new buildings should be and require cities to identify buildings at risk of collapse. Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian (D-North Hollywood) said the bills are important for keeping California functioning after a major earthquake. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/15/18

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

Bay Area members of Congress move to protect work permits for H-1B visa holders’ spouses -- Six Bay Area members of Congress have signed onto a letter asking the Department of Homeland Security to scrap a plan to prevent spouses of H-1B visa holders from obtaining work permits. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/15/18

California Lawmakers Consider Jointly Managing Electric Grid With Other States -- A key priority of Gov. Jerry Brown before he leaves office is a proposal to integrate California’s power grid with surrounding states — and it's regaining momentum at the Capitol after stalling last year. Ben Bradford Capital Public Radio -- 3/15/18

Wells Fargo executives score big raises despite the bank's continued problems -- Wells Fargo & Co. gave multimillion-dollar raises to some top executives in 2017, a year that saw the San Francisco bank continue to deal with the fallout from its unauthorized accounts scandal, ultimately leading to additional strict sanctions from federal regulators. James Rufus Koren in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/15/18

San Francisco woman sues fertility center after frozen eggs destroyed -- A San Francisco woman has filed a lawsuit against Pacific Fertility Center, alleging the San Francisco clinic’s mishandling of a storage tank containing frozen embryos and eggs resulted in the loss of her eggs. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/15/18

California lawmaker wants to crack down on organized retail theft by making it a felony -- A state assemblyman wants to create a new felony offense to penalize organized retail theft, a crime some have called an unintended consequence of a 2014 ballot initiative that reduced drug possession and some theft crimes to misdemeanors. Jazmine Ulloa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/15/18

Housing  

Despite push, San Diego County built less housing in 2017 -- Cities and the county issued 4 percent fewer residential building permits in 2017 than the previous year, said the Real Estate Research Council of Southern California in a report released this week. Phillip Molnar in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/15/18

Education 

UC regents committee approves tuition hike for nonresident students -- The proposed 3.5% tuition increase would boost the supplemental tuition that nonresident students pay by $978 — from $28,014 to $28,992 for the 2018-19 school year. The increase would raise nearly $35 million. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/15/18

Threat sends San Leandro High School into lockdown; Thursday classes canceled -- While thousands of students walked out of school Wednesday in California and across the country to demand stricter gun laws, San Leandro High’s protest was preempted by a graffiti threat to shoot up the school. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/15/18

Students walk out, embrace ‘fight of our lives’ to end school gun violence -- Students, angry and empowered, walked out of classrooms across California on Wednesday. They poured out of schools in Alaska, Maine, Texas, Georgia and cities and towns in between. They were joined by their parents, teachers and neighbors — all in an effort to enact stricter gun laws. Jill Tucker, Jenna Lyons and Sophie Haigney in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Angel Jennings, Sonali Kohli, Howard Blume and Esmeralda Bermudez in the Los Angeles Times$ John Woolfolk, Julia Prodis Sulek, Emily DeRuy and Annie Sciacca in the San Jose Mercury$ Ryan Lillis, Diana Lambert, Anita Chabria and Billy Kobin in the Sacramento Bee$ Julie Watson Associated Press Mackenzie Mays, Aleksandra Appleton in the Fresno Bee -- 3/15/18

California voices from the National School Walkout -- Some spoke loudly, venting their anger at legislators and other adults for what they see as a failure to protect the nation’s children. Others spent the 17 minutes in silence or used the time to promote peace and kindness. EdSource -- 3/15/18

Cannabis 

San Francisco one of few US cities with marijuana lounges -- The smoke was thick and business brisk at the Barbary Coast Dispensary's marijuana smoking lounge, a darkened room that resembles a steakhouse or upscale sports tavern with its red leather seats, deep booths with high dividers, and hardwood floors. Paul Elias Associated Press -- 3/15/18

Health 

Battling skin cancer with a piece of tape instead of a scalpel -- Put down the scalpel and bring out the tape. That’s the prescription from La Jolla’s DermTech, which offers skin tests for melanoma using a special adhesive tape. The genomic tests can quickly identify those who need further attention and reassure those who test negative for the cancer. Bradley J. Fikes in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/15/18

Also . . . 

Two Sacramento deputies are under investigation after elderly woman is put on overseas flight -- A complaint from a concerned citizen about a missing elderly woman who was placed on a plane and sent to the Philippines has prompted a criminal and internal investigation into two Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies, the department announced Wednesday. Nashelly Chavez in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/15/18

Family of pregnant 16-year-old girl killed by Fremont police files lawsuit -- Elena Mondragon, of Antioch, was killed on March 14, 2017, when two Fremont detectives shot at a moving car in Hayward. She was in the first trimester of pregnancy. Police were reportedly tracking her boyfriend, who was driving the car. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/15/18

Family of man fatally shot by police marches to Tulare City Hall -- Carrying signs that read "Justice for Jontell" and "Treat the Ill, Not Kill the Ill," about 100 marchers took to the streets of Tulare on Wednesday, showing their displeasure at the recent fatal police shooting of a 27-year-old man. The family of that man, Jontell Reedom led the marchers, most of whom were from the local African American community. Lewis Griswold in the Fresno Bee -- 3/15/18

Person hospitalized after eating shellfish in Marin County -- Marin County officials have confirmed that a person has been hospitalized after eating recreationally harvested shellfish a week after the state issued a warning to residents about abnormally high toxin levels in the Bay Area. Annie Ma in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/15/18

'Like nothing we have ever seen': NorCal man accused of killing more than 100 hawks -- A man in Lassen County was arrested Sunday after his 80-acre property was allegedly found littered with the carcasses of more than 100 dead hawks and other birds in what the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is calling the largest raptor-poaching bust in state history. Filipa Ioannou in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/15/18

POTUS 45  

In fundraising speech, Trump says he made up trade claim in meeting with Justin Trudeau -- President Trump boasted in a fundraising speech Wednesday that he made up information in a meeting with the leader of a top U.S. ally, saying he insisted to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that the United States runs a trade deficit with its neighbor to the north without knowing whether that was the case. Josh Dawsey, Damian Paletta and Erica Werner in the Washington Post$ -- 3/15/18

Trump returns from a brief trip to greater tumult of his own making in Washington -- A fired secretary of state, new uncertainty among others in his Cabinet, and panic among Republicans after losing a special election await the president upon his return to D.C. Noah Bierman and Brian Bennett in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/15/18

Beltway 

ACLU wants Feinstein to get tough with CIA nominee Haspel over torture -- Keep an eye on the confirmation of Gina Haspel, President Trump’s nominee to lead the CIA, because the political blowback could ripple into California’s Senate race, specifically against Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/15/18

The Senate rolls back rules meant to root out discrimination by mortgage lenders -- The Senate on Wednesday passed a sweeping bill to weaken the government’s ability to enforce fair-lending requirements, making it easier for community banks to hide discrimination against minority mortgage applicants and harder for regulators to root out predatory lenders. Tracy Jan in the Washington Post$ -- 3/15/18

Congress rides to the rescue of thriving bankers -- President Donald Trump and other supporters of the major banking bill that cleared the Senate on Wednesday say they want to rescue the nation’s lenders from a crush of regulations. But far from being crushed, the industry looks more like it's booming. Victoria Guida Politico -- 3/15/18

School safety bill passes House, no action on gun control -- The U.S. House of Representatives approved spending more money on metal detectors, locks and other school security measures on Wednesday, but took no steps to tighten gun control laws a month after a Florida high school shooting that killed 17 people. Lisa Lambert, Sarah N. Lynch Reuters -- 3/15/18

Republicans may have lost a House seat in that Pennsylvania election, but here's what should rattle them even more -- The most dangerous outcome for Republicans in Tuesday's special House election was not the prospect of a Democrat taking over one of their seats. Cathleen Decker in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/15/18

 

-- Wednesday Updates 

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