California Policy and Politics Friday

Thieves snatch Rep. Adam Schiff's luggage in S.F. He gives dinner speech without a suit -- Hello to the city, goodbye to your luggage. That was Senatorial candidate Adam Schiff’s rude introduction to San Francisco’s vexing reputation for car burglaries Thursday when thieves swiped the bags from his car while it sat in a downtown parking garage. Kevin Fagan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/25/24

Six California House races that could help determine control of Congress -- From the farm towns of the Central Valley to the beaches of Orange County, California is a battleground for control of the House of Representatives. Julia Wick in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/26/24

A new California rule tries to hold down your health care costs. Here’s how it works -- California now is one of nine states with regulations limiting health care cost increases. Consumers won’t necessarily notice the changes, but supporters say they will make a difference over time. Kristen Hwang CalMatters -- 4/26/24

Walters: California once led in government transparency. It descended into secrecy and opacity -- California once was a national leader in making government more transparent, requiring state and local agencies to conduct their business in public meetings and giving Californians easy access to public records. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 4/26/24

Harvey Weinstein rape conviction overturned by N.Y. court; California conviction stays -- After Harvey Weinstein won an appeal to overturn his New York rape conviction, legal experts say he faces a tougher hill to climb as he attempts a similar strategy in his California case. James Queally, Richard Winton, Jenny Jarvie in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/26/24

Stanford students erect pro-Palestine encampment in defiance of university’s rules -- A group of Stanford students took over White Memorial Plaza Thursday evening to erect a “People’s University For Palestine” encampment, similar to other demonstrations seen at U.S. universities over the past week to protest Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza. Jordan Parker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/26/24

Pro-Palestinian protests grow at UCLA and UC Santa Barbara -- Pro-Palestinian protests grew Thursday at California colleges and universities, including a new encampment at UCLA and demonstrations at UC Santa Barbara, a day after police in riot gear arrested 93 protesters at USC. Angie Orellana Hernandez, Jaclyn Cosgrove, Jenna Peterson, Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/26/24

Republicans hammer campus protesters, and Democrats, as unrest spreads -- An eruption of campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war has handed Republicans a way to hammer two of their favorite targets: Liberal academia, where pro-Palestinian sentiment has long flourished, and Democratic leaders, who are so far rebuffing calls to roll out the National Guard in response to disruptive demonstrations. Christopher Cadelago Politico -- 4/26/24

California Senate candidate Steve Garvey calls student protesters ‘terrorists’ -- The former baseball star and Republican rival to Adam Schiff sharply condemned the student activism that has roiled colleges around the nation. Lara Korte Politico Yue Stella Yu CalMatters -- 4/26/24

Evan Low up by one vote over Joe Simitian as the Congressional District 16 recount continues -- The tie in the Congressional District 16 race has been broken yet again as more preliminary results for the ongoing recount pour in — Assemblymember Evan Low is now up one vote over Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian. Grace Hase, Harriet Blair Rowan in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/26/24

California bill boosting domestic violence penalties fails again. Why Democrats aren’t on board -- Assemblyman Joe Patterson, R-Rocklin, has tried this year and last year to make more types of domestic violence eligible for more prison time. But most Democrats refuse to go along, and they have the support of criminal justice reform groups. Lindsey Holden in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/26/24

Workplace

S.F. parking control officers are revolting against plan for ‘intensive’ ticket sweeps -- The parking control officers tasked with issuing citations are revolting against the plan to ramp up enforcement because the sweeps are set to happen at a time when officers say they’re facing increased aggression and threats of violence from upset drivers. Ricardo Cano in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/26/24

S.F. traffic tickets skyrocket. Here’s where police are stepping up enforcement -- The first three months of the year showed a huge increase in citations compared to the first three months of 2023, welcome news to street safety advocates after a decade of plummeting ticket numbers. Aldo Toledo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/26/24

How a migrant farmworker built generational wealth, penny by penny -- My grandfather kept ledgers logging every day he worked in the U.S. The dry entries — “18 boxes of cherries, $4 per box” — tell a story of success against the odds. Xavier Martinez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/26/24

SunPower details Bay Area job cuts, will slash more than 100 jobs in region -- SunPower has decided to chop 100-plus Bay Area jobs, part of the company’s move to launch wrenching cutbacks and reduced costs in a California solar energy market whose outlook has darkened. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/26/24

Should California’s Supreme Court overturn new rooftop solar rules? -- The state’s high court has agreed to hear arguments from environmental groups that oppose the changes the California Public Utilities Commission made to the net energy metering program. Jennifer Van Grove in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 4/26/24

Oakland Sports

Officials near landmark deal to bring pro soccer and World Cup guests to Oakland -- The city of Oakland and officials from Alameda County are nearing a landmark deal that will cement the future of professional soccer in the city and help attract a World Cup team to visit in 2026, ending months of impasse that had threatened the negotiations. Eli Rosenberg in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/26/24

Insurance

California bill that could change how companies insure, renew policies moves forward -- Senate Bill 1060 would force insurers to take that mitigation work into account if they use computer programs to figure out where they want to issue and renew coverage. Stephen Hobbs in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/26/24

PG&E

PG&E CEO defends rising utility bills as earnings increase -- Pacific Gas and Electric Co. defended the company’s electricity rate hikes, despite widespread outrage from Californians shocked by soaring monthly utility bill charges. Julie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/26/24

Summer Power

California battery storage increasing rapidly, but not enough to end blackouts, Gov. Newsom says -- Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday that California continued to rapidly add the battery storage that is critical to the transition to cleaner energy, but admitted it was not enough to avoid blackouts during heat waves. Melody Petersen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/26/24

Members of Congress launch investigation into Frontwave Credit Union’s treatment of young Marines, following KPBS reporting -- Members of Congress have launched an investigation into Oceanside-based Frontwave Credit Union, in response to KPBS reporting last month that revealed the credit union collects millions in overdraft fees from young Marines every year. Scott Rodd KPBS -- 4/26/24

Homeless

A deal to buy Skid Row homeless housing fell apart. Here’s why vulnerable tenants and taxpayers are at risk -- The AIDS Healthcare Foundation abandoned its bid to buy six failing Skid Row buildings. The decision might leave the city on the hook for more funding. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/26/24

More migrant families with children sleeping in tents on Skid Row test official response -- Skid Row is a playground for children again, despite homeless officials’ assurances that it wouldn’t happen. Paloma Esquivel, Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/26/24

Housing

San Francisco Buyers Bring Its Luxury Housing Market Back to Life -- A recovery is under way in the Bay Area, as interest-rate shock finally wears off and stock-market gains fuel high-end home sales. E.B. Solomont in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/26/24

Climate

‘Rivers in the sky’ have drenched California, yet even more extreme rains are possible -- Despite considerably back-to-back rainy winters in California, new research finds the region has seen much wetter years in the last 3,000 years. Experts worry that variability, coupled with climate change, could leave the state unprepared. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/26/24

Yosemite

Yosemite National Park: $32 million in new upgrades renovate famed waterfall area, construct new visitor center -- Before they see Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, giant sequoias or other jaw-dropping attractions, the first stop for millions of visitors as they enter Yosemite National Park is Bridalveil Fall. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/26/24

Education

Rural counties far from universities struggle to recruit teachers -- Nine rural California counties, most struggling with student achievement and teacher recruitment, are in teacher education deserts, according to a report released Tuesday from the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools. Diana Lambert EdSource -- 4/26/24

Also

Kern County supervisor investigated for allegedly sexually assaulting his child -- Kern County Supervisor Zack Scrivner is being investigated for allegedly sexually assaulting one of his four children, according to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office. Ashley Ahn in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/26/24

Hippies Settled This Unusual California Community. Now Its Homes Sell for Millions -- The Sea Ranch is secluded, architecturally distinct and doesn’t come cheap. ‘There’s no place like this anywhere.’ Erika Mailman, Jason Henry in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/26/24

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce spent the weekend at this coastal California town -- Swift and her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, enjoyed their time at the coastal hamlet of Carmel-by-the-Sea, joined by model Gigi Hadid and actor Bradley Cooper. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/25/24

Henry Cervantes, Mexican American farmworker turned WWII fighter pilot, dies at 100 -- Henry Cervantes was a Fresno-born, 19-year-old son of Mexican farmworkers when the Navy told him in 1942 that he could not fight for his country. Jireh Deng in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/26/24