Rough & Tumble ®
A Snapshot of California Public Policy and Politics
 
   
 
 
 
 

California Policy and Politics Monday

Trump’s lawyers say it is impossible for him to post bond covering $454 million civil fraud judgment -- Donald Trump’s lawyers told a New York appellate court Monday that it’s impossible for him to post a bond covering the full amount of his $454 million civil fraud judgment while he appeals. Associated Press -- 3/18/24.....

Adam Schiff: DOJ should have moved faster with Trump indictments -- Adam Schiff blames the Justice Department — at least partially — for the possibility that former President Donald Trump may not face trial in his federal cases before the 2024 election. Sophie Gardner Politico -- 3/18/24

McManus: Trump has big plans for California if he wins a second term. Fasten your seatbelts -- Former President Trump is bashing California in his 2024 campaign; if he wins he wants to force it to change — on environment, immigration, LGBTQ issues and more. Doyle McManus in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/18/24

A Central Valley politician was charged with voter fraud. Right-wing conspiracies took over -- After the arrest of former Lodi City Councilman Shakir Khan, San Joaquin County election officials have struggled to regain voters’ trust. Mackenzie Mays in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/18/24

Another downtown San Francisco hotel stops loan payments -- The real estate developer that owns Four Seasons San Francisco at the Embarcadero, has not made loan payments on the property in months, according to published reports. Clare Fonstein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/18/24

Can Asian voter turnout increase in Orange County? That’s the goal for this new coalition -- In the past several years, national Democrats and Republicans as well as grassroots organizations have increasingly targeted the Asian American constituency in Orange County in an effort to tip the influence of the growing voter bloc in their favor. Hanna Kang in the Orange County Register -- 3/18/24

S.F. corruption scandal: Prosecutors seek prison time for former PUC chief Harlan Kelly -- A jury convicted Harlan Kelly of fraud last year but his powerful friends are sticking by him: bureaucrats and businessmen and former politicians – including former Mayor Willie Brown. St. John Barned-Smith in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/18/24

Covid-Era Case on Free Speech to Test Supreme Court -- Justices to consider whether federal officials unlawfully pressured tech companies to suppress posts opposed to vaccines. Jan Wolfe, Jacob Gershman in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/18/24

Khanna Explains Opposition to TikTok Bill While Senators Signal Openness -- Representative Ro Khanna, the California Democrat representing Silicon Valley, laid out his case against a sweeping ban of the social media platform TikTok on Sunday after opposing legislation that overwhelmingly passed the House last week, saying the bill would be ineffective. Minho Kim in the New York Times$ -- 3/18/24

Fisker

Fisker to Pause Production for Six Weeks -- The embattled electric-vehicle maker disclosed the stoppage Monday amid a series of updates on its efforts to avoid potential bankruptcy, saying the pause will allow it to “align inventory levels” and focus on strategic and financing initiatives. Dean Seal in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/18/24

Border

The most iconic stretch of border wall is being replaced. New murals have a lot to say about that -- The replacement project in Playas de Tijuana isn’t even finished, but muralists have already returned to keep alive the tradition of the using the wall as a canvas for ideas about the border and migration. Alexandra Mendoza in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/18/24

San Diego Tax

San Diego leaders want voters to raise the city’s sales tax this November. Here’s what that could mean -- Details of the proposed one-cent hike, which city officials have been negotiating for months in closed-door meetings, were just revealed publicly for the first time. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/18/24

Sacramento Diocese

Catholic Diocese of Sacramento sets date for planned bankruptcy protection filing -- The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento, which announced in December that it planned to file for bankruptcy protection because of a crush of sexual abuse lawsuits, will file with the bankruptcy court on April 1. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/18/24

South San Francisco

This Bay Area city is the latest to try and reconnect neighborhoods divided by freeways -- In the span of a mile, two highways and a rail line slice through the heart of South San Francisco, forming barriers that residents must navigate daily on their way to work, school or to visit family. Ethan Varian in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/18/24

Housing

Big San Jose housing project may zip through streamlined approvals -- A big San Jose housing development proposed for a site near a key transit stop that could produce hundreds of residences is poised to zip through the city approval process in a streamlined fashion. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/18/24

Realtors settlement brings confusion, relief to Southern California’s real estate industry -- Local Realtors say it's too soon to decipher the impact of a proposed pact ending more than 20 antitrust lawsuits. Jeff Collins in the Orange County Register -- 3/18/24

Education

Don Shalvey, ‘fearless’ charter school pioneer and mentor, dies at 79 -- He founded California’s first charter school, instigated changes in state law and inspired charter leaders. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 3/18/24

School activities that combat racism may also reduce bullying. Will California use this strategy? -- The same strategy that combats racial intolerance among K-12 students also produces schools where children are less likely to be bullied or feel alone, research has shown. Cathie Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/18/24

Environment

Coast Guard vessel gushes diesel into ocean off Northern California coast -- The 500-gallon diesel spill on Friday was the result of an operator error and was not expected to affect the shoreline, officials said. Nora Mishanec in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/18/24

Street

More than half of San Diego pursuits start for minor violations, and crashes are common, data show -- The city’s Commission on Police Practices, a civilian oversight board, is taking a look at the department’s pursuit policy after a vehicle fleeing police smashed into a car, killing two young boys Lyndsay Winkley in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/18/24

Also

Walking to the airport? LAX construction spurs lengthy traffic delays, misery among fliers -- Construction delays led to bumper-to-bumper traffic at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday morning, with some travelers claiming it took them nearly an hour to get through the congestion. Jack Flemming in the Los Angeles Times$ Mona Darwish in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 3/18/24

See what’s fueling the return of supersonic passenger flights -- In January, more than 100 people gathered at an airplane hangar in California to watch NASA unveil its X-59 demonstrator jet — a futuristic aircraft designed to travel faster than the speed of sound that has helped revive excitement for supersonic travel. Lori Aratani, Monica Rodman in the Washington Post$ -- 3/18/24

As hungry bears awaken from hibernation, a California mountain village braces for invasion -- At Pine Mountain Club in Kern County, home and vehicle break-ins by bears are a recurring source of stress, as well as community division. Louis Sahagún in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/18/24

Alan G. Sieroty, former state senator who helped create the Coastal Commission, dies at 93 -- Former state Sen. Alan G. Sieroty, a Democrat from Beverly Hills who championed disability rights and efforts to protect California’s coast, died Saturday. He was 93. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/18/24

 

California Policy and Politics Sunday

Arizona and Nevada make up 3% of the U.S. population — and are vital to picking a president -- As Biden trails Trump in polls of Arizona and Nevada — states he won in 2020 — voters in the Western battlegrounds speak out on the candidates’ November rematch. Benjamin Oreskes, James Rainey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/24

Brokers are buying up precious tee times at L.A. city golf courses. Golfers are desperate and outraged -- The confirmation of long-held suspicions has roiled the L.A. golf world, with players clamoring for the city to crack down. Matt Hamilton, Ashley Ahn in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/24

How Fresno region became one of California's fastest-growing areas -- Fresno did lose more people to migration than it gained, but to a lesser extent than the state’s most-populous regions, which also shrunk the most. Christian Leonard in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/17/24

Workplace

Bay Area job market suffered ‘mini-recession’ in 2023: new stats -- The Bay Area job market was so feeble in 2023 that the region suffered brutal job losses for most of the year before employers mounted a massive hiring rebound in recent months, a new analysis shows. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/17/24

Insurance

California’s home insurer of last resort sees enrollment surge, raising concerns over its finances -- With home insurers scaling back coverage in the state, enrollment is surging in California’s backstop insurance plan — as is the plan’s risk of sustaining losses that it can’t cover. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/24

Wildfire

Scientists say these critical factors will determine how bad California wildfires will be this year -- California enjoyed a second consecutive winter of above-average precipitation this year, and many are hoping that will translate to another relatively calm fire season. But that’s far from a sure thing, even though the outlook for the next few months is good, experts say. Jack Lee, Joseph Howlett in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/17/24

Water

California’s largest new reservoir project in 50 years gains momentum -- $205 million from Congress is latest boost for Sites Reservoir, But can it overcome opposition? Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/17/24

Street

Helping Bay Area drug users survive, not abstain: free test kits find deadly fentanyl -- Fentanyl can hide. But cheap paper tests, increasingly available at the Bay Area’s social hotspots and universities, are finding it. Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/17/24

2 tons of meth found during drug investigation in Riverside County -- The discovery of more than 4,000 pounds of meth followed the probe into the sale and transportation of it in Riverside and L.A. counties, a department statement said. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/24

Land Back

Indigenous stewardship sought for national park site on Marin County coast -- An Indigenous nonprofit with family ties to a parcel on Point Reyes National Seashore has proposed creating a cooperative agreement with federal park officials and developing a stewardship plan. Jessica Flores in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/17/24

Also

This immigrant group used to fill S.F.’s bars, fire houses with workers. The pipeline has gone dry -- It looks like the end of the road for a city that welcomed generation after generation of this immigrant group to work as carpenters, electricians, nurses, nannies, police officers and bartenders. Kevin Fagan, J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/17/24