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

California Policy and Politics Wednesday

California officials debate Prop. 47 changes to curb crime. On the street, the answer isn’t that simple -- How do you stop retail theft? For local and state elected officials, it’s a question of changing Proposition 47. Ask business owners and residents in Oakland and San Francisco, and the answer is much more nuanced. Yue Stella Yu CalMatters -- 4/24/24

California unveils plan opening door to Arizona abortion seekers and doctors -- Top California leaders will introduce a plan Wednesday to expand abortion access for Arizonans coming across the border, including opening doors to out-of-state doctors. Rachel Bluth Politico -- 4/24/24

California bill to restrict CLEAR at airports passes first legislative hurdle -- A California bill that would target the airport security screening company CLEAR passed its first legislative hurdle on Tuesday, though it was watered down amid steep industry opposition to avoid effectively placing a ban on the company. Eric He Politico -- 4/24/24

Garofoli: Campus activism is on full display in Berkeley. Voting, not so much -- One reason that pro-Palestine demonstrators are pitching tents at UC Berkeley and campuses elsewhere, shutting down freeways and interrupting social gatherings is the same reason that only 16% of young people voted in the California primary: They don’t trust politicians to get anything done quickly – or at all. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/24/24

‘We will not move.’ Pro-Palestinian encampments, protests grow at California universities -- Encampments and protests took place at UC Berkeley and Cal Poly Humboldt, and plans were shaping up for more pro-Palestinian protests at California colleges and universities. Hannah Wiley, Teresa Watanabe, Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/24/24

Tensions grow at California universities as Gaza protests roil campuses from Berkeley to New York -- As sprawling pro-Palestinian protests and encampments escalate on university campuses across the United States, administrators respond with more discipline. Melissa Gomez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/24/24

Google fired at least 20 additional workers after last week’s Gaza protest, group says -- The group that led protests last week at Google over a cloud computing contract with Israel said more Google workers were fired, bringing the total to more than 50. Wendy Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/24/24

Democrats back Republican effort to double fines for protesters in California -- Lawmakers in California want to double the penalty for protesters who block highways, a sign of increased frustration among both Republicans and Democrats with demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war such as the one that recently snarled traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge. Eric He Politico -- 4/24/24

California lawmakers kill measure meant to keep politics out of customer utility bills -- State lawmakers rejected a measure to prohibit California’s major energy utilities from recovering expenses for political activities Monday evening, after most members of the senate energy committee abstained from voting. Ari Plachta in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/24/24

Supreme Court skeptical of siding with L.A. man denied visa over tattoos -- Supreme Court justices appear unwilling to support a couple’s claim that the wife’s constitutional rights were violated when her noncitizen husband was denied a visa. Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/24/24

Congressional recount: 16 ballots being challenged in San Mateo County — some of which went uncounted due to a ‘simple oversight’ -- San Mateo County is expected to rule on the previously excluded ballots on Wednesday. Grace Hase in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/24/24

Speed

California proposal for speed governors in cars advances in Legislature — with one big change -- California lawmakers advanced a proposal requiring new vehicles sold in the state be built to automatically warn motorists when they’re driving 5 mph over the speed limit. Ricardo Cano in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/24/24

Budget

Walters: Key questions about California’s budget deficit remain unanswered as deadlines loom -- California has a multibillion-dollar budget deficit, but we still don’t know how much and what should be done to close it with key deadlines quickly approaching. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 4/24/24

Workplace

‘Scary, unsafe’: Nurses at S.F. General argue understaffing is at crisis level despite hiring -- In the midst of contentious contract negotiations with the city, nurses employed by the city are once again raising the alarm over what they say are unsafe working conditions. Maggie Angst in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/24/24

Tesla mass layoffs slam Fremont and Palo Alto, with over 2,750 jobs lost -- The move is part of a broader 10% workforce reduction across the Elon Musk-led company, marking one of the most substantial layoffs in the Bay Area in the past year following cuts in the thousands at Google, Meta, Cisco, PayPal and Microsoft. Roland Li, Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/24/24

Oracle plans to move headquarters to Nashville, four years after departing Bay Area -- Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison announced on Tuesday that the company is relocating its world headquarters to Nashville as part of a strategic move aimed at being closer to the epicenter of the healthcare industry. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/24/24

F.T.C. Issues Ban on Worker Noncompete Clauses -- The rule would prohibit companies from limiting their employees’ ability to work for rivals, a change that could increase competition and boost wages. J. Edward Moreno in the New York Times$ -- 4/24/24

New law promises retail workers in unincorporated L.A. County ‘fair workweek’ -- L.A. County Supervisors voted for a ‘fair workweek’ ordinance, requiring retailers and grocers to tell workers their schedules two weeks in advance. Rebecca Ellis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/24/24

Housing

Exclusive details on Stonestown mega-project: 3,500 homes, acres of parks, ‘main street’ -- The development, including child care and senior housing, would sprout from the acres of asphalt around the Stonestown mall. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/24/24

These are the California cities where $150,000 still buys you a home. Would you live here? -- Amid California’s housing crisis, some small communities persist with property values well below the statewide norm. Terry Castleman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/24/24

Nonprofit accuses Orange of using unrealistic parcels in its housing plan -- A pro-housing group is challenging the viability of the state-approved housing plan filed by the city of Orange, saying the plan fails to show how more than 3,000 needed homes will get built on land where current deed restrictions allegedly forbid development. Jeff Collins in the Orange County Register -- 4/24/24

LADWP

New head of LADWP will make $750,000 a year — nearly twice as much as her predecessor -- The DWP panel backed a $750,000 salary for proposed General Manager Janisse Quiñones, far higher than the $447,000 earned by the current manager. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/24/24

Empty Office Space

Empty S.F. office tower formerly valued at $62 million sold for $6.5 million -- Deeply discounted office towers have become the norm in San Francisco over the past year, but no recent deal has been as radical as one that closed in the city’s struggling Mid-Market neighborhood this month: An empty 16-story tower traded for just $6.5 million. Laura Waxmann in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/24/24

Disney

Why Disney is doubling down on theme parks with a $60-billion plan -- Over the decades since Walt Disney opened his first theme park in 1955, the company’s tourism business has ballooned to an enterprise worth tens of billions in yearly sales, with sprawling locations in Anaheim, Orlando, Paris, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/24/24

Border

“Devastating” wait times at Mexico border strain California small businesses -- Billions in tax dollars are pouring into efforts to reduce the U.S.-Mexico border wait times, yet excessive delays continue. Local leaders say small businesses are struggling in border communities. Wendy Fry CalMatters -- 4/24/24

Privacy

Who’s selling your digital data? California gives you tools to protect your online privacy -- About 450 companies are on the data broker registry in California, and a law passed last year will make it easier to delete the data they collect about people. Khari Johnson CalMatters -- 4/24/24

School Safety

L.A. student dies after safety team member allegedly does not intervene to try to prevent fight -- An unarmed L.A. school safety worker allegedly does not intervene to stop a fight. A student dies. A one-off tragedy or a reason for school police to return to campus? Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/24/24

Water

California increases water allocation after wet winter, but fish protections limit pumping -- California has increased water allocations to 40% of full allotments from the State Water Project. Officials say environmental regulations have limited pumping. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/24/24

Hydrogen

The first big-rig hydrogen fuel station in the U.S. opens in California -- The first commercial hydrogen fuel station for big-rig trucks in the U.S. is up and running at the Port of Oakland, a baby step toward what hydrogen proponents see as a clean new future for long-haul trucking. Russ Mitchell in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/24/24

Street

Carson sheriff’s deputies shot homeless man in the back, lawsuit alleges -- Attorneys for the family of a 34-year-old homeless man who they say was fatally shot by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies while on his knees have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the county. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/24/24

She was saving money to move back to Nicaragua. Then she was killed on a Metro train -- Mirna Soza was killed while riding the train home from her night shift as a security guard at Original Tommy’s hamburgers in North Hills. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/24/24

California to expand re-entry programs for formerly incarcerated individuals. Here’s how they work -- The state’s Corrections Department is touting its male and female community re-entry programs as among its most successful tools in helping former inmates become self-sufficient after they get out of prison. Levi Sumagaysay CalMatters -- 4/24/24

How some programs help with post-prison life: ‘I’m signing checks. This is crazy.’ --Anti-recidivism nonprofit helps formerly incarcerated people start businesses and get tech jobs. Levi Sumagaysay CalMatters -- 4/24/24

Also

Mayor Breed seeks to jump-start fundraising for S.F. panda enclosure -- But first, she needs to get the Board of Supervisors to temporarily lift restrictions on City Hall officials seeking private donations. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/24/24

AI-powered cameras installed on Metro buses to ticket illegally parked cars -- Testing is planned for this summer and the program is expected to go live by the end of 2024, Metro said, after two months of community outreach to “ensure that the public is aware of the purpose, timing and impacts of this new program.” Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/24/24

 

California Policy and Politics Tuesday

Supreme Court divided on homelessness case that will affect California encampment policy -- Supreme Court justices sounded sharply split Monday over whether to give cities in the West more authority to restrict homeless encampments on sidewalks and other public property. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times$ Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Ethan Varian in the San Jose Mercury$ Jess Bravin in the Wall Street Journal$ Abbie VanSickle in the New York Times$ -- 4/23/24

Gavin Newsom and House Republicans find common cause on homelessness -- Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and GOP Rep. Darrell Issa are on the same side of a political fight. All it took to bring them together was a homelessness crisis. Dustin Gardiner, Jeremy B. White Politico -- 4/23/24

How an expensive bet by Emily’s List in an Orange County congressional race went awry -- The Democratic political group spent big in support of Joanna Weiss during the 47th District primary, only to see her finish third. Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/23/24

Bass budget would reduce homelessness funding, scale back LAPD hiring goal -- Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass proposed a $12.8 billion budget on Monday that would reduce spending on homelessness initiatives, scale back an effort to hire more police officers and eliminate more than 2,100 vacant positions. David Zahniser, Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/23/24

How L.A. County is trying to remake addiction treatment — no more ‘business as usual’ -- A Los Angeles County initiative called Reaching the 95% aims to engage with more people than the fraction of Angelenos already getting addiction treatment. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/23/24

Xavier Becerra plots political future after Biden administration -- The Health and Human Services secretary is making moves to run again in California. Maybe even too many moves. Christopher Cadelago, Daniel Lippman Politico -- 4/23/24

He owes thousands in taxes. He’s got a controversial past. Why is Steve Garvey running for Senate? -- To understand why Steve Garvey suddenly emerged as a political force and became the quixotic Republican hope for a U.S. Senate seat in Democratic California, just ask Tony Strickland. David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/23/24

As Google pulls news from search, fate of California Journalism Preservation Act is unclear -- Assembly Bill 886 passed with bipartisan support out of the California Assembly last year but stalled once it reached the Senate. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/23/24

Judge rejects changing the name of California’s trans youth ballot measure -- A group working on a fall ballot initiative that would limit the rights of transgender students lost a round in court Monday when a judge sided with the state in its description of the measure. Carolyn Jones CalMatters -- 4/23/24

Ali: Without cameras in the courtroom, Trump has already won a major victory in hush money trial -- If a former president nods off in a courtroom and no cameras are around to see it, did it really happen? Lorraine Ali in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/23/24

Walters: Newsom remains critical of California’s local response to homelessness. He should look in the mirror -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom complains that local government officials have not been effective in dealing with homelessness. But he appears to be shifting the political onus from his own administration. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 4/23/24

In Silicon Valley, You Can Be Worth Billions and It’s Not Enough -- Andreas Bechtolsheim doesn’t like to waste time. The entrepreneur made one of the most celebrated investments in the history of Silicon Valley — the initial $100,000 that bankrolled a search engine called Google in 1998 — while on the way to work one morning. It took just a few minutes. David Streitfeld in the New York Times$ -- 4/23/24

Campus

Pro-Palestinian students erect tents at UC Berkeley, demand divestment from Israel -- Proclaiming solidarity with pro-Palestinian students who were arrested at Columbia and Yale, UC Berkeley activists make demands of their own. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Kristin J. Bender, Sierra Lopez in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/23/24

Police arrest NYU antiwar protesters; Calif. students form barricade -- Students protesting the Israel-Gaza war continued to be met by police across the United States on Monday night, as a New York University encampment was cleared by the NYPD and students barricaded themselves inside a building at California State Polytechnic University Humboldt, after dozens of arrests at Yale University. Frances Vinall, Jennifer Hassan in the Washington Post$ -- 4/23/24

Potholes over foreign policy: City leaders want to move on from Israel-Gaza debate -- Dozens of cities have adopted resolutions calling for a cease-fire but some officials want to stay out of the issue. Ben Fox, Jeremy B. White Politico -- 4/23/24

SF Credit

San Francisco’s post-pandemic downturn threatens city’s historically strong credit rating -- Weakness in San Francisco’s commercial real estate market and the slow-moving recovery of economic drivers such as tourism stand to jeopardize the city’s ability to repay its debt, according to S&P Global Ratings. Laura Waxmann in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/23/24

Workplace

Kaiser nurses protest use of AI that they say could put patient safety at risk -- More than 100 Northern California nurses marched outside Kaiser San Francisco Medical Center on Monday to protest what they say is hospitals’ use of unproven artificial intelligence that could put patients at risk. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/23/24

PG&E

PG&E’s CEO gets paid $17 million. Here's how that compares to other utility leaders -- While critics believe this hearty pay package is uncalled for amid soaring energy bills, PG&E has argued that they are paying market rate for top talent. Emma Stiefel in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/23/24

PG&E strives to slow pace of increases in electric and gas bills: company CEO -- PG&E’s top boss suggested Monday that the utility’s beleaguered ratepayers may see monthly utility bills flatten out and someday even fall below their current levels. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/23/24

Cal Grant

The Cal Grant expansion for California college students is in jeopardy as the state deficit grows -- The Cal Grant fully covers tuition at the University of California and California State University, and legislators planned to offer it to an additional 137,000 students. Mikhail Zinshteyn CalMatters -- 4/23/24

Housing

Housing developers win first ‘builders remedy’ battles in fight to bypass local zoning -- Los Angeles County judges upheld the untested pro-housing provision in three court rulings. Jeff Collins in the Orange County Register -- 4/23/24

Waymo

A Waymo robotaxi drove on wrong side of a S.F. street. The company says it was to ensure ‘safety’ -- Cyclists captured a Waymo robotaxi driving in an opposite travel lane against oncoming traffic for nearly two blocks in downtown San Francisco — a maneuver the company says the driverless vehicle took to avoid a potential collision. Ricardo Cano in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/23/24

S.F. robotaxi company Cruise looking to shed more office space in the city -- Late last week, the SoMa-headquartered company listed its roughly 110,000-square foot office at 345 Brannan St. available for subleasing, according to a brochure for the space. Real estate services firm CBRE has the listing. Laura Waxmann in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/23/24

Street

S.F.’s war on drugs and stolen goods in the Tenderloin opens new front: corner stores -- Mayor London Breed will introduce legislation that targets corner stores for “perhaps unintentionally, contributing to the drug market.” Maggie Angst in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/23/24

All of Alameda County’s death sentences are under review over evidence of juror discrimination -- Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price put all 35 of her county’s death sentences on hold Monday and said there was evidence that prosecutors in a 30-year-old case had removed all Jewish and Black people from the jury. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Nate Gartrell in the East Bay Times$ -- 4/23/24

Steelhead

Steelhead trout, once thriving in Southern California, are declared endangered -- Southern California steelhead trout have been pushed to the brink of extinction as their river habitats have been altered by development and fragmented by barriers and dams. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/23/24

Cecil Williams

Cecil Williams, longtime champion of the poor, co-founder of Glide church, dies at 94 -- The Reverend Cecil Williams, civil rights pioneer, champion for the poor and hungry, and probably the most influential religious figure in San Francisco over the last 50 years, has died. Sam Whiting in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/23/24

Also

UC Berkeley welcomes new peregrine falcon chicks to top of Campanile -- Two tiny new falcons on Monday pecked their way out of their eggs and into the world high atop the Campanile at UC Berkeley on Monday morning. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/23/24