California Policy and Politics Wednesday Morning  

Backroom deal to change earthquake standards in California hospitals collapses -- A secretive deal between a group of hospitals seeking to weaken seismic upgrades at medical centers and an influential union looking to increase the pay of employees collapsed on Tuesday, just days after it was made public. Melody Gutierrez in the Los Angeles Times$ Cathie Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/24/22 ____

California targets local recall election ‘hyperpartisanship’ -- Currently, voters generally decide whether to recall a sitting official and choose that official’s replacement at the same time and on the same ballot. But that could result in a replacement taking office with a minority of votes in a multi-candidate field, and with potentially fewer votes than the official who is ousted. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 8/24/22

A 'Toss-Up' Congressional Race in Once Reliably Republican Orange County Will Help Determine Control of Congress -- Orange County, long a reliable stronghold for Republicans, has become a battleground for congressional races in recent elections, and this year is no exception. The race here, for District 45, is one of three in this county alone, and among the 10 statewide, that the Cook Political Report has listed as "competitive." Marisa Lagos KQED -- 8/24/22

California bill to limit use of rap lyrics as evidence in criminal cases heads to Newsom’s desk -- If signed by the governor, the bill, AB 2799, would limit the admissibility of creative expression, including song lyrics, and require courts to consider specific factors when admitting that evidence in criminal cases. Emma Talley in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/24/22

‘Beyond toxic’: S.F. supervisor candidate condemned for referring to Jewish journalist as a Nazi -- Leanna Louie, who is running for election in District Four, which includes the Outer Sunset, posted messages on Instagram and Facebook that twice referred to Mission Local editor and columnist Joe Eskenazi as “Joe EskeNAZI.” Emma Talley, J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/24/22

Here’s what those struggling with addiction say about Newsom’s veto of supervised drug-use sites -- To Josh Taylor, the equation is simple: If people don’t want to see folks smoking or shooting dope outside and don’t want endless stories about overdose deaths, they need to give homeless people a supervised, safe place to do drugs. Kevin Fagan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/24/22

Nuru sentencing: An S.F. Public Works official used department letterhead to pen supportive letter for disgraced chief -- An official at San Francisco Public Works used department letterhead to write a positive character reference on behalf of Mohammed Nuru, who is expected to be sentenced this week after pleading guilty to federal fraud charges in January. Sam Whiting in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/24/22

Walters: Could California save Democrats’ US House majority? -- Political handicappers almost universally expect that Democrats will lose their paper-thin majority in the House of Representatives this year. However, if it’s closer than expected, what happens in a handful of California congressional districts could make the difference. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 8/24/22

Workplace   

New contract for California state union lifts pay by 7.5%, offers family leave in $458M deal -- A new contract agreement would provide 7.5% in raises to California state engineers over the next three years plus paid family leave at no cost to them. Wes Venteicher in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/24/22

Lyft to Sublease Offices as Remote Work Lowers Need for Space -- The ride-hailing company said it would rent out parts of its office space in San Francisco, New York City, Nashville and Seattle. Preetika Rana in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 8/24/22

Supply Chain  

Bay Area wineries need oak barrels right now. But thousands are missing -- Droves of barrels destined for Northern California wineries have been sitting in shipping containers for weeks, sometimes months, longer than usual because of a massive bottleneck at the Port of Oakland. Jess Lander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/24/22

Wildfire  

Will PG&E get through fire season without causing catastrophe? -- At this time last year, one of the largest wildfires in California history had destroyed the historic Gold Rush town of Greenville and scorched nearly 1,140 square miles in the Sierra Nevada. Pacific Gas and Electric Co. equipment was once again to blame for a record-setting fire. Julie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/24/22

Homeless

Sacramento leaders ban homeless camps from sidewalks, American River Parkway and more -- Homeless people will soon be prohibited from camping along the entirety of the American River Parkway, and also from blocking city of Sacramento sidewalks and business entrances. Theresa Clift in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/24/22

S.F. wants answers after San Rafael officer dropped off an apparently unhoused person in the Richmond District -- The San Francisco City Attorney’s Office is investigating the San Rafael Police Department after a marked patrol vehicle was filmed allegedly dropping a homeless man off in a residential area of San Francisco. Sam Whiting in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/24/22

Housing 

California’s reusable tenant screening bill heads to governor’s desk -- Assembly Bill 2559 standardizes background and credit checks that tenants can buy and submit to multiple landlords, paying just one fee every 30 days. Jeff Collins in the Orange County Register -- 8/24/22

Healthcare  

California woman sues Kaiser, says health insurer illegally charged her for COVID-19 test -- A San Rafael-based law firm filed a class-action lawsuit against Kaiser Permanente, saying the health care giant is billing its members for COVID-19 tests despite mandates prohibiting those charges during the federal public health emergency. Cathie Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/24/22

Monkeypox  

More in L.A. County eligible for monkeypox vaccines; California outlines isolation protocols -- Eligibility for monkeypox vaccines in Los Angeles County expanded again this week, increasing access to the two-dose series to more people meeting high-risk criteria, even as vaccine quantities remain limited. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/24/22

Street  

L.A. prosecutor declines to charge Kanye West in punching incident -- Kanye West, aka Ye, can rest easy after the Los Angeles city prosecutor announced Tuesday that a criminal charge was not warranted over allegations that he punched a man outside a downtown nightclub. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/24/22

Oversight board wants San Diego jail staff to be scanned for drugs -- If people being detained in San Diego County jails are dying of drug overdoses, the solution seems simple to Paul Parker. Parker, the executive officer of the Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board, knows what will work. Kitty Alvarado, Mike Damron KPBS -- 8/24/22

DA: Over 70% of offenders released on $0 bail in one California county were re-arrested -- People released from jail under Yolo County’s “$0 bail” policy went on to be re-arrested 70% of the time, according to a new report released by the District Attorney’s Office. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/24/22

Brink’s driver was asleep inside vehicle during multimillion-dollar jewelry heist -- When thieves broke into a Brink’s tractor-trailer and stole millions of dollars of jewelry in a late-night heist at an Interstate 5 truck stop last month, one of the drivers was asleep in the vehicle’s sleeping berth, the company says. Daniel Miller, Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ Stefanie Dazio Associated Press -- 8/24/22

Carlsbad declares emergency amid rise in bike, e-bike collisions -- According to the city, there have been 57 collisions involving cyclists this year, nearly matching 2020's total of 62 and not far behind the pace of 2021's 100 collisions. KPBS -- 8/24/22

Education  

California Colleges Kick Off New School Year With Few, If Any, Covid Restrictions -- Students at California’s public colleges and universities will begin returning to campuses this month, and many of them will be welcomed back to full in-person classrooms, no mask mandates and few Covid-19 testing requirements. At some community colleges, students won’t even be required to be vaccinated. Michael Burke and Ashley A. Smith KQED -- 8/24/22

Sforza: Free food for all California school kids, regardless of need, starting now -- School breakfast menus have featured croissant sandwiches and chocolate chip muffins, yogurt parfaits and fresh baked cinnamon rolls, scrambled eggs and pancakes. Teri Sforza in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/24/22

Los Angeles Unified carrying focus on recovery into new school year -- As LAUSD moves into its second week back, attention is on ensuring all students return to the classroom and on addressing the gaps in learning made evident by the district’s most recent round of testing. Kate Sequeira EdSource -- 8/24/22

Climate  

UCSD says climate change could push flood damage to $3B a year in western U.S. -- UC San Diego says the atmospheric river storms that periodically hit the western U.S. could cause as much as $3.2 billion a year in flood damage by the end of the century, a figure three times higher than an estimate the university made in 2019. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/24/22

Environment  

Sick sea lions spotted along Ventura County coast -- Sea lions are being poisoned by a toxin found in plankton and reports of the sick animals being spotted along the Ventura County coast are skyrocketing, according to an animal rescue organization. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/24/22

Food Waste Law    

State law to reduce food waste has Bay Area food banks starving for better distribution -- Second Harvest of Silicon Valley has experienced one of the busiest years in its 48-year history this year, because of the state’s first food waste law and the ongoing hunger crisis since the pandemic began. The item is in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/24/22

Also . . .   

Five years after removal, Confederate statues may go to L.A. -- Tucked into the corner of an East Baltimore impound lot teeming with discarded lampposts and street signs, four Confederate-linked monuments have sat for five years since they were removed from public parks across the city in the middle of the night. Lilly Price in the Washington Post$ -- 8/24/22

Auburn man wins $20 million on California Lottery scratcher. Here’s what he’ll buy -- Not bad for a scratch-and-win. An Auburn man recently won a $20 million grand prize on a $30 scratcher, the California Lottery announced Tuesday – the biggest payday in state history on such a ticket. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/24/22