Updating . .
Billionaire Tom Steyer is trying to reach a half a million California voters in vulnerable GOP districts -- After years of spending money to influence political races around the country, billionaire Democratic philanthropist Tom Steyer is turning his attention to his home state in hopes that investing early in vulnerable Republican districts could help Democrats take back the House. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/3/17
Conservative speaker Ben Shapiro is in Sacramento to raise campaign money for Ami Bera challenger -- Yona Barash, a Republican surgeon seeking his first elected office, is getting his congressional campaign rolling with a conservative commentator who has stoked controversy in California. Chris Megerian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/3/17
State Sen. Josh Newman defends against Howard Jarvis group lawsuit -- A court filing on behalf of state Sen. Josh Newman said that the California Legislature acted properly in adopting new rules for a recall campaign against him, and it charged a lawsuit challenging the rules is politically motivated. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/3/17
Senators question whether Wells Fargo CEO is the right person to lead bank's turnaround -- At a Senate Banking Committee hearing Tuesday, Wells Fargo & Co. Chief Executive Timothy Sloan faced pointed questions about his ability to lead a turnaround of the bank’s culture — and whether the steadily growing list of new disclosures from the bank would ever end. Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/3/17
'I don't think we can pass a law that fixes stupid': Lawmakers berate Equifax ex-CEO -- House lawmakers are sharply criticizing Equifax Inc.’s former chief executive Tuesday for the credit rating company’s massive data breach and calling for tougher cybersecurity legislation to protect Americans’ sensitive information. Jim Puzzanghera in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/3/17
A Lawyer’s Weapon Against Farm Worker Complaints: Deportation -- As an attorney representing California Central Valley farmers and labor contractors who rely heavily on undocumented workers, Anthony Raimondo has become widely known for performing a sort of magic trick. He can sometimes make legal complaints against his clients – and the people who file them – disappear. Ted Rohrlich Fairwarning.org -- 10/3/17
Update: Wife of SFPD officer confirmed dead in Las Vegas attack -- The wife of a San Francisco police officer was confirmed among the dozens killed at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, her family said Tuesday. Stacee Rodrigues Etcheber had attended the concert with her husband of 13 years, Officer Vinnie Etcheber. She was 50. Jenna Lyons in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Mark Gomez, Julia Prodis Sulek and Patrick May in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/3/17
Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock was a CSUN graduate, university confirms -- The man accused of fatally shooting 59 people and wounding hundreds more in Las Vegas Sunday night was a graduate of Cal State Northridge, officials said. Wes Woods in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 10/3/17
‘He was the most friendly and outgoing guy you could ever meet.’ Friends remember Las Vegas shooting victim from Cameron Park -- Friends of Kurt Von Tillow continued to bring flowers and other mementos on Tuesday to a memorial on the backyard fence of his home on the Cameron Park Country Club. Brad Branan in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/3/17
What’s the bump fire stock that Las Vegas killer may have used? -- Reports from Las Vegas on Tuesday suggest that at least one of gunman Stephen Paddock’s rifles was equipped with something called a “bump-fire stock.” Patrick May in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/3/17
Knight: On the right, left out in ultra-liberal San Francisco: the city’s Trump fans -- My phone rang the other day, and the caller had a real man-bites-dog story — the unusual event journalists relish. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/3/17
Parents express shock over flutes possibly tainted with semen and given to schoolchildren; little health risk seen -- As state and federal officials investigate how batches of plastic flutes believed to be contaminated with semen were distributed in the spring to schools in Southern California, parents expressed shock at the allegations while health experts said exposure to the flutes likely posed little risk to students. Bradley Zint and Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/3/17
San Francisco proposal targets bike ‘chop shops’ as advocates for homeless object -- In the space beneath San Francisco’s infamous “Hairball,” the thick knot of highway arteries looping above Cesar Chavez Street, Potrero Avenue and Bayshore Boulevard, lie the trappings of a bicycle graveyard. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/3/17
Will this winter in California be wet or dry? -- Just like every autumn, October is bringing cooler weather, changing leaves and pumpkins to the fields across California. But unlike the past five years, when a historic drought gripped the state, this fall there’s something new across the landscape: full reservoirs. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/3/17
Fox: State & Local Tax Deduction Debate: An Old Story; a New Political Twist -- The debate over the effects of state and local tax write-off from federal taxes in California is not new. Forty years ago, it was part of the historic battle over the iconic tax reduction measure Proposition 13. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 10/3/17
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Facebook and Google pledged to stop fake news. So why did they promote Las Vegas-shooting hoaxes? -- Accuracy matters in the moments after a tragedy. Facts can help catch the suspects, save lives and prevent a panic. But in the aftermath of the deadly mass shooting in Las Vegas on Sunday, the world’s two biggest gateways for information, Google and Facebook, did nothing to quell criticism that they amplify fake news when they steer readers toward hoaxes and misinformation gathering momentum on fringe sites. David Pierson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/3/17
California adopted some of the toughest gun control laws in country after multiple mass shootings -- In the wake of the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history, some say the nation could look to California, a state where previous incidents have sparked laws to combat gun violence, for guidance. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/3/17
Abcarian: Las Vegas, the mecca of fantasy, gets a grotesque reminder that no place in America is safe from guns -- Las Vegas has always loomed large as the ultimate American escape fantasy — escape from worry, from sobriety, from the restraints of puritanical norms. You go to Las Vegas to have fun, not to outrun bullets. Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/3/17
Wife of San Francisco police officer among missing in Las Vegas -- A few seconds and a few inches separated those who survived from those who didn’t. Among the 59 dead and 527 wounded on the Las Vegas Strip were a still-unknown number of Bay Area residents who found themselves in the line of fire and who — in an instant — acted with heroism, raw instinct and grace. Lizzie Johnson, Trisha Thadani, and Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Julia Prodis Sulek in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/3/17
Wounded in Las Vegas massacre, college student from Rohnert Park survives but loses a friend -- Before the crackles of gunfire, the run for her life and the sharp, hot pain in her back, Savanna Chasco was singing along to a concert in Las Vegas that she had been looking forward to for months. Trisha Thadani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/3/17
San Diego Attorney Among Those Killed In Las Vegas Strip Shooting -- Jennifer Irvine, who ran a family law and criminal defense practice out of an office high-rise near the El Cortez hotel, died in the massacre at the Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival, a three-day concert at Las Vegas Village, a co-worker disclosed via a social media message. KPBS -- 10/3/17
Carrie Barnette, a Disney worker who went to school in Orange County, killed in Las Vegas mass shooting -- Barnette, who attended Pacifica High in Garden Grove and worked at Disney California Adventure, was among the 59 people killed at the Route 91 Harvest festival in Las Vegas on Sunday night, her friends, family and The Walt Disney Co. officials confirmed Monday. Barnette, who lived in Riverside, was 34. Todd Harmonson in the Orange County Register -- 10/3/17
In the midst of Las Vegas mass shooting, off-duty first-responders from Southern California worked to save lives -- They told people to get down. They shielded those who fell. Some loaded victims into ambulances. Others comforted the dying. They too, became victims. Susan Abram and Keith Sharon in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 10/3/17
In recent months, Nevada has been ground zero in a fight over gun background checks -- As law enforcement continues to gather details on how Stephen Paddock obtained the rifles he used in Sunday’s mass shooting on the Las Vegas Strip, elected officials are using the incident to again call for stricter gun laws. Nevada is no stranger to gun law reform efforts and the political battles that ensue. Kurtis Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/3/17
Another Set Of Gun Bills Awaits Gov. Brown's Pen -- California added many new firearms restrictions in the aftermath of the 2015 San Bernardino mass shooting, and even more currently await Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature. Ben Bradford Capital Public Radio -- 10/3/17
Gubernatorial Candidates Chiang, Newsom Spar Over Vegas Shooting Comments -- The shooting in Las Vegas immediately led to calls from Democratic officials in California for their federal counterparts to tighten the nation’s gun laws, using the state's laws as a model – and some sparring between two candidates for governor. Ben Adler Capital Public Radio Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/3/17
California political leaders react to Las Vegas massacre -- California politicians and other leaders expressed condolences — and some called for a renewed examination of gun laws — Monday after the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/3/17
Pender: Shares in gunmakers surge after Las Vegas shooting -- Shares in companies that make guns and ammunition were up following the massacre Sunday night in Las Vegas, an unfortunately common knee-jerk reaction following mass shootings. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/3/17
Activists claim credit for California GOP shakeup, but ex-leader warns about ‘infighting’ -- Republican activists are claiming credit for the resignation of a key party official, but former Assembly Minority Leader Kristin Olsen says she wrestled for months over her decision last weekend to step down as vice chair of the California Republican Party. Christopher Cadelago in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/3/17
New law bans interfering with a state audit, after UC tampering -- Anyone who knowingly interferes with the duties of California’s independent state auditor will be fined up to $5,000 under a bill signed into law Monday by Gov. Jerry Brown. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/3/17
When Can The Californian Cross The Road, And Other New Laws -- It will no longer be illegal to begin crossing the street in California when the orange “Don’t Walk” hand is flashing. That’s under one of 37 bills Gov. Jerry Brown signed on Monday. The measure comes with two conditions: The sign must display a numbered countdown and pedestrians must reach the other side of the street before that countdown ends. Ben Bradford Capital Public Radio -- 10/3/17
U.S. officials take over San Francisco Russian consulate -- The former home of the Russian consul general and his family, located just paces from the Presidio, was inspected by State Department officials as security guards stood outside the two-story brownstone building. The residents had left the premises before it was searched, meeting an Oct. 1 deadline. Joaquin Palomino in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/3/17
Few Californians have earthquake insurance, but interest has jumped since the Mexico quakes -- The state’s population, housing stock, home prices and number of renters all have soared in the 23 years since the Los Angeles area’s last major earthquake, a magnitude 6.7 temblor centered in Northridge that left 57 dead and caused an estimated $44 billion in property damage. James F. Peltz in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/3/17
Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds
Republicans Won’t Rule Out Tax Hikes for Some in the Middle Class -- President Trump and Republican leaders have positioned their sweeping tax rewrite as a way to cut taxes on the middle class. But some top officials are now saying the plan may not benefit everyone in that income group. Jim Tankersley in the New York Times$ -- 10/3/17
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
California farmworkers will have to undergo sexual assault prevention training -- Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday signed legislation to ensure farm labor contractors train employees on how to prevent and report sexual assault, a response to a 2013 PBS Frontline investigation that found sexual violence against women was a pervasive problem in California fields. Jazmine Ulloa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/3/17
A very bad September for Tesla's Model 3 as production falls far short -- In July, Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk warned that “production hell” was ahead for Tesla’s new and long-anticipated Model 3. Russ Mitchell in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/3/17
Oracle Co-CEO questions policies on student visas -- Oracle Corp (ORCL.N) Co-Chief Executive Mark Hurd on Monday said he does not understand Trump administration immigration policies that make it difficult for foreigners to work in the United States after earning an education here. Salvador Rodriguez Reuters -- 10/3/17
Years after suing Insomniac, L.A. Coliseum panel to get $3.5 million in corruption scandal settlement -- Rave promoter Insomniac and its chief executive, Pasquale Rotella, have agreed to settle a civil lawsuit filed by the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission, which will result in a payment of $3.5 million to the government agency. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/3/17
Wells CEO to face Congress, a year since sales scandal broke -- Wells Fargo’s chief executive will face Congress saying the bank remains “deeply sorry” for its previous sales practices, and that in the year since the scandal over them exploded it has substantially changed for the better. Ken Sweet Associated Press -- 10/3/17
Housing
Bay Area housing pressures continue: Rents climb again -- Rents continued to rise across the Bay Area in September, with San Jose, Oakland and San Francisco all registering year-over-year increases, according to a new report. It offers little relief to hard-pressed renters. Richard Scheinin in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/3/17
Google backs down from threat to cancel Mountain View housing -- Google has backed down from a threat to deny badly needed housing in Mountain View if it isn’t given more office space for its futuristic new “Charleston East” campus. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/3/17
San Jose Is Growing. Will More Housing Follow? The City Says Yes -- In response to the housing crisis in Silicon Valley, San Jose’s mayor is proposing the construction of 25,000 residential units in the city over the next five years. Tonya Mosley KQED -- 10/3/17
Education
Supreme Court shuts door on challenge to UC policy on immigrant tuition -- The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday it will not take up a conservative group’s challenge to UC Regents’ decisions that allow undocumented immigrants in California to pay in-state tuition fees and to receive financial aid. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/3/17
40 percent of CSU students take remedial classes. Why those courses will soon be gone -- This fall, nearly 40 percent of incoming freshmen at California State University were placed in developmental math or English courses. In the state’s sprawling community college system, three-quarters of any given incoming group is deemed unprepared for college-level work when they arrive. Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/3/17
Paralyzed Cal athlete: Angry family releases video of devastating hit -- The family of a Cal rugby player who was paralyzed at the start of the team’s national championship game last spring is condemning a decision by the sport’s governing body not to discipline Cal’s opponent for causing the injury. Matthias Gafni in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/3/17
Want to design theme park attractions? CalArts has a new degree for you -- With theme park visitors demanding fresh thrills and more interactive attractions, California Institute of the Arts is launching a degree program to turn out designers of next-generation rides for the nation’s $200-billion industry. Hugo Martin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/3/17
At UCLA, a dorm floor dedicated to first-generation students -- Desiree Felix didn’t make her way to UCLA with the help of helicopter parents who hired tutors, hounded teachers or edited her application essays. Her father is a handyman with a sixth-grade education. Her mother finished high school and helps manage apartments. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/3/17
Shelters, cars and crowded rooms -- Housing crisis forces more students into homelessness. Special report by Carolyn Jones and Daniel J. Willis EdSource -- 10/3/17
California map shows hot spots of homeless students – Explore the EdSource map showing the percentage of homeless students as reported by California's more than 10,000 schools. Special report by Daniel J. Willis EdSource -- 10/3/17
Cannabis
Carlsbad Bans Commercial Marijuana Ahead of Recreational Pot Sales -- A new ordinance passed in Carlsbad is set to go into effect at the end of October, expressly prohibiting commercial cannabis activity, including the sale of recreational and medical cannabis. But personal use and cultivation will still be allowed under Proposition 64. Matt Hoffman KPBS -- 10/3/17
Immigration / Border
Immigrant detainees should be offered affordable bond for release, 9th Circuit says -- A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said immigration judges should consider a non-citizen’s ability to pay when setting a bond. Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/3/17
Also . . .
Why losing Tom Petty feels like losing a piece of ourselves -- If you sing karaoke, you’ve probably performed “American Girl.” If you play guitar, you’ve likely strummed “Learning to Fly.” And if you’ve driven a car while celebrating some personal achievement or another, you’ve almost certainly belted out “Free Fallin’” at the top of your lungs as you drummed the steering wheel, just like Tom Cruise in that indelible scene from “Jerry Maguire.” Mikael Wood in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/3/17
POTUS 45
Decker: Analysis: Trump offers the expected rhetoric of gun massacres, but little is expected to change -- In the immediate aftermath of a crushing national disaster, Americans want a consoler in chief, a president who tries to bind obvious wounds and unify a shattered public. Then they want results, and usually get them: the strengthening of building regulations after a destructive hurricane; the engineering of safer airplanes after a calamitous crash. Cathleen Decker in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/3/17
Beltway
Massacre blunts momentum of gun silencer bill -- A controversial bill to loosen restrictions on purchasing gun silencers won't be reaching the House floor anytime soon after a horrific mass shooting in Las Vegas that left at least 59 dead and hundreds more wounded, according to GOP sources. John Bresnahan, Heather Caygle and Burgess Everett Politico -- 10/3/17
Las Vegas shooting unlikely to result in federal gun-control legislation -- White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked Monday if President Trump was considering pursuing any laws that might prevent massacres like the one in Las Vegas. Her answer: “There’s a time and place for a political debate, but now is the time to unite as a country.” But candidate Trump wasn’t so reticent last year. Hours after gunman Omar Mateen killed 49 people in an Orlando nightclub, Trump repeated his call for a ban on all Muslims entering the United States. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/3/17
Pelosi calls on Ryan to form select committee to curb gun violence -- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Monday urged Speaker Paul Ryan to create a Select Committee on Gun Violence that would craft "common sense legislation" in the wake of a Las Vegas shooting that has left at least 59 people dead and injured more than 500. Heather Caygle and Elana Schor Politico Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/3/17
-- Monday Updates
Fake news rose to top of Google, Facebook results after Las Vegas shooting -- As a reeling nation raced to gather information on the at least 59 people killed and more than 500 injured in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history Sunday, false reports and hoaxes masquerading as reliable information quickly rose to fill the void. Marissa Lang in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/2/17
Santa Clara woman on same hotel floor as Las Vegas shooter recalls horror: ‘I turned out the lights’ -- For 90 minutes, Meredith Rich huddled in the bathroom of her Las Vegas hotel room, the lights off, her door locked, just down the hall from where the gunman in the worst mass shooting in U.S. history fired his shots Sunday night. Jill Tucker and Lizzie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/2/17
SFPD officer’s wife missing in aftermath of Las Vegas massacre -- Just after a barrage of shots were fired during Jason Aldean’s headline concert at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, an off-duty San Francisco police officer rushed to help victims — and in doing so, lost his wife. Lizzie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/2/17
L.A. sues federal government over threats to withhold funds -- Filed Friday in U.S. District Court, the lawsuit alleges that the Justice Department’s decision to place new immigration enforcement-related terms on federal funding is unconstitutional. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/2/17
No evidence of shooting at USC after lockdown, search, LAPD says -- Los Angeles police said they found no evidence of a shooting on the USC campus Monday after reports of gunfire prompted a lockdown and a huge LAPD response. “No danger to community,” the LAPD said on Twitter after completing a search of campus buildings. Richard Winton, Tracy Boucher and Joseph Serna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/2/17
Pair of pro-gun bills on move in House -- The House could pass legislation as early as this week that would roll back decades-old restrictions on gun silencers, opening up the market for a device that critics say would make it difficult in a mass shooting to detect where gunfire is coming from. Carolyn Lochhead in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/2/17
Bay Area woman ran for her life as Las Vegas killer opened fire -- In the hours after a killer unleashed gunfire from a Las Vegas hotel window on fans at a country-western music festival Sunday night, thousands of people, including several Bay Area residents, ran for their lives, sheltering under bleachers, concession stands and liquor carts. Lizzie Johnson and Annie Ma in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/2/17
Bay Area Witness to Las Vegas Carnage: ‘Was This My Last 5 Seconds?’ -- A Contra Costa County man caught in the chaos of Sunday night’s shooting attack on a country music festival in Las Vegas says the scene was terrifying, bloody — and surreal. Olivia Allen-Price and Ted Goldberg KQED -- 10/2/17
Lost in the chaos: Redondo Beach family searching desperately for daughter -- Christiana Duarte had just started as a fan service associate for the Los Angeles Kings. It was her first full-time job since she graduated from University of Arizona in the spring with a degree in business marketing. Now she’s missing — swept up in the chaos of the mass shooting that took at least 58 lives Sunday night in Las Vegas. Benjamin Oreskes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/2/17
Manhattan Beach teacher killed in Las Vegas mass shooting -- A Manhattan Beach Middle School teacher was among those killed Sunday at a country music festival on the Las Vegas Strip, the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. Sandy Casey, a special-education teacher, was with a group of Manhattan Beach Unified teachers and staff members who attended the three-day Route 91 Harvest Festival over the weekend. Megan Barnes in the Orange County Register -- 10/2/17
Manhattan Beach Police Department employee killed in Las Vegas mass shooting, officer wounded -- A 10-year civilian employee of the Manhattan Beach Police Department was killed in Sunday’s mass shooting in Las Vegas and an off-duty officer was shot and wounded, police said. Rachael Parker, a records technician, was shot during the Route 91 Harvest Festival and died in a hospital, according to a news release. Megan Barnes in the Orange County Register -- 10/2/17
Orange County Sheriff’s deputy tried to aid dying at Las Vegas mass shooting scene -- He lay peacefully, staring at the sky. His chest was covered in blood. Melanie Cooper raced to him Sunday night. “Hang in there buddy,” she said. They were near the stage in the standing-room-only section of the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas. Cooper tried to administer CPR. She kept talking to him. “Hang in there,” she said. Keith Sharon in the Orange County Register -- 10/2/17
Newsom, Harris call for increased gun control in response to Las Vegas shooting -- Newsom, who is running for governor, blasted President Trump and GOP leaders as he offered condolences to those who were killed and injured. "We are heartbroken by the lives lost. We are heartbroken for their families and loved ones. We are heartbroken that we can’t pass commonsense gun laws in our nation,” he said in a statement. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/2/17
California elected officials call for gun control action after Las Vegas shooting -- After a gunman killed at least 58 people at a Las Vegas music festival on Sunday night, elected officials across the border in California called for stricter gun control measures. Several state leaders went beyond the typical thoughts-and-prayers rhetoric to urge quick action in the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Casey Tolan in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/2/17
Southern California police, deputies and firefighters among the wounded in Las Vegas -- Multiple police officers, both on and off duty, were among those killed or injured after a gunman opened fire Sunday night at a country music festival opposite the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip, officials said. Alene Tchekmedyian and Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/2/17
California law enforcement officers wounded in Las Vegas -- Authorities say law enforcement members from across California are among those wounded in a mass shooting at a country music festival in Las Vegas. Associated Press -- 10/2/17
In 1939, the feds made a Central Valley water deal. It may doom the Delta tunnels -- Dam builders from President Franklin Roosevelt’s administration wanted to bring water to the parched eastern half of the San Joaquin Valley, but first they had to deal with a cluster of landowners whose ancestors had been there since the 1800s. Dale Kasler and Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/2/17
FBI doesn't have to say who unlocked San Bernardino shooter's iPhone, judge rules -- The FBI does not have to reveal the identity of a vendor that helped it unlock the iPhone of one of the shooters in the 2015 San Bernardino terror attack, or the price it paid for the vendor’s services, a federal judge ruled. Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/2/17
Most Bay Area cities won’t allow recreational marijuana sales in January -- Memo to all you Golden State tokers: Your dreams of buying recreational pot in California after New Year’s Day are hazy at best. Casey Tolan and Tracy Seipel in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/2/17
Yosemite scientists probe why rocks fell — and where it will happen next -- As the giant granite El Capitan briefly slumbers, scientists are racing to identify any areas of dangerous new instability on a popular but restless climbing route that last week released enough rubble to fill 750 dump trucks. It’s likely that Mother Nature — not climbers — caused the two massive rockfalls that killed Welsh athlete Andrew Foster, 32, severely injured his 28-year-old wife, Lucy, and smashed through the sunroof of an SUV driven by Florida tourist Jim Evans, who is now hospitalized with head injuries. Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/2/17
San Francisco’s ambitious homeless strategy seeks sharp cuts, coordinated outreach -- The most ambitious plan in more than a decade for reducing homelessness in San Francisco will be unveiled this week, and its core goals are audacious: cutting the number of hard-core street people in half, ending family homelessness and clearing away all large tent encampments. Kevin Fagan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/2/17
‘Super exciting’ results in stem cell therapy trial -- Four out of six paralyzed patients who had 10 million stem cells transplanted into their spinal cords have shown striking improvement a year after treatment, including increased ability to move their hands and arms and to perform basic functions like feeding and bathing themselves, according to research results being released Monday. Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/2/17
San Francisco’s Chinese Hospital, Rose Pak’s pet project, bleeding cash -- Less than a year after the death of Chinatown powerhouse Rose Pak, San Francisco’s Chinese Hospital, which was largely rebuilt on the strength of Pak’s political prowess and ability to raise millions of dollars, is facing a troubling and uncertain future. Matier & Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/2/17
Rep. Ami Bera's father released from prison after serving time for campaign cash scheme -- Rep. Ami Bera’s father, who was convicted for running a money laundering scheme to help finance his son’s campaigns, was released from federal custody Thursday. Babulal Bera, 84, had been sentenced last year to one year and one day. Chris Megerian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/2/17