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California Assembly to hold public hearings to address sexual harassment -- The California Assembly will hold public hearings next month to address sexual harassment in the Capitol, Democratic lawmakers announced Tuesday, as allegations of pervasive mistreatment contin ue to ripple through Sacramento. Melanie Mason in the Los Angeles Times$ Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ Katie Orr KQED -- 10/24/17

Former deputy director of California tax agency says he was fired for whistleblowing -- A former deputy director of the state Board of Equalization said Tuesday he was improperly fired this month after cooperating with a state Department of Justice investigation into allegations that agency officials improperly used public resources. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ Adam Ashton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/24/17

California's chief justice calls for end to cash bail -- California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye said Tuesday that the state should instead rely on risk assessments to determine whether defendants should be released. Cantil-Sakauye endorsed a report by the judiciary that called for an end to cash bail and said it should serve as a framework for discussions with Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature. Sudhin Thanawala Associated Press Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/24/17

Pending home sales plunge across Bay Area and state -- Pending sales in Santa Clara County were down 23.5 percent from September 2016. They were down 22.4 percent in San Mateo, but up 2.8 percent in San Francisco. In outlying areas, they were down 16.9 percent in Monterey County and 16.8 percent in Sacramento County. They rose 18.2 percent in Santa Cruz County. Richard Scheinin in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/24/17

Trump's inaction on climate change carries a big price tag, federal report finds -- The Trump administration’s reluctance to confront climate change threatens to create a massive burden on taxpayers, as a lack of planning by federal agencies leaves the government ill-equipped to deal with the fallout from rising temperatures, according to independent congressional investigators. Evan Halper in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/24/17

Two years ago, state auditors found PG&E slow on Sonoma repairs -- A 2015 audit by California utility regulators faulted Pacific Gas and Electric Co. for thousands of late maintenance jobs and repairs to its electricity distribution network in Sonoma County, where state investigators are now examining whether the company’s power lines played a role in this month’s deadly fires. David R. Baker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/24/17

Panel: What Government is Looking For? More Taxes -- The legislature passed a gas tax and a document tax to fund housing for the homeless and other fees this last session but taxes will be on the agenda when they meet again, according to a panel at the Valley Industry and Commerce Association’s (VICA) annual business forecast conference held last week. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 10/24/17

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

‘Everything is at stake:’ California unions brace for a Supreme Court loss -- California labor leaders sound almost apocalyptic when they describe a looming Supreme Court case that many of them concede likely will cost them members and money. Adam Ashton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/24/17

The Trumpification of the California Republican Party is well underway -- From the minute you stepped into the carpeted ballroom foyer that separated the California GOP’s semi-annual convention from the rest of the Anaheim Marriott, you could see that something in the Republican party had changed. Ben Christopher Calmatters.org -- 10/24/17

Gavin Newsom calls for California to nearly quadruple its annual housing production -- Gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom says California officials should set a goal to help 3.5 million new homes get built by 2025 to stem the state’s housing problems. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/24/17

Want the Sierra Club's endorsement? Here are its standards -- No. 1 on the list is independence from the oil industry, which has been a fault line in the Capitol during debates over climate change policies. Chris Megerian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/24/17

California and U.S. regulators approve fix for 38,000 Volkswagen diesels -- The approval brings German automaker Volkswagen closer to resolving a costly and embarrassing scandal that began two years ago, when the company admitted that more than 550,000 vehicles in the U.S. — and 11 million worldwide — were designed to cheat on emissions tests. The vehicles have software that turns on emissions controls during testing but turns them off in everyday driving. Dee-Ann Durbin Associated Press -- 10/24/17

Steinberg Says He Didn't Witness Sexual Harassment As State Lawmaker --As more information emerges from allegations of pervasive sexual harassment at the California State Capitol, the former head of the State Senate says he was surprised. Bob Moffitt Capital Public Radio -- 10/24/17

Campaign manager for Orange County congressional candidate resigns following sexual harassment allegations -- Erik Taylor, who had worked for Janowicz's campaign for less than five months, resigned Thursday, according to Janowicz, a Democrat who is running to unseat GOP Rep. Ed Royce in the 39th Congressional District. Christine Mai-Duc in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/24/17

Rebuilding Oroville Spillway, With the Rainy Season Just Around the Corner -- November 1. That’s the deadline for the army of construction workers laboring to rebuild Oroville Dam’s main spillway to finish the first phase of the 18-month project — now expected to cost at least $500 million. Dan Brekke KQED -- 10/24/17

LAPD arrests 18 in day-long Aliso Canyon ‘shut it down’ protest near Porter Ranch -- Wearing hazmat suits and carrying tombstones, about 100 protesters gathered in Porter Ranch on a windy Monday to demand that Gov. Jerry Brown close the Aliso Canyon gas fields down once and for all because they say it is an ongoing public health risk. Susan Abram in the Los Angeles Daily News$ Sharon McNary KPCC -- 10/24/17

2 years after a gas leak filled the air over Porter Ranch, what’s next for Aliso Canyon? -- Perhaps some day, every well up in Aliso Canyon will sit empty and dry, with no trace— not one molecule— of natural gas left in the hills above Porter Ranch. But a shadow of doubt and worry would likely still linger among the residents who live below. Susan Abram and Brenda Gazzar in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 10/24/17

AT&T helped out San Francisco supervisor’s festival -- Telecommunications giant AT&T chipped in $5,000 for a festival co-hosted by a San Francisco supervisor who later helped dilute a law requiring the company to decorate its sidewalk utility boxes, according to filings from the city’s Ethics Commission. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/24/17

Again? FAA investigates another Air Canada runway mix-up at SFO -- Just three months after an Air Canada plane nearly landed on a crowded SFO taxiway, the FAA has launched another investigation into why a second passenger jet from that airline Sunday ignored a San Francisco air traffic controller’s repeated order to abort a landing. Matthias Gafni in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/24/17

Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds 

Local leaders tout Sacramento highway projects as opponents seek gas tax repeal -- Facing a campaign to repeal the state’s new gas tax increase, Sacramento-area politicians and transportation officials gathered under a freeway underpass Monday to tout projects that are expected to be funded by the hike. Brad Branan in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/24/17

Ambulance fees could spike in San Diego amid response time concerns -- Ambulance rides would cost 24 percent more in San Diego and response time requirements would be softened under policy changes requested by the city’s ambulance operator. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/24/17

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

Weinstein scandal puts nondisclosure agreements in the spotlight -- Harvey Weinstein. Bill O’Reilly. Roger Ailes. Bill Cosby. The Catholic Church. All were able to skirt years and sometimes decades of allegations of sexual harassment or assault through the use of settlements or contracts that included nondisclosure agreements: legal provisions that swear employees or alleged victims to secrecy. James Rufus Koren in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/24/17

San Francisco legislation aims to save cultural enclaves from gentrification -- The fight to protect San Francisco’s cultural enclaves against gentrification and displacement typically takes the form of opposition. Activists show up at public meetings to decry upscale housing, to bash new office towers, or to disparage chain stores or fancy restaurants catering to well-heeled newcomers. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/24/17

Southern California police injured during Las Vegas mass shooting heroism denied workers’ comp due to state law -- On Monday, Orange County rejected workers’ compensation claims from four sheriff’s deputies injured in the shooting, paving the way for a court battle that could force appellate judges to eventually decide an untested issue touching several counties and cities in Southern California. Jordan Graham in the Orange County Register -- 10/24/17

Police union approves pay hikes that will push San Diego into top tier -- San Diego police officers voted overwhelmingly in favor of a proposed labor pact that would boost pay between 25 and 30 percent to help solve a crisis of departing officers. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/24/17

Transit  

BART’s new cars finally pass safety tests, on track to roll by Thanksgiving -- BART’s sleek new railcars finally passed safety tests over the weekend — months behind schedule — and are on track to start carrying commuters around Thanksgiving, transit officials said Monday. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/24/17

Guns 

Dem attorneys general unite against concealed-carry gun law -- The top prosecutors from states including New York, Pennsylvania, Iowa and California sent a letter to congressional leaders in both parties on Sunday warning that federal reciprocity proposals being debated on Capitol Hill "will lead to the death of police officers and civilians, the proliferation of gun traffickers, and acts of terrorism and other mass violence." Steve Peoples Associated Press -- 10/24/17

Homeless  

LA’s homeless crisis needs FEMA-like ‘field general,’ city attorney says -- To combat the city’s persistent and lingering homelessness crisis, Los Angeles needs to appoint a senior-level official who will lead the charge in getting facilities for the homeless built at a much faster pace, City Attorney Mike Feuer said Monday. Elizabeth Chou in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 10/24/17

'Nowhere To Sleep': Los Angeles Sees Increase In Young Homeless -- Dyer is part of a homeless population that's been invisible for a long time. The latest homeless count in Los Angeles showed a 64 percent increase in the number of 18- to 24-year-olds on the streets since last year, to a total of nearly 6,000. But experts say that dramatic rise is largely due to the fact that authorities got better at counting. Anna Scott Capital Public Radio -- 10/24/17

‘Overstretched’ Sacramento housing market a contributor to increased homelessness -- The failure to develop enough housing to keep pace with an increasing population is a primary cause of homelessness in the region, local government representatives and resource providers told members of two Sacramento neighborhood associations. Cathy Locke in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/24/17

Homeless campers suing the city of Sacramento get their day in court -- More than eight years ago, homeless men and women set up tents and bedrolls in an empty lot near downtown Sacramento to challenge the city’s ordinance against camping outdoors for more than a day at a time. On Monday, their legal saga finally began to play out in court. Cynthia Hubert in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/24/17

Housing  

California rent control strengthened under proposed ballot measure -- California housing advocates have filed paperwork to launch a 2018 ballot measure allowing cities and counties across the state to strengthen local rent control laws, a move they see as critical as California confronts a statewide housing shortage. Angela Hart in the Sacramento Bee$ Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/24/17

Wildfire  

Wine Country Fires Were Fanned by ‘Unprecedented’ Winds -- Mass says one gust on a mountain peak near Geyserville clocked in at 96 mph — another at 108. At times — after the fires had broken out — sustained winds at some higher elevations were at hurricane force. Craig Miller KQED -- 10/24/17

Sonoma County, Santa Rosa consider new housing policies to help fire recovery -- Both the county and city are looking to double down on state emergency laws designed to prevent landlords from hiking up rents unreasonably while fire victims are scrambling to find a new place to live. Officials also are considering a suite of housing rules that would allow residents to live in RVs and guest houses, among other places, while recovery is underway. J.D. Morris and Kevin McCallum in the Santa Rosa Press -- 10/24/17

Cleanup from Sonoma County fires starts Wednesday; homeowners wary of free government program -- The permit form states that homeowners must assign to the county “any and all insurance proceeds” they would be entitled to for removal of debris from their property. The county will also collect any insurance payments left over after rebuilding, an assessment Lamoureux said “is not going to affect your ability to rebuild.” No liens will be placed on property as a result of the cleanup, he said. Guy Kovner in the Santa Rosa Press -- 10/24/17

Time-lapse video map shows 911 calls on Tubbs fire -- Over the next 28 hours, people in Sonoma County dialed 911 in record numbers, reporting fallen trees blocking roads and vegetation fires, and then increasingly calling with pleas to be rescued. Julie Johnson in the Santa Rosa Press -- 10/24/17

Football brings healing to Santa Rosa high school damaged in Tubbs Fire -- Two weeks ago, Kyle Carinalli scrambled down his driveway trying to dodge red-hot embers landing on his truck. One of his neighbor’s homes was engulfed in flames. He returned hours later and watched his house burn down. Ron Kroichick in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/24/17

Canyon Fire 2 began with call of burning bush, but response was low priority -- The motorist who first reported the Canyon Fire 2 said Monday, Oct. 23 that he described the Oct. 9 incident as a fire, not as smoke. The distinction matters because Orange County Fire Authority officials confirmed Monday that the dispatcher’s first response was to send a single fire engine with lights and sirens off, a deployment known as a low-priority “smoke check.” Tony Saavedra in the Orange County Register -- 10/24/17

Education 

Until poverty eliminated, schools won't graduate 100 percent of students, expert says -- One of the state's leading experts on how to increase graduation rates says 100 percent graduation rate is not likely to happen without far-reaching changes in the society as a whole. Theresa Harrington EdSource -- 10/24/17

She put newspaper in her underwear because her school charged for pads. A new law ends that -- Gov. Jerry Brown recently signed Assembly Bill 10, which requires middle and high schools where at least 40 percent of students meet federal poverty standards to put free menstrual products in the bathrooms. Earlier this year, Renteria told her story to legislators in Sacramento, urging them to pass the legislation, which goes into effect next year. Mackenzie Mays in the Fresno Bee -- 10/24/17

Health 

Health officials say testing San Diego River for hep A would waste resources -- Health officials in San Diego County said Monday they won’t be looking for hepatitis A in the San Diego River and that such an effort wouldn’t be a wise use of resources. The response comes after City Councilman David Alvarez sent out letters to regional water-quality researchers and Mayor Kevin Faulconer calling for testing in the watershed — which officials have recently identified as significantly polluted with human feces. Joshua Emerson Smith and James DeHaven in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/24/17

Special Assembly committee begins hearings on health insurance -- A special state assembly committee held the first in a series of hearings Monday on California’s health insurance system. The hearings are widely considered to be a reaction to the public outcry that followed the shelving of a single-payer bill earlier this year. Michelle Faust KPCC -- 10/24/17

Environment 

Solano County Probe Finds No Violations in Valero Refinery Outage -- The Valero oil company did not violate state regulations in connection with the massive power outage that led to the release of tens of thousands of pounds of toxic gas from its Benicia refinery this spring, Solano County environmental health investigators have concluded. Ted Goldberg KQED -- 10/24/17

Also . . . 

Records fall across region in SoCal heat wave; triple-digit temperatures forecast for World Series -- Downtown Los Angeles hit 102 degrees, Long Beach 105, Burbank 101 and Oxnard 104, according to the National Weather Service, all new highs for the day. Other cities to set daily records: Riverside (102), Santa Ana (102), El Cajon (104) and Big Bear (74). Sarah Parvini in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/24/17

Sacramento Emergency Responders Train For Active Shooter Scenarios -- Sacramento county emergency responders trained Monday on active shooter scenarios — now a regular part of their training process. Sacramento's Sheriff and Sacramento Metro Fire departments regularly drill together. Fire Captain Shawn Daly said the group practices working under what's called a "unified command." Sally Schilling Capital Public Radio -- 10/24/17

'I didn't steal the Maserati,' Bell scandal defendant says after being resentenced -- Former Bell assistant city administrator Angela Spaccia was resentenced Monday, in light of an appeals court reversal on five counts of misappropriating funds from the city, and again ordered to repay roughly $8 million in restitution. The item is in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/24/17

Ex-L.A. County sheriff's deputy given home detention for lying about beating a jail visitor -- A former Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy was sentenced Monday to nine months of home detention and 640 hours of community service for lying to federal investigators about the violent arrest of a jail visitor six years ago. The item is in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/24/17

Two dead, CHP officer shot in Lake County rampage -- Two people were killed Monday in Lake County and three injured, including a CHP officer who was shot, when a 61-year-old Clearlake Oaks man went on a rampage just before noon. Nick Rahaim in the Santa Rosa Press -- 10/24/17

Anaheim police Chief Raul Quezada steps down in wake of no-confidence vote from officers -- The city announced that Quezada, 48, left with a settlement package, the details of which officials would not immediately disclose. The agreement settled a claim, often a precursor to a lawsuit, the chief filed against the city earlier this year citing “intolerable” working conditions. Alicia Robinson in the Orange County Register -- 10/24/17

POTUS 45  

In sparring with a grieving widow, Trump follows his no-apology playbook -- The controversy over President Trump’s treatment of fallen service members escalated Monday, its eighth straight day, when the grieving widow of one of four U.S. soldiers killed in Niger broke her silence and described how the president’s blunders on his condolence call left her angry and in tears. Philip Rucker and Michael Scherer in the Washington Post$ -- 10/24/17

Beltway 

Federal judge appears unlikely to block Trump's action on Obamacare -- A federal judge in San Francisco suggested Monday there was no need for a court to step in and block President Trump’s order that cut off healthcare subsidies that have been a center of political debate. Maura Dolan and David Lauter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/24/17

Cutting Taxes Is Hard. Trump Is Making It Harder -- President Trump said on Monday that he would oppose any effort to reduce the amount of pretax income that American workers can save in 401(k) retirement accounts, effectively killing an idea that Republicans were mulling as a way to help pay for a $1.5 trillion tax cut. Jim Tankersley in the New York Times$ -- 10/24/17

 

-- Monday Updates 

California Senate hires investigators to look into sexual harassment allegations -- De León announced Monday he has hired the law office of Amy Oppenheimer to conduct an external investigation into harassment and assault allegations, and the consulting firm CPS HR Consulting to review Senate policies on harassment, discrimination and retaliation. Melanie Mason in the Los Angeles Times$ Taryn Luna in the Sacramento Bee$ Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/23/17

It may be back to the drawing board for Jerry Brown’s delta tunnels -- Despite a personal push from Gov. Jerry Brown, the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s Board of Directors gave a resounding “no” the other day to helping to pay for his plan for two 35-mile tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to help deliver water to the Central Valley and Southern California. Matier & Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/23/17..

Feinstein shrugs off critics: ‘I’ve been challenged before’ -- “I’ve been challenged before. That doesn’t bother me,” the state’s senior senator told us. “Michael Huffington spent something like $33 million to try to unseat me in 1994, so I pretty much assume that it comes with the territory.” Matier & Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/23/17

4 Democratic candidates for governor to make early appearance on same stage -- Four Democrats looking to replace termed-out Gov. Jerry Brown next year will share a stage in San Francisco on Tuesday, giving voters an unusually early look at the candidates and the themes of the 2018 campaign. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/23/17

Quinn: Citizen Bannon -- Bannon is the Republican Party’s answer to Maximilien Francois de Robespierre, the “citizen” revolutionary who in 1790 brought the Reign of Terror to the French Revolution. Having destroyed the French establishment by guillotine without trial, Citizen Robespierre was himself guillotined without trial in 1794. Bannon wants to impose a similar reign of terror on the nation’s Republican establishment, and will probably suffer a similar fate, although it may take a while. Tony Quinn Fox & Hounds -- 10/23/17

Wine Country fires: Could a better power grid save us? -- California’s first power pole was erected in the 1880s, soon after Thomas Edison’s light bulb. Now we have 4.2 million of them, carrying a spider web of fickle and fire-triggering lines that hang in drooping catenaries for 210,000 miles — enough to wrap around the world eight times. Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/23/17

Next challenge in Wine Country fires: colossal cleanup before winter rains -- While the worst of the wildfires is over for Wine Country, the region faces another daunting test: the cleanup of heaps of ash, twisted metal and blackened debris scattered across some 250 square miles of burned hills and valleys — an area five times the size of San Francisco. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/23/17

As flames fade, wine country grapples with emotional scars of devastating fires -- In the days since fires ravaged towns here, people have pulled together. Strangers at coffee shops share their trauma, talking of homes destroyed and loved ones lost. Almost everyone seems to know a neighbor who knocked on a door or lifted someone into a car, and saved a life. Soumya Karlamangla in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/23/17

18,000 Napa County students back at school for first time since wildfires -- Counselors were available at each of the district’s 31 schools and teachers planned to let students discuss the fires during class, said Elizabeth Emmett, spokeswoman for the Napa Valley Unified School District. Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/23/17

Fire loss total surges to 8,400 structures in Northern California -- The wine country wildfires destroyed at least 8,400 homes and other buildings, authorities said Monday, a significant increase in the already staggering property loss. Ruben Vives and Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/23/17

7 weddings and a firestorm. How a local businesswoman refused to give up -- After narrowly escaping her home and having it burn to the ground, wedding planner Brittany Rogers-Hanson faced another crisis: saving her business during peak wedding season. Meg McConahey in the Santa Rosa Press -- 10/23/17

'Unusual' late season heat wave to scorch Southern California; dangerous fire conditions expected -- A sweltering heat wave will blanket Southern California through the middle of the week, elevating the risk of wildfires and potentially breaking heat records, forecasters said. Sarah Parvini in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/23/17

Walters: Jerry Brown 2.0 wins higher marks in crisis management -- Not always fairly, history tends to judge political executives – presidents and governors, especially – by how they handle crises. Dan Walters Calmatters.org -- 10/23/17

Pot growers in Sacramento will need a lot of electricity. SMUD wants to help -- It takes a lot of juice to grow pot indoors, so Sacramento’s major electric utility is gearing up for the heavy demands of recreational marijuana growers come January. Hudson Sangree in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/23/17

Where do patients go when a troubled nursing home closes? Often, nowhere better -- When the Eagle Crest nursing home in Carmichael began notifying residents this summer that it would soon be closing, executives assured family members in writing that loved ones could be accommodated at other company-owned homes. Marjie Lundstrom and Phillip Reese in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/23/17

San Quentin inmates win raves with ‘Ear Hustle’ podcast about life in prison -- San Quentin inmates Earlonne Woods and Antwan Williams had never listened to a podcast before they made broadcasting history by creating “Ear Hustle,” the first podcast from inside the walls of a prison. Patrick Perron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/23/17