Updating . .   

California housing about 100 immigrant children separated from parents at the border -- The human fallout from the Trump administration’s abruptly reversed policy of separating children from their parents at the U.S. border has reached California, where some 100 of those children are living in state-licensed group care and foster homes. Karen de Sá and Hamed Aleaziz -- 6/21/18

Feinstein working with Republicans to reach family separation compromise -- California Sen. Dianne Feinstein is leading the effort to find a bipartisan solution to the family separation crisis at the border that has fractured Congress and gripped the nation. Emily Cadei in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/21/18

Charles Krauthammer, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and intellectual provocateur, dies at 68 -- Charles Krauthammer, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post columnist and intellectual provocateur who championed the muscular foreign policy of neoconservatism that helped lay the ideological groundwork for the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, died June 21 at 68. Adam Bernstein in the Washington Post$ -- 6/21/18

PG&E to pay $2.5 billion for Wine Country fires, warns it could get worse -- Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and its parent company, PG&E Corp., warned Thursday that they will record a $2.5 billion charge to cover expected losses from last October’s deadly Wine Country wildfires, saying the utility expects to be held liable for damage from many but not all of the fires. David R. Baker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/21/18

Three UC campuses did not consistently discipline faculty accused of sexual misconduct, state auditor finds -- University of California campuses at Berkeley, Los Angeles and Davis did not consistently discipline faculty who were subject to multiple sexual harassment complaints, according to a state audit released Thursday. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ Sophia Bollag Associated Press -- 6/21/18

Eric Garcetti joins mayors' protest outside Texas holding facility for migrant teens -- Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and a group of bipartisan mayors protested outside a government-run camp for migrant teens in Texas on Thursday, calling on the Trump administration to reunite families forcibly separated after crossing illegally into the United States. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/21/18

People donate millions to help separated families -- Among those that have generated the most attention is a fundraiser on Facebook started by a Silicon Valley couple, who say they felt compelled to help after they saw a photograph of a Honduran toddler sobbing as her mother was searched by a U.S. border patrol agent. The fundraiser started by David and Charlotte Willner had collected nearly $14 million by Wednesday afternoon. Olga R. Rodriguez Associated Press -- 6/21/18

States stand to pocket billions as Supreme Court rules internet businesses must collect sales taxes -- By a 5-4 vote, the justices that ruled that online sellers can be required to collect state and local taxes from customers even if the internet-based companies have no physical presence, such as a store or factory in that state. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times$ Levi Sumagaysay in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/21/18

No stamp, no problem: California lawmakers approve proposal for postage-free voting by mail -- California voters no longer would have to scramble to find stamps for their ballots under legislation sent to Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday for postage-free voting. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/21/18

Californians could vote to end daylight saving time under bill sent to governor -- Californians would be asked in a November ballot measure whether to end the biannual practice of moving their clocks ahead and back to comply with the Daylight Saving Time Act, under a bill the Assembly approved Thursday and sent to Gov. Jerry Brown for consideration. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/21/18

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich steps down after affair with employee -- Brian Krzanich has resigned as CEO of Intel after he had a consensual relationship with an employee, the tech giant announced Thursday. The Santa Clara chipmaker said Chief Financial Officer Bob Swan is taking over as interim chief executive, and that it has begun a search for a permanent CEO. Levi Sumagaysay in the San Jose Mercury$ James F. Peltz in the Los Angeles Times$ Barbara Ortutay Associated Press -- 6/21/18

CPUC rejects $639 million SDG&E pipeline project -- A 47-mile natural gas pipeline between Rainbow and Miramar will not be built. On Thursday morning, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in a 5-0 vote rejected the project that San Diego Gas & Electric wanted to construct along with partner Southern California Gas. Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/21/18

Bay Area: What happens if the gas tax is repealed? -- If it’s successful, roughly half of the recently-approved highway improvements and public transit projects in California could lose funding in a battle that’s shaping up as major statewide campaign issue. Cities and counties would also see their newly-approved funding for road repairs slashed by half. Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox has already sparred with Democrats who support the measure. Erin Baldassari in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/21/18

One of Sacramento downtown's busiest streets will close for redo. Here's what commuters should know -- City transportation officials say crews working on a repaving and redesign project will close several blocks of the street over two weekends, and will close lanes on the street during weekdays. Construction will start Monday, June 25, and is expected to continue until about Aug. 10. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/21/18

Trump looks down at crying migrant child on new cover of Time -- The latest cover of Time magazine depicts President Donald Trump's immigrant family separation policy by showing Trump towering over a crying migrant child and staring down at her. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/21/18

House delays vote on immigration bill in face of likely defeat -- House GOP leaders, staring down an embarrassing defeat, postponed a vote on a “compromise” immigration proposal until Friday, according to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy. Rachael Bade, Heather Caygle, John Bresnahan Politico -- 6/21/18

Calbuzz: The GOP Ignored Our Advice and Lost Steve Schmidt -- When pigs fly” is an adynaton, a way of saying that something will never happen. As in, Steve Schmidt – the savvy Republican strategist who guided campaigns for George W. Bush, Arnold Schwarzenegger and John McCain – will repudiate his membership in the GOP “when pigs fly.” This just in: The swine are airborne. Jerry Roberts and Phil Trounstine CalBuzz -- 6/21/18

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning

Nearly 100 children separated from parents at the border are in L.A. area, most of them detained, advocates say -- Most of the children are 9 and younger and are housed in detention shelters or foster homes overseen by government-contracted shelters, the organizations said Wednesday. Few have been reunited with family or friends of family. Esmeralda Bermudez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/21/18

Trump’s shift: For California congressional Republicans, it’s still a crisis -- The dispute over what to do with the children of immigrants arrested at the border isn’t going away for California’s congressional Republicans, despite President Trump’s surprise decision Wednesday to confine children with their parents in federal detention centers rather than splitting families apart. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/21/18

What does Devin Nunes have to say about family separations at the border? -- Elected officials throughout the central San Joaquin Valley, in California and across the country have weighed in on the increasingly controversial policy of separating migrant children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border, but the highest profile local congressman has remained silent on the issue. Rory Appleton in the Fresno Bee -- 6/21/18

Vulnerable Republicans ready to work with Democrats if immigration votes fail -- Reps. Jeff Denham, R-California, and Carlos Curbelo, R-Florida, who have led the Republicans' immigration reform effort, told McClatchy all options were open if the compromise bill failed, including forcing a vote without leadership approval. The compromise includes a path to citizenship for Dreamers, those who came to the country illegally as children. Kate Irby in the Modesto Bee -- 6/21/18

Vulnerable Republicans Feel Heat From Uproar Over Migrant Families Issue -- About 50 protesters gathered outside the office of Republican Rep. Jeff Denham this week to denounce the practice of separating immigrant children from their parents on the southern border. Natalie Andrews and Alejandro Lazo in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 6/21/18

Skelton: Trump's order to end his family separation policy was purely political — not a change of heart -- The heart-rending sound of children crying for their mothers and the disturbing sight of little kids confined in wire cages are more powerful than any president. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/21/18

Trump moves to end family separation, but California activists condemn new policy indefinitely detaining families -- President Trump moved to end his administration’s policy separating children from immigrant parents who cross into the U.S. illegally — but California elected officials and activists blasted the new practice of detaining immigrant families together indefinitely. Casey Tolan in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/21/18

Immigration courts packed with cases of kids crossing border -- The little girl wearing pink party shoes topped with bows smiled from her seat in a Los Angeles immigration courtroom. The 7-year-old is happy now that she is worlds away from the violence in her native El Salvador. Amy Taxin Associated Press -- 6/21/18

Round 1: California and Trump clash in court over 'sanctuary state' law -- Amid protests outside the courtroom and a nationwide outcry over federal border policies, state lawyers and the Trump administration faced off in a Sacramento court Wednesday in the first legal test of California's "sanctuary state" law that restricts cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Taryn Luna in the Sacramento Bee$ John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ Sudhin Thanawala, Don Thompson Associated Press -- 6/21/18

Net neutrality backers fume as California bill watered down -- California legislation that was billed as one of the nation's most aggressive efforts to revive net neutrality was watered down during a tense legislative hearing. The bill's advocates were outraged Wednesday as a state Assembly committee eliminated many of the bill's provisions. Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, the committee chairman, did not give a specific reason for the amendments. Jonathan J. Cooper Associated Press Klint Finley Wired Ben Adler, Ben Bradford Capital Public Radio Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/21/18

'There's something really rotten here': Impeach Trump effort divides California Democrats -- Tom Steyer is emphatic that the United States is not addressing its biggest issue. By broaching the subject and forcing others to do the same, he is constantly ruffling feathers. Intentionally or not, the billionaire Democratic activist is creating a major rift within his own party going into midterms. Bryan Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/21/18

Walters: Democrats try to flip California’s second largest county -- San Diego County’s 3.3 million residents make it California’s second largest county, and by happenstance, a political microcosm of the state. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 6/21/18

California candidates aren't so sure Nancy Pelosi should be the next House speaker if Democrats win -- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi didn’t seem to mind much when Rep. Conor Lamb, a Democrat who won a special election in a previously strong GOP Pennsylvania House district, said he wouldn’t support her for speaker if Democrats regain the majority. Christine Mai-Duc in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/21/18

New poll confirms Feinstein has big lead in Senate race, but nearly half of voters are undecided -- Nearly half of registered California voters are still undecided in the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Dianne Feinstein and state Sen. Kevin de León, according to a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/21/18

See what's on your California ballot this year -- California's Nov. 6 ballot is long and about to get longer. By the end of June, state and county officials will have determined which initiative measures will come before voters this fall. Here's what's already on there, and what's likely to come. Dan Smith in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/21/18

What the new plan to deter Capitol sexual harassment really addresses—and avoids -- California’s legislature is on the cusp of approving a new plan for responding to—and trying to prevent—sexual harassment in its own ranks. Laurel Rosenhall Calmatters -- 6/21/18

Utilities commission calls for increasing volume at Aliso Canyon -- With an eye on greater demands on the energy grid coming as summer officially begins, the California Public Utilities Commission this week has recommended increasing the natural gas storage volume at the Aliso Canyon Storage Facility, the site of the largest methane leak from a natural gas storage facility in U.S. history. Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/21/18

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

San Diego considering crackdown on dockless bikes, including fees, new rules -- The leading options, which are based on steps other cities have taken, include imposing new regulations on dockless bike companies and charging them hefty fees to cover enhanced enforcement and creation of bike lanes and paths. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/21/18

Pay for CalPERS' next chief investment officer can reach $1.77 million -- CalPERS on Wednesday voted to sweeten the compensation package it offers for two top executives as it sets out to replace outgoing Chief Investment Officer Ted Eliopoulos and to fill a vacancy at chief financial officer. Adam Ashton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/21/18

Workers at Trump golf course and Terranea resort file lawsuit over 'panic button' ballot measure -- A petition drive to force the exclusive Terranea Resort and nearby Trump National Golf Club to provide employees with panic buttons and wage increases is now the subject of a lawsuit alleging that the city of Rancho Palos Verdes is refusing to put the measure on the ballot. Hugo Martin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/21/18

As flood of baby boomers retire, Sacramento County struggles to start sending checks on time -- Donna Pitts decided she was ready to retire early this year and she wanted the process to be as smooth as possible. It hasn't been. Kellen Browning in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/21/18

To Ease U.S. Concerns, Chinese Shipper Cosco Offers to Put California Terminal in a Trust -- Chinese state-run Cosco Shipping Holdings Co. has offered to put a large container terminal in Long Beach, Calif., in a U.S.-run trust to allay U.S. national-security concerns about Chinese ownership of the facility, according to people familiar with the matter. Costas Paris in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 6/21/18

California and Eight Other States Push Plan to Boost Zero-Emission Vehicles -- California and eight other states rolled out a plan pressuring car companies and others to meet ambitious goals for sales of electric vehicles and other environmentally friendly automobiles—part of an effort to maintain tough local regulations while the Trump administration moves to relax nationwide standards for tailpipe emissions. Mike Spector in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 6/21/18

Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds 

Cupertino puts controversial business ‘head tax’ plan on hold for now -- Cupertino’s elected officials have put on hold a controversial proposal for an employee “head tax” on Apple and other businesses just weeks after Seattle repealed a similar plan in the face of fierce opposition from Amazon, Starbucks and other large employers. Khalida Sarwari in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/21/18

Airbnb agrees to collect tax for vacation rentals in El Dorado County -- In a deal several years in the making, Airbnb and El Dorado County have agreed that the short-term home rental platform will collect taxes on behalf of local hosts. The website agreed to voluntarily collect a 10 percent transient occupancy tax, also known as a hotel tax, in the county beginning Aug. 1. Julia Sclafani in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/21/18

Housing  

State Supreme Court agrees that San Francisco ordinance restricting landlords went too far -- The state Supreme Court refused Wednesday to reinstate a San Francisco ordinance requiring landlords who evict their tenants to go out of the rental business to wait 10 years before rebuilding or renovating any of the formerly rented units. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/21/18

Northern California landlord charged with shooting tenant -- A Northern California landlord has been charged with trying to kill a tenant in the third such violent incident between renters and property owners in recent weeks in a region mired in an affordable housing crisis. Paul Elias Associated Press -- 6/21/18

Transit 

California Limits Daily Personal Water Use to 55 Gallons – Kind Of -- The rule is apparently the first of its kind in the nation. But lost in the excitement is the fact that water agencies have no way to measure how much water their customers use indoors. Homes have only one water meter, and it provides no information about where water is used or for what purpose. Matt Weiser Water Deeply via KQED -- 6/21/18

Wildfire  

SoCal Edison unveils new center to prevent wildfires -- This state-of-the-art facility in Irwindale is designed to help the power company better fight fires. Its opening comes after a wrongful death lawsuit alleged the power company's faulty equipment sparked last year's Thomas Fire, California's largest wildfire to date. Caleigh Wells KPCC -- 6/21/18

Cannabis

LA County leaders are open to marijuana industry, but slow and ‘careful’ to remove ban -- The Board of Supervisors appears to be leaning toward allowing a wide range of marijuana businesses in unincorporated Los Angeles County. “I personally favor serious regulation over any ban in the unincorporated area of the county,” Board Chair Sheila Kuehl said Wednesday. However, the board this week opted to leave a full ban on the cannabis industry in effect, with nothing expected to change for at least several months. Brooke Staggs in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 6/21/18

Oceanside OKs two delivery-only dispensaries -- The 3-2 vote, with council members Jack Feller and Esther Sanchez opposed, was a compromise reached after the failure of an earlier motion that would have allowed two walk-in, storefront dispensaries along with the two “Type 9” delivery operations. Phil Diehl in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/21/18

Education 

State budget deal includes extra funding for students with lowest test scores – In one of the largest new appropriations in the state budget, school districts will receive $300 million in 2018-19 to help improve the performance of students with the lowest standardized test scores. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 6/21/18

Getting free college tuition in California: A quick guide – More than 1.3 million low- and middle-income students attend California’s public colleges and universities each year without having to pay tuition, thanks to financial aid programs in each of the state’s higher education systems that cover those bills. Nico SavidgeEdSource.

Immigration, Border, Deportation 

Asylum seekers sue administration over ‘zero tolerance’ policy -- Three Central American asylum seekers detained in Texas are suing the Trump administration over its “zero tolerance” immigration policy, which forcibly split them apart from their children. Renuka Rayasam Politico -- 6/21/18

Family separations will persist under Trump's order -- President Donald Trump’s new executive order to keep migrant families together leaves his administration plenty of wiggle room to keep them apart. The most urgent question is what will happen to thousands of children already separated from their parents under the administration’s “zero tolerance” border enforcement strategy. Ted Hesson Politico -- 6/21/18

George and Amal Clooney donate $100,000 to help immigrant children separated from parents -- George and Amal Clooney have donated $100,000 to help children affected by the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy, which had been separating families at the U.S.-Mexico border until Trump signed an executive order Wednesday to halt the practice. Nardine Saad in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/21/18

Environment 

Ratepayer group says SDG&E and SoCalGas made false statements about natural gas pipeline -- The consumer advocacy group within the California Public Utilities Commission accused San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern California Gas of “making misrepresentations and false statements” about the safety records of a 16-inch-wide natural gas pipeline built in 1949 that the two utilities operate. Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union-Tribune -- 6/21/18

SMUD Teams Up With Uber To Expand Use Of Electric Vehicles -- Using an electric vehicle to shuttle people around the Sacramento area could make being an Uber driver a lot more profitable as part of a new partnership with SMUD. Drivers who sign up for the 18-month, pilot program will get free charging at SMUD's network of high-speed charging stations. Randol White Capital Public Radio -- 6/21/18

Also . . . 

In a first, LAPD voluntarily releases body camera video of a suspect who died in custody -- The Los Angeles Police Department, roiled more than two decades ago by an infamous video of police brutality, entered a new era Wednesday, publicly releasing police body camera video in what will be a regular process aimed at increasing transparency when officers use force. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/21/18

Judge hears teen's 911 call in alleged abuse of siblings: 'My two little sisters right now are chained up' -- The young woman who called 911 was 17 years old with the voice of a little girl. She hardly ever ventured outside her parents’ home, she told the dispatcher, and she struggled to understand the difference between a ZIP Code and a street address. Paloma Esquivel in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/21/18

POTUS 45  

The day Trump caved -- Intense pressure, including from Republicans, prompted Trump to undo his family separation policy. Annie Karni, Eliana Johnson Politico -- 6/21/18

The Trump administration changed its story on family separation no fewer than 14 times before ending the policy -- First it was a deterrent. Then it wasn’t. It was a new Justice Department policy. Then it wasn’t. The Trump administration was simply following the law. Then it said separations weren’t required by law. It could not be reversed by executive order. Then it was. JM Rieger in the Washington Post$ -- 6/21/18

Trump airs his grievances and demands more credit — for just about everything -- Standing at center stage in a hockey arena here, delivering a rollicking speech that harked back to the glory days of his 2016 campaign, Trump was simmering with frustration. Philip Rucker and Jenna Johnson in the Washington Post$ -- 6/21/18

Beltway 

'White civil rights' rally marking Charlottesville anniversary set to be held next to White House -- The National Park Service announced Wednesday it had approved the “white civil rights” rally for Lafayette Square the weekend of Aug. 11-12. That is the anniversary of the “Unite the Right” protest, which sparked a national furor with its blatant displays of racism. President Trump amplified the controversy when he initially failed to condemn the white supremacists. Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/21/18

America’s white population shrinks for the first time as nation ages -- The data show the nation’s white population is aging rapidly, as Americans delay their decision to have a family and as the flow of foreign immigrants from European countries ebbs. At the same time, minority populations are growing much faster, hastening a demographic shift that has been decades in the making. Reid Wilson The Hill -- 6/21/18

RNC enters summer 2018 with double the amount of DNC’s war chest -- The Republican National Committee entered the summer with a war chest nearly the twice the size of its Democratic counterpart, though Democratic campaigns are on track to receive a massive infusion of cash through a roughly $80 million commitment by former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. Michelle Ye Hee Lee and Anu Narayanswamy in the Washington Post$ -- 6/21/18

Senate rejects billions in Trump spending cuts as two Republicans vote ‘no’ -- The 48-50 vote rebuffed a White House plan to claw back some $15 billion in spending previously approved by Congress — a show of fiscal responsibility that was encouraged by conservative lawmakers outraged over a $1.3 trillion spending bill in March. Erica Werner in the Washington Post$ -- 6/21/18

A GOP strategist abandons his party and calls for the election of Democrats -- For three decades, Steve Schmidt has played at the highest levels of Republican politics, as a top strategist in presidential campaigns and as an adviser to other GOP candidates. He has also been one of the most vociferous critics of President Trump. Dan Balz in the Washington Post$ -- 6/21/18

Voter interest in the midterm elections stands at a historic high with a singular focus — Trump -- Midterm elections often act as a referendum on whoever occupies the White House, but in most election years, many voters don’t view their ballot that way. This year, they do: Some 60% say they view their midterm vote as a ballot essentially against (34%) or for (26%) Trump, according to a newly released survey from the nonpartisan Pew Research Center. That makes Trump a bigger factor in the midterm than any president since Pew first asked the question during President Reagan’s first term. David Lauter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/21/18

 

-- Wednesday Updates 

California net neutrality bill ‘eviscerated’ in Assembly committee meeting -- A California net neutrality bill that advocates hailed as the “gold standard” for Internet protections was “eviscerated,” its chief backer said, in a committee hearing Wednesday morning. Trisha Thadani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Brian Fung in the Washington Post$ -- 6/20/18

Trump and Kirstjen Nielsen’s embarrassing surrender on separating families at the border -- The Trump administration insisted it didn't have a policy of separating children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. It said that it was merely following the law. And it said “Congress alone can fix” the mess. It just admitted that all that was nonsense — and that it badly overplayed its hand. Aaron Blake in the Washington Post$ -- 6/20/18

What the new plan to deter Capitol sexual harassment really addresses—and avoids -- California’s legislature is on the cusp of approving a new plan for responding to—and trying to prevent—sexual harassment in its own ranks. Laurel Rosenhall Calmatters -- 6/20/18

Fake out of Compton? Brown, smelly water sparks concerns and allegations of a political ruse -- Residents of Compton have complained about brown, smelly water coming out of their taps for more than a year. And when officials began talking about dissolving the troubled local water district, the area’s congresswoman scheduled a town hall meeting so community members could weigh in. Adam Elmahrek, Ruben Vives, Angel Jennings in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/20/18

$10,000 a minute pours into Bay Area couple's fundraiser to reunite separated migrant families -- Former Facebook employees Charlotte and Dave Willner launched the effort Saturday morning at 8 a.m. in response to President Donald Trump's "zero tolerance" approach to undocumented immigrants. By Tuesday, the so-called RAICES campaign was bringing in $4,000 a minute, and for two hours straight Wednesday morning, $10,000 poured in a minute. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/20/18

Disney offers $71.3 billion for a swath of Fox, topping Comcast's bid -- Disney’s new bid for Fox is nearly $19 billion more than what the company offered for the same assets six months ago, and $6 billion above Comcast’s offer last week. Meg James, Stephen Battaglio in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/20/18

Tariffs on Chinese goods threaten Southern California ports and could ripple through to consumers -- For months, as the Trump administration ratcheted up trade threats — announcing tariffs on allies and adversaries alike — business at the nation’s largest port complex in San Pedro Bay has hummed along, seemingly oblivious. Smartphones, clothes and toys flowed in from China. Ceramics and beverages arrived from the European Union. Fruit arrived from Mexico. Andrew Khouri, Jim Puzzanghera in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/20/18

'Don’t break the law,' McClintock says to families separated at the border -- Republican Rep. Tom McClintock, who represents Roseville and other Sacramento suburbs, is one of the few Republicans in the state who has stood firmly with President Trump in support of separating children from parents arrested crossing the border, part of the administration's "zero tolerance" policy for those caught trying to enter the country illegally. Emily Cadei in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/20/18

Poor medical care led to deaths at immigration detention facilities, advocates' report alleges -- Inadequate medical care probably contributed to the majority of deaths of detainees at U.S. immigration facilities between December 2015 and April 2017, according to a new report issued by a coalition of advocacy organizations. Kate Morrissey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/20/18

Department of Justice, California face off over sanctuary laws -- A federal judge on Wednesday pressed the Department of Justice on its lawsuit against California’s three new sanctuary laws, questioning Trump attorneys repeatedly on why the laws should be blocked. Tatiana Sanchez in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/20/18

Trump says he’ll sign order ending child-parent separation -- President Donald Trump said he would be signing an executive order later Wednesday that would end the process of separating children from families after they are detained crossing the U.S. border illegally. Jill Colvin, Colleen Long Associated Press -- 6/20/18

Fox: Other Initiatives Lose Spotlight in Glare of 3 States Proposal -- Perhaps the most troubling thing about the Cal 3 States initiative qualifying for the November election is that it will take the spotlight away from important policy measures that will appear along side it on the ballot. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 6/20/18