Updating . .
California's political watchdog panel balks at lifting donor limits for legislative leaders -- California’s political watchdog panel deadlocked Thursday over allowing legislative leaders to accept much larger campaign contributions, after several open-government groups said the proposal raises “important concerns” about increasing the influence of special interests. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/18
California health insurance premiums to rise nearly 9% in 2019 -- The roughly 2.3 million Californians who buy their health insurance on the individual market — either through the state exchange Covered California, or directly from insurance companies — will see their premiums rise an average 8.7 percent in 2019, officials announced Thursday. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Cathie Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ Jonathan J. Cooper Associated Press Chad Terhune in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/18
California Lawmakers to Revive Trump Tax Return Bill -- Two California Democrats said Thursday they'll bring back legislation that would require presidential candidates to release their tax returns before they could appear on the ballot in the largest U.S. state. Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed similar legislation last year, saying he was concerned it was unconstitutional and might open the door to other litmus tests for candidates. Associated Press -- 7/19/18
London Breed is the exception — why few blacks rise to power in Bay Area -- As the celebration of London Breed’s inauguration as San Francisco’s first black female mayor fades, a more ominous statistic looms: There’s a chance the Bay Area will have no African American representatives in the Legislature after the November election. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/19/18
Rep. Maxine Waters urges counter-demonstrators to stay away from planned far-right protest at her office -- Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) has made a reputation of being one of President Trump’s most outspoken critics, and has even told people to “push back” on administration officials they spot in public. Now, Waters may have some rowdy critics of her own to contend with. Benjamin Oreskes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/18
Nunes used political dollars for $15K in Celtics tickets, winery tours and Vegas trips -- Rep. Devin Nunes used political donations to pay for nearly $15,000 in tickets to Boston Celtics basketball games as well as winery tours and lavish trips to Las Vegas, according to reports from the Federal Election Commission and two nonpartisan watchdog groups. Kate Irby in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/19/18
22% surge in number of older homeless people catches L.A. officials off guard -- Andrea Colucci’s long, slow slide into homelessness began, as it does for many, with medical bills. At the age of 67, she had decided to finally transition as a transgender woman. Her insurer balked at paying her surgeon’s bills, so she put them on credit cards. Gale Holland in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/18
Two firefighters injured as Ferguson fire grows to 21,000 acres -- Just days after the death of a Cal Fire bulldozer operator, two more firefighters were injured while battling the Ferguson fire near Yosemite National Park, officials said. Sonali Kohli in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/18
Orange County school districts are resisting a California sex ed law passed more than 2 years ago -- T. Perreira says he got all of his “queer sex education” from Internet pornography. And that’s because the sex education program in junior high barely provided enough information for heterosexual students, let alone LGBTQ students, the Ladera Ranch resident said. Deepa Bharath in the Orange County Register -- 7/19/18
CPUC Probe Says PG&E Mistakes Led to Benicia Refinery Outage -- State regulators say that PG&E's inadequate training of operations personnel and its slow response to the failure of an electrical component led to a power outage at a Benicia oil refinery last year. Ted Goldberg KQED -- 7/19/18
Report: Wells Fargo Charged Customers for Hidden Services -- Wells Fargo & Co. is in the process of refunding tens of millions of dollars to customers for products such as pet insurance, legal services and other add-on services that were added to customers' accounts without their full understanding, a report says. Associated Press -- 7/19/18
Fox: LA County Stormwater Tax -- The tax applies to both business and residential properties but government buildings, public schools and non-profit organizations are exempt. That’s standard procedure but you have to wonder if the push for taxes—any taxes– would be the same if every organization would have to dedicate a portion of its budget for taxes. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 7/19/18
Senate approves resolution warning Trump not to hand over US officials -- The Senate on Thursday approved a resolution warning President Trump not to let the Russian government question diplomats and other officials, not long after the White House released a statement backpedaling on a proposal to allow Moscow to help interrogate U.S. citizens such as former Ambassador Michael McFaul. Jordain Carney The Hill -- 7/19/18
Poll: only 32 percent of Republicans think Russia interfered in the 2016 election --Republican lawmakers have pushed back against President Donald Trump’s deference in Helsinki to Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s assurances that Russia did not meddle in the 2016 election. But it seems that GOP voters might agree with Trump — and that opinions about Russian interference are highly polarized. Jen Kirby Vox -- 7/19/18
Microsoft reveals first known midterm campaign hacking attempts -- Microsoft detected and helped block hacking attempts against three congressional candidates this year, a company executive said Thursday, marking the first known example of cyber interference in the midterm elections. Eric Geller Politico -- 7/19/18
Putin is making Trump look weak — with lots of help from Trump -- For the third time this week, President Trump has been forced to walk back something he said about Russia. First it was comparing his own intelligence community's credibility to Vladimir Putin's. Then it was his statement that Russia wasn't still interfering in American elections. And now it's his nascent plan to allow Russia to interview Americans it accuses of crimes, including a former ambassador. Aaron Blake in the Washington Post$ -- 7/19/18
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Gavin Newsom reported young immigrants to ICE as mayor. Now he says he was wrong -- As mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom in 2008 spearheaded a citywide policy requiring law enforcement officers to report juvenile undocumented immigrants to Immigration and Customs Enforcement when charged with committing violent felony crimes. Angela Hart in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/19/18
Nunes declares war on the media -- Devin Nunes is sitting on an eye-popping pile of money he's raised in recent months, with little reason to spend it yet. Except for one splurge: an unusually aggressive — and sustained — offensive against his local newspaper, which he is tearing into as “fake news.” David Siders and Stephanie Murray Politico -- 7/19/18
Democratic Congressman Ami Bera is in an unfamiliar position – he’s a heavy favorite -- After barely edging out his opponents in three straight congressional races, Sacramento-area Rep. Ami Bera is in the unfamiliar position of being the odds-on favorite this November. The Elk Grove Democrat enjoys a massive financial advantage over his Republican challenger, Andrew Grant, as the general election kicks off. Emily Cadei in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/19/18
California voters won't have to pay for postage on mail-in ballots much longer -- In a move to boost voter turnout, Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday signed a bill that requires counties to prepay postage for mail-in ballots in California elections. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/18
Anti-labor group wants California union to hand $100 million back to state workers -- Last month’s Supreme Court decision banning unions from collecting money from workers who don’t belong to them could cost state government’s largest labor organization $100 million in fees it charged to employees who did not “opt in” to it since 2012. Adam Ashton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/19/18
Prosecutors reviewing fatal overdose of man who died at home of prominent Democratic donor -- Prosecutors are reviewing whether to file charges in the fatal overdose of a 26-year-old man who died last summer in the West Hollywood home of prominent Democratic donor Ed Buck. Gemmel Moore’s July 2017 death was ruled an accident, and an initial review by sheriff’s deputies found nothing suspicious. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/18
Judge rejects claim that Attorney General Xavier Becerra isn’t qualified -- Eric Early, a Republican lawyer who ran unsuccessfully against Becerra and two other attorney general candidates in the June primary, filed suit in May arguing the appointed incumbent doesn’t meet the statutory requirements for the post. He said Wednesday that he will appeal. John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/19/18
Former prosecutor claims Orange County district attorney ‘unfit’ to handle Golden State Killer cases -- A former homicide supervisor at the Orange County District Attorney’s Office is urging Sacramento County prosecutors not to move their Golden State Killer murder cases to Orange County, claiming District Attorney Tony Rackauckas is “unfit” to handle them. Tony Saavedra in the Orange County Register -- 7/19/18
De León discloses campaign finances at a snail’s pace -- In his race against U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, state Sen. Kevin de León failed to submit his latest campaign finance statements online, limiting the ability of Californians to see those reports for days if not weeks after they arrive by mail in Washington, D.C. Dan Morain Calmatters -- 7/19/18
Lopez: Climate change has come to your neighborhood, and the sizzle may never subside -- A colleague once observed, many years ago, that California has two seasons. Green and brown. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/18
Walters: Inventor’s tax fight with California flares up again -- The death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia in 2016 famously left the court tied 4-4 on a landmark California case about the ability of public employee unions to collect dues from non-members. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 7/19/18
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Jerry Brown to Supreme Court: Hurry up and hear my pension law case -- Before he leaves office, Gov. Jerry Brown wants the state Supreme Court to resolve a lawsuit that could empower his successor to reduce or alter pension benefits for California public employees. Adam Ashton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/19/18
California Almond Growers Struggle Amid U.S.-China Tariff Battle -- California almond growers are celebrating the upcoming harvest this fall, which is expected to be record-breaking. But in retaliation for tariff’s issued by the Trump administration, China imposed a 50 percent tariff on U.S. almonds — all of which come from California. Nadine Sebai Capital Public Radio -- 7/19/18
Southern California car wash mogul to pay $4.2 million for cheating 800 workers --Vahid David Delrahim, of Los Angeles, failed to pay his workers minimum wage or overtime at a dozen car washes in Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Ventura counties, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Margot Roosevelt in the Orange County Register -- 7/19/18
Wages Are Growing Faster for White Americans Than for Blacks -- Wages are going up for black Americans too, and the demographics of pay gains are “pretty broad at this point,” Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said in congressional testimony Wednesday. Matthew Boesler Bloomberg -- 7/19/18
‘We made it’: Big Sur lovers, businesses celebrate re-opening of Hwy. 1 -- Headlights glowed in the Big Sur fog on Highway 1 on Wednesday morning — the first day in a year and a half the road has been completely open. Lindsey Holden in the Sacramento Bee$ Dan Brekke KQED -- 7/19/18
Rancho Palos Verdes voters to decide on worker salaries and panic buttons — but not until 2019 -- The city of Rancho Palos Verdes confirmed that a petition drive has collected enough signatures to put a measure on the ballot to raise salaries and provide panic buttons for hospitality workers, but residents won’t vote on the initiative until 2019. Hugo Martin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/18
The fastest-growing Bay Area job zone isn’t San Francisco or Silicon Valley — it’s the Tri-Valley -- The East Bay’s Tri-Valley region saw jobs grow 35 percent between 2006 and 2016, outpacing San Francisco and Silicon Valley, according to a new report. During the same period, San Francisco had 31 percent job growth, Silicon Valley had 19 percent and California overall had 8 percent. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/19/18
Housing
Fleeing war-torn homes for crippling rents—California housing costs creating harsh reality for refugees -- Khisrow Jan has $800 in the bank. Rent is $1,850, and was due four days ago. He’s late with his payment—again. While Jan gets ready for work—driving an Uber in San Francisco for the next 12 hours — his 4-year-old daughter Shukula barricades the front door of their two-bedroom apartment in Antioch, a far-flung Bay Area suburb east of Oakland. Matt Levin Calmatters -- 7/19/18
Costa Mesa will pay former motel residents, create affordable homes to settle lawsuits -- The loss of motels that served as low-income housing in Costa Mesa will be the community’s gain in new, affordable homes, under lawsuit settlements reached between the city, a motel property owner and former motel residents. Alicia Robinson in the Orange County Register -- 7/19/18
Transit
MTS gearing up to raise tax money for rail and bus projects -- The executive committee for the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System Board of Directors recently voted in support of spending roughly $250,000 to start planning for a ballot initiative to fund transit. Joshua Emerson Smith in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/19/18
Water
Interior Secretary Zinke to visit California as GOP steps up fight over state’s water -- With little clout in Sacramento, Republicans are trying to use their power in Washington to reshape California’s water policies. Emily Cadei and Kate Irby in the Merced Sun Star -- 7/19/18
Poseidon desalination plant OK’d for preliminary contract terms -- Concerns over the cost and environmental impacts of desalinated water were overridden by the desire to fortify water supplies when the Orange County Water District board voted 6-2 Wednesday to approve non-binding contract terms with Poseidon, which has spent 20 years on the desalination plant proposal for Huntington Beach. Martin Wisckol in the Orange County Register -- 7/19/18
Cannabis
Pittsburg Approves New Commercial Cannabis Manufacturing Lab -- The Pittsburg City Council has approved a commercial cannabis permit, one of the first issued in Contra Costa County since commercial sales of recreational marijuana became legal in California earlier this year. Monica Samayoa KQED -- 7/19/18
Meet Sam: The Berkeley Kid Who Inspired First Marijuana-Based Drug -- Pharmacies could stock the first marijuana-derived medication as early as this fall. The Food and Drug Administration recently approved Epidiolex to treat two severe forms of epilepsy called Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet syndrome. Lesley McClurg KQED -- 7/19/18
Guns
Sacha Baron Cohen tried — but failed — to dupe Riverside gun store, owner says -- A Riverside gun store owner has posted a video that appears to show actor Sacha Baron Cohen — disguised as a “Hungarian immigrant” — getting caught as he attempts to dupe the store’s employees. Ryan Hagen in the Riverside Press Enterprise$ -- 7/19/18
Gun Magazine Restriction Halted By 9th Circuit -- California's law restricting gun magazines to 10 bullets was to go into effect in July 2017. It was delayed first when U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez in San Diego granted a preliminary injunction until a lawsuit by gun owners (Duncan v. Becerra) made its way through the courts. Maureen Cavanaugh, Pat Finn KPBS -- 7/19/18
Education
After years of tuition battles, UC and student leaders find common ground -- The tuition decrease University of California regents are set to vote on Thursday amounts to only $60 per year—about the cost of a single used textbook. But what may be more significant about the cost rollback at California’s top public university is the way student leaders found out: on a conference call with university budget staff. Felicia Mello Calmatters -- 7/19/18
Gov. Jerry Brown vetoes bill requiring colleges to provide information on dating violence in new student orientations -- Under current law, colleges must address sexual violence, domestic violence and stalking in their orientations for new students. The measure, AB 2070 by Assemblywoman Eloise Gomez Reyes (D-Grand Terrace), would have expanded on those requirements to specifically include intimate partner and dating violence. Melanie Mason in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/18
Los Angeles high school students reveal a link between copious amounts of screen time and ADHD -- What with all the swiping, scrolling, snap-chatting, surfing and streaming that consume the adolescent mind, an American parent might well watch his or her teen and wonder whether any sustained thought is even possible. Melissa Healy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/18
Far from home and alone: Unaccompanied immigrant youth find refuge in Oakland Unified -- One night three years ago, Milton kissed his mother gently on the head, careful not to wake her, and slipped out of their home in rural Guatemala where he had lived his whole life. As his parents and six younger siblings slept, he caught a bus north. His goal: reaching the United States. He was 14. Carolyn Jones EdSource -- 7/19/18
Immigration, Border, Deportation
Lawsuit Says Migrants Were Subjected To Dirty Detention Facilities, Bad Food And Water -- Migrants detained in recent months at the U.S.-Mexico border describe being held in Customs and Border Protection facilities that are unsanitary and overcrowded, receiving largely inedible food and being forced to drink foul-smelling drinking water. Scott Neuman NPR -- 7/19/18
DEA billboards at border warn teens: 'Smuggling ... not worth it!' -- Concerned with the steady stream of teenagers caught smuggling drugs into the U.S., federal and state law authorities hope new billboards at the border will dissuade other youngsters from making a similar mistake. Kristina Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/19/18
Environment
These Two National Parks In California Have Air Just As Smoggy As LA -- From 1993 to 2014, Los Angeles racked up 2,443 days where air quality was so bad, it violated federal safety standards for smog, also called ozone. But Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks — a wonderland of rocky cliffs, icy cold mountain lakes and gigantic trees — had even MORE smoggy air days: 2,739. Emily Guerin LAist -- 7/19/18
Also . . .
How three Sacramento airport workers were caught allegedly stealing gift cards from mail -- By using hidden cameras, mailing fake letters, digging through trash cans and executing search warrants, postal officials say weeks later they arrested three workers on suspicion of an inside job at the airport that intercepted dozens of greeting cards with checks and gift cards that never reached their intended recipients. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/19/18
Shadow Politics: Meet The Digital Sleuth Exposing Fake News -- Buried in media scholar Jonathan Albright's research was proof of a massive political misinformation campaign. Now he's taking on the the world's biggest platforms before it's too late. Issie Lapowsky Wired -- 7/19/18
Oakland Man Pleads Guilty to Terrorism Charge, Plans to Litigate Case at Sentencing -- A 23-year-old Oakland man pleaded guilty to a terrorism-related charge in federal court Wednesday. Amer Sinan Alhaggagi changed his plea with no assurance from prosecutors that it would shorten his sentence, an unusual move that leaves open a broad range of punishments as the case proceeds to sentencing. KQED -- 7/19/18
Man enters Berkeley home, showers, takes homeowner’s Tesla on shopping trip -- A homeless man entered a Berkeley house through an open window Monday and ended up taking the homeowner’s Tesla for a shopping trip, authorities said. Eddie Lee Lankford III, 35, entered the house in the Elmwood neighborhood of Berkeley Monday morning likely through an unlatched window, according to Berkeley Police Department. Erin Stone in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/19/18
He was sentenced to life for murdering a Davis couple in 2013. Could he be released at age 25? -- Daniel William Marsh, whose brutal murder of an elderly Davis couple five years ago shocked the city and condemned the then-teenager to a life behind bars, appeared in a Yolo County courtroom Wednesday after an appellate court ruling sent the convicted killer back to juvenile court. Darrell Smith in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/19/18
POTUS 45
Trump: 'People at the higher ends of intelligence loved' my performance -- President Trump said in an early morning tweet on Wednesday that "people at the higher ends of intelligence loved [his] press conference performance" alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin in Finland, which was widely condemned. Kyle Balluck The Hill -- 7/19/18
From the Start, Trump Has Muddied a Clear Message: Putin Interfered -- Two weeks before his inauguration, Donald J. Trump was shown highly classified intelligence indicating that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia had personally ordered complex cyberattacks to sway the 2016 American election. David E. Sanger and Matthew Rosenberg in the New York Times$ -- 7/19/18
Don Jr. and Eric Trump racked up nearly $250,000 in Secret Service costs in one month, watchdog says -- One month of Secret Service protection for Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. cost taxpayers close to a quarter of a million dollars last year, according to new spending documents obtained by a watchdog group. Stephanie Murray Politico -- 7/19/18
Beltway
Dianne Feinstein expects ‘at least 1 million pages of documents’ on Kavanaugh’s career in politics -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said Wednesday that senators expect to receive “at least 1 million pages of documents” related to Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh’s time in George W. Bush’s White House and as a Republican “political operative,” a sign of a mammoth task that could slow the timeline for confirmation hearings. Elise Viebeck in the Washington Post$ -- 7/19/18
Democrats Line Up on Floor to Call Attention to Election Security -- House Democrats took turns Wednesday requesting a vote on an amendment to fund election systems protection, saying the money is needed to “prevent Russian interference” in future elections. Katherine Tully-McManus Roll Call -- 7/19/18
House Dems unveil new midterm campaign slogan -- House Democrats have finalized their campaign slogan heading into the last months before the midterm election: “For the People.” Heather Caygle Politico -- 7/19/18
States slow to prepare for hacking threats -- Only 13 states said they intend to use the federal dollars to buy new voting machines. At least 22 said they have no plans to replace their machines before the election — including all five states that rely solely on paperless electronic voting devices, which cybersecurity experts consider a top vulnerability. Eric Geller Politico -- 7/19/18
-- Wednesday Updates
Court blocks ballot initiative to divide California into three states -- The California Supreme Court has pumped the brakes on a quixotic plan to split California into three, ruling that the state-sundering initiative shou ld not appear on the November 2018 ballot. Jeremy B. White Politico Taryn Luna in the Sacramento Bee$ Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ Sophia Bollag Associated Press Ben Christopher Calmatters -- 7/18/18
University of California proposes first tuition decrease in almost 20 years -- Students at the University of California are set to receive a small, but significant, break on their expenses next year. Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/18/18
UC Berkeley, tight on money, to spend $30 million on women’s sports facilities -- Christ acknowledged that the $30 million price tag for upgrading the women’s softball field at Strawberry Canyon and expanding the sand volleyball courts at the Clark Kerr Campus was “extraordinarily high,” but said the university had no choice under federal Title IX guidelines. Matier & Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/18/18
Star wrestler caught yelling anti-gay slur on video. Cal Poly is taking his scholarship away -- Cal Poly has revoked the wrestling scholarship of Bronson Harmon, a recent Modesto-area high school graduate, after video surfaced of him yelling a homophobic slur and making an obscene gesture during a counter protest of the Families Belong Together March in Modesto on June 30. Travis Gibson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/18/18
Fire near Yosemite burns to 17,319 acres, one firefighter injured -- About 1,850 firefighters from as far away as Virginia are battling the blaze, which has now burned 17,319 acres in the Merced River Canyon in Mariposa County. The fire is just 5 percent contained. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/18/18
Five years after a massive fire near Yosemite, political 'miracle' erodes as Trump demands more logging -- The Rim fire in 2013 brought devastation to a vast swath of Sierra Nevada forests west of Yosemite National Park. But the third largest wildfire in state history also seemed to have worked a political miracle, at least for a while. Louis Sahagun in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/18
In these California places, women tend to earn more money than their husbands -- Urban areas like Sacramento, San Francisco and Los Angeles have a high number of jobs that require a college degree. Jobs that require a college degree often pay more than jobs that don’t. And women today are more likely to have a college degree than men. Phillip Reese in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/18/18
OB-GYNs scarce in Sacramento region, report warns — and shortage is likely to worsen -- A study released earlier this year by Doximity, the nation’s largest online network for health care providers, ranked Sacramento ninth in a list of the top 10 metropolitan areas in the nation with the highest risk of an OB-GYN shortage. Hannah Holzer in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/18/18
Bretón: Dianne Feinstein is not who you think she is -- Dianne Feinstein never should have run for a fifth term in the U.S. Senate. An 85-year-old career politician, who would be 91 at the end of another full term, is treating the position she has held since 1992 as a lifetime appointment. Marcos Bretón in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/18/18
Trump claims no more threat from Russia, contradicting U.S. intelligence warnings -- Reigniting concerns over his recent embrace of Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Trump said Wednesday that Moscow is no longer targeting the United States, contradicting his top intelligence advisor’s warning days ago that “the lights are blinking red” about cyberattacks. Chris Megerian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/18
The Quiet Anger of Adam Schiff -- Two years ago, he was a respected but little-known congressman from Los Angeles. Today, he’s the face of the Democrats’ opposition to Trump. Andy Kroll California Sunday Magazine -- 7/18/18