Updating . .   

Trump’s challenge of California’s emissions rules could zap its electric car industry -- California helped birth the nation’s electric vehicle industry. It used its laws and market size to prompt automakers to make and sell electric vehicles. It encouraged Tesla and other innovators to build manufacturing plants. Stuart Leavenworth and Emily Cadei in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/2/18

Tainted McDonald's and grocery-store salads linked to California produce company, FDA says -- Fresh Express, based in Salinas, supplied bagged salad mixes tainted with cyclospora to McDonald’s franchises in the Midwest, where health authorities in two states reported at least 286 customers of the fast-food chain were sickened, the FDA said. Geoffrey Mohan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/2/18

Backers of California's gas tax repeal don't have much campaign cash left in the tank -- Supporters of an effort to repeal California’s fuel tax increase are looking for someone to fill the tank of their campaign bank account as new reports show the effort to pass Proposition 6 has spent most of the money it has raised. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/2/18

Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra says California will join lawsuit to block 3-D-printed guns -- The announcement came weeks after Cody Wilson, known as the inventor of the 3-D-printed gun and founder of digital firearm blueprint developer Defense Distributed, reached a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department allowing him to publish the files online. Mini Racker in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/2/18

Trump's EPA formally launches attack on California's fuel-economy rules; Gov. Brown vows to fight -- The Trump administration Thursday pushed ahead with plans to unravel the federal government’s most effective action to fight climate change — aggressive fuel economy standards aimed at getting the nation’s cars and trucks to average more than 50 miles per gallon by 2025. Evan Halper, Tony Barboza and David Lauter in the Los Angeles Times$ David R. Baker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/2/18

Winds force new evacuations near Clear Lake -- With new winds kicking up Thursday morning, Lake County authorities issued an “urgent” mandatory evacuation order for several communities along Highway 20 near the east shores of Clear Lake and to the northeast of the lake. “The Mandatory Evacuation area is west of Lucerneat Bartlett Springs Road and Highway CA-20, south of the fire, east of the fire, north of Clear Lake including the communities of Blue Lakes, Upper Lake, Nice, Lakeport, WitterSprings, Bachelor Valley, Scotts Valley, Saratoga Springs,” the 9 a.m. advisory said. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/2/18

New evacuations ordered as Mendocino Complex fire rages -- Despite the efforts of more than 10,000 firefighters, Northern California’s three big wildfires are still growing and resisting containment — and even forcing new evacuations near Ukiah. The raging Mendocino Complex — consisting of the Ranch Fire and River Fire — led Lake County Sheriff’s officials to order people living in Blue Lakes, Upper Lake, Nice, Lakeport, Witter Springs, Bachelor Valley, Scotts Valley and Saratoga Springs to evacuate Thursday morning. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/2/18

Evacuation orders can't keep up as fires get faster and hotter — with deadly results -- It was Thursday evening when the Carr fire barreled out of the foothills and took aim at this city, with hot winds launching embers well ahead of the main blaze and engulfing neighborhoods along bends in the Sacramento River. Joseph Serna and Louis Sahagun in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/2/18

‘We are throwaways.’ Driven from an Anaheim tent city, a couple struggles with addiction and the realities of Orange County’s homeless -- For Laura and John Kasten, a homeless couple forced from an Orange County riverbed into temporary motel living — the road ahead looms empty, filled with hunger, loneliness, drugs. Anh Do in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/2/18

Apple becomes first U.S. company to reach $1 trillion market cap -- Silicon Valley technology giant Apple on Thursday became the first public company in U.S. history to reach a $1 trillion market value, ahead of rapidly rising Seattle-based Amazon, after another strong quarterly earnings report and revenue outlook that lifted Apple’s shares. Seung Lee in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/2/18

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning

Obama backs Gavin Newsom, other California Democrats — but not all of them -- Obama singled Newsom out for the work he did as mayor of San Francisco, noting that the city was the first in the U.S. to enact a universal health care plan “and the first to recognize the right to marry who you love.” John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle Ben Christopher Calmatters $ -- 8/2/18

Newsom cashes in on primary victory, far outraising Cox in California governor's race -- Democrat Gavin Newsom emerged from California’s gubernatorial primary with a prodigious financial advantage over Republican rival John Cox, banking more than seven times as much money for the general election. Seema Mehta and Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/2/18

Donation from prominent L.A. politician roils USC, which referred case to federal prosecutors -- When state Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas resigned suddenly in December, it marked an abrupt halt to a promising political career. The son of powerful Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas had enjoyed the backing of his father’s donors and the Democratic Party establishment. Matt Hamilton, Harriet Ryan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/2/18

Breed’s first budget — San Francisco’s biggest ever — targets city’s street problems -- Mayor London Breed signed San Francisco’s two-year, $11.1 billion budget Wednesday morning, putting into motion a spending plan meant to address many of the city’s most protracted problems — homelessness, street-cleanliness and public safety. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/2/18

Gun Advocates to Post 3-D Weapon Plans on New Site -- Hours after a federal judge forced a group in Texas to remove online blueprints for 3-D printed firearms on Tuesday, gun-rights groups in California said they were publishing the files on a separate website. Zusha Elinson in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 8/2/18

Overturning Roe v. Wade wouldn’t be the biggest obstacle for abortion access in California -- California was one of the first states in the country to legalize abortion, and its expansive laws on reproductive rights mean that it will still be legal to terminate a pregnancy in the state, even if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. Emily Cadei in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/2/18

Lawyer for slain teen’s family blames BART for her stabbing death -- Lawyers for the family of slain teen Nia Wilson said Wednesday that BART bears responsibility for her death allegedly at the hands of a violent felon because the agency fails to prevent thousands of fare evaders from flooding onto trains every day. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ George Kelly in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/2/18

Mayor Garcetti announces changes for the L.A. Police Commission -- Mayor Eric Garcetti on Wednesday nominated an attorney who had a hand in some of the most critical reforms in Los Angeles police history to the department’s civilian oversight panel. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/2/18

Citing free speech rights, anti-vaccine activists sue state senator for blocking them on Twitter -- A pair of anti-vaccine activists recently filed a lawsuit against a state senator who authored a controversial vaccine law for blocking the activists on Twitter, arguing that it limited their 1st Amendment rights. Mini Racker in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/2/18

Walters: Brown talks CEQA reform, but hasn’t done it -- The state has a neat little Internet search engine that, among other things, allows one to plug in some keywords and instantaneously find every legislative bill containing those words. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 8/2/18

Software incompatibilities cited in review of missing L.A. County voter names -- Los Angeles County’s election software was unable to process a formatting change in state voter data, contributing to 118,500 names being omitted from eligible-voter rosters on election day in June, according to an executive summary of an independent review released Wednesday. There was no evidence of a security breach, the summary said. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/2/18

Legal non-citizen immigrants will help non-English speaking voters on Election Day -- Nguyen Nguyen is not yet a citizen, but she is excited about the upcoming election. She can’t vote, but the legal permanent resident can – and will – be a poll worker. Roxana Kopetman in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 8/2/18

Politifact CA: Separating fact from fiction on California’s Sanctuary State law -- There’s perhaps no more controversial or mischaracterized piece of recent legislation in California than the sanctuary state law. Chris Nichols Politifact CA -- 8/2/18

Support from two U.S. presidents figures in Denham, Harder race -- Former president Barack Obama endorsed Josh Harder in his bid to unseat Rep. Jeff Denham on Wednesday, shortly after news broke that President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign will donate money to Denham’s campaign. Garth Stapley in the Modesto Bee -- 8/2/18

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions

Trump’s trade war becoming a hot potato for California House Republicans -- Jon Camacho is a fourth-generation San Joaquin County almond farmer who says he will “have to borrow money to stay alive” if he doesn’t get a slice of the $12 billion the Trump administration is promising to farmers affected by the president’s tariff wars with trade partners. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/2/18

Tesla posts another loss as the beleaguered automaker seeks to increase production -- Tesla said Wednesday that it had burned less cash than expected during the second quarter and was nearing profitability, a long-doubted goal for the beleaguered automaker racing to boost production of its all-electric cars. Drew Harwell in the Washington Post$ -- 8/2/18

Bird scooters last 3 days in Newport Beach before city has them removed -- Newport Beach has clipped Bird’s wings. The popular motorized scooter-sharing start-up dropped at least 50 of its two-wheeled vehicles on the Balboa Peninsula over the weekend. Hillary Davis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/2/18

Los Angeles considers a ban on selling fur -- Los Angeles could become the biggest city in the United States to ban businesses from selling fur, under a plan being vetted at City Hall. At a meeting Wednesday, animal welfare activists argued that the fur trade was brutal, inhumane and unnecessary. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/2/18

Inflation, gas prices, tariffs squeeze consumers -- The price of a can of Coca-Cola? Likely going up. A package of Pampers? That too. Plane tickets? They also may be more expensive. These items and more may cost more in the coming months as people start feeling the effects of higher fuel prices and raw-material costs as well as a range of tariffs. Damian J. Troise and Sarah Skidmore Sell Associated Press -- 8/2/18

Irvine call center giant Alorica to pay $3.5 million in sex harassment case -- Irvine-based Alorica Inc., one of the nation’s largest call center firms, will pay $3.5 million to settle charges that its customer service representatives were “openly propositioned for sex, leered at and touched by supervisors and co-workers,” and the company retaliated against them when they complained. Margot Roosevelt in the Orange County Register -- 8/2/18

San Diego council stands firm on tough Airbnb regulations despite threat of legal action -- Tough new regulations that will sharply curtail short-term vacation rentals in San Diego will move forward, the City Council decided Wednesday, despite legal protests lodged this week by the home sharing industry. Lori Weisberg in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/2/18

Wildfire  

Firefighters struggle to gain ground on Mendocino Complex fires -- Firefighters struggled to gain ground Wednesday on the two wildfires threatening shoreline communities in Lake County as two new fires broke out in Mendocino County, forcing fire officials to divert planes and fire crews from the larger battles to snuff out the smaller blazes before they, too, grew into raging infernos. Kevin Mccallum, Randi Rossmann and Nashelly Chavez in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat -- 8/2/18

California fires: Over 5 days, requests for 900 engines went unfilled -- The massive wildfires burning across California have highlighted long-standing strains on the state’s mutual-aid system, which is designed to quickly rally support from nearby fire agencies to help protect homes and save lives. Joaquin Palomino in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/2/18

‘No one expected a fire tornado.’ Jerry Brown says wildfires are going to get expensive -- At least six people dead. More than 1,000 homes leveled and another 17,000 under threat. Nearly 13,000 firefighters, from as far away as Florida and Maine to Australia and New Zealand, battling ferocious wildfires burning across California. Angela Hart and Taryn Luna in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/2/18

Foothill fires destroy at least one home in El Dorado County, prompt evacuations -- Two wildfires described as spreading at a dangerous rate of speed broke out Wednesday afternoon in El Dorado County destroyed at least one home and forced evacuations from two rural neighborhoods, while a third that erupted in Placer County northwest of Roseville burned 1,000 acres, officials say. Kellen Browning and Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/2/18

Crews gain ground on Northern California fires, fight to keep new ones from spreading -- The Carr Fire that has devastated Shasta County and the Mendocino Complex fires were joined Tuesday in Mendocino County by the Eel Fire, according to Cal Fire. The blazes have charred more than 275,000 acres combined, and the Carr Fire has killed at least six people. Rick Hurd, Jason Green in the East Bay Times -- 8/2/18

Couple’s dream life near Lakeport narrowly spared after wildfire came within feet of home -- Elizabeth and David Mills bought a home on Hendricks Road this year to fulfill a dream. Ryan Lillis in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/2/18

Wawona under mandatory evacuation as Ferguson Fire roars toward fourth week -- Wawona is now on the list of communities under mandatory evacuation orders as the Ferguson Fire burns near Yosemite National Park. The Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office issued the mandatory evacuation order just after 6 p.m. Wednesday. Jessica Johnson in the Fesno Bee -- 8/2/18

Gov. Brown Discusses Need To Protect California Utilities From Fire Liability -- California Gov. Jerry Brown said he believes electric utilities could go bankrupt due to the increasing threat of wildfires, if current law isn’t changed. Ben Bradford Capital Public Radio -- 8/2/18

More of highways 74 and 243 reopening to residents, employees in Cranston fire area -- Residents, business owners and employees of businesses in the evacuated Cranston fire areas will be allowed on parts of highways 74 and 243 with escorts starting at 8 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 2, Caltrans said. Brian Rokos in the Riverside Press Enterprise$ -- 8/2/18

In a neighborhood visited by fire, evacuees return home to find joy, sorrow -- In a scene that's going to be replayed countless times in the coming days, victims of the devastating Carr Fire began to return Wednesday to their Mary Lake neighborhood homes in southwest Redding, some finding nothing but Pompeii-like ruins. Jim Schultz and Chelcey Adami Redding Record Searchlight -- 8/2/18

Homeless

Possible Rent Control Expansion Sets Off Debates in Bay Area -- If California voters approve Proposition 10 this fall, they won't be ending the debate over how to address the state's soaring rents. In fact, by repealing the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, voters will spark a multitude of intense housing deliberations at the local level. Guy Marzorati KQED -- 8/2/18

Transit  

Transbay Transit Center tram to garden won’t be running at grand opening -- Every major Bay Area transit project seems to open with a hitch. The new Bay Bridge had its cracked bolts at the base of the span. BART’s Warm Springs extension was plagued by ongoing computer glitches. Matier & Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/2/18

Immigration, Border, Deportation 

Lawsuit alleges inhumane conditions for immigrant detainees at Victorville prison -- A coalition of civil rights groups filed a lawsuit Wednesday against President Donald Trump and Immigration and Customs Enforcement alleging inhumane conditions at a federal prison in Victorville where authorities are housing at least 1,000 immigrant detainees. Scott Schwebke in the San Bernardino Sun$ -- 8/2/18

Cannabis

Los Angeles Moves To License Pot Growers After Long Delay -- Los Angeles began accepting license applications from marijuana growers, manufacturers and testing companies Wednesday, after months of delays that left many businesses in the state's largest legal marketplace struggling to survive. Associated Press -- 8/2/18

Landscape on marijuana research shifting despite federal roadblocks -- This week, UC Irvine announced it received a $9 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to study how long-term cannabis exposure affects young people’s brains. Brooke Edwards Staggs in the Riverside Press Enterprise$ -- 8/2/18

Education

Activists Claim Bullying Against Muslim Middle School Student in El Cajon -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations is calling on families in east county’s Cajon Valley Union School District to come forward with reports of bullying. In a news conference on Wednesday, the group alleged eight to 10 students assaulted a 14-year-old Syrian refugee and her parents after following her home from Greenfield Middle School in March. Megan Burks KPBS -- 8/2/18

LAUSD teachers will decide this month if they want to strike -- More than 30,000 L.A. Unified School District teachers will vote later this month whether to authorize their union to call a strike, possibly early next school year. Kyle Stokes KPCC -- 8/2/18

Charter schools not documenting spending on low-income kids, report says -- The vast majority of California’s charter schools sampled for a study failed to fully disclose how they spent money on students targeted for assistance under the state’s funding formula. Some didn’t account for any of that funding, as the state requires, according to a report released Wednesday by the nonprofit law and advocacy organization Public Advocates. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 8/2/18

Environment 

Death Valley posts hottest month ever recorded on Earth, for the second July in a row -- Last July, California’s Death Valley endured the hottest month ever measured on the planet. This July ended up even hotter. Ian Livingston and Jason Samenow in the Washington Post$ -- 8/2/18

Also . . . 

Sacramento judge, 74, played role in key cases including Unabomber, Pledge challenge -- Judge Peter A. Nowinski, a retired U.S. magistrate judge who played a role in the Unabomber case and also served as chief associate deputy attorney general during the George H.W. Bush administration, died last week in Sacramento. He was 74. Claire Morgan, Daniel Hunt in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/2/18

POTUS 45  

Trump Pushes for Interview With Mueller Against Lawyers’ Advice -- President Trump pushed his lawyers in recent days to try once again to reach an agreement with the special counsel’s office about him sitting for an interview, flouting their advice that he should not answer investigators’ questions, three people briefed on the matter said on Wednesday. Michael S. Schmidt and Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ -- 8/2/18

Juice the base or play it safe? Trump weighs fight over border wall -- President Trump’s conservative supporters are spoiling for a fight over funding for his border wall this fall even if it risks a government shutdown, setting up a stark choice for the White House: Juice the president’s base or placate Republicans who fear the electoral fallout. David Nakamura in the Washington Post$ -- 8/2/18

Beltway

As midterm elections approach, a growing concern that the nation is not protected from Russian interference -- Two years after Russia interfered in the American presidential campaign, the nation has done little to protect itself against a renewed effort to influence voters in the coming congressional midterm elections, according to lawmakers and independent analysts. Ellen Nakashima and Craig Timberg in the Washington Post$ -- 8/2/18

 

-- Wednesday Updates 

Gov. Jerry Brown warns California's climate change efforts hinge on changing wildfire liability law -- Gov. Jerry Brown offered a high-stakes assessment on Wednesday of fears that California’s utilities might buckle under the weight of billions of dollars in fire-related payments. And he urged lawmakers to take action to revamp liability law when they return to work next week. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/1/18

PG&E spends more than $1 million to lobby California officials on wildfire laws -- PG&E spent $1.7 million on lobbying over three months this year as the utility pressured California officials to reduce its legal liability for wildfire property damages The San Francisco company dished out more money from April through June than it spent to influence state leaders in all of 2017, according to state filings. Taryn Luna in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/1/18

PG&E, Paint Companies Among Top California Lobbying Spenders -- Fights over who is financially liable for wildfire damage and lead paint cleanup sparked millions of dollars in lobbying at the California Capitol from April through June. Sophia Bollag Associated Press -- 8/1/18

Appeals court rules Trump can't withhold funds from California 'sanctuary' cities -- The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a district judge’s ruling in favor of San Francisco and Santa Clara County, which sued over the administration’s threats to withhold money to jurisdictions that have passed laws limiting local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/1/18

California's Legislature discloses an additional sexual misconduct report against a former top staffer -- The investigation into the conduct of Pedro Reyes, who left his job last December as chief consultant to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, concluded he had violated sexual harassment policy. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/1/18

Big money already entering California rent control campaign -- Opponents of expanding rent control in California raised nearly $10 million through the first half of this year, the beginning of what’s expected to be one of the costliest fights on the state’s November ballot. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/1/18

'Calexit' leaders are back with a new plan to set aside land for Native Americans -- The activists behind the “Calexit” proposal to cleave California are scrapping their old plans in favor a new secessionist proposal, one that would create what organizers call an “autonomous native nation” within a new independent state. Javier Panzar in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/1/18

California governor pledges any resources needed for fires -- A massive wildfire in Northern California has torched more than 1,000 homes in and around the city of Redding, authorities said Wednesday as some evacuees were allowed to return home and new blazes exploded in what has become an endless summer of flame in the Golden State. “Whatever resources are needed, we’re putting them there,” Gov. Jerry Brown said at a news conference. “We’re being surprised. Every year is teaching the fire authorities new lessons. We’re in uncharted territory.” Janie Har and Brian Skoloff Associated Press -- 8/1/18

Third Mendocino County wildfire latest to roar through Northern California -- Firefighters gained traction on four huge Northern California wildfires overnight Wednesday and appeared to keep the untimely development of a fifth one from exploding, authorities said. The Carr Fire that has devastated Shasta County, and the Mendocino Complex Fires were joined Tuesday in Mendocino County by the Eel Fire, the California Department of Forestry said. Those four fires have combined to burn more than 200,000 acres, and the Carr Fire is responsible for six confirmed deaths. Rick Hurd in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/1/18

Mendocino Complex Fire: Rescuing animals, fleeing on horseback -- Fire plumes billowed over Cow Mountain as the Odom family, during a chaotic 90-minute evacuation from their farm, loaded up 50 goats, a miniature horse, a rabbit, 8 short-legged cats and three mice. Julia Prodis Sulek, Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/1/18

Redding wildfire now the sixth worst in California history, officials say -- The most destructive of California’s summer blazes, the Carr Fire in and around Redding, grew only slightly overnight, but the destruction now stands as the sixth most destructive wildfire in California history, officials said Wednesday. Homes destroyed since the fire ignited July 23 rose by 134 overnight, bringing the total number to 1,018. Twelve commercial structures and 435 outbuildings have been destroyed. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/1/18

Jeffe&Jeffe: Blue Wave Threatens GOP’s Surfer Congressman -- It appears there is a good chance that Congress’ Surfer-in-Chief is about to be swept up by a big blue wave. In an Orange County district that once was the heart of GOP conservatism, 15-term Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher finds himself on the political endangered species list in the 2018 election. Sherry Bebitch Jeffe & Doug Jeffe Fox & Hounds -- 8/1/18