California Policy & Politics This Morning

Judge says government has 'sole' duty to find, reunite immigrant parents, children -- A San Diego federal judge on Friday expressed frustration as he ordered the Trump administration to come up with a plan — quickly — for reuniting the remaining migrant parents and children who were separated at the border, saying the government is “100 percent responsible” for the fact that some 500 families remain separated. Pauline Repard in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/4/18

California Supreme Court: One justice short, and Gov. Brown won’t say why -- The California Supreme Court has been without a seventh justice for more than 11 months, the longest vacancy in its history. Only Gov. Jerry Brown knows why, and he’s not saying. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/4/18

Wells Fargo foreclosed on 400 people who may have had a chance to keep their homes -- Wells Fargo & Co. foreclosed on 400 homeowners after improperly denying them loan modifications that could have allowed them to stay in their homes, the bank said in a regulatory filing Friday. James Rufus Koren in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/4/18

Brown Stops Parole for Killer of California Man Buried Alive -- Gov. Jerry Brown has again blocked parole for the killer of a developmentally disabled California man who was buried alive. Brown said Friday that 55-year-old David Weidert remains too dangerous to be released. He overruled the recommendation by a state parole panel for the second time in three years. Associated Press -- 8/4/18

San Jose airport readies facial biometrics for all international flights -- Mineta San Jose International Airport has agreed to become the first airport on the West Coast to launch facial recognition technology for all international flights in a partnership with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/4/18

Berkeley: Alt right planning ‘anti communist’ rally for Sunday, city braces for counter protest -- The alt-right is planning an afternoon rally in Berkeley on Sunday and anti-fascist groups are organizing to meet them, but it was unclear Friday just how big the event will be. Thomas Peele and Ali Tadayon in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/4/18

Anger over long DMV wait times in California inspires move to extend deadlines -- A California lawmaker plans to introduce a bill to give drivers more time to renew their licenses in response to reports of excessive wait times at the DMV. Taryn Luna in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/4/18

San Onofre nuclear plant settlement finalized, ratepayers to see slight reduction in bills -- San Diego Gas & Electric said a typical residential customer’s bill will be trimmed by $8.17 in November and December. Beyond that, the typical residential customer will see a 0.9 percent reduction, which translates to about $1.33 per month. Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/4/18

Wildfire  

Ranch fire pushes east and south in Lake County, triggering new evacuation orders -- The return of severe fire weather fanned flames in Lake County on Friday and forced new evacuation orders affecting thousands of people, with firefighters bracing for what was expected to be another difficult day, the ninth since a volatile pair of wildfires ignited in neighboring Mendocino County. Meghan Herbst and Martin Espinoza in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat -- 8/4/18

Ferguson Fire has jumped Highway 41, has been burning inside Yosemite, officials say -- The Ferguson Fire jumped Highway 41 on Friday afternoon, fire officials confirmed, the same day Yosemite Valley evacuated all non-essential workers. Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/4/18

Weather to Bring Renewed Fire Danger to Northern California -- Crews battling deadly Northern California wildfires braced for a weekend of windy, hot weather that could drive the flames into new areas and threaten more homes. The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings of critical fire weather conditions through Saturday night, saying a series of dry low-pressure systems passing through the region could bring wind gusts of up to 35 mph that could turn small fires or even sparks into racing walls of flame. Paul Elias Associated Press -- 8/4/18

Scientists see fingerprints of climate change all over California’s wildfires -- Much of the heat that’s gripped California and hastened the spread of deadly wildfires recently is due to a strange but familiar shift in the jet stream — one that’s haunted the West with threatening fire conditions in the past and could cause more hot, dry spells in the future, especially with a changing climate. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/4/18

Firefighter killed in Ferguson Fire was a leader, mentor of elite hotshot crew -- The 33-year-old firefighter who died Sunday while battling the Ferguson Fire in Mariposa County was a leader and mentor to a 20-person elite crew responsible for battling blazes in the most rugged terrain in the region. Lauren Hernandez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/4/18

Homeless  

Judge pushes for more beds to help resolve housing for Orange County's homeless -- A federal judge Friday set a Sept. 7 deadline for Orange County officials to release housing plans to help a majority of the 2,584 people in the county without shelter. Anh Do in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/4/18

Housing  

Do tech workers make enough to buy a house in the Bay Area? -- Tech workers might seem to have it made — free meals, lavish parties, their own HBO comedy and the quarterly rush of excitement when stock option profits hit their Schwab accounts. But are they paid enough to put roots down in the Bay Area? About 60 percent of tech workers in an unscientific poll say “No.” Louis Hansen in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/4/18

Health 

Lawmakers move forward with new push to block needle-exchange program in Orange County -- The Costa Mesa City Council and Orange County Board of Supervisors agreed in separate special meetings Friday to move ahead with a lawsuit to block a mobile needle-exchange service that recently received state approval to operate in Costa Mesa and three other Orange County cities. Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/4/18

Environment 

Ocean temperature hits 80 at Solana Beach — and heat wave could drive it higher -- San Diego County coastal waters continued their extraordinary warming on Friday, reaching 80 degrees at Solana Beach. And for the second time this week the ocean temperature reached an all-time high at Scripps Pier in La Jolla, hitting 78.8 degrees on Friday. That’s the highest reading in the pier’s 102-year history. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/4/18

Also . . . 

Hundreds gather to bid farewell to Nia Wilson at Oakland funeral -- An arrangement of white flowers spelled out “Nia” at the foot of a white casket. Each letter shined in gold trim and sparkled under the church lights. Hundreds of people filled the Acts Full Gospel Church in Oakland, but it was mostly quiet until a voice called out, “Say her name.” And then came the chants, “Nia Wilson.” Lauren Hernandez, Otis R. Taylor Jr. and Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/4/18

11 winners identified for $543 million lottery jackpot — coworkers at Wells Fargo in San Jose -- On a whim, Roland Reyes pitched $2 into an office pool, along with 10 colleagues at his Wells Fargo office in San Jose, trying to win the largest prize in California lotto history. Anna-Sofia Lesiv, Ethan Baron and Kristin Lam in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/4/18

Office pool wins biggest California Lottery prize ever — $543 million -- The largest prize ever won in the California Lottery — $543 million — has been scooped up by, incredible as it seems, an office pool. Those things never work, right? Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/4/18

 

-- Friday Updates 

Ranch fire grows by 34 percent overnight to 112,000 acres -- The Ranch fire, one of two wildland fires that have been scorching Lake County for a week, grew to 112,226 acres Thursday night and continued its southeasterly push through the Mendocino National Forest. It prompted new evacuations Friday, covering communities on the eastern shore of Clear Lake, including Lucerne, Glenhaven and the Clearlake Oaks areas. Martin Espinoza in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat Julia Sclafani in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/3/18

143-mph 'fire tornado' that cut a path of destruction is an ominous sign of the future -- As authorities sifted the rubble from the fire that burned more than 1,000 residences in Shasta County, they were startled by what they encountered. A soaring transmission tower was tipped over. Tiles were torn off the roofs of homes. Massive trees were uprooted. Vehicles were moved. In one spot, a fence post was bent around a tree, with the bark on one side sheared off. Rong-gong Lin Ii , Joseph Serna and Louis Sahagun in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/3/18

In a conservative Northern California county, a team of Mexican immigrants helps battle the Carr fire -- Behind River Ridge Terrace in Redding, where the monstrous Carr fire had destroyed homes, a team of 20 men used shovels to stab the charred earth. Under the blazing sun, the clinking of metal stopped when one of the men scooping dirt out from under a tree spotted smoke rising from the ground. “Humo!” he shouted in Spanish. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/3/18

US Appeals Court Upholds California Bullet Stamping Law -- A U.S. appeals court has upheld a California law that requires new models of semi-automatic handguns to stamp identifying information on bullet casings to help solve crimes. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a 2-1 decision on Friday said the stamping requirement and two measures intended to make guns safer did not violate the 2nd Amendment. Associated Press -- 8/3/18

Hiltzik: California's salmon industry fears it will be wiped out by Trump -- Heather Sears has been fishing for salmon out of this unassuming coastal community for nearly two decades. This year, for the first time since she arrived in 1999, she won’t be going out to sea. Michael Hiltzik in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/3/18

11 California workers in office pool win $543 million lottery jackpot -- Along with 10 others in the office he works at in Santa Clara County, Roland Reyes pitched in $2 on a whim for the largest prize in California lotto history. They won the $543 million Mega Millions jackpot with a quick pick ticket. Kristin Lam in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/3/18

Brown: New money needed to boost 911 system -- The administration plans to modify an existing tax on phone calls to include a flat fee — estimated initially at 34 cents per line — on cellphones, landlines and other devices capable of contacting 911. More than $175 million is expected to generate from this in the first year, with the possibility of growing to $400 million in later years. Jessica Hice Capitol Weekly -- 8/3/18

Fox: Senior Politician Steals the Show at BizFed’s Freshman Policymakers Event -- Seemingly, the most popular elected official at the Los Angeles County Business Federation’s (BizFed) annual Freshman Policymakers Reception was someone who has been in political office for nearly 42 years. Measured by the number of members of the business organization who asked for a picture with her, Congresswoman Maxine Waters was the star of the show. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 8/3/18

Yes, a political action committee exists to legalize ferrets -- Gavin Newsom has raised more than $22 million for his run for governor. Patrick Wright hopes he notices one donation of $125 from his Ferret PAC. Dan Morain Calmatters -- 8/3/18

Weinstein Seeks to Get Case Tossed, Citing Accuser's Emails -- Harvey Weinstein's lawyers want a New York court to throw out sexual assault charges against him, and they're pointing to emails from one of his accusers. Jennifer Peltz Associated Press -- 8/3/18

Abcarian: The tender, terrifying truth about what happened inside the Trader Joe's hostage siege -- About halfway through the three-hour siege at Trader Joe’s in Silver Lake, the wounded gunman, Gene Atkins, looked at one of his hostages, MaryLinda Moss, and told her it was all over for him. “I just shot at a cop,” he said. Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/3/18

If Democrats fail to take back the House in November, this might be why -- Democrats are likely to win back control of the House of Representatives. That's the conventional wisdom in Washington about November's midterm elections. “Democrats remain substantial favorites for House control,” wrote David Wasserman, a nonpartisan election analyst for the Cook Political Report, last week. Amber Phillips in the Washington Post$ -- 8/3/18

Sarah Huckabee Sanders indicts the media — on bogus, Trumped-up charges -- White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has taken to the briefing room podium twice this week. Both times, she has come loaded for bear with a list of grievances. Aaron Blake in the Washington Post$ -- 8/3/18