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West Hollywood may urge removal of Trump's star from Walk of Fame -- The resolution, put forth by West Hollywood Mayor Pro Tem John D'Amico and Councilwoman Lindsey Horvath, urges the city of Los Angeles -- where the star is located -- and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to remove the marker “due to [Trump’s] disturbing treatment of women and other actions.” Laura Newberry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/18

1,000-acre brush fire explodes in Orange County; canyon residents evacuated -- A fast-moving fire broke out Monday in the Cleveland National Forest, exploding to more than 1,000 acres in less than three hours and forcing evacuations in two Orange County canyons. James Queally, Joseph Serna, Alene Tchekmedyian, Shelby Grad in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/18

Mendocino Complex fire now second-largest in California history, officials say -- The Ranch and River fires, which make up the complex fire, had grown to 273,664 acres as of Monday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The blaze was only 30% contained as of 7 a.m. Joseph Serna and James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ Julia Sclafani and Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/6/18

No end in sight for California wildfires, Yosemite still closed -- Firefighters battling the Ferguson Fire near Yosemite National Park kept the blaze from growing overnight and managed to bolster protection around Wawona and the Mariposa Grove Sunday night even as park officials indefinitely extended closures of the most popular parts of the park. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/6/18

Redding residents return to find burned-out neighborhoods -- The Redding “repopulation” continues this week as residents return to neighborhoods that had been either threatened or destroyed by the still-raging Carr Fire. As they slowly make their way back to subdivisions like Stanford Hills and Land Park, homeowners are sharing their stories, their worries and their sighs of relief on social media. And in some cases, like Lake Keswick Estates on the city’s northwest side, heartbroken residents are sharing images and videos of their former neighborhood that defy the imagination. Patrick May in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/6/18

Contractors claim Union Pacific is delaying bullet train project -- The most ambitious rail project of California’s future is increasingly dependent on the cooperation of the very railroad that shaped the state’s past — and there are signs their relationship is growing strained. Ralph Vartabedian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/18

CA GOP governor candidate John Cox’s first ad borrows from Trump, John Kerry -- Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox struck a Trump-like outsider tone in his first general election ad Monday — saying politicians and special interests have “rigged the game” — and borrowed a former Democratic presidential candidate’s campaign slogan to suggest he’s the one to bring about change. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/6/18

San Francisco’s imposing transit center ready to roll at last -- For the past decade, the transit center that will replace San Francisco’s Transbay Terminal has been the subject of grand plans and political controversies, struggles to stay on schedule and squabbles over costs. Next weekend, all that changes. John King in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/6/18

‘Disrespected’: UC Davis health care workers say their proposed wage increase is ‘garbage’ -- Dietitians, physical therapists and other health care professionals at UC Davis Health say that, over nearly a year of bargaining, the university’s labor negotiators have been skipping sessions and have not offered raises of more than 2 percent a year. Cathie Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/6/18

Fox: The Ghost of 1993 Fires Could Haunt Debate Over How to Pay for Fires -- One of the major issues facing the returning legislature will be influenced by the wildfires that currently are consuming too much of California. The legislature is set to determine the extent of liability for utility companies when the company equipment is responsible for some fires. While Gov. Jerry Brown tries to find a diplomatic balance to offer some form of protection to both utilities and property owners, the still burning devastating fires could well determine the outcome and possibly involve taxpayers in the solution of confronting fires’ costs. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 8/6/18

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning

California's destructive summer brings blunt talk about climate change -- A decade ago, some scientists would warn against making broad conclusions linking an extraordinary heat wave to global warming. But the pace of heat records being broken in California in recent years is leading more scientists here to assertively link climate change to unrelenting heat that is only expected to worsen as humans continue putting greenhouse gases in the air. Rong-Gong Lin II and Javier Panzar in the Los Angeles Times$ Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/6/18

Mendocino Complex climbs to fourth largest wildfire on record in California; 68 homes lost -- The Mendocino Complex fire continued to grow at an alarming rate, burning more than 266,000 acres by Sunday morning and becoming the fourth-largest in California history. The massive blaze, the most serious of 17 major brush fires burning in California this weekend, was raging across wilderness on both sides of Clear Lake, forcing more evacuations in rural areas of three Northern California counties. Joseph Serna, Jack Dolan and Javier Panzar in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/18

249 nights away at California fires: Firefighter families cope with a ‘new normal’ -- Melissa Morgado began 2018 trying to solve an arithmetic problem: How many nights did she and her firefighter husband spend apart because of work in the previous year? He was gone for the hot summer months, of course, and again for most of October, and then 19 more days in December when deadly fires broke out on the Central Coast. Adam Ashton, Ryan Lillis and William Ramirez in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/6/18

As Ranch Fire roared, men refused to evacuate — they had pot plants to water, cops say -- As firefighters battled a Northern California wildfire on Saturday, they encountered three men in a pickup truck who refused to evacuate, Lake County authorities say. Firefighters had to divert three air tanker passes trying to prevent the Ranch Fire from engulfing the town of Lucerne as a result, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook. Don Sweeney in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/6/18

Trump tweet blaming water diversion for fires baffles experts -- When President Trump sent his first tweet about the current California wildfires, which have killed nine people and destroyed more than 1,000 homes, he chose the moment to zero in on water policy — leaving some scratching their heads. Jonathan Kauffman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Mike Mayer in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/6/18

As climate warms, fire-ravaged Sweden gets a taste of California -- A wildfire sparked, and then another, until more than 50 blazes were burning across the landscape. This was late July in Sweden, not California. Familiar foes — blistering temperatures and vegetation dried out by drought — fanned Sweden’s fires from the Arctic Circle to the country’s southern border. The country, which experiences on average three wildfires through July, was soon overwhelmed. Lizzie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/6/18

Sections of Yosemite National Park closed “indefinitely” due to fire -- As a growing wildfire continues to blanket Yosemite Valley with smoke, the valley itself and major sections of the national park will remain closed “indefinitely,” officials said. “It is just not safe for visitors and employees in the park,” said Yosemite National Park spokesman Scott Gediman. Trisha Thadani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/6/18

Census takers could miss counting millions of Californians, researchers say -- The U.S. Census Bureau stands to undercount millions of Californians across the state in its 2020 survey, an error that could result in less federal funding or the loss of a congressional seat, according to a new analysis by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California. Mini Racker in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/18

Who is an employee? New standard for 2 million workers spurs clash at California Capitol -- Ashley Hutton Stanfield’s favorite thing about her job is the freedom to work in the “nooks and crannies of my day.” Four years ago, after leaving her career at a medical devices company to raise her children, Stanfield became a sales consultant for Arbonne International, a multi-level marketing firm that makes beauty and nutrition products. Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/6/18

Police arrest more than a dozen amid protests in Berkeley -- More than a dozen people were arrested Sunday afternoon amid a tense right-wing rally and counter-protest in Berkeley that officials worried might see the kind of violence that broke out last year during showdowns among demonstrators after President Trump’s election. Paloma Esquivel in the Los Angeles Times$ Sara Hossaini KQED Michael Cabanatuan and Jonathan Kauffman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Thomas Peele and Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/6/18

California lawmakers move against ‘junk’ health insurance -- Legislators in California appear ready to counter a new Trump administration move, this time on health insurance. David Gorn Calmatters -- 8/6/18

Walters: Despite law, politicians use taxpayer funds for campaigns -- Government Code Section 8314 is unambiguous, declaring, “It is unlawful for any elected state or local officer, including any state or local appointee, employee, or consultant, to use or permit others to use public resources for a campaign activity, or personal or other purposes which are not authorized by law.” Dan Walters Calmatters -- 8/6/18

Schnur: Pay teachers more. Get rid of the duds. How to cultivate top-notch educators in California? -- Everyone agrees that talented and committed teachers can have a huge impact on their students’ lives. Dan Schnur in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/6/18

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions

Court rules former Indianapolis Colt ineligible receiver of California workers comp -- With the start of the NFL’s 99th season barely a month away, today we tackle how workers compensation applies to cumulative injuries on the field that later result in disability. Dan Eaton in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/6/18

Black Girls Code says yes to Microsoft, plus Slack and Lantern -- Black Girls Code, an Oakland organization that works to bring computer science education to African American girls through workshops and camps, said it got a $125,000 grant offer from Uber last year — and turned it down. Natasha Mascarenhas in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/6/18

Housing  

Rising home prices, interest rates impacting Sonoma County housing market -- Laura and Anthony Salvato wanted to buy a home in Santa Rosa before their 4-year-old daughter started kindergarten. However, the couple didn’t know what they could afford during a time of rising interest rates and home prices. The jump in prices was linked to a housing shortage exacerbated by last fall’s devastating North Bay wildfires. Robert Digitale in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat -- 8/6/18

Education 

Oceanside school district suspends sex ed program for youngest students after parents complain -- Oceanside school officials have shelved a sex education program for the district’s youngest students after parents complained the material was too graphic, undermined their religious values and promoted “premature sexual interest, experimentation, and engagement.” Deborah Sullivan Brennan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/18

After quarter century of rapid expansion, charter school growth slowing in California -- After a quarter century of steady expansion, the rate of growth for charter schools in California has slowed to a crawl over the past five years. Louis Freedberg and John Fensterwald EdSource -- 8/6/18

Water  

In the California desert, a farm baron is building a water and energy empire -- The full story of Mike Abatti’s enormous influence — over the desert’s Colorado River water, agriculture and energy — has never been told. Until now. Sammy Roth in the Palm Springs Desert Sun -- 8/6/18

Also . . . 

'It was so heartbreaking': Small plane crashes in Santa Ana parking lot, killing five aboard -- Five people were killed when their twin-engine Cessna airplane crashed near South Coast Plaza in Santa Ana on Sunday afternoon, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. The plane crashed in the parking lot of a Staples office supply store in the 3800 block of Bristol Street, fire authority spokesman Stephen Concialdi said. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ Josh Cain, Alicia Robinson, Richard K. De Atley and Scott Schwebke in the Orange County Register -- 8/6/18

Point Reyes Lighthouse to close for 2-month, $5 million face-lift -- The light is going out from the Point Reyes Lighthouse. They’re turning it off so they can turn it back on in two months, bigger and better. Except they’re only going to turn it on for the tourists, not for the ship captains. That’s how it goes for lighthouses these days. Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/6/18

POTUS 45  

Trump says Don Jr. wanted dirt on Clinton from Russian lawyer -- Donald Trump acknowledged Sunday that his oldest son was trying to dig up dirt on Hillary Clinton when he met a woman linked to the Kremlin in 2016 — an attempt to recast the Trump Tower meeting as an innocuous part of campaigning as the president gets energized about hitting the trail again this year. His comments, delivered by tweet, directly contradicted a July 2017 statement in which Trump’s team claimed the purpose of Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting a year earlier was to discuss adoption policy regarding Russian children. Nancy Cook Politico -- 8/6/18

Trump: Environmental laws making California wildfires 'so much worse' -- President Trump appeared on Sunday to place blame for massive wildfires in California on the state's environmental laws, including its water and forest management policies, saying that such regulations have made the blazes "so much worse." Max Greenwood The Hill -- 8/6/18

CNN's Brian Stelter airs clip of C-SPAN caller threatening to shoot him and Don Lemon -- CNN media reporter Brian Stelter on Sunday aired a clip of a C-SPAN caller threatening to shoot him and fellow CNN anchor Don Lemon. The caller, identified as “Don,” accused Stelter and Lemon of “calling Trump supporters all racists,” a claim Stelter immediately refuted. Avery Anapol The Hill -- 8/6/18