Updating . .
Facebook says breach affects nearly 50 million users -- Facebook said Friday that it has discovered a security breach that allowed attackers to steal data which they could then use to take over people’s accounts. The security issue affected almost 50 million users. The Menlo Park company, which learned of the attack earlier this week, said in a statement it has patched the vulnerability and informed law enforcement officials. Melia Russell in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Matt O’Brien and Mae Anderson Associated Press -- 9/28/18
California defies Trump on climate change with new car emissions rules -- Defying the Trump administration on climate change, California’s air-pollution agency ruled Friday that automakers must comply with the state’s strict rules on greenhouse gases if they want to continue selling cars here. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/28/18
LAPD cracks down on use of homeless people for ballot initiative fraud on skid row -- A dollar goes a long way on skid row, Los Angeles Police Capt. Marc Reina said. So investigators were not completely surprised to find homeless people there taking $1, food or cigarettes to forge signatures of registered voters on petitions to qualify initiatives for the ballot, police said. Gale Holland in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/28/18
An editor tells of a past sexual assault, sparking dialogue about a crude newsroom culture -- When the first woman came forward to allege that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her decades earlier, Kathy Gosnell decided it was time to share a painful secret of her own. Victoria Kim in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/28/18
Religious, cultural symbols allowed at California high school graduations under new law -- The new law comes two years after a graduating student in the Elk Grove Unified School District was ejected from the ceremony for wearing a kente cloth, a kind of fabric worn on significant occasions in certain African cultures. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/28/18
Suburban mom went from a fun night with friends to being paralyzed by a random bullet -- Tara Lungariello Rackley’s legs were dead weight. It was getting harder and harder to breathe. She willed herself to stay awake as she lay in an ambulance bound for UC Davis Medical Center. “I love you and the boys no matter what,” Rackley said in a text message to her husband, Frank. “I’ve been shot.” Cynthia Hubert in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/28/18
Tesla without Musk at the wheel? That’s what the SEC wants -- Tesla without Elon Musk at the wheel? To many of the electric car maker’s customers and investors that would be unthinkable. But that’s what government securities regulators now want to see. The Securities and Exchange Commission has asked a federal court to oust Musk as Tesla’s chairman and CEO, alleging he committed securities fraud with false statements about plans to take the company private. Tom Krisher and Alexandra Olson Associated Press -- 9/28/18
Kavanaugh confirmation hits major snag after Flake seeks FBI probe -- Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) on Friday brought Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination to the brink of victory, then into significant uncertainty, in a matter of hours. Elana Schor, Burgess Everett and John Bresnahan Politico -- 9/28/18
California Policy & Politics This Morning
L.A. landlord tells tenants Prop. 10 is reason behind rent increase, pledges to cancel hike if measure fails -- A Los Angeles-area landlord is telling tenants that the company will cancel a new rent increase if a California rent control ballot measure fails in November, according to a letter obtained by a tenants activist. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/28/18
Republican John Cox launches new attack ad against Democrat Gavin Newsom in California governor's race -- A new campaign ad by Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox attacks Democratic rival Gavin Newsom for a litany of California’s ills, including higher rents, gas prices and the rising cost of other day-to-day basic expenses. Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/28/18
New rehab laws may revamp addiction treatment in California --Gov. Jerry Brown signed a raft of bills into law Wednesday that will begin imposing order on the Wild Wild West of California’s addiction treatment system. Most take small steps in what reformers say is the right direction – toward stronger regulation. But one of the new laws could be a game-changer, forcing fundamental revisions in the kind of care offered to substance users. Teri Sforza in the Orange County Register -- 9/28/18
Californians believed Kavanaugh accuser — him, not so much -- They believed her more than they believed him. A Survey USA poll of Californians conducted after Thursday’s hearing for the Union-Tribune/10News says that 60 percent of the respondents found Christine Blasey Ford’s story about sexual assault believable. Thirty-five percent of those polled found Brett Kavanaugh’s denials believable. John Wilkens in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/28/18
From Palo Alto to Bakersfield, Kavanaugh hearing triggers tears, cheers, tension -- In Christine Blasey Ford’s liberal hometown of Palo Alto, women were reduced to tears Thursday listening to the professor’s agonizing testimony of her sexual assault. In the Republican stronghold of Bakersfield, men at a bar cheered as Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh vigorously defended himself. Julia Prodis Sulek and Casey Tolan in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/28/18
Feinstein: ‘I did not hide Ms. Ford’s allegations’ -- In many ways, Thursday’s dramatic showdown over a Palo Alto professor’s sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh devolved into a blame game between Republicans and Democrats — with no senator more squarely the target of GOP ire than California’s Dianne Feinstein. John Woolfolk in the East Bay Times -- 9/28/18
KQED Political Breakdown: The Kavanaugh-Ford Hearings -- Scott and Marisa get reaction to the Senate Judiciary hearings from former California Senator Barbara Boxer, KQED Politics reporter Katie Orr, Loyola Law professor Jessica Levinson, and Slate writer Lili Loofbourow. Link Here -- 9/28/18
As experts predict a second “Year of the Woman,” female candidates in California set record -- With election day about six weeks away, the 2018 midterms are beginning to feel a lot like 1992. That was the year a record number of women were elected to federal office—California’s senior U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein among them—many riding a wave of revulsion to the perceived mistreatment of Anita Hill, the law professor whose sexual harassment accusations against Clarence Thomas failed to deter his Supreme Court confirmation. Ben Christopher Calmatters -- 9/28/18
Feinstein also comes in for grilling at Senate's Kavanaugh hearing -- Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and accuser Christine Blasey Ford weren’t the only ones to face questions Thursday at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on her allegation of sexual assault: Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the panel’s top Democrat, came in for some grilling as well. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/28/18
Abcarian: Do we really want a man consumed with rage, self-pity and hate on the Supreme Court? -- I wasn't in that Maryland bedroom in 1982. You weren't there. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh says he wasn't there. But after listening to every word uttered by his tearful, yet calm and respectful accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, and Kavanaugh's combative, weepy refutation, I have no choice but to conclude she is credible and he is not. Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/28/18
In coastal Orange County congressional race, climate change skeptic hopes to defend seat -- Orange County Congressman Dana Rohrabacher has supported President Donald Trump on nearly every front, including Trump's calls for ending the Russia election meddling investigation and his decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate accords. Jill Replogle KPCC -- 9/28/18
Which California Congressional Seats Are Really In Play? -- With just 40 days until Election Day — and with vote-by-mail ballots set to go out in just a week and a half on Oct. 8 — Democrats are eyeing at least a half-dozen California races as they work toward their magic number of 23 pickups needed to seize the House of Representatives. And they’re dreaming of even more. Ben Adler Capital Public Radio -- 9/28/18
UC health system faces a potential 'existential threat' without changes, regents are warned -- The University of California’s massive health network brings in nearly half of UC’s revenue, but regents were told Thursday that its existence could be in peril if it isn’t able to be nimble and change. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/28/18
Anton Lemon Paris, deputy’s alleged shooter, arraigned in his hospital room -- From a hospital room, a wounded Anton Lemon Paris was arraigned Thursday, 10 days after the killing of Sacramento County Sheriff’s deputy Mark Stasyuk and the shooting of Stasyuk’s partner, Julie Robertson, at a Rancho Cordova auto parts store. Darrell Smith in the Sacramento Bee$ Sarah Parvini in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/28/18
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
SEC sues Elon Musk, seeks to ban him from running Tesla or any public company -- In a blockbuster move Thursday, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed fraud charges against Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk, and is seeking to ban the electric-car maker’s high-profile boss from running any publicly traded company. Rex Crum in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/28/18
CalPERS has $360 billion to invest, but it can’t figure out what to do with this blogger -- By any measure, CalPERS has big problems. It’s tens of billions of dollars short on what it owes to public employees and retirees, and it’s facing an occasional uprising from local governments worried about the rising costs of participating in the $360 billion fund. Adam Ashton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/28/18
Labor board confirms ouster of UFW from California's biggest peach grower -- The decision by the board to certify the tally at Fresno County’s Gerawan Farming is a devastating blow to the union founded by Cesar Chavez — a loss of about 3,000 potential members at a time when the UFW has only 8,672 of California’s nearly half-million farmworkers under collective bargaining contracts. Geoffrey Mohan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/28/18
Homeless
San Francisco Mayor Breed wants quick action on conserving mentally ill, addicted -- San Francisco got permission from the state Thursday to implement an expanded conservatorship system that supporters say will give the city more tools to treat the mentally ill and addicted people adrift on the city’s streets. Mayor London Breed said she wants to move quickly to implement a plan. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/28/18
Gov. Brown signs bill cracking down on L.A. 'veto' for homeless housing -- In Los Angeles, members of the City Council have had the power to block funding for homeless and affordable housing projects by refusing to hand over a required letter. Critics have sued the city over it, denouncing the rule as an unfair and arbitrary “pocket veto.” Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/28/18
Transit
$220-million contract to build modern streetcar line in Orange County -- Orange County Transportation Authority board members recently awarded a $220.5-million contract to a construction firm to build the first modern streetcar in Orange County. Corona-based Walsh Construction is expected to begin work later this year. Ben Brazil in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/28/18
Nearly half of BART fare-evasion citations go to blacks, but board votes to expand the enforcement program -- A new report from BART shows pronounced racial disparity in the people who are cited for fare evasion, nearly half of whom are African American. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/28/18
BART more than doubles fare inspection staff, ramps up other security measures -- BART on Thursday more than doubled the number of inspectors it uses to ensure passengers pay for tickets while also doubling down on efforts to make it harder for people to enter the system without paying. Erin Baldassari in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/28/18
Cannabis
New California pot law aims to help people the War on Drugs hurt most -- California Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law Thursday a bill hailed by supporters as a way to begin addressing the disproportionate effect the War on Drugs had on minority communities. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/28/18
Education
California’s persistent teacher shortage fueled by attrition, high demand, say newly released studies -- California has earmarked nearly $200 million over the last four years to address the state’s persistent teacher shortage, but it is not enough, according to new studies that are part of “Getting Down to Facts II,” a research project focused on a wide array of statewide education issues. Diana Lambert EdSource -- 9/28/18
Environment
California bans giant ocean fishing nets blamed for killing sea turtles, whales -- Ending years of controversy and debate, Gov. Jerry Brown late Thursday signed a new law phasing out the use of giant ocean fishing nets used to catch swordfish, but blamed for accidentally killing sea turtles, dolphins and other sea creatures. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/28/18
Water
Shell Wants to Sell Large, Troubled California Pipeline System -- Shell Oil Co. executives confirmed Thursday that the oil and gas giant intends to sell one of California's largest pipeline systems, one that carries crude petroleum from oil fields in the Central Valley to refineries in the Bay Area. The move comes over a year after state regulators called on Shell to replace parts of the 265-mile system of lines, following a series of oil spills in eastern Alameda County. Ted Goldberg KQED -- 9/28/18
Also . . .
Earl McNeil death focuses attention on use of The WRAP restraint -- For most of the two hours that Earl McNeil spent in police custody last May 26, he was bundled in black-and-yellow colored blanket with seat belt like straps — a restraint system that is supposed to protect officers and the person they are arresting. Greg Moran in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/28/18
California judges will soon be able to consider a pet's well-being when awarding custody in a divorce -- In the past, courts have generally assigned pets to spouses based on who paid for or adopted them. Under a law signed Thursday by Gov. Jerry Brown, courts would be allowed to make custody decisions based on who walks a dog, takes a cat to the vet or grooms a horse. Mini Racker in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/28/18
POTUS 45
For Trump and White House, Kavanaugh hearing was a suspenseful drama in two acts -- In the opening scene, sitting center stage in the chilly Senate Judiciary Committee hearing room, was Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused the president’s Supreme Court nominee of sexual assault when he was 17. Ashley Parker, Josh Dawsey and Philip Rucker in the Washington Post$ -- 9/28/18
Beltway
GOP barrels toward Kavanaugh vote with key Republicans undecided -- The Senate Judiciary Committee is planning to vote on Friday morning to advance Kavanaugh’s nomination to the full Senate floor. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) then plans a Saturday procedural vote to formally move to the nomination, with a potential confirmation vote as early as Tuesday. Burgess Everett and John Bresnahan Politico -- 9/28/18
-- Thursday Updates
Gov. Jerry Brown vetoes legislation barring immigration arrests inside California courthouses -- Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday vetoed legislation that would have barred any civil arrests at state courthouses, as judges have raised concerns over the presence of federal immigration agents in courtrooms across the country. Jazmine Ulloa in the Los Angeles Times$ Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/28/18
Gov. Jerry Brown rejects bill that would have allowed immigrants in the U.S. illegally to serve in California civil office -- Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday vetoed legislation that would allow all Californians to serve on state and local boards and commissions regardless of immigration status. Jazmine Ulloa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/27/18
Crews begin work to shore up cracked beams at SF’s Transbay Transit Center -- Standing on scissor lifts, construction workers peeled off corrugated metal sheeting below the cracked section while crews inside the facility rerouted electrical lines and other utility equipment. The next step is to ease the pressure on the beams that officials say are in danger of failing. Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/27/18
Net neutrality, abortion pills at UC and CSU awaiting Jerry Brown’s verdict -- Gov. Jerry Brown has until Sunday to decide the fate of 350 bills on his desk, including legislation that would create net neutrality regulations in California, expand access to abortion pills at public universities and increase public access to police misconduct records. Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/27/18
Uber ‘thinking of’ providing benefits for drivers, CEO says -- Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said Thursday the ride-hailing company is “thinking of” providing health and other worker benefits for its drivers. Khosrowshahi’s remarks came during a “fireside chat” with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff at Dreamforce, the annual Salesforce conference in San Francisco. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/27/18
17 arrested, charged in $1 million Apple store robbery ring, CA officials say -- Seventeen people were arrested or charged in a far-reaching string of Apple store robberies across California that totaled more than $1 million in losses, officials announced Thursday. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/27/18
Gas prices in Southern California are rising toward $4 a gallon -- Gasoline prices are climbing toward $4 a gallon in Southern California, boosted in large part by a rise in worldwide crude oil prices. James F. Peltz in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/27/18
A GOP congressional candidate walks into a mosque: How Andrew Grant's constituents reacted to his outreach -- Andrew Grant had just finished an afternoon of door-knocking in his uphill bid for Congress when he decided to drop by the Muslim community center in Folsom. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/27/18
Congressman under indictment still leading his opponent, new poll shows -- Congressman Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, still holds a significant lead over his Democratic opponent in the November election, despite the fact that he has been indicted on multiple federal crimes, according to a poll released Thursday. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/27/18
Bay Area home sales plunge 10 percent in August to seven-year-low -- The number of Bay Area homes sold in August plunged by 10 percent year over year due to the scarcity of affordable homes. Activity was at a seven-year low with 7,659 sales, according to real estate data firm CoreLogic. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/27/18
Rent control: What we can learn from Berkeley and Santa Monica -- Walk into almost any rent-controlled apartment building in California, and you will likely find new tenants paying twice the price charged to their neighbors who moved in long ago. That wasn’t always the case. Katy Murphy and Angela Hart in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/27/18
In Little Saigon, strong support for Trump's war on illegal immigration collides with other realities -- President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration has sparked strong criticism and protests across California. But among older residents of Little Saigon, he has found a corner of support for his hard-line tactics and rhetoric. They too believe that those who want to come the United States should go through legal channels, just as they did. Anh Do in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/27/18
Fox: Devil in the Details on Hot Ballot Measures Poll Finds -- As is often heard around the capitol, the devil is in the details when it comes to laws that are written to carry out what appear to be acceptable concepts. That seems to be the case with two controversial ballot propositions according to the latest Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) poll. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 9/27/18