Updating . .
Brenda Tracy brings searing story of sexual assault to Bay Area football teams -- Brenda Tracy wanted to start a conversation. To tell her story. To be heard. She didn’t know she would be stepping directly into a national inferno. Tracy is a rape survivor. Twenty years ago, when she was 24, she was gang-raped by four men, including two Oregon State football players. Ann Killion in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/5/18
Prop. 11: Measure would require EMTs, paramedics to stay on-call during breaks -- Ambulances parked outside of fast food restaurants or coffee shops are a common sight as uniformed paramedics and medical technicians take a break between calls. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/5/18
Even in California, Electric Vehicle Sales Are Meager. Campaign Looks to Change That -- Electric cars have been on the market for some time now but surveys show that even in California adoption has been slow. Amel Ahmed KQED -- 10/5/18
How high is too high? California to allow taller buildings near state Capitol -- As Sacramento’s skyline began to inch higher in the 1990s, state officials decided to take steps to keep the city’s premier piece of architecture — the golden-domed Capitol — from being drowned out. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/5/18
With bill signings, Gov. Brown makes his final mark on California education -- Gov. Jerry Brown wrapped up his final legislative session this week, and in doing so became the most prolific decider of laws in California history. During his 16 years as governor — two terms spanning the late 1970s and early 1980s, and two terms this decade — he signed a total of 17,851 bills and vetoed 1,829. David Washburn and John Fensterwald EdSource -- 10/5/18
UC Davis irradiated beagles during the Cold War. Now it’s agreed to clean the laboratory landfill -- In the early years of the nuclear age, scientists at UC Davis began studying the impact of radiation on beagles in a laboratory complex a mile south of the main campus. The lab and an adjacent landfill became a Superfund site, a toxic stew of chemicals, contaminated soils and dangerous metals such as hexavalent chromium and strontium-90. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/5/18
Meet Young Kim, an Asian American immigrant woman running for Congress under Trump's Republican party -- Some other year, under some other president, Republican Young Kim might have been a shoo-in to represent a majority-minority congressional district containing pieces of Orange, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. Christine Mai-Duc in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/5/18
California beaches are supposed to be public. So why is the Hollister Ranch coast an exception? -- When California ordered property owners to provide beach access for all, Hollister Ranch made the case that the pristine coastline west of Santa Barbara deserved an exception. Rosanna Xia in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/5/18
See 100 years of California wildfires in 1 minute -- Next week is the anniversary of the start of the the Tubbs Fire, which killed 22 people and burned more than 5,000 homes and other structures in Napa, Sonoma and Lake counties, including 2,800 homes in Santa Rosa. Paul Rogers, Paiching Wei in the San Jose Mercury -- 10/5/18
Fox: Can Newspaper Endorsements Help Elect a Statewide Candidate? -- Running as a No Party Preference or independent candidate for his old job as state Insurance Commissioner, Steve Poizner racked up newspaper endorsements at an impressive clip. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 10/5/18
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Biden slams GOP's 'cultish devotion' to Trump as he stumps for California Democrats -- Former Vice President Joe Biden accused President Trump’s Republican allies in Congress of choosing “party over country” as he campaigned in Orange County for Democrats running for the U.S. House. Michael Finnegan and Maya Sweedler in the Los Angeles Times Michael R. Blood Associated Press Jordan Graham in the Orange County Register -- 10/5/18
California Democrats ‘well-positioned’ in most swing House districts, poll shows -- A new poll has good news for Democratic Congressional challenger Josh Harder, who is running to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham, but bad news for fellow Democrat Andrew Janz, who is running against Republican Rep. Devin Nunes. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/5/18
Kavanaugh hurting GOP among women in CA House races, poll indicates -- Anger among women over Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court is threatening to turn what’s already a gender gap in a number of California congressional races into an anti-GOP chasm, a new Democratic-backed poll has found. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/5/18
A disrupter from day one: How Kevin de León became the Democrat trying to topple Dianne Feinstein -- One morning at the end of August, with the capstone of his political career in the balance, state Sen. Kevin de León retreated to his Capitol office and turned on the TV. On the screen, colleagues who had known the Los Angeles Democrat for years debated his landmark bill to eliminate fossil fuels from California’s electrical system. The bill was big, attracting national attention. But it wasn’t going to pass, at least not on this vote, and no smart politician sets himself up for a public loss. Laurel Rosenhal Calmatters -- 10/5/18
KQED Political Breakdown: Gavin Newsom -- Scott and Marisa talk with the gubernatorßial hopeful about his early years (including his teenage wine cellar), business background, and rise in San Francisco politics. They also look back on his mayoral tenure, and discuss how personal scandal, marriage, and fatherhood have added to his personal growth. Marisa Lagos, Scott Shafer KQED -- 10/5/18
In Bid to Defeat Orange County Incumbent Dana Rohrabacher, Harley Rouda Focuses on Showing Up -- In a packed courtyard outside the First United Methodist Church in the Orange County city of Costa Mesa, dozens of residents eagerly anticipated the arrival of their congressman. Guy Marzorati KQED -- 10/5/18
‘We’ve got a mess on our hands’: Millions of Californians still need Real IDs from DMV -- But lawmakers learned Thursday that the embattled agency could soon face more trouble: A dramatic increase in customers coming in for federally-mandated Real ID cards — identification required by Oct. 1, 2020 for people wishing to board planes without passports. Bryan Anderson in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/5/18
Internet provider groups sue over California net neutrality rules -- Four industry groups representing major internet providers and cable companies filed suit on Wednesday seeking to block California’s new law to mandate net neutrality rules, which they say are complex, burdensome and harmful to innovation. David Shepardson Reuters -- 10/5/18
Transbay Transit Center: Breed, Schaaf want new oversight in probe of beams -- When the Transbay Joint Powers Authority finishes its investigation into what caused a pair of steel beams at the Transbay Transit Center to crack — forcing the closure of the brand-new bus terminal and rooftop park — the mayors of San Francisco and Oakland want someone checking the agency’s work. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle
Booming San Francisco takes unprecedented step to target earthquake-vulnerable high-rise towers -- First, a centerpiece of San Francisco’s new downtown, the 58-story Millennium Tower, started sinking and tilting. Then last week, the city’s new $2.26-billion transbay bus station was abruptly shut after cracks were found in two steel beams. Both events have fueled anxiety about how San Francisco’s growing skyline would hold up in the kind of major quake that destroyed much of the city in 1906. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/5/18
Rise Above Movement: What extremism experts are saying about these white supremacists in Southern California -- Early morning on Tuesday, Oct. 2, federal officials arrested four men from a Southern California-based white supremacist group alleging that they traveled to Charlottesville, Va. last year to incite a riot and attack counter-protesters at the Unite the Right rally, which turned deadly. Deepa Bharath in the Orange County Register -- 10/5/18
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Trump’s NAFTA deal solves a small issue for California dairy farmers, but this major problem remains -- The deal, a revision of the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement, does nothing to address a significant trade barrier that’s crippling dairy sales to the more important customer on California’s doorstep: Mexico. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/5/18
CalPERS president loses board seat to policeman -- The new CalPERS president, Priya Mathur, lost her board seat this week, defeated by a Corona police sergeant, Jason Perez, who wants to shift the $360 billion investment fund toward higher yields that secure pensions with less focus on social issues. Ed Mendel Calpensions.com John Myers in the Los Angeles Times Adam Ashton in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/5/18
San Francisco hotel strike by Marriott workers comes during busy convention season -- Nearly 2,500 workers walked off their jobs Thursday morning from seven Marriott hotels in downtown San Francisco to demand higher wages, workplace safety and job security. Sarah Ravani and Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/5/18
California wine hopes to uncork Canada's alcohol policies in new trade agreement -- Wine exporters in California and other states will get equal treatment for their bottles on the grocery shelves of Canada’s westernmost province under the terms of the renegotiated United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Geoffrey Mohan in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/5/18
Homeless
2 homeless people assaulted with acid at Mission Hills park, LAPD says -- Los Angeles police say they are investigating after two homeless people were doused with battery acid at a park in Mission Hills early Sunday, causing burns to their bodies. The incident, reported at about 12:10 a.m. Sunday, involved a 42-year-old woman and a 35-year-old man who had been sleeping at Devonwood Park at Devonshire Street and Woodman Avenue, according to LAPD officials. Brenda Gazzar in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 10/5/18
Housing
Who are those Bay Area transplants in the Central Valley? Meet the barista next door -- If you live in the Central Valley, the Bay Area transplant who moves in next door won’t likely be a Silicon Valley executive driving a Tesla. Your new neighbor will be more likely be a barista who couldn’t afford a home in the Bay Area. Ryan Lillis and Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/5/18
Here’s how growing income disparity is changing the Bay Area -- In the Bay Area, the poor are moving out, the wealthy are moving in and gentrification is picking up steam. Louis Hansen in the San Jose Mercury -- 10/5/18
Want A Median-Price Home In Sacramento? You’ll Need To Make Nearly $100,000 A Year -- Third-quarter information out Thursday from ATTOM Data Solutions shows that home prices between July and September were at their least affordable since the end of 2007, with a median priced home in Sacramento County at just more than $350,000. Steve Milne Capital Public Radio -- 10/5/18
Cannabis
Statewide pot raids target illegal grows in 39 counties — 52 people arrested -- Law enforcement officials raided illegal marijuana grow sites around the state, arresting 52 people in a months-long operation aimed at stemming California’s still-booming black market for pot, officials announced on Thursday. Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/5/18
Education
New California law requires day care centers to test for lead in water -- A law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown will expand California’s requirement to test water in schools for lead to day care centers and pre-schools that serve nearly 600,000 children. Nico Savidge EdSource -- 10/5/18
After backlash, Azusa Pacific University reinstates ban on gay romance -- For months, LGBT students on the campus of the evangelical Christian university, Azusa Pacific, negotiated with the administration about expanding their rights on campus. Adolfo Guzman-Lopez KPCC -- 10/5/18
Water
What Would You Do About Water if You Were California’s Next Governor? -- There’s going to be a new governor in California next year – and a host of challenges both old and new involving the state’s most vital natural resource, water. So what should be the next governor’s water priorities? Douglas E. Beeman Western Water -- 10/5/18
Also . . .
Relatives of woman fatally shot by LAPD officer at Trader Joe's file wrongful death claim -- The father and brother of Melyda Corado, the 27-year-old store manager killed by a police officer’s bullet at a Trader Joe’s in Silver Lake, have filed claims for damages with the city. The claims, which allege excessive force, wrongful death and other violations, are a necessary step before suing in the courts. Cindy Chang in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/5/18
You’ll never guess who placed dozens of calls from a marine mammal hospital -- A gecko managed to climb atop a touch screen landline at the Center’s hospital in Hawaii and set off a flurry on non-stop phone calls in an incident that left wildlife staff puzzled — and also a little impressed at the dexterity of the lanky, mysterious reptile. Lauren Hernandez in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/5/18
Beltway
GOP leaders all but guarantee Kavanaugh's confirmation -- Republican leaders insist they don’t speak for the three GOP holdouts, but they sure talk like they’ve already won the battle for Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation. Burgess Everett and Elana Schor Politico -- 10/5/18
Kavanaugh could face pressure to recuse from cases on the Supreme Court -- Brett Kavanaugh, who has blamed “left-wing opposition groups” and people seeking “revenge on behalf of the Clintons” in defending himself against accusations of sexual assault, may be confirmed as early as this weekend as a justice on a Supreme Court that considers cases of sexual assault and partisan politics. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/5/18
‘I was screaming at the TV’: Anti-Kavanaugh activists frustrated with Feinstein -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s style is to work behind the scenes, craft careful arguments and lobby fellow members. But that’s not what a lot of activists protesting Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh want. Kate Irby in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/5/18
-- Thursday Updates
L.A. County deputies stopped thousands of innocent Latinos on the 5 Freeway in hopes of their next drug bust -- The team of Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies cruises the 5 Freeway, stopping motorists on the Grapevine in search of cars carrying drugs. Joel Rubin and Ben Poston in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/4/18
Republicans face big risks in contested California races as Democrats fight for control of the House -- Republicans are at risk of a wipeout in California’s six most hotly contested congressional races, a new poll shows — a result that could radically reshape the state’s political map, with major consequences nationally. But the poll, conducted for the Los Angeles Times by UC Berkeley’s Institute for Governmental Studies, also underscores how close many of the contests remain. David Lauter in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/4/18
Feinstein slams FBI Kavanaugh investigation: ‘Most notable part of this report is what’s not in it’ -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein blasted an FBI investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Thursday, calling it “incomplete” — even as two key undecided senators described it as thorough. Casey Tolan in the San Jose Mercury -- 10/4/18
Marriott hotel workers in San Francisco strike amid busy convention season -- Nearly 2,500 workers walked off their jobs Thursday morning from seven Marriott hotels in downtown San Francisco to call for higher wages, workplace safety and job security. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle Mark Gomez in the San Jose Mercury -- 10/4/18
New report finds overlooked earthquake vulnerabilities in some San Francisco high-rises -- Dozens of downtown San Francisco high-rises should be inspected for previously undetected damage they might have sustained during the Loma Prieta earthquake nearly 30 years ago. That’s the conclusion of an unprecedented report on the city’s tallest buildings to be released Thursday. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/4/18
California water woes: Ballot measure aims at solutions, but at a steep cost -- The biggest ticket item on California’s November ballot, tucked between the governor’s race and local elections, is an $8.9 billion bond to help modernize California’s sprawling waterworks. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/4/18
Canada is about to legalize marijuana. How did that happen? Justin Trudeau, for starters -- Politicians herald it as transformative. Residents offer resounding support in the polls. Investors see billions of dollars on the horizon. Kurtis Lee in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/4/18
Murder convicts hope new California law is their ticket to freedom -- Adnan Khan wasn’t the killer, but he is serving 25 years to life at San Quentin State Prison for murder. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle Darrell Smith in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/4/18
ACLU sues San Francisco police, claiming unchecked racism in department -- The San Francisco Police Department is infected with a culture of racism, the American Civil Liberties Union charged in a lawsuit over undercover police drug buys in the Tenderloin that led to the arrests of 37 people, all of them African American. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/4/18
Taylor: Home cooking helped a Berkeley woman pay her rent, then two inspectors paid her a visit -- For more than two years, Josephine paid the rent on Renée McGhee’s one-bedroom apartment in Berkeley. No, Josephine isn’t a person. Josephine was an online marketplace that let home cooks like McGhee sell meals to nearby customers who paid around $12 per serving and picked up the food at the seller’s place. Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/4/18
UC Davis prof wins prestigious MacArthur ‘genius’ grant for her work in planet science -- Sarah T. Stewart, a professor and planetary scientist at UC Davis, was named to the 2018 class of MacArthur Fellows, commonly known as MacArthur “genius” grants. The Chicago-based foundation gave the awards to Stewart and 24 others in the fields of science, academics and the arts, announced Thursday. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/4/18
De-Bug founder awarded MacArthur ‘genius grant’ for social justice work -- The mysterious phone call came as Raj Jayadev left the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice after yet another day helping families of criminal defendants navigate the sometimes intimidating labyrinth of the court system. Robert Salonga in the San Jose Mercury -- 10/4/18
Abcarian: With Brett Kavanaugh, it's not a question of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. It's a question of credibility -- In the national cacophony that arose after Christine Blasey Ford testified that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school, one refrain from his supporters has begun to drown out all others: Our country has abandoned its cherished ideal that a person is innocent until proven guilty. Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/4/18
Jeffe & Jeffe: The GOP’s Court of Last Resort -- It’s ironic that the Republican establishment, which has long railed against judicial activism, is increasingly looking at the courts as the last bastion of the GOP “resistance”. Sherry Bebitch Jeffe & Doug Jeffe Fox&Hounds -- 10/4/18