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Gavin Newsom and John Cox clash in their only head-to-head governor's race debate -- Inside a San Francisco radio studio, away from the glare of television cameras and during a workday, the two candidates for California governor faced off in their only one-on-one debate before election day. Phil Willon and Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle Casey Tolan in the San Jose Mercury Jonathan J. Cooper and Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press Angela Hart in the Sacramento Bee Ben Christopher Calmatters -- 10/8/18

San Francisco prosecutors halt enforcement of street-camping citations -- District attorney spokesman Alex Bastian said the office suspended new prosecutions of such citations last month after the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that cities can’t charge people for sleeping on the streets if they have nowhere else to go. Matier & Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/8/18

California has a racist past. But removing monuments sparks debate about how to reflect an ugly history -- For about a month every November, a yellow blindfold is placed over the eyes of the bronze Prospector Pete statue that sits prominently on the Cal State Long Beach campus. It’s a political act designed to make clear that the campus is not blind to the brutality inflicted on thousands of indigenous Americans during the California gold rush. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/8/18

Wanted: Innovative ideas to house homeless people faster and at a lower cost -- By City Hall standards, the proposal was audacious. A developer asked to borrow $64 million from Los Angeles and promised to match it with $16 million raised privately from people who want to invest in good works. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/8/18

Fox: What if They Gave a Debate and No One Listened? Here’s a Suggested Fix -- By the time you read this, the only scheduled debate between California’s gubernatorial candidates may be over. It is scheduled for 10 a.m. taking place at Bay Area radio station KQED and broadcast by a few other radio stations. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 10/8/18

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

L.A. immigrant who spent six months in detention describes harsh conditions at Adelanto facility -- From his cell at the Adelanto immigration detention facility on July 11, 2017, Romulo Avelica Gonzalez scrawled out a journal entry on lined notebook paper. “Another person hanged himself,” he wrote in Spanish. “Lost asylum.” Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/8/18

Both sides mislead on California rent control initiative -- The warring factions in California’s high-stakes battle over rent control have spent more than $32 million on social media, mail and television ads to influence voters ahead of Election Day. Tenants’ rights activists say Proposition 10 is needed to ease the state’s housing affordability crisis. The real estate industry says the measure would make it worse. Angela Hart in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/8/18

Skelton: California's housing situation is a mess. Proposition 10 isn't going to help -- California voters will decide on Nov. 6 whether government rent controls would make housing more affordable or even more expensive. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/8/18

California's carbon-credit market often pays for greenhouse gas reductions that would've happened anyway -- On a dairy farm in California’s Central Valley, Wesley Patterson squinted under a dusty baseball cap as he explained, over the roar of its natural gas-burning engine, the advantages of installing a methane digester. Joshua Emerson Smith in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/8/18

‘I expected more.’ Many California leaders want more #MeToo action -- In the 365 days that came in between the explosive Harvey Weinstein revelations last fall and the divisive Brett Kavanaugh confirmation vote this weekend, California’s state Capitol was the stage for some of the most contentious debates of the #MeToo era. Dan Schnur in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/8/18

With the midterm election looming, calls to impeach Kavanaugh pose an awkward challenge for Democrats -- Even before the judicial oath was administered and Judge Brett Kavanaugh became Justice Kavanaugh, some on the political left were sounding calls to impeach. A month before midterm elections, that makes many mainstream Democrats nervous. Laura King in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/8/18

Bond fund to help detained immigrants with ties to San Diego, Imperial counties -- Immigration detainees who can’t afford to pay bond may soon get help from a fund established by a San Diego grass-roots coalition of local organizations. Kate Morrissey in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/8/18

How energized are California voters? Mail balloting will give an early answer -- A record number of vote-by-mail ballots will be landing at California homes this week as early voting begins across the state for the Nov. 6 midterm elections. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/8/18

Rohrabacher's brushes with Russia probe complicate his reelection bid -- When President Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort pleaded guilty to assorted federal crimes in mid-September, court papers cited his lobbying of Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, an Orange County Republican, as part of the illicit scheme. David Willman in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/8/18

Walters: How California shifted from pro-GOP purple to deep blue -- The evolution of California from a Republican-leaning purple state into one that’s deeply blue is one of the most dramatic chapters in the state’s political history. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 10/8/18

Buffy Wicks and Jovanka Beckles Offer East Bay Voters Different Paths to Pursue Policy Goals -- On paper, the career records of the two Democrats on the ballot for state Assembly in the 15th District offer East Bay voters a difficult choice. Guy Marzorati KQED -- 10/8/18

Newsom called lieutenant governor job dull, but candidates have big plans -- The lackluster portfolio of California’s lieutenant governor job makes the position easy to overlook. Even some who have held the post have complained that with almost no duties, it’s a bore. But two Democrats asking voters to elect them Nov. 6 say they have a plan for making the most of the opportunity. Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/8/18

Is Rep. Devin Nunes at War With His Local Newspaper? -- This week, some residents in Republican Rep. Devin Nunes' Central Valley district received a piece of political campaign mail that was unlike your typical mailer asking for donations. It's a 38-page, full-size color magazine titled “The Fresno Bees: The dirty little secrets of the Valley’s propaganda machine.” Alexandra Hall KQED -- 10/8/18

In a first, SpaceX launches and lands a rocket at Vandenberg base -- In a move that could cut its costs to launch space hardware even further, SpaceX landed a first-stage booster on a pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base on Sunday night. It marked the first time the company has pulled off its now-signature rocket recovery method on land on the West Coast. Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/8/18

California wildfire victims say cleanup crews add to woes -- One year after a devastating series of wildfires ripped through Northern California wine country, destroying thousands of homes, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' first experience cleaning up after a wildfire has turned into an expensive bureaucratic mess and California's top emergency official suspects fraud played a role. Paul Elias Associated Press -- 10/8/18

A new, unhappy normal -- They escaped Coffey Park, but found anger, guilt and resignation in fire’s aftermath. Lizzie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/8/18

Study: Guns used in violent crimes less often in San Diego than national average -- Homicides, robberies and aggravated assaults committed in the San Diego region last year involved a gun far less often than in those same crimes nationwide, according to new research findings from a regional government group. Alex Riggins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/8/18

Fentanyl worries have police changing the way they handle, test for illicit drugs -- Wearing gloves and working under a hood that vents fumes from the evidence room, La Mesa police Sgt. Katy Lynch pushed a button on the scanner in her hand and shined a laser on the plastic baggie in front of her. In less than a minute, the device, which is about the size of a Nintendo Game Boy, identified the white powder, flashing the word “methamphetamine” on its small screen. Karen Kucher in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/8/18

Education 

What it means to come of age in the #MeToo, Kavanaugh era -- When the topic of sexual consent used to roll around during new student orientation at San Diego State University, the giggles and crude jokes were sure to follow. That was a few years ago. No one is giggling now. Kristina Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/8/18

CSU, struggling to raise graduation rates, eliminates no-credit remedial classes -- Erika Castellanos, a full-time student, expects to graduate from San Francisco State University within three years. The problem? She’s already been there four. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/8/18

California rural education network launches to help isolated teachers share resources -- The goal of the nascent California Rural Ed Network, which launched online Oct. 1, is to join forces to attract new resources, share expertise and focus attention of policy makers to schools outside urban and suburban California — many of them underfunded and serving a preponderance of low-income students. Lee Romney EdSource -- 10/8/18

Also . . . 

The world has just over a decade to get climate change under control, U.N. scientists say -- The world stands on the brink of failure when it comes to holding global warming to moderate levels, and nations will need to take “unprecedented” actions to cut their carbon emissions over the next decade, according to a landmark report by the top scientific body studying climate change. Chris Mooney and Brady Dennis in the Washington Post -- 10/8/18

Inspired by Lady Liberty, a statue of Mary is envisioned for San Ysidro -- She will stand tall, with a torch held high, on a hilltop in San Ysidro, overlooking the U.S.-Mexico border region. Inspired by the Statue of Liberty, the 40-foot-tall monument of Mary, mother of Jesus, will stand as a symbol intended to welcome immigrants and refugees headed to the U.S. David Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/8/18

Grace Cathedral goes to the dogs, and cats, and at least one pig -- LiLou the pig got a dose of spiritual protection Sunday when she waddled into San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral and received a blessing from the Episcopal dean himself. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/8/18

POTUS 45  

Kavanaugh’s first vote could be in Trump executive power fight -- Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s first vote as a member of the Supreme Court could come as soon as Tuesday or Wednesday on a Trump administration request testing how much power courts should wield over top executive branch officials. Josh Gerstein Politico -- 10/8/18

Beltway 

Democrats Fear They’re the Wet Rag Party -- Al Franken is a long-time liberal warrior accused of predatory sexual behavior who is now licking his wounds in exile. Brett Kavanaugh is a long-time conservative warrior accused of predatory sexual behavior who is now licking his wounds on the United States Supreme Court. John F. Harris Politico -- 10/8/18

 

-- Sunday Updates 

BART rolling out sophisticated quake alert system to protect riders, trains -- Thousands of BART riders won’t have to worry so much about hurtling off the tracks during the Big One on Monday when California fires up a long-awaited earthquake warning system. Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/7/18

Are Airbnb-type rentals a boon or a threat for tenants under rent control? -- For years, Los Angeles leaders have wrestled with how to regulate the renting out of homes for short stays, a practice popularized through websites like Airbnb. Until recently, there was little debate at City Hall about banning the practice in hundreds of thousands of rent-controlled apartments. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/7/18

Gavin Newsom draws line on San Francisco street behavior: City now ‘too permissive’ -- Former Mayor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom says San Francisco has become “too permissive” when it comes to open drug use and other bad behavior on the city’s streets. Matier & Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle 10/7/18

Can Fairfield’s cash-for-tips gun program save kids like Ahmar Willis? -- Fairfield is going beyond traditional gun buybacks by offering up to $500 cash for anonymous tips about anyone who might have an illegal gun. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/7/18

After three years in a foreign prison, a Cambodian political activist wonders how he can help his homeland from California -- If Cambodian government officials thought Meach Sovannara would stay quiet after they threw him in prison, they were wrong. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/7/18

Prop. 7: California considers full-time daylight savings, end of changing clocks -- Imagine never losing an hour of sleep in the spring or an hour of sunlight on cold winter evenings. Imagine — gasp! — never having to change the clocks. Life is full of tradeoffs, but forgoing the semi-annual time change has become a enticing idea for some. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/7/18

Escape from the fire -- The wind pounded against the window panes and whistled under the front door. It screeched, hungry and alive. Lizzie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/7/18

'I’m not sure how you get past this': Fire-scarred Mark West Springs neighbors stick together through hardship -- Trapped at their home north of Santa Rosa by the wildfire that roared across the Mayacamas Mountains last fall, they took refuge in their swimming pool, surviving on gulps of toxic air that singed their lungs between repeated dunks they hoped would ward off burns. Mary Callahan in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat -- 10/7/18

One year after Tubbs Fire, Coffey Park coalesces, Fountaingrove struggles to rebuild -- They’re called “Whine Wednesdays.” At 6 p.m. each week, one to two dozen displaced residents of Coffey Park gather in the ashen remains of Scarlet Place. They set up camping chairs and folding tables in the middle of the cul de sac, where one new house is up and painted blue and the rest of the lots are raw dirt, scraped of any remnants of house and garden — a year after an inferno incinerated their neighborhood on the deadliest night of wildfires in California history. Julia Prodis Sulek in the San Jose Mercury -- 10/7/18

Cases Pitting Trump Against Blue States Will Test Kavanaugh -- Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court has put a spotlight on the dozens of federal cases pitting the Trump administration against Democratic-leaning states, on issues including auto emission standards, immigration and a free-flowing internet. Geoff Mulvihill Associated Press -- 10/7/18