Updating . .
Sacramento police chief says California needs to fix police privacy laws -- Sacramento’s police chief said Monday that California needs to rethink strict laws that keep officer disciplinary records private if law enforcement wants to rebuild trust with communities of color after officer-involved shootings. Molly Sullivan in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/9/18
Motor Voter is on the ropes. California considers freeze of DMV registrations -- Trying to get tens of thousands of voter registration errors under control, California Secretary of State Alex Padilla may temporarily halt a program that automatically registers voters through the Department of Motor Vehicles. Bryan Anderson in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/9/18
California secretary of State rebukes DMV for voter registration errors while affirming election integrity -- California Secretary of State Alex Padilla criticized the California Department of Motor Vehicles on Tuesday for incorrectly registering 1,500 individuals to vote, saying he was “hugely concerned” that the agency did not uncover the errors until The Times revealed them to the public. Mini Racker in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/9/18
UC Davis investigating 'reprehensible' anti-Semitic posters found on campus -- UC Davis police are investigating anti-Semitic fliers posted near the school’s student union Monday morning, authorities said. Chancellor Gary May said in a statement that the fliers, which violated posting policy, were removed and that the university was working to identify who put them up. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/9/18
Pacific Gas & Electric equipment blamed for another of last year's deadly fires in California -- An electrical arc between two Pacific Gas & Electric conductors caused the Cascade fire in Yuba County last year that killed four people and desDale Kaslertroyed hundreds of homes during California’s deadliest wildfire outbreak in modern history, state officials announced Tuesday. Joseph Serna in the Los Angeles Times Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/9/18
Are political swamps in California and Washington mostly drained? This study says they are -- California ranks second in the nation for anti-corruption laws, according to a new report from nonpartisan corruption watchdog Coalition for Integrity. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/9/18
Chargers owner Alex Spanos dies at 95 -- Longtime Chargers owner Alex Spanos died Tuesday morning, the franchise announced. He was 95. Spanos, the son of Greek immigrants, made his fortune as a landlord and apartment builder, and purchased the San Diego Chargers in 1984. He ran the club for two decades before passing along the day-to-day responsibilities to his children. Sam Farmer in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/9/18
Fox: New, Long Term Ballot Initiative Strategy -- The proponents of two propositions on the November ballot— yet to be voted on —have already filed follow up initiatives for the 2020 election. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 10/9/18
Locals battle PUC over ‘community choice’ -- The California Public Utilities Commission is poised to decide the formula that determines how much consumers are charged by the big investor-owned utility companies, or IOUs—such as Pacific Gas & Electric or Edison, for example—when the customers switch to local community energy programs. Jessica Hice Capitol Weekly -- 10/9/18
Majority of Americans say Trump is just venting when he calls the press 'enemies of the people' -- A staple of President Trump’s rallies is criticism of the news media, which he has often labeled as “enemies of the people.” What do the people think? A slight majority think Trump is basically just blowing off steam. But Americans also think his words can be dangerous. David Lauter in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/9/18
How does a Bay Area Republican survive? Act like a Democrat -- Catharine Baker calls herself pro-choice, pro-environment and pro-gun control. As the only Republican to hold partisan office in the decidedly liberal Bay Area, it may be the only way she can hang on. Holly Honderich in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/9/18
No ‘spooktacular’ weed show. Cannabis Cup has ghosted Sacramento at the last minute -- Tickets had been on sale for about six weeks, but before Cannabis Cup California could set a music lineup or secure a permit, the half-music festival, half-smoke session has been either postponed or canceled, and it’s not clear yet whether anyone will get a refund. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/9/18
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Layered on top of previous mistakes, California's DMV finds an additional 1,500 people wrongly registered to vote under new system -- Randall Marquis has lived in California for 31 years, but he knew it was a mistake when he received a notice last month that said he was newly registered to vote. He may have a state driver’s license, but he’s a citizen of Canada. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times Sophia Bollag Associated Press Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle Bryan Anderson in the Sacramento Bee Roxana Kopetman in the Orange County Register -- 10/9/18
Gas-tax repeal campaign sends 'ballot correction' to voters that opponents say is misleading -- Objecting to the ballot title provided by state officials, the Proposition 6 campaign has sent a mass mailer to California voters labeled “Election Ballot Correction” that opponents of the gas-tax repeal initiative say is misleading because it looks like an official notice. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/9/18
Proposition 6: What to know about the gas tax repeal, in under a minute -- California’s aging roads and highways are in desperate need of repair. So last year, state lawmakers increased the gas tax—for the first time in more than two decades—to generate extra revenue for fixing roads and funds for transit projects and infrastructure upgrades. Byrhonda Lyons, Ben Christopher Calmatters -- 10/9/18
California GOP spends nearly $6 million against two ballot measures -- The California Republican Party spent $5.8 million against two November ballot measures that would expand rent control and limit profits for dialysis clinics after accepting a similar amount of money from business interests. Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/9/18
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 -- 10/9/18
No, Gavin Newsom's dog didn't eat his candidate statement for the California voter guide -- Californians receiving their official state voter information guide for the Nov. 6 election may notice a glaring omission. On the page displaying the candidates for California governor is a picture of Republican John Cox and a half-page candidate statement, along with his campaign website address and official Twitter handle. Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/9/18
Benioff comes out strong for homeless initiative, although Salesforce would pay big -- Billionaire Salesforce chief Marc Benioff is going all in on supporting Proposition C, the November ballot measure that would tax the biggest businesses in San Francisco to raise as much as $300 million for homeless programs, pledging what amounts to at least $2 million to help pass the measure. Kevin Fagan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/9/18
Life on the Dirtiest Block in San Francisco -- The heroin needles, the pile of excrement between parked cars, the yellow soup oozing out of a large plastic bag by the curb and the stained, faux Persian carpet dumped on the corner. It’s a scene of detritus that might bring to mind any variety of developing-world squalor. But this is San Francisco, the capital of the nation’s technology industry, where a single span of Hyde Street hosts an open-air narcotics market by day and at night is occupied by the unsheltered and drug-addled slumped on the sidewalk. Thomas Fuller in the New York Times -- 10/9/18
California Lottery cops questioned a $2 million jackpot. Then they lost their jobs -- The California State Lottery has paid more than $500,000 to settle lawsuits filed by two former investigators who claimed they were fired for calling attention to jackpots they believed the lottery improperly awarded to recipients who could not prove they were winners. Adam Ashton in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/9/18
Gavin Newsom, John Cox Spar on Housing, Criminal Justice in Wide-Ranging Debate -- Gubernatorial candidates John Cox and Gavin Newsom faced off in an hour-long radio debate on KQED's Forum on Monday morning that covered plenty of policy ground, but did not reveal much new information about the candidates. Marisa Lagos KQED Phil Willon and Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle Casey Tolan in the San Jose Mercury Jonathan J. Cooper and Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press Angela Hart in the Sacramento Bee Ben Christopher Calmatters Ben Adler Capital Public Radio Carla Marinucci Politico -- 10/8/18
Politifact CA: Fact-checking Gavin Newsom’s record ‘solving’ homelessness in San Francisco -- During his run for California governor, Republican John Cox has tried to tie Democrat Gavin Newsom to the state’s growing homeless problem. In Cox’s latest radio campaign ad, a narrator even uses "Newsomville" to describe the state’s homeless camps "springing up in every town." Chris Nichols Politifact CA -- 10/9/18
For third time, San Diego County is accused of accessing private records to defend lawsuit -- Lawyers for the County of San Diego are once again being accused of snooping through confidential records to defend a civil lawsuit, the third time in recent months that plaintiffs have leveled such an allegation. Jeff McDonald in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/9/18
Diocese of San Bernardino releases list of 34 priests accused of sexual abuse in past 40 years -- The Diocese of San Bernardino County on Monday released a list of 34 priests who have been accused of sexually abusing children since the diocese formed in 1978. Six of the named priests — Edward Ball, Gustavo Benson, Anthony Rodrigue, Alex Castillo, Jesus Dominguez and Ponciano Ramos.— were convicted for their crimes. Joe Nelson, Scott Schwebke in the San Bernardino Sun$ -- 10/9/18
Diocese of Oakland to release names of clergy accused of sex abuse -- The Diocese of Oakland will release the names of all clergy “credibly accused” of sexual abuse, in a move that echoes an announcement made last month by the Catholic Diocese of San Jose. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/9/18
Civil rights attorneys settle lawsuit accusing court of improperly suspending poor people's driver's licenses -- Civil rights lawyers have settled a lawsuit accusing the Los Angeles Superior Court of improperly ordering driver’s license suspensions for people who couldn’t afford to pay their traffic ticket fines, saying the court has agreed to notify drivers that they can ask a judge to evaluate their ability to pay. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/9/18
L.A. County watchdog investigating team of deputies that stopped thousands of innocent Latinos on 5 Freeway -- The Los Angeles County inspector general has launched an investigation into whether a Sheriff’s Department highway enforcement team engaged in racial profiling when it stopped thousands of innocent Latino drivers in search of drugs on the 5 Freeway. Ben Poston, Joel Rubin and Maya Lau in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/9/18
Los Angeles celebrates inaugural Indigenous Peoples Day -- Christopher Columbus was the guest of dishonor at this party. Away from the revelers, a statue of the famous explorer was kept hidden behind a black box in downtown Los Angeles’ Grand Park, decorated with an altar celebrating native people. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/9/18
Google is killing its Google+ social network, after a privacy lapse that was kept secret for months -- The company cited two major factors in its decision to end the service: its small and unengaged user base, and a newly announced privacy lapse affecting as many as 500,000 users. Sam Dean in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/9/18
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
H-1B: As immigration furor roils Silicon Valley, Canada smooths way for techies -- Two weeks: That’s how quickly a foreign technology worker in Silicon Valley can get an employment permit from Canada. In the U.S., that process takes months. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury -- 10/9/18
San Francisco Marriott hotel strike stretches into fifth day, spreads to Hawaii, Detroit -- Marriott hotel workers continued their Bay Area strike on Monday and began striking in Hawaii, escalating their labor dispute with the world’s largest hotel operator. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/9/18
Lufthansa jettisons San Jose-Germany flights -- Lufthansa Airlines has decided to jettison its flights between Mineta San Jose International Airport and Germany, dealing a fresh blow to the travel hub’s quest to widen its reach for international flights. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury -- 10/9/18
Hiltzik: Battling a California law, drug industry reveals it may not always have a good reason for price hikes -- Nothing brings an industry’s dirty little secrets to light as effectively as litigation, especially when the industry gives up those secrets voluntarily, in the service of making more profit than it could obtain by remaining silent. Michael Hiltzik in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/9/18
Wildfire
Wildfire concerns prompting SDG&E to upgrade infrastructure, explore new technology -- More than 14,000 wooden power poles have been replaced by steel versions, special cameras have been placed on 16 mountaintops and 177 weather stations are monitoring winds and moisture, an SDG&E official told a City Council committee last week. David Garrick in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/9/18
Survivors once again -- They’d escaped the devastating Tubbs Fire. But other perils lay ahead. Lizzie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/9/18
Should Californians Be Rebuilding Homes in a Fire Zone? -- A year ago, on a warm, windy night, Paul Lowenthal got the call; he was needed at work. The Tubbs Fire, on its way to becoming the most destructive blaze in California history, was spreading into Santa Rosa, and Lowenthal, the city's assistant fire marshal, needed to get people out. Lauren Sommer KQED -- 10/9/18
Immigration, Border, Deportation
Migrant Children in Search of Justice: A 2-Year-Old’s Day in Immigration Court -- The youngest child to come before the bench in federal immigration courtroom No. 14 was so small she had to be lifted into the chair. Even the judge in her black robes breathed a soft “aww” as her latest case perched on the brown leather. Vivian Yee and Miriam Jordan in the New York Times -- 10/9/18
Education
Are California’s low test scores a cry for the state to take more responsibility? -- California is supposed to be getting its students ready for 21st century careers. It’s one of the favorite educational phrases of our time, most recently used by state schools Superintendent Tom Torlakson in his department’s press release on state test scores. Yet, at the rate the tests are going, the state won’t get to that point until it’s waving this century good-bye. Karin Klein Calmatters -- 10/9/18
University of San Diego breaks $300 million fundraising goal, and sets enrollment record -- The school received more than 105,000 donations collectively worth a record $317.3 million over an eight-year period during a campaign that was heavily influenced by alumni and long-term supporters. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/9/18
Cal State Long Beach students protest against Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to U.S. Supreme Court and in support of sexual assault survivors -- Some 60 students at Cal State Long Beach chanting and wielding “We Believe Survivors” signs among others marched on campus Monday, Oct. 8, joining others across the nation to support Christine Blasey Ford and to protest Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court. Emily Rasmussen in the Long Beach Press Telegram$ -- 10/9/18
It’s now easier for Cal State Long Beach students who have kids to study on campus -- Rainbow-colored toys are scattered across the study hall tables and shelves of children’s books line the room. Students stare at textbooks and laptops, studying for their midterms at Cal State Long Beach. Emily Rasmussen in the Long Beach Press Telegram$ -- 10/9/18
California community colleges seek larger Cal Grants to cover students' living costs -- The proposal would be expensive, estimated to cost $1.5 billion a year, but would change the rules of the state’s main form of financial aid — the Cal Grant programs — to allow hundreds of thousands of low- and moderate-income students to receive aid to cover not just tuition but also living expenses like housing and food. Mikhail Zinshteyn EdSource -- 10/9/18
Environment
'Incredibly grim' prognosis on global warming also carries clarion call for global action -- A major new report on global warming makes a chilling prediction: Without swift and sweeping worldwide intervention, some devastating effects of climate change will hit harder — and decades sooner — than previously expected. Laura King, Liam Dillon and Shashank Bengali in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/9/18
Also . . .
Snapcrap app aims to provide exposure to San Francisco's public poop problem -- It didn’t take Sean Miller long after moving from Vermont to San Francisco to understand the scope of a stinky problem plaguing the city by the sea: poop on public sidewalks. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/9/18
San Francisco Ferry Building tower could open to public after $291 million lease deal -- San Francisco’s Ferry Building, an 1898 landmark that has become a prime spot for restaurants and food shops as well as offices, has changed hands for $291 million. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/9/18
POTUS 45
Trump stokes tensions of confirmation battle as Kavanaugh prepares to take seat -- President Trump further politicized an already contentious Supreme Court confirmation battle Monday evening, beginning a ceremonial swearing-in for Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh by apologizing to both Kavanaugh and his family “for the terrible pain and suffering” he said they were forced to endure. Ashley Parker and John Wagner in the Washington Post -- 10/9/18
Beltway
‘An angry mob’: Republicans work to recast Democratic protests as out-of-control anarchy -- When thousands of furious, screaming protesters marched toward the Capitol over the weekend as Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh was confirmed, Republican staffers peered out at the scene from the windows above. They were not alarmed but elated. Matt Viser and Robert Costa in the Washington Post -- 10/9/18
-- Monday Updates
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