Updating . .
Prison psychiatry chief’s report accuses state of misleading court on mental health care -- The chief psychiatrist for California’s prison system is accusing state officials of providing inaccurate and misleading data to a federal court and to lawyers for prison inmates fighting to improve psychiatric care inside state prisons, according to court documents. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/10/18
How Gavin Newsom, John Cox say they’d make California more affordable -- Both candidates for governor agree that the cost of housing in California, to rent and own, is too dang high. They concur that the skyrocketing homeless population is a travesty. And they want to help the one in five Californians who lives in poverty. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/10/18
City Council approves $1.8-million payout to LAPD officer who accused her boss of sexual harassment -- A Los Angeles police officer who accused an internal affairs lieutenant of sexual harassment and ordering surveillance of her when she rejected his advances will receive a $1.8-million payout from the city. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/10/18
It’s a debate: Feinstein and de León to face off over U.S. Senate seat -- There will be a debate in the U.S. Senate race after all. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, seeking a sixth term, and challenger Kevin de León have agreed to a discussion hosted by the Public Policy Institute of California. The event, which will take place in San Francisco on Wednesday, Oct. 17, at noon, is set to be streamed online. Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee-- 10/10/18
Battle erupts over how consumers pick electricity providers like PG&E -- How people can pick electricity providers — and whether consumers will be forced to pay an unfair share of the costs for a new era of choice in power companies — is at the heart of a key state panel’s decision that’s due as soon as this week. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury -- 10/10/18
Curtailing California's inheritance tax break would raise billions of dollars in property taxes, new analysis finds -- Eliminating California’s inheritance tax break for vacation houses and rental property and restricting its use for primary homes could raise $2 billion a year in property taxes over time, according to a new analysis. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/10/18
Vandals splatter Old Mission Santa Barbara with red paint, misspell 'genocide' message -- At least one person broke a small window and splattered red paint on the front door and the brick walkway leading up to the building, Wagner said. The person also wrote “never forget the lives + land stolen” in red paint on another wall on the property. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/10/18
‘Lock her up’ chant targets Feinstein at Trump rally -- The crowd at Trump’s campaign rally in Council Bluffs, Iowa, broke into the chant Tuesday night during Trump’s riff on Democrats, Feinstein and the attempted-rape allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Tal Kopan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/10/18
A year of #MeToo amplified women’s voices. But who is listening? -- Christine Blasey Ford painfully and painstakingly testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee how the man who assaulted her held her down and covered her mouth. In the moment she feared he might accidentally kill her. What the hand actually did do, of course, was shut her up. At least, until 36 long years later. Kitty Morgan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/10/18
Kavanaugh backs Trump administration on jailing and deporting immigrants for crimes committed years earlier -- Newly seated Justice Brett Kavanaugh spoke up Wednesday in defense of the Trump administration’s view that legal immigrants with criminal records can be arrested and held for deportation, even years after they were convicted and completed their sentences. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/10/18
Sacramento’s Catholic diocese to release names of priests accused of sex abuse -- The Catholic Diocese of Sacramento plans to release the names of priests accused of sexual abuse, a move in line with a greater reckoning within Catholic communities across the United States as stories of extensive abuse and decades-long cover-ups continue to surface. Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/10/18
Harris urges fighting ‘NRA-backed’ Denham. But his rival isn’t stressing gun control -- California Sen. Kamala Harris is tapping into her deep fundraising pockets to try to oust vulnerable Republicans supported by the National Rifle Association, including her fellow Californian Rep. Jeff Denham. But Denham’s opponent, Democrat Josh Harder, has steered away from talking about gun control in his campaign. Kate Irby in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/10/18
Point Lobos visits will soon require a reservation -- Securing a spot at this famed coastal reserve will soon be like scoring a table at Mario Batali’s hottest new restaurant. Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury -- 10/10/18
Fact-checking President Trump’s USA Today op-ed on ‘Medicare-for-All’ -- President Trump wrote an opinion article for USA Today on Oct. 10 regarding proposals to expand Medicare to all Americans — known as Medicare-for-All — in which almost every sentence contained a misleading statement or a falsehood. Glenn Kessler in the Washington Post -- 10/10/18
California Policy & Politics This Morning
‘Are you on crack?’ Newsom attack ad is deceptive -- An independent campaign committee supporting Republican John Cox for California governor has launched an ad tying his opponent, Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, to San Francisco policies banning plastic straws and providing free needles to drug users. Angela Hart in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/10/18
Republican Candidate John Cox On His Childhood Struggles, Outsider Politics — But Not Trump -- If John Cox wins the California governor’s race next month, he’ll immediately become one of the nation’s most prominent Republicans: the leader of the world’s fifth-largest economy who upset a nationally known Democrat in one of the bluest states in the country. But whatever you do, don’t ask him about Donald Trump. Ben Adler Capital Public Radio -- 10/10/18
As complaints mount about fire clean-up, disaster contractor gives big money to California Dems -- A Florida-based company accused of botching the clean-up after last year’s devastating fires in Santa Rosa has jumped into California politics, writing big checks to Gavin Newsom’s gubernatorial campaign and the California Democratic Party. Laurel Rosenhall Calmatters -- 10/10/18
California Election Official Can't Say if Non-Citizens Voted -- California's top elections official said Tuesday he doesn't yet know if any of the roughly 1,500 people mistakenly registered to vote by the Department of Motor Vehicles cast ballots in the June primary. Sophia Bollag Associated Press -- 10/10/18
Trump’s choice falters in San Diego congressional race -- The League of Conservation Voters, aided by a $5 million pledge from billionaire Michael Bloomberg, announced Tuesday it’s spending $780,000 to bash Republican Diane Harkey in an effort to flip Republican Congressman Darrell Issa’s seat into Democratic control. Dan Morain Calmatters -- 10/10/18
Gas-tax increase repeal campaign attacks spending by Caltrans, Los Angeles MTA -- The Proposition 6 campaign on Tuesday cited six-figure salaries given to thousands of government transportation workers as a reason why California voters should approve the initiative to repeal fuel tax and vehicle fee increases enacted last year. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/10/18
Walters: What’s the political fallout from Kavanaugh battle? -- We don’t know what we don’t know. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 10/10/18
Political insiders: Don’t expect a major “Kavanaugh effect” in California midterms -- If progressives can find a silver lining in the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh—and as they now contemplate a conservative majority on the country’s highest court for years, if not decades, to come, it’s a vanishingly thin one—it’s on the odd chance that this whole catastrophe will ultimately turnout out more enraged Democratic voters in the November election. Ben Christopher Calmatters -- 10/10/18
California's only Republican vs Republican congressional race turns to culture war, personal attacks -- The race pits Tim Donnelly, a former California Assemblymember, known for starting a citizen militia to patrol the U.S.-Mexico border, against three-term incumbent Col. Paul Cook, a Marine Corps veteran who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and is a member of the Republican Mainstreet Partnership, a congressional caucus made up of Republicans willing to “work across the aisle to develop pragmatic solutions,” according to its mission statement. Samuel Metz in the Palm Springs Desert Sun -- 10/10/18
Abcarian: In Ramona, she expected supporters of Duncan Hunter and President Trump. What she found was more nuanced -- At the Turkey Inn, the town’s oldest watering hole, there’s a portrait of President Trump in a place of honor above the cash register. “We’re just a good, down-home blue-collar bar,” bartender Erin Smidt said. “Lots of vets and military, and lots of people mad at the NFL for not airing the national anthem.” Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/10/18
Why Is It So Hard to Engage Latino Voters? They're Young - and Historically Neglected -- All summer, 19-year-old Valeria Mena has been working to register young people to vote in her hometown of Fresno. She just finished her first year as an undergraduate student at UC Santa Cruz. For her, leaving the Central Valley to go to college was like a political awakening. Before that, no one had ever talked to her about politics. Alexandra Hall KQED -- 10/10/18
Voters in 2020 will weigh new oversight of Sheriff's Department -- A ballot initiative aimed at reforming the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department by granting more authority to a civilian oversight commission will go to voters in 2020, the Board of Supervisors decided Tuesday. Matt Stiles in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/10/18
All eyes on Orange County’s congressional races, law-official battles and key council votes -- Bucking the role they play in most elections, Orange County voters will have clout in the upcoming midterm. Jordan Graham in the Orange County Register -- 10/10/18
Donald Trump isn’t on the ballot. But he’s a wild card in California races this election year -- Before November 2016, Molly Scholes of Roseville couldn’t have picked her congressman, Republican Tom McClintock, out of a lineup. But since Donald Trump was elected president she’s become “a regular caller to his office,” she told The Bee. Emily Cadei in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/10/18
Southern California Republicans are avoiding ‘the T-word’ -- His last name has five letters, but Republicans running for office in Southern California are as reluctant to mention “Donald Trump” as they are to drop one of the few still forbidden four-letter words in public. It’s a reality of the double political life many candidates on both sides of the political aisle are leading in 2018. Jeff Horseman, Kevin Modesti in the Orange County Register -- 10/10/18
AP Fact Check: California Governor Hopefuls Stumble on Bail -- Both candidates for California governor on Monday addressed the state's recently approved law that will make it the first to eliminate bail for suspects awaiting trial and replace it with a risk-assessment system. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 10/10/18
California at risk of census undercount that could cost it in Congress -- California is vulnerable to an undercount in the 2020 census that could overlook more than 1.6 million people and cost the state one of its seats in the House of Representatives, a new study has found. Holly Honderich in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/10/18
Tunnel with a rail system is found under Mexico-California border -- Mexican officials discovered a sophisticated cross-border tunnel that began in a home in the town of Jacume less than a football field away from the U.S. border. Kate Morrissey in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/10/18
Stop wild horse roundup, potential slaughter, Feinstein says -- U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein has called on the U.S. Forest Service to halt a planned wild horse gather in California’s Modoc National Forest out of concern that hundreds of the horses could be sold to slaughterhouses. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/10/18
L.A. will impose new punishment on audience members who disrupt City Council meetings -- The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to crack down on people who repeatedly disrupt their meetings at City Hall, defying attorneys and activists who charge that the new rules trample on free speech rights. Emily Alpert Reyes and David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/10/18
L.A. County to stop collecting old juvenile detention fees, erasing nearly $90 million of families' debt -- Los Angeles County supervisors voted Tuesday to stop collecting fees once charged to families of juvenile delinquents for their incarceration, ending a practice decried by criminal justice advocates as an unfair tax on minorities and an ineffective means of rehabilitating young people who commit crimes. Nina Agrawal in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/10/18
San Diego priest suspended, as diocese finds allegations of sexual misconduct credible -- Twice, in 1995 and in 2002, the Diocese of San Diego cleared the Rev. Justin Langille of allegations that he had sexually abused a teenage girl. Peter Rowe in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/10/18
Appeals Court Sets Up Supreme Court Showdown Over Census Citizenship Question -- A three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected the Trump administration's effort to stop Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross from having to sit for questioning under oath as part of the multiple lawsuits across the country over his decision to add a question about U.S. citizenship status to the 2020 census. Hansi Lo Wang KQED -- 10/10/18
Conflict and cash: Money rolls in for California lottery despite scrutiny -- The California State Lottery is earning more money than ever, but it’s also coming under new scrutiny as it heads toward a ninth consecutive year of revenue growth. Adam Ashton in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/10/18
California has billions in unclaimed cash, and some of it could be yours -- There are three quarters of a billion more reasons why you should find out if the State of California is holding money that belongs to you. California State Controller Betty Yee announced Tuesday that in the 2017-18 fiscal year, the state received $770 million in unclaimed cash for safekeeping. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/10/18
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Anaheim City Council gets an earful over opinion that Disneyland Resort won't be subject to 'living wage' measure -- Business leaders and union organizers clashed at a crowded Anaheim City Council meeting Tuesday night as the city attorney delivered his legal opinion that the Disneyland Resort won’t be subject to a Nov. 6 ballot measure requiring certain hospitality businesses to pay workers a “living wage.” Hugo Martin in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/10/18
Homeless
As California struggles to house the homeless, some neighbors say ‘welcome’ -- On a bright recent morning, Van Thomas was holding forth from his front porch in Central Los Angeles, alongside his mixed-breed dog, Princess. “I’ve been a part of this neighborhood for 45 years,” he said. “I grew up playing ball across the street.” David Gorn Calmatters -- 10/10/18
Homeless patients were left on the streets by hospitals. This law could end ‘dumping’ -- Spurred by news stories about hospitals “dumping” poor people onto the streets, a new law will soon require health care providers to develop specific policies for safely discharging homeless patients. Cynthia Hubert in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/10/18
Cannabis
California needs more time to vet and license marijuana businesses -- The state is in the process of creating a second stop-gap licensing program for the cannabis industry to avoid a potential disruption in the supply chain for California’s newly legal marijuana market. Brooke Staggs in the Orange County Register -- 10/10/18
Immigration, Border, Deportation
‘We don’t know what to do.’ Proposed Trump rule strikes new fear in immigrant communities -- A proposed Trump administration rule that would make it more difficult for immigrants to become legal residents if they get government benefits has Fresno County immigrants and advocates concerned, while gaining support from fiscal conservatives who say the U.S. should not have to support individuals coming into the country. Yesenia Amaro and Barbara Anderson in the Fresno Bee -- 10/10/18
Education
San Francisco school board changes Lowell admission policy to accept all qualified Willie Brown students -- The San Francisco school board took a small step toward increasing access to the academically elite Lowell High School, allowing all qualified applicants from a predominantly black middle school to automatically earn admission. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/10/18
Millions more pour into race for California state superintendent of public instruction -- Donations supporting education executive Marshall Tuck in the race for state superintendent of public instruction continue to outpace those backing Bay Area Assemblyman Tony Thurmond. Nico Savidge EdSource
Walmart to back courses for retail workers at California's new online community college -- Walmart and its foundation contributed nearly $2.4 million to spur development of courses at California’s new online community college to train retail workers to become supervisors. Mikhail Zinshteyn EdSource -- 10/10/18
Guns
Los Angeles Gun Seizures Touted, but Big Backlog Remains -- A new police task force targeting people who aren't allowed to have guns has led to 35 arrests and the seizure of more than 100 firearms since June, officials announced Tuesday while acknowledging that an ever-increasing backlog of prohibited possessors remains a major challenge. Amanda Lee Myers Associated Press -- 10/10/18
Environment
San Francisco officials to test tap water across the city after Sunset District pesticide scare -- A San Francisco woman who tested her tap water with a store-bought kit and got a positive reading for pesticides, then posted the results to social media, has prompted the city to step up water testing not just near her home in the Sunset District but across the city. Kurtis Alexander and Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/10/18
Water
US States Agree on Plan to Manage Overtaxed Colorado River -- Seven Southwestern U.S. states that depend on the overtaxed Colorado River have reached landmark agreements on how to manage the waterway amid an unprecedented drought, including a commitment by California to bear part of the burden before it is legally required to do so, officials said Tuesday. Dan Elliott Associated Press -- 10/10/18
Also . . .
Deputies doused inmate with feces, urine in Alameda County jail, lawsuit claims -- A former Santa Rita Jail inmate is suing Alameda County and four former sheriff’s deputies for “despicable” attacks that included a plot to repeatedly douse him with feces and urine, according to a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/10/18
POTUS 45
At Iowa rally, Trump portrays Democrats as 'angry mob,' urges voters to reject 'anger, division and destruction' -- The rally, one of four that Trump has scheduled for a second consecutive week, included familiar hype about the economy — he falsely called it the "greatest economy in history" and inflated the pace of job gains — as well as fearmongering about the prospect of Democrats capturing control of Congress in the Nov. 6 election. Eli Stokols in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/10/18
Beltway
Bretón: Why is Anthony Kennedy smiling? He kept quiet on Kavanaugh, but can’t plead not guilty -- Anthony Kennedy was right in the thick of it. Sacramento’s most notable and accomplished native son, who retired from the high court to make way for Kavanaugh, was saying a great deal on Monday after ducking questions about Kavanaugh’s fraught confirmation process during a trip home to Sacramento in late September. Marcos Bretón in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/10/18
-- Tuesday Updates
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