Updating . .
California senators will try to block White House judicial nominees for the 9th Circuit -- Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris complained Thursday that they did not sign off on three White House nominees for open California seats on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and said they would oppose their confirmation in the Senate. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times Emily Cadei and Kate Irby in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/11/18
How Kavanaugh’s addition to the Supreme Court could affect California -- Brett Kavanaugh’s elevation to the U.S. Supreme Court could solidify its conservative majority for a decade or more and affect issues as profound as climate change, abortion, health care and the scope of presidential power. And for California, the stakes also include an array of pending and future legal battles on topics ranging from immigration to vehicle emissions, net neutrality and the 2020 census. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/11/18
Californians have new privacy protections. Google wants Republicans to weaken them -- Two weeks ago, the nation’s tech titans came to Washington to urge Congress to pass legislation that would override the data privacy law California’s legislature passed in June. On Wednesday, privacy advocates got their chance to push back. Emily Cadei in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/11/18
U.S. Senate candidates Dianne Feinstein and Kevin de León to meet for moderated discussion next week -- U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein and California state Sen. Kevin de León will meet Wednesday for a conversation moderated by the Public Policy Institute of California. But is it a debate? Feinstein’s campaign says it is, De León’s team says it is not. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/18
El Niño conditions growing increasingly likely this winter -- The likelihood this winter of an El Niño — the weather pattern marked by warm Pacific Ocean waters that can affect California’s rainfall — is increasing. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury -- 10/11/18
Fox: Proposition 13 is “On the Table.” What Does That Mean? -- In the gubernatorial debate when asked if Proposition 13 was “on the table,” Gavin Newsom responded, “Everything is on the table.” So Newsom’s going after Proposition 13? Maybe, but I think he plans to take on the state’s tax structure a bit differently. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 10/11/18
Here’s why gas prices are climbing toward $4 a gallon -- Ouch. For the first time in four years, gas prices are climbing back to the $4 a gallon range, hitting $3.81 statewide on Wednesday. That’s the highest price we’ve paid all year, and more than 80 cents higher than this time last year. A survey of 300 stations saw San Francisco’s Metro prices about $3.92. Gary Richards in the San Jose Mercury -- 10/11/18
The invisible children of California -- California has hundreds, perhaps thousands, of children that cannot be accounted for. They are among the estimated 45,704 unaccompanied undocumented minors who were apprehended by federal authorities between Oct. 1, 2017 and Aug. 31, 2018 as they tried to enter California through its southern border, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Scott Soriano Capitol Weekly -- 10/11/18
DMV fines almost 500 drivers caught misusing disabled parking placards -- The majority of those offenses were found during five sweeps at the Los Angeles County Fair, which resulted in 443 citations. Those who were caught had their placards confiscated and face fines that range from $250 to $1,000. Sarah Parvini in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/18
Former police Explorers who say Irwindale cop sexually abused them get $4-million settlement -- The Irwindale Police Department and a group that runs the agency’s Explorer program for teens has agreed to pay $4 million to settle a lawsuit with three women who say they were sexually abused by a former police officer who served as the program’s advisor. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/18
Ex-ER psychiatrist: More inpatient treatment needed in San Francisco -- A five-minute stroll around downtown San Francisco makes it obvious the city has a huge number of people with mental health problems. And it’s not unusual to see homeless people who appear mentally ill wearing hospital gowns or identification bracelets, signaling they’ve just been released from the hospital and are back on the streets. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/11/18
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Eternal optimist: John Cox, distruster of politicians, keeps bidding to become one -- One month out from the Illinois primary, GOP Congressman John Porter decided something needed to be done about an upstart candidate named John Cox. Ben Christopher Calmatters -- 10/11/18
California’s Next Governor Interview: Democratic Candidate Gavin Newsom Dives Into Childhood Challenges, Defends His Business Career And Campaign Promises -- In his more than two decades climbing the political ladder, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom has long been a magnet for criticism: for getting a boost from wealthy, connected families as he started his own business; for being a moderate San Francisco mayor before pivoting to the left; and for a long list of gubernatorial campaign proposals with hefty price tags but no recipe to pay for them. Newsom makes no apology for any of that. Ben Adler Capital Public Radio -- 10/11/18
Proposition 3: Smart water plan or costly gift to farmers? -- California voters may be feelin
g a sense of deja vu when they consider Proposition 3, an $8.9 billion water bond on the November ballot to fund a long list of water projects — from repairing Oroville Dam to restoring Bay Area wetlands to helping Central Valley farmers recharge depleted groundwater. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury -- 10/11/18
Walters: Two arcane ballot measures show need for reform -- There’s a symbiotic relationship between two of the 11 statewide ballot measures facing voters next month, Propositions 8 and 11. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 10/11/18
$700 a year? Less than $10 a month? We analyze how much California’s gas tax increase really costs you -- Two recent television ads illuminate the sharp contrasts in campaign approaches to Proposition 6, the effort to repeal fuel tax and vehicle fee hikes on the November ballot. Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/11/18
Congress could override California privacy law. Supporters are imploring them not to -- Two weeks ago, the nation’s tech titans came to Washington to urge Congress to pass legislation that would override the data privacy law California’s legislature passed in June. On Wednesday, privacy advocates got their chance to push back. Emily Cadei in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/11/18
Skelton: What Gavin Newsom and John Cox didn't talk about in their only head-to-head debate -- If Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is elected governor as expected, he’ll keep building the state’s two contentious public works projects: the bullet train and twin water tunnels. But he’ll scale back both. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/18
Pelosi: Trump’s tax returns are fair game if Democrats win House -- Although a 1924 provision of the Internal Revenue Code gives certain congressional committees the right to request — and release — the tax records of even the president, it’s unlikely Trump would surrender those documents without an all-out legal battle. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/11/18
McCarthy woos Trump’s immigration populists -- House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy has never been the darling of the right — far from it. But as he seeks to replace Speaker Paul Ryan, the No. 2 House Republican is branding himself as an immigration hard-liner in the mold of President Donald Trump, wooing conservatives who might otherwise oppose his ascension to lead the conference next year. Rachael Bade Politico -- 10/11/18
New San Francisco school board president skips Pledge of Allegiance at first meeting -- State education code requires schools to conduct a daily patriotic exercise — although no one is required to participate, and many schools skip it because it is rarely if ever enforced — but that law doesn’t extend to public meetings, district officials said. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/11/18
How to motivate millennials to vote? Emplower them, California leaders say -- Millennials vote in smaller numbers than any other generation in America today. But those same young people volunteer their time back into their communities in greater numbers than any other generation in recent history. Dan Schnur in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/11/18
Arnold Schwarzenegger once called political opponents ‘girly men.’ He now regrets it. -- The then-California governor addressed “my fellow immigrants, my fellow Americans,” and posed a question: “How do you know if you are a Republican?” Lindsey Bever in the Washington Post -- 10/11/18
Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds
Disney pulls the plug on its proposed luxury hotel in Anaheim, citing the loss of a tax break -- The Walt Disney Co. has canceled plans to build a 700-room luxury hotel near its Anaheim resort, citing the city’s elimination of a tax rebate agreement that would have saved the media giant $267 million over 20 years. Hugo Martin in the Los Angeles Times Alicia Robinson in the Orange County Register -- 10/11/18
SDG&E to lobby utilities commission to eliminate 'high usage charge' to try to reduce customer bills -- The high usage charge has been a particular sore spot for some customers as the San Diego area suffered through a sweltering July and the hottest August on record. Temperatures in Ramona hit 117 degrees on July 6. Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/11/18
Homeless
L.A. prepares to begin crackdown on homeless camps, under fire from civil rights lawyers -- Outreach workers went tent to tent early Wednesday with offers of homeless services as the city launched a crackdown on encampments around a new shelter in downtown Los Angeles’ El Pueblo historic district. Gale Holland in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/18
Transit
Opening of Fremont Street below San Francisco transit center delayed until Oct. 17 -- Work to shore up the damaged Transbay Transit Center is taking longer than expected, delaying the planned opening of Fremont Street until the middle of next week. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/11/18
Immigration, Border, Deportation
With border wall funding still in question, construction finishes on Calexico barrier -- Almost two years into Trump’s presidency, Congress has so far avoided funding a full-fledged border wall. The approximate $1.6 billion in legislative funding that has been awarded to border construction has focused on replacement barrier projects with restrictions about the type of structure that could be built with the money. That meant that the Trump administration couldn’t build barriers that resemble wall prototypes in Otay Mesa. Kate Morrissey in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/11/18
Mexican police officer arrested at Orange County line with 50 pounds of methamphetamine in car, authorities say -- The 41-year-old cop was driving on the northbound 5 Freeway when, at the Orange County border with San Diego County, a deputy with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Highway Interdiction Team pulled the man over for a Vehicle Code violation, authorities said. Alma Fausto in the Orange County Register -- 10/11/18
Education
California adults need help to finish college -- Millions of Californians who began their college education but never finished deserve special support and policy changes to help get them across the finish line later in life, a new report urges. Larry Gordon EdSource -- 10/11/18
Health
Santa Clara County Moves to Buy Two Hospitals After Bankruptcy -- Santa Clara and San Mateo County leaders are hoping to keep the doors open at four Bay Area hospitals owned by financially embattled Verity Health System, which filed for bankruptcy in late August. Don Clyde, Peter Jon Shuler, Laura Klivans KQED -- 10/11/18
Environment
Less Snow Could Be Coming To California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains -- If temperatures increase in California because of climate change, snow could melt earlier in the Sierra Nevada — and you might only find it at higher elevations. Ezra David Romero Capital Public Radio -- 10/11/18
Toxic Metal Found in Chain Stores' Jewelry -- Jewelry with the toxic metal cadmium is showing up on the shelves of national retailers including Ross, Nordstrom Rack and Papaya, according to newly released test results. Analysis done for the nonprofit Center for Environmental Health revealed some jewelry sold with women's dresses and shirts was nearly pure cadmium, which can cause cancer and reproductive harm after prolonged exposure. Ariel Tu Associated Press -- 10/11/18
Water
As states near deal on Colorado River shortage, California looks at water cuts of as much as 8% -- After years of stop-and-go talks, California and two other states that take water from the lower Colorado River are nearing an agreement on how to share delivery cuts if a formal shortage is declared on the drought-plagued waterway. Bettina Boxall in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/18
Also . . .
3 women sue Huntington Hospital, accusing gynecologist of sexual misconduct -- Three women filed a federal lawsuit against Huntington Memorial Hospital and one of its longest-serving obstetricians Wednesday, alleging that the physician subjected them to unwanted sexual remarks during exams in the 1990s. Harriet Ryan and Matt Hamilton in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/18
DNA confirms shark that attacked boy in Encinitas was great white -- Results from DNA testing of a wetsuit worn by a teenage boy bitten by a shark last month while lobster diving in Encinitas confirmed the attack was made by a great white shark, officials said Wednesday. Karen Kucher in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/11/18
POTUS 45
FBI's Wray confirms White House limited Kavanaugh probe -- FBI Director Christopher Wray told the Senate on Wednesday that the White House put limits on the re-opened investigation into Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, but the law enforcement chief insisted that the process used was a typical one. Josh Gerstein Politico -- 10/11/18
Trump, no longer ratings gold, loses his prime-time spot on Fox News -- President Donald Trump loves to brag about ratings, but he’s not getting them anymore. Jason Schwartz and Gabby Orr Politico -- 10/11/18
Beltway
As even long-shot Democrats harvest huge numbers of campaign contributions, Republicans brace for an onslaught -- House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes typically steamrolls challengers when reelection time comes. The most any of his past opponents has raised during the 16 years he has represented part of the Central Valley was $400,000; some raised nothing at all. Evan Halper in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/18
Quinn: The End of The Warren Court -- The confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court culminates a 50-year struggle by conservatives to gain control of the court and end 80 years of liberal judicial activism. Tony Quinn Fox & Hounds -- 10/11/18
Californian Who Unwittingly Aided Russian Election Interference Gets 6 Months in Prison -- A 28-year-old California man was sentenced to six months in prison on Wednesday for selling bank account information that helped Russia wage a social media campaign aimed at influencing and disrupting the 2016 presidential race. Sharon LaFraniere in the New York Times -- 10/11/18
Kamala Harris to make first South Carolina trip ahead of 2020 -- Sen. Kamala Harris will travel to South Carolina next week, campaigning for the first time in the early primary state as she edges closer to a presidential run. David Siders Politico -- 10/11/18
-- Wednesday Updates
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