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Fox News apologizes for portraying California senator as suspected murderer -- A Fox News host has apologized after a morning news segment showed a picture of California Democratic U.S. Sen Kamala Harris in a story about a murder-suicide suspect in Salt Lake City on Tuesday. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/23/18

California has lost more than half a million jobs to China — more than any other state, report says -- California has lost more jobs to China than any other state since 2001, fueled by Silicon Valley outsourcing and the continued shrinking of Southern California’s apparel industry, according to a report released Tuesday by a Washington, D.C., think tank. Margot Roosevelt in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/23/18

Water bond would spread money across the state — but pour it on the Central Valley -- Excessive groundwater pumping by San Joaquin Valley farmers has caused a stretch of the Friant-Kern Canal to sink so much that it has interfered with irrigation deliveries to more than 300,000 acres of cropland. Bettina Boxall in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/23/18

San Francisco high-rise fire leaves displaced residents questioning lack of sprinklers -- The lack of sprinklers at a San Francisco high-rise apartment building that caught fire Monday — leaving residents of 30 units displaced — has a supervisor determined to find out if city rules on old buildings need revision. Steve Rubenstein and Ashley McBride in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/23/18

Vandals throw large rock through window of House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy's office in Bakersfield -- Two men threw a large rock through the window of House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s office in Bakersfield and made off with equipment, the congressman wrote on social media Monday night. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/23/18

Rep. Rohrabacher gets a small boost in his reelection bid, but race remains tight, poll shows -- With just two weeks to go before the midterm election, Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher appears to have received a slight bump in his reelection bid, but the race remains tight, according to the latest poll in his coastal Orange County district. Christine Mai-Duc in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/23/18

In Prop. 10 fight, some tenants caught in the crossfire -- When Proposition 10, a rent control initiative, made it on the Nov. 6 ballot, backers and foes offered different apocalyptic claims. Scott Scoriano Capitol Weekly -- 10/23/18

A little secret about your CA mail ballot: It will get there without a stamp -- Up to two-thirds of Californians casting ballots in the midterm elections are expected to do so by mail. How many will attach enough postage is an open question. Holly Honderich in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/23/18

Priest sex abuse: New report lists 263 Catholic priests in Oakland, San Jose, San Francisco dioceses accused of child sex abuse -- As Bay Area Catholic leaders release or promise to release lists of priests credibly accused of abusing children, a Minnesota law firm published a report Tuesday naming 263 priests in the San Jose, Oakland and San Francisco dioceses accused of sexual misconduct involving kids. Matthias Gafni, Julia Prodis Sulek and John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury -- 10/23/18

West’s rivers are hot enough to cook salmon to death. Will this court ruling keep them cool? -- It might be the most gruesome element of the drought conditions that have gripped the West in recent years: salmon being cooked to death by the thousands in rivers that have become overheated as water flows dwindle. Now a federal judge in Seattle has directed to Environmental Protection Agency, in a ruling with implications for California and the Pacific Northwest, to find a way to keep river waters cool. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/23/18

Plans offer a peek into Elon Musk's tunnel in Hawthorne, including an elevator hidden in a garage -- When Elon Musk’s tunneling firm began digging in Hawthorne last year, the construction site next to Space X headquarters was barely noticeable, sandwiched between a home improvement store and a parking garage. Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/23/18

Abcarian: Sexism in laid-back Sonoma, where a 'slut-shamed' candidate got the last laugh -- Our national politics are awash in sexism. The president called a woman he is alleged to have slept with “horseface.” A man who belittled a female U.S. senator after being credibly accused of sexual assault was confirmed to the Supreme Court. Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/23/18

‘None of us had a grasp of how difficult this would be:’ Parkland PAC scales back -- A political action committee launched by parents of Parkland students is scaling back its 2018 midterm plans in the wake of disappointing fund raising totals. Ben Wieder and Alex Daugherty in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/23/18

Fox: Local Politics and Presidential Dreams -- The late Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill, Jr., Speaker of the House of Representatives, once said, “All politics is local.” If true, that insight could come to haunt Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s presidential dreams if he can’t get a grip on the growing homeless problem in his city Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 10/23/18

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Sweet contracts, tricky rules help California unions hold on after court loss -- California public employee unions can celebrate a little good news in the months since the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a ruling that stripped them of millions of dollars in revenue and threatened their influence in the state: So far, workers are not leaving their unions in high numbers. In fact, some labor organizations are gaining members. Adam Ashton in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/23/18

Construction industry and labor groups are plowing millions into campaign to defeat Proposition 6 -- In the pitched battle over Proposition 6, the stakes are high for firms such as Granite Construction Inc., which has contributed $1 million to defeat the initiative that would repeal new fuel taxes and vehicle fees earmarked for road and transit improvements. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/23/18

Labor shuns Democrat challenging indicted GOP Congressman Duncan Hunter -- The California Labor Federation, the state’s major labor organization, is abandoning Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar’s campaign to unseat indicted Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter over his ambiguous stand on California’s gasoline tax. Dan Morain Calmatters -- 10/22/18

Gavin Newsom slashed welfare checks to the homeless, with the goal of housing more people. Did it work? -- When San Francisco’s homelessness problem swelled in the early 2000s, Gavin Newsom endorsed a radical plan for the famously liberal city. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/23/18

John Cox pushes for repeal of CA gas tax hike at Bay Area rally -- John Cox, the Republican candidate for governor, made a brief stop in Santa Clara on Monday to boost efforts to repeal the state’s recent gas tax increase and, not incidentally, slam Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, his Democratic election rival. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/23/18

More whistleblowers emerge in fight over secret report on prison psychiatric care -- With lawyers for state inmates insisting that a secret report prepared by California’s top prison psychiatrist must be made public, attorneys in the case say more whistleblowers are beginning to come forward. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/23/18

California Transgender Groups Poised To Fight Possible Trump Proposal -- California advocates say a draft Trump administration proposal would roll back important protections for transgender people, especially students — though the state’s own legal protections would stand. Sammy Caiola Capital Public Radio -- 10/23/18

Harris makes a big first impression in Iowa -- Kamala Harris swears she’s “not bullshitting” when she says she’s squarely focused on the midterm elections. But even before she arrived here Monday, there were signs of the California senator’s heightening preparation for a 2020 presidential run. David Siders Politico -- 10/23/18

Judge slashes award by jury in Monsanto weed-killer cancer case -- A San Francisco judge on Monday drastically reduced the damages award that a jury decided Monsanto had to pay a former school groundskeeper who contracted cancer after spraying the popular weed killer Roundup for years. Bob Egelko and Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle Paul Elias Associated Press -- 10/23/18

San Francisco transportation authority considers withholding $9.7M from Transbay center -- The San Francisco County Transportation Authority will vote Tuesday on whether to suspend $9.7 million in funding for the beset Transbay Transit Center, and its chairman wants to replace the independent government agency that has managed the project since 2001. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/23/18

Stop sale and slaughter of wild horses in California, lawsuit says -- Two animal advocacy groups have filed a lawsuit in federal court to block the U.S. Forest Service from selling wild horses gathered in a round-up in progress at Modoc National Forest, in Northern California. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/23/18

John Cox and the Sad State of California’s GOP -- Republicans have become so disempowered in the state that their gubernatorial nominee is an Illinoisan who has lost every race he’s run. Scott Lucas Politico -- 10/23/18

California Votes on More Space for Farm Animals ... Again -- California voters will soon decide whether to ban the sale of meat and eggs from farm animals raised in cages. A November ballot measure would require more spacious digs for pigs, veal calves and egg-laying hens. If you're experiencing a bit of déjà vu right now, it makes sense. Lesley McClurg KQED -- 10/23/18

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

Amid push for rent control, landlord ousts tenants in National City to walk away from rental business -- The property owner’s attorney said her client’s decision to walk away from the rental business in National City — a legal right — is largely based on financial concerns triggered by a push to enact rent control in the city just south of downtown San Diego. David Hernandez in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/23/18

UCSF delays over 4,000 appointments ahead of union strike -- Across the three UCSF centers, about 4,200 non-urgent appointments, 241 surgeries and 172 chemotherapy and other infusion treatments were rescheduled, according to the university. Ten acute patients were transferred to other hospitals. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle Paul Sisson in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ Kevin Smith in the Orange County Register -- 10/23/18

The L.A. tech industry is run by white men. Tech investors — and the mayor — want to change that -- On Monday morning, a cross section of Los Angeles’ close-knit tech investment community gathered on the plaza of the Annenberg Center for Photography to mingle with Mayor Eric Garcetti, drink mimosas — and commit to changing their ways. Sam Dean in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/23/18

Faraday Future, running on fumes, announces layoffs and pay cuts -- When it emerged from start-up stealth mode in 2015, Faraday Future held the potential to make Los Angeles a center of electric car development. Now layoffs are the way at the Gardena-based company as cash runs low, and employees will each take a pay cut of 20% — from salaried executives to hourly factory workers. Russ Mitchell in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/23/18

Wells Fargo agrees to $65-million settlement with New York over unauthorized accounts scandal -- The settlement is the latest cost for Wells Fargo stemming from a consumer-banking scandal that erupted in September 2016 when the bank disclosed that it opened as many as 3.5 million fake accounts on behalf of customers who didn’t want them. Hannah Levitt Bloomberg -- 10/23/18

Housing  

Southern California housing’s chill: Existing supply surges 28%, homes sit for 6 extra weeks -- Southern California’s housing market may be suffering from a case of “be careful what you wish for.” It wasn’t too long ago real estate pros said a lack of inventory was frustrating home seekers rushing to buy from limited options. In late 2018, there may be too many choices. Jonathan Lansner in the Orange County Register -- 10/23/18

Education 

UCSD's enrollment leaps by 2,200, hitting record 38,798 -- College enrollment has been sliding nationally, but you wouldn’t know it to look at the University of California San Diego. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/23/18

Environment 

3 years after the Aliso Canyon gas leak, why are more people than ever moving to Porter Ranch? -- On a windy night in February 2016, Jennifer Tung was on her way from the Bay Area when she stopped by her empty house in Porter Ranch to pick up her mail. Tung had been staying in a Woodland Hills hotel after the largest discharge of methane in United States history settled over homes and schools in her neighborhood near the Aliso Canyon gas storage field. Olga Grigoryants in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 10/23/18

Also . . . 

Probe Into Corrupt Cops in Kern County Deepens -- Three Bakersfield-area law enforcement officers were drinking beers and grilling one summer day in 2014 when the conversation turned to a rural marijuana growing operation they’d busted. A senior Kern County sheriff’s deputy marveled at the “huge-ass freaking buds” they’d taken, that were just sitting in a storage unit at the sheriff’s office. Katey Rusch And Robert Lewis California Corruption Project KQED -- 10/23/18

Freeze! SJPD launches community ice cream truck to honor fallen officer -- “Operation Frozen Treats Patrol” aimed at bolstering community trust, inspired in part by the famed sweet tooth of fallen Officer Michael Katherman. Jason Green in the San Jose Mercury -- 10/23/18

Pioneering San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White to retire next spring -- San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White, the first woman ever to lead the department and the longest-serving big-city fire chief in the country, told her department on Monday she’s retiring. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/23/18

Witches curse Kavanaugh? S.ßJ. exorcist delivers Mass to fight the ‘hex’ -- When San Jose priest Gary Thomas heard that a coven of East Coast witches planned to place a “hex” on newly appointed Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, he didn’t waste any time. Thomas, the official exorcist for the Catholic Diocese of San Jose, put out an alert to fellow exorcists nationwide and offered a pair of Masses for the judge last week to help repel the curse. Matthias Gafni in the East Bay Times -- 10/23/18

POTUS 45  

Transgender advocates decry Trump administration proposal to define gender as fixed at birth -- When President Obama used the word “transgender” in his State of the Union address in 2015 — the first time a sitting president had ever done so — Mariana Marroquin experienced a sense of affirmation that the U.S. government had rarely afforded her community. Laura Newberry in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/23/18

Beltway 

Trump's mystery tax cut puzzles Washington -- Call it the mystery middle class tax cut. In recent days President Donald Trump has twice promised a new “major tax cut” ahead of the November midterm elections, mystifying White House officials, congressional leaders, and tax wonks around town who mostly have no idea what he’s talking about. Nancy Cook and Ben White Politico -- 10/23/18

 

-- Tuesday Updates 

Enthusiasm bump not reflected in early California voting -- The enthusiasm both parties say exists in the electorate hasn’t yet translated into early voting in California, where the percentage of people who have voted so far is similar to this time four years ago. Voters who are Republican, white and older are sending in their ballots early at a higher rate, which is typical in California elections, said Paul Mitchell of Political Data Inc., a firm that collects voter data from the counties. Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 10/22/18

Trump administration takes another step to allow health plans that don't cover preexisting conditions -- The Trump administration Monday took new steps to broaden the availability of health plans that don’t have to cover patients’ preexisting medical conditions, signaling that the federal government would support state proposals to promote more sales of these skimpier plans. Noam N. Levey in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/22/18

Are You in the Severe Damage Zone for the Bay Area's Next Big Earthquake? -- But things have changed since 1906 and the Hayward is now considered the most urbanized fault in the nation. It runs for 40 miles through the East Bay's most densely populated areas, not to mention key infrastructure such as airports, freeways, rail lines, and a major port. Scientists say it's also the most likely source for the Bay Area's next “great quake." Craig Miller KQED -- 10/22/18

San Francisco Marriott hotel strike costs conference $300,000 and counting -- As a strike by 2,500 Marriott hotel workers in San Francisco approaches its fourth week and the giant Oracle Openworld conference begins, the bills are adding up for businesses. The day before the 1,000-person ComNet 2018 conference in San Francisco was set to open this month, the organizers scrapped months of planning and changed venues. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/22/18

Will billionaire Tom Steyer's big bet on young voters pay off in midterm election? -- Tom Steyer made his fortune as a hedge fund manager taking risky bets in volatile conditions. In this year’s high-stakes midterm election, the billionaire turned political activist is making another costly wager on one of the most historically unreliable groups of voters: young people. Christine Mai-Duc in the Los Angeles Times Paul Elias Associated Press -- 10/22/18 

Koreatown apartment owner agrees to pay $2.5 million in settlement of tenants' discrimination lawsuit -- A real estate investment firm has agreed to pay $2.5 million to settle a federal lawsuit alleging that it pressured Latino and mentally disabled tenants to leave its rent-controlled Koreatown buildings so it could raise the rents. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/22/18

Smith: So what if Sacramento declared a ‘shelter crisis’? Helping homeless people is really up to NIMBYS -- The day Melanie Gamboa showed up on the campus of Loaves & Fishes — her sister, her boyfriend and their four cats in tow — the staff of Maryhouse women’s shelter didn’t have anywhere to put them. Erika D. Smith in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/22/18

'This is a crisis': Tijuana sees a surge in migrants seeking asylum in U.S. -- Federal officials are seeing a steep increase in families and unaccompanied minors seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego, and shelters in Tijuana report they are housing record numbers of migrants waiting their turn. Wendy Fry in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/22/18

Election could unlock billions of dollars for housing, ramp up Bay Area development -- Up to $6 billion for affordable housing is on the line in November as California voters prepare to weigh in on two statewide bonds that could fund tens of thousands of new homes in the Bay Area and beyond — potentially making a dent in the housing shortage. Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury -- 10/22/18

Notorious founder of the Billionaire Boys Club wants parole. It's just his latest con, prosecutors say -- Before O.J. Simpson, before Erik and Lyle Menendez, there was Joe Hunt. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/22/18

What this week’s strike at UCD hospital means for patients, traffic in Sacramento -- Deadlocked in labor contract negotiations with the University of California, thousands of low-wage workers represented by AFSCME Local 3299 will be setting up picket lines Tuesday through Thursday outside Sacramento’s UC Davis Medical Center and at four other academic hospitals around the state. Cathie Anderson in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/22/18

BART custodians learning new techniques to clean blood, urine, ‘hot lunches’ -- Sixteen custodians stood in a semicircle on the concourse of BART’s 19th Street/Oakland Station, staring at something brown and clumpy on the tiled floor. This time, it was just peanut butter. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/22/18

San Francisco police have backed off controversial ‘sit/lie’ citations -- A San Francisco law designed to clear the sidewalks of homeless people inspired bitter debate when it was approved by voters in 2010, but records obtained by The Chronicle show police have rarely enforced it in recent years. Ted Andersen, Demian Bulwa and Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/22/18