Updating . .   

Long-awaited earthquake early warning app for L.A. can now be downloaded -- ShakeAlertLA, an app created under the oversight of Mayor Eric Garcetti and the city, is designed to work with the U.S. Geological Survey’s earthquake early warning system, which has been under development for years. It’s designed to give users seconds, and perhaps even tens of seconds, before shaking from a distant earthquake arrives at a user’s location. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/2/19

Administration denies status to young immigrants due to age -- Some immigrant youth looking to start over in the United States after fleeing abusive homes are seeing their applications for green cards rejected because the Trump administration says they’re too old. A U.S. government program in place since 1990 has let young immigrants subject to abuse, abandonment or neglect by a parent seek a court-appointed guardian and a green card to stay in the country. Amy Taxin and Deepti Hajela Associated Press -- 1/2/19

Young immigrants who suffered abuse sue over changes to special protection program -- When Alex thinks about her childhood in Guerrero, Mexico, she remembers the abuse. Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/2/19

Fox: A “Little Shop of Horrors” Legislature? -- Elements of the hit 80s musical Little Shop of Horrors might serve as a parable for the way California governance is shaping up for the new year. With all the demands for new programs and more taxes can’t you hear an echo of the Shop’s devouring plant in the quest for an enlarged government: Feed me! Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 1/2/19

Romney asserts his independence — and Trump’s GOP critics see an opening -- For weeks, incoming Utah Sen. Mitt Romney has been tight-lipped as he prepares to be sworn in on Thursday, disappointing his longtime friends who hoped he would emerge as a new power center for mainstream Republicans in President Trump’s Washington, particularly with the Senate now without the late John McCain. Robert Costa in the Washington Post -- 1/2/19

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom will propose almost $2 billion for early childhood programs -- Seeking to frame his new administration as one with a firm focus on closing the gap between children from affluent and poor families, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom will propose spending some $1.8 billion on an array of programs designed to boost California’s enrollment in early education and child care programs. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/2/19

Gavin Newsom’s first hires suggest the next California governor has big health care plans -- Gavin Newsom might not be able to accomplish his ambitious campaign goal of bringing government-funded universal health care to California, but his first hires suggest he’s planning something big.Sophia Bollag in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/2/19

The Most Important New California Environmental and Health Laws of 2019 -- The California Legislature in 2018 cranked out 1,016 pieces of legislation that Gov. Brown signed into law. Number of bills vetoed? 201. (For those keeping track, note that Brown rejected bills at a much higher clip his second time around as governor.) Kelly O'Mara KQED -- 1/2/19

‘We do survive’: Wives of slain officers know pain Ronil Singh’s widow is feeling -- Learning that Newman Police Cpl. Ronil Singh had fallen in the line of duty last week was all too horribly familiar for Mercedes Wallace. Garth Stapley in the Modesto Bee$ -- 1/2/19

San Jose mayor hit by SUV while bicycling -- San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, an avid bicyclist, was struck by an SUV on New Year’s Day while cycling on Salt Lake Drive near the east foothills, a San Jose spokesman confirmed. The mayor of the nation’s 10th largest city was not severely injured in the accident, which occurred at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, though he did suffer “minor fractures,” according to a written statement released Tuesday evening by the mayor’s office. Tracey Kaplan in the San Jose Mercury Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/2/19

California inmate takes unlikely path to freedom: Podcasting -- Woods, 47, was recently released from San Quentin State Prison after California Gov. Jerry Brown commuted his 31-years-to-life sentence for attempted armed robbery. Brown cited Woods’ leadership in helping other inmates and his work at “Ear Hustle,” a podcast he co-hosts and co-produces that documents everyday life inside the prison. Olga R. Rodriguez Associated Press -- 1/2/19

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

Federal shutdown closes major portions of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks -- Officials have announced they are closing sections of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks because of the partial shutdown of the federal government. The announcement, made late Monday, follows a similar closure announced for Joshua Tree National Park. Howard Blume and Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/2/19

Utility may have violated probation for its role in deadly California wildfires, federal prosecutors say -- Federal prosecutors said Pacific Gas & Electric Co. may have violated the terms of its probation in a 2010 criminal case for its role in igniting deadly wildfires that ravaged Northern California’s wine country last year. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/2/19

Walters: California sees slower population growth -- The U.S. Census Bureau and the state Department of Finance issue annual population estimates each December and they don’t always agree on how many human beings occupy California. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 1/2/19

Relocation: Hot move for real estate agents -- Real estate agent Myron Von Raesfeld sold 30 homes in North Carolina in the last six months, making him one of the top agents in the Raleigh-Durham market — from his desk 2,778 miles away in Santa Clara. Von Raesfeld, CEO of Windermere Silicon Valley, is advising homeowners and investors to sell high in California and move their assets outside the state. The payoff: more cash in hand, and a better quality of life. Louis Hansen in the San Jose Mercury -- 1/2/19

It's taken a quarter-century, but construction to start soon on Oceanside beach resort -- Two of what would be Oceanside’s tallest, largest and most luxurious hotels soon may go up on a pair of vacant lots overlooking the city’s downtown beach and pier, an area that’s long been a popular tourist destination. Phil Diehl in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/2/19

Homeless  

A Bay Area New Year’s resolution: fixing the homelessness crisis -- A personal New Year’s resolution could include working out more or making healthier decisions. But ask Bay Area residents what they’re hoping the public’s resolution should be for 2019 and the answer is plain: to address San Francisco’s homelessness crisis. Gwendolyn Wu in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/2/19

Immigration, Border, Deportation 

Immigration court backlog grows under government shutdown -- While cases for people in detention centers are going ahead as scheduled, those for people on the non-detained docket will be reset for new dates after the government is funded again. Kate Morrissey in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/2/19

150 migrants rush U.S. border, are met with tear gas from agents who say they were throwing rocks -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the group was attempting to climb over and under the San Diego border fence. When agents and officers responded, about 45 migrants turned back to Mexico, according to the agency. Wendy Fry in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/2/19

Education 

California education issues to watch in 2019 — and predictions of what will happen -- Welcome, readers, to the new year. It’s time for our favorite armchair exercise: predictions for the year in education. John Fensterwald, Yuxuan Xie, and Justin Allen EdSource -- 1/2/19

POTUS 45  

President Trump’s error-filled holiday tweets on the border wall -- The president kept tweeting during the government shutdown, but his claims were often suspect. Glenn Kessler in the Washington Post -- 1/2/19

Beltway 

Mitt Romney Says Trump ‘Has Not Risen to the Mantle of the Office’ -- Mitt Romney, the incoming senator from Utah and former Republican presidential nominee, revived his rivalry with President Trump on Tuesday with an op-ed essay in The Washington Post in which he said Mr. Trump “has not risen to the mantle of the office.” Sarah Mervosh in the New York Times -- 1/2/19