Updating . .
Mueller says his investigation did not exonerate Trump -- In his first and perhaps last public comments on the Russia investigation, outgoing special counsel Robert S. Mueller III pointedly refused Wednesday to clear President Trump of a possible crime, while urging Americans to confront foreign interference in U.S. elections. Chris Megerian in the Los Angeles Times$ Eric Tucker, Michael Balsamo and Chad Day Associated Press Sharon LaFraniere and Eileen Sullivan in the New York Times$ Matt Zapotosky, Devlin Barrett and Felicia Sonmez in the Washington Post$ Natasha Bertrand Politico -- 5/29/19
Mueller’s statement increases pressure on Pelosi to begin Trump impeachment -- Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s public declaration Wednesday that his investigation could not clear President Trump of obstruction has triggered fresh calls in the Democratic Party for impeachment, increasing the pressure on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to give the go-ahead on launching proceedings. Rachael Bade and Karoun Demirjian in the Washington Post$ -- 5/29/19
Nancy Pelosi: Doctored Videos Show Facebook 'Willing Enablers' of Russians in 2016 -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi lashed out at Facebook on Wednesday, saying the social media giant's refusal to take down altered videos of her calls into question their contention that they were unwitting victims of Russian interference in 2016. Marisa Lagos KQED -- 5/29/19
Kamala Harris calls Mueller press conference ‘an impeachment referral’ -- California Sen. Kamala Harris strengthened her call for President Donald Trump’s impeachment Wednesday after Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s public remarks on his investigation. Emily Cadei in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/29/19
Black market cannabis shops thrive in L.A. even as city cracks down -- From the street, it looked like an old-school drug raid. A half-dozen police and city vehicles sat near the entrance of the White Castle cannabis dispensary near the Los Angeles Harbor, where a sign bearing a giant green cross faced Pacific Coast Highway. James Queally and Ben Welsh in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/29/19
Flavored tobacco products to remain legal in California as lawmaker withdraws bill -- A California lawmaker has withdrawn a bill to ban the sale of flavored tobacco and vape products in the state, saying that “hostile amendments” defeated the bill’s purpose. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/29/19
Lopez: Measure EE will cost you a few bucks. Its failure could cost you more -- I went to school Tuesday morning. Saturn Street Elementary is a Mid-City L.A. Unified campus with about 350 students, 80 of them in special-ed classes. The nurse comes only twice a week; same for the school psychologist. As you might have heard, the nation’s second-largest school district’s got money troubles. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/29/19
California may make anti-HIV drug available without prescription for 30 days -- Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener has proposed a bill that would allow people to receive their first 30 days of PrEP, an oblong blue pill sold under the trade name Truvada, over the counter if they first receive counseling and an HIV test. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/29/19
UCSF medical school graduates first undocumented student in its history -- At 29, Jirayut “New” Latthivongskorn boasts an enviable resume. He’s a UC Berkeley and Harvard University alumnus. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree. Founder of an immigration advocacy organization. And, most recently, Latthivongskorn became the first undocumented student to graduate from the UCSF School of Medicine in its 155-year history. Tatiana Sanchez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/29/19
What You Need to Know About PG&E's State-Mandated Wildfire Mitigation Plan -- PG&E's wildfire plan is sweeping, promising a vast effort to inspect and repair its network of power lines, poles and high-voltage transmission towers, remove thousands of hazardous trees and expand a network of weather stations to monitor fire conditions. The company's wildfire mitigation blueprint could cost billions of dollars, a bill that customers could well wind up paying. Dan Brekke KQED -- 5/29/19
Republicans line up to challenge Democrat Harder for Congress next year -- Freshman Rep. Josh Harder, D-Turlock, is facing four Republican challengers as well as a Democratic one in his campaign for re-election in 2020. Kevin Valine McClatchy DC -- 5/29/19
California, Now a Democratic Primary Player, Draws a Wave of Contenders -- Fourteen presidential candidates will trek to the California Democratic Party convention in San Francisco this weekend to lay the groundwork for their campaigns in the Golden State, which is worth more than three times as many delegates as New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina combined. Emily Glazer in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 5/29/19
Ashton Kutcher testifies in trial of serial killer suspect Michael Gargiulo -- When Ashton Kutcher went to pick up Ashley Ellerin for a first date on the night of the Grammys in 2001 and she didn’t answer the door, he figured he’d screwed up. He was late, and she hadn’t been answering his calls. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/29/19
$75,000 reward offered for information in USC student’s killing -- A $75,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the death of Victor McElhaney, a 21-year-old USC student who was fatally shot in March. Alexa Díaz in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/29/19
‘He’s finally getting his due.’ Serial ADA filer faces charges as store owners rejoice -- When Sacramento attorney Scott N. Johnson was indicted last week on tax charges, the reaction from people he has sued for Americans with Disabilities Act violations was simple and quick. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/29/19
$35 Million Project Led By San Diego Researcher Will Target Deadly Viruses -- La Jolla Institute for Immunology professor Erica Ollmann Saphire, Ph.D., is leading a $35 million global effort to find treatments for viral threats, including Ebola, Lassa and mosquito-borne diseases. Susan Murphy KPBS -- 5/29/19
Borenstein: Dublin council reverses, will fly Gay Pride flag after all -- Painful episode has exposed that, lest there was any doubt, homophobia remains in the Bay Area. Daniel Borenstein in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/29/19
Sacramento country bar cancels controversial shows after uproar from LGBTQ community -- Goldfield Trading Post has canceled both Adam Calhoun and Demun Jones’ controversial shows scheduled for June 7 and 8, the midtown Sacramento country bar announced in a Facebook post. Benjy Egel in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/29/19
Fox: Gaming the (Electoral) System -- Many pro-tax increase campaigns supported by government authorities try to game the system to get the results they desire. Look at the Los Angeles Unified School District’s parcel tax. The tax exempts seniors from paying the tax in hoping to gain their votes without incurring any burden and states that an oversight committee will oversee the tax revenue to reassure voters. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 5/29/19
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Seeking more water, Silicon Valley eyes Central Valley farmland -- The largest water agency in Silicon Valley has been secretly negotiating to purchase a sprawling cattle ranch in Merced County that sits atop billions of gallons of groundwater, a move that could create a promising new water source — or spark a political battle between the Bay Area and Central Valley farmers. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/29/19
Ratepayers won’t get committee to rep them in PG&E bankruptcy -- A consumer group’s proposal that a committee represent Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s millions of ratepayers during its bankruptcy proceedings is not authorized by law or necessary to protect ratepayers’ interests, the judge overseeing the case ruled Tuesday. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/29/19
Assembly bill takes aim at reducing deadly police shootings in California -- Currently, officers involved in fatal shootings and other force must show their response was “reasonable” to protect their lives or the lives of others. The amended proposal says the force must be “necessary,” but doesn’t define what “necessary” is. Also missing from the original version of the bill is a requirement that officers first use deescalation methods, such as negotiation and less-than-lethal force. Tony Saavedra in the Orange County Register Don Thompson Associated Press -- 5/29/19
How An Officer-Involved Shooting Database Can Influence Use Of Force Legislation -- According to The Washington Post’s “Fatal Force” Database, California has one of the highest rates of officer-involved shootings in the country. The Post started the Fatal Force Project in 2015 after the police shooting death of Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. It was the first database to track officer-involved shootings. Jade Hindmon KPBS -- 5/29/19
Adachi leak case: Police executed seven search warrants on cops, journalist -- San Francisco police executed seven search warrants as they tried to find out who leaked a police report to a freelance journalist, including searches of officers and one of the journalist’s phone records, police officials and an attorney in the case said. The search of phone records preceded the now-notorious May 10 raids on journalist Bryan Carmody’s home and office. Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/29/19
'Alexa, erase my conversations.' California lawmakers push smart speaker privacy rules -- California lawmakers embraced new privacy rules on Tuesday for consumers who purchase smart speakers like Amazon’s Alexa and the Google Home device, legislation designed to ensure that the devices don’t record private conversations without permission. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/29/19
Walters: Secrecy abounds on state budget, major bills -- Fair warning: By reading this you will be plunging into the Legislature’s almost impenetrably arcane thicket of internal procedures. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 5/29/19
The Bay Area of 1970 was less racially segregated than it was in 2010 -- The Bay Area was more racially segregated in 2010 than it was 40 years prior, a UC Berkeley paper published Tuesday found. Segregation in the Bay Area persisted and, in some cases, grew since 1970. Seven of the region’s nine counties had more segregation in 2010 than they did in 1970. The only two that saw declines — San Francisco and Alameda counties — remain classified as “high” segregation places. Kimberly Veklerov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/29/19
Ghost Ship defendant laughed when asked to bring building to code, witness says -- When Katleen Brouchard presented Ghost Ship defendant Derick Almena with documents on how to legally bring the warehouse to code in 2013, he laughed at her, she said. Brouchard testified Tuesday in the trial against Almena and Max Harris on 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter for the 36 people who died during the Dec. 2, 2016, fire. Angela Ruggiero in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/29/19
Ghost Ship trial: Witness says co-signer was ‘helpless’ against defendant -- The mother of a founding member of the Ghost Ship artists collective testified Tuesday that she tried to talk her son out of co-signing a lease for the warehouse with his friend, Derick Almena. Katleen Bouchard had disapproved of Almena since he had talked Nico Bouchard out of living in his own apartment, she said. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/29/19
Another suit against administration plan to deny treatment to LGBTQ people -- The Trump administration’s plan to allow medical staff to deny treatment to lesbians, gays, transgender patients and others because of religious or moral objections drew a new legal challenge Tuesday from doctors’ groups and patients’ advocates, who said it would drive LGBTQ patients into the closet and weaken health care for vulnerable populations. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/29/19
Suspected synagogue shooter pleads not guilty to 113 charges in federal indictment -- John T. Earnest, 19, is navigating criminal charges in both federal and state court in connection with the Chabad of Poway attack that killed one and wounded three Kristina Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/29/19
Hate crime cases pose challenges for prosecutors -- San Diego prosecutors have filed hate crime charges in slightly more than 100 cases since 2013---a fraction of the hundreds of reports of hate crimes police receive. Experts say the data isn’t surprising: hate crimes are challenging to prosecute. Greg Moran in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/29/19
Levin promotes several bills to serve veterans -- Rep. Mike Levin and members of several veterans organizations held a press conference Tuesday in Oceanside to publicly call on the Senate to vote on three veterans’ bills that have been passed in the House but are not yet docketed in the upper chamber. Charles T. Clark in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/29/19
ISIS killer or ‘nicest guy’? Lawyers feud over sending Sacramento man to trial in Iraq -- The extradition hearing to decide whether accused ISIS killer Omar Ameen should be sent back to Iraq from Sacramento began Tuesday with his lawyers arguing there is no evidence Ameen killed a police officer there in 2014 or was even in Iraq at the time. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/29/19
Shooter at Yountville veterans home had previously threatened violence, records show -- A former Army infantryman who shot and killed three staff members last year at a veterans center in Yountville before killing himself was upset about his treatment and talked about shooting employees “several times” before the killings, according to records released Friday. Gwendolyn Wu in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/29/19
'We have to leave now': San Francisco man describes terrifying Everest traffic jam -- Woody Hartman had only been on the summit of Mount Everest for a few minutes when his Sherpa guide grabbed him. "We have to leave now," he said, "Or we’ll be stuck here." Dawa Tenzeng Sherpa, who had just completed his twelfth summit of Everest, could see the danger coming. Katie Dowd in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/29/19
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Citing chronic understaffing, San Francisco nurses plan to hit health department with ‘no confidence’ letter -- More than 1,300 San Francisco nurses have signed on to a “no-confidence” letter they intend to send to leaders at the Department of Public Health on Thursday to protest what they’ve long claimed is a chronic understaffing of nurses throughout the city’s health care system. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/29/19
Hiltzik: Rich farmers, not mom-and-pop farms, will collect most of Trump’s tariff bailout -- The lone valiant farmer struggling to eke an existence from his hardscrabble farm — that’s the image President Trump wants you to think about when contemplating the $28 billion in bailouts he’s spending to cover farm losses from his trade war. Michael Hiltzik in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/29/19
Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds
A $250 million ‘prudent middle path’ emerges in Sacramento tax dollar spending fight -- In the midst of a messy budget process as millions of dollars in new sales tax revenue flows in, the Sacramento City Council took a step toward compromise Tuesday. Theresa Clift in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/29/19
Transit
Transbay Transit Center prepares for reopening — but no date set yet -- Transbay Transit Center officials still aren’t saying when they’ll reopen the $2.2 billion transit hub — closed for eight months by fractured girders and seemingly endless inspections — but they’re rehiring workers, making sure the elevators, escalators and signs are functioning and cleaning up. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/29/19
Oakland, where DIY road repair is a thing, launches annual ‘pothole blitz’ -- The ragged streets of 81st Avenue in East Oakland made a dramatic backdrop for Mayor Libby Schaaf’s message: Be patient, residents. City crews will fix your roads. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/29/19
Wildfire
PG&E Wants to Make a Massive Investment in Weather Stations. Here’s Why -- The fire that ripped across the North Bay hills in 2017 was propelled by hurricane-force winds in some places, even as weather stations in the flat lands in Santa Rosa and Napa registered little more than a breeze. The same was true in the town of Paradise when it was consumed by the Camp Fire. Kevin Stark KQED -- 5/29/19
Fighting fire with fire: Should California burn its forests to protect against catastrophe? -- Seven months after the Camp Fire killed 85 people and destroyed much of Paradise, and with another potentially catastrophic wildfire season getting underway, a growing body of experts say California is neglecting a major tool in its battle against mega-fires: the practice of fighting fire with fire. Ryan Sabalow, Dale Kasler, and Maya Miller in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/29/19
The West has many wildfires, but too few prescribed burns, study finds -- President Trump has laid the blame for out-of-control California wildfires on the state’s “gross mismanagement” of its forests. Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke pointed the finger at “environmental terrorist groups.” But according to a new study, the federal government is not doing enough to control the threat of wildfire in the West. Anna M. Phillips in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/29/19
Education
New Haven teachers strike headed to seventh day Wednesday -- The New Haven teachers strike moved into its second week Tuesday, as no contract deal was reached with school district management despite multiple marathon bargaining sessions during the holiday weekend, and revised offers being put on the table, officials said. Joseph Geha in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/29/19
What Is A Charter School, Exactly? A Field Guide -- A package of major changes to California's charter school laws is advancing through the state legislature — changes that are making pro-charter advocates very, very nervous. "They certainly represent an existential threat to charter schools," said Myrna Castrejón, executive director of the California Charter Schools Association. Kyle Stokes laist -- 5/29/19
LAUSD sued by girl for alleged sex abuse by teacher and inaction by school -- A lawsuit filed against the Los Angeles Unified School District on behalf of a 14-year-old alleges molestation by an elementary school teacher in the city of Bell. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/29/19
Eleven people connected to online charter schools are indicted -- At the center of the allegations are leaders of the charter school management corporation A3 Education, a Newport Beach corporation whose leaders control 13 charter schools across California, according to an indictment filed May 17. Kristen Taketa, Morgan Cook in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/29/19
Obstacles deter many California child care providers from building, expanding facilities -- After years of searching, a nonprofit hoping to open a new child care center for low-income infants and toddlers found a rent-free building inside a housing development for migrant workers. In some ways, it seemed like a perfect fit. Zaidee Stavely EdSource -- 5/29/19
Almost a third of teenagers sleep with their phones, survey finds -- Teddy bears have met their match: cell phones. Sixty-eight percent of teenagers reported that they keep their mobile devices within reach at night, a telephone and online survey released Tuesday by the nonprofit Common Sense Media found. Nearly a third (29 percent) of teens sleep with smartphones, cell phones or tablets in their beds. Sydney Johnson EdSource -- 5/29/19
Cannabis
State's New Pot-Banking Initiative Might Pressure Feds to Act -- Incremental reform is designed to give the industry greater access to basic financial services, but it's not the real solution. Dan Mitchell in the East Bay Express -- 5/29/19
Pot in Wine Country? Napa group seeks ballot measure to grow marijuana -- A group of Napa entrepreneurs from the wine and weed industries are seeking to make it legal to grow cannabis in the county for sale in stores. They turned in signatures Tuesday in a bid to put a measure on the March 2020 ballot. Melia Russell in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/29/19
Immigration / Border
Border Wall on Private Land in New Mexico Fuels Backlash -- Congress has so far thwarted President Trump’s plan to build a wall along the border with Mexico. But that hasn’t stopped some supporters from finding a way to build their own barrier. Simon Romero in the New York Times$ -- 5/29/19
Health
Supervisors Propose Universal Mental Health Care in San Francisco -- San Francisco Supervisors Hillary Ronen and Matt Haney want the city to offer free mental health care and substance abuse treatment to any city resident in need. The supervisors, along with state Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), on Tuesday are announcing a push for a November ballot measure to create what they say would be the first universal mental health care system in the nation. Ted Goldberg, April Dembosky KQED -- 5/29/19
Concerns for LGBTQ Care, Reproductive Services, Lead UCSF to Nix Closer Ties With Dignity Health -- UCSF Medical Center officials said Tuesday they no longer would pursue a formal affiliation with Dignity Health, a large Catholic health care system that restricts care on the basis of religious doctrine. Jenny Gold KQED -- 5/29/19
Environment
Environmental groups sue over 12,000-acre Centennial development in northern LA County -- In a lawsuit filed this morning, the Center for Biological Diversity and the California Native Plant Society accuse county officials of mishandling environmental review of the Centennial project at Tejon Ranch, a planned community set to be constructed on 12,000 acres of land in the Antelope Valley. Elijah Chiland Curbed LA -- 5/29/19
California National Parks Experience Some Of The Worst Air Pollution In The United States -- Four of the national parks most impacted by air pollution are in California. Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Joshua Tree and Yosemite lead the pack, but 96 percent of the country’s national parks experience significant air pollution, according to a new “Polluted Parks” study by the National Parks Conservation Association. Ezra David Romero Capital Public Radio -- 5/29/19
Artificial reef expansion off San Clemente delayed again -- The wet winter slowed production at the Catalina Island quarry that supplies the rock to build the reef, according to Edison spokesman John Dobken. It’s the latest obstacle in the long, slow mitigation process mandated in 1974 as a condition of approval for two new nuclear units at the San Onofre Nuclear Power Station. Martin Wisckol in the Orange County Register -- 5/29/19
Also . . .
California Attorney General Releases Records of Agent Fired for Lies and Racist Comments -- A high-ranking member of a state-run narcotics task force in Southern California was fired after an investigation found he had lied about having a long-term sexual relationship with a subordinate and had threatened the woman in an attempt to keep their affair secret, documents released under the state's new police transparency law show. Julie Small KQED -- 5/29/19
Entrepreneur who provided encrypted Blackberries to crime lords gets 9 years prison -- Phantom Secure CEO Vincent Ramos of Canada provided encrypted devices to international criminal organizations, earning millions of dollars in profit. Kristina Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ Katie Glueck in the New York Times$ -- 5/29/19
Sacramento bar booked anti-LGBTQ rappers during Pride weekend. Now a backlash is coming -- Musicians and customers are boycotting Goldfield Trading Post after the midtown Sacramento country bar booked two rappers with a history of anti-LGBTQ lyrics during Sacramento Pride. Adam Calhoun and Demun Jones’ “Crazy White Boy Tour” will land in Sacramento for sold-out shows at Goldfield on June 7 and 8. Both are part of a new country/rap “hick-hop” movement that’s emerged in recent years. Benjy Egel in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/29/19
POTUS 45
Democrats aim not-so-friendly fire at Trump over military deferments -- President Trump, who has touted himself as an unmatched ally of military veterans, is facing pointed new attacks from Democratic presidential candidates who question his medical deferment from service in Vietnam — and, in turn, his patriotism and integrity. Robert Costa in the Washington Post$ -- 5/29/19
Beltway
2020 candidate Kamala Harris targets state abortion bans -- Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris said Tuesday that if she won the White House, she would require states seeking to restrict abortion laws to first obtain federal approval. Juana Summers Associated Press -- 5/29/19
Why is Kamala Harris running for president? -- In a Politico interview, the Democratic hopeful says she wants quick action to put more money in people's pocketbooks and suggests she's not interested in big, systemic overhauls. Christopher Cadelago Politico -- 5/29/19
GOP impeachment champion gets a hero's welcome back home -- Rep. Justin Amash is a lonely man in Congress, the sole Republican to back Donald Trump’s removal from office. But back home on Tuesday night, the Michigan lawmaker got the red-carpet treatment in his first face-to-face encounter with voters since his call for impeachment. Melanie Zanona Politico Zack Budryk The Hill -- 5/29/19
McConnell confirms he would help Trump fill another Supreme Court vacancy in 2020 -- When President Obama nominated Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court in 2016, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) refused to consider him, blocking the nominee until after the year’s presidential election. Reis Thebault in the Washington Post$ -- 5/29/19
How Joe Biden would address K-12 and early childhood education -- Former Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday unveiled his first major education plan of the 2020 presidential election — targeted at increasing teacher pay, making pre-school universal and boosting investments in K-12 school support services like mental health. Michael Stratford Politico -- 5/29/19
In Santa Monica, Amy Klobuchar pitches electability, infrastructure, punchlines -- Amy Klobuchar is trying to grab Democrats’ attention with lots of funny lines and one seriously big infrastructure plan. Kevin Modesti in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/29/19
Iran-linked campaign impersonated GOP midterm candidates online -- Facebook and Twitter said Tuesday that they have pulled down a network of accounts spreading disinformation that originated in Iran, including some accounts that impersonated 2018 Republican congressional candidates. Tim Starks Politico -- 5/29/19
-- Tuesday Updates
Another GOP lawmaker blocks massive disaster aid package -- Another House Republican on Tuesday thwarted attempts to pass a bipartisan disaster aid package, further delaying $19 billion in emergency relief and frustrating lawmakers whose states were hit by devastating hurricanes, wildfires and flooding. Sarah Ferris and Jennifer Scholtes Politico -- 5/28/19
Bold plan to tackle San Francisco’s crisis on the streets calls for guaranteed mental health treatment -- San Franciscans will almost certainly be asked a groundbreaking question on the November ballot: Should all city residents be guaranteed the right to quick, effective mental health care? Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Ted Goldberg KQED -- 5/28/19
California cities, counties would have to report incentives to warehouses and job details under Riverside assemblyman’s bill -- The logistics industry has anchored the Inland Empire economy in recent years, economists say, accounting for nearly one-fourth of all jobs created since the recession. David Downey in the Riverside Press Enterprise$ -- 5/28/19
Should L.A. curb charitable fundraising by politicians? Council members aren’t so sure -- In the wake of an FBI raid at City Hall, a group of L.A. politicians said earlier this year that they wanted to restore public confidence in city government. Emily Alpert Reyes and David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/28/19
Facing possible loss of House seat, California awaits census -- As California’s population growth flattens out, the state could lose a congressional seat for the first time in its history. Lisa Renner Capitol Weekly -- 5/28/19
Westside private school gave diplomas to nonstudents for a fee. Then came the college admissions scandal -- Stephanie Ellsworth had a problem. She was eager to enroll in a criminal justice program but lacked a high school diploma. Laura Newberry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/28/19
‘I think we’ve surprised people': Advisory board recommends 30 changes to SDPD practices -- Among the proposals are that San Diego police focus less on military experience and perspectives in recruitment, conduct a pilot moratorium on pretext stops — a term and practice that was the subject of much debate among board members — and publicly release all racial and identity profiling data being gathered under 2015’s AB 953. Alex Riggins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/28/19
California, Rich In Delegates, Takes On New Importance For Crowded Democratic Field -- This weekend, 14 presidential candidates will converge on San Francisco for the California Democratic Party's annual convention. It will be the largest gathering of presidential contenders so far, and the latest sign that California's days of bringing up the rear of the presidential primary calendar are long gone. Scott Detrow NPR -- 5/28/19
Kamala Harris to propose federal oversight of state and local abortion laws -- The California Democrat will lay out her plan Tuesday evening on a televised town hall with MSNBC. Her proposal would give the Department of Justice final say over abortion laws passed by states or localities that have enacted unconstitutional abortion restrictions in the past 25 years. Melanie Mason in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/28/19
These students had a housing idea. Facebook listened. Now, it’s becoming reality -- When 20 local high school students walked into Facebook’s office last year and laid out their plan for solving the region’s affordable housing shortage, they didn’t really expect the tech executives in the room to listen. Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/28/19
159 murdered birds: Here’s how wildlife crime sleuths solved one of California’s most baffling poaching cases -- When a gun kills a bird, it leaves few clues that link a weapon to the crime. “A rifle bullet rips right through and is long gone,” said wildlife forensic expert Ken Goddard. But careful detective work by a team of state game wardens and Goddard’s team linked the deaths of 159 birds to a Lassen County ranch owner, leading to his conviction in April for one of the most baffling poaching cases in state history. Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/28/19
Politifact CA: After doctored Pelosi video, expert warns of unchecked ‘misinformation campaigns’ -- A manipulated video showing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi slurring her speech spread rapidly across social media last week. It also raised questions about what social media platforms, and their users, should do when altered footage of a public official goes viral in the future. Chris Nichols Politifact CA -- 5/28/19
Rethinking Disaster Recovery After A California Town Is Leveled By Wildfire -- When the Camp Fire raced into the Northern California town of Paradise on Nov. 8, destroying nearly 19,000 structures and claiming 85 lives, Chris Beaudis narrowly escaped. He drove out of the Sierra foothills in his Ford Bronco with only his pit bull. He lost everything and has no insurance. Kirk Siegler NPR -- 5/28/19
Fox: AB 392 Compromise was the Only Way -- The compromise on AB 392, attempting to set parameters for the use of deadly force by police, meant recognizing that the police felt they were being suffocated by changes in California law. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 5/28/19