California Policy & Politics This Morning
PG&E says it will cut power to parts of Napa, Solano and Yolo counties to prevent wildfires -- Crews will begin cutting power to multiple North Bay communities early Saturday morning as a safety precaution. The decision comes on the heels of the National Weather Service’s red flag warning for the region due to the dry, gusty winds and warm temperatures expected across the Bay Area this weekend. Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/8/19
By judge’s order, PG&E leaders tour Paradise in secrecy -- U.S. District Judge William Alsup joined the tour as well. Charged with overseeing the company’s probation, he had given PG&E’s board of directors, CEO and other senior leaders until July 15 to make the journey so they could witness the damage in person. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/8/19
California wildfire panel doubles down on push to ease liability rules for PG&E -- Despite resistance from the state’s top political leaders, California’s special wildfire commission doubled down Friday on its recommendation that the state loosen liability laws for utilities whose equipment ignites disastrous blazes. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/8/19
Halt to tariffs draws huge sighs of relief in San Diego, Tijuana -- Businesses who had been girding for the start of tariffs on Mexican goods rejoiced Friday at the news that the levies were no longer happening, but were still guarded about the future. Lori Weisberg, Wendy Fry in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/8/19
Trump administration says no new talks with California on car rules -- California experts thought carmakers were unlikely to reverse the Trump administration’s move to roll back Obama-era vehicle standards, and they were proved right Friday when Washington rejected the companies’ plea for an emissions deal with California. Rachel Becker Calmatters Anna M. Phillips in the Los Angeles Times$ Juliet Eilperin and Brady Dennis in the Washington Post$ -- 6/8/19
California Lottery director steps down amid controversy, pressure from governor’s office -- Hugo Lopez stepped down as director of the California Lottery on Friday, apparently forced out of the job by the governor’s office following a string of controversies. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ Adam Ashton and Wes Venteicher in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/8/19
Deputy misconduct could set fatal Laguna Niguel stabbing suspect free -- A judge will soon weigh whether to dismiss a murder case against a man accused of stabbing to death a bar patron in Laguna Niguel, following allegations that he was taken into custody after a sheriff’s deputy induced a drug-addicted informant into shooting up the homicide suspect with heroin. Sean Emery in the Orange County Register -- 6/8/19
Protesters Target Rep. Davis For Green New Deal In San Diego -- Protesters gathered outside the office of Rep. Susan Davis, D-San Diego, Friday morning to ask her to support the Green New Deal. The environmentalists hope to dial up pressure on their Congressional representative to be more proactive on climate change issues. Erik Anderson KPBS -- 6/8/19
Orange County Republicans tweak game plan for 2020. Will it be enough? -- After losing two state and four congressional seats in the 2018 midterm, Orange County Republican leaders say they’re making adjustments as they work to regain political clout in next year’s election. Brooke Staggs in the Orange County Register -- 6/8/19
San Francisco officials advance bill to ban e-cigarettes -- San Francisco officials on Friday advanced a bill that would halt the sale of e-cigarettes in the city — setting up the measure to get a vote by the full Board of Supervisors on June 18. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/8/19
Bill Would Cap Interest Rates For ‘Payday Lenders’ -- The personal loan industry, also called “payday loans,” has not been regulated in California for decades. But that could soon change. A bill making its way through the legislature would cap the amount lenders can charge. The bill is called the Consumer Loan Reform Act. It’s co-sponsored by San Diego Democratic Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez. John Carroll KPBS -- 6/8/19
Judge denies Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher’s request to dismiss war crimes charges -- A Navy judge on Friday, June 7, denied a request by defense attorneys to dismiss the charges against Navy SEAL Edward “Eddie” Gallagher, accused in a series of war crimes including killing a teen ISIS fighter in 2017, but ruled that Gallagher could not be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Erika I. Ritchie in the Riverside Press Enterprise$ -- 6/8/19
California court says convicts must pay restitution, even if crime is minor -- Convicted criminals in California must repay their victims for financial losses even for the minor crimes classified as infractions, like a mauling that killed a disabled person’s service dog, an appellate court has ruled. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/8/19
Malfunctioning backup power system led to LAX travel nightmare -- A power outage caused hours of chaos and delays at Los Angeles International Airport this week because a secondary power source that was designed to keep the flow of electricity to terminals and other facilities malfunctioned, officials said Friday. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/8/19
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Laguna Beach will ban new short-term vacation rentals in neighborhoods, but they will be OK in other parts of the seaside town -- Vacationers hoping to get that warm and cozy neighborhood feeling when they come to Laguna Beach will have a limited supply of options when it comes to short-term lodging. Erika I. Ritchie in the Orange County Register -- 6/8/19
U.S. hiring slows sharply as Trump’s trade war starts to bite -- Hiring slowed sharply in May, as companies in industries hardest hit by President Trump’s escalating trade war hesitated to bring on new employees. Heather Long and Thomas Heath in the Washington Post$ -- 6/8/19
Lyft sues San Francisco over bike-rental deal -- Lyft filed suit against its hometown on Friday, saying San Francisco reneged on a deal giving Lyft exclusive rights for street-rented bikes in the city. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/8/19
Battle is brewing over San Francisco development fees and the jobs-housing imbalance -- With the need for office space seemingly insatiable — both Google and Salesforce are said to be looking to expand their footprints by at least 1 million square feet — a fight is shaping up over how much money developers should contribute to the housing demand their new towers generate. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/8/19
Tariffs have already wiped out tax bill savings for average Americans -- President Donald Trump’s trade wars have already wiped out all but $100 of the average American household’s windfall from Trump’s 2017 tax law. And that’s just the beginning. Laura Davison Bloomberg -- 6/8/19
Housing
Nearly 1 million Californians could face eviction under Trump’s housing plan, group says -- Nearly 1 million people in California could lose their homes under a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development plan seeking to evict undocumented family members from public housing, data released by a housing advocacy group suggests. Yesenia Amaro in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/8/19
Will a recession fix LA’s housing crisis? -- A new economic forecast from the UCLA Anderson School of Management provides a bleak outlook for California investors and business interests. The state’s economy is slowing down, say the report’s authors, and the likelihood of a national economic decline is on the rise. Elijah Chiland Curbed LA -- 6/8/19
Wildfire
California Reckons With the Cost of Wildfires to Come -- A recently formed California wildfire commission sent state lawmakers a new blueprint on Friday for adapting to increasingly destructive fire seasons. Lauren Hepler in the New York Times$ -- 6/8/19
Firefighters from across Southern California prepare for summer fire season with wildland training at Camp Pendleton -- Matt Hidalgo was working through brush on a hillside at this seaside base when he stumbled upon what he thought was a high-caliber bullet lying in the grass. Erika I. Ritchie in the Orange County Register -- 6/8/19
This Weekend's Hot Weather Means High Fire Danger And Red Flag Warnings For Sacramento, San Joaquin Valleys -- The 2019 fire season is here, and the National Weather Service is issuing a "red flag" warning for this weekend in parts of the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys. Capital Public Radio -- 6/8/19
Education
New Haven Teachers, District Reach Deal to End Three Week Strike -- Officials from the New Haven Unified School District and its teachers union reached a tentative contract agreement Friday night, potentially ending a 14-day strike that began on May 20. Matthew Green KQED Ashley McBride and Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/8/19
Charter school task force echoes calls for tighter charter school regs, more local control -- A highly anticipated state report on charter school reforms was made public Friday, recommending that California school districts be financially buffered from the loss of students to charters and get more flexibility in deciding whether to approve any more of the privately run, publicly financed and mostly non-union schools. Ricardo Cano Calmatters -- 6/8/19
College admissions scandal: New details released on Stanford sailing coach -- Prosecutors recommended a 13-month prison sentence for Stanford’s disgraced former sailing coach Friday, while also revealing new details about his role in the huge college admissions bribery scandal in a sentencing memorandum filed in Boston federal court. Matthias Gafni in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/8/19
Sac City Unified’s budget faces rejection – again. But surprise savings brighten the outlook -- The financially troubled Sacramento City Unified School District will wrap up the school year with yet another disapproved budget, according to its business office. Sawsan Morrar in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/8/19
Health
Measles-infected person travels through LAX airport on Memorial Day weekend -- Anyone who may have been at those locations at those times may be at risk of developing measles for up to 21 days after being exposed to the virus, one of the most highly contagious in the world. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/8/19
Environment
Southern California’s most toxic polluters will pay more under air board’s fee hike -- Southern California air quality officials will dramatically raise fees on toxic polluters in an effort to make oil refineries, manufacturers and other industries pay a greater share of the cost of monitoring and regulating their most health-threatening emissions. Tony Barboza in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/8/19
Researchers count on oysters to help clean Upper Newport Bay -- The “Living Shorelines” project lays beds of broken oyster shells across the Newport Beach coastline to give the native Olympia oyster a place to anchor and create a home. The muddy bottom of the bay doesn’t give them anything to latch onto, said Katie Nichols, marine restoration director with Orange County Coastkeeper. Paul Bersebach in the Orange County Register -- 6/8/19
New redwood park opening 15 miles from downtown San Jose -- For more than 30 years, students studying to be Jesuit priests, in contemplation or in prayer, walked through the rolling hills and redwood forests just south of Los Gatos, across Highway 17 from the Lexington Reservoir. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/8/19
Also . . .
I rode around San Francisco with a pool noodle attached to my bike. Here's what went down -- "F--- you, b----," a man shouts at me from the rolled-down window of his silver sedan. Michelle Robertson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/8/19
POTUS 45
Trump says US, Mexico reach agreement to prevent tariffs -- President Donald Trump announced late Friday that he had suspended plans to impose tariffs on Mexico, tweeting that the country “has agreed to take strong measures” to stem the flow of Central American migrants into the United States. But the deal the two neighbors agreed to falls short of some of the dramatic overhauls the U.S. had pushed for. Jill Colvin, Matthew Lee and Luis Alonso Lugo Associated Press -- 6/8/19
Analysis: Trump an impolitic guest on trips abroad -- Halfway through a summer set of four international trips, President Donald Trump has proven himself to be an impolitic guest, soaking up pomp and pageantry while leaving behind hosts he scorched despite their best efforts to favor the president with flattery. Jonathan Lemire and Kevin Freking Associated Press -- 6/8/19
Trump criticizes NASA promotion of returning to the moon. He directed it 18 months ago -- President Trump on Friday criticized NASA for promoting its plan to return to the moon before human exploration of Mars, a strategy that Trump endorsed in a directive early in his tenure and championed as recently as last month. John Wagner and Christian Davenport in the Washington Post$ -- 6/8/19
Beltway
New Election Security Bills Face a One-Man Roadblock: Mitch McConnell -- A raft of legislation intended to better secure United States election systems after what the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, called a “sweeping and systematic” Russian attack in 2016 is running into a one-man roadblock in the form of the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Nicholas Fandos in the New York Times$ -- 6/8/19
-- Friday Updates
California’s high-speed rail fail could pay off for other states -- An FRA spokesperson confirmed to Politico that California no longer has access to the grant funds, but also said the agency is not actively considering whether to reallocate the money. Still, advocates of passenger rail hope that projects in the Midwest see a chance to scale up their transit plans with new funding. Christian Paz Politico -- 6/7/19
As its leaders tour Paradise, PG&E warns it may cut power amid extreme CA fire risk -- As its leaders toured the town burned out by the state’s worst fire in history, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. says it is monitoring Northern California weather and might enact public safety power shutoffs Saturday or Sunday, the first this year, that could affect dozens of cities amid “extreme” fire risk conditions in the Sierra foothills and North Bay Area. Michael McGough and Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/7/19
What do you do when your boss introduces you with a blonde joke? -- When her husband became governor of California, Jennifer Siebel Newsom wanted to be called “first partner” rather than “first lady” — in part to prepare the state for the moment when it would elect its first female governor. Elizabeth Ralph Politico -- 6/7/19
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s First California Budget Deal Is Near. Here’s What To Watch For -- Democrats had hoped to close out the joint Senate-Assembly budget conference committee by Friday — likely with a late night hearing — in hopes of a budget passing the full Legislature next Thursday, two days ahead of next Saturday’s deadline. Ben Adler Capital Public Radio -- 6/7/19
Teachers Strike Close to Graduation Leaves Students in Limbo -- The New Haven Teachers Association rejected an offer Thursday from district leaders hoping to put an end to a 14-day teachers strike at the East Bay school district. Devin Katayama, Ericka Cruz Guevarra KQED -- 6/7/19
California considers ban on facial recognition’s new frontier: police body cameras -- Facial recognition’s first blanket ban arrived in May, when San Francisco became the only city in the nation to bar police and other agencies from using the technology. Now the powerful software, which uses machine learning algorithms to automatically track human faces in digital footage and match them to names, is facing a broader moratorium. Sam Dean in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/7/19
L.A. is swamped with 311 complaints over homeless camps. But are the cleanups pointless? -- Los Angeles has been deluged with requests to clean up homeless encampments in recent years. Between 2016 and 2018, such requests shot up 167%, according to a Times analysis of 311 data. The trend has continued this year, with requests up 37% in the first few months compared to the same period a year earlier. Emily Alpert Reyes, Benjamin Oreskes and Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/7/19
To stop virus, California has euthanized more than 1.2 million birds -- For the past year, Southern California has been plagued by an outbreak of a highly contagious viral disease that can affect all species of birds but is most deadly to chickens. Jaclyn Cosgrove in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/7/19
$5.5 billion stem cell bond called a ‘moral obligation’ -- The man expected to lead the drive for $5.5 billion more for California’s stem cell agency says the Trump restrictions on fetal tissue research represent a dangerous precedent that threatens the health of all Americans. David Jensen Capitol Weekly -- 6/7/19
A California Legislator Battles Big Tech Over New Privacy Laws -- The push to confront the power of big technology companies recently reached an inflection point. Federal regulators have divided up antitrust responsibilities over Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google, and both Democrats and Republicans are opening congressional inquiries into allegedly anticompetitive behavior in the industry. Joshua Brustein Bloomberg -- 6/7/19
Wells Fargo will pay customers $386 million over unwanted auto insurance -- Wells Fargo & Co will pay customers at least $386 million to settle class-action claims that the bank signed them up for auto insurance they did not want or need when they took out car loans. Jonathan Stempel Reuters -- 6/7/19
California’s Vaccination Rate Slips as Medical Exemptions Rise -- In the past few years California has gained ground in its fight to protect children from infectious diseases. But new data released this week shows that the state’s vaccination rate declined for the second year in a row. Joanna Pearlstein Wired -- 6/7/19
Trump backers in the oil patch join farmers in the fight against tariffs -- U.S. oil companies are frantically lobbying congressional allies and the White House against President Trump’s plan to slap escalating tariffs on Mexican exports, saying it would hike the price of gasoline and strain refiners reliant on crude from the country. Jennifer A. Dlouhy Bloomberg via the Los Angeles Times$
Fox: A Bad Week for Mayor Garcetti -- Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti had a rough week with the defeat of school parcel tax Measure EE, which he championed, and a report revealing a dramatic 16% increase in homelessness in the city despite his successfully convincing voters in 2016 to raise taxes to overcome the problem. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 6/7/19