Updating . .
‘Absolutely catastrophic’: Northern California braces for more PG&E shut-offs -- Northern California communities hit by some of the worst wildfires the state has ever seen are now preparing for another kind of disaster: prolonged power shut-offs caused intentionally by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/9/19
Sacramento will release some defendants without bail in test of new California system -- A panel of California judges and court executive officers selected Sacramento as one of 16 counties to launch a 2-year risk-assessment program to evaluate whether suspects should be released from jail before trial. The state’s Judicial Council, which makes policies for California courts, voted Friday to give Sacramento and the other recommended counties the money. Sophia Bollag in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/9/19
Behind UC’s ‘admission by exception’ side door: sports, money, diversity — and secrecy -- The Varsity Blues college scandal has drawn attention to UC "admissions by exception." Some are athletes, some homeschoolers, some out-of-staters — and at most campuses, they're cloaked in secrecy. Felicia Mello Calmatters -- 8/9/19
Heavily redacted texts show Mayor Garcetti’s request for home to be checked during Woolsey fire -- On a November afternoon, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti texted the city’s fire chief to ask how much destruction the Woolsey fire had caused in a wealthy gated Ventura County neighborhood. Jaclyn Cosgrove in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/9/19
After El Paso shooting, Modesto worries about Straight Pride rally coming to town -- Debbie Soro was already upset about a Straight Pride demonstration coming to Modesto this month that the organizers say will celebrate Caucasians, Christianity, heterosexuality and nationalism. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/9/19
Quota for women on California corporate boards ‘brazenly unconstitutional,’ new lawsuit says -- A California law aimed at creating more gender equity in corporate boardrooms is under fire by a conservative nonprofit, which has filed a lawsuit to block the law from going into effect. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ Levi Sumagaysay in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/9/19
Bubble Watch: California home prices now among nation’s biggest losers -- California was home to five of the nation's 30 worst-performing markets in the second quarter. Jonathan Lansner in the Orange County Register -- 8/9/19
California home builders are pulling back, deflating hopes for housing relief -- Home builders are pulling back from new construction, the opposite of what economists say is needed to ease California’s housing affordability crisis. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/9/19
Bidding wars plummet as Bay Area housing market cools -- The number of rabid bidding wars among Bay Area home buyers is sinking, with some of the steepest declines in the San Jose metro area, a new report says. But despite that, the Bay Area remains one of the nation’s most competitive housing markets. Karen D’Souza in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/9/19
Inland Empire leads Southern California in industrial construction -- Low vacancy rates and rising demand fueled construction of industrial properties throughout Southern California in the second quarter with the Inland Empire leading the way, according to a series of new reports. Kevin Smith in the Orange County Register -- 8/9/19
Amazon applies for license to sell wine online in San Francisco -- Amazon is moving ahead with plans for its alcohol delivery business. The Seattle retailer filed an application with the state on Friday for alcohol license which, if approved, would allow it to deliver wine bought over the internet. Shwanika Narayan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/9/19
San Jose man serially abused by adoptive parents gets $28 million judgment -- A San Jose man who was sexually abused for years by his adoptive parents once contemplated taking a $40,000 settlement offer, unsure if the court would rule in his favor at a trial. On Monday, he learned that he’d been awarded a $28 million judgment. Pete Grieve in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/9/19
Yolo County appears ready to end federal contract for immigrant teen detention center -- This fall, the five-member Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote on whether to extend the county’s contract with the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement, which can detain up to two dozen unaccompanied migrant teenagers in the Yolo County Juvenile Detention Facility. Elliot Wailoo in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/9/19
Trump is high on gun reform chances despite NRA resistance -- The president also reported Mitch McConnell is 'totally on board' with background check legislation. Quint Forgey Politico -- 8/9/19
‘If you’re a good worker, papers don’t matter’: How a Trump construction crew has relied on immigrants without legal status -- For nearly two decades, the Trump Organization has relied on a roving crew of Latin American employees to build fountains and waterfalls, sidewalks and rock walls at the company’s winery and its golf courses from New York to Florida. Joshua Partlow and David A. Fahrenthold in the Washington Post$ -- 8/9/19
Trump campaign’s Facebook ads target Latinos in Texas days after shooting -- The ads were launched just before US immigration officials raided food processing plants in Mississippi. Julia Carrie Wong The Guardian -- 8/9/19
California Policy & Politics This Morning
California Republican wants party to denounce white nationalism at convention -- In the wake of a string of horrific mass shootings, one Republican state lawmaker wants the California Republican Party to do more to denounce white nationalism and racism. Assemblyman Chad Mayes, R-Yucca Valley (San Bernardino County), said in a tweet this week that he will propose a formal resolution at the party’s next state convention this fall. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/9/19
Former attorney for Navy SEAL acquitted of war crimes says he’s owed up to $1 million -- A former attorney for a San Diego-based Navy SEAL acquitted of war crimes is trying to force his former client into arbitration to get paid, according to court records. Andrew Dyer in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/9/19
SF leaders note extra safety measures for Outside Lands -- As the three-day Outside Lands festival commences Friday in Golden Gate Park, more than 200,000 people heading there are no doubt thinking of music, comedy and legal weed. But also: Safe or not safe? Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/9/19
Stabbing spree deaths lead to renewed criticism of AB109, but suspect was not released early -- The identification of a man suspected of carrying out a stabbing spree that left four dead and two wounded as a documented gang member with a criminal history left law enforcement officials once again placing partial blame for violence on a 2011 Assembly bill that has long drawn police ire. Sean Emery and Tony Saavedra in the Orange County Register -- 8/9/19
Police: Bloody stabbing suspect driven by ‘hate, homicide’ -- A gang member who killed four people and wounded two others in random stabbings across two Southern California cities has a violent past, police said Thursday, and court records show he was free on bail for a charge last month of carrying a concealed dagger. Amy Taxin Associated Press Hannah Fry, Cindy Carcamo, Julia Sclafani in the Los Angeles Times$ Alma Fausto, Josh Cain and Tony Saavedra in the Orange County Register -- 8/9/19
Experts push for domestic terrorism law after attacks -- Seven days, three mass shootings, 34 dead. The FBI has labeled two of those attacks , at a Texas Walmart and California food festival, as domestic terrorism — acts meant to intimidate or coerce a civilian population and affect government policy. But the bureau hasn’t gone that far with a shooting at an Ohio entertainment district. Stefanie Dazio and Eric Tucker Associated Press -- 8/9/19
California privacy law sets national agenda as federal talks fizzle -- California is taking center stage, with a federal data privacy deal sputtering in Washington, in the battle over how companies handle consumer data — a familiar role for the giant state with a long history of compelling industry changes. Katy Murphy Politico -- 8/9/19
$1.7-billion jail project could be scrapped by L.A. County to focus on mental health -- The Board of Supervisors might cancel a $1.7-billion contract to replace the dungeon-like Men’s Central Jail downtown amid growing unease about whether Los Angeles County’s incarceration policy focuses enough attention on mental health treatment. Matt Stiles in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/9/19
SFO near-miss: Capt. ‘Sully’ pushes bill, says ‘biggest threats are runway related’ -- More than two years after an airliner nearly landed on four planes lined up on a San Francisco International Airport taxiway, a Bay Area congressman has teamed with famed Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger to create legislation aimed at preventing such close calls and potentially a runway catastrophe. Matthias Gafni in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/9/19
‘Never seen anything like this’: Devin Nunes lawsuits are confusing fellow Republicans -- Republicans who typically support Rep. Devin Nunes are less willing to speak up for him since he filed a lawsuit against one of his own constituents. Kate Irby in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/9/19
Politifact CA: No, President Trump wasn’t ‘kicked off’ the California ballot. That’s Pants on Fire -- The California Republican Party made a misleading and blatantly inaccurate claim this week that President Donald Trump was "kicked off the California ballot" during a fundraising pitch on its website. It asks supporters to donate to get Trump "back on the ballot." Chris Nichols Politifact CA -- 8/9/19
State Sen. Ben Hueso formally announces run for San Diego County supervisor -- After forming a campaign committee at the start of the year and months of fundraising, State Sen. Ben Hueso formally announced he is running for a seat on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. Charles T. Clark in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/9/19
Gov. Gavin Newsom backs Gloria in San Diego mayoral contest -- On Thursday Gov. Gavin Newsom endorsed Assembly member Todd Gloria, D- San Diego, in his bid to become mayor of San Diego, giving Gloria the backing of another powerful Sacramento leader. Charles T. Clark in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/9/19
Massaging the Message with Anat Shenker-Osorio -- Political messaging expert Anat Shenker-Osorio discusses the "messaging quadrant," the difference in how Republican and Democratic campaigns search for messages, and the Race Class Narrative. KQED Political Breakdown -- 8/9/19
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Uber posts biggest quarterly loss ever after stock payouts -- Uber lost $5.24 billion in the second quarter — its largest quarterly loss ever — after making huge stock-based payouts in the months following its initial public offering. Cathy Bussewitz Associated Press -- 8/9/19
Tesla hit by lawsuit claiming thousands of owners lost battery capacity after software update -- A Tesla Inc owner has filed a lawsuit against the electric vehicle maker, claiming the company limited the battery range of older vehicles via a software update to avoid a costly recall to fix what plaintiffs allege are defective batteries. Alexandria Sage Reuters -- 8/9/19
Housing
Rent Control Could Arrive In Sacramento As Backers Of Ballot Measure Agree To Compromise -- City Council announced a proposed new renter protection law on Thursday that, if approved during next week’s meeting, would prompt backers to drop support of a competing rent control initiative. The groups behind that measure had garnered enough signatures last year to qualify for the 2020 ballot. Bob Moffitt Capital Public Radio Theresa Clift in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/9/19
Education
Stanislaus County schools add suicide hotline numbers to student IDs. Why? It’s law -- Suicide is the second-leading cause of deaths among youth ages 10 to 24. All area school districts are doing something about it. Chrisanna Mink in the Modesto Bee -- 8/9/19
Sweetwater school district budget understated spending by as much as $20 million, county official says -- The San Diego County Office of Education has rejected the Sweetwater Union High School District’s current-year budget, which means, for the second year in a row, the district will have to revise spending plans for the school year it has already started. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/9/19
Bulletproof backpacks? Deadly shootings have parents adding to back-to-school list -- It’s a grim back-to-school accessory for our anxious times: bulletproof backpacks. The backpacks are one more element of the debate over the accessibility of assault weapons as the nation reels from the mass shootings in Gilroy, Texas and Ohio. Darrell Smith in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/9/19
Is California’s ethnic studies plan too politically correct even for California? -- California has released a draft of the new ethnic studies curriculum for high schools, and critics are asking: Does it lean too far left? Elizabeth Castillo Calmatters -- 8/9/19
Child care providers push California to boost pay for early education teachers -- When a preschool teacher at a San Mateo center began to struggle to interact with children, supervisors became concerned. The reason for the teacher’s drop in performance? She was hungry. Zaidee Stavely EdSource -- 8/9/19
California education bills to watch -- Starting high school later in the day, giving school districts more latitude to reject charter schools and clamping down on exemptions from vaccinations are among the key — and controversial — bills that legislators will vote on by Sept 13. All of the bills have passed one branch of the Legislature. Gov. Gavin Newsom must sign or veto all bills by Oct. 13. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 8/9/19
Health
CEO Richard J. Gannotta departs from UCI Health, national search begins -- Richard J. Gannotta, CEO of UCI Health since 2018, will be stepping down to move into the private sector on Sept. 30. A national search to fill his spot has begun. UC Irvine leaders are first looking for an interim CEO; Chancellor Howard Gillman said the role is expected to be filled before Gannotta leaves next month. Hanh Truong in the Orange County Register -- 8/9/19
Environment
Mountain lion makes rare crossing of the 405 freeway -- The male mountain lion known as P-61 has successfully crossed the 405 freeway, an extremely rare passage for Santa Monica Mountains cougars hemmed in by freeways and the ocean, the National Park Service announced Thursday. Martin Wisckol in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 8/9/19
Tired of plastic junk? California’s recycling bills propose dramatic new rules -- With plastic packaging heading to landfills and recycling centers shutting down, California lawmakers use a trio of bills to take aim at the stuttering recycling economy. Rachel Becker Calmatters -- 8/9/19
Crumbling cliffs could become more common with climate change -- We’ve all done it. Gone to the beach. Hunkered up against the cliffs to get out of the sun. And not thought about what’s right above us. Jacob Margolis KPCC -- 8/9/19
New Point Reyes management plan riles up environmentalists — comment sought -- Ranchers in Point Reyes National Seashore would be allowed to grow crops, put up tourists in their barns and dramatically diversify their livestock operations if a voluminous proposal to extend grazing leases and cull a wild elk herd is adopted. Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/9/19
Also . . .
How pilot son gave his father, a Vietnam War hero, an unprecedented final journey -- Oakland International Airport played a brief but stirring role in an unprecedented “dignified arrival” ceremony for a Vietnam War pilot’s return more than five decades after his death. George Kelly in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/9/19
One is Chinese. One is American. How a journalist discovered and reunited identical twins -- On a cold afternoon in 2017, I was fighting off the urge for a nap when a message popped up on Facebook: Ms. Demick. You contacted me a long time ago? Are you still interested in talking with me? If so, my family and I are interested. Barbara Demick in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/9/19
POTUS 45
Trump’s Opponents Want to Name His Big Donors. His Supporters Say It’s Harassment -- For many businesses, a sudden deluge of phone calls might signal an influx of new customers. But most of the 25 calls Justin Herricks received before noon on Thursday were from people who wanted to tell him he was a white supremacist for donating money to President Trump. Katie Rogers and Annie Karni in the New York Times$ -- 8/9/19
Beltway
How Kamala Harris Charmed the 1 Percenters -- At splashy weddings, charity balls and all the right restaurants, she hobnobbed with San Francisco’s monied elite—and made lasting allies who backed her at every stage of her political career. Michael Kruse Politico -- 8/9/19
-- Thursday Updates
Records: Festival gunman had passport, survival guide in car -- The gunman in the deadly California food festival shooting had a passport, clown mask, wilderness survival guide and bottle rockets in his car at the time of the attack, court documents released Thursday show. Stefanie Dazio Associated Press Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle Erin Woo in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/8/19
PG&E hedge fund owners propose $15 billion bankruptcy investment -- Two hedge funds that own PG&E Corp. stock have said they are willing to invest as much as $15 billion in equity to help the company exit bankruptcy protection. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/8/19
San Rafael’s mayor fed up with gun violence, orders flags at half-staff until Congress acts -- San Rafael Mayor Gary Phillips announced this week that flags on city property will be flown at half-staff until Congress passes new gun control legislation. Pete Grieve in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/8/19
Skelton: Single-issue voters have doomed gun control in Congress. Will that ever change? -- Americans say they want meaningful national gun controls. But they don’t want them badly enough — or they’d already have them. This is what I mean: Sure, voters tell pollsters Congress should pass legislation to toughen up background checks on gun buyers. Most even want to ban military-style assault weapons. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/8/19
McManus: Is there something wrong with us? -- I’m in northern Ontario, bear country, where most hunters, farmers and loggers own guns. When they look at the United States, they think there’s something wrong with us. President Trump says we have so many mass shootings because of mental illness, video games and the internet. But Canada has mental illness, the internet and violent video games, too — the same video games, in the same language — and its rate of gun violence is far lower. Doyle McManus in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/8/19
How much influence does the NRA have in California? -- The following chart illustrates the candidate campaign committees to whom the NRA made contributions since 2010, and the years in which those contributions were given. The map below shows the House districts in which the NRA contributed to candidates since 2016. Tim Sheehan in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/8/19
Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting victim Trevor Irby mourned at hometown funeral -- A hearse carrying the casket of Trevor Irby, 25, has left the funeral service held Thursday in the Romulus Central School auditorium in Romulus, N.Y., the Associated Press reported. Pallbearers dressed in Pittsburgh Steelers jerseys carried Irby’s casket in honor of the ardent Steelers fan, according to AP. Irby and two others were killed July 28 when Santino William Legan cut through a fence and opened fire with a Romanian-made AK-47 style-rifle at the popular Gilroy Garlic Festival. Dylan Bouscher in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/8/19
Suspect identified in Orange County stabbing rampage that killed 4; motive still unclear -- A 33-year-old man identified by law enforcement sources as Zachary Castaneda is being held on $1-million bail in connection with a deadly rampage across two Orange County cities that left four people dead and two others wounded. Hannah Fry, Louis Sahagun in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/8/19
Oysters in peril as warming climate alters the water in their habitats -- Human-caused climate change is increasingly harming oysters in Tomales and San Francisco bays and could soon devastate shellfish across California, as the chemistry of the water in estuaries morphs and livable habitat shrinks, a UC Davis study has found. Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/8/19
A clean energy breakthrough could be buried deep beneath rural Utah -- If you know anything about solar and wind farms, you know they’re good at generating electricity when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing, and not so good at other times. Sammy Roth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/8/19
San Francisco fentanyl overdose deaths soared in 2018 with 89 dead -- The number of overdose deaths from fentanyl shot up to 89 in San Francisco in 2018 — a nearly 150% increase from the previous year, according to new data from the city’s public health department. Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/8/19
How many more did Manson family kill? LAPD investigating 12 unsolved murders -- The Manson murders mostly are remembered as two events that occurred 50 years ago this month: the killing of actress Sharon Tate and four others in Benedict Canyon and then the butchering of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca in Los Feliz. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/8/19
California man pleads guilty in Florida to $1.3B fraud scam -- A California man pleaded guilty in Florida to orchestrating a $1.3 billion real estate fraud scheme that stole money from thousands of investors nationwide and agreed to forfeit valuable jewelry, wine and paintings by artists such as Picasso and Renoir. Curt Anderson Associated Press -- 8/8/19
Sexual harassment complaint leads to $950,000 state board settlement -- A state board that regulates construction is paying $950,000 to settle a lawsuit from a female employee who said her boss made sexually suggestive comments, touched her inappropriately and then retaliated against her when she rejected his advances. Wes Venteicher in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/8/19
100 kids live in cars in Sacramento. So do hundreds of homeless adults -- Now, Sacramento officials are considering one remedy to help people living in their cars – putting many of them into one or more designated parking lots. Instead of a tent city, Sacramento would create a car encampment for the homeless. Sacramento State researchers who worked on the recent homelessness report recommended the city create so-called safe parking zones – lots where people can park their vehicles to sleep at night and where they don’t have to worry about being towed or break-ins. Theresa Clift in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/8/19
Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office hit with corruption probe over concealed weapons permits -- The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office served a search warrant last week at the Sheriff’s Office as part of an apparent corruption probe into alleged political favoritism in the agency’s issuing of concealed weapons permits, according to sources familiar with the investigation. Robert Salonga in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/8/19
Fox: A Close LA City Council Race -- There is an election in Los Angeles next week that feels a little old fashioned. It features a Democrat versus a Republican and all indications are the race will be close. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 8/8/19
Sen. Kamala Harris airing first TV ad of 2020 campaign in Iowa -- The Democratic candidate starts a five-day bus tour through the state on Thursday, and will launch the ad to coincide with the trip. The TV and digital ad buy is six figures, the campaign said. A media tracker said the campaign was spending roughly $67,000 on TV in the Des Moines area. Tal Kopan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Emily Cadei in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/8/19
Trump brags about crowd size during hospital visit in El Paso -- During a visit to the El Paso hospital treating victims of Saturday's mass shooting, President Donald Trump praised medical staff for their response to the shooting and said "they're talking about you all over the world." And then, he pivoted to talking about himself, talking up the crowd size that attended a rally he held in El Paso several months earlier and mocking the relatively small size of the crowd that joined presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke, a former congressman, to protest the rally, according to cell phone video posted online. Jeremy Diamond and Betsy Klein CNN -- 8/8/19