Updating . .   

Gov. Gavin Newsom to propose that California manufacture its own generic drugs -- Taking a play from Elizabeth Warren, California could become the first state to establish its own generic drug label, the better to cut health care costs. Judy Lin, Elizabeth Aguilera Calmatters Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Melody Gutierrez in the Los Angeles Times$ Sophia Bollag in the Sacramento Bee$ Adam Beam Associated Press Christine Mai-Duc and Jared S. Hopkins in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 1/9/20

Lazarus: Trump slashed consumer protections. So California is stepping up -- After years of the Trump administration steadily rolling back federal consumer financial protections, California has decided enough is enough. Gov. Gavin Newsom will unveil a California Consumer Financial Protection Law as part of his proposed 2020-21 state budget, to be introduced Friday. David Lazarus in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/9/20

Californians’ home mortgage deduction would be capped under new bill -- California homeowners with big home loans and vacation properties would owe higher taxes under new legislation to raise money for programs to get the state’s homelessness crisis under control. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/9/20

Alleged gang members federally indicted in deadly shootout at SF’s Fillmore Heritage Center -- Federal authorities in San Francisco announced charges Thursday against two alleged gang members in a March shootout at the city’s Fillmore Heritage Center that left one man dead and five others injured. Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/9/20

Bay Area’s largest planned housing project could die due to union fight -- A high-stakes dispute between unions and the developer of the Concord Naval Weapons Station is threatening to derail the Bay Area’s biggest housing project, a 13,000-unit redevelopment of the former military base in Contra Costa County. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/9/20

Taylor: 2 Oakland moms take radical stand in battle for housing -- After a long search, Dominique Walker found a one-bedroom cottage for $2,000 a month in San Leandro, but the landlord wanted her to pay $8,000 to move in. “If I had $8,000 laying around, I probably wouldn’t need a place to stay,” she said. Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/9/20

Gig law doesn’t apply to independent truck drivers, California judge rules -- The state law, known as Assembly Bill 5, or AB 5, was intended to curb businesses’ use of independent contractors by establishing a test that effectively makes it harder for companies to claim that workers are independent contractors instead of employees who are entitled to legal minimum-wage rates and benefits such as workers’ compensation. James F. Peltz in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/9/20

BART board signs off on train-patrolling ambassadors. Here’s when you could start seeing them -- BART riders will start seeing new uniformed “ambassadors” aboard late-night trains next month after the agency’s board approved a six-month trial run meant to reassure passengers anxious about the system’s safety after dark. Nico Savidge in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/9/20

Facebook says politicians can still tell lies in their online ads -- Facebook said Thursday that it intends to make no major changes in its policies toward political ads, a decision that will still allow candidates to include lies about their rivals in such advertisements during the current election cycle. Rex Crum in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/9/20

Why your phone service is getting worse -- A single downed Internet cable was to blame for the massive holiday havoc at the Sacramento International Airport in the hectic days before Christmas, canceling flights, stranding passengers and forcing airline employees to check luggage and write out boarding passes by hand. But the real culprit, said state Office of Emergency Services director Mark Ghilarducci, is telecom’s failure to create a more resilient communications network. Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/9/20

California’s ‘hydrogen highway’ never happened. Could 2020 change that? -- Hydrogen-powered cars haven't taken off. But with successful pilot projects using hydrogen buses and trucks, and with carmakers poised to expand consumers' options, proponents say this may be the year when the climate-friendly “fuel of the future” finally arrives. Julie Cart Calmatters -- 1/9/20

Defense contractor from California whose death sparked U.S.-Iran conflict is mourned -- They washed the man’s body with care, wrapping him in a plain white cloth before bringing him to the prayer hall where community members waited. Most of the men and women gathered Saturday afternoon at the Greater Sacramento Muslim Cemetery to honor Nawres Waleed Hamid hadn’t known him, but they felt compelled to pay him respect. Anita Chabria, Leila Miller, Sarah Parvini in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/9/20

Plenty’s vertically farmed produce hits Safeway, Whole Foods -- South San Francisco vertical farm company Plenty unveiled a huge new facility last summer with the promise that its produce would be more widely available. The expansion is now happening. Janelle Bitker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/9/20

Contra Costa DA to clear marijuana convictions for 2,399 people, thanks to Prop. 64 -- The move, which will overturn a total of 3,264 convictions, comes as a result of a partnership between the district attorney and a nonprofit called Code for America, which employs programmers, designers and data aggregators to “improve government services,” according to its website. Nate Gartrell in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/9/20

Fox: Use State Land for Housing Homeless, Gov. Says, But Will the Homeless Go -- Among the proposals Governor Gavin Newsom is pursuing in dealing with the homelessness crisis is to open state owned land to be used for temporary homeless shelters. While temporary sites close to city centers may appeal to the homeless as a temporary residence, it is a question whether lands away from locations the homeless currently occupy will be rejected. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 1/9/20

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

California judge rules gig law does not apply to truck drivers -- In the first court decision on AB5’s validity, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday that California’s new gig-work law does not apply to truck drivers because it is preempted by federal law. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/9/20

How Democratic presidential candidates want to make the U.S. more like California -- With Democrats holding all the political power in California for nearly the last decade, the Golden State has evolved into a laboratory for big blue ideas. Put a price on carbon? We’ve done it. Provide health insurance to undocumented immigrants? We do some of that too. Gun control, minimum wage hikes and heavy taxes on the rich are also realities here. Laurel Rosenhall Calmatters -- 1/9/20

California’s renewable energy targets slashed carbon pollution — now there’s a proposal to pause them -- California’s ambitious renewable energy targets helped drive a substantial drop in greenhouse gas pollution that propelled the state past its 2020 climate change goals early, according to a non-partisan analysis released this week. Yet one California lawmaker confirmed Tuesday he wants to put a stop to the mandate, for now. Rachel Becker Calmatters -- 1/9/20

California is poised to extend healthcare coverage to seniors living in the U.S. illegally -- California has been slowly erasing legal immigration status as a requirement for medical coverage under the state’s healthcare program for low-income residents, allowing children and, this month, young adults living in the U.S. illegally to enroll. Melody Gutierrez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/9/20

Skelton: Column: In his second year, Newsom needs to start producing results and focus on the achievable -- The main rap on Gov. Gavin Newsom after one year in office is that his focus is too scattered. He doesn’t prioritize. But there’s a sign that could be changing. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/9/20

Walters: Winnowing legislative grain from chaff -- During the pre-industrial era, crops of wheat were planted, cultivated, harvested and processed by hand. The latter included “winnowing,” typically by using a shallow basket to toss the crushed kernels of wheat into the air, allowing the wind to separate edible grain from the lighter and disposable chaff. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 1/9/20

Rep. Duncan Hunter’s seat in Congress will sit vacant, as governor says no to special election -- The 50th Congressional District — which includes much of East County as well as the North County communities of Fallbrook, San Marcos, Valley Center and Escondido, and a small portion of Riverside County — will be without a representative in Congress until next January. Charles T. Clark in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ Jeremy B. White Politico -- 1/9/20

Fresno senator appoints California’s first Hmong chief of staff at the state Capitol -- Shery Yang, a first-generation American, has joined the office of state Sen. Melissa Hurtado, who represents the 14th Senate District covering cities in Fresno, Kern, Kings and Tulare counties. Theodora Yu in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/9/20

Should virginity tests be illegal? California lawmaker wants to ban them -- Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez’s Assembly Bill 1909 is in response to rapper T.I.’s November interview with Buzzfeed News, during which the entertainer said he goes with his teenage daughter to the gynecologist to make sure she’s still a virgin. Hannah Wiley in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/9/20

Iranian Americans in San Diego say they’re concerned as tensions continue -- A day after Iran’s ballistic missiles hit two U.S. bases in Iraq Tuesday, causing damage but no American injuries, some members of San Diego’s Iranian American community said they are feeling concern and resignation, as tensions between Iran and the U.S. remain strained Wednesday. Andrew Dyer in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/9/20

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

‘Not the Golden State anymore’: Middle- and low-income people leaving California -- Many who have left say they simply couldn’t afford to stay. One report found that the majority of people leaving earned less than $100,000. Kate Cimini Calmatters -- 1/9/20

Tech layoffs: Cyber security firm cuts dozens of Bay Area jobs -- Cyber security giant NortonLifeLock — until recently called Symantec Corp. — is laying off 129 workers in San Francisco and Mountain View. Leonardo Castañeda in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/9/20

Uber stops upfront ride pricing in response to California worker law -- Uber Technologies Inc on Wednesday informed its California customers that it would switch to providing estimates as opposed to fixed prices for its rides in response to a new law that makes it harder to qualify its drivers as contractors. Tina Bellon Reuters Preetika Rana in the Wall Street Journal$ Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/9/20

Electric scooter injuries have soared, UCSF study finds -- Nearly one in three were head injuries. Breyer said “they have the potential to be catastrophic and produce lifelong disabilities. They can be very severe. I think some of that is probably related to fewer scooter riders wear helmets.” Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/9/20

Transit  

LA Metro's New Train And Bus Names Are Official. There Is No F Line And You Know Exactly Why -- The rail line formerly known as "Blue" has been the A Line since it reopened in the fall after a nearly yearlong upgrade project. Now, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority has given the rest of its bus and train lines their new official names, too. Ryan Fonseca LAist -- 1/9/20

Homeless  

This bill would let new homeless shelters and affordable housing bypass environmental law -- Aiming to speed up the construction of affordable housing and homeless shelters in California, new legislation would make all new low-income housing projects exempt from a key environmental law that has been used to restrict development. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/9/20

LA cleanup of Sepulveda Basin homeless camps begins final phase in the ‘Bamboos’ -- Crews have begun their fourth and final effort to clear the flood-prone basin of debris and encampments. But despite efforts to inform the homeless living there, some were taken by surprise. Elizabeth Chou and Ariella Plachta in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 1/9/20

Housing  

Amid labor dispute, the future of Bay Area’s biggest planned housing development is still unclear -- After Lennar Concord LLC and Five Point, the developers of the Concord Naval Weapons Station, and labor groups reached an impasse in negotiations over how much of the $6 billion redevelopment of Naval land would be done by union workers, the City Council on Wednesday told both sides to go back to the table and work it out. Annie Sciacca in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/9/20

Education 

ACT chief warns UC that killing the admissions test would harm students -- Ending the standardized test requirement for admissions at the University of California would deprive students of an objective measure of their skills, among other negative consequences, the head of the ACT test warned UC regents this week. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/9/20

More than 12,000 fall grades missing as strike continues at UC Santa Cruz -- Demanding a raise they say would allow them to afford the high cost of living in Santa Cruz, scores of UCSC teaching assistants and graduate-student instructors refused to submit students’ fall quarter grades by a Dec. 18 deadline. Nicholas Ibarra in the Santa Cruz Sentinel -- 1/9/20

Follow the money: Are changes coming for California’s school funding law? -- Galvanized by a state audit that criticized California’s lax oversight of school spending, legislators are ringing in the new decade with proposals that would require the state to follow the money that districts get to educate disadvantaged kids. Ricardo Cano Calmatters -- 1/9/20

S.D. Unified files lawsuit against vaping company Juul -- The San Diego Unified School District is suing Juul Labs, a giant in the electronic cigarette industry, for the company’s role in fostering vaping among children, a trend that has disrupted learning at schools throughout the district, the lawsuit states. Lyndsay Winkley in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/9/20

How Supreme Court DACA case could affect U.S. citizen children -- When 15-year-old Guadalupe Garcia thinks about what could happen if the Supreme Court decides to end protections for hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants, she feels terrified that her mother could be deported. Zaidee Stavely EdSource -- 1/9/20

New efforts to make school spending in California more transparent -- Though barely a week old, 2020 is shaping up to be the year that policy makers and legislators force school districts to be more accountable for how they spend money they receive from the state’s funding formula. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 1/9/20

Health 

5 Things to Know as California Starts Screening Children for Toxic Stress -- Starting this year, routine pediatric visits for millions of California children could involve questions about touchy family topics, such as divorce, unstable housing or a parent who struggles with alcoholism. Barbara Feder Ostrov Kaiser Health News via KQED -- 1/9/20

Environment 

California’s largest private giant sequoia stand saved from development -- The long-awaited purchase of a vast grove of giant sequoias once targeted for homes and a ski resort has been completed by the San Francisco conservation group Save the Redwoods League, which plans to open trails and eventually make it a federal park. Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/9/20

Also . . . 

Ruth Bader Ginsburg declares she’s ‘cancer free’ -- Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has declared she is “cancer free,” beating the disease for the fourth time after undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer in the summer. The 86-year-old justice, one of the oldest to serve on the Supreme Court, offered the health update to CNN in an interview in her chambers Tuesday evening. Colby Itkowitz in the Washington Post$ -- 1/9/20

POTUS 45  

Trump’s Inaccurate Statements About the Conflict With Iran -- President Trump, responding during a White House address on Wednesday to the missile strikes by Iran, assailed the nuclear agreement reached by his predecessor and praised American military might. The 10-minute address contained numerous inaccuracies and claims that lacked evidence. Here’s a fact check. Linda Qiu in the New York Times$ -- 1/9/20

Trump seeks to celebrate a victory, even in the wake of a foreign attack -- But with his conciliatory posture, Trump wasn’t merely managing a crisis that had arrived unprovoked on the nation’s doorstep. This was a crisis he had arguably created himself, by authorizing last week’s killing of one of Iran’s top generals and threatening to annihilate that country. Ashley Parker and Philip Rucker in the Washington Post$ -- 1/9/20

Mnuchin seeks delay of proposed disclosure of Secret Service spending on presidential travel until after election -- The Trump administration is seeking to delay a Democratic effort to require the Secret Service to disclose how much it spends protecting President Trump and his family when they travel — until after the 2020 election, according to people familiar with the discussions. Carol D. Leonnig and David A. Fahrenthold in the Washington Post$ -- 1/9/20

Beltway 

American Consumers, Not China, Are Paying for Trump’s Tariffs -- New York Fed and academic researchers found that U.S. consumers and companies have borne the brunt of the president’s trade war. Jeanna Smialek and Ana Swanson in the New York Times$ -- 1/9/20

 

-- Thursday Updates 

Gov. Gavin Newsom calls for $1.4 billion in new help for homeless -- Citing the need to act quickly to get homeless Californians off the streets, Gov. Gavin Newsom will ask lawmakers this week to allocate more than $1.4 billion to a variety of local and state-run efforts, with much of the money earmarked as subsidies for immediate housing and community healthcare services. John Myers, Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ Don Thompson Associated Press Jeremy B. White, Angela Hart and Victoria Colliver Politico Sophia Bollag in the Sacramento Bee$ Don Thompson Associated Press -- 1/8/20

California will open vacant state land for homeless shelters under Newsom order -- The order, which Newsom announced ahead of his annual budget plan due this week, would also create a fund to pay rent and build affordable housing for homeless people. The governor will propose to start the fund with $750 million in taxpayer money, which the Legislature would have to approve. Alexei Koseff and Kevin Fagan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Emily DeRuy in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/8/20

California could mandate backup power at cell phone towers -- When the nation’s largest electric utility preemptively shut off power last fall to prevent wildfires in California, customers lost more than just their lights — some lost their phones, too. Adam Beam Associated Press -- 1/8/20

1.4 million California kids have not received mandatory lead poisoning tests -- More than 1.4 million children covered by California’s Medicaid healthcare program have not received the required testing for lead poisoning, state auditors reported Tuesday, and the two agencies charged with administering tests and preventing future exposure have fallen short on their responsibilities. Lauryn Schroeder in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/8/20

Inglewood charter school with history of alleged wrongdoing denied renewal by county -- The Los Angeles County Board of Education voted Tuesday to close an Inglewood charter school with a lengthy history of financial problems and mixed academic performance that illustrated flaws in California’s oversight system. Anna M. Phillips, Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/8/20

Lopez: He just wants a job that will pay the rent, but he’s getting scared -- Todd Little says the rent on his Toluca Lake one-bedroom apartment is covered through February. Credit cards might keep him in place through March, but beyond that, unless he finds work soon, he doesn’t know where he’ll end up. Homeless, perhaps? Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/8/20

So many allegations of rape against Weinstein and others, so few charges -- More than two years have passed since the #MeToo movement gained widespread traction. Scores of women have come forward, accusing media mogul Harvey Weinstein and other Hollywood heavyweights of sexual assault. The culture and the conversation have changed when it comes to matters of consent. Maria L. La Ganga, Alene Tchekmedyian, Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/8/20

MillerCoors’ Irwindale brewery will shut down — unless Pabst buys it -- The MillerCoors brewery in Irwindale has fallen victim to a years-long slump in sales of light beer. Now the plant’s owner, Molson Coors Beverage Co., says it plans to close the facility — scrapping 470 jobs — by September. James F. Peltz in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/8/20

Kaiser teams with SEIU-UHW union to train 10,000 for health care jobs over next four years -- They have established a nonprofit, Futuro Health, and hired a leading veteran in the field of career technical education to accomplish the work of recruiting and guiding candidates toward credentials or licensing in the field. Cathie Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/8/20

Ethan Brown went vegan, but missed fast food. So he started a revolution -- Twitter co-founder Biz Stone likes to think of himself as a “not preachy vegetarian.” He doesn’t eat meat, but tends to keep his views to himself. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/8/20

Group raises nearly $16 million to buy Alder Creek giant sequoia grove -- The donations ranged from $1 to several million. The money came from across the country and around the world. Save the Redwoods League raised nearly $16 million — more than half of it in four months — to close a deal for 530 acres of the Alder Creek Grove of giant sequoias. Bettina Boxall in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/8/20

California's Salmon Barely Survived the 20th Century, (But Will They Vanish Before the Next One?) -- Though fishing industry observers fear for the worst, some fisheries advocates can see a path forward. Alastair Bland in the East Bay Times -- 1/8/20

US, Iran step back from the brink; Trump opts for sanctions -- The U.S. and Iran stepped back from the brink of possible war Wednesday, as President Donald Trump indicated he would not respond militarily after no one was harmed in Iran’s missile strikes on two Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops. Zeke Miller Associated Press -- 1/8/20

Iran gives Trump an off-ramp — for now -- Iran responded Tuesday night to the U.S. government’s killing of one of its top military figures with missile attacks on two Iraqi military bases that house U.S. troops. And although some are labeling that an escalation — and much could still change — it appears that Iran may be giving Trump a politically palatable off-ramp from further clashes. Aaron Blake in the Washington Post$ -- 1/8/20