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California advances gun control bills amid Texas school massacre -- As news traveled around the country Tuesday of a mass shooting at a Texas elementary school that left at least 22 dead — including 19 children, two teachers and the 18-year-old gunman — California lawmakers were advancing a package of gun control bills, including one sponsored by Gov. Gavin Newsom that co-opts the structure of Texas’ abortion ban to crack down on illegal firearms. Ben Christopher CalMatters -- 5/25/22

Second-grade student in south Sacramento brings gun, ammo to school, district officials say -- The incident took place Tuesday at Edward Kemble Elementary School in the Meadowview neighborhood, the same day an 18-year-old shot and killed 19 school children and two adults at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. Sawsan Morrar in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/25/22

Barabak: Texas school shooting was ‘incomprehensible’? No, it’s just another day in America -- Just another day in America. Mass shootings have become so common — along with the reflexive partisan response — we now assign them to specific subcategories: The ones that targeted Blacks, Latinos, Jews or people of Asian descent. The ones on college campuses. The ones in office buildings. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/22

U.S. gun laws are getting looser, not stronger, despite more mass shootings -- By this summer, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to hand down a decision undoing a long-standing New York law that forbids individuals from carrying guns in public without first demonstrating a “special need” for self-defense. Depending on how narrowly the court tailors its decision, the ruling could have sweeping implications for similar concealed carry restrictions all across the country and especially in liberal states like California, Miller and other 2nd Amendment scholars said. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/22

Water  

California just adopted new, tougher water restrictions: What you need to know -- California water regulators strengthened the state’s drought rules this week, ordering local suppliers to take steps to reduce water usage to stretch limited supplies this summer. Gov. Gavin Newsom warned that more stringent statewide water restrictions could come if the state doesn’t make more progress on conservation soon. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/22

Policy and Politics  

Banks: The ‘older, whiter Valley’ no longer exists. Where do new suburban voters go for mayor? -- As someone who has lived in the San Fernando Valley for more than 40 years, there’s a question I’ve been asked a lot lately by people who live “over the hill”: “How do you think the Valley is going to vote in Los Angeles’ mayoral race?” Sandy Banks in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/22

Border   

99% of L.A. asylum seekers, many of them kids, face deportation, report says -- After drug traffickers killed his little brother, William and his 6-year-old son, Santiago, fled Colombia last September to seek asylum in the United States. Cindy Carcamo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/22

Angel Stadium   

Why the Anaheim City Council nixed the Angel Stadium sale -- It took more than two years to put the deal together, but it collapsed in a matter of days when it became public that Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu – who resigned from office Monday – is under federal investigation for alleged corruption, part of it in connection with the stadium negotiations he spearheaded. Alicia Robinson in the Orange County Register -- 5/25/22

Homeless  

Mayor Breed proposes $67 million investment in homeless housing, following Chronicle investigation -- Mayor London Breed wants to invest $67.4 million to increase wages, boost staffing and make upgrades within San Francisco’s beleaguered permanent supportive housing system, following a Chronicle investigation that detailed understaffing and squalid conditions in the city’s housing for its homeless. Joaquin Palomino, Trisha Thadani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/25/22

Housing   

Mold, plumbing problems persist at South L.A. apartment complex as city pledges action -- Problems with mold and vermin, broken tubs and showers and other slum-like conditions continue to mount at a massive South Los Angeles apartment complex even as politicians, housing and public health officials are pledging to hold the landlord accountable. Liam Dillon, Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/22

Sacramento area remains a national real estate hot spot. This suburb is especially popular -- A new report from real estate firm Redfin listed Sacramento as the fourth most popular destination for those looking to buy a home, trailing only Miami, Phoenix and Tampa, Florida. The net inflow of people looking to relocate here over those looking to leave was more than 6,500 in April. Ryan Lillis in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/25/22

Street  

Villanueva calls for stepped up homeless enforcement on L.A. County transit -- Pointing to several recent high-profile assaults on the Los Angeles County transit system, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Tuesday that his department would ramp up enforcement against homeless riders who attack and harass fellow passengers. Libor Jany in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/22

Sixth man comes forward to allege abuse by former Capital Christian School teacher -- Zach Steele says he is “victim number one” of Dave Arnold, the former Capital Christian School teacher accused of tying up five of his students in his apartment 40 years ago for his own sexual gratification. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/25/22

Education  

New data shows shift at Lowell High School: more students given failing grades after admissions change -- Teachers at San Francisco’s Lowell High gave freshman students significantly more D and F grades this past fall, the first semester after the school board eliminated the merit-based admissions it had relied on for decades. Ricardo Cano, Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/25/22

San Jose: Union School District to pay $7.5 million to men abused by teacher over 40 years ago -- A South San Jose school district will pay $7.5 million to five men to settle a lawsuit alleging the district allowed a predatory teacher to sexually abuse them in the late 1970s and early 1980s, failing to intervene even in the face of ample evidence of the wrongdoing — even as the teacher seemingly took no steps to conceal his actions. Robert Salonga in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/25/22

Monkeypox  

Sex, rashes and outbreaks: A rational guide to the moneypox risk in California -- With case counts in the U.S. relatively low, why are officials paying close attention to this outbreak? And why are they less concerned about monkeypox than about COVID-19? Rong-Gong Lin II, Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/22

Gas wells  

Gas wells leak explosive levels of methane in Bakersfield -- State and regional inspectors found concentrations of methane in the air around some of the wells at levels considered potentially explosive and environmental activists in the region are worried that other chemicals may also be leaking from the wells that could pose a threat to public health. Drew Costley Associated Press -- 5/25/22

California Policy and Politics Wednesday Morning  

Newsom calls inaction on gun violence a ‘choice’ after Texas school shooting -- Gov. Gavin Newsom called out Republicans Tuesday for inaction on the issue of gun control, saying the party “won’t do a damn thing” in a series of tweets hours after a shooting at a Texas elementary school that left 18 children and one teacher dead. Taryn Luna, Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ Lindsey Holden in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/25/22

Just after Texas shooting, California Senate passes Texas-style bill targeting assault weapons, ghost guns -- Shortly after the nation’s latest mass shooting, which killed at least 18 children at an elementary school in Texas, the California Senate passed a bill Tuesday to allow private citizens to file suit for at least $10,000 — a bounty-hunter provision modeled on a Texas abortion law — against makers or sellers of untraceable ghost guns or illegal assault weapons. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/25/22

School shootings have increased recently; the violence in Texas is among the deadliest --There have been 26 school shootings this year and 118 incidents since 2018, according to Education Week, which has tracked school shootings over the last four years. The highest number of shootings in this span, 34, occurred last year. There were 10 shootings in 2020, and 24 each in 2019 and 2018. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/22

Lopez: Don’t look away from the Texas school shooting. Don’t wait in silence until the next massacre -- Think about those innocent children in Texas, and don’t let them out of your mind. Think about their shock and fear as the gunman opened fire. Think about their suffering, their little bodies on the floor of the elementary school, the sirens, the screams. Think about their parents, hoping, praying, waiting in agony. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/22

Roseville police arrest Westpark High School student with replica guns, list of names -- Investigators arrested the student on suspicion of making criminal threats, according to the Roseville Police Department. The student was booked at Placer County Juvenile Hall. The Police Department did not release the student’s name, age or any other details about the identity, because the student is a minor. Rosalio Ahumada in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/25/22

Police around Bay Area will increase patrols around schools in wake of Texas mass shooting -- Police officers across the Bay Area will patrol around local schools in response to the mass shooting at a Texas elementary school that left 21 people dead, including 19 children, police and school district officials said Tuesday. Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/25/22

‘We keep burying kids’: Bay Area, California elected leaders want tougher gun control in wake of Texas mass shooting -- Bay Area and California elected leaders called on Congress to pass stricter gun control measures following a mass shooting Tuesday at a Texas elementary school that left 21 people dead, including 19 children. Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/25/22

Policy and Politics  

Garofoli: As abortion wars escalate, Nancy Pelosi and Gavin Newsom push back on what it means to be ‘pro-life’ -- Here’s how House Speaker Nancy Pelosi turned the tables Tuesday on San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone’s directive to local priests to deny her Communion because of her support for abortion rights: She redefined what it means to be pro-life. It is not just about abortion. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/25/22

Walters: Newsom, legislators given stark budget warning -- The Capitol is agog about Gov. Gavin Newsom’s declaration that California will have a nearly $100 billion budget surplus. “You’ve never seen a number like this,” Newsom told reporters as he unveiled his revised 2022-23 budget proposal. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 5/25/22

Workplace   

Stay away from S.F. national parks, police union says. Here’s what’s behind the warning -- The labor union representing U.S. Park Police officers is advising people to stay away from San Francisco’s Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Presidio National Park this summer “due to an officer staffing crisis” it says makes the parks unsafe for visitors. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/25/22

Nursing home workers rally over staffing crisis, low wages, seek standards board -- Caregivers from eight Southern California nursing homes who say they’re underpaid and understaffed rallied Tuesday in Los Angeles, along with community leaders and Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, D-Los Angeles, to bring attention to their concerns. Kevin Smith in the San Bernardino Sun$ -- 5/25/22

SF Downtown  

Business groups urge ‘activating the streets’ to lure people back to downtown areas -- Business groups in San Francisco are hoping to partner with City Hall to produce ongoing events to entice people back to the city’s economic core, where restaurants and retail shops have suffered from a loss of tourists and office workers who now toil largely from home. And new proposed spending from Mayor London Breed could help. Noah Arroyo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/25/22

Housing    

‘We’ve lost our communities’: Marin County temporarily halts new short-term rental applications in Stinson Beach, other coastal towns -- The county will not accept any new license applications to run short-term rentals for 45 days while officials develop strategies for easing a housing crisis that has left workers without affordable housing and employers in short supply of labor. Julie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/25/22

Street  

As hearing on ‘deputy gangs’ opens, testimony adds to years of allegations -- When Sgt. Jefferson Chow started investigating a fight between deputies assigned to the East L.A. sheriff’s station, he was instructed by a supervisor to question witnesses about groups of deputies that behaved something like street gangs. But, within a few weeks, that instruction changed. The sergeant was told questions about the Banditos or other similar groups in the department didn’t need to be part of his investigation, according to a log Chow kept. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/22

LAPD orders 10-year review of SWAT, citing ‘happy hunting’ comment and ‘SWAT mafia’ claim -- Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore has ordered an internal review of SWAT team operations over the last 10 years to determine whether “any potential problems or patterns” exist in how the unit uses force. Kevin Rector, Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/22

Federal corrections officer pleads guilty to raping woman at downtown L.A. jail -- Jose Viera, 49, of Monterey Park pleaded guilty to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law for sexually assaulting the woman, according to the U.S. attorney’s office for the Central District of California. Nathan Solis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/22

Homeless  

Judge blocks Fresno’s ordinance restricting advocates, press from encampment cleanups -- In a win for Fresno’s homeless advocates, a district court judge said the city of Fresno couldn’t enforce its ordinance that restricts access to the city’s homeless encampment cleanups, citing First Amendment concerns. Melissa Montalvo in the Fresno Bee$ -- 5/25/22

News report showing L.A. homeless services workers throwing out boxes of food draws official’s ire -- A day after a news report captured Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority workers throwing away food meant for unhoused people, L.A. City Atty. Mike Feuer sent a letter to the agency demanding answers. Gregory Yee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/22

L.A. wants to tow abandoned RVs, but city has nowhere to put them -- When the City Council ended a moratorium on impounding campers being used as homes on the streets of Los Angeles earlier this month, officials hoped that would mean they could start clearing away such vehicles that have been abandoned and are clustering in some areas. But the city has little room where tow services could put these campers, even those destined for the scrap heap. Josh Cain in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/25/22

Water  

California bans watering ‘non-functional’ grass in some areas, strengthening drought rules -- California water regulators adopted emergency drought rules Tuesday that increase conservation requirements for water suppliers throughout the state and prohibit the watering of grass that is purely decorative at businesses and in common areas of subdivisions and homeowners associations. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee$ Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/25/22

Education  

Cal State employees say campus leaders ignore harassment and retaliation at nation’s largest university system -- Cal State’s Board of Trustees is under fire for allowing campus leaders to ignore sexual harassment and racial discrimination complaints made by faculty and students across the 23-campus system. Ashley A. Smith EdSource -- 5/25/22

Monkeypox  

What California health officials are doing in the wake of a suspected monkeypox case -- California’s first suspected monkeypox case is isolating at home and “doing well,” Sacramento County’s health officer said Tuesday, as officials investigate how many others may have come in contact with the person. Darrell Smith in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/25/22

Also . . .   

$1.67 million winning Lottery ticket sold in Sacramento expires this week if unclaimed -- The winning ticket, sold over the Thanksgiving weekend at Lichine’s Liquor & Deli at 7107 S. Land Park Drive, matched five numbers in the Nov. 27 Powerball drawing (8-32-55-64-66), missing only the Mega number (10). Rosalio Ahumada in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/25/22

Mother raccoon chewed through a California home’s roof to get back to her babies -- A mother raccoon trying to reach her babies in an attic got stuck as she chewed through the roof of a home in the Santa Cruz Mountains on Monday morning, wildlife rescue officials said. Jessica Flores in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/25/22