Updating . .   

California bill would reduce single-use plastic products 25% -- An ambitious California proposal aims to reduce plastic production for single-use products like shampoo bottles and food wrappers by 25% starting next decade, part of an effort to rein in pollution from the ubiquitous material. Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 6/17/22

Here’s why we don’t have a final count yet in L.A.’s election -- More people in Los Angeles County voted by using a mail-in ballot this year and waited to turn in that ballot, according to a county spokesman. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/17/22

How big is California’s historic budget, visualized -- $300 billion. That’s the price tag of the budget for the coming year, which the California Legislature approved this week. The surplus alone has reached a record-high $97 billion. And while the budget process is not final — legislative leaders will now have to negotiate with Gov. Gavin Newsom on the finer details of that budget — that staggering number can be difficult to put into perspective. Erica Yee, Jeremia Kimelman and John Osborn D'Agostino CalMatters -- 6/17/22

Gavin Newsom signed the flavored tobacco ban. Now, he’s defending it against repeal -- In 2020, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 793 into law, banning most flavored tobacco products — including menthol cigarettes — from being sold in the state. Now, faced with a referendum on the November ballot that could repeal the measure, Newsom is standing by his decision with a full-throated endorsement. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/17/22

California lawmaker raises minimum age on bill for child vaccines without parental consent -- A California bill allowing minors to get vaccines without parents’ consent would apply only to teens 15 and older after a state senator amended the measure to raise the minimum age. Lindsey Holden in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/17/22

A Sacramento councilman says he lives in his district. His neighbors disagree -- Sacramento City Councilman Sean Loloee has said he lives in a North Sacramento home he bought three years ago just before he filed papers to run for political office. A man claiming to be his tenant in the home and his neighbors tell a different story. Theresa Clift in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/17/22

Disorganized and dangerous: Students want answers after UC Davis commencement halted by heat -- Days after UC Davis officials cut short an outdoor commencement ceremony amid excessive heat that sickened dozens of people, students say the university showed dangerous mismanagement, poor planning and a lack of accountability. Gregory Yee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/17/22

As abortion ruling nears, Supreme Court’s standing already has dropped, polls show -- The Supreme Court has long benefited from Americans’ perception that it stood apart from partisan politics. That view has sharply eroded. David Lauter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/17/22

COVID  

COVID vaccines will soon be available for kids under 5. What Californians need to know -- With the CDC expected to allow COVID vaccines for infants and toddlers, California’s youngest children may start receiving shots by early next week. Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/17/22

Workplace   

S.F.’s white city employees make 24% more money than colleagues of color, audit finds -- An audit of San Francisco’s employment practices shows a city still grappling with workplace disparities amid a pandemic that saw more employees leave their jobs and fewer new hires to replace them. Shwanika Narayan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/17/22

Bay Area, California both gain jobs in May, but slowdown intensifies -- The Bay Area and California both added jobs in May as they continued to recover from coronavirus-linked maladies — but for the third month in a row, the employment gains were weaker than the prior month. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/17/22

Wildfire  

Yosemite undergoes forest-thinning project due to wildfire risk; environmentalists want it stopped -- For more than a century, Yosemite National Park was viewed as a refuge where nature prevails unmolested by man-made forces amid picturesque vistas of granite cliffs, waterfalls and giant sequoias. Louis Sahagún in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/17/22

Housing   

One affordable home in S.F. costs $750,000 to build. This developer has a plan to do it for $350K — with no public money -- What Toboni, 37, settled on was an idea maybe as challenging as it was simple: to build workforce housing for the middle class without accepting the sort of public subsidies — tax credits and affordable housing bonds — that finance most of the city’s affordable housing. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/17/22

Street  

Taiwanese church shooting suspect is charged with hate crimes -- Prosecutors this week added hate crime enhancements to the murder and attempted murder charges against David Wenwei Chou. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/17/22

2 California police officers were fatally shot in head, coroner says -- The two El Monte officers killed in a shootout with a suspect earlier this week were both shot in the head, according to the coroner’s office. Cpl. Michael Paredes, 42, and the Officer Joseph Santana, 31, died at Los Angeles County USC on Tuesday, June 14, following the shooting at the Siesta Inn on Garvey Avenue. The suspect, 35-year-old Justin Flores of Whittier, has not been examined by the coroner’s office. He was also shot and died at the scene. Ruby Gonzales in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/17/22

Chino Hills man charged with kidnapping, rape, torture may have had other victims, police say -- A week after authorities say a woman escaped the suspect’s home, police released a photograph and said he may have committed other crimes. Christian Martinez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/17/22

Also . . .   

Angels owner asks Anaheim for $5 million to cover costs of defunct stadium sale -- Now that Anaheim’s deal to sell Angel Stadium is dead, the would-be buyer is seeking $5 million from the city to cover the costs of putting the deal together. Alicia Robinson in the Orange County Register -- 6/17/22

Arellano: Why I hate jacarandas -- I met my first jacaranda tree in the spring of 1989. My parents had recently moved us from a granny flat in a rough part of Anaheim to a three-bedroom, two-bath, one-swimming pool American dream in a better part of town. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/17/22

A California city that became Little El Salvador feels the pain of separation from its parent -- Separated by 3,200 miles, Sensuntepeque, in central El Salvador, and the dusty farming community of Mendota, 35 miles west of Fresno, are joined as if by an umbilical cord of financial need and emotional codependency. Soudi Jiménez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/17/22

This Styrofoam-eating ‘superworm’ could help solve the garbage crisis -- A plump larva the length of a paper clip can survive on the material that makes Styrofoam. The organism, commonly called a “superworm,” could transform the way waste managers dispose of one of the most common components in landfills, researchers said, potentially slowing a mounting garbage crisis that is exacerbating climate change Pranshu Verma in the Washington Post$ -- 6/17/22

California Policy and Politics Friday Morning  

Governor Gavin Newsom joins Donald Trump’s Truth Social to call out ‘Republican lies’ -- Newsom, a Democrat, wrote that he was “Going to be on there calling out Republican lies” on his personal Twitter account on Thursday. “This could get...interesting,” he added. Gillian Brassil and Lindsey Holden in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/17/22

California environmentalists reach deal on sweeping anti-plastic waste bill -- Environmentalists say they have reached a deal on major legislation to reduce the amount of plastic that Californians use once and toss in the trash — a compromise that could keep an anti-plastic waste initiative off the November ballot. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/17/22

Riverside County’s new supervisor districts diminish Latino voting power, suit says -- The ACLU Foundation of Southern California and others claim the county’s new supervisor districts, adopted in December, violate state redistricting laws. Felicia Alvarez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/17/22

The California Legislature wants to eliminate traffic ticket late fees, but Gov. Newsom may not be on board -- In California, late fees for traffic tickets can balloon quickly, adding up to hundreds of dollars. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/17/22

California lawmaker scraps plan for preteen vaccine consent -- California lawmakers on Thursday amended a bill that would have let preteens be vaccinated against a range of health conditions without their parents’ consent, instead raising the proposed minimum age to 15, which would still be among the youngest in the U.S. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 6/17/22

Clinton, others eulogize Norman Mineta, former cabinet member and San Jose mayor who was interned in Japanese camp as boy -- Former San Jose Mayor and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta made his final return to his hometown — and the city he changed indelibly — for his memorial service on Thursday. Annie Vainshtein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Sal Pizarro in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/17/22

High Speed Rail  

$5.3 billion: San Jose to San Francisco high-speed rail costs balloon by over 200% -- Plagued by years of funding shortages and spiraling costs, California’s beleaguered high-speed rail project suffered another unexpected blow this month in a new report that more than tripled the cost estimate for the San Francisco-to-San Jose segment to a staggering $5.3 billion. Eliyahu Kamisher in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/17/22

California asks feds for $1.2 billion for high-speed rail. Here’s how it would be spent -- Federal grants from a massive infrastructure bill could breathe new life into California’s beleaguered high-speed rail project — if the state’s applications are selected by the Biden administration to receive a share of the funds. Tim Sheehan in the Fresno Bee$ -- 6/17/22

Workplace   

SpaceX employees draft open letter to company executives denouncing Elon Musk’s behavior -- The letter, reviewed by The Verge, describes how Musk’s actions and the recent allegations of sexual harassment against him are negatively affecting SpaceX’s reputation. The document claims that employees “across the spectra of gender, ethnicity, seniority, and technical roles have collaborated on” writing the letter. Loren Grush The Verge -- 6/17/22

SpaceX Said to Fire Employees Involved in Letter Rebuking Elon Musk -- SpaceX, the private rocket company, on Thursday fired employees who helped write and distribute an open letter criticizing the behavior of chief executive Elon Musk, said three employees with knowledge of the situation. Ryan Mac in the New York Times$ -- 6/17/22

Elon Musk Talks Staffing, Free Speech, Remote Work in Twitter Employee Meeting -- Elon Musk, speaking via a smartphone that he appeared to be holding in front of him, told Twitter Inc. employees that he wants to dramatically increase the platform’s users and didn’t rule out layoffs as he works to complete his planned $44 billion takeover. Deepa Seetharaman and Sarah E. Needleman in the Wall Street Journal -- 6/17/22

Elon Musk tells Twitter staff harassment will drive people from service -- In his first address to Twitter’s staff, Elon Musk said Thursday that too much harassment on the site would threaten the platform’s future but that content decisions also should be governed by whether posts are entertaining. Elizabeth Dwoskin in the Washington Post$ -- 6/17/22

Street  

L.A. D.A. Gascón’s policies may have led to reduced prison time for man who killed El Monte cops -- The man who shot and killed two El Monte police officers this week could have faced additional time in prison, but may have received a lighter sentence as a result of one of Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascon’s policies regarding “prior strike” convictions. A judge later deemed the policy illegal. Richard Winton, James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/17/22

Downtown mass shooting suspect appears in Sacramento court after two months on the run -- Mtula Payton made his first court appearance Thursday on murder charges related to the April 3 gang shootout in downtown Sacramento, a hearing that had been delayed by him being on the run for nearly two months before he was captured in Las Vegas last month. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/17/22

Amid severe drought, L.A. city attorney warns of crackdown on illegal Fourth of July fireworks -- Amid a severe drought and historically dry conditions, the Los Angeles city attorney on Thursday warned residents against using illegal fireworks leading up to the Fourth of July and said his office would be cracking down. Itzel Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/17/22

Placer County deputy revives man from second Colfax opiate overdose reported in 10 days -- A sheriff’s deputy saved a man from an opiate overdose in Colfax this week, marking the second overdose the city has seen in the past 10 days. Lucy Hodgman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/17/22

Border   

Coins depicting Border Patrol agent grabbing Haitian migrant trigger ßßinvestigation -- Some critics have raised the question of racism against Black migrants. And the head of Customs and Border Protection has strongly denounced the coins. Hamed ßAleaziz in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/17/22

Education  

Lowell admissions saga: S.F. school board appears split on whether to extend lottery admissions -- Less than a week before a final vote, the San Francisco school board appeared split on whether to restore merit-based admissions to Lowell High School for the fall of 2023 after discussing options during a public meeting Thursday. A final vote is scheduled for Wednesday. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/17/22

USC’s trustees elect first woman as chair of the board as Rick Caruso formally steps down -- USC’s trustees elected Suzanne Nora Johnson on Thursday to be the next chair of its board of trustees, putting a former Goldman Sachs executive with deep experience in running corporate and philanthropic boards to succeed developer Rick Caruso. Matt Hamilton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/17/22

To help students prevent violence, anonymous reporting system coming to S.F. school district -- In response to the rise in school shootings, the phrase has now made its way into the classroom. And soon, it will make its way to the San Francisco Unified School District in the form of the Sandy Hook Promise Foundation’s anonymous reporting system, or ARS. Veronica Roseborough in the San Francisco Examiner -- 6/17/22

Advocates for community schools support more funding but call for fixes to program flaws -- Supporters of the community schools movement want lawmakers to invest more in the state’s seven-year initiative to bring critical services to thousands of schools in low-income areas, but they say “flaws” in the program’s launch should be addressed in the next round of funding. Ali Tadayon EdSource -- 6/17/22

Guns  

Should California gun owners be forced to buy liability insurance? A new bill says yes -- “Guns kill more people than cars,” Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) said in a statement. “Yet gun owners are not required to carry liability insurance like car owners must. Why should taxpayers, survivors, families, employers, and communities bear the $280 billion annual cost of gun violence? It’s time for gun owners to shoulder their fair share.” Owen Tucker-Smith in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/17/22

Environment  

Wildlife commissioners deadlock on granting threatened species status to Joshua trees -- After eight hours of tense debate, the California Fish and Game Commission on Thursday deadlocked 2 to 2 on whether to declare the western Joshua tree a threatened species, forcing continuation of discussions of the volatile issue until November. Louis Sahagún in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/17/22

World Cup  

Bay Area selected as one of the host sites for 2026 World Cup -- FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, officially named Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara as one of the host sites of the 2026 World Cup on Thursday as members of the San Francisco 49ers-led host committee held a private watch party at the stadium. Marisa Ingemi, Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/17/22

Inglewood’s win is Pasadena’s loss as city of ’94 World Cup men’s final falls short in 2026 bid -- The revelation came Thursday afternoon, June 16, when FIFA — the federation that organizes the seismic global men’s soccer tournament — announced 16 stadiums in the U.S., Canada and Mexico that will host matches. Eleven will be in the U.S. Ryan Carter in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 6/17/22

A's Ballpark   

New details emerge on where the A’s and Oakland stand in negotiations over the Howard Terminal ballpark plan -- The Oakland A’s said they agreed to build the amount of onsite affordable housing the city wants at the team’s proposed waterfront ballpark — a key sticking point in their negotiations with officials — in exchange for more money to help pay for infrastructure, but the city rejected the terms. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/17/22

Monkeypox  

Two more monkeypox cases found in Sacramento County, unrelated to first 5, officials say -- Sacramento County health officials have detected two new probable cases of monkeypox, the sixth and seventh local infections identified since late May after none had been disclosed in more than a week, in two residents who recently traveled. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/17/22

Also . . .   

Joyous fans spill into S.F., Oakland streets to celebrate Warriors NBA championship win -- The Warriors were 3,000 miles away as they won their fourth national basketball championship in eight years, but Chase Center and the Bay Area erupted like the game took place right here. Michael Cabanatuan, Sarah Ravani, Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/17/22

Huntington Beach man dies in Death Valley National Park after running out of gas -- David Kelleher, 67, was found in Death Valley National Park not far from his vehicle, where officials found a crumpled note that read, ‘Out of gas.’ Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/17/22

S.F.’s leaning Millennium Tower one step closer to stabilizing its issues -- A revised plan to arrest and rebalance the sinking and tilting of San Francisco’s Millennium Tower moved closer to getting the official sign-off after an outside panel of engineers recommended it to the Department of Building Inspection. If all goes as planned, the work could be implemented by the end of the year. Chase DiFeliciantonio in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/17/22