Updating . .   

Takeaways from the Bass-Caruso debate for L.A. mayor -- Wednesday night’s debate between L.A. mayoral hopefuls Karen Bass and Rick Caruso offered the public its first chance to see the candidates one-on-one ahead of the Nov. 8 election. Here are key takeaways from the debate: Dakota Smith, Benjamin Oreskes, Julia Wick in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/22

Tom Girardi gave millions to Democratic politicians. Was the money stolen from clients? -- Gavin. Eric. Barack. Jerry. Dianne. Hillary. Joe. When it came to Democratic politicians, Tom Girardi called them by their first names and their campaigns called him for money. Harriet Ryan, Matt Hamilton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/22

Should California take more time on reparations? Advocates want Newsom to veto extension -- California cemented a major milestone earlier this year when a government-appointed committee recommended that Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers provide reparations to the descendants of enslaved people. Marcus D. Smith in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/22/22

What’s next for Eleni Kounalakis as California lieutenant governor? -- In a 50-minute interview with CalMatters, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis talks about what she and can’t do in the job on higher education, income inequality, offshore oil drilling and other issues. She also discusses her political ambitions. Alexei Koseff CalMatters -- 9/22/22

He earned trust in Sacramento, but Californians still don’t know Newsom challenger Brian Dahle -- Less than seven weeks from the November midterm election, State senator Brian Dahle may be better known as the highest bidder for a slaughtered goat than as Governor Gavin Newsom’s opponent. Ari Plachta in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/22/22

Fact check: Did this Republican candidate for Congress vote to raise California’s gas tax? -- Claim: San Joaquin County Supervisor Tom Patti voted to raise health care costs, prescription drug prices and the gas tax, according to an advertisement paid for by opponent Rep. Josh Harder’s campaign. Rating: Out of context. The votes in the advertisement and corresponding website are fee revisions for San Joaquin General Hospital Services in 2018 and 2020. Patti and other supervisors sent a letter of support for the gas tax bill in 2017. Gillian Brassil in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/22/22

Skelton: Optometrists, ophthalmologists square off over bill to expand role of primary care eye doctors -- There’s a nonsensical disconnect in California’s efforts to provide universal healthcare. There aren’t enough doctors willing to accept the state’s small fees for treating low-income patients. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/22

National effort launched to safeguard poll workers and voters -- With less than two months to the midterms and election signs and mailers already abundant, Orange County’s former registrar has launched a new national campaign to ensure the safety of election workers and voters in an increasingly volatile and partisan environment. Alicia Robinson in the Orange County Register -- 9/22/22

Guns  

The Bontas get their office -- In an alley south of San Francisco’s Market Street, surrounded by the scraps of disassembled weapons and flanked by the mothers of young men killed by gunfire — including the one memorialized on the mural behind him — Attorney General Rob Bonta announced his latest idea for tackling gun violence in California. But it wasn’t his idea alone. Ben Christopher CalMatters Andrew Jeong in the Washington Post$ -- 9/22/22

Cannabis  

Inside California’s pot legalization failures: Corporate influence, ignored warnings -- Architects of the effort to legalize pot in California made big promises to voters. But six years later, California’s legal weed industry is in disarray with flawed policies, legal loopholes and stiff regulations hampering longtime growers and sellers. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/22

Water  

California should expect a ‘fourth dry year’ as drought persists -- California’s reservoirs will enter fall in a slightly better position than last year, but the Golden State should prepare for more dryness, extreme weather events and water quality hazards in 2023, officials say. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/22

‘Triple-dip La Nina’: What the weather phenomenon means for the Bay Area -- This September has been a relatively wet month for the Bay Area. Remnants of Tropical Storm Kay brought moisture to Northern California earlier this month. More recently, an unusual storm delivered nearly 3 inches of rain to the Sonoma Coast and about a third of an inch to downtown San Francisco. Jack Lee in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/22/22

Street  

How one S.F. neighborhood went from ‘on the upswing’ to break-ins, violence and encampments -- Earlier this week, architect Bonnie Bridges was holding a staff meeting at her Lower Polk office when the conversation was interrupted by a loud argument and excruciating screaming outside in the Cedar Street alleyway. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/22/22

Workplace   

Hawaii saw an influx of tech workers in the remote era. But now what? -- Stuck in her Seattle apartment last year with pandemic strictures still mostly in effect, Jaime Schilling saw a way out. Chase DiFeliciantonio in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/22/22

Housing 

After Years of Low Mortgage Rates, Home Sellers Are Scarce -- Homeowners with low mortgage rates are balking at the prospect of selling their homes to borrow at much higher rates for their next homes, a development that could limit the supply of houses for sale for years to come. Nicole Friedman in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/22/22

The Luxury Home Market Posts Its Biggest Decline in a Decade. ‘It’s Like Crickets.’ -- After a pandemic-induced bull run, the high-end market has finally faltered thanks to inflation, recession fears and rising interest rates. Katherine Clarke in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/22/22

Education  

UC will give a second chance to rejected California high school students -- The University of California, aiming to widen admission access for disadvantaged students, will give a second chance to thousands of rejected California high school applicants who had a qualifying 3.0 grade point average but failed to complete the required series of 15 college preparation courses. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/22

Also . . .   

Ruth Gottstein, champion of Coit Tower depicted in one of its famous murals, dies at 100 -- Ten years ago, Ruth Gottstein came to San Francisco from her home in the Sierra foothills to see the New Deal frescoes inside Coit Tower, and specifically to see the mural titled “Library” featuring a girl in a sailor suit dress, bobby socks and patent leather shoes. Sam Whiting in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/22/22

California Policy and Politics Thursday  

Bass, Caruso clash on USC ties, ethics, crime in L.A. mayor debate -- U.S. Rep Karen Bass and real estate developer Rick Caruso battered each other with charges of misbehavior and inauthenticity during an hourlong debate Wednesday, the latest rhetorical escalation in the once relatively genteel campaign for mayor of Los Angeles. James Rainey, Benjamin Oreskes, Julia Wick, David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ Alexander Nieves and Lara Korte Politico -- 9/22/22

Luna, Villanueva trade charges in antagonistic L.A. sheriff debate -- Villanueva painted his opponent as a leader who would be a “puppet” for the county Board of Supervisors, which controls the Sheriff’s Department’s budget, while Luna accused the sheriff of spewing falsehoods about his tenure in Long Beach and blamed him for causing the toxic relationships Villanueva has has with other county leaders. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ Jason Henry in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 9/22/22

Arellano: Alex Villanueva thought his ‘Quien es más Latino?’ strategy would sink his opponent. Nope -- Robert Luna showed up to his debate with Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva at the Skirball Center 2½ hours early. The challenger showed up so early that the security guard didn’t have the VIP parking list yet. The tech people in the auditorium were still doing audio checks. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/22

S.F. Mayor Breed opposes homelessness department oversight commission on the November ballot -- A Chronicle investigation into sub-standard conditions in much of the city’s permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless people — overseen by the department — prompted Supervisor Ahsha Safaí to craft the measure, which his fellow supervisors unanimously passed to put before voters. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/22/22

Mayors Libby Schaaf and London Breed have picked a candidate in the Oakland mayor’s race -- Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf joined other top Northern California big city mayors Wednesday in endorsing Council Member Loren Taylor to succeed her as Oakland’s top executive, The Chronicle has learned, turning the below-the-radar contest into a two-candidate race. Joe Garofoli, Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/22/22

Most Republicans Support Declaring the United States a Christian Nation -- Christian nationalism, a belief that the United States was founded as a white, Christian nation and that there is no separation between church and state, is gaining steam on the right. Stella Rouse and Shibley Telhami Politico -- 9/22/22

Dolores Huerta , a civil rights legend, continues the fight -- At age 92, civil rights icon Dolores Huerta maintains a busy schedule supporting the causes she has worked for her whole life. Lisa Renner Capitol Weekly -- 9/22/22

Trump backer who plotted bombing Democratic HQ in Sacramento blames beer for ‘huge mistake -- When two Bay Area supporters of former President Donald Trump were indicted last year on charges of plotting to blow up the Democratic headquarters building in Sacramento, federal officials described the plans as “despicable conduct” with no place in American society. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/22/22

Michelle Obama set to appear in San Francisco, Los Angeles -- Michelle Obama is set to embark on a six-city tour this fall behind her upcoming new book “The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times.” The trek includes two stops in the Golden State: Dec. 10 at The Masonic in San Francisco and Dec. 13 at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles. Jim Harrington in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/22/22

Here’s when the first batch of California inflation relief checks will go out -- The first batch of one-time payments to help millions of Californians offset rising inflation are scheduled to go out the first week of October, according to state officials. Jessica Flores in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/22/22

Workplace   

Meta Quietly Reduces Staff in Cost-Cutting Push -- The Menlo Park, Calif., company has begun quietly nudging out a significant number of staffers by reorganizing departments and giving affected employees a limited window to apply for other roles within the company, according to current and former managers familiar with the matter, in a move that achieves staffing cuts while forestalling the mass issuance of pink slips. Jeff Horwitz, Salvador Rodriguez and Miles Kruppa in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/22/22

Housing 

San Diego home prices drop for third straight month -- The median price tag in the region sits at just under $800,000, as San Diego — along with the rest of the nation — continues to show signs of a slowing market. Despite the downward trend, overall home prices in San Diego are still up 10.2% over the past year. Jade Hindmon KPBS -- 9/22/22

Healthcare  

Court reinstates malpractice suit against UCSF by woman whose child was stillborn -- A state appeals court says a woman who had a stillborn child in 2016, three days after undergoing pregnancy-related treatment at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, can sue the hospital for alleged medical malpractice, overruling a judge’s decision that she had waited too long to sue. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/22/22

Street  

Barstow mother and stepfather accused of murder after 6-year-old son found beaten -- When officers arrived at the scene, they noticed the boy had “numerous injuries throughout his entire body that were deemed suspicious and indicative of trauma,” with other injuries in “various stages of healing,” police said. Melissa Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/22

Guns  

California to create nation’s first office to combat gun violence -- California will soon be the only state in the nation to have a governmental office committed to preventing gun violence, state officials said Wednesday. Annie Vainshtein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/22/22

Immigration  

Venezuelan migrants flown to California from Texas not part of GOP operation, activists say -- Instead, a Texas shelter working with the newly arrived migrants appears to have given them airfare to Sacramento because their immigration paperwork indicated a check-in with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices in that city, Gonzalez said. Salvador Hernandez, Nathan Solis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/22

Bay Area company ‘horrified’ buses it sold are being used to transport migrants across U.S. -- A Bay Area shuttle company says it’s not involved with Republican governors’ efforts to transport migrants across the United States, even though buses with its distinct rainbow pattern on the side and name — Marin Airporter — have been plastered in news coverage. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/22

BART  

The first renderings for BART’s second Transbay Tube have emerged. Here’s where it could go -- It’s still decades away from becoming reality, but the first conceptual renderings for a second Transbay Tube have emerged, and hint at a significant expansion by BART and regional rail to reach new corners of San Francisco and the urban East Bay. Ricardo Cano in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/22/22

Education  

7th LAUSD teen overdoses from possibly fentanyl-laced pills -- At least seven teenagers, including the 15-year-old Bernstein High School girl who died last week, have overdosed in the past month from pills possibly containing fentanyl, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Summer Lin, Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/22/22

Former student at California all-boys Catholic school alleges in suit he was sexually abused by teacher -- Robert C. Cotton was a respected Servite teacher and administrator for more than 30 years. Lawsuit alleges he also sexually abused a student on a regular basis. Scott Reid in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/22/22

Despite Promises of Equity, Students at This San Francisco Middle School Still Lack Teachers -- The teacher shortage at MLK Middle School, and staffing challenges in districts across the state, comes at a time when unprecedented state and federal education dollars have been sent to districts to help students recover from pandemic-related learning loss — something noted by researchers studying the phenomenon of teaching-staff shortages nationwide. Julia McEvoy KQED -- 9/22/22

State delays public release of English, math and science test score results to later this year -- In a significant departure, the California Department of Education is withholding the release of the results of the Smarter Balanced tests that students took last spring until an undetermined date later this year. The result will be a monthslong delay before the public can view results in English language arts, math and science for the state, districts, schools and charter schools. John Fensterwald and Thomas Peele EdSource -- 9/22/22

Climate  

California could ban gas furnaces and gas water heaters -- California regulators are poised to outlaw the sale of natural gas-powered furnaces and gas-powered water heaters in the state by 2030. The move would make the state the first in the country to back away from these fossil-fueled household appliances. Erik Anderson, Mike Damron KPBS -- 9/22/22

Also . . .   

Yes, bumblebees may be fish, California Supreme Court agrees -- The state Supreme Court agreed Wednesday to allow dwindling species of bumblebees to be considered for protection as endangered species in California under a broad reading of a state law that protects fish. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/22/22