Updating . .   

Newsom vetoes bill stripping tax exemptions from nonprofits for anti-government activity -- Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday vetoed a bill that would have removed California tax-exempt status from nonprofits that have engaged in anti-government activities, including treason and insurrection. Lindsey Holden in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/23/22

L.A. City Council candidate’s former employees accused her business of wage theft -- Eight years ago, restaurant worker Jose Higareda filed a wage complaint against the Caliente Cantina restaurant in San Pedro, telling state investigators he was not paid for more than 100 hours of work. David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/22

Chabria: California’s top cop sends message to sheriffs statewide: Nobody is above the law -- At this point in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department descent into ignominy, it’s clear to even the casual observer that Sheriff Alex Villanueva isn’t just willing to play in the mud, he seems to enjoy it like a hog in a heatwave. Anita Chabria in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/22

California voters to decide whether to strengthen state’s abortion law -- California voters will decide whether to reinforce the state’s abortion protections under Proposition 1, a measure that is expected to drive voters to the polls this November. And that was the whole point, opponents say. Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/23/22

Proposition 31 will let voters decide whether they want to ban flavored tobacco products -- California voters will decide in November whether to uphold or block a law Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in 2020 that banned the sale of certain flavored tobacco products, an effort by anti-tobacco advocates to stop a youth vaping crisis and weaken the industry’s influence in the state. Hannah Wiley in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/22

BART   

BART train with 200 passengers stuck in the Transbay Tube getting moved to West Oakland -- A BART train with 200 people onboard is stuck in the Transbay Tube between the Embarcadero and West Oakland stations after a power issue forced the transit agency to power down one of the rails, officials said Friday morning. Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Austin Turner in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/23/22

Power Grid   

California's latest power grid problems are just the beginning -- Growing demand for electricity and the fickle nature, for now, of greener technologies such as wind and solar are making it hard to progress toward the state-mandated goal of a grid that’s 100 percent emissions-free by 2045. Renewables provided 36 percent of the state’s power supply on average so far this year. Camille Von Kaenel Politico -- 9/23/22

Workplace   

Bonuses for California health care workers are going out soon — but there’s a catch -- When will California’s health care workers receive their promised retention bonuses from the state? It looks like the funds — roughly $1.1 billion — will arrive just in time to help pay off holiday shopping bills. Cathie Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/23/22

Housing 

Inside the incredibly shrinking Southern California starter home -- Making compromises has always been a part of house hunting, but in a market where some two-bedroom homes are selling for $1 million or more — often for hundreds of thousands over the asking price — middle-class buyers are forced to take whatever they can get. Jack Flemming in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/22

Earthquake   

Fault along L.A., O.C. coast could unleash earthquake on scale of San Andreas, study shows -- A fault system running nearly 70 miles along the coast of Los Angeles and Orange counties has the potential to trigger a magnitude 7.8 earthquake, according to a new study that is the latest to highlight the seismic threats facing Southern California. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/22

Street  

FBI misled judge who signed warrant for Beverly Hills seizure of $86 million in cash -- Newly unsealed court documents show that the FBI and U.S. attorney’s office in L.A. got the warrant for the raid by misleading the judge who approved it. Michael Finnegan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/22

Mother of 2-year-old girl bitten by coyote blames Huntington Beach for attack -- A claim filed by Bree Anne Lee Thacker on Aug. 31 alleges negligence by the city led to the injuries her child suffered on the evening of April 28. Eric Licas, Sara Cardine in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/22

Did a cop’s racist remark need to be disclosed? For a prisoner, the answer took years -- In 2014, LAPD Det. Brian McCartin used a racial slur while out with colleagues at a bar. Only recently did the D.A. office let many defendants know. Libor Jany, James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/22

2 ex-Alameda County deputies charged in S.F. beating received quiet plea deals from Boudin’s office -- Two former Alameda County sheriff’s deputies who were accused of unlawfully beating a fleeing man in a Mission District alley in 2015 are facing only minor criminal penalties after they quietly struck plea agreements with San Francisco prosecutors late last year. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/23/22

2 people die at Nocturnal Wonderland electronic music festival in Southern California -- Two people died over the weekend under unspecified circumstances at the Nocturnal Wonderland electronic dance music festival at the Glen Helen Amphitheater in Devore, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said. Brian Rokos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/23/22

After protests over ‘Fast & Furious,’ commercial shoot reignites concern in Angelino Heights -- Weeks after protesters rallied against the filming of the newest “Fast & Furious” movie in Angelino Heights, a commercial shoot for Rockstar Energy Drink caught some locals by surprise Thursday, reigniting their concerns that on-screen stunts are drawing street takeovers and other dangerous driving to their community. Gregory Yee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/22

Expensive Skies  

Airfares hit highest level in years despite falling fuel prices -- Jet fuel prices have been dropping dramatically since May, yet airfares for Thanksgiving and Christmas will be the highest in years. Hugo Martín in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/22

Education  

Nearly 90% of kids at one S.F. school were chronically absent last year. What is SFUSD doing about it? -- César Chávez, in the city’s Mission neighborhood, had one of the highest chronic absentee rates in the district last year, with 70% of the 449 students missing at least 10% of the 180-day school year, compared to 29% two years earlier. Jill Tucker, Nami Sumida in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/23/22

Also . . .   

‘I need to go to therapy soon, and by therapy I mean Target.’ Roaming the aisles as self-care? -- On days she feels particularly stressed, Shamita Jayakumar knows the quickest way to ease her mind. “I’ll just go to Target and wander the aisles,” she says. “So soothing.” Marisa Gerber in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/22

California Policy and Politics Friday  

Facing lower-than-expected revenues, Newsom vetoes spending bills -- Some of those measures would have done things like provide free transit passes for students, limit preschool fees for low-income families, and create a pilot to fund outreach for behavioral health services to certain Medi-Cal patients. All laudable goals, the governor writes, but the cash isn’t there. Nicole Nixon Capital Public Radio -- 9/23/22

Newsom signs ‘landmark’ law eliminating parking mandates near transit -- Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law on Thursday a bill to eliminate minimum parking requirements on new development near public transit, a step housing advocates cheered as a major victory. Jordan Parker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/23/22

Sheriff’s investigator did not seek friendly judge to approve Supervisor Kuehl searches, court finds -- A judge found Thursday that a Los Angeles County sheriff’s investigator followed proper protocols when he obtained a warrant to search the home and office of county Supervisor Sheila Kuehl and others, clearing him of allegations that he’d sought out a friendly judge to sign off on the searches. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/22

Gas  

San Diego County gas prices rise sharply again -- The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in San Diego County rose 5 cents Thursday to $5.529, a day after rising 6.4 cents. KPBS -- 9/23/22

Workplace   

Tesla Countersues California Agency That Filed Racial Discrimination Lawsuit -- The electric-vehicle maker, in the suit filed Thursday in Alameda County Superior Court, said the California Civil Rights Department—previously known as the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing—violated state rules by filing the lawsuit without seeking public comment or holding a public hearing. Meghan Bobrowsky in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/23/22

Taxes / Fees  

Your California tax refund could hit your bank account in 2 weeks -- After months of living in an inflation-ridden economy, relief for some Californians is just around the corner. Residents who filed their 2020 taxes may receive a one-time payment of up to $1,050 as soon as Oct. 7. Payments will extend through early next year. Brianna Taylor in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/23/22

Develop   

Proposed surf park in California desert is rejected by La Quinta City Council -- A developer’s proposal to build a surfing lagoon in the Coachella Valley desert has been rejected by the city of La Quinta after residents raised concerns about noise, lighting and the resort’s substantial water footprint in a time of severe drought. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/22

Power Cost   

A new study says that low-income households bear the brunt of electricity costs -- A report published last year by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) predicted, if unmitigated, this trend will only continue. The agency found that wildfires will likely continue driving up these costs. And according to a new study, low-income households in California are bearing the brunt of this cost. Manola Secaira Capital Public Radio -- 9/23/22

Climate  

California will ban the sale of natural-gas heaters by 2030. This technology could replace them -- In another ambitious move toward California’s zero-emissions goals, state air regulators voted Thursday to approve a plan that would ban the sale of commercial and residential natural-gas heaters by 2030 — a decision that means an alternative heating technology powered by electricity might soon become far more widespread in the state. Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/23/22

Housing 

Rising mortgage interest rates could create ‘sticker shock’ for Bay Area homebuyers -- Mortgage interest rates surpassed 6% this month for the first time since the Great Recession, and continue to climb upward, cooling homebuying demand in the pricey Bay Area housing market. Ricardo Cano in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/23/22

L.A. to reopen Section 8 housing waiting list for first time in five years. Here’s what you need to know -- Starting Oct. 17, low-income Los Angeles residents will have two weeks to submit an application online for a chance to be added to a Section 8 housing lottery waiting list. Melissa Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/22

Climate  

Los Angeles promises to add thousands of bus shelters -- On Tuesday, the council voted 12 to 1 to give the joint venture Tranzito-Vector a 10-year contract to advertise on hundreds of bus shelters in exchange for installing and maintaining 3,000 such structures across the city. Rachel Uranga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/22

Water  

Drought, new dams, discord dominate election for Santa Clara Valley Water District -- Five candidates are running for two seats that could determine control of Silicon Valley’s largest water agency. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/23/22

COVID  

L.A. County will end mask order on public transit, in airports on Friday -- For months, L.A. has been the only California county to still mandate widespread masking in such settings — though some individual operators, most notably the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit commuter rail system, also have such rules in place. Luke Money, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/22

Masks off at BART? Agency face covering rule set to end — again -- One of the last remnants of the Bay Area’s pandemic-era lockdowns – BART’s mandatory face covering policy – could become a relic after agency leaders voted to effectively end the mandate after Oct. 1. Eliyahu Kamisher in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/23/22

California’s COVID-19 infection and hospital rates drop, but state’s death toll passes 95,000 -- As the calendar flips from summer to fall, California’s coronavirus numbers appear to be continuing a long and steady trend of improvement, with key transmission and hospitalization metrics having now declined for about two straight months. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/23/22

Street  

‘He’s back’: Alleged stalker returns to S.F. after judge dismisses case, sparking new complaints from women -- A San Francisco judge notoriously dismissed the case of a man accused of stalking a teenage girl. Now, the man is back — and numerous women say he’s followed and grabbed them, too. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/23/22

3 suspects arrested in connection with $5-million Beverly Hills jewelry heist -- Three suspects have been arrested in connection with a March robbery in which they allegedly stole $5 million worth of jewelry from a high-end Beverly Hills jeweler during a brazen daytime heist, authorities said. Alexandra E. Petri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/22

Meta/Facebook  

Facebook Live copied tech from war veteran’s app, jury finds in $175-million verdict -- The parent company of Facebook and Instagram was ordered to pay nearly $175 million for violating patents held by the maker of a push-to-talk app founded by a former Green Beret who had sought to solve battlefield communications problems he encountered in Afghanistan. Gregory Yee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/22

Cannabis  

Lawsuit claims SMUD illegally gave user data to police, enabling discriminatory pot enforcement -- An Asian American nonprofit organization and a digital privacy advocacy group are suing the city of Sacramento and Sacramento Municipal Utility District, alleging the agencies targeted Asian Americans as they enforced local marijuana cultivation rules. Sawsan Morrar in the Sacramento Bee$ Don Thompson Associated Press -- 9/23/22

After Times investigation, law passed to force California to clear pot convictions faster -- California has new deadlines to dismiss and seal many cannabis convictions under a law signed this week by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The move comes after a Times investigation found that tens of thousands of Californians still have felonies, misdemeanors and other cannabis convictions on their records. Kiera Feldman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/22

Exodus  

New report shows more people are leaving San Francisco than any other metro -- The Bay Area leads the country in people planning to relocate despite an overall decline in those looking to leave from this time last year, which the report attributes to a recent drop in the area's home prices. Sam Moore in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/23/22

Education  

After string of teen overdoses, L.A. schools will get OD reversal drug naloxone -- LAUSD acts in response to overdose death of student at school. Also will step up parent outreach and peer counseling. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/22

LAUSD to pay $9.5 million to parents of boy who died after running laps in P.E. -- A 12-year-old boy became unconscious and died after running laps during P.E. class at an LAUSD school. Two years later, the district is paying $9.5 million to his parents. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/22

UC campuses face rollback in authority after UCLA deal to leave Pac-12 irks regents -- University of California regents are mulling restricting schools’ ability to negotiate major contracts after UCLA announced its move to the Big Ten. Teresa Watanabe, Ben Bolch in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/22

As Sacramento schools try to address the mental health crisis, vulnerable students suffer -- The COVID-19 pandemic surfaced a youth mental health crisis that was surging throughout California. Srishti Prabha Capital Public Radio -- 9/23/22

New program to give ineligible University of California applicants a path to admission -- Some California high school graduates who are ineligible for admission to the University of California will soon have a new opportunity to get their seat in the system. Michael Burke EdSource -- 9/23/22

Environment  

Saving Whales From Ship Collisions With Warnings and Letter Grades -- Four whales have died near San Francisco this year after ships crashed into them, and scientists hope to drive that number to zero with new technology. Alex Fox in the New York Times$ -- 9/23/22

Mexico earthquake triggers ‘desert tsunami’ 1,500 miles away in Death Valley cave -- About five minutes after the 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit near Mexico’s southwest coast Monday, typically calm water deep in a Death Valley National Park cave started sloshing against the surrounding limestone rock. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/22

Thousands flock to Yosemite every year to pick up trash. It’s created a national outdoor movement -- A litter cleanup humbly undertaken 18 years ago by rock climbers in Yosemite Valley that grew into an annual event has blossomed into a full-fledged national movement this year. Gregory Thomas in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/23/22

Transit  

After years of delays, the Crenshaw/LAX Line is finally set to open next month -- The 8½-mile line runs from the Adams District through the heart of historically Black Los Angeles and will eventually offer a path to connect to the Los Angeles Airport and the South Bay, but several construction projects along the route are likely to keep it from fully opening until 2026. Rachel Uranga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/22

Also . . .   

Renowned author, Sacramento native Joan Didion honored by hundreds at New York memorial -- Joan Didion’s precision with words extended even to ones she would never live to hear, such as those used during a small, private service this spring at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Hillel Italie Associated Press Jacob Bernstein in the New York Times$ -- 9/23/22

Giles ‘Bud’ Cropsey Jr., oldest man in California and lifelong Oaklander, dies at 111 -- Giles “Bud” Cropsey Jr., believed to be the oldest man in California, died Sept. 14 at age 111. Cropsey died in an assisted living facility in the Oakland hills, said his son, Duane Cropsey. Born Sept. 4, 1911, Cropsey lived his entire life in Oakland. Sam Whiting in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/23/22

Ukrainian teen gets a prosthetic leg in San Diego and dreams big -- Six months ago, 16-year-old Ivan Chaban's life changed forever. He was on his way home from the grocery store in the Ukrainian town of Sumy with his mom and stepfather — one month into the Russian invasion — when the war's brutality upended his family's world. Kitty Alvarado KPBS -- 9/23/22

After video of dog being kicked and punched goes viral, O.C. man turns himself in -- An Anaheim man was arrested Thursday on suspicion of animal cruelty after a video went viral allegedly showing him kicking and punching his dog in the hallway of an apartment building, authorities said. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/23/22