California Policy and Politics Saturday  

Gavin Newsom signs a law giving undocumented immigrants another way to get a California ID -- Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday signed a bill from Assemblyman Mark Stone, D-Monterey Bay, that gives non-drivers the ability to get ID cards, which were previously off-limits to Golden State residents without legal status. Mathew Miranda and Lindsey Holden in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/24/22

On Native American Day, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs law re-naming UC Hastings -- Under Assembly Bill 1936, by Assemblyman James Ramos, D-Highland, the college’s new name will by University of California, College of the Law, San Francisco, or UC Law, San Francisco for short. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/24/22

More California street vendors can open shop under new law signed by Gavin Newsom -- Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law on Friday that will simplify the rules for street vendors to obtain health permits, easing bureaucratic barriers for taco stand and fruit cart owners. Mathew Miranda in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/24/22

Newsom signs law removing ‘squaw’ across California. What it means for Squaw Valley -- In the central San Joaquin Valley, Assembly Bill 2022 should impact the rural Fresno County town of Squaw Valley. Carmen Kohlruss in the Fresno Bee$ -- 9/24/22

Gas  

California gas is ‘out of whack’ – nearly $2 more than national average. Who’s to blame? -- Due to the state’s special gas blend, California is often termed a “fuel island” because nearly all gas sold in the state is refined locally by a handful of companies, including Chevron, Marathon Petroleum and PBF Energy. That means mechanical hiccups at refineries can cause major price spikes not seen elsewhere in the country. Eliyahu Kamisher, Scooty Nickerson in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/24/22

Homeless

California’s homelessness crisis hits new flash point: Private residents suing cities over encampments -- In the Tenderloin, it was UC Hastings College of the Law that sued the city of San Francisco over “abandoning” the neighborhood to tents and open drug dealing. In Venice Beach, a couple with two kids filed suit against Los Angeles over the tent city outside their front door. Lauren Hepler, Raheem Hosseini in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/24/22

Housing 

California bans mandated parking near transit to fight high housing prices, climate change -- Citing the need to address California’s twin crises of housing affordability and climate change, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that bars local governments from mandating parking spaces as part of most development near transit stops. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/24/22

PG&E Wildfire  

PG&E equipment blamed for Mosquito Fire, California’s largest wildfire in 2022, in lawsuit -- The Mosquito Fire has so far charred nearly 80,000 acres. The troubled utility which was found criminally responsible for its equipment’s role in a series of wildfires including 2018’s Camp Fire that leveled much of the town of Paradise and remains the deadliest in California history, is again being accused of putting dollars over public safety. Darrell Smith in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/24/22

SoCal Edison Wildfire  

Families sue SoCal Edison over Fairview fire that killed 2, destroyed dozens of structures -- Multiple families have filed a lawsuit against Southern California Edison, alleging the utility failed to properly de-energize its electrical lines and caused the deadly Fairview fire in Hemet, which destroyed dozens of structures. Summer Lin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/24/22

Wildfire  

An 81-year-old was knocked off trail by the Mosquito fire. She’s still hiking -- If everything had gone according to plan, Mary Davison, an 81-year-old long-distance hiker, may have died in the Mosquito fire. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/24/22

Street  

Bay Area senior facility sued for alleged elder abuse after three fatal poisoning incidents in multiple locations -- The family of a 93-year-old man who died after being served cleaning solution instead of juice at a Bay Area senior care facility filed a lawsuit accusing Atria Park of San Mateo of elder abuse, negligence and causing a wrongful death. Annie Vainshtein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/24/22

Fake nude photo of captain circulated in LAPD. Here’s why chief says he kept it quiet -- A fake nude photograph purportedly of a female LAPD captain shared by officers may have “smeared” her, but the chief of police said he didn’t send a departmentwide message about it because he feared “it had the potential of becoming viral.” Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/24/22

Education  

L.A. community college students can ride Metro for free thanks to $1-million grant -- The Los Angeles Community College District has received a $1-million grant to continue providing free Metro passes for about half a million students through the current academic year, officials said. Alexandra E. Petri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/24/22

Also . . .   

S.F.’s ‘Pink Painted Lady’ is in ‘total disrepair.’ Video shows what it will take to restore it -- The “Pink Painted Lady,” which has been on the market since May for $3.55 million, will require a lot more than that to restore, at least according to Architectural Digest magazine, which offered an inside look at the home’s current state. Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/24/22

 

Friday Updates   

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