Updating . .   

Gas in Los Angeles now costs $6.26 a gallon as average price jumps 15 cents overnight -- The average price for a gallon of regular gas in the Los Angeles region reached $6.26 on Thursday morning, just 20 cents shy of the area’s record high, set earlier this summer when fuel prices continued to soar. On Wednesday, the average price was $6.108. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/29/22

Policy and Politics  

Gavin Newsom shoots down bill to offer unemployment help to undocumented Californians -- Gov. Gavin Newsom late Wednesday vetoed a bill that would have made undocumented immigrants eligible for California unemployment benefits. Mathew Miranda in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/29/22

California governor approves farmworker unionization law -- A broadly smiling California Gov. Gavin Newsom joined about two dozen jubilant, cheering farmworkers camped outside the state Capitol Wednesday to sign one of the most contentious bills before him this year, reversing course on a measure to help farmworkers unionize after President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris supported it. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 9/29/22

Skelton: Newsom breaks from fellow Democrats and aligns with the enemy on Lyft-backed Prop. 30 -- This is very rare: a California governor on the opposite side of his state party on a major public policy issue. Not just taking sides against the Democratic Party, but also opposing his core political base: environmentalists and much of organized labor, including firefighters. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/29/22

Fact checking ads for California’s sports betting propositions -- The campaigns for Propositions 26 and 27 on this November’s ballot have made a wide variety of claims, especially about how the money gleaned from sports betting in California will get distributed. Grace Gedye CalMatters -- 9/29/22

Supporters abandon L.A. City Council candidate Danielle Sandoval after wage theft report -- A longtime labor rights expert has rescinded his endorsement of Los Angeles City Council candidate Danielle Sandoval, saying he advised her nearly two months ago that she needed to resolve wage theft claims targeting her restaurant. David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/29/22

Another ‘sanctuary city’ abortion ban dies in California after attorney general’s warning -- After California’s attorney general warned Temecula against passing a local abortion ban, the City Council in a heated meeting Tuesday voted not to pursue the measure. Summer Lin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/29/22

Here’s who gets a mail ballot in California and when are they are sent to voters -- Californians will be seeing ballots in their mail boxes soon. The upcoming general election is Nov. 8 and the ballot will include contests for state candidates for U.S. Senate, California governor, secretary of state, treasurer and more. Hanh Truong in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/29/22

Wildfire  

No record of fire inspections at warehouse prior to California’s deadly Mill Fire -- Fire inspectors weren’t keeping an eye on Shed 17. State and local officials couldn’t provide evidence that fire inspectors had ever gone inside the giant wooden warehouse near Weed where the lethal Mill Fire is believed to have started — even though hot ash from a nearby wood-burning electricity generator had been stored inside. Ryan Sabalow, Dale Kasler, and Jason Pohl in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/29/22

Chabria, Smith: Every burned town is tragic. But Newsom needs to lead with science, not sentiment -- You can’t help but root for Kevin Goss and Kira Wattenburg King: Both are starting over, down-home friendly and clearly, deeply in love. But there’s another player in their relationship — the mangled, vulnerable town of Greenville — and we worry that makes for a threesome doomed for reasons the heart can’t conquer. Anita Chabria, Erika D. Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/29/22

Workplace   

Layoffs possible at two California state prisons as plan to close one moves forward -- The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is moving forward with its plan to close a state prison in Susanville, including orchestrating a reshuffling of employees that could end with layoffs in June. Wes Venteicher in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/29/22

New California law will require job postings to include salary ranges -- Companies with 15 or more employees in California will be required to list salary ranges for all job postings under a law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom this week. Jonah Valdez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/29/22

Police Departments Are Dangling Bonuses to Attract New Cops -- The police chief in Redding, Calif., last year increased signing bonuses to $7,500 from $5,000 to attract new recruits. The plan didn’t work, so this year Chief Bill Schueller raised the offer to $40,000, more than half of an entire year’s starting salary at the agency. Zusha Elinson in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/29/22

Staying Afloat  

Can most Californians even afford to retire? -- Steven Johnson spent 19 years as a minimum wage laborer for a Los Angeles moving company, lifting heavy furniture and suffering three hernias along the way. For the last decade, the 61-year-old has worked as a waiter and as a cook in fast-paced kitchens. Margot Roosevelt in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/29/22

Water  

Am I a water hog? Here’s what could land you on California’s list of homes using too much water -- With California’s water supply shrinking and the drought dragging on, Bay Area water agencies are getting serious about persuading their customers to use water responsibly. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/29/22

‘Sometimes shaming is your best and only option’: Should California scorn people over water use? -- Amid a third painfully dry year, the Bay Area’s biggest water retailer began releasing the names of customers using “excessive” amounts of water this week, a practice that may soon tee up hundreds of households for humiliation and shame. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/29/22

Housing 

Mortgage Rates Rise to 6.7%, Highest Since 2007 -- Mortgage rates rose to their highest level in more than 15 years, a new high since the 2008-09 financial crisis that adds pressure to the already cooling U.S. housing market. Charley Grant in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/29/22

Street  

Oakland police continue search for gunman in school shooting that wounded six, including two critically -- Though the focus is on one gunman, it’s possible “there may be other individuals involved,” Oakland Asst. Police Chief Darren Allison said during a news briefing. Police have few leads about the shooter and a gun was not found at the scene. Summer Lin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/29/22

A terrifying 70-mile crime scene: Wild pursuit, freeway gun battle end in father, daughter dead -- Authorities had been looking for Anthony Graziano and his teenage daughter Savannah for nearly 24 hours when his Nissan Frontier pickup was spotted Tuesday morning near Barstow. Salvador Hernandez, Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/29/22

Education  

Amid heat wave, Cal State Long Beach art students plead for air conditioning -- On days that Kae Hernandez takes ceramics classes at Cal State Long Beach, the 21-year-old carries a spare change of clothes. Hernandez packs an ice chest with water bottles in the car. Debbie Truong in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/29/22

Develop   

Santa Clara County housing agency sells San Jose building at a loss -- In 2020, the Housing Authority paid $37.35 million for the office building, a staff memo issued around the time of the purchase by the agency disclosed. On Sept. 28, the Housing Authority sold the building for $24.5 million, documents filed with the Santa Clara County Recorder’s Office show. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/29/22

Also . . .   

Stanford just built the world’s largest digital camera to make ‘a 10-year movie’ of the night sky -- In a sterile room within an unmarked warehouse hidden in the hills west of Stanford University, engineers in white bodysuits have built the largest digital camera on earth. Sam Whiting in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/29/22

 

California Policy and Politics Thursday  

Gavin Newsom signs farmworker union law after pressure from UFW, Biden and more Democrats -- Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law on Wednesday that will allow farmworkers to vote by mail in union elections, one year after he vetoed a similar version of the bill. Mathew Miranda in the Sacramento Bee$ Jessica Garrison in the Los Angeles Times$ Jeanne Kuang CalMatters Don Thompson Associated Press -- 9/29/22

Chabria: Farmworkers just rolled Newsom. What does it say about the Latino vote? -- Turns out “Sí, se puede” isn’t just a rallying cry. It’s a threat. Gov. Gavin Newsom just learned that the hard way. Anita Chabria in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/29/22

S.F. D.A. Brooke Jenkins says she’ll consider murder charges for fentanyl dealers -- San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said Wednesday that she may seek to convict accused drug traffickers with murder if their product is linked to an overdose death — a seismic escalation of the city’s handling of criminal drug cases. Megan Cassidy, Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/29/22

Bitten by fox, Rep. Bera introduces bill to reduce cost of rabies vaccine -- Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) has introduced legislation aimed at reducing the cost of the rabies vaccine for uninsured Americans months after a fox bit him as he was walking on Capitol Hill. Eugene Scott in the Washington Post$ -- 9/29/22

Gavin Newsom signs law requiring California schools to purchase American-made food -- Senate Bill 490 states that public institutions, including schools, need to budget for and purchase American-made foods unless they are more than 25% of the cost of imported ones. Laura S. Diaz in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/29/22

California’s outgoing chief justice is named new CEO of public policy think tank -- Turns out, she won’t be taking a break at all. Cantil-Sakauye starts as president and chief executive of the Public Policy Institute of California on Jan. 1, the day her term as chief justice ends. She will be 63. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/29/22

Here’s what San Francisco could get out of Mayor London Breed’s visit to D.C. this week -- Mayor London Breed jetted off Wednesday to Washington D.C., where she’ll push for federal help with a range of San Francisco’s priorities, including the drug crisis, housing, transportation and public health. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/29/22

President Joe Biden ‘hardwired for a different world,’ Gov. Gavin Newsom says -- Gov. Gavin Newsom has shifted his tough political talk to Democrats and President Joe Biden, saying the party has a “messaging problem” and the president is “hardwired for a different world.” David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/29/22

How one community pizza party is inspiring CalMatters Pizza & Politics events across California -- Four years ago, more than 100 people gathered at the Castro Valley Public Library for a daunting prospect: to talk politics. They steered clear of candidates and focused on the issues. They were inspired by and used the CalMatters nonpartisan Voter Guide, specifically our award-winning Props-in-a-Minute videos. Sonya Quick CalMatters -- 9/29/22

Chevron  

Chevron sells San Ramon HQ property as it shifts more workers to Texas -- Chevron is one of numerous California-headquartered companies that have grown in Texas, though it’s keeping its headquarters in the Bay Area unlike recent departures like Charles Schwab, HPE and Tesla . Chevron already has nearly 8,000 workers in Houston, the nation’s energy hub. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Collin Eaton in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/29/22

Abortion  

Are abortion-seekers flocking to California? It's almost impossible to tell -- California is spending millions and implementing new laws to bolster its ability to accommodate abortion-seekers from all over the country— but there’s a catch: It is virtually impossible to find out how many people from out-of-state are traveling here for medical help that in some cases is paid for with state taxpayer dollars. Joe Garofoli, Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/29/22

High Speed Rail   

Bay Area high-speed rail will displace hundreds of residents, businesses -- In 2012, Brady Matoian was in his office in downtown Fresno when he got a bizarre call from a friend. Matoian’s business, OK Produce, appeared to be directly in the path of a new high-speed rail line that would run through the city’s center, the friend told him. Alec Regimbal in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/29/22

Homeless

In case out of Grants Pass, Ore., court reaffirms right of homeless to sleep outside -- About a decade after losing her job and becoming homeless in the small city of Grants Pass, Ore., Debra Blake joined two other homeless residents in suing the city over a set of local ordinances that, in their view, criminalized the act of sleeping outside. Kevin Rector, Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/29/22

Housing 

Gavin Newsom signs bills to bring housing to empty strip malls with union labor -- Bills from Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, and Sen. Anna Caballero, D-Merced, would provide an easier local approval process for developers who want to build in commercially-zoned areas previously occupied by parking lots, big box stores and office space. Lindsey Holden in the Sacramento Bee$ Kris Hooks Capital Public Radio Hannah Wiley in the Los Angeles Times$ Ethan Varian in the San Jose Mercury$ Adam Beam Associated Press -- 9/29/22

Landllords and Tenants  

Do landlords have to provide heating and cooling in California rentals? Here are your rights -- The Sacramento Code Compliance Division stated in an email to The Bee that “air conditioners make apartment living more bearable, especially in hot climates or during the summer” but “it is not always the landlord’s responsibility to provide one.” If your apartment comes with an air-conditioning unit, your landlord would be responsible for its upkeep. Jacqueline Pinedo in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/29/22

Faced With Backlog, San Francisco Hits Pause on New Applications for COVID Rent Assistance -- That's necessary, officials say, because the effort has been overwhelmed with requests for help since California shut down its statewide rent-relief program on April 1. Erin Baldassari KQED -- 9/29/22

L.A. moves closer to ending COVID-19 eviction protections -- Some of the country’s longest lasting COVID-19 protections against eviction moved closer to ending Wednesday when a Los Angeles City Council committee advanced a measure to repeal the rules at the end of January. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/29/22

L.A. County supervisors propose adopting permanent rental protections -- The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday proposed permanently adopting several rental assistance programs, as rental protections — many of which were put in place during the early days of the pandemic — are set to expire at the end of the year. Nathan Solis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/29/22

Street  

Judge refuses plea deal for man who plotted to blow up Sacramento Democratic building -- Ian Benjamin Rogers may have started out Wednesday thinking he was facing a seven- to nine-year sentence for plotting to blow up the Sacramento Democratic Party headquarters last year, but the judge in the case had a different idea. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/29/22

S.F. releases first-of-its kind drug overdose plan. Here’s what it promises -- Amid increasing political pressure, San Francisco released for the first time a plan with measurable goals to reduce overdose deaths after a streak of fatalities that left roughly 1,700 people dead in less than three years. Mallory Moench, Nora Mishanec in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/29/22

Sheriff: Fontana teen killed with father in shootout ‘was a participant in firing at our deputies’ -- A 15-year-old Fontana girl killed along with her father in a shootout with San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies as she ran toward them from a car, was “a participant” in firing on them at some point during a rolling gun battle that stretched from Barstow to Hesperia, Sheriff Shannon Dicus said in a video posted on social media Wednesday, Sept. 28. Brian Rokos in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 9/29/22

Oakland High School Shooting  

Mass shooting at an Oakland high school injures six. Police search for attacker -- Police responding to the 1:45 p.m. shooting at the King Estate of Rudsdale Newcomer High School, on the 8200 block of Fontaine Street, found the victims inside the school. Sarah Ravani, Rachel Swan, Kevin Fagan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Eliyahu Kamisher, George Kelly, Jakob Rodgers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/29/22

Oakland: Cycle of terror, relief for parents amid school shooting -- For the second time in a month, hundreds of parents rushed from across Oakland to their child’s East Oakland school with only one question running in their minds: Is my child safe? Jakob Rodgers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/29/22

Education  

L.A. school district changes plan for expanded school year under teachers union pressure -- Under pressure from the teachers union, Los Angeles school officials have changed their plan to create four optional “acceleration days” to boost student learning in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ Linh Tat in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 9/29/22

The Right To Read: It took a lawsuit against California -- The result is a three-year program to improve literacy for 70 high-poverty schools with the lowest test scores. Karen D'Souza EdSource -- 9/29/22

Climate  

Hurricane Ian is bringing historic storm surge. It holds lessons for California's coast -- In the century since the area last experienced a major hurricane, the population has soared to 3 million and climate change has intensified the impact that storms have on coastal flooding. Sea level rise due to global warming also impacts coastal areas of California, on the opposite side of the country, where some 68% of the state’s population resides. Jack Lee in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/29/22

Willie Mays    

All-time Giants great Willie Mays lights up Oracle Park with surprise visit -- The ballpark was especially vibrant and cheerful Wednesday night because the legend of legends was in the house. For the first time since July 2021, Willie Mays visited Oracle Park and took in the friendly environment that greets him when he stops by his second home. John Shea in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/29/22

Also . . .   

He hit Bay Area small businesses with disability lawsuits. Video may uncover ‘a monumental fraud’ -- A Florida man who has filed disability lawsuits against hundreds of businesses, including dozens of Bay Area wineries and restaurants, may not actually have the disability he claims, defense attorneys allege. Esther Mobley in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/29/22

Here are the 50 biggest property owners listed in Bay Area real estate records -- The Bay Area is home to almost 2.3 million unique properties, according to official records. But who owns the most property in this famously expensive, housing-strapped region? Susie Neilson, Emma Stiefel in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/29/22

Northern California man suspected of living with his dead roommate for 4 years and forging his checks -- Darren Wade Pirtle allegedly forged about 50 checks to himself from his deceased roommate’s checking account, 64-year-old Kevin Olson, according to prosecutors. Melissa Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/29/22

Stuck on the Streets of San Francisco in a Driverless Car -- A reporter and a photographer went for a ride in an experimental autonomous vehicle operated by the General Motors subsidiary Cruise. There were bumps in the road. Cade Metz in the New York Times$ -- 9/29/22

 

Wednesday Updates   

Governor signs contentious nursing home licensing bill that splintered advocates -- A controversial bill aimed at fixing aspects of California’s broken nursing home licensing system was signed Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who faced dueling pressure from advocates who typically are aligned. Jocelyn Wiener CalMatters -- 9/28/22

Gov. Gavin Newsom says Prop. 30 was devised to benefit one company. Is that actually true? -- Max Baumhefner, a San Francisco attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, has heard Gov. Gavin Newsom’s claim that Proposition 30 was “devised by a single corporation to funnel state income taxes to benefit their company.” Stephen Hobbs in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/28/22

No elected incumbent supervisor has lost in San Francisco in two decades. Here’s why -- The last time any previously elected incumbent supervisor lost a subsequent re-election bid was in 2000, when contests for supervisor switched from at-large to district elections. J.D. Morris, Nami Sumida in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/28/22

Water  

Four in a row: California drought likely to continue -- After its driest three-year stretch on record, California braces for another year with below-average snow and rain. Conditions are shaping up to be a “recipe for drought.” Rachel Becker CalMatters -- 9/28/22

Education  

These Sacramento-area parents were fed up with COVID closures. Now they’re running for office -- Jen Tarbox’s two children were in high school when the coronavirus pandemic shut schools across the world. In pivotal teenage years, they lost out on sports, activities and in-person classes at Folsom High School. Sawsan Morrar and Jenavieve Hatch in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/28/22

Campus advocates provide key support to sexual assault survivors — but ‘superheroes’ are in short supply -- Fifty years since then-President Richard Nixon signed the country’s landmark gender discrimination law known as Title IX — and in the aftermath of a leadership shakeup within California’s largest public university prompted by a sexual harassment scandal — there’s fresh scrutiny over how the state’s colleges handle sexual misconduct. Mallika Seshadri and Zaeem Shaikh CalMatters -- 9/28/22

Arellano: He helped thousands of Latino students, including me. Do they remember him? -- It was a small, intimate funeral at the small, intimate Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Redlands on Monday morning. Humble, unassuming. The deceased was Ernest Z. Robles, who died of heart failure Sept. 5 at age 92. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/28/22

California eyes making girls flag football a school sport -- Flag football already is a sanctioned high school girls sport in states including Alabama and Nevada. And it was added as a collegiate sport by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, with colleges in Florida, Georgia, Kansas and elsewhere fielding teams. Amy Taxin Associated Press -- 9/28/22

Climate  

Chabria, Smith: Climate change is fueling extremism, raising tempers along with temperatures -- It’s hard to explain just how much some people in rural California dislike and distrust the rest of us, especially Gov. Gavin Newsom. Anita Chabria, Erika D. Smith, Francine Orr in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/28/22

Develop   

How much will taxpayers have to pay for Oakland A’s $12 billion ballpark development to get built? -- Now, years into the team’s bid to build a $12 billion project that includes a 35,000-seat ballpark, housing, retail, a hotel and more, with the team pushing to get a vote on the project by year’s end, it’s still not clear exactly how much public money is involved. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/28/22

Man who plotted to blow up Democratic HQ to be sentenced -- A California man who pleaded guilty to plotting to firebomb the state Democratic Party’s headquarters and other buildings in Northern California after the defeat of former President Donald Trump is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday by a federal judge. Olga R. Rodriguez Associated Press -- 9/28/22

Sirhan   

RFK assassin Sirhan Sirhan challenges his parole denial -- Newsom said in January that Sirhan remains a threat to the public and hasn’t taken responsibility for a crime that changed American history. But his attorney, Angela Berry, says there is no evidence her now 78-year-old client remains dangerous. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 9/28/22

Street  

Teen, woman in custody in PnB Rock’s fatal shooting at Roscoe’s; 3rd suspect sought -- A teenager and a woman are in custody in the slaying of rapper PnB Rock, who was gunned down two weeks ago at Roscoe’s House of Chicken & Waffles in South L.A., Los Angles police confirmed to The Times on Wednesday. Authorities are searching for a third suspect whom they describe as armed and dangerous. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/28/22

Bloody police beating reignites outrage over policing in Bay Area’s most segregated neighborhood -- Behind a Mexican restaurant in San Rafael’s Canal neighborhood lies an industrial backstreet where people like to hang out after work. A group of men — day laborers — were there chatting over Coronas and Heinekens when a police officer arrived, questioning them about drinking in public. Joshua Sharpe, Joel Umanzor in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/28/22

A 17-year-old died from a fentanyl-laced pill. Was it an accident or a homicide? -- Nobody quite knew what compelled Zachary Didier, a floppy-haired, straight-A high school student from Placer County, to buy what he thought were opioid painkillers from a dealer over Snapchat. But what was likely an impulsive decision, made during a pandemic lockdown, changed everything for the Didier family. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/28/22