Updating . .  

Activists are skeptical of Newsom’s pledge to deliver reform after he vetoes solitary confinement bill -- Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill that would have ended California’s practice of keeping some prisoners in indefinite solitary confinement, a ban he argued was so broad that it could have put the safety of prison staff and other inmates at risk. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/30/22

California Politics: Newsom needles Democrats while praising Biden in a delicate dance -- During this summer of Gavin Newsom unchained, the California governor has made a national splash by throwing haymakers at Republican governors for criminalizing abortion, using immigrants as political pawns and restricting voting rights — and at national Democratic leaders for their timid response. Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/30/22

 California to become sanctuary state for transgender children under new law -- The law, authored by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, aims to block states with anti-LGBTQ policies from initiating civil or criminal actions against parents helping their transgender kids access health care in California. Lindsey Holden and Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/30/22

In tight California House race, ‘red-baiting’ mailers accuse candidate of communist ties -- The campaign flier sent to Vietnamese-American voters in Orange County is heavily doctored and designed to inflame. A Democratic congressional candidate is photoshopped in front of a classroom of children, a copy of “The Communist Manifesto” in hand. Seema Mehta, Anh Do in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/30/22

Prop. 28 has the support of Dr. Dre and Sylvester Stallone. But what would it do? -- Voters searching the state’s official election guide for arguments against Proposition 28 will find a blank page. This rare occurrence reflects the nearly universal support for the measure, which would guarantee minimum funding for arts and music education in all k-12 public schools. Mathew Miranda in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/30/22

L.A. to vote on ‘mansion tax’ to raise money for housing. Bass, Caruso don’t support it -- Rep. Karen Bass and Rick Caruso have each put forward expensive plans for expanding interim and permanent housing for homeless people, but the Los Angeles mayoral candidates have offered few specifics about how they would pay for them. Benjamin Oreskes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/30/22

Judge orders the Grove, owned by Rick Caruso, to let people protest there against his race for mayor -- A judge has granted a preliminary injunction ordering companies owned by Rick Caruso to allow those who oppose his candidacy to express their views under certain guidelines at the Grove in the days before the Nov. 8 general election in the mayoral race between the businessman and Rep. Karen Bass. The item is in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 9/30/22

California Election 2022: What to know about November’s ballot propositions -- Many elements of the ballot measures facing California voters this November will seem familiar: Some are backed by major companies that are pouring in tens of millions of dollars to achieve a desired outcome. Some are dueling plans to achieve roughly the same thing. And some — well, one — is about kidney dialysis. Again. Joe Garofoli, Dustin Gardiner, Sophia Bollag, Camryn Pak in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/30/22

Water  

Mayor announces new program for Angelenos to monitor water consumption -- Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a new LADWP program to help Los Angeles homeowners save on Flume, a Wi-Fi enabled device that monitors water consumption. Alexandra E. Petri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/30/22

Oakland High School Shooting  

Two shooters, getaway driver carried out Oakland school rampage, police say -- At least three people are believed responsible for a brazen, gang-related shooting at an East Oakland school Wednesday afternoon that left two students at least 18 years old and four campus employees wounded in a hail of gunfire, Oakland police said Thursday. Jakob Rodgers, Eliyahu Kamisher, Rick Hurd in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/30/22

Wildfire  

Human remains discovered in Placer County near the Mosquito Fire burn zone -- Human remains were discovered this week in an area of Placer County that was near, but ultimately spared, by the Mosquito Fire , sheriff’s officials said Friday. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/30/22

Housing 

Rent control is coming to more Bay Area cities. It could mark a turning point for the housing crisis -- After months of trying to stave off the cockroaches at her Antioch apartment, the last straw for Stephany Morris was when the pipes in the building’s laundry room started to smell like rotten eggs. Lauren Hepler in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/30/22

Apartment tower with more than 800 units topped by a floating cube could be a part of S.F.’s skyline -- A 62-story, 640-foot tall skyscraper could one day be a part of San Francisco’s skyline, according to plans submitted to San Francisco Planning, with a unique feature — a floating cube on top. Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/30/22

COVID  

COVID can infect fat cells. That may explain why some people get much sicker -- The virus that causes COVID-19 can infect and replicate in fat cells, and cause inflammation in fat tissue, Stanford researchers found in a new study that could help explain why obese people are at higher risk for severe COVID. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/30/22

Street  

How feds choreographed an elaborate fake murder to stop L.A. developer’s alleged plot -- Arthur Aslanian was a successful developer in the Valley. He is now accused of trying to have two people he owed money to killed. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/30/22

Mental Health  

Young adults in California experience alarming rates of anxiety and depression, poll finds -- Young adults in California experience mental health challenges at alarming rates, with more than three-quarters reporting anxiety in the last year, more than half reporting depression, 31% experiencing suicidal thinking and 16% self-harm, according to the results of a survey commissioned by the California Endowment. Paloma Esquivel in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/30/22

Education  

Native American students hope a new education law helps reverse years of misinformation -- A new law will encourage California school districts to work with local Native American tribes to develop history lessons for students. For too long, students and tribal leaders say, schools have lacked an in-depth and accurate history curriculum that addresses their culture. Joe Hong CalMatters -- 9/30/22

Also . . .   

Lawsuit claims senior-care chain Atria covered up third Bay Area death from caustic liquid -- A senior-care chain whose San Mateo facility saw two residents die after drinking caustic liquid tried to cover up a third similar death at its care home in Walnut Creek, a new lawsuit claims. Austin Turner, Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/30/22

California Policy and Politics Friday  

California will let millions of past offenders seal criminal records -- Millions of Californians whose lives have been haunted by a past criminal record will find relief after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Thursday that allows them to have their rap sheet shielded from public view. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/30/22

Gov. Newsom vetoes bill to end indefinite solitary confinement in California, citing safety concerns -- Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill Thursday to limit solitary confinement in California’s jails, prisons and private detention centers, rejecting advocates’ hopes to restrict a practice that many experts have likened to torture. Hannah Wiley in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/30/22

Newsom signs bill protecting transgender youths and families fleeing red-state policies -- Again heralding California as a refuge from discriminatory policies in conservative states, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law on Thursday that aims to protect transgender youths and their families from bans against gender-affirming care. Mackenzie Mays in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/30/22

California won’t forgive parking tickets for homeless after Newsom veto -- The move was a disappointment for anti-poverty advocates across the state — who have warned that parking-ticket late fees can lead to more debt for already low-income people — and a win for cities that receive revenue from those tickets. Mackenzie Mays in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/30/22

Are California’s public pension funds headed for another crisis? -- It’s projected that this year alone the market downturn will lead to a decrease in the funding ratio of pension plans nationwide from about 85% in 2021 to about 78%, according to Equable, a pension fund think tank. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/30/22

YIMBY-backed S.F. housing ballot measure Prop. D is being bankrolled by these tech powerbrokers -- Wealthy people with close ties to the technology industry have been pouring money into one of the most high-profile measures on San Francisco’s November ballot: a proposal to boost housing production championed by Mayor London Breed and her allies. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/30/22

John Hamasaki, former police commissioner, endorsed by S.F. Democratic Party for D.A. -- San Francisco District Attorney candidate John Hamasaki has nabbed an official endorsement from the city’s Democratic Party, a potentially valuable boost in a race where one poll showed him more than 20 points behind incumbent Brooke Jenkins. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/30/22

Hiltzik: Young people need to fight for Social Security — now more than ever -- One almost has to admire Republicans for the tenacity and determination with which they keep coming up with new ideas for hobbling Social Security. Just in the last few months, we’ve seen Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) propose sunsetting Social Security and Medicare every five years, along with other federal programs, to give Congress recurrent cracks at zeroing them out. Michael Hiltzik in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/30/22

Workplace   

LAPD captain was ‘gaslighted’ over fake nude photo, wants $8 million for hostile work environment -- Capt. Lillian Carranza said that the photo of a bare-breasted woman whose face was Photoshopped to resemble her was shared within the Los Angeles Police Department and that top brass did nothing to stop its circulation or explain the image was a fake. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/30/22

Tech slowdown continues with Meta, Lyft hiring freezes -- Facebook parent Meta and ride hailing company Lyft are the latest tech companies to implement hiring freezes as growth slows and executives seek to cut costs. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/30/22

Meta to Cut Headcount for First Time, Slash Budgets Across Teams -- Meta Platforms Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg outlined sweeping plans to reorganize teams and reduce headcount for the first time ever, calling an end to an era of rapid growth at the social media giant. Kurt Wagner Bloomberg Sheera Frenkel in the New York Times$ -- 9/30/22

Develop   

Expansion set for old Hollywood studio amid surging demand for L.A. soundstages -- A historic Hollywood studio site where such stars as Rudolph Valentino and Lillian Gish made silent films is poised for a $600-million comeback in the new era of streaming entertainment. Roger Vincent in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/30/22

Gas  

Gas prices surpass $6 in Sacramento area and California as nationwide cost also climbs -- The statewide average gas price on Thursday was $6.18, which represents a 67 cent increase from a week ago; 91 cent jump from a month ago, according to AAA’s gas prices data. California’s highest average cost was $6.43 reached on June 14. Rosalio Ahumada in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/30/22

Mental Healthcare  

Kaiser made $8 billion in profits last year. So why are patients struggling to get mental health care? -- A San Francisco mother whose daughter nearly jumped in front of a train learned that a Kaiser Permanente therapist would be able to see her — in a month. A mentally unstable man who begged in vain for Kaiser to hospitalize him drove to a cliff and leaped to his death. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/30/22

PG&E  

Former PG&E executives agree to $117-million settlement over California wildfires -- A dozen fires that ripped through Northern California in October 2017 were sparked by downed power lines owned by PG&E, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The fires raged across California’s wine country, including Napa, Sonoma, Humboldt, Butte and Mendocino counties and killed 19 people. Nathan Solis in the Los Angeles Times$ Joel Umanzor in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/30/22

Monkeypox  

How San Francisco became a ‘shining star’ in facing down monkeypox -- The number of people testing positive for monkeypox has plunged in California, with the seven-day average of new cases down about 95% since the peak of the outbreak in early August. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/30/22

Oakland School Shooting  

Oakland school shooting: At least 2 gunmen fired 30-plus rounds, entered building, may have used banned weapons -- At least two gunmen who injured six people in a mass shooting at an Oakland public school fired more than 30 rounds, the city’s police chief said Thursday, while revealing that the assailants entered the school building to target specific people before fleeing in a vehicle. Rachel Swan, Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/30/22

Street  

Teen killed in law enforcement shootout was likely unarmed, state AG says -- Savannah Graziano, the 15-year-old girl killed in a shootout between her father and law enforcement Tuesday in Hesperia, was likely unarmed as she ran toward deputies, according to a preliminary investigation that’s been turned over to the California attorney general’s office. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/30/22

Three charged with murder in slaying of PnB Rock at Roscoe’s restaurant -- Prosecutors have filed murder charges against three people — including a suspect arrested in Las Vegas on Thursday — in the brazen daytime robbery and killing of Philadelphia rapper PnB Rock at a South Los Angeles restaurant, authorities said. James Queally, Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/30/22

S.F. expects to eventually open supervised drug consumption sites inside some new ‘wellness hubs’ -- San Francisco officials said Thursday that they expect to eventually open supervised drug consumption sites inside new “wellness hubs” they’re planning that will serve people struggling with addiction. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/30/22

Sex abuse charges against former Dublin prison guard are the latest in a string of serious incidents -- A former guard at the federal women's prison in Dublin was charged Thursday with sexually abusing two more inmates, the latest in a series of sex-abuse charges against officers and a former warden of the Federal Correctional Institution. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/30/22

Education  

Former Cal State chancellor displayed 'blind spot' to complaints of sexual harassment at Fresno State, report says -- The former CSU chancellor says he was guided by superiors, attorneys and CSU policies and protocol. Ashley A. Smith EdSource Robert J. Lopez, Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/30/22

Scammers have seized on student loan forgiveness. Here’s how to avoid them -- The federal government moves at the pace of cold molasses, so you shouldn’t be surprised that the U.S. Department of Education has yet to reveal how to apply for the student loan debt relief it promised in August. But you still need to be patient because anyone offering to help you apply now could be a scammer. Jon Healey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/30/22

Biden administration scales back eligibility for student loan forgiveness. Here’s who’s affected -- The basic contours of the offer remain the same. Borrowers with incomes of less than $125,000 (or $250,000 for a couple) can qualify for up to $10,000 in debt forgiveness on their federal direct student loans. Jon Healey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/30/22

Also . . .   

Laguna Hills doctor pleads guilty to defrauding Medi-Cal of $20 million -- Mohamed Waddah El-Nachef, 69, appeared in Orange County Superior Court on Wednesday to plead guilty to one count of insurance fraud and one count of aiding and abetting the unauthorized practice of medicine, state Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta said in a statement. Melissa Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/30/22

Didar Singh Bains, ‘Peach King’ who built Northern California’s Sikh community, dies -- In 1980, Didar Singh Bains pitched a plan for what he hoped would be an annual Sikh parade in his hometown of Yuba City, Calif. Jeong Park in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/30/22

MacKenzie Scott donates two Beverly Hills mansions to California foundation -- The organization said Scott, 52, donated the two single-family homes, which will be sold, with the majority of the money going to help low-income Los Angeles residents find affordable housing. Nathan Solis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/30/22

This part of the Bay Area is about to get a new area code -- In a matter of months, what was long known as the 707 area code region will have to make way for three new digits. Starting Feb. 1, 2023, the new 369 area code will be added to the existing 707 area code region due to demand, state officials said. Annie Vainshtein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/30/22