Updating . .   

R.J. Reynolds Sues California Over Flavored Tobacco Ban -- R.J. Reynolds, the maker of Newport menthol cigarettes and top-selling vaping products, filed a federal lawsuit on Wednesday challenging California’s landmark ban on flavored tobacco, a day after voters overwhelmingly approved it. Christina Jewett in the New York Times$ -- 11/10/22

Why it could take weeks to get final L.A. election results. ‘We aren’t sitting on ballots’ -- L.A. County generally releases new vote totals only twice a week. That allows for more substantial updates, rather than incremental ones ‘where things are bouncing back and forth,’ the county’s top voting official said. Julia Wick, Connor Sheets in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/10/22

How being an L.A. City Council member became political poison in year of scandal, voter rage -- Over the past year, four Los Angeles City Council members have lost their campaigns for reelection or higher office. A fifth could soon join them. David Zahniser, Emily Alpert Reyes, Jeong Park, Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/10/22

Why California’s eco-friendly, tax-the-rich electorate killed Prop. 30 -- In one of the highest-profile California election results, Proposition 30 failed despite the state’s commitment to climate action and its history of taxing the wealthy. But the ballot measure also was complicated and divided Democrats, a recipe for failure. Ben Christopher CalMatters -- 11/10/22

More Women Are Expected to Win Seats in the California Legislature Than Ever Before -- Women competed in 65 Assembly and Senate races on Tuesday, and had already won or were leading in 44 of them as of Wednesday night, according to election returns. Another six women already serving as state legislators were not up for re-election this year and will continue in their positions, meaning that a total of 50 women could be in the State Legislature next year. Soumya Karlamangla in the New York Times$ -- 11/10/22

Get ready for gridlock: Here’s how Republican control of the House would affect California -- Republican control of the House, which appeared likely as votes continued to be counted Thursday, would mean two years of partisan gridlock during which little gets done in Washington as long as President Biden remains in the White House. Joe Garofoli, Shira Stein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/10/22

Skelton: Newsom’s resounding win shows he didn’t even have to run a race for governor -- Newsom was rolling in campaign investors’ money and could have run TV ads 24/7, but didn’t run any and didn’t need to — that’s unheard of for a governor. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/10/22

Latest results show Mahan leading close race for San Jose mayor -- While Wednesday’s latest batch of ballots failed to settle the close race for San Jose mayor, Councilman Matt Mahan widened his narrow lead over Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez in their contest to chart a fresh course for the nation’s tenth largest city. John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/10/22

Election 2022: Did homeless issues play a role in LA City Council races? -- In Hollywood, voters backed a candidate who is more oriented toward homeless rights than current District 13 Councilman Mitch O’Farrell. But in District 11 on the Westside, semi-official results suggest voters preferred the moderate candidate Traci Park over Erin Darling, endorsed by Councilman Mike Bonin, the sole L.A. councilmember to oppose a ban on homeless camps near schools and childcare facilities. Olga Grigoryants in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 11/10/22

S.F. moderate group is working to oust Democratic Socialist Dean Preston in 2024 -- Emboldened by preliminary results from Tuesday’s election, a San Francisco advocacy group aligned with moderate politicians is already launching an effort to unseat one of the city’s most progressive supervisors two years from now. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/10/22

This ‘pristine’ land with stunning S.F. Bay views may become a park instead of housing -- Residents of Belvedere and Tiburon in Marin County overwhelmingly voted to tax themselves an additional $335 each year for the next three decades to prevent the development of a hillside property on the Tiburon Peninsula. Nora Mishanec in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/10/22

Workplace   

‘Economic Picture Ahead Is Dire,’ Elon Musk Tells Twitter Employees -- In two emails sent to workers late on Wednesday, Mr. Musk said the economy was challenging. He added that he planned to end Twitter’s remote work policy and wanted employees to renew their focus on generating revenue and fighting spam. Kate Conger and Ryan Mac in the New York Times$ -- 11/10/22

Lyft chops hundreds of Bay Area jobs, adding to waves of tech layoffs -- Tech companies Lyft and Chime have revealed plans to chop more than 300 jobs in the Bay Area, fresh evidence of a severe retrenchment for the struggling sector. The disclosures, in the form of official reports to the state’s labor agency, suggest that the waves of tech company job cuts have yet to run their course. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/10/22

Data suggests San Francisco’s tech industry has been losing jobs for months -- In just the last week, Bay Area tech companies Twitter, Lyft, Stripe and Meta have all announced large-scale job cuts. Data suggests San Francisco’s tech industry job losses may have actually started several months earlier. Adriana Rezal in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/10/22

The peasants are rebelling! Medieval Times workers in Buena Park to vote on unionizing -- The Buena Park castle will be the second Medieval Times location to vote on unionizing. It’s part of a trend of nontraditional performers seeking to organize. Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/10/22

Inflation  

Consumer prices in Bay Area heat up again and rocket higher at faster pace -- One major culprit that forced prices to rise: Utility costs — as in PG&E monthly bills — skyrocketed, driven by head-spinning increases in electricity and natural gas piped into the home. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/10/22

Inflation moderated by more than expected in October -- Consumer Price Index data released on Thursday showed that inflation cooled more than expected in October, a hopeful development for American consumers and welcome news for the Federal Reserve and White House after months of stubbornly persistent price increases. Jeanna Smialek in the New York Times$ -- 11/10/22

Easing Inflation Ignites Bond-Market Rally -- U.S. government bond yields headed for their steepest one-day declines in more than a decade Thursday after fresh data showed inflation fell more in October than Wall Street expected. Matt Grossman in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 11/10/22

Street  

Fatal shootings: California’s bid to police its police is lagging -- In the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in Minnesota at police hands, California stepped up with a plan: Put the state in charge of investigating police shootings of unarmed people. CalMatters is tracking these cases and, so far, the Justice Department is struggling to keep up. Nigel Duara CalMatters -- 11/10/22

Education  

Sacramento State hosts town hall on campus antisemitic acts: ‘Students are scared’ -- Images of Nazi swastikas and other antisemitic vandalism have left the Sacramento State campus community worried whether the hateful acts are a precursor to something worse. Rosalio Ahumada in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/10/22

Twitter  

Twitter privacy executives quit, sparking FTC alarm -- Several top privacy and security executives resigned from Twitter on Thursday, citing fears over the risks from Elon Musk’s leadership, in a stunning exodus that prompted federal regulators to warn they might step in. Joseph Menn, Cat Zakrzewski, Faiz Siddiqui and Nitasha Tiku in the Washington Post$ -- 11/10/22

When Your Layoff Has a Hashtag -- This took on a particularly ironic twist at Twitter, where employees used a platform that had created this new era of workplace transparency to talk about their own workplace. Alternately angry and reflective tweets from laid-off Twitter workers stacked up under the hashtags #LoveWhereYouWorked and #TwitterLayoffs. Emma Goldberg in the New York Times$ -- 11/10/22

Water  

They defied California and drained an important salmon stream. Their fine: $50 per farmer -- For eight straight days this summer, farmers in far Northern California drained almost all of the water out of a river in defiance of the state’s drought regulations. The move infuriated environmentalists and salmon-dependent Native American tribes downstream. Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/10/22

Housing 

We ‘have to do more’: Californians poised to say yes on dozens of housing, homeless measures -- When it came to homelessness and housing affordability this election, California voters sent a clear message to local governments Tuesday in more than 50 ballot measures: do more. Maggie Angst, Ari Plachta in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/10/22

The Sacramento region’s hottest real estate market is finally slowing. But here’s the catch -- Home buyers in the highly-desirable Placer County real estate market are finally gaining some leverage. Molly Jarone, Ryan Lillis in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/10/22

Also . . .   

Most Californians anticipate bad economic times in the year ahead, new survey finds -- Against a backdrop of stubborn inflation, rising prices and a looming recession, 69% of Californians said they expected bad economic times in the next year, according to a new survey from the Public Policy Institute of California. Maya Miller in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/10/22

Your next Uber ride could be in a San Francisco taxicab -- For San Francisco passengers, the price and experience, including seeing ride costs in advance, will be identical to regular bookings through UberX. They will be notified if they’re matched with a taxi and can request a different car or cancel the ride. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/10/22

California Policy and Politics Thursday  

‘The whole city is in limbo’: Anxious waiting as Bass, Caruso ballots are counted for L.A. mayor -- Rick Caruso and Karen Bass both asserted their optimism Wednesday about an eventual victory in the Los Angeles mayor’s race, with both saying they would not let the slowly unfolding tabulation get in the way of their plans for a quick transition into the city’s top job. James Rainey, Benjamin Oreskes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/10/22

Garofoli: Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis victory speeches pushed wildly different views of ‘freedom’ -- Both used their post-victory glow to throw shade on each other. But as they ponder their next political moves, they offered a preview of where their fight — and the larger political narrative — is heading: over what “freedom” really means in this moment. It is a battle that — depending on whether President Biden decides to seek re-election — could be fought all the way to the White House. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/10/22

Newsom has more to celebrate than re-election as he builds national profile -- Gov. Gavin Newsom not only won re-election Tuesday, he also celebrated victories for some of the policies and candidates he championed, including governor candidates in other states. Many of his hand-picked appointees won election outright, and he played an instrumental role in sinking Prop. 30, a new tax to fund electric car infrastructure. Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/10/22

Gov. Gavin Newsom loses top aide, taps two key advisors -- Jim DeBoo, Newsom’s executive secretary, said Tuesday that he will be stepping down after two years in the most powerful staff position in the governor’s administration. Dana Williamson, a Sacramento political strategist and former Cabinet secretary to Gov. Jerry Brown, is taking over as Newsom’s top advisor at the beginning of the year. Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/10/22

Walters: Gavin Newsom reelected: What does he do now? -- Gavin Newsom has easily won his second and last term as California’s governor. So does he now try to climb higher on the political ladder or merely finish out his governorship and return to private life? Dan Walters CalMatters -- 11/10/22

Federal Grand Jury indicts Pelosi attack suspect on assault, kidnapping charges -- DePape, who is already in custody without bail, broke into the Pelosi’s San Francisco residence on Oct. 28 and was allegedly looking for Nancy Pelosi in what is believed to be a politically motivated pursuit, according to the indictment. Jordan Parker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/10/22

After a brutal attack and a tough election, Nancy Pelosi faces a question: Does she stick around? -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi faced several big decisions Wednesday as Republicans appeared poised to narrowly take control of Congress, starting with the big one: Does she stick around to remain in the minority for two years of divided government gridlock? Joe Garofoli, Shira Stein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/10/22

‘It’s all over the place.’ Tight California congressional races are still too close to call -- Eleven competitive congressional races in California that could end up determining the balance of power in the House were still too close to call Wednesday. Hannah Fry, Tyrone Beason in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/10/22

Rep. Katie Porter, challenger Scott Baugh remain in tight race for CA-47 -- The latest vote tally for the 2022 midterm shows only one sure thing: The race for the 47th congressional district, between Porter, D-Irvine, and Republican challenger Scott Baugh, is a seesaw battle that might take days to resolve. Andre Mouchard in the Orange County Register -- 11/10/22

‘We will prevail’: As Levin’s lead narrows in 49th Congressional District, both candidates express confidence -- As Rep. Mike Levin’s election night lead narrowed to two percentage points by Wednesday morning, the race for his coastal North County and Orange County seat remained one of a handful nationwide that could decide control of Congress and shape Southern California’s position on energy, environment and the economy. Deborah Sullivan Brennan in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/10/22

‘Voters are really angry’: How S.F. Mayor Breed and moderates came out ahead in city elections -- San Francisco voters affirmed a shift to the center in Tuesday’s election, largely embracing Mayor London Breed’s moderate candidates and causes and giving a boost to her political agenda from public safety to education. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/10/22

Oakland mayor election: Loren Taylor in lead, but voters must play waiting game -- With the dust settled from election night, the widely watched Oakland mayor race still remains tight and far from over, but council member Loren Taylor leads in both first-place votes and total votes under the city’s ranked-choice system. Shomik Mukherjee in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/10/22

Arellano: It wasn’t quite a victory party. But Robert Luna is ready to be sheriff -- Robert Luna waited in the doorway leading into a small ballroom at The Grand in Long Beach on Tuesday night. Before him, about 200 people returned his wide grin. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/10/22

Corporations poured big money into California measures on gambling, electric cars. They came up empty -- It’s always expensive for a company to go around the California Legislature and ask voters to directly change a law that would help its bottom line. But the corporations that made the gambit this election cycle saw their investments flop in epic fashion. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/10/22

Abortion was the star of the election in California and nationwide. And the impact was much broader -- Sweeping support for abortion rights stole the show in this year’s election, uniting voters from California’s red inland and southern districts all the way to Kentucky — and giving Democrats an unexpected, trend-bucking boost in close races here and across the country. Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/10/22

Election day and night were quiet in California. Even in Shasta County, where denialism runs hot -- Shasta County election officials braced for a long night Tuesday. They worried about a repeat of the June 7 primary, when a wave of observers challenged their work and confronted Clerk and Registrar of Voters Cathy Darling Allen with concerns about the count. Sheriff’s Office deputies and security guards stood watch. Stephen Hobbs in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/10/22

In red California, election deniers rant about fraud and promise they won’t go away -- “We’re tired. Down-to-the bones tired,” said Cathy Darling Allen, the Shasta County clerk and registrar of voters, who has been harassed and vilified by election deniers. Hailey Branson-Potts in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/10/22

Barabak: Biden as the comeback kid, Trump as the biggest loser: Takeaways from the midterm election -- When Republicans lost control of the House and Senate in 2006, a humbled President George W. Bush described it as a “thumping.” Four years later, a chagrined President Obama referred to Democrats’ loss of 63 House seats as a “shellacking.” By contrast, what happened in Tuesday’s startling midterm election was more like a slap on the wrist. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/10/22

Trump Under Fire From Within G.O.P. After Midterms -- “Republicans have followed Donald Trump off the side of a cliff,” David Urban, a longtime Trump adviser with ties to Pennsylvania, said in an interview. Michael C. Bender and Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ -- 11/10/22

Solar  

California regulators appear poised to unveil new solar rules -- California regulators appear poised to flip the switch on a major revision of the rules regulating rooftop solar. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is signaling they are ready to reveal the new proposal after their first attempt to rewrite the state’s Net Energy Metering rules was loudly condemned. Erik Anderson, Carlos Castillo KPBS -- 11/10/22

Workplace   

Massive tech company layoffs may jeopardize Bay Area jobs rebound -- The most recent disclosure of layoffs involving a high-profile tech company arrived Wednesday with the revelation that Facebook app owner Meta Platforms has decided to jettison 11,000 workers — 13% of the struggling Menlo Park-based social media titan’s staffers worldwide. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/10/22

COVID  

ACLU weighs in against new California law to punish doctors who spread COVID misinformation -- A California law that would punish doctors who give patients false information about COVID-19 has already been challenged by two anti-vaccine physicians. Now it’s being contested by the American Civil Liberties Union, which says the legislation suppresses free speech and isn’t needed to protect patients from medical misinformation or mistreatment. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/10/22

Street  

District attorney investigating Villanueva after deputies were asked to donate to campaign -- The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office has opened a criminal investigation into whether Sheriff Alex Villanueva violated state law when he solicited campaign donations from deputies, a spokesman for the office said Tuesday. Alene Tchekmedyian, James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/10/22

California sheriff's office will no longer patrol during the day due to 'catastrophic' staffing -- The Tehama County Sheriff's Office has announced that, as of Nov. 20, there will be no daytime patrols anywhere in the county. Andrew Chamings in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/10/22

LAPD watchdog to oversee investigation into cover-up of sexual assault report against Moonves -- The Los Angeles Police Department’s inspector general will oversee an investigation into how at least one LAPD official became involved in a scheme to cover up sexual abuse allegations by former CBS Corp. chief Leslie Moonves. Libor Jany in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/10/22

Vallejo to pay $2.8 million to settle with mother of man slain by police -- The mother of a 21-year-old man shot and killed by Vallejo police is set to receive $2.8 million from the city, a payout to settle a federal civil rights and wrongful death suit filed in 2017. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/10/22

Education  

S.F.’s private school students could have an edge in Lowell admissions. Public school families are worried -- Teachers at San Francisco’s academically elite Lowell High School as well as public school parents across the city fear a return to merit-based admissions for next fall will favor private school students, who will have a test-score advantage over 8th grade students enrolled in the district. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/10/22

Growing numbers of California high schoolers dual enroll in college courses, but access uneven statewide -- The causes can vary between high schools and colleges but include misconceptions about who should take dual enrollment classes, few instructors, a lack of available courses, and a lack of awareness by students, families and high school counselors about the programs. Ashley A. Smith, Daniel J. Willis, Yuxuan Xie EdSource -- 11/10/22

Also . . .   

Paul Schrade dies; union leader survived bullet to the head when Robert F. Kennedy was killed -- An auto workers union leader who had introduced Kennedy to powerful labor figures such as Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, Schrade was walking a pace or two behind Kennedy when the first shot was fired. Steve Marble in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/10/22