Updating Friday . .   

Rain Train  

Next round of Bay Area storms could bring even more flooding than previous storms — here's why -- But rivers have continued to swell and a couple, like the Russian River in the North Bay and Salinas River on the Central Coast, are forecast to rise this morning and through Saturday. Models are forecasting these rivers will approach moderate flood stages, despite those same weather models predicting the next two storms to be much weaker than recent ones. Gerry Díaz in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/13/23

Renewed flood threat, heavy snow: What to know about California’s next big winter storm -- Another atmospheric river storm will bring flood risk to the Sacramento Valley for a third consecutive weekend, stirring up strong gusts while dumping several more feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The precipitation is expected in two rounds, National Weather Service forecasts show. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/13/23

California braces for more storms. When will they hit and how bad will they be? -- Northern California, already battered by severe flooding, is expected to be at higher risk than Southern California when rains roll in Friday. Rong-Gong Lin II, Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/13/23

National Guard joins search for 5-year-old swept away by floodwaters in San Luis Obispo County -- Nearly 120 members of the California National Guard have joined the search for Kyle Doan, the missing 5-year-old boy who was swept away by floodwaters near San Miguel in San Luis Obispo County during this week’s storms. Summer Lin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/13/23

‘The whole ceiling was on top of me’: San Jose couple forced out of home by falling tree -- In the early hours on a recent grisly day, 29-year-old Lauren Kirchick was awakened by crazy, “hurricane wind” pounding on her bedroom window. Vandana Ravikumar in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/13/23

Mass storm outages bring misery across California, exposing power grid’s vulnerabilities -- California’s power grid is typically tested during wildfire season or intense heat waves, but a winter storm system has challenged the state’s electric grid in new ways. Experts say resiliency measures are needed. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/13/23

A perilous paradise: In Montecito, fires, floods and mudflows leave wealthy town in fear -- In the town of Montecito, where the median home costs $5 million, Bentley drivers leave their car windows open as they hop out to grab something from the market and residents refer to Gwyneth Paltrow as simply “Gwyneth,” it’s hard to imagine anything ever goes wrong here. And most of the time, nothing does. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/13/23

California Storms Destroy a Wharf and Threaten a Way of Life in Beach Town of Capitola -- Locals hope to rebuild before summer tourist season, while officials say rising seas are increasing the future threat. Jim Carlton in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 1/13/23

A drive to Tahoe for the long weekend could be ‘pretty rough,’ the weather service warns -- With countless travelers heading to the Lake Tahoe area for the three-day Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, meteorologists warn that a storm system is approaching the area and threatening to create dangerous driving conditions. Terry Castleman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/13/23

In a Drought, California Is Watching Water Wash Out to Sea -- Heavy storms have flooded parts of California, but the state has been unable to capture billions of gallons of water that are flowing unchecked into the ocean. Los Angeles is embarking on an ambitious new program to change that. Ralph Vartabedian, Mette Lampcov in the New York Times$ -- 1/13/23

Policy and Politics  

For ultraconservatives in McCarthy’s red California district, speaker drama in D.C. was welcome -- Kevin McCarthy serves a reliably red California district. But conservatives voters there, who criticize him as being an establishment Republican, cheered the standoff over his House speakership. Hailey Branson-Potts, Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/13/23

California Republicans renew call for quicker movement on water storage projects -- Republicans in California’s Assembly used a break in the storms Thursday to condemn Democrats for the drought-stricken state’s inability to capture more of the rainfall that has inundated it in recent weeks. Stephen Hobbs in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/13/23

Will California budget cuts take transit off track? -- California’s projected $22.5 billion deficit means budget cuts are almost inevitable — much to the chagrin of climate activists, public health advocates and others who have criticized Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal since its unveiling this week. We can also expect to see pushback from the Legislature on Newsom’s proposals to cut money for public transit. Sameea Kamal CalMatters -- 1/13/23

Arellano: With In-N-Out, Tennessee officials are double-doubling down on California -- In-N-Out made headlines after announcing it will open up shop in Tennessee. But lost in the hubbub is the state’s use of California to solve an identity crisis. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/13/23

Homeless

For first time, Sacramento County to open state fairgrounds to shelter homeless in storm -- Local and state officials have long floated 350-acre Cal Expo campus as an option for the homeless. Thursday marked the first time it actually happened. Cal Expo’s Building 8, located behind the water park, will serve as a 100-bed weather respite center for the homeless during the storms. Theresa Clift in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/13/23

Workplace   

Bay Area tech, biotech layoffs swell by several hundred more jobs -- An estimated 675 Bay Area jobs are being lost as a result of decisions orchestrated by seven companies that are in the tech, advanced manufacturing, or biotech sectors, according to this news organization’s review of official notices received by the state Employment Development Department. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/13/23

San Francisco’s LendingClub to cut 225 jobs -- The San Francisco financial services company cited rising interest rates for the restructuring and expects $5.7 million in charges. Payroll and benefits expenses will drop by $25 million to $30 million per year after the job cuts. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/13/23

Apple CEO Tim Cook takes rare pay cut -- Apple’s chief executive Tim Cook has voluntarily taken a 40 percent pay cut for 2023, an unusual move that comes “in response to shareholder feedback,” according to the company’s annual proxy statement. Taylor Telford in the Washington Post$ -- 1/13/23

COVID+  

COVID in California: Nose sprays could someday replace face masks -- Johns Hopkins engineers are developing a nasal spray that could be used to block the entry of respiratory illnesses. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/13/23

Tax Time   

Why you should file taxes even if you don’t owe any -- Tax returns are used by the state government to send Californians money. But some of the people who could most use the money don’t get it — if their incomes are low, they may not be required to file taxes, and if they choose not to, they might miss out. Grace Gedye CalMatters -- 1/13/23

Guns  

S.F. is being forced to permit concealed guns. But it hasn’t issued a single permit as fight continues -- The first time private investigator Andrew Solow applied for a permit to carry a concealed gun in public, some 30 years ago, he thought he had a strong case: He’d been attacked by gang members with baseball bats not far from his home in the Mission District, and only survived, he said, thanks to two cans of pepper spray. St. John Barned-Smith in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/13/23

Street  

Experts say California should ban this type of police stop. Why haven’t lawmakers done it? -- A growing chorus of policy experts have concluded that the way to root out racial bias in policing is for California to ban certain types of minor or technical traffic stops altogether. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/13/23

Stanford  

Panel of scientists has joined research review of Stanford’s president -- A Nobel laureate and former leaders of Harvard and Princeton universities are among the experts helping to evaluate claims of possible research misconduct. Susan Svrluga in the Washington Post$ -- 1/13/23

Also . . .   

S.F.’s largest landlord defaults on massive loan. What does it mean for the future of city’s real estate? -- But with office buildings empty, rents down and apartment complexes riddled with vacancies, investors will likely increasingly not have the cash flow to pay off the maturing loans. Meanwhile the combination of current high interest rates and San Francisco’s slow recovery is making it hard to borrow or find new capital partners willing to invest. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/13/23

Despite doctors’ concerns, University of California renews ties with religious affiliates -- As the University of California’s health system renews contracts with hundreds of outside hospitals and clinics — many with religious affiliations — some of its doctors and faculty want stronger language to ensure that physicians can perform the treatments they deem appropriate, including abortions for women or hysterectomies for transgender patients. Annie Sciacca in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/13/23

State fines Laguna Honda for deaths of medically fragile patients transferred last summer -- San Francisco’s embattled Laguna Honda public nursing home has been fined $36,000 by the state for violations associated with the deaths of 11 patients last summer after the facility was directed to discharge all residents as part of a federal order to prepare for closure. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/13/23

California Policy and Politics Friday  

Rain Train  

New storms set to hit a rain-battered California, with Monterey Peninsula at serious risk -- More storms were expected to hit Northern California and the rest of the state Friday, bringing fears of flooding, mudslides and power outages in communities already battered by a series of atmospheric rivers. All eyes will be on Monterey County as officials warn that flooding could cut off the Monterey Peninsula from the rest of the state and shut down major roadways, including Highways 1 and 68. Summer Lin, Grace Toohey, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/13/23

Driving to Tahoe for holiday weekend skiing? Read this first -- One of Lake Tahoe’s most popular skiing weekends is due to bring such heavy snow that traveling to and from the mountains is expected to be difficult, if not impossible. Gregory Thomas in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/13/23

Deaths of 2 men in Sea Ranch possibly linked to generator running indoors -- Two men were found dead inside a home in Sea Ranch, officials with the Sonoma Sheriff’s Office said Thursday, in an incident that may be linked to the generator inside the residence where the men were found. Annie Vainshtein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/13/23

Photos: Southern California reeling from days of relentless rain, evacuations, stranded cars and overflowing creeks -- Following a wave of punishing rains that forced evacuations on the Central Coast and flooded parts of Los Angeles County, Southern California faced another round of storms Tuesday, with much of the region still under flood, high wind and high surf advisories. The item is in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/13/23

Policy and Politics  

Ro Khanna says he’s looking at the Senate. His allies are talking about the White House -- Rep. Ro Khanna said on Wednesday that he’s weighing a Senate bid in California. But recent moves have sparked a new round of speculation among Democrats in several key states that the California congressman continues to have his eye on a higher office. Holly Otterbein, Adam Wren Politico -- 1/13/23

California governor caught in eye of storm over climate budget cuts -- Facing a budget shortfall, California’s Governor Gavin Newsom proposed billions of dollars in cuts to climate spending – slashing subsidies for electric vehicles, funding for clean energy, wildfire prevention and programs to help low income residents cope with extreme weather. Maanvi Singh The Guardian -- 1/13/23

Newton: ‘Long overdue’: Are Los Angeles voters fed up enough to expand the city council? -- But here’s the rub. To make this happen, voters would need to approve a charter amendment, and the argument would go something like this: “We realize that you are unhappy with your council representatives, so we propose to address that by doubling or tripling the number of them.” Try selling that. Jim Newton CalMatters -- 1/13/23

McCarthy says he’s willing to look at expunging a Trump impeachment -- House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said Thursday that he’s willing to take a look at expunging an impeachment of former president Donald Trump by the Democratic-led House. John Wagner in the Washington Post$ -- 1/13/23

Will California join TikTok ban? -- President Biden signed a law banning nearly 4 million federal employees from having TikTok on their government phones, over national security concerns. This week, New Jersey and Ohio joined at least 20 other states in restricting access to TikTok, amid fears that the Chinese government could use the app to spy on Americans. Will California jump on the TikTok ban bandwagon? Sameea Kamal CalMatters -- 1/13/23

Insulin  

California Department of Justice suing pharmaceutical companies over high insulin costs -- The lawsuit, which was filed under the state’s unfair-competition law, also includes pharmacy benefit managers CVS Caremark, Express Scripts and OptumRx as defendants. The companies serve as intermediaries between insurance and pharmaceutical companies. Marissa Evans in the Los Angeles Times$ Adam Beam Associated Press -- 1/13/23

Twitter Workplace  

Elon Musk breaks world record for ‘worst loss of fortune,’ Guinness says -- The spectacular crash in Elon Musk’s net worth, during which the tech billionaire lost his title as world’s richest man last month, has been the “worst loss of fortune in history,” according to Guinness World Records. Annabelle Timsit in the Washington Post$ -- 1/13/23

Homeless

Thousands of homeless Sacramentans remain outside during these deadly storms. Here’s why shelter isn’t always an option -- CapRadio interviewed seven unhoused residents and three shelter providers over the past week. Most of the unhoused people said it’s too difficult to access the region’s scattered shelters. Others said they fear losing their possessions if they leave their familiar camps. Yet for others, it’s an issue of trust. Chris Nichols Capital Public Radio -- 1/13/23

Housing 

S.F.’s largest landlord defaults on massive loan. What does it mean about the future of city’s real estate? -- Veritas, San Francisco’s largest and most controversial landlord, is scrambling to raise capital after defaulting on a $448 million loan. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/13/23

Water  

California reservoirs and snowpack see big boosts as storms ease drought conditions -- California’s drought is not over, but a cavalcade of atmospheric river storms over the past three weeks has brought substantial relief to the state’s water crisis in at least the short term, with big recent boosts to snowpack and reservoir levels. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/13/23

Nearly all of California exits the worst drought categories in U.S. Drought Monitor -- The latest update from the U.S. Drought Monitor showed an extraordinary sight: Deep splotches of dark red and purple signifying the worst levels of drought have been erased from California’s map almost completely. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/13/23

COVID+  

L.A. County COVID-19 deaths hit a new winter high. Why? -- The number of COVID-19 deaths reported weekly in Los Angeles County has hit the highest point of the season, underscoring the continued deadly risks of a disease that has ripped through the community for nearly three years. Luke Money, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/13/23

California’s COVID-19 numbers begin to improve following latest winter surge -- Coronavirus activity in California has declined in recent days, with significant drops recorded in key transmission and hospital metrics. The statewide case rate for COVID-19 fell to 14.3 per 100,000 residents, the California Department of Public Health reported in a weekly update Thursday, down 10% from one week earlier. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/13/23

Street  

He spent 7 years in a small California jail. Now he’s free, and wondering what’s next -- The defendants, including Davidson, have alleged they were mistreated by the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office with lengthy trial delays that they interpreted as tactics meant to raise pressure on them. Marcus D. Smith in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/13/23

Drugs continue to get smuggled into California prisons. Are state employees to blame? -- An audit of narcotics smuggling in four California prisons found drug-sniffing dogs are not used enough to search inmates, visitors, mail and staff as dope continues to get into these detention facilities. Rosalio Ahumada in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/13/23

Veteran Sacramento police officer sues city, alleges ‘anti-Black culture’ in department -- Obed Magny, a Black man, alleges in the lawsuit that he experienced racial discrimination, retaliation, and harassment when he worked as an officer from 2006 through 2020. He filed the lawsuit in Sacramento Superior Court last month. Theresa Clift in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/13/23

Man accused of killing 2 El Monte officers shot himself with police weapon, coroner says -- A man accused of ambushing and killing two police officers at a motel in El Monte last year was struck nearly two dozen times by police gunfire before shooting himself in the head with an officer’s service weapon, according to a Los Angeles County Coroner’s report released Thursday. Hunter Lee in the Orange County Register -- 1/13/23

Education  

Oakland school board abruptly overturns vote to shutter schools — but the decision could still be undone -- A year after voting to close several schools to address overspending and empty classrooms, a new majority on the Oakland school board reversed the decision this week, arguing that shuttering the sites wasn’t financially necessary and was opposed by much of the community. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/13/23

UC Davis investigating prominent professor accused of raping high school student -- Ting Guo, a chemistry professor at the university for more than two decades and former department chair, was placed on paid leave in January 2021 after the alleged victim filed a lawsuit — which was later dismissed — against Guo and UC Davis, university officials said Thursday in response to questions from this newspaper. Kathleen Quinn and Jeremiah O. Rhodes in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/13/23

University of California behind schedule in growing enrollment of in-state students -- Facing pressure from Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers to add thousands of California resident undergraduates over the next several years, the University of California is off to a slow start in making that happen. Michael Burke EdSource -- 1/13/23

Climate  

Exxon Mobil publicly denied global warming for years but quietly predicted it -- In perhaps the most unexpected twist in the field of climate science, new research suggests Exxon Mobil Corp. had keener insight into the impending dangers of global warming than even NASA experts but still waged a decades-long campaign to discredit the science on climate change and its connection to the burning of fossil fuels. Tony Briscoe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/13/23

Environment  

How wildlife officials respond to a livestock killing spree by mountain lions in Northern California -- Over the last week, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife has issued several permits to allow ranchers to either scare off or kill the mountain lions believed responsible for the surge in killings in Lake County. Terry Castleman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/13/23

Is student noise an environmental issue? A court weighing UC Berkeley’s People’s Park fight appears to think so -- State appeals court justices considering UC Berkeley’s plan to convert People’s Park into housing for more than 1,100 students and 125 homeless people seemed skeptical Thursday of the university’s decision not to consider alternative sites for new housing or the impact on surrounding neighborhoods of noise from late-night parties and other student activities. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/13/23

Also . . .   

Lisa Marie Presley, singer and daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, dies at 54 -- Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley, who helped oversee her famous father’s estate and pursued a music career of her own, has died. She was 54. Priscilla Presley’s publicist confirmed Lisa Marie’s death in a statement shared with The Times on Thursday evening. Alexandra Del Rosario in the Los Angeles Times$ Eduardo Medina and April Rubin in the New York Times$ -- 1/13/23

Two California towns were just renamed by the federal government because of this harmful word -- The unincorporated hamlet of Squaw Valley, in the Fresno County foothills (different from the recently renamed skiing destination), and Squaw Hill, in the north state’s Tehama County, were two of seven destinations around the country that were officially renamed in a Wednesday vote by the Board on Geographic Names, an entity under the Department of the Interior responsible for maintaining uniformity among place names nationwide. Gregory Thomas in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/13/23

Trying to read Prince Harry’s ‘Spare’ from your library? You might wait up to a year -- How long are you willing to wait for a copy of Prince Harry’s new memoir, “Spare,” at your local public library? Several weeks, or maybe a few months? Try an entire year. Jonah Valdez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/13/23

Big Bear’s famous bald eagle, Jackie, might soon be a mom — again -- Jackie, Big Bear’s beloved bald eagle whose venture into motherhood have been caught on a live camera since 2017, on Wednesday laid her first egg of 2023. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/13/23