Updating Friday . . .   

Two wrongly convicted L.A. men declared innocent after serving nearly 17 years -- Two men who served nearly 17 years in prison after being wrongly convicted of attempted murder after a 2004 shooting were declared innocent Thursday by a California judge. Under a new law, the state is required to pay them each $140 for every day they spent behind bars, or about $900,000. Christopher Weber Associated Press -- 4/21/23

California hits ambitious goal for electric cars two years early -- If it seems like there are more Teslas, Chevy Bolts and electric Ford Mustangs on freeways and in driveways across California, there’s a reason for that. There are. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/21/23

Policy & Politics

Lawmakers plan to focus on California fentanyl crisis -- What could have been a dramatic showdown Thursday, orchestrated by Republican legislators demanding action on bills addressing California’s fentanyl crisis, was ultimately avoided with a deal for a special hearing next week. Lynn La CalMatters -- 4/21/23

Harris, Feinstein told in 2018 of American killed by fentanyl pills from Mexican pharmacy -- In 2018, the family of a man killed by a fentanyl pill from a Mexican pharmacy called on U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein and then-Sen. Kamala Harris to act. Little has been done in the intervening years. Connor Sheets, Keri Blakinger in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/21/23

Texas school voucher fight is a test of the power of ‘anti-woke’ rhetoric -- Republicans are pitching school voucher programs to combat ‘the radical woke agenda.’ But rural Texas conservatives like their schools just the way they are. Noah Bierman, Genaro Molina in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/21/23

Battle Over Labor Secretary Nominee Reflects a Larger Fight for Biden -- Business groups are critical of the candidate, Julie Su, and key senators are wavering. The administration’s labor policies are central to the clash. Noam Scheiber in the New York Times$ -- 4/21/23

Taxes and Wealth

‘Excessive wealth disorder’: Should the ultra-rich pay more to help solve America’s problems? -- Boosting taxes on America’s wealthiest people could bring in trillions of dollars to help the country solve its most pressing problems, according to Gabriela Sandoval, executive director of the non-profit Bay Area think tank Excessive Wealth Disorder Institute. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/21/23

Workplace

Lyft to Cut at Least 1,200 Jobs in New Round of Layoffs to Reduce Costs -- Latest cuts could impact 30% or more of company’s over 4,000 employees. Preetika Rana, Lauren Thomas, Emily Glazer in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/21/23

Street

How a California lawyer cashed in on criminal justice reform by fanning the hopes of inmates’ families -- A Times investigation found that Aaron Spolin built a booming enterprise by fanning false hopes in some families desperate to get their loved ones home. Harriet Ryan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/21/23

His ads call him ‘California’s top-ranked habeas attorney.’ Where’s the evidence? -- Aaron Spolin advertises himself as ‘California’s top-ranked habeas attorney,’ but The Times found that his firm failed to conduct the work required. Harriet Ryan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/21/23

Oakland police warn of armed robbers using their vehicles to trap victims -- A recent, “alarming” increase in armed robberies and carjackings in Oakland prompted a public warning from the city’s police department, who said suspects had begun using vehicles as battering rams before robbing people at gunpoint. Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/21/23

Storm Train

NOAA Forecasters See a Respite for California -- Weather forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thursday issued their latest outlook for the United States, and there’s at least one piece of hopeful news for a state that has already had a wild year, weather-wise: California. Raymond Zhong in the New York Times$ -- 4/21/23

PG&E

Need power in California? Get in line -- California is in the midst of a renewable energy transformation — investing more than $50 billion in a pivot away from fossil fuels — but Sam Moss just wants to turn the lights on. Wes Venteicher Politico -- 4/21/23

Coliseum

If the A’s do leave Oakland, can the Coliseum be salvaged? -- Victor Matheson, a leading analyst of the business side of professional sports, had no trouble explaining why the Oakland Coliseum is likely to languish now that the A’s seemingly have doubled down on Las Vegas. John King in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/21/23

Fragile Banks

Hiltzik: Love it or hate it, the Silicon Valley Bank bailout won’t cost taxpayers a cent -- What’s the dirtiest word in financial policy? My vote goes to “bailout.” The term evokes giveaways to the most undeserving of fat cats, people who accept “responsibility” for financial crises as long as that doesn’t involve punishment. Michael Hiltzik in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/21/23

Twitter

Twitter removes its ‘government-funded’ media label from NPR, Canada’s CBC -- Twitter has removed labels describing global media organizations as government-funded or state-affiliated, a move that comes after the Elon Musk-owned platform started stripping blue verification checkmarks from accounts that don’t pay a monthly fee. Barbara Ortutay Associated Press in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/21/23

Elon Musk Sows Confusion on Twitter After Removing Legacy Check Marks -- Kim Kardashian and Oprah lose their checks, LeBron James keeps his and the NYC government account gets impersonated. Alyssa Lukpat in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/21/23

California Policy and Politics Friday

Julie Su ‘presided over a disaster’ in California, GOP’s Mitch McConnell says -- Republicans Thursday tried to paint California’s Julie Su as unqualified to become Secretary of Labor, saying she presided over a fraud-riddled, chaotic California unemployment system. David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/21/23

Republicans air their California grievances while grilling labor secretary nominee -- “I done got rich off of EDD. Ain’t hit no more licks ’cause of EDD. And just last night, I was sellin’ Ps. And I just woke up to 300 Gs.” That’s how the confirmation hearing for labor secretary nominee Julie Su opened, with Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy quoting the rapper Nuke Bizzle — who later pleaded guilty to defrauding California’s pandemic unemployment program after bragging about it in his song “EDD.” Shira Stein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/21/23

Larry Elder enters 2024 presidential race -- Elder won the most votes of any candidate in the unsuccessful effort to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021. Kelly Garrity Politico -- 4/21/23

Legislators step in as trust erodes between community colleges, California State University -- More than a year of mudslinging between the higher education systems has led to delays and anger over the issue of awarding bachelor’s degrees at community colleges. Legislators, frustrated by the lack of progress, are getting involved. Adam Echelman CalMatters -- 4/21/23

The prison reform that divides California Democrats -- Will this be the year California limits solitary confinement in state prisons and jails? Laurel Rosenhall in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/20/23

Richard Riordan

Newton: The mayor who ‘could see around corners’ made L.A. a better city -- He was a difficult man, and we did not always get along. But he had a generous heart. He cared about Los Angeles deeply, and he dedicated himself to its improvement. He left it better than he found it. Jim Newton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/21/23

Newton: What former L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan’s failed bid for state office said about him and California politics -- He loved Los Angeles and radiated enthusiasm for it. He’d built businesses and a life in the city. When he campaigned for re-election in 1997, he genuinely enjoyed making pit stops around the city and bumping into new people. The city brought out the best in Riordan. Jim Newton CalMatters -- 4/21/23

A's

Oakland mayor blindsided by A’s bombshell Vegas deal amid negotiations -- Following months and months of uncertainty, Oakland thought it was inching closer to a deal for a new waterfront ballpark for the Oakland A’s this week, negotiating daily to keep one of baseball’s storied franchises in the city it had called home for five decades. Then, in an instant, it was over. Shomik Mukherjee in the East Bay Times$ Rachel Swan, Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Bill Shaikin in the Los Angeles Times$ Josh Dubow Associated Press David Waldstein, Benjamin Hoffman in the New York Times$ -- 4/21/23

Garofoli: The A’s might be Vegas-bound, but Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao is the one making a big gamble -- Four months after taking office, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao is taking a billion-dollar gamble: She’s calling the Oakland A’s bluff. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/21/23

Giants

S.F. Giants release renderings of what apartment tower by Oracle Park will look like -- As the Oakland Athletics focus on building in Las Vegas instead of the Bay Area, the San Francisco Giants are focused on building even more in their city — the team and its co-developer announced Thursday that they will begin welcoming residents to a new building at Mission Rock, right next to Oracle Park, in June. Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/21/23

Workplace

Oakland-based Fortune 500 company to lay off 200 employees -- Oakland-based Clorox said in a blog post that it would cut 200 employees, about 4% of its non-production workforce, as it reorganizes the company to be more consumer-focused and bring products to market faster. Chase DiFeliciantonio in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/21/23

What shows would stop first if Hollywood writers strike? Here’s what the WGA says -- Say goodbye to your favorite late-night show if Hollywood’s writers cannot cut a deal with studios by May 1. Anousha Sakoui in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/20/23

Street

A Bay Area Home Depot employee confronted a shoplifter. He wound up dead -- Blake Mohs, 26, who worked as a loss-prevention employee at the store, was shot in the chest as he tried to stop a woman from stealing a large yellow toolbox, the Pleasanton Police Department said. Nathan Solis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/21/23

Three men face hate crime charges in robberies of Asian Americans in Santa Clara County -- The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office filed hate crime charges against three men accused in an armed robbery spree “exclusively” against Asian Americans earlier this week, according to authorities. Joel Umanzor in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/21/23

Nima Momeni cited in domestic battery case before Bob Lee stabbing --Nima Momeni, the man accused of fatally stabbing Cash App founder Bob Lee in downtown San Francisco, was cited on suspicion of battering a woman at his Emeryville loft last summer, records show. Matthias Gafni in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/21/23

Homeless

Judge rejects L.A. County’s revamped homeless settlement -- A frustrated federal judge once again refused to sign off on an agreement that would have ended a long-running lawsuit over the government response to the homeless crisis, criticizing Los Angeles County officials for bringing him a settlement he felt the court had no way to enforce. Rebecca Ellis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/21/23

Two longtime Sacramento hotels could soon turn into permanent homeless housing -- The Board of Supervisors this week approved applications asking Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration for $37 million to purchase and renovate the hotels through the state’s Homekey initiative. Chris Nichols Capital Public Radio -- 4/21/23

Housing

S.F. approves housing plan on infamous Nordstrom parking lot, and two more contentious sites -- Under heavy pressure from state housing officials, the San Francisco Planning Commission on Thursday approved a trio of contentious developments, including the infamous proposed 495-unit tower on a Nordstrom valet parking lot in the Mid-Market neighborhood. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/21/23

COVID

New coronavirus subvariant Arcturus is now in L.A. Is there reason to worry? -- Arcturus, also known as XBB.1.16, has also attracted attention after reports linking it to what has been a rare COVID-19 symptom: pink eye. Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/21/23

COVID-19 outbreak hits large Bay Area hospital, prompting new mask rules -- Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa Medical Center has reinstated a temporary mask mandate after more than a dozen hospital workers and patients at the medical center tested positive for the coronavirus this week, officials confirmed. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/21/23

Education

Battle over transgender student privacy isn't over, bill's author says -- A bill requiring schools to inform parents if their children may be transgender might be stalled in Sacramento, but the debate is very much alive at the local level. Carolyn Jones EdSource -- 4/21/23

'Rust'

‘Rust’ prosecutors drop charges against Alec Baldwin after questions over gun misfire -- New Mexico prosecutors have dropped criminal charges against actor Alec Baldwin in the deadly “Rust” shooting, a dramatic reversal after numerous missteps by prosecutors. Meg James, Anousha Sakoui in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/21/23

EV

Sysco building a massive EV charging hub for its fleet trucks in Riverside -- Food distributor Sysco is building an electric vehicle hub at its Riverside facility that eventually will be capable of powering 40 EV trucks and 40 hybrid-electric refrigerated trailers. Kevin Smith in the Orange County Register -- 4/21/23

Environment

Conservation group names Northern California river among 10 most endangered in U.S. -- The Eel River is now one of the 10 most endangered rivers in the United States, according to an annual report released Tuesday by America’s Most Endangered Rivers. Mary Callahan in the East Bay Times$ -- 4/21/23