Updating Monday

California law to keep guns from domestic abusers is under threat -- The Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide the right of public officials with social media accounts to deny access to local critics. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/24/23

Barabak: Finally, accountability for Tucker Carlson. But it’s only a start -- If you believe in accountability, if you believe in personal responsibility, if you believe that misdeeds merit punishment and those who knowingly lie should pay for their dishonor and deceit, then Monday was a good day. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/24/23

Tucker Carlson, Fox News’ most popular host, out at network -- Fox News said Monday it has “agreed to part ways” with Tucker Carlson, its popular and controversial host, less than a week after settling a lawsuit over the network’s 2020 election reporting. David Bauder Associated Press -- 4/24/23

Don Lemon, CNN Star Anchor, to Leave the Network -- Mr. Lemon, one of the network’s most recognizable stars, had been under scrutiny since making remarks about women and aging in February that were widely perceived to be sexist. Michael M. Grynbaum, John Koblin and Benjamin Mullin in the New York Times$ Meg James, Stephen Battaglio in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/24/23

Policy & Politics

Skelton: Newsom could face tough task replacing Feinstein in U.S. Senate -- You’d think that filling a U.S. Senate seat would be easy, even fun. But if Gov. Gavin Newsom has to find a replacement for Sen. Dianne Feinstein, it could be agonizing. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/24/23

Eleni Kounalakis launches 2026 campaign for California governor -- Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis launched her 2026 campaign for governor Monday, making her the first candidate to seek to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, who will be termed out of office. If elected, Kounalakis, 57, would be the first woman elected governor in California’s history. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/24/23

Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s resignation wouldn’t fix the judges issue. Here’s why -- “If they wanted to, the Republicans could block the appointment of a new Democrat to Judiciary, and that’s true whether Feinstein resigns her seat or not,” said Josh Chafetz, a professor of constitutional law and legislative procedure at Georgetown Law School. Shira Stein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/24/23

California lawmakers consider banning ‘willful defiance’ suspensions from schools -- Schools would not be able to suspend students for nonviolent acts such as ignoring the teacher, talking back or disrupting the class. Vanessa Arredondo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/24/23

Floodwaters

Fears grow as floodwaters threaten to drown this California city and prison complex -- The only thing preventing floodwaters from inundating the city of Corcoran is an aging, 14-mile-long wall of dirt. Can it hold? Jessica Garrison, Susanne Rust, Ian James,Paul Duginski in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/24/23

The Big Melt has begun. Now California’s gushing rivers pose mortal danger -- As the state’s historic snowpack begins to melt, authorities are warning about dangerous conditions for those who raft, kayak, swim and fish in the roaring rivers. Gregory Thomas in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/24/23

Guns

He threatened to kill his son. He was still able to purchase a gun. Now, a bereaved mother asks how -- Her ex-husband was legally banned from buying a gun in California. But he did, and killed their child. How? Hailey Branson-Potts in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/24/23

Power Bills

High-stakes battle brewing over California power bills -- California utility companies are advocating for a controversial pricing structure that would bill households a different fixed charge depending on their income — but the idea is catching heat from Republicans who argue it will hurt low-income families. Lynn La CalMatters -- 4/24/23

Power Line

L.A. to pay $38 million over downed power line that electrocuted father and daughter -- Ferdinand Tejada, 53, and his daughter, Janina Reyn Tejada, 20, were killed outside their Panorama City home in January 2021, after coming into contact with a high-voltage electrical wire that fell into their backyard. David Zahniser, Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/24/23

Housing

Bay Area home prices spike 17% as sellers pull back -- The region’s median home price hit $1.23 million in March. Ethan Varian in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/24/23

Cracks in California labor coalition raise hopes for YIMBY breakthrough on housing bill -- A California housing law grants generous benefits to builders who agree to only hire union workers. Trouble is, few if any builders found a way to do it. Ben Christopher CalMatters -- 4/24/23

Protests, lawsuits and a dead rat: A wealthy California city’s epic fight to block growth -- For years, the city of La Cañada Flintridge has blocked a development group’s housing project. Now the group may have legal footing to force the project forward. Jack Flemming in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/24/23

81-year-old S.F. resident sues in fight to stay in longtime Upper Haight home -- An 81 year-old woman is suing to keep her $1.4 million condominium in San Francisco’s Upper Haight district, saying she fell victim to a “deceptive, fraudulent and predatory scheme” that caused her to lose her home. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/24/23

Downtown SF

‘There are no people here’: S.F.’s $2.2 billion transit center remains an empty cavern -- Salesforce transit center is a microcosm of the city's fading downtown, which is having the slowest recovery among U.S. cities. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/24/23

Workplace

Disney begins second round of layoffs. Staff reductions to reach 4,000 this week -- By Thursday, the company is expected to reach 4,000 of the 7,000 targeted staffing eliminations it promised investors earlier this year in a plan to save $5.5 billion. Ryan Faughnder in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/24/23

Despite Big Tech layoffs and crime misconceptions, formerly incarcerated individuals seek dream jobs -- Classroom-style discussion groups and on-campus housing are a part of a West Oakland program’s strategy to help its fellows get into the Bay Area’s most lucrative job market. Olivia Cruz Mayeda in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/24/23

Street

‘I can’t breathe’: A Black man died after Sacramento firefighters violated policy -- Five Sacramento firefighters violated city protocols and training when they stood by as police officers held a Black man face down in a dangerous position that led to his death, according to new city documents. Theresa Clift in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/24/23

San Francisco mass shooting: Police say North Beach attack wasn't random -- San Francisco police were investigating a shooting that killed one person and left four others injured in the city's North Beach neighborhood Sunday night. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/24/23

California sheriff’s investigators lose 60 pounds of meth in failed drug sting -- A suspected drug trafficker made off with almost 60 pounds of Riverside County sheriff’s narcotics investigators’ methamphetamine by fleeing after an undercover sting on Wednesday, April 19, and now the Sheriff’s Department is scrambling to get its drugs back. Brian Rokos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/24/23

California Policy and Politics Monday

A California journalist documents the far-right takeover of her town: ‘We’re a test case’-- Doni Chamberlain’s been a journalist in Shasta county for nearly 30 years. Now she’s targeted by the extremists who are looking to reshape the region. Dani Anguiano The Guardian -- 4/24/23

Walters: New state auditor report pinpoints California’s high-tech failures -- Despite California’s status as the world capital of high technology, its state government has been spectacularly unable to employ technology efficiently. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 4/24/23

Potus 47

Why Biden world cares — a lot — about when he announces his reelection -- While the political world waits on a public decision, few outside Washington are clamoring for it. Christopher Cadelago, Holly Otterbein, Jonathan Lemire Politico -- 4/24/23

Another Biden-Trump Presidential Race in 2024 Looks More Likely -- Biden’s impending campaign entry and Trump’s lead in Republican field mean they could square off again. Ken Thomas, Aaron Zitner in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/24/23

Education

Q&A: With May 1 enrollment deadline approaching, an insider’s view of UC admissions -- Students must soon decide where to attend, but waitlists will extend process for some. Michael Burke EdSource -- 4/24/23

Chico State professor and his estranged wife each testify as university pushes for restraining order -- Court proceedings Friday reveal David Stachura mentioned mass shootings in New York and Texas in an email to colleagues last year. Thomas Peele EdSource -- 4/24/23

Environment

‘Big Melt’ of Sierra Nevada snow will begin this weekend. Tulare Lake flooding to worsen -- As temperatures warm up over the coming days across the central San Joaquin Valley, weather experts are predicting that a record snowpack in the southern Sierra Nevada will see an accelerated pace of melting, potentially adding to flooding woes on the Valley floor. Tim Sheehan in the Fresno Bee$ -- 4/24/23

Pollution lawsuit could curb use of aerial fire retardant -- A legal dispute in Montana could drastically curb the government’s use of aerial fire retardant to combat wildfires after environmentalists raised concerns about waterways that are being polluted with the potentially toxic red slurry that’s dropped from aircraft. A coalition that includes Paradise, California — where a 2018 blaze killed 85 people and destroyed the town — said a court ruling against the U.S. Forest Service in the case could put lives, homes and forests at risk. Associated Press -- 4/24/23

People's Park

‘A part of Berkeley’: People’s Park backers celebrate 54-year battle to keep space open -- For 54 years, People’s Park, a scraggly 2.8-acre patch of land a block off Telegraph Avenue on Berkeley’s south side, has been the site of violent clashes between police and protesters, unsuccessful development plans and legal disputes. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/24/23

Silicon Valley Bank

How Washington allowed bank CEOs to pocket huge bonuses amid failure -- Former SVB chief executive Greg Becker made roughly $34.6 million selling his bank’s stock in the past five years, according to the financial research firm VerityData, including $2.3 million just days before the bank imploded on his watch. Jeff Stein, Daniel Gilbert in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/24/23

Also:

Morrison: At Richard J. Riordan’s book club, nearly 30 years of Proust, wine and friends -- When it came to being a politician in the sense we knew one — a cautiously crafted, assembly-line product of focus groups and consultants — Dick Riordan was not that guy. Patt Morrison in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/24/23

Watch as fire-breathing dragon bursts into flames during Disneyland’s Fantasmic show -- Laux estimated that about 1,000 park guests had packed the area to watch the spectacular, which normally features digital flames, colored fountains and pyrotechnics. Images and videos shared on social media showed actual flames shooting up over the park. Rachel Uranga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/24/23

Disney suspends ‘Fantasmic’ fire effects at parks worldwide after Disneyland inferno -- Disneyland crews assembled fences and scrims around the damage on Sunday morning to cover the charred skeleton of the 'Fantasmic' dragon. Brady MacDonald, Brian Rokos in the Orange County Register -- 4/24/23