Updating Tuesday . .   

How Biden’s re-election launch affects three key Californians: Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom and Kevin McCarthy -- “The question we’re facing is whether – in the years ahead – we have more freedom or less freedom, more rights or fewer. I know what I want the answer to be,” Biden said in a video launching his re-election bid. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/25/23

Across the aisle: Can bipartisan caucuses change the California Legislature? -- The Problem Solvers Caucus, one of 16 non-party caucuses in the state Legislature, wants to put public policy before partisan politics, but that’s a tall task. Other caucuses are bipartisan mostly in name only. Sameea Kamal CalMatters -- 4/25/23

OC mobile home residents, who looked to legislature for rent relief, will have to wait -- But the legislation hit a roadblock last week when a committee decided not to hear the bill — in other words, pause its movement in the legislature — because of pending litigation. Kaitlyn Schallhorn in the Orange County Register -- 4/25/23

Snowmelt

California faces rapid snowmelt from heat wave; flood fears in Yosemite, elsewhere -- Temperatures in the San Joaquin Valley will climb to the high 80s and mid-90s this week, melting deep Sierra snowpack and triggering potential floods. Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/23

Yosemite’s snowpack is getting hit with a heatwave. Here’s a timeline of impacts -- The European and American weather models are signaling a long-duration and intense upcoming heat wave, and parts of Yosemite could be dealing with flooding from excessive snowmelt by the second half of the week. Gerry Díaz in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/25/23

Workplace

California Supreme Court asked to step into Prop. 22 fight after union loss to Uber, Lyft -- Opponents of Proposition 22, the controversial initiative that classified gig drivers as independent contractors rather than employees, have asked the the California Supreme Court to find the policy unconstitutional. Maya Miller in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/25/23

California’s lowest paid health workers want a pay boost. Why industry leaders are pushing back -- As hospitals and other health care facilities struggle with staffing shortages, health workers could get a wage increase under a legislative proposal. But some smaller facilities already struggling financially say they can’t afford it. Ana B. Ibarra CalMatters -- 4/25/23

Medi-Cal

‘A perfect storm’: Patients trying to hang on to Medi-Cal face long waits for help -- As the federal government has rolled back rules that helped people hang on to Medicaid during the COVID-19 pandemic, health providers fear the fallout could be disastrous for patients. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/23

Education

Priced out of a UC dream school, he’s choosing community college instead. He isn’t alone -- A growing share of low-income students admitted to the renowned University of California system are choosing community college instead as skyrocketing housing costs and insufficient financial aid put their dream campuses out of reach. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/23

Street

Detectives say a karate teacher had a gruesome secret. It took 42 years to make their case -- After more than four decades and a couple of wrong turns, DNA left at the scene of two homicides led detectives to an Oxnard karate teacher. Noah Goldberg, Mel Melcon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/23

Foster kids would be removed from cells in Sacramento County if new lawsuit prevails -- The lawsuit, filed last week in Sacramento Superior Court by NAACP Sacramento President Betty Williams, alleges that while her 14-year-old relative was under the care of the county, she was preyed upon by a pimp and forced into sex work. Theresa Clift in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/25/23

AI

Chatbots and the new AI: What will Silicon Valley unleash upon the world this time? -- Jobs. News. Art. Democracy. Equality. Education. Privacy. Truth. Your bank account. All will be impacted by Silicon Valley’s latest creation: “generative” artificial intelligence. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/25/23

Transit

At LA Metro, going cashless is a bumpy road, especially for the ‘unbanked’ -- Many bus riders still put cash in the fare box, despite efforts to nudge them to use the TAP system. Steve Scauzillo in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 4/25/23

Also:

Harry Belafonte, singer, actor and civil rights activist, dies at 96 -- Harry Belafonte, the award-winning entertainer who fueled an international calypso craze in the 1950s with his version of the “Banana Boat Song” and whose long career in show business paralleled his off-stage role as a civil rights activist and globe-trotting humanitarian, has died in New York. Dennis McLellan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/23

To live and die in downtown L.A.: Drug addicts, homelessness and hawks -- Life in downtown Los Angeles is a roulette wheel of homelessness, wealth, film shoots, murals and the promise and burden of an unfinished city. Jeffrey Fleishman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/23

Law firm head bought Gorsuch-owned property -- The Supreme Court justice did not report the identity of the purchaser, whose firm has had numerous cases before the court. Heidi Przybyla Politico -- 4/25/23

California Policy and Politics Tuesday

Why did Fox News fire Tucker Carlson? -- But sources told The Times that Carlson’s exit is related to a discrimination lawsuit filed by Abby Grossberg, the producer who was fired by the network last month. Carlson’s senior executive producer, Justin Wells, has also been terminated, according to insiders. The item is in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/23

Barabak: Finally, accountability for Tucker Carlson. But it’s only a start -- As odious and insidious as he was, Carlson was just a symptom — albeit also a major spreader — of the toxicity that ails our politics and culture today. Mark Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/23

Hiltzik: Julie Su would be a perfect Labor secretary. That’s why Big Business hates her -- Most politically aware Americans are probably familiar with the function of confirmation hearings in a Senate with a razor-thin Democratic majority: It’s where qualified nominations go to die. Michael Hiltzik in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/23

Eleni Kounalakis first to launch campaign for California governor in 2026 -- The state’s lieutenant governor has assembled an A-team of political strategists and fundraisers for her run. Christopher Cadelago Politico Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/23

Former California Controller Betty Yee says she will run to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2026 -- Former Controller Betty Yee says she’s running for governor of California in 2026, giving Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis some competition just hours after she announced her campaign. Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/25/23

‘Delete Act’ Seeks to Give Californians More Power to Block Data Tracking -- With Congress stalled on protecting consumer privacy online, California has taken matters into its own hands: On Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee in Sacramento is expected to consider a new bill that promises to put a little more power into consumers’ hands. Rachael Myrow KQED -- 4/25/23

Walters: California’s lengthy battle for water rights moves into the Legislature -- After its first committee hearing, Assembly Bill 1337 was amended last week, which could be the opening salvo of a monumental political and legal war over who controls access to water in California – an issue that stretches back to the state’s founding in 1850. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 4/25/23

High Speed Rail

Las Vegas-to-California bullet train gets bipartisan backing -- A bipartisan congressional group from Nevada and California asked the Biden administration Monday to fast-track federal funds for a private company to build a high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area. Ken Ritter Associated Press -- 4/25/23

Flood Risk

“Big melt” begins for Sierra Nevada snowpack -- Flood danger increases for Tulare Lake Basin area and Yosemite Valley as temperatures rise this week. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/25/23

‘Do people have to die?’ Why these Californians fear catastrophic floods -- Amid record snowmelt, residents wonder what it will take for officials to address problematic infrastructure in San Joaquin Valley towns. Brianna Sacks in the Washington Post$ -- 4/25/23

Guns

In Monterey Park, site of mass shooting that killed 11, lawmakers urge support for gun control bills -- The lawmakers and gun-control supporters called for adoption of three measures — AB 732, AB 733 and AB 1638 — introduced this year by Assemblymember Mike Fong (D-Alhambra), whose district includes Monterey Park. Summer Lin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/23

California law to keep guns from domestic abusers is under threat -- State laws barring gun possession by those who violate domestic-violence restraining orders are in danger without intervention by the Supreme Court. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/25/23

Workplace

Amazon contract drivers in Palmdale join the Teamsters union -- More than 80 contract drivers and dispatchers who handle deliveries for Amazon Inc. have joined the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, marking the labor movement’s latest attempt to gain a foothold in the company’s e-commerce empire. Spencer Soper, Matt Day Bloomberg in the Los Angeles Times$ Lauren Kaori Gurley, Caroline O'Donovan in the Washington Post$ -- 4/25/23

EV-maker Rivian lays off 239 Orange County workers -- The California workforce reduction is the second in the last year for the EV maker, making for combined cuts of around 800 employees. Kevin Smith in the Orange County Register -- 4/25/23

Education

California is offering free immigration legal services for community college students -- If you’re a student, staff or faculty member at a California community college, you’re eligible for free legal immigration services. Zaidee Stavely EdSource -- 4/25/23

Street

Bob Lee killing: Details emerge of earlier battery claim against Nima Momeni; woman cites mood swings -- A woman who reported being physically attacked by Nima Momeni, the information technology entrepreneur accused of stabbing to death Cash App founder Bob Lee this month in downtown San Francisco, told police Momeni pushed and grabbed her in his Emeryville loft and was prone to sudden shifts in behavior, records show. Matthias Gafni in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/25/23

Bay Area amusement park requires chaperones due to rise in ‘unruly’ behavior -- During the weekend, California’s Great America in Santa Clara updated its code of conduct to reflect that all guests 15 and under must be accompanied by an adult over the age of 21 to remain in the park after 4 p.m. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/25/23

Beyond Bed Bath

Shuttered Bay Area Bed Bath & Beyond stores may be tricky to refill -- The main problem: There’s a significant size gap in the amount of space prospective tenants are seeking compared with the relatively large size of a number of Bed Bath & Beyond stores. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/25/23

Transit

California injects nearly $50M to complete San Jose transit project funding -- The 2.4 mile elevated light rail extension will connect parts of East San Jose. Gabriel Greschler in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/25/23

Doctor Discipline

Big changes proposed for state board that investigates doctors; patient notification still not on the list -- On a unanimous vote Monday, the state Senate Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development approved a “sunset review” bill that would allow the board to continue operating through 2028, simultaneously expanding its ability to pursue physician discipline statewide. Paul Sisson in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 4/25/23

Also:

San Francisco is a postcard from a driverless car future. Here’s what it’s like -- Camera-covered cars with nobody inside are causing traffic jams, angering residents and amazing tourists. Heather Kelly in the Washington Post$ -- 4/25/23

‘Stay tuned’: California sees northern lights again, and experts say spectacle will repeat -- Another strong solar storm created conditions that brought the Northern Lights as far south as California — the second time this spring that the dazzling sight was seen from such low latitudes. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/23