Updating Friday . .   

Public tirades, recall threats as Shasta County roils from decision to dump voting machines -- Weeks after deciding to dump Dominion Voting Systems and become the largest government entity in the U.S. to hand-count its votes, Shasta County officials are now grappling with the complex logistics of actually carrying out that approach, accurately and legally, in a county of 200,000 people. Jessica Garrison in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/28/23

Loved or hated, lawmaker Scott Wiener is a lightning rod who could make history -- In San Francisco, Scott Wiener is considered a moderate. In Sacramento, he’s far left. Now he’s laying the ground to succeed Nancy Pelosi in Congress. Melanie Mason in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/28/23

Pioneering Supreme Court justice, rejected by voters, might get new honor at California Capitol -- More than 35 years after voters denied Rose Bird a new term, a Bay Area lawmaker’s proposal to rename a rose garden plaza outside the state Capitol in Bird’s honor has cleared its first hurdle. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/28/23

California phases out diesel trucks: What happens next? -- In a worldwide first, California’s air board unanimously moves to end diesel’s decades-long stranglehold on the economy. Truckers predict chaos, while communities near ports, freeways celebrate cleaner air. Nadia Lopez CalMatters -- 4/28/23

First Republic Bank

First Republic Bank stock plunges to record low as rescue plan proves elusive --The San Francisco-based bank gained as much as 6.6% on Friday and then collapsed more than 50% before trading was halted amid speculation that a takeover by regulators, while not the only possibility in play, is becoming more likely. Rick Green in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/28/23

Silicon Valley Bank

Fed faults Silicon Valley Bank execs, itself in bank failure -- Silicon Valley Bank failed due to a combination of extremely poor bank management, weakened regulations and lax government supervision, the Federal Reserve said Friday, in a highly-anticipated review of how the central bank failed to properly supervise the bank before it collapsed early last month. Christopher Rugaber, Ken Sweet Associated Press Andrew Ackerman, Ben Eisen in the Wall Street Journal$ Rachel Siegel in the Washington Post$ Jeanna Smialek in the New York Times$ -- 4/28/23

Workplace

Two more S.F. tech companies have mass layoffs; one blames rise of AI -- Cloud storage company Dropbox and once-booming audio community Clubhouse are the latest San Francisco tech firms to conduct mass layoffs. Dropbox will lay off 500 employees or 16% of its workforce, CEO Drew Houston said in a memo. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/28/23

Tech Companies Are Colluding to Cheat H1-B Visa Lottery -- The Biden administration says it has found evidence that several dozen small technology companies have colluded to increase the chances that their prospective foreign hires will win a coveted H-1B visa for skilled foreign workers in this year’s lottery. Michelle Hackman in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/28/23

Hollywood, Both Frantic and Calm, Braces for Writers’ Strike -- Studios have moved up deadlines for TV writers, and late-night shows are preparing to go dark. But for other segments of the industry, it’s business as usual. John Koblin, Brooks Barnes, Nicole Sperling in the New York Times$ -- 4/28/23

Business Migration

Here’s why the Raiders, tech workers and conventions fled to Las Vegas — and why the A’s could be next -- For economic experts in Las Vegas, the upsides are clear: a lower cost of living and what they describe as one of the most pro-growth governments in the country — with a history of lavish tax subsidies rather than the Bay Area’s stifling bureaucracy. Nevada has no personal income or corporate taxes, while California has some of the nation’s highest. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/28/23

Cannabis

How New York and California Botched Marijuana Legalization -- Steep taxes and heavy regulation are making it hard for licensed pot sellers to operate in some states, driving more producers and buyers to illegal outlets. ‘Our No. 1 competitor is the illicit market.’ Zusha Elinson, Jimmy Vielkind in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/28/23

Waitlist

Years into his quest for a kidney, an L.A. patient is still in ‘the Twilight Zone’ -- More than two years have passed since Roland Coleman, a seasoned attorney, started trying to get onto the kidney transplant waitlist. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/28/23

Street

S.F. drug dealing crackdown: Here’s when CHP officers will arrive and what they’ll do -- Gov. Gavin Newsom will deploy California Highway Patrol officers to combat open-air drug dealing in San Francisco. Mallory Moench, Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/28/23

California lawmakers pressure Sacramento County to remove foster kids from cells -- Four California lawmakers are criticizing Sacramento County officials for housing foster kids in “jail-like” cells. Theresa Clift in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/28/23

Judge unseals videos in San Diego State gang rape case, but with two-week delay -- A judge on Thursday agreed to unseal sexually graphic video clips recorded during what a young woman said was a gang rape by college football players at a house party near San Diego State University. Teri Figueroa San Diego Union-Tribune in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/28/23

For family of Trader Joe’s store manager killed by LAPD, impending trial brings anger -- An update on the lawsuit brought by the family of Mely Cortado against the city of Los Angeles and the police officers accused of shooting her after a gun battle with a fleeing suspect. Libor Jany in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/28/23

Big Bellflower mural with Kobe, Vin, Tupac and others is in danger of erasure. An essay could save it -- Visitors have flocked to Bellflower to see the L.A.-centric 54-foot-by-10-foot mural. City officials have said the artwork violates multiple ordinances and may come down. Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/28/23

Fentanyl

Sweeping indictment shows role of China’s chemical firms in fentanyl crisis -- But experts say there’s little chance the companies selling ingredients to Mexican cartels will be prosecuted. David Ovalle, Nick Miroff in the Washington Post$ -- 4/28/23

Housing

This data shows one huge reason California’s housing shortage is at crisis levels -- California’s housing shortage is forcing some residents to look elsewhere for homes, contributing to its declining population. Christian Leonard in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/28/23

COVID Subvariant

Arcturus, a more infectious COVID subvariant, grows in L.A. County, seen in sewage -- Coronavirus levels in Los Angeles County wastewater have ticked up, potentially as a result of the arrival of a more infectious Omicron subvariant dubbed Arcturus. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/28/23

Wildfire

California just had its first big wildfire. When will the risk amp up in the Bay Area? -- The epic Sierra snowpack and the rapid shift to El Niño are just two factors that affect when the state will face significant blazes. Jack Lee in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/28/23

Griffith Park Prison Camp

Griffith Park’s little-known history as a prison camp for Japanese, German, Italian immigrants -- A new plaque tells the story of the hundreds of Japanese, German and Italian immigrants who were incarcerated during World War II on the site that is now Travel Town. Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/28/23

Also:

New landslide closes railroad tracks at San Clemente, again halting link to San Diego -- A new landslide at San Clemente has stopped all rail traffic at a spot two miles north of where the Orange County Transportation Authority recently suspended passenger trains for almost six months and spent more than $13.7 million to stabilize a different slope. Phil Diehl San Diego Union-Tribune in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/28/23

California Policy and Politics Friday

Newsom’s proposed cuts to foster program angers advocates. ‘You’re hurting our youth’ -- Foster care youth advocates are hoping Gov. Gavin Newsom does not reduce a $60 million dollar commitment as the state deals with its projected billion dollar budget deficit. Mathew Miranda in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/28/23

Cooling off bill heats up Capitol controversy, gets shelved -- Sen. Aisha Wahab’s Senate Bill 573 would have originally prohibited legislative staff from working for lobbying firms for two years after leaving the capitol. Lisa Renner Capitol Weekly -- 4/28/23

Disability Groups Claim California's Assisted Suicide Law Discriminates Against Them -- A group of people with disabilities is suing to upend California’s assisted suicide law, saying the bias they faced trying to get health care during the pandemic shows the system is too quick to offer death as an appropriate outcome. Joseph Shapiro KQED -- 4/28/23

Fragile First Republic

‘The trouble with First Republic is real’: Experts say S.F. bank teeters on brink of collapse -- The San Francisco bank appears to be on the verge of collapse, and observers worry whether its troubles could spread to other financial institutions. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/28/23

Why No Buyer Has Emerged for First Republic -- An acquisition of the beleaguered bank could carry costs well beyond the initial sticker price. Telis Demos in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/28/23

Flood Threat

Forecast map: California rivers bulge with snowmelt, but no major floods expected. How’s it look near you? -- The only rivers forecast to exceed flood stage in the next four days are the Merced River at Yosemite Valley and the West Fork Carson River in Alpine County. Scooty Nickerson in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/28/23

Ahead of ‘big melt,’ lawmakers ask Newsom to pay up for flood response -- Lawmakers want Gov. Gavin Newsom to devote an additional $200 million to flooding in the San Joaquin Valley as their districts recover from flood damage and face down the new threat of rapidly melting snow in the southern Sierra Nevada. Ari Plachta in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/28/23

Workplace

Maker of fast coronavirus tests chops hundreds of Bay Area jobs -- A maker of rapid coronavirus tests has revealed plans to chop hundreds of jobs in the Bay Area, a grim disclosure that suggests tech and biotech layoffs in the region have yet to run their course. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/28/23

After a California refinery closed, laid-off fossil fuel workers got hit with a ‘gut punch’ -- Californian’s fossil fuel workforce has long contended that the state’s policies for transitioning away from fossil fuels would create financial hardships for thousands of workers who helped build the state’s oil and gas energy systems. Maggie Angst in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/28/23

Housing

LA commission aims to make it cheaper, quicker to build affordable housing -- A Los Angeles city commission unanimously approved amendments to the city’s Site Plan Review Ordinance Thursday with the goal of streamlining and increasing affordable housing projects. The item is in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 4/28/23

Homeless

California shifts to an experiment in coercion to treat the homeless -- A new court system seeks to find a middle road between jail and ignoring the mentally ill, many of whom live on the streets. Scott Wilson in the Washington Post$ -- 4/28/23

COVID

COVID detected in a California mule deer, first wildlife case in state -- California wildlife officials have confirmed the state’s first case of COVID-19 in a wild animal, detected in a mule deer killed in 2021 in El Dorado County. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/28/23

Education

This 4.0 student needed $4,000 to attend his dream UC school. Then Times readers stepped in -- Jonathan Cornejo, a Los Angeles high school senior and son of a single immigrant mother, got into his dream University of California campus but couldn’t afford to go. Then strangers stepped up.Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/28/23

UC Berkeley to embark on $700 million plan to supply its entire campus with clean energy -- The last time the power house at UC Berkeley furnished electricity to the campus over 90 years ago it was boiling oil and spewing exhaust from a smokestack atop the brick barn just uphill from Sather Gate. Sam Whiting in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/28/23

Should universities participate in school rankings reports? -- Are recent moves by medical and law schools in the United States to actively drop out of rankings reports by outlets such as U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Colleges” publications a sign of more withdrawals to come? EdSource -- 4/28/23

Sex Abuse

Jury awards Riverside woman $2.3 billion in a sex abuse lawsuit involving the Mormon church -- A Riverside woman was awarded $2.28 billion Tuesday by a Riverside Superior Court jury after she was sexually abused by her stepfather for years, her attorneys announced. Summer Lin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/28/23

Elder Care

San Mateo elderly care facility fined, at risk of losing license after poisoning deaths of two residents -- The San Mateo senior-living facility where two residents died after accidentally being served dishwashing fluid is now facing a hefty fine and the threat of losing its elderly care residency license, according to reports filed by the California Department of Social Services. Austin Turner in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/28/23

Street

$2.28 billion award in Lake Elsinore child sex-abuse case could be largest ever -- A Riverside County jury has awarded $2.28 billion — perhaps the largest amount in a child sexual-assault case in U.S. history — to the stepdaughter of a one-time Lake Elsinore church elder who admitted in his criminal trial decades ago to committing lewd acts on a minor. Brian Rokos in the Orange County Register -- 4/28/23

Antioch Police Department mired in racism allegations — first in text messages, now in a brutality lawsuit -- On the heels of sordid revelations about police behavior, the city of Antioch and its Police Department have been named as defendants in a lawsuit alleging police brutality and racial discrimination. Terry Castleman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/28/23

Santa Monica P.D. knew of Eric Uller’s molestation arrest but still let him be youth volunteer -- Revelations that police knew of the teenage arrest heightens questions about why Santa Monica police missed repeated warnings the city employee was a predator. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/28/23

Police investigating antisemitic flyers left on cars in Saratoga -- “I pulled over and pulled it out, and discovered that it is a disgusting, antisemitic screed about all Jews being sexual perverts,” Malter said. “It’s especially upsetting because I’m Jewish. This is the purest hate crime I’ve ever dealt with in my 69 years.” Hannah Kanik in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/28/23

California prisons illegally send prisoners’ info to ICE, including those who merely look ‘foreign,’ lawsuit says -- A new lawsuit says California prisons are flouting the state’s “sanctuary” law by reporting “foreign-born” inmates — including U.S. citizens and others who merely look foreign — to federal immigration agencies for possible deportation. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/28/23

Facial Recognition

First man wrongfully arrested because of facial recognition testifies as California weighs new bills -- One bill would ban its use in body cameras for 10 years, while the second could allow police to match images to the state driver’s license database. Johana Bhuiyan The Guardian -- 4/28/23

Supply Chain

California ports will get $27 million from state to create data system to improve supply chain -- The ports of Oakland, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Hueneme and San Diego will receive a one-time $27 million allocation from the state budget to develop a shared data system aimed at improving the flow of goods, an attempt to tackle some of the logistics challenges that emerged during the pandemic and subsequent supply chain crisis. Donna Littlejohn in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/28/23

Musk

Santa Clara County judge rules Elon Musk likely must give deposition in fatal Tesla autopilot crash Suit -- A California state judge issued a tentative order requiring Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk to give a deposition in a lawsuit blaming Autopilot for a fatal crash in 2018. Peter Blumberg, Robert Burnson Bloomberg in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/28/23

Cannabis

Popular pot brand Cookies lined up millions in kickbacks to self-dealing execs, lawsuits allege -- Bay Area rapper Berner, the founder and CEO of Cookies, and other top executives have used the cannabis company to line their own pockets, investors alleged in two recent lawsuits. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/28/23

PG&E

Downtown S.F. outages: Power could be out until Saturday in key area after ‘extensive’ damage -- Hundreds of customers were still without power Thursday afternoon after an “underground equipment damage” disrupted service in portions of San Francisco, according to Pacific Gas & Electric Co. Jordan Parker, Jessica Flores, Joel Umanzor in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/28/23