Updating Sunday . . .

‘We’re fighting for survival’: Writers on the picket line talk pay, family and how the strike is hitting home -- How is the WGA strike affecting lives? Hear from the mother of triplets, someone who moonlights for LAUSD to make ends meet and three others on the picket line. Josh Rottenberg, Jessica Gelt in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/14/23

California Democrats further torn after seeing Sen. Feinstein’s return to Washington -- Feinstein, recovering from shingles, returned to the Senate floor last week amid growing concerns about her ability to represent Californians after a nearly three-month absence. Seema Mehta, Benjamin Oreskes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/14/23

Biden world goes to the mat to get Julie Su confirmed -- The Biden White House is ramping up its pressure on Senate Democrats to confirm Labor nominee Julie Su and deploying some big guns to get her nomination over the line. Jennifer Haberkorn Politico -- 5/14/23

McManus: A 2024 Biden-Trump election would be a cosantest of unpopularity -- Two television events in the last 10 days — a raucous Donald Trump rally billed as a CNN town hall and a far more sedate interview with President Biden on MSNBC — offer a sobering preview of the 2024 presidential campaign. Doyle McManus in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/14/23

‘I declared myself not woke’: What happened when a critic of anti-racism ‘ideology’ led DEI at a Bay Area college --Tabia Lee’s ouster at De Anza College has become a flashpoint over diversity and inclusion policies on U.S. campuses. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/14/23

Before His Killing, Tech Executive Bob Lee Led an Underground Life of Sex and Drugs -- After the Cash App founder died in a stabbing, some were quick to blame San Francisco’s street violence. The truth was more shocking. Kirsten Grind, Katherine Bindley, Zusha Elinson in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 5/14/23

How to Raise $89 Million in Small Donations — And Make It Disappear -- A group of conservative operatives using sophisticated robocalls raised millions of dollars from donors using pro-police and pro-veteran messages. But instead of using the money to promote issues and candidates, an analysis by The New York Times shows, nearly all the money went to pay the firms making the calls and the operatives themselves, highlighting a flaw in the regulation of political nonprofits. David A. Fahrenthold, Tiff Fehr, Charlie Smart in the New York Times$ -- 5/14/23

Border

She helped other migrants seek asylum ahead of Title 42’s end. Now it’s her turn -- Title 42’s end is driving frustration and uncertainty among migrants, who must now use a mobile app to seek one of just 1,000 appointments granted daily to seek asylum in the U.S. Andrea Castillo, Patrick J. Mcdonnell in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/14/23

Education

Teaching from 3,000 miles away: San Jose school’s response to the California teacher shortage -- On a Wednesday morning in May, a dozen students streamed into their geometry class at the Cindy Avitia High School. But instead of looking toward the blackboard, the 10th-graders opened up their laptops — and got ready to connect with a teacher nearly 3,000 miles away. Elissa Miolene in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/14/23

Street

‘They’re showing us who they are’: Racist text messages expose deep divides, ethnic tension in Antioch -- Once majority white, Antioch saw massive demographic change in the mid-2000s. Now an FBI probe is finding rampant bias in its police force. Aldo Toledo in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/14/23

Two good men are dead in Davis stabbings. How will their families cope? -- The brutal stabbings in Davis place a spotlight on how families cope with grievous loss and the complexities of human compassion. Brittny Mejia, Jessica Garrison in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/14/23

Southern California law enforcement agencies still in grips of staffing crisis -- Law enforcement agencies throughout Southern California are still scrambling to rebuild their rank-and-file staffs three years after a national reckoning on policing triggered a wave of officer retirements and resignations. Joe Nelson, Scott Schwebke in the Orange County Register -- 5/14/23

A's

Shea:John Fisher's A's pulling same shenanigans in Vegas after many Bay Area mishaps -- Leave it to the Oakland Athletics. After all their “commitments” to various Bay Area ballpark proposals — that all collapsed — now John Fisher and Dave Kaval are pulling the same shenanigans in Southern Nevada. John Shea in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/14/23

Inflation

Companies Keep Raising Prices—Some Even Brag About It -- There’s a new status symbol in corporate America: the ability to keep raising prices. Suzanne Kapner in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 5/14/23

Debt Ceiling

7 doomsday scenarios if the U.S. crashes through the debt ceiling -- Economists warn of worst-case outcomes should Congress fail to raise the federal borrowing limit by the “X-date” deadline. Jeff Stein in the Washington Post$ -- 5/14/23

Also

The Greatest Wealth Transfer in History Is Here, With Familiar (Rich) Winners -- In an era of surging home and stock values, U.S. family wealth has soared. The trillions of dollars going to heirs will largely reinforce inequality. Talmon Joseph Smith, Karl Russell in the New York Times$ -- 5/14/23

California Policy and Politics Sunday

Oakland teachers, union agree on 4 items, mark progress in strike -- In an announcement on Instagram Saturday, the Oakland Education Association said it had come to an agreement with district officials on four common good items, marking the most significant movement since the start of the strike by district teachers on May 4. Jordan Parker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/14/23

Oakland Unified school district warns graduations in jeopardy if teachers strike continues -- Teacher’s union representatives said significant progress is being made toward a deal — is it enough to resume classes Monday? Ethan Varian, Jim Harrington in the East Bay Times$ -- 5/14/23

Border

Processing of migrants near the San Diego-Mexico border seems to be ramping up -- Around 500 people continued to wait their turns in an open-air holding area between border fences near Imperial Beach and San Ysidro on Saturday. Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/14/23

Downtown SF

The food court rising above San Francisco’s ‘doom loop’: ‘We’re breaking down stereotypes’ -- While stores like Whole Foods and Nordstrom are closing, La Cocina’s entrepreneurs are building community in a neighborhood facing homelessness and addiction. Erin McCormick The Guardian -- 5/14/23

Housing

S.F. Bay Area home prices are up after 9 straight months of declines. What’s driving the shift? -- As the market heads into its typical busy season — April, May and June — real estate agents and economists said that the slight uptick isn’t surprising as the market recovers from the slump over the last year that followed a huge boom in home prices during the pandemic. Danielle Echeverria, Adriana Rezal in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/14/23

Home prices fell in 61% of Orange County. Did your ZIP drop? -- Countywide, the median selling price was $990,000 in March – off 3% in a year. Jonathan Lansner in the Orange County Register -- 5/14/23

Silicon Valley Bank

The Pain of Silicon Valley Bank’s Collapse Is Being Felt by These Depositors -- Two months after the failure of Silicon Valley Bank, the lender’s depositors in the Cayman Islands have been left out in the cold. Frances Yoon in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 5/14/23

U.S. Debt Default

If U.S. defaults on debts, this company has two months of payroll saved up -- Markets don’t expect a U.S. default, but some companies, like finance software firm Tipalti, are preparing, if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling. David J. Lynch in the Washington Post$ -- 5/14/23

Street

ICU workers see the fentanyl epidemic up close. ‘There are just so many.’ -- This scourge that killed more than 800 people across San Diego County in 2021, and by all accounts has not let up in 2022 or 2023, has changed the fundamental reality for those who work in the medical intensive care unit at UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest. Paul Sisson in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/14/23

Family of man in ‘happy hunting’ shooting sues LAPD -- The family of a man who was shot to death by Los Angeles police snipers during an armed standoff last spring is suing the city of L.A., alleging officers were encouraged to use force by a colleague who told them “happy hunting” before the shooting. Libor Jany in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/14/23

Growing San Diego police officer vacancies prompt chief, union to call for new recruiting campaign -- They’re requesting 10 times more money than the mayor has proposed to attract officers, contending the vacancies are lengthening response times and reducing proactive policing. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/14/23

How can L.A. stop traffic deaths? Let civilians enforce traffic violations, study says -- The debate over what role police should have in enforcing traffic safety comes amid an alarming yearlong rise in road deaths and injuries. It illustrates both the promise and the challenge of removing armed officers from traffic safety duties. Libor Jany in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/14/23

White Pride

Masked men again display ‘white pride’ banner on SLO County overpass, sparking protest -- A group of masked men once again displayed an “Embrace white pride” banner on a Highway 101 overpass in San Luis Obispo County on Saturday, prompting a response by protesters and outrage from passing drivers. Laura Dickinson in the San Luis Obispo Tribune -- 5/14/23

Also

Blood stem cell donor meets 15-year-old whose life he saved in Los Angeles -- Nearly half of the registry's Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander patients currently do not have a matching blood stem cell donor on the Be The Match registry. Allyson Vergara in the Orange County Register -- 5/14/23

A rabbit rescue operation is launched to save bunnies from rising floodwaters -- For months, a team from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has navigated the Central Valley looking to rescue from rising floodwaters stranded riparian brush rabbits, a small, brown and white creature listed as an endangered species. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/14/23