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Updating Wednesday . . .
How much more Gavin Newsom’s tour cost taxpayers -- Gov. Gavin Newsom went on a four-day policy tour, but it cost taxpayers five times more than making a State of the State speech, according to public records obtained by CalMatters. The governor’s office says it was important for Newsom to take his message across California. Sameea Kamal CalMatters -- 5/31/23
Democratic lawmakers press Newsom to spend millions from health insurance fines -- When Gov. Gavin Newsom took office four years ago, the Democrat went after Republicans on the national stage as they sought to gut the Affordable Care Act. Key to his ambitious healthcare agenda: reinstating the fine on Californians who don’t have health coverage, which had been eliminated at the federal level. Angela Hart KFF Health News in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/31/23
Facing sweltering summers, California’s Newsom floats plan for state to buy energy -- For most of the year, California’s quest to rid itself of fossil fuels seems on track: Electric cars populate highways while energy from wind, solar and water provides much of the power for homes and businesses. Adam Beam Associated Press -- 5/31/23
Chesa Boudin is taking a new job at UC Berkeley -- Ousted San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin announced his new job Wednesday: He’s spearheading a criminal justice center at UC Berkeley’s School of Law. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/31/23
Times accuses L.A. County supervisors of violating open-meeting law -- Los Angeles County supervisors met privately Tuesday to discuss demands by The Times that they turn over transcripts of two recent meetings following alleged violations of one of California’s bedrock open-government laws. Rebecca Ellis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/31/23
Climate Shocks Are Making Parts of America Uninsurable. It Just Got Worse -- The largest insurer in California said it would stop offering new coverage. It’s part of a broader trend of companies pulling back from dangerous areas. Christopher Flavelle, Jill Cowan, Ivan Penn in the New York Times$ -- 5/31/23
A Week With the Wild Children of the A.I. Boom -- In Silicon Valley’s hacker houses, the latest crop of young entrepreneurs is partying, innovating — and hoping not to get crushed by the big guys. Yiren Lu in the New York Times$ -- 5/31/23
Migration
S.F. wasn’t the only city to see an exodus. These maps show the most detailed info on where people are moving -- San Francisco is among the urban centers that had unprecedented population declines during the pandemic. These charts and maps show the most detailed and accurate data on where Americans are migrating. Nami Sumida in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/31/23
Workplace
Southern California hotel workers head for a strike vote as housing costs hit hard -- A union is asking 15,000 workers at hotels in Los Angeles and Orange counties to authorize a strike during the height of tourist season. Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/31/23
Housing
Tax on short-term rentals like Airbnb could fund California affordable housing -- A bill to tax Airbnb and other short-term rentals to fund affordable housing projects could be voted on by the Senate as soon as today. The proposal has revived the debate over Airbnb and its role in the housing crisis. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/31/23
California bill aims to rein in high security deposits -- A bill would hold security deposits to one month’s rent, not three. The California Apartment Association says it could drive up rents, making it harder to find a home. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde CalMatters -- 5/31/23
State Farm won’t sell new home insurance in California. Can the state shore up the market? -- Wildfires and expensive rebuilding wiped out profits among California home insurers. State Farm isn’t the first insurer to retreat from the state, and may not be the last. Ben Christopher, Grace Gedye CalMatters -- 5/31/23
Homeless
Homeless people fight to save lives, and stay alive, as L.A.’s fentanyl crisis worsens -- Fentanyl is fueling a surge in overdoses among unhoused people in Los Angeles, playing out as a daily battle for life and death in encampments. Ruben Vives, Irfan Khan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/31/23
Largest-ever San Jose safe RV parking site could come to Berryessa neighborhood -- San Jose’s Berryessa neighborhood could end up serving as the city’s largest-ever sanctioned parking site for RV dwellers, with up to 85 vehicles legally allowed to park in a highly industrialized spot along Coyote Creek as part of a larger strategy to reduce homelessness. Gabriel Greschler in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/31/23
Street
Oakland crime wave has residents and business owners on edge: ‘It's shocking a lot of people' -- Oakland residents on Tuesday vented frustration to city officials over a relentless rise in burglaries and robberies in areas like Rockridge — and their perception that city leaders are doing little to address it. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/31/23
Undersheriff changes course, denies gang-led work slowdown at Compton station -- In an apparent shift from her sworn statements to the Civilian Oversight Commission last year, Undersheriff April Tardy testified during a civil trial Tuesday there was no confirmed work slowdown led by deputy gangs at the Compton sheriff’s station in 2019. Keri Blakinger in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/31/23
Education
Potential budget cut puts community college students at risk by further delaying building maintenance -- Proposed budget cuts stemming from California’s budget deficit mean community colleges may be unable to do things like improve AC, heating, safety upgrades or follow through on promises about major programs and infrastructure projects. Adam Echelman CalMatters -- 5/31/23
From a dirt floor in Guatemala to straight A’s: S.F. high school graduate’s stunning story -- Guatemalan boy walked away from his village and into the American Dream at San Francisco high school. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/31/23
Also
California to step up efforts to find boxers owed pensions following Times report -- California is overhauling the nation’s only pension plan for retired boxers following a Times investigation that found the safety net for vulnerable fighters is failing its most critical mission — informing those owed benefits. Melody Gutierrez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/31/23
How a convicted murderer’s bid for freedom sparked a fight between L.A. County judges -- When he sought to make the leap from prosecutor to judge in 2008, Patrick Connolly branded himself to voters as a hard-charging and hard-partying attorney who had won some of the most complicated murder cases in Long Beach between sleepless trips to Las Vegas. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/31/23
Abcarian: There’s a reason for the anti-LGBTQ+ backlash. And it isn’t all bad news -- Confederate flags offend me. They represent the violence of slavery and nostalgia for a white supremacist past. Assault weapons offend me. Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/31/23
The biggest extinction event in the planet’s history is happening again — in Santa Cruz -- Scientists are using a UC Santa Cruz greenhouse to recreate the mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs. They want to learn why some species survived when so many did not. Corinne Purtill in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/31/23
California Policy and Politics Wednesday
California lawmakers urge transit bailout, pushing back on Newsom’s proposed budget cut -- California lawmakers Tuesday pushed back on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget for trimming transit funding and declining to bail out transit agencies like BART, which are threatening deep service cutbacks as they struggle to rebound from a pandemic plummet in ridership. John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/31/23
Walters: California transit systems’ pleas for aid haven’t moved the Capitol -- California’s public transit systems say they are facing a “fiscal cliff” and are pleading for state aid, but so far haven’t gained much traction in the Capitol. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 5/31/23
Tech billionaire donates $2 million to boost San Francisco’s troubled shopping districts -- The money comes from tech billionaire Chris Larsen, who previously gave $1.7 million through his nonprofit Avenue Greenlight to aid the city’s pandemic recovery. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/31/23
Watch: S.F. launches its biggest ever, $6 million ad campaign to lure tourists -- San Francisco Travel, the city’s tourism bureau, started the “Always San Francisco” campaign on Tuesday, which includes its first-ever television commercial. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/31/23
Santa Clara County DA found “no evidence” former Cupertino mayor violated the law -- The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office is ending its investigation into allegations that former Cupertino Mayor Darcy Paul dictated hiring and firing decisions, stating it found no evidence a crime was committed in the last year. Grace Hase in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/31/23
California Democrats want Gov. Gavin Newsom to close five more prisons by 2027 -- Assembly Democrats’ 2023 budget plan — released on the heels of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s May budget revision — suggests the state should shut down five prisons by 2027. That’s an increase from their December budget blueprint, which pushed three more prison closures by 2025. Lindsey Holden in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/31/23
Workplace
WGA blasts studio executive pay in message to Comcast, Netflix shareholders -- The Writers Guild of America is urging Comcast and Netflix shareholders to vote against executive pay plans during the companies’ upcoming annual meetings as lofty salaries and stock awards become a major talking point for striking Hollywood scribes. Anousha Sakoui, Wendy Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/31/23
Homeless
Santa Clara County reports 1% dip in homeless population, 37% spike in unhoused families identified -- Despite moving thousands of homeless people into permanent homes last year, Santa Clara County saw its unhoused population remain virtually unchanged, even as the number of homeless families spiked, according to preliminary results from its latest “point-in-time” count. Ethan Varian in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/31/23
Guns
LA city attorney wins $5M settlement from biggest U.S. ghost gun manufacturer -- The nation’s largest manufacturer of ghost gun kits must pay millions of dollars in penalties and must conduct customer background checks and include serial numbers on its products sold throughout California, under a settlement won by the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office. Linh Tat in the Orange County Register -- 5/31/23
Street
Manson follower Leslie Van Houten could be freed after court overrules Newsom -- A California appeals court reversed Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to deny parole for Leslie Van Houten, a follower of cult leader Charles Manson. Summer Lin in the Los Angeles Times$ Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Christopher Weber, Amy Taxin Associated Press -- 5/31/23
Camp Pendleton Marine pleads guilty in Jan. 6 Capitol breach case -- Cpl. Micah Coomer, still on active duty at Camp Pendleton, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of parading in the U.S. Capitol. Alex Riggins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/31/23
Bob Lee killing: Nima Momeni's lawyer drops him as a client in mutual parting of ways -- She said there was a conflict of interest but declined to go into detail, citing attorney-client confidentiality but adding that such moves were fairly routine in high-profile cases like this. Kevin Fagan, Annie Vainshtein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/31/23
Education
Debt Ceiling Deal Locks In Restart of Student Loan Payments -- Student loan payments and interest accrual will restart this summer, with no further extensions to the pandemic-era pause, under the debt ceiling deal reached by President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Gabriel T. Rubin, Andrew Restuccia in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 5/31/23
UC Berkeley continues with People’s Park student housing development despite continued resistance -- In the face of objections from some students and community members, UC Berkeley is forging ahead with plans to build housing at People's Park. Cara Nixon EdSource -- 5/31/23
Also
Delta Air Lines hit with lawsuit over claims of carbon neutrality -- A consumer class action lawsuit filed Tuesday claims Delta Air Lines inaccurately billed itself as the world’s “first carbon-neutral airline” and should pay damages. The complaint in federal court in California alleges the airline relied on carbon offsets that were largely bogus. Ed Davey Associated Press -- 5/31/23
Tuesday Updates
Charles Manson follower entitled to parole, court says — overruling Newsom -- A state appeals court said Tuesday that Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten is entitled to be released on parole after more than 50 years in prison, overruling Gov. Gavin Newsom. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/30/23
This California town was already dying. Then the state moved to close its prison -- California is unwinding the prison-building boom of the 1980s and 1990s. The cuts are falling on small towns that banked on government jobs to anchor their communities. Nigel Duara CalMatters -- 5/30/23
Charity set up to support San Diego mayor’s office withholds finances, other records from disclosure -- The project, called For All Of Us, collected money at the mayor’s behest from companies that have business interests before the city. Jeff Mcdonald in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/30/23
There’s a new movement for La Jolla to secede from San Diego. Why now? And who might benefit? -- Efforts to make La Jolla its own city separate from San Diego date back to the 1940s and emerge roughly once a decade. But previous tries have lacked funding, stopped short of proposing specific boundaries and typically focused on one or two issues. David Garrick, Emily Alvarenga in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/30/23
Gavin Newsom tells tech industry group to drop its lawsuit: ‘Enough is enough’ -- Last week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom sent a letter to NetChoice CEO Steve Del Bianco, urging him to drop his organization’s lawsuit challenging California’s AB 2273, the 2022 law requiring social media companies to implement privacy protections for child users. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/30/23
California Takes On Candy Makers With Bill Opponents Call the ‘Skittles Ban’ -- The state Assembly has passed a bill that would ban use of five chemical additives in food products, including a coloring agent found in Skittles—with its “taste the rainbow” slogan—and Red 3, which is used in packaged cookies, frostings and other snacks. Kristina Peterson in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 5/30/23
Democrats hope the Senate could finally have more than one Black woman -- Retirements by Senate incumbents in Maryland, Delaware and California created a rare trifecta of open seats in blue states. Even more unusual is the fact that a Black woman is a top contender in each field. Ally Mutnick Politico -- 5/30/23
How Republicans in California could decide Dianne Feinstein’s successor -- It’s no secret that progressives are angling to take over the Senate seat in the liberal bastion of California. But the most crucial bloc of voters may end up being Republicans. Steven Shepard Politico -- 5/30/23
U.S. Senate hopefuls sweet-talk Democratic faithful -- U.S. Senate contenders Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff tried to win over activists at the California Democratic Party convention. Party delegates and elected leaders also honored former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Sameea Kamal CalMatters -- 5/30/23
Debt-Ceiling Deal Does Little to Change Direction of Federal Spending, Economy -- A proposed deal to lift the federal debt limit would have only a small effect on the cooling U.S. economy or still-high inflation, according to economists, because it does little to reduce government spending that grew rapidly during the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath. Jeffrey Sparshott in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 5/30/23
Water
State asked to stop diverting iconic Mono Lake’s water to Los Angeles -- Environmentalists say it’s past time for California water officials to halt Los Angeles’ diversion of Mono Lake’s tributaries. But L.A. officials insist that water is a tiny but vital part of the city’s water supply. Alastair Bland CalMatters -- 5/30/23
Judge orders halt to Ballona Wetlands restoration project -- A judge ordered the state to suspend any project activity and prepare a ‘legally adequate’ environmental impact report ‘if it chooses to proceed.’ Louis Sahagún in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/30/23
Congestion Pricing
The freeway was born in L.A. But it might not always be free to drive on -- Metro is set to release a congestion pricing study this summer that looks at charging people to drive key freeways and roads. Rachel Uranga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/30/23
Workplace
How much do top Hollywood executives make? Their pay surged to $1.4 billion during the pandemic -- A Times survey tallies the paydays for the heads of Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix and more. The issue has become a hot topic on picket lines during the writers’ strike. Brian Contreras in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/30/23
No kidding: California overtime law threatens use of grazing goats to prevent wildfires -- Hundreds of goats munch on long blades of yellow grass on a hillside next to a sprawling townhouse complex. They were hired to clear vegetation that could fuel wildfires as temperatures rise this summer. Terry Chea Associated Press -- 5/30/23
Downtown San Jose lands several new merchants as area rebound sprouts -- A burst of leases bringing new ventures to several spots is raising hopes that downtown San Jose’s post-coronavirus recovery has finally begun to take root. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/30/23
Your Favorite Book Won’t Be Turned Into a TV Show Anytime Soon -- Authors whose books are being adapted into movies and TV shows are the latest to be affected by the Writers Guild of America’s strike. Sarah Krouse, Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 5/30/23
Seagate
Seagate sells its vast Fremont campus in deal worth hundreds of millions -- Seagate Technology has sold its vast tech campus in Fremont for hundreds of millions of dollars, although the high-tech firm also has struck a deal to lease the site it just unloaded — at least for now. George Avalos in the East Bay Times$ -- 5/30/23
Housing
Downtown S.F. condos selling at lowest prices in six years, data shows -- As Bay Area home prices begin to tick back up, condominiums in San Francisco’s downtown market are still selling at reduced prices, a sign of the area’s struggle to recover from the pandemic. Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/30/23
Can ‘social housing’ help solve California’s housing crisis? -- A state bill seeks to create publicly owned housing that’s affordable for people of a range of income levels. Ethan Varian in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/30/23
Santa Clara County reports 1% dip in homeless population, 37% spike in unhoused families identified -- Despite moving thousands of homeless people into permanent homes last year, Santa Clara County saw its unhoused population remain virtually unchanged, even as the number of homeless families spiked, according to preliminary results from its latest “point-in-time” count. Ethan Varian in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/30/23
A Tale of Paradise, Parking Lots and My Mother’s Berkeley Backyard -- Plans to build apartments have sparked a fight between progressive newcomers and nostalgic old-timers — with surprising allegiances in a writer’s hometown. Daniel Duane in the Washington Post$ -- 5/30/23
Street
Deputy accused of being in ‘Executioners’ gang reveals tattoo in court, names names -- Some witnesses offered the names of everyone they’d seen with the so-called Executioners tattoo. One provided pictures of a desk decorated with the group’s symbol. Another explained the voting process used to decide who could get a tattoo. Keri Blakinger in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/30/23
In downtown L.A., Bass’ plan to clear encampments faces crime, addiction and resistance -- Weeks after the Inside Safe program focused on the streets around El Pueblo, the area still has about two dozen tents. Other areas face similar issues. David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/30/23
With fentanyl deaths soaring, L.A. County is giving out drug pipes and other supplies -- Pipe handouts and other harm reduction can be a bridge to treatment, and cut infection and disease, including HIV. But pipes are controversial, not just in GOP circles but on Skid Row, a drug “recovery zone” that saw the worst of the crack epidemic. Gale Holland in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/30/23
Also
Companies Push Prices Higher, Protecting Profits but Adding to Inflation -- Corporate profits have been bolstered by higher prices even as some of the costs of doing business have fallen in recent months. Talmon Joseph Smith, Joe Rennison in the New York Times$ -- 5/30/23
A.I. Poses ‘Risk of Extinction,’ Industry Leaders Warn -- A group of industry leaders warned on Tuesday that the artificial intelligence technology they are building may one day pose an existential threat to humanity and should be considered a societal risk on par with pandemics and nuclear wars. Kevin Roose in the New York Times$ -- 5/30/23