Updating Friday . . .

Los Angeles and Long Beach ports shut down as contract talks stall -- Southern California dockworkers disrupted cargo activity Friday at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports — major entry points for the country’s imports — after contract talks deteriorated in recent days, causing the ports to shut down. Helen Li in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/2/23

The California Senate plans to honor a drag nun. Republicans want her uninvited -- The drag nun, who belongs to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, is one of 15 guests of honor expected Monday when the Senate is scheduled to approve a resolution proclaiming June LGBTQ Pride Month. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/2/23

Garofoli: In the face of anti-LGBTQ attacks, Pride is poised to more protest than celebration -- Pride month officially kicked off on Thursday, but fights over how and whether to honor the occasion have been erupting across California for months. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/2/23

Poll: Rare bipartisan support for reforming California’s ballot referendum rules -- Voters across party lines say people paid to gather signatures should be required to sign a statement that they’ve given accurate information and that the names of the top three funders be made public in ballot summaries. Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/2/23

Orange County GOP identified former Republican voters — and now it wants to woo them back -- More than 27,000 Republican voters in Orange County have switched to no party preference in the past six years. Hanna Kang in the Orange County Register -- 6/2/23

Historic debt ceiling vote aligns Bay Area progressives with Freedom Caucus, ties Nancy Pelosi to Kevin McCarthy to … Marjorie Taylor Greene? -- It splintered the Bay Area’s deep-blue congressional delegation, aligning progressive reps. Barbara Lee and Ro Khanna with far-right Republicans Matt Gaetz and Paul Gosar on one side, and putting Nancy Pelosi alongside Kevin McCarthy and Marjorie Taylor Greene on the other. Julia Prodis Sulek in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/2/23

Celebs dodged millions in L.A.’s ‘mansion tax.’ Meet the industry guarding their wealth -- The ‘wealth defense industry’ — a network of accountants and consultants tasked with helping the rich stay rich — is responsible for homeowners avoiding L.A.’s ‘mansion tax.’ Jack Flemming in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/2/23

Thousands of ‘ghost students’ are applying to California colleges to steal financial aid. Here’s how -- Today, about 20% of California’s community college applications are scams: There have been more than 460,000 phony enrollment attempts in the state since July alone. Nobody knows how much financial aid the fraudsters have managed to steal. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/2/23

Welfare: As US tightens work rules, California considers loosening them -- State lawmakers want to loosen CalWORKs job requirements so people keep cash benefits. Congress’ debt limit deal could curb that. Jeanne Kuang CalMatters -- 6/2/23

California is closing its last youth prisons. Will what replaces them be worse? -- Eighty-one years after California incarcerated its first ‘ward,’ the state’s notoriously grim youth prison system is shutting down. But will young offenders fare any better in county lockups? James Rainey, James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/2/23

San Diego elected officials have gotten 5 raises since voters overhauled their pay. Here’s what they make, and how it compares -- Five years after Measure L, which rewrote how their pay is determined, City Council members make nearly as much as members of Congress. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/2/23

Data, funding gaps threaten public health pandemic efforts -- Timely, comprehensive data and sufficient financial support are among the major resources necessary to prepare for future pandemics, a cadre of California public health officials said Thursday during a meeting with a top member of the Biden administration. Luke Money, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/2/23

Audit: San Diego OKs infrastructure projects without proper vetting, increasing costs and delaying completion -- With the city facing a $5 billion shortfall in funding for needed projects, its auditor says better efficiency is crucial. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/2/23

McCarthy proved he’s a stronger House speaker than many expected. But GOP is split over cutting government -- A lot of people bet that the Republican from Bakersfield would be unable to keep his factionalized majority in line. He proved the doubters wrong. But the party remains deeply divided on an issue that once united it — the size of government. David Lauter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/2/23

SF Retail

‘Is this street going to be dead?’ Inside one of the last big stores in a famous S.F. retail hub --- Shoppers at San Francisco’s Powell Street store are shocked by retail vacancies and homelessness. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/2/23

Workplace

Borenstein: How California teachers can bypass state strike restrictions -- Oakland and L.A. cases reveal a system heavily favoring labor unions that makes it nearly impossible to stop walkouts. Daniel Borenstein in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/2/23

ChatGPT took their jobs. Now they walk dogs and fix air conditioners -- When ChatGPT came out last November, Olivia Lipkin, a 25-year-old copywriter in San Francisco, didn’t think too much about it. Pranshu Verma, Gerrit De Vynck in the Washington Post$ -- 6/2/23

Homeless

California Spent $17 Billion on Homelessness. It’s Not Working -- The Wood Street encampment for years drew people with nowhere to live, until a fire made finding a solution an urgent—and frustrating—task. Christine Mai-Duc, Jim Carlton, Brian L. Frank in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 6/2/23

Housing

Can 3D-printed homes solve California’s housing crisis? -- A 3D-home development in Desert Hot Springs touts 9,000-square-foot lots, swimming pools and 700-square-foot ADUs. Jeff Collins in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/2/23

What is ‘social housing’? California lawmakers pass trio of bills to shift affordability debate -- Advocates call it “social housing,” an umbrella term for government or nonprofit ownership intended to keep homes permanently affordable. Maya Miller in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/2/23

Rent

Here’s what to know about tenant protections lawmakers are considering -- California lawmakers introduced bills this year to strengthen rules against high rents and evictions. Landlords and realtors are fighting back. Hannah Wiley in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/2/23

Develop

More recreation, fewer wetlands: Backlash prompts San Diego to compromise on plans to transform northeastern Mission Bay -- The city has revised its marshland-heavy proposal in response to criticism from golfers, tennis players and youth sports advocates. ‘We’re trying to get as close to an ideal compromise as we can,’ one official says. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/2/23

Street

Three dead in violent South Bay crime spree; suspect has history of assault convictions, source says -- Two people were run over and killed and two others were critically injured in separate stabbings in San Jose, while a fifth person was stabbed to death in Milpitas — all apparently by the same suspect — on Thursday afternoon, police said. Jason Green, Austin Turner, Robert Salonga in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/2/23

Sacramento jails violate consent decree, fail to observe suicidal inmates, grand jury says -- Sacramento County’s housing and handling of inmates is in violation of federal law and an agreement to improve mental-health and medical conditions for inmates, a civil grand jury found. Theresa Clift in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/2/23

California drug ring shipped 1 million fentanyl-laced pills — some hidden in toys -- Federal officials in Sacramento have charged two members of the Oak Park Bloods street gang and three other people in connection with a drug trafficking ring alleged to have mailed more than 1 million fentanyl-laced oxycodone pills, some of them hidden in children’s dolls and toys. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/2/23

Banko Brown’s family files suit against Walgreens and the security guard who shot him -- Security guard Michael Earl-Wayne Anthony shot and killed Brown, 24, at a Walgreens on April 27 after Anthony confronted Brown about allegedly shoplifting $14 worth of merchandise. Christian Martinez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/2/23

Reverse Search Warrants

California’s digital privacy battle: It’s police vs. civil libertarians, with an abortion twist -- California is considering banning the use of “reverse search warrants,” which compel tech companies to disclose the identities of individuals based on the location of their phone and internet search history. Abortion activists call it vital. Kristen Hwang CalMatters -- 6/2/23

Education

Taking a pass on college? California apprenticeships offer another path -- If you’ve determined that college isn’t the best next step, you are not alone. About 37% of students graduating from the state’s public high schools don’t go on to attend college. Andrea Madison CalMatters -- 6/2/23

COVID

Long COVID takes heavy toll on health even as pandemic fades, study shows -- One in 10 people infected with the coronavirus during the Omicron era suffered from long COVID, indicating the syndrome remains a notable threat. Rong-Gong Lin II, Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/2/23

Also

Arellano: The untold story of the Zoot Suit Riots: How Black L.A. defended Mexican Americans -- The unity of two long-neglected communities during trying times is a reminder of what we desperately need in Los Angeles. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/2/23

Rivian could lose Nasdaq spot after 90% selloff -- Irvine-based Rivian Automotive, the money-losing electric vehicle startup, may get pushed out of the Nasdaq 100 Index as early as this month after plunging more than 90% from their record high, according to JP Morgan Securities. Esha Dey | Bloomberg in the Orange County Register -- 6/2/23

California Policy and Politics Friday

Yet another home insurance giant quietly stops writing new policies in California -- Allstate has stopped writing new homeowner, condominium and commercial insurance policies in California, the company confirmed to The Chronicle. Claire Hao in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/2/23

Republican states say SCOTUS pork ruling bolsters their case against California emissions standards -- Republican-led states are arguing a recent animal welfare ruling should invalidate California's federally approved authority to set its own strict vehicle emissions standards. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/2/23

First California lawmaker with an out trans child wants state to ‘draw a line in the sand’ -- When Assembly Member Lori Wilson looks back on the environment that her son faced coming out as transgender in high school, she said she’s especially grateful for one thing: that he came out eight years ago, not in today’s toxic climate. Dustin Gardiner, Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/2/23

Debt ceiling vote splits Democratic candidates for Feinstein’s Senate seat -- Rep. Adam Schiff of Burbank was the sole Democratic Senate candidate who joined 164 Democrats and 149 Republicans in voting to approve the package, which suspended the nation’s borrowing limit until 2025 and imposed cuts on certain federal programs that are popular among Democrats. Owen Tucker-Smith, Benjamin Oreskes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/2/23

Former Los Angeles Dodger Steve Garvey weighs U.S. Senate bid -- The 74-year-old has never held elected office but has been meeting with GOP donors and leaders around the state as he weighs a bid and is expected to make a decision within the next month or so. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ Jeremy B. White Politico -- 6/2/23

Bipartisan bill to make Big Tech pay publishers for news advances despite Meta threat -- A bipartisan California bill that would require big technology companies to pay news organizations for using their content passed the state Assembly on Thursday despite a threat this week from Facebook parent Meta to remove news articles from its platforms if the proposal becomes law. John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/2/23

Settlement in power plant explosion is largest in the history of state energy commission -- The settlement agreement comes just after the anniversary of an explosion that blasted dozens of pieces of metal up to a quarter-mile into the surrounding community on May 27, 2021. Will McCarthy in the East Bay Times$ -- 6/2/23

Workplace

S.F. tech company announces second round of layoffs -- San Francisco-based customer support software maker Zendesk has announced its plans to cut an additional 8% of its workforce in a second round of layoffs within a year. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/2/23

Court sides with Gap in lawsuit over diversity claims -- A divided federal appeals court ruled Thursday that a shareholder of Gap Inc. cannot pursue claims in federal court seeking to hold leaders of the San Francisco-based clothing retail chain accountable for allegedly covering up racial discrimination in hiring and promotions. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/2/23

Meta Requires Office Workers to Return to Desks Three Days a Week -- Change will take effect Sept. 5 for employees already assigned to an office; remote workers’ status won’t change. Ginger Adams Otis in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 6/2/23

Twitter Workplace

Twitter’s Head of Trust and Safety Resigns -- Ella Irwin is the second person in that role to leave since Musk completed his takeover in October. Alexa Corse in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 6/2/23

Wildfire

Man acquitted of starting 2018 Holy fire, which burned 23,000 acres in Orange and Riverside counties -- Trabuco Canyon’s Forrest Gordon Clark was acquitted on three charges of felony arson in connection with the Holy fire, which ripped through Cleveland National Forest in 2018. He was found guilty of making criminal threats. Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/2/23

Earth

Earth is ‘really quite sick now’ and in danger zone in nearly all ecological ways, study says -- Earth has pushed past seven out of eight scientifically established safety limits and into “the danger zone,” not just for an overheating planet that’s losing its natural areas, but for the well-being of people living on it, according to a new study. Seth Borenstein Associated Press -- 6/2/23

Environment

Exceptionally rare animal spotted in California for only 2nd time in 100 years -- For only the second time in about a century, a wolverine sighting has been documented in California, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed Thursday. Joel Umanzor in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/2/23

Street

Alameda County judge robbed of his Rolex at gunpoint outside Oakland courthouse -- An Alameda County Superior Court judge was robbed of his Rolex watch and wallet at gunpoint Thursday morning while he was headed into a downtown Oakland courthouse. Jakob Rodgers in the East Bay Times$ -- 6/2/23

If you call 911 about homelessness in S.F., police might not respond. Here’s who may instead -- If a San Francisco business owner calls the city about a person experiencing homelessness in a tent blocking the sidewalk in front of a door, the call won’t first go to police. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/2/23

Homeless

S.F. promised millions for homeless family RV parking site. Two years later, they're reallocating the money -- Dozens of homeless families living in RVs near Lake Merced have waited two years for the city to fulfill its promise to create a site where they could safely park their vehicles off the street and receive electricity, water and other basic services. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/2/23

Mayor weighs charging other towns if their homeless people move to Oakland -- Mayor Sheng Thao is weighing a plan to charge other cities an “impact fee” if their homeless residents move to Oakland to take advantage of its services. Sarah Ravani, Kevin Fagan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/2/23

Cannabis

Cartel-backed pot grows linked to human trafficking, inhumane working conditions -- Thousands of unpermitted grows in Northern California and Southern Oregon, some tied to organized crime, are straining resources for local sheriffs. Beth Warren in the Louisville Courier Journal -- 6/2/23

POTUS 46

Biden says he got ‘sandbagged’ after he tripped and fell onstage at Air Force graduation -- “I got sandbagged,” the president told reporters with a smile when he arrived back at the White House on Thursday evening before pretending to jog into the residence. Two small black sandbags had been onstage supporting the teleprompter used by Biden and other speakers at the graduation. Darlene Superville Associated Press -- 6/2/23

Education

Bolstered by Miami track record, Carvalho revamps LAUSD Primary Promise reading program -- Alberto Carvalho came to Los Angeles Unified last year having delivered impressive academic results at the helm of Miami-Dade, another large urban district grappling with myriad challenges. Karen D'Souza EdSource -- 6/2/23

Also

Unusually large group of killer whales is hunting off California’s coast. Their method is ‘pretty brutal’ -- Whale watchers on a boat off the coast of San Francisco saw an unusual sight last month: 24 orcas just west of the Farallon Islands were frolicking together in what naturalists say appears to be a meetup of several distinct families. Tara Duggan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/2/23