Updating . . .

It was Hannity and DeSantis v. Newsom in messy Fox debate -- The Fox News host often grilled Newsom but couldn’t control the candidates. Christopher Cadelago, Kimberly Leonard Politico -- 12/1/23

The Newsom-DeSantis debate showed the California governor is all in for Biden -- Gov. Gavin Newsom embraced his role as a surrogate for President Biden in Thursday’s debate against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Faith E. Pinho in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/1/23

Barabak: ‘That’s a lie!’ ‘You are just jabbering!’ It was heat and not much light in Newsom-DeSantis debate -- The prodigiously hyped debate between Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis was never going to be more than a diversion, a brief sideshow running parallel to the main attraction — the actual campaign for the White House. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/1/23

They’re Not Presidential Front-Runners. But They Played Them on TV -- Ron DeSantis, Gavin Newsom and a not-exactly-neutral Sean Hannity staged a campaign debate from an alternative timeline. James Poniewozik in the New York Times$ -- 12/1/23

Walters: Cowboys vs. Seahawks game was a better show than Newsom vs. DeSantis -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis faced off in a televised debate Thursday night. Those who opted for the Dallas vs. Seattle football game got a better show. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 12/1/23

South: Newsom deserves credit for doing what few Democrats will, confronting GOP in DeSantis debate -- Democrats need to push back more aggressively against the GOP, argues veteran strategist Garry South. Gavin Newsom has been doing this in so many ways, and the debate with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was part of that. Garry South CalMatters -- 12/1/23

George Santos vote: The three Californians against expulsion -- Of California’s delegation, three voted nay — Darrell Issa, Doug LaMalfa and Tom McClintock — and Kevin McCarthy did not vote. All are Republicans. The item is in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/1/23

All local House members but one vote to expel George Santos -- Check out how the representatives from Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties voted. Kaitlyn Schallhorn in the Orange County Register -- 12/1/23

How each House member voted on expelling George Santos from Congress -- The expulsion motion, introduced by a fellow Republican, House Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest (Miss.), required the support of two-thirds of the chamber to succeed. Kati Perry, Adrián Blanco in the Washington Post$ -- 12/1/23

The House majority will be won in liberal states. It’s still not a lock for Democrats -- Both parties see New York and California as key in the 2024 race to control the House. Marianna Sotomayor, Leigh Ann Caldwell in the Washington Post$ -- 12/1/23

Kevin McCarthy was once envious that Democrats ‘look like America’ -- “I’d just become leader and I’m excited and President Trump’s there. And I look over at the Democrats and they stand up. They look like America,” he told Sorkin. “We stand up. We look like the most restrictive country club in America.” Philip Bump in the Washington Post$ -- 12/1/23

Blue Shield

Blue Shield of California members’ data stolen — ‘a gold mine for thieves’ -- Sensitive data from Blue Shield of California vision policy holders — including Social Security numbers, birth dates and addresses — may be among confidential patient information accessed by criminal hackers, the Oakland-based health insurance giant announced this week. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/1/23

Housing

Government-backed mortgage loan caps rising to $1,149,825 in OC, LA -- Left out was the Inland Empire, which will see no loan cap increases in 2024. Jeff Lazerson in the Orange County Register -- 12/1/23

Education

Pay for Cal State presidents has grown at nearly twice the rate as pay for lecturers -- Mildred García, the new Cal State chancellor, is earning a total compensation of nearly $1 million. Meanwhile, university president pay has increased at a greater rate than that of faculty, who are preparing to strike in early December, and the system is raising tuition. Yet, Cal State execs still say their pay lags behind the national average. Elizabeth Wilson, Hugo Rios CalMatters -- 12/1/23

Lawsuit accuses UC Berkeley of fostering antisemitism. Dean calls accusations ‘stunningly inaccurate’ -- Since the Oct. 7th attack by Hamas, tensions have been high on campus, with protests in support of Palestinians and Israel often happening at the same time. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/1/23

‘I is for Intifada’: Oakland district warns teachers over push for pro-Palestinian curriculum -- A group of Oakland teachers is calling for educators to swap out district-recommended curriculum for a teach-in Wednesday that would educate students about “the Palestinian struggle” amid the war in Gaza. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/1/23

State data collection systems failing students in juvenile detention, report says -- California's current data collection practices inadequately capture the needs and outcomes of youth in the juvenile justice system, says a recent report from the Youth Law Center. Betty Márquez Rosales EdSource -- 12/1/23

Workplace

Another S.F. company leaves downtown for this ‘relaxed’ neighborhood -- After three decades in the same Financial District office, companies are trading towers for a low-density, historic San Francisco neighborhood. Laura Waxmann in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/1/23

Prefab homebuilder Veev to shutter after funders abandon former ‘unicorn’ -- This week, the company laid off most of its 250 employees, according to LinkedIn posts from employees. Veev had only recently finished construction on its first single-family home, which the company intended to bring to market in 2024. Kate Talerico in the East Bay Times$ -- 12/1/23

Advertisers Say They Do Not Plan to Return to X After Musk’s Comments -- Elon Musk, the owner of X, criticized advertisers with expletives on Wednesday at The New York Times’s DealBook Summit. Kate Conger, Tiffany Hsu in the New York Times$ -- 12/1/23

The 405

New express lanes in Orange County open on 405 Freeway -- The drive between Costa Mesa and south Los Angeles County on the 405 Freeway just got a whole lot faster — if you’re willing to pay the toll. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ Michael Slaten in the Orange County Register-- 12/1/23

Climate

This year will be Earth’s hottest in human history, report confirms -- It will break a record set in 2016, underscoring that the world is closer than ever to the global warming thresholds that global leaders are seeking to avoid. Data from January through October shows the planet is likely to average 1.3 degrees Celsius to 1.5 degrees Celsius above a preindustrial norm this year, the WMO said. Scott Dance in the Washington Post$ -- 12/1/23

Surging U.S. Oil Production Brings Down Prices and Raises Climate Fears -- American oil production is hitting record levels, delivering economic and foreign policy benefits but putting environmental goals further out of reach. Clifford Krauss in the New York Times$ -- 12/1/23

Street

Alameda County to pay $7 million, reform jail training after settlement with family of Maurice Monk -- Alameda County will pay $7 million and reform its jail deputies’ training programs after settling a lawsuit with the family of Maurice Monk, who died in Santa Rita Jail in 2021 after allegedly languishing for days in his cell without any help from deputies. Jakob Rodgers in the East Bay Times$ -- 12/1/23

Feds seek 12-year sentence for ex-La Habra police chief’s role in Jan. 6 Capitol riot -- Federal prosecutors are seeking a 12-year, seven-month prison sentence for Alan Hostetter, a former La Habra police chief-turned yoga instructor and activist who joined the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Sean Emery in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 12/1/23

Also

Anduril unveils a jet drone that can explode — or fly back home -- The company unveiled the product at its Costa Mesa headquarters to a scrum of journalists, showing videos of what the new machine can do. Sam Dean in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/1/23

Merchant: The depressing fall of Sports Illustrated reveals the real tragedy of AI -- The tragedy of AI is not that it stands to replace good journalists, but that it takes every gross, callous move made by management to degrade the production of content — and promises to accelerate it. Brian Merchant in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/1/23

Rosalynn Carter: A lifetime voice for improving mental health care -- Tributes to First Lady Rosalynn Carter invariably cite her lifelong commitment to improving care for people with severe mental illness. As she stumped for her husband during the closing days of the 1976 presidential campaign, she brought that advocacy to the unlikely locale of Bakersfield. Dan Morain Capitol Weekly -- 12/1/23

Trump Can Be Sued for Jan. 6 Incitement, Judges Rule -- Civil lawsuits seeking to hold Donald Trump accountable for the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol can move forward, a federal appeals-court panel ruled Friday, expressing skepticism toward the former president’s claims of “absolute immunity” from allegations that he incited violence that day. Sadie Gurman, Jan Wolfe in the Wall Street Journal$ Rachel Weiner, Spencer S. Hsu in the Washington Post$ Alan Feuer, Charlie Savage in the New York Times$ -- 12/1/23

California Policy and Politics Friday

4 takeaways from the Newsom-DeSantis debate on Fox News -- California has “failed because of his leftist ideology,” DeSantis said of Newsom, whom he called a “slick politician.” “There’s one thing ... that we have in common,” Newsom said. “Neither of us will be the nominee for our party in 2024.” Noah Bierman, Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/1/23

5 Takeaways From the DeSantis-Newsom Debate -- Ron DeSantis showed a feistier side, using a friendly moderator to go on offense. Gavin Newsom defended California and President Biden, and jabbed right back. Jonathan Weisman in the New York Times$ -- 12/1/23

Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis brawl over crime, immigration, schools and everything else -- Govs. Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis, big-state governors with big national ambitions, clashed Thursday in a debate that quickly devolved into a slugfest of insults and accusations over abortion, crime, taxes and almost every other policy they champion. David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/1/23

DeSantis slams L.A. County D.A. George Gascón in debate with Newsom -- “They are on an ideological joyride to let people out of prison,” DeSantis said. “Gavin’s buddy in Los Angeles, Gascón, he doesn’t even prosecute them,” he added, continuing that he had heard from people in California who were scared to go shopping for fear of getting mugged. Faith E. Pinho in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/1/23

DeSantis holds up S.F. ‘poop map’ during debate with Newsom -- Conservative politicians have criticized San Francisco for its liberal politics and issues with homelessness and drug use, but Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has a stinkier reason to snub the city: its public poop. Megan Fan Munce in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/1/23

Garofoli: A ‘poop map’ and French Laundry digs: How Newsom fared in enemy territory -- The spectacle offered a rare chance to evaluate Newsom doing something he’s never done in his more than two decades in California politics: debate a top-tier Republican face to face. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/1/23

Hoeven: Who won the debate between Newsom and DeSantis? Unhinged male rage -- I didn't have high hopes that Newsom and DeSantis' debate Thursday night would be substantive or civil. But things were even worse than I thought. Emily Hoeven in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/1/23

Abcarian: How did California’s Gov. Newsom fare against his Florida rival, Gov. DeSantis? -- A red state governor and a blue state governor, only one of whom is running for president, met in a Fox News publicity stunt. Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/1/23

Chabria: Newsom and DeSantis hogged the spotlight, but didn’t move the needle. Harris and Haley could -- They held a debate Thursday night on Fox News, moderated by far-right provocateur Sean Hannity, an event that was hyped so much you’d be forgiven for thinking the stakes were high, that this made-for-television stunt actually mattered. Which, of course, it did not. Anita Chabria in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/1/23

Gavin Newsom 2028? His early moves offer a potential glimpse -- His effort to raise his national profile has carried risks and drawn mixed reviews from voters at home. Maeve Reston in the Washington Post$ -- 12/1/23

Top tickets for first Biden Hollywood fundraiser since end of strikes approach $1 million -- Democrats avoided fundraising in Hollywood because of the entertainment-industry strikes. Now the floodgates are opening. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/1/23

Press freedom groups denounce DA Pamela Price’s exclusion of reporter from newscconference -- Emilie Raguso, a journalist for 20 years, left the online Berkeleyside publication a year ago to start her own website, Berkeley Scanner, covering local crime and safety issues, including Alameda County’s high-profile district attorney, Pamela Price. Access has been no problem, until now. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/1/23

Former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo files paperwork to run for Congress -- Former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo filed the official paperwork Thursday to run for U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo’s open congressional seat, but said he hasn’t made a decision on whether he’s actually going to enter the race for the coveted spot. Grace Hase in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/1/23

BART

One man in the Transbay Tube caused BART to melt down. Here’s what happened -- BART told The Chronicle that the disruption began when the man pulled an emergency door release while aboard a train traveling through the Transbay Tube. The door release, meant for emergency evacuations, automatically triggered a gradual stop to the train, at which point the man pulled the release again to open the train car doors. Ricardo Cano in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/1/23

Isreal - Hamas

Bay Area couple races to Israel to embrace sister freed from Gaza -- It took 58 days for Yael Nidam to hear the news she’d been desperately hoping for since the Hamas terror attacks in Israel. Elissa Miolene in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/1/23

Workplace

Bay Area tech layoffs soar to brutal heights with huge VMware job cuts -- Tech industry job cuts in the Bay Area have reached two new grim milestones with the disclosure that the Broadcom purchase of VMware will spawn well over 1,000 more Silicon Valley layoffs, documents show. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/1/23

A.I.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman went on an 18-month, $85 million real-estate shopping spree — including a previously unknown Hawaii estate -- Years before the recent drama at OpenAI turned CEO Sam Altman into a household name, the former Y Combinator president went on an extraordinary 18-month, $85 million real-estate shopping spree, according to records reviewed by Business Insider — including a previously unreported $43 million Hawaii estate on land that locals describe as historically significant. Katherine Long, Hugh Langley Business Insider -- 12/1/23

Street

L.A. County is launching CARE Court. Here’s what to expect -- Gov. Gavin Newsom’s mental health program known as CARE Court arrives in Los Angeles County on Friday, with officials expressing optimism that it will help with the homelessness crisis. Jaclyn Cosgrove, Thomas Curwen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/1/23

How bad is retail theft in S.F.? New reports show what could be a key shift -- A study that examined trends in 24 cities where police have consistently published data over the past five years shows that San Francisco and Seattle both saw drops in retail theft of more than 30%. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/1/23

Woman charged in Michael Latt killing had stalked, threatened a film director, records show -- The woman charged with fatally shooting Michael Latt in his home had previously been accused of stalking and threatening a Hollywood film director, court documents reviewed by The Times show. Noah Goldberg, Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/1/23

TikTok video of San Bernardino arrest shows punches, knees to the face; cop under investigation -- Cellphone video from a witness captured the incident, and an officer involved has been placed on modified assignment while the investigation is underway. The item is in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/1/23

Sexual assault suspect beaten by bystanders in Santa Ana, then dies in police custody -- The exact cause of the man’s death is still under investigation, authorities said, after he was chased and beaten by two men who saw a woman assaulted. Nathan Solis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/1/23

Also

UCLA’s John Wooden left his stamp on college basketball. Now he’s getting a postage stamp -- The U.S. Postal Service will honor the late John Wooden, who led UCLA to 10 national championships in basketball, with a forever postage stamp in early 2024. Chuck Schilken in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/1/23