California Policy and Politics Sunday

Suspect arrested in killings of three L.A. homeless people -- Less than 24 hours after news broke that a serial predator might be targeting some of Los Angeles’ most vulnerable residents, police on Saturday announced the arrest of a suspect linked to the homicides of three homeless men across the city in the past week. James Queally, Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ Emily Holshouser in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 12/3/23

Left homeless for holidays after fire tore through their block, South L.A. residents plead for answers -- After a massive fire destroyed several homes, displaced residents are searching for answers and pointing to the construction site where the blaze may have started. Ashley Ahn, Karen Garcia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/23

After 24 days, officials declare Tustin hangar fire ‘fully extinguished’ -- The 17-story wooden hangar fire reignited several times, forcing school closures and keeping residents in homes as asbestos, lead and other toxins became airborne. Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/23

Thousands march through S.F. streets to demand permanent cease-fire between Israel and Hamas -- This was the most recent of several Bay Area protests to draw thousands of supporters into the streets. Organizers said they hoped to urge the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to pass a resolution calling for a cease-fire. Megan Fan Munce in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/3/23

Top California politicians are condemning video of Oakland council meeting on Gaza. Is it fair? -- Viral video clips show most extreme commenters among hundreds of speakers. Shomik Mukherjee in the East Bay Times$ -- 12/3/23

Politics & Policy

Skelton: Did Newsom give Democrats a glimpse of a younger, robust alternative to Biden? -- One big question after Thursday night’s hyped red-vs.-blue states debate is whether California Gov. Gavin Newsom is helping President Biden or hurting him. Or maybe he’s having no impact on the president. Maybe Newsom is just helping himself. Or not. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/23

The tragedy of the Newsom-DeSantis debate -- The California governor knew his Florida counterpart would try to draw him into the 2024 race. Newsom told Politico he spent a lot of time studying DeSantis and thinking about how not to take the bait. Christopher Cadelago Politico -- 12/3/23

Newsom camp: Hannity, DeSantis cheated. They dispute the charges -- The messy prime-time event outside Atlanta between Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis didn’t end when the Fox News cameras stopped. Newsom’s team says DeSantis and Fox broke several rules. Christopher Cadelago Politico -- 12/3/23

Trump’s Second-Term Plans: Anti-‘Woke’ University, ‘Freedom Cities’ -- The former president is laying plans to wield his executive authority to influence school curricula, prevent doctors from providing medical interventions for young transgender people and pressure police departments to adopt more severe anticrime policies. All are areas where state or local officials have traditionally taken the lead. Andrew Restuccia, Aaron Zitner in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 12/3/23

Walters: Newsom chides Ohio GOP for trying to change voting rules yet adopts the same tactics -- Gov. Gavin Newsom criticized Ohio Republicans for trying to change voting rules to thwart an abortion rights ballot measure, but he’s doing the same thing to kill a business-backed measure making it more difficult to raise taxes. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 12/3/23

Workplace

Tesla: UAW seeks to unionize car maker, battle expected with CEO Elon Musk -- The United Auto Workers, freshly victorious against the Big Three U.S. auto companies, now has set its sights on Tesla. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/3/23

Zero Emissions

California’s all-electric shift is ramping up. Here’s what will start vanishing from shelves in January -- Gas powered leaf blowers, mowers and other outdoor equipment will start being phased out next year when a new California law kicks in. Julie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/3/23

Guns

‘Everybody in This Community Has a Gun’: How Oakland Lost Its Grip on Gun Violence -- A few years ago, Oakland won national acclaim for slashing gun-related crimes. Then the covid-19 pandemic tore through poor neighborhoods, and the murder of George Floyd fueled distrust in police. With guns readily available, violent crime has once again skyrocketed, leaving the community struggling to contain it. Samantha Young California Healthline -- 12/3/23

Home School

What home schooling hides: A boy tortured and starved by his stepmom -- Roman Lopez was 11 when he went missing. His years of torment were concealed by home schooling. Peter Jamison in the Washington Post$ -- 12/3/23

Street

Granada Hills homeowner shoots, kills burglary suspect, police say -- The dead man, who was not immediately identified, was one of four people accused of breaking into a residence in the 11000 block of Swinton Avenue around 5 a.m., according to Los Angeles Police Department Capt. Kelly Muniz. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/23

Water

Proposal for new water district sparks fear of Northern California ‘water grab’ -- As California grapples with worsening cycles of drought, a proposal to create a new water district in Butte County has sparked fears of a profit-driven water grab by large-scale farmers and outside interests. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/23

Also

Lopez: This SoCal suburb hailed for its five keys to a long, healthy life. We explore the Blue Zone -- In Loma Linda the other day, 85-year-old Loida Medina played a couple of hours of take-no-prisoners pickleball (she’s got a wicked backhand), while Glenn and Jodee Nichols, 94 and 78, went to the gym for a workout. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/23

The Plan to Save a California Island? Shoot All of the Deer -- For decades, nonnative animals have ravaged the rare habitat on Catalina. The proposed solution has infuriated local residents and animal lovers. Soumya Karlamangla, Sinna Nasseri in the New York Times$ -- 12/3/23

Times Investigation: ‘It’s hard to stomach’: These shelters are euthanizing more dogs despite promises to save them -- The county’s Palmdale Animal Care Center was supposed to be a cutting-edge shelter that would relieve overcrowding and reduce euthanasia. But that’s not how it’s turned out. Alene Tchekmedyian, Alexandra E. Petri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/23