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Updating . . .
Ozempic overdose? Poison control experts explain why thousands OD’d this year -- Nearly 3,000 reported overdoses of popular weight loss and diabetes drug semaglutide, sold under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, were reported in the United States this year. Jeremy Childs in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/23
Chabria, Barabak: The year America burned, literally and figuratively -- What a year, 2023. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. But maybe it’s not all bad? Maybe? Anita Chabria, Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/23
Do robotaxis drive better than humans? This S.F. driverless car company says ‘yes’ -- A new study by Waymo says the company’s fully driverless taxis have a crash rate in San Francisco that is 90% lower than that of human drivers in the city. Ricardo Cano in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/20/23
S.F. hit with avalanche of requests to lower property taxes. Here’s what happens now -- Nearly 7,000 San Francisco home and business owners applied to have their property taxes reduced. The increase reflects decreasing property values and may shrink the city’s already-short budget. Kathleen Pender, Jenny Kwon in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/20/23
S.F. bought this restaurant’s building for $27 million. Then it was robbed at gunpoint — again -- Operating in South of Market has been challenging. The restaurant has experienced vandalism, theft and nearby drug use, escalating to a robbery at gunpoint in September and again in December. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/20/23
Nonprofits accuse S.F. firm of squeezing them out of historic building to make room for office space -- At a time when city officials are desperate to breathe life into downtown San Francisco by filling empty buildings with artists, nonprofits and small businesses, the tenants of a historic cultural and artistic hub in the city’s Mission district face a different problem: a landlord seemingly determined to get rid of them. Laura Waxmann in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/20/23
California exports the risk from its hazardous waste. One neighborhood in Mexico shows the consequences -- An ongoing CalMatters investigation has shown how California companies and governments avoid the Golden State’s strict environmental regulations by shipping toxic waste across state borders. New reporting shows how California exports the risk to Mexico. Robert Lewis, Wendy Fry CalMatters -- 12/20/23
Hard lessons: What new California lawmakers learned in 2023 -- First-termers made the state Legislature the most diverse ever and racked up some policy wins for their constituents. But they also ran into a bill and budget process that wasn’t always transparent. Sameea Kamal CalMatters -- 12/20/23
Workplace
San Diego’s Northrop Grumman awarded $72 million to repair widely used Global Hawk unmanned spy drones -- The Defense Department has awarded San Diego’s Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems $72 million to repair RQ-4 Global Hawks, unmanned surveillance, reconnaissance and intelligence aircraft that have been widely used around the world, including during missions in Iraq, Afghanistan and North Africa. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 12/20/23
OC sheriff’s deputies’ new contract will cost $150 million over three years -- Orange County Sheriff’s Department deputies are set to receive an immediate 8% raise with additional pay increases over the next three years under a new contract estimated to cost the county $150 million over the next three years. Destiny Torres in the Orange County Register -- 12/20/23
Homeless
Worse than Seattle: Sacramento has more chronically homeless than nearly any place in America -- Despite millions of dollars being spent to combat the crisis, Sacramento County’s population of chronically homeless individuals is now the third-highest in the nation. Ryan Lillis in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/20/23
Domestic violence shelters, a guardrail against homelessness, face steep funding cuts -- Federal funding for domestic violence shelters and housing programs is declining. Advocates want the state to step in, but with a record projected deficit new spending is unlikely. Jeanne Kuang CalMatters -- 12/20/23
Housing
LA County chooses developer to turn iconic General Hospital into housing, retail -- The vision of transforming the vacant yet iconic L.A. County General Hospital building in Boyle Heights into housing and healthcare facilities for working-class and homeless residents took a giant step toward reality Tuesday, with the county’s selection of a developer. Steve Scauzillo in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 12/20/23
Also
Abcarian: Should fat people get an extra airline seat for free? Southwest Airlines thinks they should -- It’s an old policy that got fresh attention the same week Southwest was nailed with a record FAA fine for its Christmas 2022 fiasco. Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/23
Drinking toilet water may be the future of drought-stricken California -- As climate change and water scarcity become increasingly urgent issues around the world, governments are turning to new options to ensure adequate water supplies — including turning sewage waste into drinking water. Victoria Bisset in the Washington Post$ -- 12/20/23
Written in the wood -- What one pine tree on an Arizona mountaintop can tell us about the hottest year on record -- and what lies ahead. Sarah Kaplan, Bonnie Jo Mount, Emily Wright, Frank Hulley-Jones in the Washington Post$ -- 12/20/23
Trump’s Legal Jeopardy Hasn’t Hurt His G.O.P. Support, Times/Siena Poll Finds -- More than 60 percent of Republicans think that if the former president wins the primary he should remain the party’s nominee — even if he is subsequently convicted of a federal crime. Shane Goldmacher, Ruth Igielnik, Camille Baker in the New York Times$ -- 12/20/23
California Policy and Politics Wednesday
Bar Association says prosecutors withheld evidence in case of Death Row prisoner Kevin Cooper -- Death Row prisoner Kevin Cooper, whose convictions for the murders of a married couple and two children are hotly contested by his lawyers but backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, has gained support from the president of the American Bar Association, who has told Newsom that prosecutors apparently withheld evidence from the governor’s legal team. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/20/23
Detectives claim LAPD chief sought investigation of Mayor Bass over USC scholarship -- Two detectives have filed complaints with the Office of the Inspector General alleging that shortly after Bass was elected, Chief Michel Moore requested an inquiry into a USC scholarship that came under scrutiny during the mayoral race. Moore denied the allegations. Libor Jany, Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/23
Will California follow in Colorado’s steps and ban Donald Trump from primary ballot? -- “I don’t think the U.S. Supreme Court will allow this to be resolved state by state. They want to be the ones to decide it,” David Sloss, a Santa Clara University law professor, said Tuesday. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/20/23
Barabak: Colorado decision striking Trump from ballot is a boon, not setback, for his campaign -- A perceived assault on Trump — by Democratic-appointed Colorado justices, no less — makes him more sympathetic to the GOP base. It also forces rivals to his defense. Mark Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/23
Litman: A seismic Colorado court decision just upended Trump’s campaign. Here’s what comes next -- The decision leaves the fate of his presidential candidacy hinging on a constitutional amendment adopted in the aftermath of the Civil War. Harry Litman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/23
Retail theft drives possible return to tough-on-crime policies in California -- Voters could get another chance to consider penalties for property and drug crimes. Jeremy B. White Politico -- 12/20/23
S.F. judge upholds state privacy law cited in prosecution of antiabortion activists -- A San Francisco judge has upheld California’s law against recording private conversations without the speakers’ consent, rejecting a challenge by two antiabortion activists who posed as fetal researchers to enter national meetings of abortion providers and secretly record their discussions. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/20/23
Is the San Francisco exodus over? Here’s what population data shows -- After seeing some of the biggest pandemic population losses of any American city, San Francisco is starting to bounce back. Christian Leonard, Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/20/23
California’s population shrunk in 2023 for the third straight year, but exodus slowed -- Critics say people are still "fleeing our state in droves," but state officials say the exodus is slowing and will return to slow growth in a couple years with the COVID-19 pandemic in the rearview mirror. John Woolfolk, Harriet Blair Rowan in the East Bay Times$ -- 12/20/23
Walters: California’s push for labor laws can have negative consequences for workers -- California legislators have been actively themselves into workplace issues such as wages and working conditions. But their actions have potentially negative side effects, as a new study showed. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 12/20/23
Workplace
Bay Area tech layoffs: Intel slashes 235 jobs in fifth round of cuts -- In previous rounds of layoffs, Intel eliminated 549 positions at its Folsom campus, which accounted for just over 10% of the total staff. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/20/23
Street
L.A. County delays implementation of new criteria for gravely disabled -- Board of Supervisors Chair Lindsey P. Horvath cited “the immense amount of work” required to implement the law, which adds severe substance use disorder to the definition of gravely disabled. Thomas Curwen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/23
Advocacy groups take LAPD to court over ‘violent’ traffic stop policy -- A coalition of civil rights groups took legal action against the Los Angeles Police Department on Tuesday, calling for an end its practice of high-risk traffic stops. Libor Jany in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/23
Feds ban Rite Aid from using AI facial recognition technology alleged to discriminate -- Federal authorities said Tuesday that pharmacy chain Rite Aid will be banned from using AI-powered facial recognition software for the next five years to settle claims that its technology — used to prevent shoplifting in stores — unfairly and illegally tagged women and people of color. Chase DiFeliciantonio in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/20/23
‘Breach of trust’: Santa Clara County supervisor calls for overhaul of child welfare system at hearing over baby Phoenix -- In a packed and passion-fueled special hearing Tuesday over the fentanyl death of a 3-month-old, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President Susan Ellenberg made one thing clear from the start: There is “no doubt that our system failed baby Phoenix.” Julia Prodis Sulek, Scooty Nickerson in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/20/23
California police must tell drivers why they’re being stopped starting next year under new law -- The new bill, A.B. 2773, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2024, will also require all police agencies to track whether officers who stop drivers are complying with the law. Josh Cain in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 12/20/23
ICE
One of California’s largest ICE detention centers could close. Staff urge Biden to keep it open -- Unionized workers at the ICE immigrant detention center in Adelanto are urging the federal government not to shut it down. Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/23
$1 billion boon? How Shohei Ohtani’s contract could make Dodgers MLB financial kings -- The Dodgers are one of baseball’s richest teams, and thanks to the highly unusual structure of their contract with Shohei Ohtani, they are about to have, and potentially make, a whole lot more than they already do. Jack Harris in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/23
Education
LAUSD receives mostly ‘B’ grades from district parents, survey reveals -- Parents and guardians of students in the Los Angeles Unified School District have issued mixed reviews of the nation’s second-largest school district, scoring it low on how it disseminates information and considers parents’ perspectives but generally high on the quality of education their children are receiving. Mallika Seshadri EdSource -- 12/20/23
Also
Why was there an 80-pound dog sitting courtside at Lakers game next to Kevin Bacon? -- Social media sensation Brody the Goldendoodle (also known as @BrodieThatDood) sat courtside at the Lakers-Knicks game and beat a human in a dance-off at Crypto.com Arena. Chuck Schilken in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/20/23
Tuesday Updates
The wealthiest Californians are fleeing the state. Why that’s very bad news for the economy -- In a reversal from past decades, more college graduates and professionals are moving out of California than coming into it to escape the higher taxes and cost of living. Don Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/19/23
Rep. Grace Napolitano’s retirement sets up battle for coveted San Gabriel Valley seat -- The race to replace retiring Democratic Rep. Grace Napolitano, who has represented swaths east and southeast of Los Angeles since Bill Clinton was president, pits a wealthy outsider against a roster of lesser-known, hometown candidates with deep ties to the San Gabriel Valley congressional district. Anabel Sosa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/19/23
‘It’s dire straits’: Here’s how bad San Francisco’s 911 response times have become -- San Francisco's 911 call system is suffering from a major dispatcher shortage. Callers with emergencies must now wait dangerously long for the city's response. Susie Neilson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/19/23
Why Google’s lobbying in California skyrocketed this year -- Google funded advertising against legislation that would require large tech platforms to pay news publishers. Queenie Wong in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/19/23
How Big Oil wins in green California -- Two-thirds of the bills opposed by the oil industry this year were killed, thanks in part to an alliance with the building trades union, forcing Democrats to sometimes choose between jobs and the environment. Ryan Sabalow, Jeremia Kimelman CalMatters -- 12/19/23
Sacramento vote to give city manager raise violated state law, will be redone -- Sacramento city officials violated state law last week when they asked council to vote to give City Manager Howard Chan a raise and, following questions from The Sacramento Bee, have decided to redo the vote. Theresa Clift in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/19/23
Two more Sacramento-area men charged in connection with Jan. 6 riot at US Capitol -- Kyle Travis Colton and Patrick Woehl, both Citrus Heights residents, were arrested last week following the filing of criminal complaints in federal court in Washington, D.C., charging them in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/19/23
Workplace
Kern County is poised to become warehousing’s next frontier -- This Central Valley county long relied on oil, gas and agriculture. But as those industries change, Kern County is now banking on warehousing and logistics for jobs and revenue. Rebecca Plevin, Brian Van Der Brug in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/19/23
The Great American Warehouse Building Boom Is Over -- Higher interest rates are choking off construction of warehouses that feed America’s growing e-commerce appetite, putting an end to a building boom that remade vast swaths of the country. Konrad Putzier in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 12/19/23
California will soon pay state workers their raises from new union contracts. Here’s when -- Due to the state’s archaic and sluggish payroll system, the State Controller’s Office and CalHR often need several weeks — even months — to process the often intricate raise calculations and ensure that every employee receives the correct increases. Maya Miller in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/19/23
Intel laying off another 235 employees at Folsom campus in latest round of cuts -- The company also warned that additional layoffs “are expected” beyond the 235 in 2024 at the Folsom campus but did not offer any specifics. Randy Diamond in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/19/23
Water
‘Things have to change’: Big decision looms as Klamath Basin ranchers, tribes battle over water and salmon -- Salmon populations in the Scott and Shasta rivers have crashed, so state officials are about to restrict irrigation again. And the controversial rules may even become permanent. Rachel Becker CalMatters -- 12/19/23
Homeless
$750 a month, no questions asked, improved the lives of homeless people -- If 100 homeless people were given $750 per month for a year, no questions asked, what would they spend it on? That question was at the core of a controlled study conducted by a San Francisco-based nonprofit and the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/19/23
Education
Why thousands of L.A. students are showing up for school during winter vacation -- LAUSD students returned to school over winter break to improve failing grades and get extra academic support during optional days of extra learning. Kate Sequeira in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/19/23
Tired of the waiting lists for California’s public universities, nursing students increasingly turn to expensive private programs -- The number of nursing students enrolling in high-priced private programs has nearly doubled over the past 10 years as the state’s public universities have stagnated in growth. Private universities charge up to seven times the tuition of public schools for a bachelor’s degree, but nurses say their starting salaries are worth the cost. Christopher Buchanan, Jacqueline Munis CalMatters -- 12/19/23
Street
S.F. has been trying to arrest more Tenderloin and SoMa drug dealers. Here’s how it’s going -- Police have arrested hundreds of drug dealers — and users — in the last six months. Still, overdose deaths this year have already surpassed a record set in 2020. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/19/23
California should reduce prison sentences, panel recommends -- With crime rates in California at historic lows, the state should take steps to reduce prison sentences — particularly for older inmates, who pose relatively little danger — and limit or ban fines for low-income defendants, a state panel said Tuesday in its annual report to lawmakers. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/19/23
Also
Being doored to death is a cyclist’s nightmare. How can it be prevented? -- Dooring occurs when a car door is abruptly opened in the path of an oncoming cyclist. Hollywood producer Robert George died after such a collision in October. Angie Orellana Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/19/23
102 million people eligible for Google’s $630M lawsuit settlement -- The states wrote in a court filing late Monday that they estimate at least 70 percent of eligible consumers, or 71.4 million people, will receive automatic payments without having to file a claim. Eva Dou in the Washington Post$ -- 12/19/23
‘Humpty’ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar puts humorous spin after breaking hip from ‘great fall’ -- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar may have broken his hip after a nasty fall at a concert Friday night, but the UCLA and Lakers legend’s sense of humor is still fully intact. Chuck Schilken in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/19/23
L.A. Public Works lost a tool that can cause radiation poisoning. A resident found it -- L.A. Public Works on Monday recovered a thin layer density gauge, which produces radiation, after losing it in the Antelope Valley over the weekend. Jeremy Childs in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/19/23
How a series of gruesome seal deaths on the California coast led researchers to a surprise predator -- A Santa Cruz Ph.D. student upended assumptions when he caught an emerging trend on video. Molly Herring in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/19/23