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‘Gnarly and dangerous’ surf pounds California amid flood advisories and coastal evacuations -- California’s first huge swells of the winter are wreaking havoc on the state’s coastline as an incoming atmospheric river storm forces evacuations amid flooding of beach and coastal roads. Karen Garcia, Ashley Ahn in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/28/23

California storm prompts Santa Cruz evacuation warning -- The evacuation warning was issued the same day a high surf warning was in effect until 3 a.m. Friday, with waves up to 40 feet possible expected to reach the San Francisco Bay Area coastline. Jessica Flores in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/28/23

California becomes first state to offer health insurance to all eligible undocumented adults -- Undocumented Californians are leaving health care clinics with “smiles” after they learn they’re newly eligible for Medi-Cal insurance. The health insurance expansion was decades in the making for immigrant advocates. Kristen Hwang CalMatters -- 12/28/23

State OK’s major insurance company to raise homeowner rates by 20% in California -- State Farm is expected to increase its average rate for homeowner insurance policies in California by 20% next year, under a proposal approved last week by the Department of Insurance, records shows. Stephen Hobbs in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/28/23

California Pushes Electric Trucks as the Future of Freight -- A mainstay of cargo transport will be phased out at ports as California bans new registrations of carbon-fuel trucks in favor of nonpolluting ones. Peter Eavis, Mark Abramson in the New York Times$ -- 12/28/23

Why ‘California Forever’ is a definite ‘maybe’ -- Silicon Valley billionaire investors made some mistakes but got some things right with their proposal to build a new city near San Francisco. Ben Fox, Lara Korte Politico -- 12/28/23

California new laws for 2024: Speed cameras and cruising allowed -- Under new state laws, five cities will test cameras to catch speeding drivers and cruising bans will be lifted statewide. The first is supposed to improve road safety, but critics of the second say it will endanger the public. Lynn La CalMatters -- 12/28/23

San Francisco’s Montgomery Street Could Signal a Downtown Revival -- From the revamped Transamerica Pyramid to a small public radio station broadcasting from a former copy shop, the street offers hope for recovery in the city. Heather Knight in the New York Times$ -- 12/28/23

California new laws for 2024: Consumer protection beefed up -- A new law, sponsored by Attorney General Rob Bonta, will create a fund designed to fully compensate victims of false advertising or unfair competition. Levi Sumagaysay CalMatters -- 12/28/23

Some conservatives say transgender people regret surgery. A new study says otherwise -- The research from Johns Hopkins aligns with the medical establishment view of gender-affirming care. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/28/23

Workplace

Laid-off tech workers applied to work for S.F. amid massive vacancies. So far, just 16 have been hired -- The news of how few tech workers have been hired comes as San Francisco struggles to reform its notoriously slow and byzantine hiring process. Aldo Toledo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/28/23

After Times investigation, retired boxers finally getting what they’re owed from California -- California paid more boxers owed pensions in 2023, sending checks totaling more than half a million dollars to three dozen retired fighters following a Times investigation. Melody Gutierrez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/28/23

2024 might be do-or-die for corporate diversity efforts. Here’s why -- As lawsuits rise and opponents like Elon Musk declare that ‘DEI must die,’ companies are pulling back from some initiatives. Taylor Telford in the Washington Post$ -- 12/28/23

A.I.

Worried about AI? How California lawmakers plan to tackle the technology’s risks in 2024 -- California politicians set the stage for more AI regulation in 2024, but they’ll also face challenges as they try to place more guardrails around AI’s impact on jobs, safety and discrimination. Queenie Wong in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/28/23

Homeless

Despite billions spent, new data shows almost a third of the nation’s homeless now live in California -- California’s homeless population grew 6% this year to more than 181,000 people–by far the largest estimate of any state, accounting for nearly three in 10 unhoused people nationwide, according to new federal data. Ethan Varian in the East Bay Times$ -- 12/28/23

How problems at two of Skid Row’s largest landlords threaten to worsen L.A.’s homelessness crisis -- An affordable housing shortage has stymied efforts to get people off the streets. The dismal state of SROs leaves L.A.’s poorest with even fewer places to go. Liam Dillon, Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/28/23

Housing

L.A. eviction cases rose significantly this year. But it’s not all bad news for renters -- Across L.A. County, eviction cases increased by thousands as the pandemic-era moratoriums were lifted. But with other new protections, the numbers did not soar as much as some fearded. Paloma Esquivel in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/28/23

Record deals and tax-avoidance maneuvers: Southern California’s priciest sales of 2023 -- Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck and Mark Wahlberg all made the list of Southern California’s top home sales this year. Jack Flemming in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/28/23

Street

Woman sues L.A., says her husband sent nude photos of her to co-workers. He’s a cop. So is she -- An LAPD officer says her husband and fellow cop surreptitiously took photos and shared them. She says the department didn’t protect her from the harassment that followed. Thomas Curwen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/28/23

Also

City (Sacramento) cancels New Year’s fireworks at Old Sacramento Waterfront. Is the show over for good? -- The 2023 show will not happen because there aren’t enough financial resources or available staff to create the show, said Jennifer Singer, a city spokeswoman, in an email. She said the city is exploring creating other activities at the waterfront. Ishani Desai in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/28/23

Arellano: 2023 was the year we said goodbye to too many matriarchs -- I’m going to spend the coming year caring more about the matriarchs in my life. 2023 reminded me that they don’t live forever. In Southern California and beyond, we lost too many pioneering women who changed us for the better. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/28/23

Merchant: What tech would we be better off without? I asked, you answered -- Ring doorbell cameras, self-checkout kiosks, “smart” everything: These are the technologies readers said they’d most like to eliminate, if they could. Brian Merchant in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/28/23

Kanye West’s apology for antisemitic rants appears to be AI-generated, report says -- An AI content detector found a number of ‘buzzwords’ in West’s apology and said there was an 85% chance that it was written by a computer, according to a new report. Martha Ross in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/28/23

California Policy and Politics Thursday

Outgoing Silicon Valley lawmaker says big tech needs immigration reform -- Outgoing California Rep. Anna Eshoo’s biggest tech regret isn’t what you’d expect: It’s immigration reform. Kelly Garrity Politico -- 12/28/23

Protesters calling for cease-fire in Gaza arrested after briefly blocking traffic near LAX -- Videos and photos on social media showed protesters gathered on West Century Boulevard shortly before 9:30 a.m. The road was cleared within an hour. Nathan Solis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/28/23

Oakland mayor rejects all three police chief candidates — including one she fired -- Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has rejected the Police Commission’s list of nominees for the next police chief, one of whom she previously fired and another who’s on leave and under investigation in his current chief job. Sarah Ravani, David Hernandez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/28/23

Laphonza Butler Just Got to the Senate, but She’s Not Planning to Stay Long -- The junior senator from California, appointed to serve out the term of the late Senator Dianne Feinstein, discussed adapting to the slow pace of the Senate and her goals before leaving office in a year. Robert Jimison in the New York Times$ -- 12/28/23

General Motors sues San Francisco over $108 million tax bill tied to Cruise -- The Detroit-based automaker argues that the assessment was wrong, given its limited presence in terms of sales and personnel within the city. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/28/23

Former North Coast congressman and ‘Gang of Seven’ alum dies at 73 -- Frank Riggs, a three-term Republican congressman who represented Northern California in the 1990s from the Oregon border to Mare Island in Solano County, has died. The cause involved complications following heart valve surgery, said former wife Cathy Riggs. He was 73. Julie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/28/23

He made a ‘diss track’ about Mayor Breed and S.F. crime. Now he’s apologizing — with a catch -- Chino Yang, the rapper and restaurateur, also stressed that he was apologizing to Breed only after he received threats from an unnamed “extremely powerful” person. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/28/23

Surprise ambulance bills put these families in debt. A new California law bans the practice -- Surprise ambulance bills can leave families deeply in debt after a medical emergency. A new state law that forces insurance companies to negotiate payments is expected to save Californians tens of millions of dollars a year. Kristen Hwang CalMatters -- 12/28/23

These new California laws take effect in 2024 -- Several significant laws take effect Jan. 1 that will affect schools, workplaces and pocketbooks. Here’s a collection you can click through. CalMatters -- 12/28/23

Housing

S.F. tax on empty homes faces legal challenge -- A tax approved last year by San Francisco voters on thousands of vacant homes in the city now faces a legal challenge by real estate groups after a judge declined to dismiss their lawsuit. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/28/23

They lived in an East L.A. home almost 30 years. Now their landlords want to move in -- María Vela’s family has lived in East L.A. nearly 30 years, but new owners of her duplex asked her family to vacate by Christmas. Most evictions are due to nonpayment of rent, but owner move-ins also cause family displacement. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde CalMatters -- 12/28/23

The Last Working Orange Grove in the San Fernando Valley to Give Way to Homes -- Efforts to preserve century-old ranch fell flat, but developer has agreed to keep a fifth of the trees. Jim Carlton in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 12/28/23

Homeless

How a San Diego group uses wildfire reduction work to treat homelessness -- After discovering an elaborate encampment in a fire-prone canyon, a group in San Diego was inspired to develop a skills training program for unhoused people that helps reduce fire risk and connect them with jobs. Keith Wilson CalMatters -- 12/28/23

Environment

Smoke exposure from California’s wildfire-busting controlled burns is raising concerns. Are they safe? -- Deliberate fires are “the most powerful landscape tool we have,” fire official says. Sierra Boucher in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/28/23

Also

Tiffany Haddish raves about ‘beautiful’ Beverly Hills jail: juice, maxi pads and naps -- Tiffany Haddish raved about Beverly Hills’ jail in her Christmas set at the Laugh Factory, discussing her DUI arrest and reflecting on what she’s learned. Nardine Saad in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/28/23

Powerball jackpot hits $700 million as ticket sales surge after Christmas drawing -- A lucky person who bought a lottery ticket in Orange County won what lottery officials dubbed a $2.08-million Christmas present. The Powerball ticket, sold at the Donut Storr in Anaheim, matched five out of six numbers but missed the Powerball. Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/28/23