Rough & Tumble ®
A Snapshot of California Public Policy and Politics
   
 
 
 
 

California Policy and Politics Wednesday

Highway 1: Evacuation warning issued as more rain brings fresh threats of collapse near Big Sur -- Convoys across a cratered portion of Highway 1 near Big Sur in Monterey County will temporarily halt Thursday and Friday as the region prepares for another round of rainfall that authorities fear could cause more slip-outs on the iconic coastal road. Nora Mishanec in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/3/24

Disney’s Bob Iger triumphs over Nelson Peltz in bitter shareholder vote. But big challenges remain -- Walt Disney Co. fought off a bruising challenge from billionaire investor Nelson Peltz as shareholders delivered their overwhelming support for chief executive Bob Iger and the company’s nominated board members. Meg James, Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/3/24

Amid above-average snowpack, Newsom urges focus on state water resilience and adaptation -- With California snowpack and reservoirs at above-average levels following two wet winters, Gov. Gavin Newsom stood on a snowy field near Lake Tahoe on Tuesday and urged the state to do much more to make its water supplies resilient to the extreme droughts and flooding that come with climate change. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ Ari Plachta in the Sacramento Bee$ Scooty Nickerson in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/3/24

Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in nearly 25 years damages buildings, leaving 4 dead -- Despite the quake striking at the height of the morning rush hour just before 8 a.m., the initial panic faded quickly on the island, which is regularly rocked by temblors and prepares for them with drills at schools and notices issued via public media and mobile phone. Christopher Bodeen Associated Press -- 4/3/24

How a California billionaire known for auto loans provided Trump’s bond -- Don Hankey, who made a fortune offering high-interest auto loans to customers with poor credit, said providing the $175 million bond to Trump is a good business deal. Michael Kranish, Jonathan O'Connell in the Washington Post$ -- 4/3/24

House candidates in rural California rake it in -- Deep in the heart of California’s farm country, Democrats are enjoying a fundraising bounty. Melanie Mason Politico -- 4/3/24

Progressive Democrats say services, not penalties, will cut crime -- A group of Democratic legislators outline a package of bills to offer more services to offenders and crime victims. The proposals come during an election year and when Democrats are divided on how to address crime. Yue Stella Yu CalMatters -- 4/3/24

Walters: California progressives forced to play defense as state faces huge budget deficits -- Progressive groups in California seemed to be making headway on their agendas in recent years. But now, with the state facing huge budget deficits, those gains are in jeopardy. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 4/3/24

Google to purge ‘private’ Incognito mode user records, but will keep snooping -- Google will delete billions of records it scooped from “Incognito” mode web browsing of about 136 million U.S. users but will continue to collect data through the not-so-private browser setting — it just has to disclose the grab. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/3/24

As Paris Olympics near, Los Angeles officials worry about preparations for 2028 -- Los Angeles officials are trying to figure out how to pay more than $1 billion to run buses that will probably disappear after the Games. Rachel Uranga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/3/24

Workplace

Ex-deputy says he was fired after refusing to affiliate with alleged deputy gang -- A former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy has sued the county, alleging he was retaliated against and wrongly fired. Keri Blakinger in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/3/24

Hollywood celebs are scared of deepfakes. This talent agency will use AI to fight them -- WME is partnering with Seattle-based AI and image recognition company Loti to stop unauthorized digital use of images from WME clients, including deepfakes. Wendy Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/3/24

Santa Clara Valley Healthcare nurses strike as county shells out more than $20 million on contract nurses -- Tuesday marked the first day of a three-day strike over wages, working conditions. Grace Hase in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/3/24

Want the right to ignore your boss’ calls after hours? A bill could make that happen --A San Francisco lawmaker is proposing a bill that would give workers the right to ignore calls and messages after work hours. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/3/24

Housing

This wealthy Bay Area town is the first in California to have its housing element revoked -- The Peninsula town of Portola Valley has become the first jurisdiction in California to have its housing plan revoked by state officials after the wealthy enclave failed to approve changes to allow for denser housing and more multi-family homes. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Kate Talerico in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/3/24

California’s most controversial housing law could get a makeover -- Some of California’s top lawmakers want to clear up, but also rein in, the state’s most controversial housing statute. Ben Christopher CalMatters -- 4/3/24

YIMBY group pays S.F. in settlement over lawsuit about housing at SoMa Nordstrom parking lot -- A housing advocacy group has to pay San Francisco for legal costs associated with a lawsuit over the city’s handling of a controversial housing project proposed for a Nordstrom parking lot. Aldo Toledo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/3/24

Homeless

S.F. homeless housing nonprofit blasted for misusing taxpayer funds -- One of San Francisco’s largest providers of housing for formerly homeless people “misused” taxpayer funds, according to a city report. Maggie Angst, St John Barned Smith in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/3/24

CARE Court

S.F. helped only a handful of people so far through California’s ambitious new mental health program -- The low caseload in San Francisco and across the state underscores that the new law is an incremental step in the face of a massive mental health crisis on California streets. Sophia Bollag, Maggie Angst in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/3/24

Gas $$

Here’s why gas prices ‘keep going up’ in Sacramento. Is there an end in sight? -- As of Tuesday, Sacramento’s average gasoline price was roughly $5.13 per gallon for regular unleaded fuel, about 37 cents more than one month ago, according to AAA. Brianna Taylor in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/3/24

Highway 1

Highway 1 in crisis: What will it take for California to keep its iconic road from collapsing? -- With sea level rise and climate change intensifying winter storms, officials are bracing for more severe erosion along the cliffs and rocky escarpments that undergird Highway 1. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Kristin J. Bender in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/3/24

A's

A’s, Oakland still ‘far apart’ on Coliseum lease extension; Sacramento meeting looms -- A meeting between the A’s and Oakland officials on Tuesday provided little hope that the team will sign a lease extension to stay at the Coliseum beyond 2024. Jason Mastrodonato in the East Bay Times$ -- 4/3/24

CalPERS

From New Zealand to Sacramento: CalPERS hires new investment executive after global search -- Following a worldwide search, the fund announced that New Zealander Stephen Gilmore will lead investment strategy at the California Public Employees Retirement System, the fund said in a statement released Tuesday. Starting in July, Gilmore will manage a fund currently worth just under $495 billion. Maya Miller in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/3/24

Education

LAUSD banned charter schools from many of its campuses. Now charters will fight it in court -- A charter school group says LAUSD acted illegally when it passed a policy to limit when charters could share campuses with district-operated schools. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/3/24

Laguna Beach High School investigates ‘inappropriate’ AI-generated images of students -- Laguna Beach High School administrators have launched an investigation after a student allegedly created and circulated “inappropriate images” of other students using artificial intelligence. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/3/24

Should 4-year-olds have to take an English proficiency test? -- Advocates and school staff say the test was not designed for 4-year-olds and may misidentify young children as English learners. Zaidee Stavely EdSource -- 4/3/24

Street

S.F. spends millions to maintain public toilets, but complaints about feces are rising — again -- For years, San Francisco has struggled to keep human and animal feces off its sidewalks. A Chronicle data analysis found that the number of feces-related calls has crept up past pre-pandemic levels. Aldo Toledo, Jenny Kwon in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/3/24

Climate

Carlsbad plans to move boulevard in a retreat from the rising ocean -- At their lowest point, Carlsbad Boulevard’s southbound lanes are inundated during winter storms and high tides, sometimes forcing lane closures and repairs. Phil Diehl in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 4/3/24

Here’s why the Bay Area has the perfect weather for a first-of-its kind geoengineering study -- In Alameda, scientists are embarking on a novel attempt to cool the Earth — by spraying salt into clouds. Anthony Edwards in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Christopher Flavelle, Ian C. Bates in the New York Times$ -- 4/3/24

Thanks to termite tents, California is top U.S. emitter of a planet-warming pesticide -- Despite its environmental reputation, California emits more of a climate-warming pesticide than all other states combined, mostly from termite fumigation. Melody Petersen in the Los Angeles Times$ Jack Lee in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/3/24

Also

Playing hooky for Bruce Springsteen? The Boss signs a kid’s absence note at S.F. show -- “Skipping school sign my note?” Those five words, written in large black letters on a white poster, prompted Bruce Springsteen to help a young fan skip a day of school after his San Francisco concert on Sunday. Alexandra Del Rosario in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/3/24

 

California Policy and Politics Tuesday

Lawmakers in California can override local housing limits, state court rules -- Limits on housing density approved by local voters can be overridden by lawmakers, a California appeals court ruled, upholding legislation that was intended to encourage construction of small apartment buildings. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/2/24

California is building fewer homes. The state could get even more expensive -- Developers built fewer homes in California in 2023, potentially leading to higher prices and rents as a supply shortage worsens. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/2/24

Walters: California’s income-based utility charge saga began with misuse of the state budget process -- For the past year, debate has raged over plans to impose new fixed charges on electric utility customers based on their incomes. The issue began with a 2022 budget “trailer bill,” a process governors and legislators misuse to enact major policy changes without fully debating them. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 4/2/24

Silicon Valley billionaires planning Solano County ‘California Forever’ utopia score big win in $510 million fight against farmers -- The Silicon Valley billionaires trying to build a utopian city in Solano County scored a major win in court against landowners they accused of conspiring to inflate the prices of their properties. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/2/24

Big Sur group says area is 'overrun,' calls for halt to new tourist lodging -- A citizens group in Big Sur concerned about the impacts of rampant tourism across the rugged coastal region is calling for an immediate halt on new lodging developments to the area, which receives more annual visitors than Yosemite National Park. Gregory Thomas in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/2/24

S.F. officials slam plan to change Oakland International Airport’s name -- San Francisco International Airport leaders and elected officials are pushing back on a plan to change the name of Oakland International Airport. The name under consideration? The San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport. David Hernandez, Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/2/24

California city council meetings stir up heated debate over calls for Gaza cease-fire -- More city councils in California have weighed in on the Israel-Hamas war with calls for a cease-fire, often setting off major debates and discord at public meetings. Hannah Fry, Hannah Wiley in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/2/24

Jewish, Israeli students file civil rights complaint against UC Davis. ‘Atmosphere of hostility’ -- An international nonprofit filed a federal civil rights complaint Monday on behalf of Jewish, Israeli and Zionist students and stakeholders at UC Davis alleging the university turned a blind eye and failed to protect them from antisemitic harassment. Ishani Desai in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/2/24

Water

What California’s ‘unusually average’ snowpack means for water resources -- Officials keep a close eye on the state of the snowpack in early April because that’s when snow totals typically peak in the Sierra Nevada. Jack Lee in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/2/24

‘Way, way, way above normal’ rains could set all-time L.A. record as wet weather continues -- After a comparatively dry fall in Southern California, there was a point last December when it seemed like the fears of a strong, wet El Niño winter may have been overblown. So much for that. Grace Toohey, Hayley Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/2/24

Workplace

Bay Area teachers make one-third of superintendents’ salaries. So why are superintendents automatically getting the same raises? -- Hours before a walkout, administrators at the Pleasanton Unified School District coughed up a 10% pay hike earlier this month to keep teachers from hitting the picket line. But teachers aren’t the only ones benefiting from a salary boost. Molly Gibbs in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/2/24

Santa Clara County nurses prepare for three-day strike over wages, working conditions -- In what’s expected to be a three-day strike impacting three South Bay hospitals and possibly patient care, thousands of Santa Clara County nurses plan to walk off the job early Tuesday in protest over workplace conditions, wages and staffing ratios. Grace Hase in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/2/24

Tesla: Judge shoots down car maker’s claims in Fremont factory racism lawsuit -- A federal court judge has shot down Tesla’s bid to escape a lawsuit by the federal government that alleges widespread racism at the company’s Fremont electric car factory. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/2/24

S.F. assemblymember’s bill would give California workers the ‘right to disconnect’ -- A new bill from San Francisco Assembly member Matt Haney would clearly outline when companies can communicate with their employees during off hours, following other countries that have passed so-called “right to disconnect” laws. Chase DiFeliciantonio in the San Francisco Chronicle$ John Woolfolk, Julia Prodis Sulek in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/2/24

Utility Bills

More than $150 in credits coming to Southern Californians’ utility bills this month -- The money comes from the state’s greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program, which was created by the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 to drive down carbon emissions. Caroline Petrow-Cohen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/2/24

Housing

Landlord Arnel Management illegally withheld security deposits, attorney general alleges -- The move came nearly eight years after a Times story detailed reports from tenants who alleged that the major Orange County landlord deducted hundreds of dollars for unneeded cleaning and repairs even when residents left their units spotless. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/2/24

Education

Exhausted, hungry and sleep-deprived: UCLA student super-commuters search for relief -- UCLA is creating ‘BruinHubs’ for student commuters who need a place to rest and study before and after school — complete with rest pods, study tables, a microwave and a fridge. Ashley Ahn in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/2/24

How Gen Z Is Becoming the Toolbelt Generation -- More young workers are going into trades as disenchantment with the college track continues, and rising pay and new technologies shine up plumbing and electrical jobs. Te-Ping Chen, Philip Cheung in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/2/24

Catholic Church Bankruptsy

Sacramento Catholic Diocese files for bankruptcy reorganization in wake of abuse lawsuits -- The diocese, which previously announced its plans for the filing, said the move came “as it faces more than 250 lawsuits alleging sexual abuse of minors by clergy and other employees reaching back to the 1950s.” Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/2/24

Guns

Is California’s assault weapons ban on target? -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom has made national headlines touting his plan to add a 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would implement what he’s called “common sense constitutional protections and gun safety measures that Democrats, Republicans, independent voters, and gun owners overwhelmingly support.” Brian Joseph Capitol Weekly -- 4/2/24

Education

Bias, extra work and feelings of isolation: 5 Black teachers tell their stories -- Five Black teachers talk about what they face each day in California classrooms, and what needs to change to recruit and retain more Black teachers. Diana Lambert EdSource -- 4/2/24

Street

Teen, reported kidnapped, was killed by deputies as she followed their instructions, video shows -- Savannah Graziano, a 15-year-old who was abducted by her father in September 2022, was shot and killed by sheriff’s deputies as she followed their instructions and ran toward them on the side of a California highway, according to newly released video and audio. Nathan Solis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/2/24

Also

Solar eclipse: How much will you be able to see in the Bay Area? -- In most places in North America outside that narrow strip, including the Bay Area, people will see a partial eclipse, with only some of the sun covered. How much? It depends on where you are on the globe. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/2/24

Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Denny Walsh, a longtime Sacramento Bee writer, dies -- Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Denny J. Walsh, who spent more than 25 years covering federal courts for The Sacramento Bee after a career that included stops at Life magazine and The New York Times, died Friday. He was 88. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/2/24