California Policy and Politics Tuesday

Power is never having to say ‘no.’ How California Democrats kill bills without voting against them -- Democrats in California’s Assembly and Senate rarely vote against bills, yet few seem willing to discuss their voting records, as well as the controversial practice of declining to vote instead of saying “no.” Ryan Sabalow, Julie Watts CalMatters -- 4/9/24

California Democrats bring down the hammer on crime — or try to -- The speaker of the California Assembly and fellow Democrats Tuesday will announce a package of bills targeting retail theft — all without touching a landmark criminal justice measure voters approved nearly a decade ago. Sarah Grace Taylor Politico -- 4/9/24

How California legislators got more than $1.4 million in travel and gifts in 2023 -- Financial disclosures show that state lawmakers were showered with more than $330,000 in gifts, plus more than $1.1 million in travel sponsored by interest groups. That total last year is 28% higher than in 2022. Jeremia Kimelman CalMatters -- 4/9/24

CalMatters’ Digital Democracy fuses journalism, AI and data to supercharge legislative transparency for California -- CalMatters harnesses the power of big data, AI, and an easy-to-use interface to bring transparency and accountability to California’s policy choices. Sonya Quick CalMatters -- 4/9/24

Walters: Business groups and lawmakers battle over ballot measure to limit California tax increases -- Hoping to leverage popular resistance to tax increases, business and anti-tax groups in California have qualified a measure for the November ballot that would make raising state and local taxes much more difficult. It’s a showdown that’s been building for nearly five decades. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 4/9/24

Katie Porter’s Senate bid is over — but her fundraising push is not -- Porter told Politico her “Truth to Power” leadership PAC is a way to ensure her crusade against corporate influence in politics continues — even when she no longer holds elected office. Melanie Mason Politico -- 4/9/24

Katie Porter is optimistic about the future of her congressional seat — and her career -- California has become a key battleground in the fight for the U.S. House of Representatives, and Porter’s Orange County seat is one of a handful that will help determine which party wins control. Benjamin Oreskes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/9/24

Repairs on Big Sur’s collapsed Highway 1 start this week. No telling when they will end -- Since the collapse last month, travel has been severely limited for hundreds of residents now living between two sections of highway damaged by a series of landslides. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/9/24

Biden admin funding swap imperils planned multibillion-dollar research facility in Silicon Valley -- Applied Materials, the largest U.S. maker of semiconductor equipment, may scale back or cancel plans to open a $4 billion research and development facility in the heart of Silicon Valley because of a lack of government investment, according to sources familiar with the discussions. Shira Stein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/9/24

S.F. says it will sue if Oakland airport goes through with planned name change -- ​​San Francisco on Monday said it will sue the Port of Oakland for alleged trademark infringement if it moves forward with plans to rename Oakland’s airport as the San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport. Ricardo Cano in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Kristin J. Bender in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/9/24

At least 104 Southern California voters mailed their ballots on time. They weren’t counted -- Legally, those ballots should have been counted, barring a problem like a ballot envelope signature not matching what’s on file. But they weren’t tallied because registrars of voters in these counties received the ballots after March 12 — the final day that on-time mail-in ballots could be accepted. Jeff Horseman in the Orange County Register -- 4/9/24

California’s housing crisis is hitting Nevada hard. Could that help Trump win a crucial state? -- As Biden faces off against Trump again, owning a home is challenging for voters in Nevada and Arizona, battleground states in the November election. Benjamin Oreskes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/9/24

Where Biden, Trump and Kennedy stand on housing and homelessness -- Housing and homelessness are election issues of extreme importance to Californians. Here’s where the major presidential candidates stand. Benjamin Oreskes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/9/24

Biden Is Spending $1 Trillion to Fight Climate Change. Voters Don’t Care -- The Biden campaign and a collection of progressive groups are trying to change that. They believe the president’s record on climate change can boost his popularity with young voters. Amrith Ramkumar, Andrew Restuccia in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/9/24

Downtown L.A. rooftop restaurant Perch charges diners a ‘security’ fee. A new law may change that -- An L.A. restaurant is imposing a “security charge” on its bill, but that might change soon — a new state law bans unadvertised service fees. Summer Lin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/9/24

S.F.’s First Republic Bank will cease to exist next month, following JP Morgan takeover -- San Francisco’s First Republic Bank will cease to exist in signage and style on May 24 when the remaining 62 branches nationwide close. Sam Whiting in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/9/24

Louis Farrakhan sued Jewish leaders for $4.8 billion. A judge tossed the case -- The Nation of Islam had sued the Anti-Defamation League and Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center for $4.8 billion, claiming the Jewish organizations had violated the Nation of Islam’s 1st Amendment rights by calling Farrakhan’s frequent unflattering comments about Jews “antisemitic.” Jack Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/9/24

California’s death penalty is irreparably racist, lawsuit contends -- The numbers show, the lawsuit contends, that the state’s death penalty system is broken and can’t be fixed. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/9/24

Immigration

Political rhetoric aims ‘vitriol and hatred’ at immigrant asylum-seekers, California advocates say -- But California immigrant advocacy groups said asylum seekers arrive here and find themselves being used as “pawns” in the latest political debate between calls for strengthening border security and comprehensive immigration reform that offers a real path to legal resident status and U.S. citizenship. Rosalio Ahumada in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/9/24

Reparations

Some California reparations bills are already facing pushback -- A conservative group warns that California bills aimed at providing restitution to Black residents would be challenged in courts that have struck down race-based affirmative action. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/9/24

Tribal Lands

An Oregon tribe’s casino bid sparks furor over what land tribes can rightfully call home -- The Coquille tribe wants to build a casino on the California border. Pushback from nearby tribes raises a question: Who gets to determine a tribe’s rightful homeland? Hannah Wiley, Brian van der Brug in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/9/24

Tesla

Tesla settles lawsuit over Mountain View crash that killed Apple engineer -- Tesla and its driver-assistance software escaped a critical test in Santa Clara County Superior Court this week over whether its technology caused a crash on a Silicon Valley freeway that killed an Apple engineer: The electric-car maker settled out of court with the victim's family on Monday, the day jury selection was to begin. Jordan Parker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ Ryan Felton, Rebecca Elliott in the Wall Street Journal$ Jack Ewing in the New York Times$ -- 4/9/24

Student Housing

California college students call on lawmakers to combat student housing crisis -- In California, tens of thousands of college students don’t have a permanent place to call home, while many others can barely afford sky-high rents. Ethan Varian in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/9/24

Street

California has moved to decertify more than 200 police officers. In some cases, the reasons why are secret -- No Bay Area department from which the Chronicle sought records provided any information about why an officer was being decertified. Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/9/24

After $30-million L.A. heist, can DNA, fingerprints, video help crack case? -- Investigators probing the heist of up to $30 million from a vault in the San Fernando Valley on Easter Sunday have scrubbed the scene, searching for fingerprints, DNA evidence and other materials, according to law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/9/24

Burglary crew brazenly went around sledgehammering Bay Area stores to steal nearly $1 million in cigarettes. Police blame the ‘F— Everyone’ gang -- The burglars were brazen, using sledgehammers, bolt cutters and crowbars to bust their way into cigarette stores around the Bay Area. Nate Gartrell in the East Bay Times$ -- 4/9/24

Also

As development sprawls across the Bay Area, a 27-mile wilderness trail is a model for preserving open space -- More than 9,000 acres in one of the most densely populated counties in the country were saved in an unconventional way. Will McCarthy in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/9/24