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

California Policy and Politics Saturday

Google blocks some California news as fight over online journalism bill escalates -- The search giant is reprising a tactic it has used to battle similar bills in other countries, requiring platforms to pay news publishers. Jeremy B. White Politico Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/13/24

Two congressional candidates tied. Now, recount requests are complicating it even further -- A recount in a Silicon Valley congressional race could theoretically put a kibosh on a November three-way race, if the vote totals change. Julia Wick in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/13/24

Paris Hilton to testify in support of California bill fighting ‘troubled teen’ industry -- Hotel heiress and Hollywood socialite Paris Hilton will visit her home state Capitol on Monday to back a bill meant to help combat the kind of abuse at youth centers she herself endured as a teen. Lara Korte Politico -- 4/13/24

Why changing U.S. demographics aren’t affecting the political balance of power -- Even as the country has become more racially and ethnically diverse and religious attendance has declined, the relative size of the two big political-party coalitions has stayed almost identical. David Lauter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/13/24

Walters: ‘Digital Democracy’ project penetrates California’s opaque political processes -- Technology has slowly made its way into Capitol politics, but access to political data has taken a quantum leap with the introduction of Digital Democracy, an immense, accessible transparency tool created by CalMatters. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 4/13/24

Workplace

Pay hikes for city workers will add $1 billion to L.A.’s yearly budget by 2028, report says -- Earlier this year, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass negotiated a package of raises and increased benefits for tens of thousands of city workers — money aimed at addressing the rising cost of food, housing and other household expenses. David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/13/24

Shyong: Small-business owners brace for uncertainty as $20 hourly fast-food wage takes effect -- California’s new minimum wage for fast food workers is celebrated by progressives and economists. But how will small businesses fare? Frank Shyong in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/13/24

How California made the minimum wage obsolete -- This fall, California voters will have the chance to set the nation’s highest minimum wage at $18. Jeremy White Politico -- 4/13/24

L.A. to provide resources to hundreds of 99 Cents Only workers losing their jobs -- Resources include daily virtual presentations in English and Spanish to help workers make sense of unemployment insurance. The city’s 14 WorkSource Centers are also available to answer questions about being laid off and future employment opportunities. Andrea Chang in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/13/24

OJ

O.J. Simpson’s trial cast a long shadow on the LAPD — but brought few changes -- Simpson’s death at age 76 has revived memories of how his case roiled the police department with allegations of corruption, racism and incompetence that still resonate nearly three decades later. Libor Jany in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/13/24

‘I’m gonna O.J. you’: How the Simpson case changed perceptions — and the law — on domestic violence -- It wasn’t long after the televised spectacle of O.J. Simpson fleeing a phalanx of police cars in a slow-moving white Ford Bronco on June 17, 1994, that batterers across Los Angeles adopted a bone-chilling new threat. I’m gonna O.J. you. Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/13/24

Homeless

Backers of California homeless camp ban cite ‘successful’ San Diego law. But is it? -- A new bill would make it illegal for homeless residents to camp in certain places, such as near schools, throughout California. Its authors say such a ban has had great success in San Diego. But a closer look at that city paints a more nuanced picture. Marisa Kendall CalMatters -- 4/13/24

Housing

California requires new homes to have solar panels. Should wildfire victims get a break? -- A California Republican’s bill would exempt low and middle income wildfire victims from solar panels requirements on rebuilt homes that didn’t have them when they burned down. Ryan Sabalow CalMatters -- 4/13/24

Also

Lopez: A cancer survivor’s advice: research, persistence and second opinions -- It’s very helpful, Robin Clough said, when, in the midst of a life-threatening medical crisis, the person you live with is a doctor who makes house calls. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/13/24

Invasive, dengue-carrying mosquito species detected in the Bay Area -- Bay Area authorities are racing to eliminate an invasive mosquito species known to transmit potentially deadly diseases including dengue, Zika and yellow fever. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/13/24

 

California Policy and Politics Friday

Can California curb retail theft without changing Prop. 47? Assembly Democrats unveil their plan -- Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) on Tuesday threw his weight behind a package of bills that aim to thwart theft by, among other proposals, allowing restraining orders to keep people who steal away from certain stores and letting prosecutors aggregate the value of thefts across multiple incidents in determining criminal charges. Anabel Sosa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/12/24

Newsom called it a ‘gimmick.’ Now he’s using the trick to lower California’s massive deficit -- With a massive budget deficit in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom is adopting a ‘gimmick’ he previously reversed in an effort to push the problem forward into future years. Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/12/24

Oakland airport name change approved, setting up showdown with SFO -- Oakland officials voted unanimously Thursday afternoon to approve a plan to rename Oakland International Airport to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport, likely inviting a lawsuit from San Francisco International Airport as the two Bay Area airports battle over their brands and future growth. Daniel Lempres, Eli Rosenberg in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Talal Ansari, Christine Mai-Duc in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/12/24

How one lawmaker wants to improve California regulations -- A state senator says a legal team, similar to what the Legislature has, could help state agencies avoid flawed regulations and make compliance and enforcement easier. Sameea Kamal CalMatters -- 4/12/24

A California border town’s first transgender mayor faces recall. Is gender the reason? -- In rural Calexico, Raúl Ureña, the town’s first out transgender mayor, faces a recall election. So does most of the City Council. Hailey Branson-Potts, Dania Maxwell in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/12/24

Nathan Fletcher spent $323K in campaign contributions for legal defense in alleged sexual assault case -- Former San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher spent hundreds of thousands of dollars from his abandoned state Senate campaign to pay for his legal defense in an alleged sexual assault lawsuit, according to campaign finance disclosures. Scott Rodd KPBS -- 4/12/24

Barabak: An act of cowardice — arising from fear of Trump — tarnishes award meant to honor courage -- David Hume Kennerly quit the Gerald Ford Foundation board when the group refused to honor Liz Cheney because, Kennerly says, it’s afraid of Donald Trump. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/12/24

Trump’s the likely GOP nominee. He can serve even if convicted of a crime -- While many states ban felons from voting, there is no federal prohibition on felons running for or serving in the White House. David Nakamura in the Washington Post$ -- 4/12/24

Workplace

As Prop. 22 heads to California Supreme Court, support doesn’t break along ideological lines -- Proposition 22, the 2020 ballot initiative sponsored by Uber and Lyft that classifies their drivers as contractors rather than employees, is drawing support from unlikely sources as it awaits a verdict on its fate from the California Supreme Court. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/12/24

Eaze cannabis delivery drivers threaten strike ahead of annual pot day -- California cannabis delivery drivers and workers at Eaze/Stachs say contract negotiations have stalled over disagreements about mileage reimbursement rate and hourly wages. Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/12/24

Bay Area tech layoffs: Silicon Valley company, once valued at $5 billion, cuts 32% of workforce -- The latest wave of job cuts in the Bay Area has led to significant workforce reductions at semiconductor giant Intel, the self-driving startup Ghost Autonomy and Checkr, a background-screening platform once valued at $5 billion. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/12/24

Layoffs jolt Bay Area: Golden Gate Fields, Genentech, Intel ax hundreds -- More than 1,000 jobs are being lost in the Bay Area as a result of the latest staffing reductions that companies are disclosing in official notices they sent to the state Employment Development Department. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/12/24

High Speed Rail

The first high-speed rail trains are closer to coming to California. Here’s when and how much they could cost -- The California High-Speed Rail Authority is now allowed to solicit proposals from two contractors to purchase the first batch of trains for testing and eventual passenger service. Ricardo Cano in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/11/24

Street

S.F. police say they’ve completed DOJ reforms, but sharp disparities remain -- San Francisco police say they are nearly finished adopting the 272 reforms recommended by the federal and state departments of justice, closing a major chapter in a more than seven-year effort to mend the public’s trust following a string of high-profile police shootings. Megan Cassidy, J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/12/24

Also

Smith: O.J. Simpson, race and justice. It’s the debate that won’t go away -- In a lot ways, many of us remain locked in our bubbles, not entirely understanding the thought processes of people of other races and ethnicities. Erika D. Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/12/24

O.J. Simpson, the white Bronco and a freeway chase that changed L.A. forever -- O.J. Simpson’s white Bronco chase on weirdly empty freeways in Los Angeles became an indelible memory and ‘locked people into this common emotional experience.’ Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/12/24