California Policy and Politics Wednesday

Violence stuns UCLA as counter-protesters attack pro-Palestine camp -- Counterprotesters tried to tear down the barricades surrounding the encampment. Some on campus said they were stunned it took so long before officials stepped in. Safi Nazzal, Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/24

Inside the far-right plan to use civil rights law to disrupt the 2024 election -- At a diner just off the freeway north of Sacramento, a mostly white crowd listened intently as it learned how to “save America” by leaning on the same laws that enshrined the rights of Black voters 60 years ago. Sarah D. Wire, Mackenzie Mays in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/24

New Progressive PAC Targets 8 Key House Races in California -- The super PAC, Battleground California, said it would drive turnout among voters of color to try to flip seats that are seen as crucial to winning control of the House this fall. Chris Cameron in the New York Times$ -- 5/1/24

California passed a law to stop ‘pay to play’ in local politics. After two years, legislators want to gut it -- A 2022 law limits campaign contributions to $250 to local elected officials from a donor with a license, building permit or other proceeding before the officials. Now there’s a bill to raise the limit to $1,000 and loosen other restrictions. Yue Stella Yu CalMatters -- 5/1/24

California’s large budget deficit looms for Gavin Newsom. Why it may be getting worse -- That’s because the latest state tax receipts have brought in revenues below the expectations Newsom’s Department of Finance set earlier in the year. Lindsey Holden in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/1/24

Evan Low leads Joe Simitian by four votes as Santa Clara County finishes recount. Here’s why he hasn’t won yet -- More than a dozen challenged ballots in San Mateo County have yet to be ruled on. Grace Hase, Harriet Blair Rowan in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/1/24

Voter behind Silicon Valley recount downplays candidate ties -- The single Silicon Valley voter who called for the dramatic recount in California’s 16th Congressional District insisted he’s a concerned citizen seeking an honest outcome, after backlash over his ties to one of the candidates. Sarah Grace Taylor Politico -- 5/1/24

Campus

Gaza protests are happening across Bay Area today. Here’s what to know -- Several BART stations could be the site of protests in addition to a possible shutdown of the Port of Oakland. Nora Mishanec in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/1/24

California college campuses become lightning rods for Pro-Palestinian protests -- Tensions have escalated and arrests have been made as protesters continue to stake out areas on the campuses of many California universities, including UCLA, USC and Cal Poly Humboldt. Hannah Fry, Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Jenna Peterson, Ashley Ahn in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/24

With furry costumes, water jugs and tambourines, this tiny California college became a Gaza flashpoint -- Cal Poly Humboldt’s students have engaged in more vigorous disruption, occupying an academic and administrative building, painting buildings with graffiti and twice forcing police to retreat. Jessica Garrison, Jenny Jarvie in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/24

Stanford students and administrators clash as pro-Palestine encampment reaches fifth day -- Stanford University has become one of the latest frontiers for student-organized protests against the Israeli-Hamas conflict. Ko Lyn Cheang in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/1/24

Stanford faculty rally to support protesters at campus encampment -- Pro-Palestine Stanford University faculty rallied Tuesday evening alongside about 150 protesters at a student-organized encampment, which remained standing for a fifth day in defiance of university orders. Ko Lyn Cheang in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/1/24

UCLA declares Palestine encampment unlawful, USC president in talks with protesters -- UCLA probes protestors who allegedly blocked students from class; they may be suspended or expelled. Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/1/24

At U.C.L.A., Israel supporters are making themselves known -- At the University of California, Los Angeles, the sprawling pro-Palestinian encampment stands out for at least two reasons: its tight cordon of metal barriers and wooden pallets — and the daily presence of counterprotesters waving Israeli flags. Jonathan Wolfe, Benjamin Royer in the New York Times$ -- 5/1/24

Cannabis

DEA’s big marijuana shift could be a lifeline for California’s troubled pot industry -- If the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reclassified marijuana as a less dangerous drug, it wouldn’t eliminate the conflicts between the feds and states such as California that have legalized many uses of the substance. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/24

Budget

California’s large budget deficit looms for Gavin Newsom. Why it may be getting worse -- That’s because the latest state tax receipts have brought in revenues below the expectations Newsom’s Department of Finance set earlier in the year. Lindsey Holden in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/1/24

California deficit could halt raises for disability workers. They say Newsom ‘breaking a promise’ -- Families of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities say Gov. Gavin Newsom is reneging on a scheduled raise for the workers who care for their loved ones, and advocates warn of potential lawsuits if disability services become harder to get. Vanessa G. Sánchez KFF Health News in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/1/24

Workplace

50 fired Google workers file labor complaint, allege illegal retaliation over in-office protest -- The fired workers are seeking reinstatement to their jobs, back pay, and guarantees from Google leadership that the company won’t retaliate against workers for “lawful collective protest,” according to Jane Chung, a spokesperson for the protesters. Jordan Parker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/1/24

Google, SAP America trim dozens of Bay Area jobs as tech layoffs widen -- Google and SAP America have sketched plans to trim dozens of Bay Area jobs in a disquieting reminder that the tech sector’s burst of layoffs might not quite be over. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/1/24

San Diego labor unions calling on city to mandate $25 minimum wage for service workers -- An ordinance backed by multiple unions in the county representing thousands of workers would effectively boost San Diego’s current minimum wage by 50 percent in just one year. Lori Weisberg in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/1/24

Housing

Aaron Peskin announces financing tools to create more ‘missing middle’ housing in S.F. -- Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin — who earlier this month promised a “Marshall plan for middle-class housing” after announcing his candidacy in the November mayoral race — said Tuesday that he’ll be introducing legislation to create a workforce housing financing program based on the issuance of tax exempt bonds. Laura Waxmann in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/1/24

Walters: New battlegrounds emerge in California’s endless housing conflict -- California’s perpetual political war over housing, pitting the state against local communities, has two new battlegrounds: one on the San Francisco Peninsula, the other in Southern California. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 5/1/24

Insurance

Thousands of homeowners in this wealthy Bay Area city are set to lose insurance: ‘No good options’ -- Insurance non-renewals will hit at least a quarter of Orinda homeowners — and those hunting for new policies say they’re finding little, if anything, available. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/1/24

Californians are protecting themselves from wildfire. Why is there still an insurance crisis? -- Lawmakers want mitigation measures to be tracked, updated and accounted for to help insurance availability and affordability. Levi Sumagaysay CalMatters -- 5/1/24

$1000 a month

Google program will give $1,000 a month in guaranteed income to recently homeless S.F. families -- More than 200 San Francisco families that recently experienced homelessness will receive $1,000 monthly cash payments as part of a new guaranteed income program funded largely by Google. Maggie Angst in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/1/24

Surcharges

Restaurant surcharges will soon be illegal in California -- The California attorney general’s office confirmed on Tuesday that a new California law that bans junk fees will apply to surcharges at restaurants, following months of anxiety and confusion in the food industry. Elena Kadvany in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/1/24

Klamath

California begins demolition of 173-foot dam as part of nation's largest removal project -- The 173-foot Iron Gate Dam is one of four hydroelectric dams scheduled to be out of the river by the end of this year. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/1/24

Climate

A portion of S.F.’s Great Highway will be permanently closed to cars. Here’s what will replace it -- A mile-long portion of San Francisco’s Great Highway is set to close to car traffic for good by early 2026, as part of a project to protect the city’s western shore from rising sea levels. Ricardo Cano in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/1/24

California Forever

California Forever takes next step in its quest to build new city in rural Solano County -- The developer, California Forever, says it submitted 20,472 voter signatures to the Solano County Registrar of Voters, about 60% more than the 13,062 needed to get it on the ballot. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/1/24

Tesla

Tesla's supercharger layoffs: What it means for California and its drive to dump gasoline cars -- On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom touted “huge news for California” that Tesla’s industry-leading superchargers were opening up to all electric vehicles in California, making the announcement on Elon Musk’s revamped Twitter (now called X). By Tuesday, reports of layoffs gutting Tesla’s supercharger team appeared to dampen Newsom’s plans. Aidin Vaziri, Roland Li, Julie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/1/24

Tesla sales have peaked in California, industry group predicts -- Tesla sold fewer vehicles in California for the second straight quarter, suggesting its popularity in the state may have peaked, according to a report from the California New Car Dealers Assn. Dana Hull Bloomberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/24

Education

California colleges got billions in pandemic relief funds. What will happen once it’s gone? -- Congress gave California’s public colleges and universities more than $8 billion in emergency funding during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now the money is drying up and schools are faced with a grim financial future. Adam Echelman CalMatters -- 5/1/24

Street

Bail possible for accused white supremacist leader after ruling by O.C. federal judge -- Robert Rundo, who spent nearly a year as a fugitive until he was extradited from Romania last year to face conspiracy and rioting charges, could be released from federal custody following a judge’s ruling Tuesday in Orange County. Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/24

Lopez: Column: From a Tommy’s security job to a ride home on Metro, her last hours alive -- Mirna Soza Arauz was one of tens of thousands who work at low-paying jobs in a high-rent region. As an older woman, she didn’t think she would be targeted, but her death was violent. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/24

California crime victims’ groups are pressing state lawmakers to restore funding -- California crime victims groups and state lawmakers are pushing for $200 million in ongoing funding amid fears of impending deep federal funding cuts for victims’ services. Darrell Smith in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/1/24

Car tracking can enable domestic abuse. Why turning it off is easier said than done -- Internet-connected cars allow abusers to track domestic violence survivors after they leave. A trio of California bills seek to compel automakers to act. Khari Johnson CalMatters -- 5/1/24

Also

Do dying people have a ‘right to try’ magic mushrooms? 9th Circuit weighs case -- In a case that could shape the future of psychedelic medicine, a palliative care physician is challenging a DEA decision that bars him from prescribing psilocybin to late-stage cancer patients. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/1/24