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California Policy and Politics Tuesday
Updating . . .
Kaffiyehs and pickets. UCLA, UC Davis workers strike over treatment at pro-Palestinian protests -- Carrying “on strike” pickets and some wearing kaffiyehs, academic workers at UCLA and UC Davis walked off the job on Tuesday, alleging their rights were violated by University of California actions during pro-Palestinian protests and encampment crackdowns. Hannah Fry, Grace Toohey, Jaweed Kaleem and Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/28/24
The Legislature’s top expert on tech is taking on the industry -- Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin may be the Legislature’s top tech industry expert and its occasional champion. Now, she’s taking on tech over artificial intelligence. Ryan Sabalow CalMatters -- 5/28/24
Pro-Palestinian protesters shut down 101 Freeway in downtown L.A. -- The protesters blocked traffic as they held Palestinian flags and signs reading “Stop the Genocide” and “End the Occupation Now!” and chanted “Eyes on Rafah!” according to video posted to social media, including by journalist Ben Camacho. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/28/24
Trump told donors he will crush pro-Palestinian protests, deport demonstrators -- Trump has waffled on whether the Israel-Gaza war should end. But speaking to wealthy donors behind closed doors, he said that he supports Israel’s right to continue “its war on terror.” Josh Dawsey, Karen DeYoung and Marianne LeVine in the Washington Post$ -- 5/28/24
Steph Curry, Steve Kerr, others hail Bill Walton as ‘icon’ and ‘legend’ after death -- NBA champion and broadcaster Bill Walton, who died Monday, is being remembered for his larger-than-life personality and his impact both on and off the court, as athletes and sports teams in the Bay Area and people across the country mourned the former star center and celebrated his legacy. Jordan Parker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/28/24
Bryce Miller: Bill Walton was San Diego’s champion, cheerleader — and soul -- The Helix High, UCLA and NBA basketball star grew into an unmatched philanthropist who became the ‘soul’ of San Diego. Bryce Miller in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/28/24
Appreciation: Bill Walton’s kindness and wonderful wackiness made us the grateful ones -- Fittingly, my favorite Bill Walton encounter involved only his voice. Bill Plaschke in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/27/24
Ocean technology hub AltaSea blooms on San Pedro waterfront -- A moon shot to make Southern California an international leader in the “blue economy” is taking shape in San Pedro as a $30-million renovation of three historic waterfront warehouses nears completion. Roger Vincent in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/28/24
‘Aggressive shark behavior’ closes ocean access in San Clemente -- Water access at all San Clemente beaches was closed Monday due to “aggressive shark behavior,” according to city officials. The Memorial Day edict came after a shark knocked a surfer off their board Sunday evening. Julia Wick in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/28/24
California ZIP code with highest average income is a mansion-free area of S.F. -- One of San Francisco’s smallest ZIP codes has the highest average income in California. Christian Leonard in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/28/24
City National is Hollywood’s ‘Bank to the Stars.’ A lawsuit says it aided a Ponzi scheme -- City National Bank has been sued for more than $770 million for allegedly bankrolling a Hollywood Ponzi scheme, the latest in a series of controversies involving one of L.A.’s best-known banks. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/28/24
Bay Area cities suspend natural gas bans on new buildings -- The pauses come in the wake of the Ninth Court declining in January to rehear Berkeley’s ban on natural gas in new buildings, which was first struck down by the court in April 2023. Stephanie Lam in the East Bay Times$ -- 5/28/24
Walters: California wants to be carbon-neutral by 2045. What does that mean for its big economic drivers? -- California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, flew more 6,000 miles to Rome this month to deliver a brief speech on climate change at a Vatican-sponsored conference. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 5/28/24
Barabak: Will abortion rights boost Biden and fellow Democrats? Arizona offers a test case -- As Biden battles for reelection, he’s counting on reluctant voters to come around and measures such as Arizona’s abortion rights initiative to prod them his way. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/28/24
Trump makes sweeping promises to donors on audacious fundraising tour -- By tying donation requests to pledges of tax cuts and other policies, Trump is testing the boundaries of federal campaign finance laws. Josh Dawsey in the Washington Post$ -- 5/28/24
Smolens: Democrats try to limit political damage from border migration -- San Diego County recently became the busiest corridor for illegal crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border. Michael Smolens in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/28/24
Workplace
Hollywood crews in ‘crisis’: ‘Everyone’s just in panic mode’ as jobs decline -- 2023’s dual strikes by writers and actors created a dry spell for everyone in Hollywood. Crew members are still feeling the aftershocks. Kaitlyn Huamani in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/28/24
The Loneliness of the American Worker -- More meetings and faceless chats. Fewer work friends. How the modern workday is fueling an epidemic of isolation. Te-Ping Chen in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 5/28/24
Your guide to California’s minimum wage: Getting by in an expensive state -- It’s really expensive to live in California. That fact, more than anything, inspired a decade of policy changes in the Capitol to raise the minimum wage for California workers. Liliana Michelena, Adam Ashton CalMatters -- 5/28/24
If A.I. Can Do Your Job, Maybe It Can Also Replace Your C.E.O. -- Chief executives are vulnerable to the same forces buffeting their employees. Leadership is important, but so is efficiency — and cost-cutting. David Streitfeld in the New York Times$ -- 5/28/24
Insurance
Home insurance was once a ‘must.’ Now more homeowners are going without -- After she saw a story about the insurer pulling out of Santa Cruz County, her longtime home, she called her agent to confirm that her plan would lapse — setting off a desperate search for a replacement policy that is ongoing. Patrick Cooley in the Washington Post$ -- 5/28/24
Housing
One of every five new homes built in California last year was an ADU -- Homeowners, developers are taking advantage of new state legislation that speeds up the permitting process for these smaller homes. Kate Talerico in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/28/24
Homeless
Nearly 200 homeless Sacramentans could soon lose their ‘golden ticket’ to find housing -- Sacramento’s low-income residents with a so-called “golden ticket to housing” face losing that Section 8 voucher if they fail to secure a rental in the coming months. Theresa Clift in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/28/24
Education
‘We have to do less with less’: Cal State faces extra $500 million budget gap -- Two major forces are at play: Gov. Gavin Newsom scaled back his promise of increased financial support for Cal State, while university officials agreed to 5% salary increases earlier this year. Mikhail Zinshteyn CalMatters -- 5/28/24
Texas-style career ed: Ties to industry and wages -- Across the 11 campuses of the Texas State Technical College system, the recruiting motto proclaims: “Life is hands-on. Your education should be too.” Larry Gordon EdSource -- 5/28/24
California eyes master plan to transform career ed -- Gov. Newsom wants to transform career and technical education to help students get training for life-long work and careers. Larry Gordon EdSource -- 5/28/24
COVID
COVID is rising in California. Here’s how to protect yourself from FLiRT subvariants -- It’s too early to know if FLiRT will be a major change in the COVID picture; so far impacts have been small. But officials are urging Californians to be prepared. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/28/24
Also
Mike Tyson ‘doing great’ after medical emergency on flight to L.A. -- Tyson “became nauseous and dizzy due to an ulcer flare-up 30 minutes before landing,” his representative said in a statement to The Times. “He is appreciative to the medical staff that were there to help him.” Julia Wick in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/28/24
Tree-killing beetle is on a death march through Southern California’s oaks. Can it be stopped? -- The goldspotted oak borer is just 14 miles from the Santa Monica Mountains’ 600,000 oak trees and threatens to devastate forests throughout California, harming wildlife and increasing fire risks. Lila Seidman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/28/24
Where does L.A.’s leftover produce go? This group helps get tons to the hungry every day -- Food Forward saves nearly 2 million pounds of produce every week. It all started with a slow walk through a Los Angeles neighborhood full of unpicked fruit. Jeanette Marantos in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/28/24
Amid roadkill epidemic, California builds world’s largest wildlife bridge -- The construction is meant to give threatened animals a path over a 10-lane freeway instead of through it, hopefully extending their lives and their habitat. Reis Thebault in the Washington Post$ -- 5/28/24
California Policy and Politics Monday
Updating . . .
Bill Walton, UCLA legend, NBA star and Pac-12 advocate, dies at age 71 -- Bill Walton, a UCLA basketball legend who became an NBA star and an outspoken advocate for the virtues of the Pac-12 conference as a broadcaster, died Monday at the age of 71 following a prolonged cancer battle. The item is in the Los Angeles Times$ Richard Sandomir in the New York Times$ Ben Golliver in the Washington Post$ -- 5/27/24
How the Grateful Dead inspired Bill Walton and shaped his life’s perspective -- Bill Walton was a proud Deadhead. The basketball great, who died Monday at age 71 following a prolonged cancer battle, was famously a huge fan of the Grateful Dead (and a tie-dye aficionado). Tracy Brown in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/27/24
Bill Walton, brilliant on the court, became basketball’s bard -- Walton, who died Monday at 71, was an artist on the basketball court and a poet behind a microphone. John Feinstein in the Washington Post$ -- 5/27/24
San Jose State suspends professor over conduct during pro-Palestinian demonstrations -- San Jose State University has temporarily suspended a justice studies professor who served as a liaison between administrators and pro-Palestinian demonstrators, the Chronicle has learned. Jordan Parker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/27/24
S.F. artist’s pro-Palestine murals keep getting defaced. Here’s why he continues to repaint them -- Chris Gazaleh was trying to find just the right shade of blue when he glanced up at his Mission Street mural and shook his head. For the fifth time in 10 months, he was deciding how to repaint his scene of Palestinian resistance after it had been vandalized. Connor Letourneau in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/27/24
Sununu slams Dem governors: Newsom’s ‘just a prick’ -- New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu slammed Gavin Newsom and Andrew Cuomo on Thursday saying many of the governors get along with one another but “no one really cared for” the two Democrats. Kierra Frazier Politico -- 5/27/24
Skelton: Unaffordable homeowner’s insurance is leaving Californians exposed to the elements -- Memorial Day weekend means the start of summer vacations — and also the onset of wildfire season. Many Californians will be going “naked.” George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/27/24
Housing
Why a California Plan to Build More Homes Is Failing -- Only a few dozen people have built housing under a law allowing them to construct duplexes alongside single-family houses. Christine Mai-Duc in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 5/27/24
California home prices hit a new record. How much higher could they go? -- California’s home values hit their highest-ever levels in April, reversing a dip caused by mortgage rate hikes two years ago. Christian Leonard in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/27/24
Street
‘General Hospital’s’ Johnny Wactor killed in catalytic converter heist; family, friends ‘heartbroken’ -- “General Hospital” actor Johnny Wactor was fatally shot early Saturday when he came upon three men trying to steal the catalytic converter from his car, according to a law enforcement source with knowledge of the case. Richard Winton and Tony Briscoe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/27/24
Bay Area prosecutors get nearly $4 million to fight wage theft -- The grants will also enable prosecutors to offer resources to address exploitive labor industry trends, barriers that workers confront in reporting violations, and obstacles to holding perpetrators accountable, according to the California Department of Industrial Relations and the Labor Commissioner’s Office. David Hernandez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/27/24
‘Method to his madness’: This man may be California's most litigious person -- In the time it takes to read this story, Steven Wayne Bonilla may very well sue again. Since entering California’s Death Row in 1995, the now-77-year-old Bonilla has established himself among the most prolific litigants in modern U.S. history. He shows no signs of slowing. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/27/24
Guns
San Diego wins first conviction for violation of gun violence restraining order -- Neighbor saw man shooting gun in backyard and called 911. Police quickly secured a GVRO but man refused to hand over the firearm, which officers soon found hidden under man’s refrigerator. Teri Figueroa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/27/24
AI
How California and the EU work together to regulate artificial intelligence -- California, with its status as a tech-forward state and huge economy, has a chance to lead the way. So much so, in fact, that the European Union is trying to coordinate with the state on AI laws. The EU opened an office in San Francisco in 2022 and dispatched a tech envoy, Gerard de Graaf, to better communicate about laws and regulations around AI. Khari Johnson CalMatters -- 5/27/24
Tech Workers Retool for Artificial-Intelligence Boom -- Tech workers are feverishly retooling their skill sets for a time when every company suddenly wants to be an artificial-intelligence company—and every worker feels the need for AI chops. Katherine Bindley in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 5/27/24
Also
Bear named ‘Oreo’ roams Monrovia in search of food — and snags namesake cookies -- Whether it’s bears, coyotes or mountain lions, there is a sense in many of L.A.’s hillside communities that something four-legged and feral lurks just beyond the asphalt and attached garages. Daniel Miller in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/27/24
Your package wasn’t delivered? Try living at one of L.A.’s ‘½’ addresses -- Casey Hogan had no idea her new address would be so frustrating. Marisa Gerber in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/27/24
California Policy and Politics Sunday
Santa Clara County running illegal network of group homes for highly troubled children -- Assaults, missing children and a fentanyl overdose rock unsanctioned homes. Scooty Nickerson, Julia Prodis Sulek in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/26/24
Campaign to recall Oakland Mayor Thao says it has enough signatures to qualify for ballot -- But it will be a few months before Oakland voters can be certain. The campaign, Oakland United to Recall Sheng Thao, known as OUST, has until July 22 to submit its signatures. Christian Leonard in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/24
Marqueece Harris-Dawson secures enough support to become the next L.A. City Council president -- On Friday, seven council members introduced a motion calling for Harris-Dawson to fill the post, giving him the required eight-member majority, once his own vote is included. David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/24
California Sen. Alex Padilla convinces colleagues to vote against bipartisan border bill -- In an impassioned Senate floor speech, Padilla criticized the legislation as inadequate and encouraged his fellow senators to “do what’s right for Dreamers, farmworkers and other long-term undocumented members of our communities.” Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/24
San Diego’s unusual deal to settle asbestos violations? Planting thousands of trees -- The city’s deal with the Air Pollution Control District over violations at a firefighter training facility and other city workplaces calls for $4.7 million for a tree-planting program. Jeff McDonald in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/26/24
Workplace
‘Sick and tired’: Alcatraz ferry workers strike amid tough labor talks -- The 94 unionized ferry workers, who run and maintain the boats, are seeking higher wages, more consistent schedules and other workplace benefits, Secchitano said. Elena Kadvany in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/26/24
Tesla under investigation over Fremont factory toxic emissions, and faces lawsuit over alleged health harms -- Bay Area air-quality officials have launched an investigation into Tesla, charging the electric automaker with letting massive amounts of harmful toxins escape into the air from its Fremont car factory. In a double blow, an environmental group has filed a new lawsuit against the company over such pollution releases. Ethan Baron in the East Bay Times$ -- 5/26/24
Homeless
Why won’t San Diego publicly share detailed data about who’s enrolled in homelessness programs? -- A fight over accessing records shows the difficulties of balancing transparency with privacy. Blake Nelson and Lyndsay Winkley in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/26/24
Housing
South Lake Tahoe split over proposal to tax property owners who leave homes vacant -- A South Lake Tahoe nonprofit, Locals for Affordable Housing, has collected enough signatures to place a measure on the November ballot that aims to tax property owners between $3,000 and $6,000 for units that sit vacant for more than half a year. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/24
Street
Man killed after interrupting suspected catalytic converter thieves in downtown L.A. -- Thieves can make hundreds of dollars selling them to auto parts suppliers or scrapyards, where they can be melted down and the highly valuable metals extracted. Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/24
A slingshot-wielding vandal shattered glass in Azusa for years. An 81-year-old suspect has been arrested -- For nearly a decade, authorities say, an unknown vandal shattered windows and windshields on North Enid Avenue in Azusa. The weapon of choice: a slingshot. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/24
AI
The Great AI Challenge: We Test Which Bot Is Best -- We tested OpenAI’s ChatGPT against Microsoft’s Copilot and Google’s Gemini, along with Perplexity and Anthropic’s Claude. Here’s how they ranked. Dalvin Brown, Kara Dapena and Joanna Stern in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 5/26/24
Why Google’s AI might recommend you mix glue into your pizza -- Hilariously wrong AI responses show that chatbots can’t tell jokes from facts and they can invent confident-sounding answers. Shira Ovide in the Washington Post$ -- 5/26/24
Water
How a water scientist hopes to save California habitats that could be pumped dry -- Hydrologist Melissa Rohde studies California ecosystems that depend on groundwater. In many areas, declining water levels put habitats at risk of drying up. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/24
Also
Environmentalists urge California wildlife officials to investigate bottled water operation -- Environmental activists have opened a new front in their long-running fight against a company that pipes water from the San Bernardino Mountains and bottles it for sale as Arrowhead brand bottled water. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/24
California Policy and Politics Saturday
UC worker strike to hit UCLA, Davis next. A looming question: Is this walkout legal? -- The University of California academic workers’ strike is expected to amp up Tuesday with walkouts at UCLA and UC Davis after a state labor board declined to immediately stop it, ruling that a university complaint did not meet the legal standard required for its intervention. Howard Blume, Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/24
Far From the Protests, Some Students Try to Meet in the Middle -- They sat scattered in a classroom after hours on chairs attached to desks, 15 undergraduates at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, trying to make sense of the world and its discontents, starting with the recent campus Israel protests. Molly Ball, Ruby Wallau in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 5/25/24
Politics & Policy
Gavin Newsom pounces as Republicans come to Big Oil’s defense -- Nineteen Republican attorneys general asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to block lawsuits from California and four other states attempting to make major oil companies pay for climate change damages. Wes Venteicher Politico -- 5/25/24
California lawmakers advance apology for slavery, funding frameworks for reparations -- California lawmakers moved several reparations bills, including an apology for slavery. But several other bills died. Wendy Fry CalMatters -- 5/25/24
Wealthy S.F. mayoral candidate Daniel Lurie declines public funding -- The announcement comes amid what is expected to be one of most expensive mayoral races in San Francisco history, a crowded race in which candidates have together already raised millions of dollars ahead of the November election. Aldo Toledo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/25/24
Workplace
Kaiser doctors in Northern California vote to unionize -- Medical residents at Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California hospitals have voted to unionize, becoming the first group of doctors in the health system to do so — and the latest in a nationwide trend of young physicians joining organized labor to seek better working conditions. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/25/24
San Diego’s life science industry has a new challenge: Too much space -- San Diego’s world-renowned life science cluster broke a new record at the start of the year: The vacancy rate for lab and office spaces hit 14 percent — an all-time high. Natallie Rocha in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/25/24
Hotel strike nears end as union reaches more tentative deals with holdouts -- More striking hotel workers edge toward finish line after seven more hotels reach tentative agreements. Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/24
Homeless
California big city mayors call for continued state homelessness funds -- Several California big city mayors urged Gov. Gavin Newsom and lawmakers this week to continue state funding to combat homelessness, money that they said has been a lifesaver for thousands of people on the streets of the Golden State. Vik Jolly in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/25/24
Education
San Diego Unified superintendent under internal investigation -- The district won’t say what prompted the investigation, which began last month and is expected to cost about $100,000. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/25/24
LAUSD caves to public outcry: No more timed testing for 4-year-olds -- Following a public outcry from parents and teachers, the Los Angeles Unified School District has decided to make timed reading tests optional for most transitional kindergarten students. Jenny Gold in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/24
Staying Afloat
As more Californians fall behind in making debt payments, one group stands out -- Stubbornly high inflation and interest rates are taking an increasing toll in California as the state experiences rising unemployment and slowing wage gains. And those feeling it the hardest: the largest and perhaps most budget-minded generation of them all. Don Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/24COVID
Early signs of rising COVID in California as new FLiRT subvariants dominate -- California may be headed to an earlier-than-normal start to the summer COVID-19 season, with coronavirus concentrations in sewage rising in some areas along with the statewide positive-test rate. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/24
Street
Burglary gangs are literally planting cameras in Southern California yards to spy on residents, police say -- A Temecula electrician was left scratching his head this month when he discovered two devices, including a camera with a lens poking through a leaf taped to it, hidden in the planter in his front yard. The camera was pointed toward a neighbor’s home. Brian Rokos in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/25/24
San Diego Border Patrol agent sentenced for helping move drugs, migrants across border while on duty -- Hector Hernandez, who was arrested last year following a sting operation, was sentenced in San Diego federal court to seven years and three months in prison. Alex Riggins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/25/24
Also
Cleanup of polluted Southern California ‘brownfields’ gets a $3-million boost from feds -- Five Southern California communities have been awarded federal grants totaling $3 million to help transform polluted “brownfield” sites into land that’s safe for development, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced. Tyrone Beason in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/24
Suspected cyber attack continues to hobble operations at Palomar Health Medical Group -- Nearly three weeks after experiencing a suspected cyberattack and shutting down its computer network, Palomar Health Medical Group continues to operate without fully functional systems, and patients say they are experiencing longer wait times for everything from scheduled appointments to prescription refills. Paul Sisson in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/25/24
New Mexico judge denies Alec Baldwin’s motion to dismiss criminal case in ‘Rust’ shooting -- Baldwin’s trial on the felony charge is expected to begin in July. If convicted, he would face a prison sentence of up to 18 months. He has pleaded not guilty. Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/25/24