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

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California Policy and Politics Saturday

Humboldt officials accuse San Francisco of busing the city’s homeless problems north -- San Francisco and Humboldt County officials are trading jabs over Mayor London Breed’s plans to more aggressively promote a city program that pays to relocate homeless people to other communities where they have family or other ties. Hannah Wiley in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/24/24

‘Never expected it’: San Francisco swept up in California’s home insurance crisis -- San Francisco resident Rudy Ragan could not believe it when his insurer of nearly 27 years, Safeco, dropped him over puddling on his Sunnyside roof. Carolyn Stein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/24/24

White House slams San Francisco for its ‘unnecessary and onerous’ housing approvals -- The White House is singling out several major American cities –– and San Francisco in particular –– for their “unnecessary and onerous” permitting processes, which federal officials say have contributed to housing shortages and unaffordability. Aldo Toledo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/24/24

Calls for Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do to resign grow amid federal probe -- Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do is facing increasing pressure to resign amid a looming federal probe involving his daughter, a local nonprofit and more than $10 million in unaccounted taxpayer money. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/24/24

Kamala Harris gave the ‘middle class’ Berkeley neighborhood of her childhood a convention shout-out. But the middle class can’t afford it now -- How 'firefighters, nurses and construction workers' would have trouble affording life in Harris' former neighborhood. Julia Prodis Sulek, Harriet Blair Rowan and Kate Talerico in the East Bay Times$ -- 8/24/24

Workplace

Elon Musk’s X Is Leaving San Francisco. City Officials Say ‘Good Riddance.’ -- The company, founded in the city as Twitter, is moving its headquarters to Texas as a shadow of its former self. Heather Knight and Kate Conger in the New York Times$ -- 8/24/24

A California bill would limit self-checkout lanes. What’s it really about? -- For more than a year, California businesses’ concerns about retail theft have taken top billing in the Capitol, spurring more than a dozen new laws. But the grocery and drug store workers who deal with thefts and other crimes every day have their own ideas about how to address those threats. Molly Burke in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/24/24

Could Paramount’s flirtation with Bronfman strain the Skydance deal? -- Just when the $8.4-billion deal for David Ellison’s Skydance Media to buy Paramount Global was gliding toward the finish line, Shari Redstone’s roller-coaster sale took another sharp turn. Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/24/24

Fisker

EV maker Fisker to be liquidated under plan to keep owners on the road -- Troubled electric vehicle maker Fisker Inc. has reached a settlement with creditors that will allow it to liquidate its assets while working with owners to keep their pricey SUVs on the road. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/24/24

Water

California judge issues first-of-its-kind ruling to rein in groundwater pumping -- As Californians pump increasing amounts of water from the ground, sometimes siphoning flows from the rivers above and hurting fish, wildlife and other water users, an old state law is proving to be a new and successful means of reining in excessive pumping. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/24/24

Street

L.A.’s ‘Ketamine Queen’ lived a celebrity-studded life. Now she’s been charged in Matthew Perry’s death -- On social media, Jasveen Sangha offered herself up as an L.A. power player — rubbing elbows with celebrities, sporting fashionable attire and jetting across the globe on lavish vacations. Nathan Solis, Hannah Fry, Connor Sheets and Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/24/24

Inmate grazed by ricochet bullet from FBI target practice near L.A. jail -- The county’s northern-most jail complex has long housed outdoor shooting ranges, including one typically used by the FBI, which Sheriff’s Department investigators identified as the source of the errant bullet. Keri Blakinger in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/24/24

‘Unconscionable’: Why did S.F. fund an education program that ended up helping Oakland schools? -- Urban Ed Academy had an ambitious goal when it asked San Francisco officials for taxpayer funding in the spring of 2021. Michael Barba, St. John Barned-Smith in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/24/24

O.C. man took money meant for COVID gloves to buy boats and cars. Now, he’s been sentenced for fraud -- Lake Forest resident Christopher John Badsey was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison and also ordered to pay $1.94 million in restitution. Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/24/24

Yosemite

Yosemite National Park: Crews restore damaged landscape back to conditions not seen in 150 years -- Yosemite National Park is famous for towering waterfalls, giant sequoia trees and massive granite cliffs. But at an out-of-the-way spot near the park’s western boundary few visitors ever see, a landmark of a different type is taking shape. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/24/24

 

Top of the Ticket

Why Harris’s Barrier-Breaking Bid Feels Nothing Like Hillary Clinton’s -- The first-female-president energy of 2016 has been replaced by a more serious tone, with Democrats warning gravely of the new frontiers in the post-Roe era. Katie Glueck in the New York Times$ -- 8/24/24

Skelton: Kamala Harris always fearless when opportunity arises -- Kamala Harris is one step from becoming America’s first female president because she has always had the drive and guts to risk seeking a higher office. That is not a common trait among politicians. Too many at all levels get cold feet and opt to wait for the “right time” to run. And it never comes. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/24/24

Harris’s Convention Speech Seen by 29 Million, a Narrow Win Over Trump’s -- Overall, TV viewership of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago was up 14 percent from the Republicans’ event last month. Michael M. Grynbaum in the New York Times$ Eric Lau, Jeremy Barr and Bonnie Berkowitz in the Washington Post$ -- 8/24/24

Kamala Harris Defines the Democrats’ New Normal -- The nominee’s workmanlike address was intended to position her as a steady, presidential hand. Molly Ball in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 8/24/24

Kamala Harris has put Trump in a box, and he’s struggling to break out -- As Democrats emerge from their electrifying convention in Chicago, Trump finds himself on the defense, and it’s not clear he knows what to do. Dan Balz in the Washington Post$ -- 8/24/24

How Kamala Harris Would Govern -- The vice president’s advisers are moving quickly to map out policy plans, but the appetite for ambitious efforts is diminished from four years ago. Andrew Restuccia and Tarini Parti in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 8/24/24

Care Policies Take Center Stage in Harris’s Economic Message -- The Democratic nominee says she wants to make raising a family more affordable. But she has provided few details on her proposals. Madeleine Ngo and Ben Casselman in the New York Times$ -- 8/24/24

Gavin Newsom navigates new role behind Kamala Harris -- Sworn into office in San Francisco on the same day two decades ago, Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris climbed the ranks of California politics together. The governor is now navigating his new place behind Harris as she becomes the Democratic presidential nominee. Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/24/24

Kamala Harris may rise or fall on whether voters are ready to embrace America’s changing face -- From its opening moments, Vice President Kamala Harris’ acceptance speech made clear that no issue will shape the 2024 presidential election so much as voter attitudes toward America’s rapidly changing face. David Lauter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/24/24

Democrats head into the weekend energized by convention in Chicago -- The race saw another new wrinkle when independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dropped out and endorsed Donald Trump. Patrick Svitek, Matt Viser and Isaac Arnsdorf in the Washington Post$ -- 8/24/24

Walz

Tim Walz’s upbringing in rural Nebraska seemed idyllic. Then came tragedy -- Uprooted from a small city, Walz and his family moved to a remote town of a few hundred to deal with his father’s cancer. Michael Kranish in the Washington Post$ -- 8/24/24

Trump

Trump’s Carefully Scripted Week Kept Veering Off Script -- Despite calls by his advisers to focus on the issues, former President Donald J. Trump has made it clear that he intends to keep running his campaign his way. Michael C. Bender and Michael Gold in the New York Times$ -- 8/24/24

Trump Is Now the ‘Old’ Candidate. It Might Matter -- The age diss is a tactic used to render one’s competitor as hopelessly out of touch. Suddenly, Donald Trump, once the attacker, is now the attackee. Anusha Mathur Politico -- 8/24/24

In Las Vegas, Trump Calls Harris a ‘Copycat’ Over ‘No Tax on Tips’ Plan -- The rivals have zeroed in on service industry workers in Nevada, a swing state where polls show a tight race. Neil Vigdor in the New York Times$ -- 8/24/24

After Kennedy’s Endorsement of Trump, They Signal a New Alliance -- One of the most attention-grabbing days of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent presidential bid was also its last. Kellen Browning and Simon J. Levien in the New York Times$ -- 8/24/24

McManus: Donald Trump’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Convention Week -- During the nine years Donald Trump has been running for president, his political superpower has been his feral talent for seizing media attention and knocking opponents off-stride with insults, falsehoods and demagoguery. Until this year, it usually worked. Doyle McManus in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/24/24

Abortion

On Truth Social, Donald Trump Tries to Refashion Himself as Supportive of Abortion Rights -- His post about “reproductive rights” appeared to be an attempt to cast himself as a political moderate on an issue that has the potential to be damaging to him in November. Maggie Haberman and Shane Goldmacher in the New York Times$ -- 8/24/24

Abortion Rights, on Winning Streak, Face Biggest Test in November -- Ten states have ballot measures to establish a right to abortion in their state constitutions. The pushback has already begun. Kate Zernike in the New York Times$ -- 8/24/24

 

Also

Towering nude woman sculpture, previously displayed at Burning Man, proposed for S.F. Union Square -- As early as winter, a 48-foot sculpture could tower over visitors and buses at Union Square Plaza. Linda Liu in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/24/24

The nose knows: Border Patrol dog sniffs out 81 pounds of cocaine in Southern California bust -- The driver of a sport utility vehicle authorities say was carrying more than 80 pounds of cocaine may have gotten away with it if it weren’t for that meddling dog. Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/24/24

 

California Policy and Politics Friday

S.F. school board president abruptly resigns as city schools face yet another big challenge -- The president of the San Francisco school board abruptly resigned Friday, citing health and personal reasons, a decision that adds another element of drama to a district facing one of the most difficult years in recent memory. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/23/24

Fearing Trump, California is preparing to go its own way on water -- Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration is reopening a playbook it used to protect endangered fish during former President Donald Trump’s first term. Camille Von Kaenel CalMatters -- 8/23/24

FBI raids homes of Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do and his daughter -- Federal agents on Thursday raided the homes of Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do and his daughter as well as several other properties in an investigation into the alleged improper use of taxpayer money. Salvador Hernandez and Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/23/24

Walters: Oakland needs serious leadership changes. What about bringing back Jerry Brown? -- When author Gertrude Stein uttered the words “There’s no there there” about her hometown of Oakland, she did not intend it to be an insult, but rather a lament about nostalgia. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 8/23/24

Workplace

Farm Workers Union Battles California Grower Owned by Democratic Donors -- Wonderful Nurseries, owned by Stewart and Lynda Resnick, has sued the state to overturn a labor organizing law championed by the United Farm Workers. Kurtis Lee in the New York Times$ -- 8/23/24

California Governor Touts Fast Food Job Growth With Higher Minimum Wage -- As California considered and then mandated a minimum wage raise at most fast-food restaurants, opponents warned the controversial legislation could be a job killer. On Tuesday, before appearing at the Democratic National Convention, Gov. Gavin Newsom highlighted new employment data pointing to a different picture: a growing industry. Farida Jhabvala Romero KQED -- 8/23/24

Education

San Francisco is the No. 1 county when it comes to preparing students for UC system -- Bay Area counties fare better than most of the state when it comes to completion of high school courses required for admission to a four-year public university, a Chronicle analysis found — a factor that has a strong impact on whether students apply to the University of California. Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/23/24

Jewish legislators not giving up on more ‘guardrails’ on ethnic studies -- Bill fails to gain traction amid opposition from college ethnic studies faculty and California Teachers Association. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 8/23/24

Silicon Valley school district spent big on ‘energy healer’ for top brass -- A small Silicon Valley school district with a significant achievement gap has quietly spent taxpayer dollars on a long list of questionable expenses in recent years — including hiring a Washington D.C. public relations firm and a Sacramento-based “energy healer” who uses “chakra clearing” while charging nearly $1,200 per session for meditation. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/23/24

Guns

A California court just found a way around the SCOTUS standard that’s killed other gun laws -- Finding evidence from colonial history that the Supreme Court has required to justify restrictions on firearms, a state appeals court on Thursday upheld California’s laws banning convicted felons from possessing guns or ammunition. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/23/24

 

Top of the Ticket

Harris summons Americans to reject political divisions, warns of consequences posed by a Trump win -- Taking the stage to a thunderous standing ovation as she closed out the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, the vice president argued that her personal story and background as a prosecutor made her uniquely qualified to protect Americans’ interests against a former president she cast as only having his own interests in mind. Will Weissert, Zeke Miller and Darlene Superville Associated Press Noah Bierman and Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ Shira Stein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Tarini Parti and Ken Thomas in the Wall Street Journal$ Toluse Olorunnipa and Tyler Pager in the Washington Post$ Katie Rogers and Reid J. Epstein in the New York Times$ -- 8/23/24

Harris strikes balance on Gaza at DNC, in her most extended remarks on war -- The Democratic presidential nominee said she would “always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself,” but also directly addressed the suffering in Gaza. Andrew Jeong and Yasmeen Abutaleb in the Washington Post$ David E. Sanger in the New York Times$ -- 8/23/24

Kamala Harris has put Trump in a box, and he’s struggling to break out -- As Democrats emerge from their electrifying convention in Chicago, Trump finds himself on the defense, and it’s not clear he knows what to do. Dan Balz in the Washington Post$ -- 8/23/24

Barabak, Chabria: Column: Kamala Harris faced a high bar in convention speech. She soared past it -- On the final night of the Democratic National Convention, expectations were high and rumors were rampant. Mark Z. Barabak and Anita Chabria in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/23/24

Garofoli: Kamala Harris would be a historic first as president. Here’s why her DNC speech didn’t dwell on that -- From her earliest days in California politics, Kamala Harris has frequently shared her mother’s admonition with audiences: “You may be the first to do many things, but make sure you are not the last.” Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/23/24

Stephen Curry endorses Kamala Harris by video at DNC, days after coach Kerr speech -- Stephen Curry, the three-point-draining Golden State Warrior and NBA All-Star who just won a gold medal with Team USA at the Paris Olympics, appeared via video at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday night to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as the nation’s next president. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/23/24

Are late-running DNC speeches losing viewers? The ratings say no -- Data released by the measurement service Nielsen shows that viewers have mostly been sticking around to see late-night addresses. Eric Lau, Jeremy Barr and Bonnie Berkowitz in the Washington Post$ -- 8/23/24

Excitement over Kamala Harris activates unprecedented flood of Democratic donors -- Vice President Kamala Harris activated a flood of Democratic donors who had been on the sidelines, new data shows: More people donated to her campaign in its first 10 days than in the entire 15 months of President Joe Biden’s. And most of the donors were new not only to the campaign but to giving to any Democrats this cycle. Jessica Piper Politico -- 8/23/24

Harris gets leeway from the left to talk tough on the border -- Democrats are doing a tricky two-step on immigration, keeping one foot in the familiar terrain of immigrant rights while putting the other in a newfound restrictionist stance on the border. Melanie Mason Politico -- 8/23/24

Democrats fully embrace abortion rights at convention and beyond -- It can be difficult to bring an arena of more than 20,000 people to a hush, but on the first night of the Democratic National Convention, Hadley Duvall did just that. Amy B Wang in the Washington Post$ -- 8/23/24

Harris argues that, at long last, the end of the Trump era is in sight -- 2024’s driving energy is the same as in 2020: it’s a referendum on Trump. The Democrats’ case is more easily made in this year and with their current candidate. Philip Bump in the Washington Post$ -- 8/23/24

Exonerated members from Central Park Five warn about Trump at Democratic Convention -- The former president has never apologized to the group for taking out newspaper ads calling for the death penalty or for his public antagonism toward the teens in 1989. Amy B Wang in the Washington Post$ -- 8/23/24

The Democratic Party looks more like America, and not just on TV -- Recognition of America’s diversity is a central part of the Democratic Party’s convention pitch. It is bolstered by actual data. Philip Bump in the Washington Post$ Jeffery C. Mays in the New York Times$ -- 8/23/24

Democrats Show That Republicans Aren’t the Only Ones Who Can Wrap Themselves in the Flag -- From the appearance of Olympic gold medal heroes, symbols of American success, to Ms. Harris’s speech proclaiming the “privilege and pride of being an American,” there seemed little doubt that Democrats were intent on showing that Republicans are not the only party that can wrap itself in the American flag. Adam Nagourney in the New York Times$ -- 8/23/24

Project 2025 plans ‘thermonuclear attack’ on internet — so why do some Big Tech execs prefer Trump? -- Conservative agenda would weaken a foundational internet protection for big companies, but also give crypto and AI free reign. Raheem Hosseini in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/23/24

With conventions over, a 10-week sprint to the White House begins -- Polling shows that while Harris fares better than President Biden against Trump, it’s still an incredibly close race that will come down to a small number of voters in a handful of battleground states. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/23/24

Harris Faces Challenge of Translating Convention Joy to Fall Momentum -- The newly anointed Democratic presidential nominee revived a demoralized party. But as she leaves Chicago, a bruising, closely fought contest awaits her. Peter Baker in the New York Times$ -- 8/23/24

Trump

‘IS SHE TALKING ABOUT ME?’: Trump brings the venom in rambling posts during Harris’ DNC speech -- Former President Trump, in a string of posts on his Truth Social, repeatedly insulted Vice President Kamala Harris — whom he called “Comrade Kamala” — as she spoke Thursday night at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where she formally accepted her party’s nomination for president. Hailey Branson-Potts in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/23/24

Dialing In to Fox News, Trump Offers a Rambling Rebuttal to Harris’s Speech -- Former President Donald J. Trump was watching television on Thursday night and he did not like what he saw. Michael M. Grynbaum and Michael Gold in the New York Times$ -- 8/23/24

Fund-Raiser for Jan. 6 Defendants Will Be Held at Trump’s Golf Club -- Mr. Trump is said to not be attending the event, although an invitation lists him as an “invited guest speaker.” It will be held two months before Election Day. Alan Feuer in the New York Times$ -- 8/23/24

Walz

‘Tampon Tim’ is looking more like Teflon Tim -- Why Republicans’ efforts to ding Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz — efforts based on at least some legitimate material — have fallen flat. Aaron Blake in the Washington Post$ -- 8/23/24

Tim Walz’s son Gus has a nonverbal learning disorder. What is that? -- Gus Walz, the 17-year-old son of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, has a nonverbal learning disorder. He’s one of millions of American kids with the condition, which has been described as the opposite of dyslexia. Karen Kaplan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/23/24

Biden

Biden lies low during vacation at Democratic donor Joe Kiani’s estate near Santa Barbara -- Biden, the first lady and several of their children and grandchildren are spending the week at an 8,000-acre spread owned by major Democratic donor Joe Kiani. The president is scheduled to depart for Delaware on Sunday. Laura J. Nelson and Queenie Wong in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/23/24

 

Environment

New initiative aims to turbocharge wildlife-crossing construction across California -- A vision to provide safe passage for mountain lions above 10 lanes of whizzing traffic near Los Angeles faced a foe: time. Lila Seidman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/23/24

Wildfire

Upland company created the sparks that set off the raging 2021 South fire, federal suit alleges -- A San Bernardino County wildfire that spanned 680 acres and took 275 firefighting personnel eight days to contain began with a few sparks from an excavator. Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/23/24

Also

The fight to save the last pieces of the historic Japanese fishing village on Terminal Island -- Months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, a Japanese American fishing community on San Pedro’s Terminal Island was given 48 hours to pack its belongings before it was forced into incarceration camps throughout the West. After the evacuation, most of its village was razed. But for more than 80 years, two buildings have been left standing. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/23/24