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California Policy and Politics Friday
Avian flu spreading in California raises pandemic threat for humans -- Health officials across the U.S. are working to prevent a potentially dangerous combination virus as avian flu rips through one of the nation’s largest milk-producing regions during the height of flu season. Rachel Bluth, David Lim and Marcia Brown Politico -- 10/18/24
Did Prop 47 increase crime in California? A major study says yes, but with a caveat -- Proposition 47, which downgraded certain offenses from felonies to misdemeanors in 2014, led to increased property crime after it passed – but not as much as the pandemic did. Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/18/24
Another refinery shuts down in California. What happens to gas prices? -- The decision by Phillips 66 this week to shutter its refinery in Wilmington next year will wipe out more than 8% of the state’s crude oil processing capacity. Russ Mitchell in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/18/24
Who’s fueling California’s congressional money race -- With Democrats firmly in control of statewide offices and the Legislature, California isn’t often seen as a “battleground state.” But California could decide which party controls Congress — and both parties and their allies are spending tens of millions of dollars to seize the opportunity. Lynn La CalMatters -- 10/18/24
California Republican Assembly candidate pleaded guilty to welfare fraud --Denise Aguilar Mendez is challenging Democrat Rhodesia Ransom in the race for outgoing Democratic Rep. Carlos Villapudua’s Stockton-area Assembly seat. Tyler Katzenberger Politico -- 10/18/24
Prop 36 marks a rare split between Gavin Newsom and powerful prison guard union -- Gov. Gavin Newsom is the most prominent critic of Proposition 36, a measure on the November ballot that would increase sentences for drug possession and repeated thefts of $950 or more. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/18/24
We fact-checked the ads about Proposition 33, California’s rent control ballot measure -- The Yes and No on 33 campaigns have collectively spent more than $140 million. CalMatters fact checked some of the more pervasive claims made by both sides. Felicia Mello CalMatters -- 10/18/24
Who was behind the City Hall audio leak? The question may never be answered -- After the release of a secretly recorded conversation between four Latino political leaders sparked an uproar at City Hall, two overarching questions lingered: Who made the recording and why? James Queally, Dakota Smith and David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/18/24
Outside groups are spending millions in California’s swing U.S. House races. Will it make a difference? -- Campaigns in California’s hottest congressional races are being boosted by outside groups. That money is on top of fundraising by the candidates, where Democrats are besting Republicans. Yue Stella Yu CalMatters -- 10/18/24
Harris has been called ‘soft’ and ‘tough’ on crime. What does her record show? -- Those who worked with Kamala Harris when she was San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general say her approach to being a prosecutor was nuanced and defies labels. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/18/24
Wildfire
PG&E shuts off power to thousands in Northern California as red flag warning raises fire concerns -- Pacific Gas and Electric Co. began shutting off power to some customers in Northern California on Thursday afternoon in an effort to curb wildfire risk amid dry weather conditions and strong winds. Maliya Ellis in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/18/24
Meta
Meta lays off workers in multiple divisions, reportedly fires dozens over meal credit violations -- A Meta spokesperson explained that the layoffs affecting Instagram, WhatsApp and Reality Labs are aligned with the company’s “long-term strategic goals” and that affected employees are encouraged to apply for other available positions. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/18/24
Workplace
Why this tech company is moving to downtown S.F.: ‘We love the city’ -- The walkability of downtown San Francisco was particularly attractive to Strava, which makes an app that lets users track their runs, hikes, biking and other workouts. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/18/24
More than 2,000 Kaiser mental health professionals could go on strike Monday -- More than 2,000 unionized psychologists, therapists and other mental health professionals at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California plan to launch an indefinite strike Monday amid complaints that the massive system has failed to address problems with how it provides mental health care. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/18/24
Union drive at Wells Fargo heats up as employees allege intimidation tactics -- Wells Fargo employees seeking to unionize say the bank fired members of their proposed bargaining unit ahead of a scheduled vote. Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/18/24
SFUSD
S.F. schools in crisis: SFUSD superintendent set to resign -- San Francisco schools superintendent Matt Wayne is expected to resign Friday, ending weeks of conjecture and debate over his ability to lead the district through a fiscal crisis and planned school closures. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/18/24
Klamath
First salmon swims all the way to Oregon after historic California dam removal -- The massive dam-removal project on the Klamath River began living up to its lofty goal of improving fish passage this week when at least one salmon was observed swimming upriver past the sites of four former dams that had long blocked fish. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/18/24
Homeless
How Los Angeles Is Trying to Keep Homeless People Off the Streets -- The city relies on an army of case managers to help homeless people stay in motels and on the path toward finding an apartment. Jill Cowan in the New York Times$ -- 10/18/24
Walters: How much would it cost to end homelessness in California? Try more than $100 billion -- Multiple state agencies spent nearly $24 billion on housing and homeless programs in the first five years of Gavin Newsom’s governorship, but the number of people without homes continued to grow, rising by 20% to more than 180,000 in the most recent federal count in 2023. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 10/18/24
Street
ACLU says Vallejo police are too brutal, asks state to investigate shootings of civilians -- Families of people killed by Vallejo police officers have asked the California Commission on Police Officer Standards and Training to investigate whether to take their badges away. Jessica Garrison in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/18/24
State program for released sexually violent predators spends $1.6 million per predator, audit finds -- Since 2003, the California Department of State Hospitals has paid a single vendor around $93 million to oversee the release of 56 sexually violent predators — an average cost of about $1.6 million per predator, according to a recent report from the California State Auditor. Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/18/24
Top of the ticket
Trump’s age finally catches up with him -- The man who would (once again) be the oldest president in history has reportedly scaled back his campaign due to fatigue. So who would run his White House? Philip Bump in the Washington Post$ -- 10/18/24
Harris calls out Trump for ‘gaslighting’ Americans about Jan. 6 attack -- Kamala Harris chided Donald Trump for his revisionist history on the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol after he said it was a “day of love.” Maeve Reston in the Washington Post$ -- 10/18/24
Trump delivers profanity, below-the-belt digs at Catholic charity banquet -- He questioned the manhood of Harris’s running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.), at the same time belittling transgender people. He tendentiously emphasized former president Barack Obama’s middle name of Hussein, as he often does at his rallies, and used profanity to disparage former New York mayor Bill De Blasio. The only person off limits for Trump was himself. Marianne LeVine and Isaac Arnsdorf in the Washington Post$ Jill Colvin Associated Press -- 10/18/24
Harris campaign features less talk of joy and more head-on digs at Trump as Election Day nears -- Less than three weeks from Election Day, Harris is closing out her campaign painting a dark vision of the country if Trump is sent back to the White House, including airing video clips at her own rallies of the Republican nominee’s more alarming rhetoric. Zeke Miller and Steve Karnowski Associated Press -- 10/18/24
Trump’s Meandering Speeches Motivate His Critics and Worry His Allies -- Some advisers and allies of former President Donald J. Trump are concerned about his scattershot style on the campaign trail as he continues to veer off script. Michael C. Bender in the New York Times$ -- 10/18/24
Trump has vowed to gut climate rules. Oil lobbyists have a plan ready -- As companies fall short on methane emission reductions, a top trade group has crafted a road map for dismantling key Biden administration rules. Evan Halper and Josh Dawsey in the Washington Post$ -- 10/18/24
Trump drops the pretense, labels Jan. 6 insurrectionists ‘we’ -- “There were no guns down there; we didn’t have guns,” Trump said, before repeating: “The others had guns, but we didn’t have guns.” The first thing to note is that’s false; Trump supporters did have guns and many other weapons. But also consider what Trump has done rhetorically. He cast the insurrectionists as a “we.” Aaron Blake in the Washington Post$ -- 10/18/24
The DC bureaucrat who could deliver billions to Elon Musk -- The SpaceX billionaire is forging new ties with a federal telecom official who could help funnel billions of dollars to his company if Trump is elected. John Hendel Politico -- 10/18/24
Meet the Candidate: Elon Musk -- The billionaire is spending a fortune to support former President Donald J. Trump. But at a town hall event in Pennsylvania, he looked an awful lot like a politician himself. Theodore Schleifer in the New York Times$ Tim Higgins in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/18/24
McConnell called Trump ‘stupid,’ a ‘despicable human being,’ new book says -- According to a biography by the Associated Press’s deputy Washington bureau chief, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) said after the 2020 election that the former president is a “narcissist.” Mariana Alfaro in the Washington Post$ -- 10/18/24
California Policy and Politics Thursday
Phillips 66 to close California refinery days after Newsom signed oil law -- Phillips 66 announced Wednesday that it will close its Los Angeles oil refinery next year, citing “long-term uncertainty” two days after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law clearing the way for new regulations on the state’s refiners. Wes Venteicher Politico -- 10/17/24
Avian flu and seasonal flu are colliding in California -- Officials are racing to vaccinate dairy workers against the seasonal flu to prevent the two viruses from combining. Rachel Bluth, David Lim and Marcia Brown Politico -- 10/17/24
Trump Ad Blames Harris for Freeing Oakland Journalist’s Killer. It’s Not True, Reporters Say -- A new Donald Trump campaign ad that blames then-San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris for the 2007 killing of an Oakland journalist is “low and lacks context,” according to reporters who covered the murder and called the ad factually inaccurate. Katie DeBenedetti KQED -- 10/17/24
Barabak: Donald Trump threatens vengeance on California. Should we believe him? -- Life may be full of uncertainties but there’s one thing you can count on come election day, as surely as the sun rises over the Sierra and sets over the Pacific. Donald Trump will lose California. And it won’t be remotely close. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/17/24
Trump claim against SJSU player refuted after he pledges to ban trans athletes from women’s sports -- Former President Donald Trump, referencing a play in a San Jose State women’s volleyball match last week, said Wednesday that he would ban all transgender women from competing in women’s sports if elected. Marisa Ingemi in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/17/24
Six ways Kamala Harris changed these Californians’ lives forever -- Before she was the Democratic presidential nominee, Kamala Harris took actions as California attorney general and San Francisco district attorney that have left lasting impacts on people in the Golden State. Mackenzie Mays, Laurel Rosenhall, Christina House in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/17/24
L.A. Catholic Church to pay record settlement over clergy abuse; cumulative payouts top $1.5 billion -- The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has agreed to pay $880 million to victims of clergy sexual abuse in the largest settlement involving the Catholic Church. Richard Winton and Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/17/24
San Francisco takes on the EPA in a case about poop and a $10 billion fine -- The justices appeared divided over a lawsuit brought by San Francisco over EPA rules for regulating how much sewage the city can send to the Pacific Ocean. Justin Jouvenal and Maxine Joselow in the Washington Post$ Abbie VanSickle in the New York Times$ -- 10/17/24
The Chronicle’s editorial board endorsed Lurie. Breed’s campaign tells supporters a different story -- Mayor London Breed’s reelection campaign sent an email to supporters Wednesday that suggested she was endorsed by the Chronicle’s editorial board when she was not. J.D. Morris, St. John Barned-Smith in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/17/24
Oakland mayor slams FBI raid and shoots back at critics in defiant interview -- With a recall vote looming and opponents striking from every angle, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao is demanding the FBI tell the public that she’s not the target of an ongoing corruption investigation despite federal agents raiding her house in June. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/17/24
11 questions for Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao -- The embattled mayor says Oakland is turning a corner despite calls for her to leave office. Tyler Katzenberger Politico -- 10/17/24
Tracking California’s bellwether: These counties best mirror statewide voting behavior -- If you want to know which California counties vote most like the state as a whole, just head towards the Sacramento River Delta. Kota Suzuki in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/17/24
Why CalPERS is being pushed to divest from Tesla -- Elon Musk, the tech mogul who runs Tesla, said in December that diversity, equity and inclusion efforts “must die.” Now, two civil rights groups are calling for the nation’s largest public pension fund to divest from the electric vehicle maker. Lynn La CalMatters -- 10/17/24
Cities face limits on how they can expand rent control. Voters could change that with Prop. 33 -- If voters approve Proposition 33, it would allow cities to put rent caps on properties and units that they currently cannot cap, including newer apartment buildings, single family houses and vacant units. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/17/24
Newton: Los Angeles County’s progress against homelessness faces a major test on the ballot -- Atop the Los Angeles County ballot next month is a measure that tests at least two assumptions: that county voters are prepared to spend more to relieve the problem of homelessness, and that those same voters trust government to spend that money well. Neither assumption is proven. Jim Newton CalMatters -- 10/17/24
Walters: Harris vs. Trump competition tests California’s image among swing state voters -- Not surprisingly, this year’s presidential campaign pitting Vice President Kamala Harris against former President Donald Trump includes a sharp conflict over whether California is a shining model of prosperity and inclusiveness to be emulated or a dystopian hellhole of crime, squalor and oppressive politics. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 10/17/24
Workplace
No one is fighting a proposition to ban forced labor in California prisons. Why it could still fail -- Supporters of a proposition to ban forced labor in California prisons believe they have a strong message centered on rehabilitation. But as Election Day nears, polls show it’s a toss-up or trailing. Joe Garcia CalMatters -- 10/17/24
Hollywood production falls below strike levels as reality TV takes massive hit -- Hollywood production was even slower this summer than it was during last year’s strikes because of a staggering decline in reality TV shoots, according to a new report. Christi Carras in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/17/24
AI is supposed to be Hollywood’s next big thing. What’s taking so long? -- As AI technology advances, industry observers expect to see more deals between tech companies, studios and talent. But major challenges remain. Wendy Lee and Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/17/24
Education
Debate over gender identity instruction sparks controversy in Bay Area school district -- Kindergarten teacher placed on leave after parents express outrage at materials in Cupertino Union classroom. Molly Gibbs in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/17/24
Street
San Francisco overdose deaths plummet -- The number of people in San Francisco who died from accidental overdoses of fentanyl, the powerful synthetic opioid at the heart of the nation’s overdose epidemic, fell to a four-year low in September — a bright spot after years of the drug’s escalating devastation. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/17/24
Top of the ticket
Harris’ interview with Fox News is marked by testy exchanges over immigration and more -- Vice President Kamala Harris engaged in a combative first interview with Fox News on Wednesday, sparring on immigration policy and shifting policy positions while asserting that if electe, she would not represent a continuation of Joe Biden’s presidency. Zeke Miller Associated Press Nicholas Nehamas and Katie Rogers in the New York Times$ Maeve Reston in the Washington Post$ Kierra Frazier Politico -- 10/17/24
Trump Faces Tough Questions From Hispanic Voters, but Largely Defends or Dodges -- Halfway through a town hall hosted by Univision on Wednesday, Ramiro Gonzalez stood in front of Donald J. Trump and told the former president that he had lost his support. Michael Gold and Jazmine Ulloa in the New York Times$ -- 10/17/24
JD Vance says Donald Trump did not lose the 2020 election -- Trump’s running mate had danced around the issue since being pressed on it in a debate over two weeks ago. Meryl Kornfield and Patrick Svitek in the Washington Post$ Simon J. Levien and Michael C. Bender in the New York Times$ -- 10/17/24
In a Harris Ad, a Black Man Speaks to Black Men on Her Behalf -- A commercial running in Philadelphia confronts the idea that some Black men might be hesitant to vote for Kamala Harris because she is a woman. “Women know how to make things happen,” a supporter says. Lisa Lerer in the New York Times$ -- 10/17/24
Trump Wants Young Voters, but He’s Nowhere to Be Seen on Snapchat -- The former president, whose personal account was banned after the Capitol riot, has refused to spend campaign money on Snapchat ads, effectively ceding the space to Kamala Harris. Nicholas Nehamas and Shane Goldmacher in the New York Times$ -- 10/17/24
A Second Trump Presidency Stands to Radically Remake World Trade -- Tariffs could rise to highest levels since the 1930s. Anything from a global trade war to a U.S.-led system against China could be the result. Greg Ip in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/17/24
Paths to Victory in the 2024 Election -- Explore the possible combinations needed in battleground states for either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris to win. James Benedict in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/17/24
Elon Musk gives $75M to his own America PAC in push to elect Trump -- The contribution marks the billionaire’s latest show of support for Donald Trump’s reelection bid. Clara Ence Morse and Maegan Vazquez in the Washington Post$ -- 10/17/24
Shadow machinery tries to win White House by enticing unlikely voters -- Comic books, paydays, door-knocking, direct mail, giveaways, viral videos and “poll dancer” parties that happen independent of campaigns could be decisive. Michael Scherer in the Washington Post$ -- 10/17/24
How Accurate, or Off-Target, Could the Polls Be This Year? -- The polls may never perfectly match election results. But an examination of three decades of polling helps put recent misses into context. Kaleigh Rogers, Albert Sun and Christine Zhang in the New York Times$ -- 10/17/24
Jimmy Carter Casts His Ballot for Harris in Georgia -- The 39th president, who entered hospice care in February 2023, submitted an absentee ballot, according to a grandson. His family said he had been eager to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris. Alan Blinder in the New York Times$ -- 10/17/24
Also
Land deal in California’s far north conserves 3 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail -- Anticipated to be finalized by the end of the year, the deal will encompass 7,000 acres of forestland spread across about a dozen parcels in the southern Klamath Mountains between Castle Crags State Park and the Trinity Alps, according to San Francisco-based Trust For Public Land, which brokered the deal. Gregory Thomas in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/17/24
L.A.’s. new graffiti wars: A bold generation of taggers hitting high-profile targets -- Graffiti has been a central part of Los Angeles for generations, an omnipresent part of the cityscape that has endured many attempts to stamp it out. But L.A.’s graffiti culture is in the midst of a very loud and brash change. Nathan Solis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/17/24