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