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How Steve Bannon became the face of a political movement with roots in Los Angeles -- A movement raised in West L.A. found its voice in online media and worked its way into the White House. And while Bannon’s tenure in the West Wing has come to an end, the movement and infrastructure he is part of shows no sign of slowing. Chris Keller and Thomas Suh Lauder in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/19/17

Can marijuana finally turn this remote Mojave outpost into a boom town? -- Gerald Freeman struggled for three decades to transform this desolate Mojave Desert outpost into a 21st century mecca for nature lovers and prospectors, spending more than $1 million on restoration, shade trees, organic farming projects and gleaming solar panels. He wasn’t the first. Louis Sahagun in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/19/17

Pharmacy and medical practice accused of using San Diego Marines in $67 million healthcare fraud -- A small pharmacy in Utah and a doctor’s office in Tennessee have been implicated in an alleged kickback scheme that used San Diego County Marines to defraud the military’s health insurance provider out of at least $67 million, according to court records filed in San Diego by federal authorities. Kristina Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/19/17

Lopez: After her life in L.A. unraveled, a woman living in her car hopes to regain health and employment -- She’s a Los Angeles native, the daughter of Japanese immigrants, and at one time she was the definition of middle class. College education. Good job. Nice apartment in the Cheviot Hills area. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/19/17

In January, President Trump vowed to hire 5,000 new Border Patrol agents. It never happened -- Five days after President Trump took office, he signed an executive order that promised a swift, sharp crackdown on illegal immigration — immediate construction of a massive border wall, quick hiring of 5,000 new Border Patrol agents and stepped-up deportation of undocumented migrants. Joseph Tanfani in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/19/17

California lawmakers to tackle housing crisis, immigration -- California lawmakers return Monday from a monthlong break with a busy agenda that includes tackling the state's housing crisis and deciding whether to make California a statewide sanctuary for people living illegally in the U.S. Jonathan J. Cooper Associated Press -- 8/19/17

California Politics Podcast: Lawmakers return to Sacramento with a full plate -- California political leaders react, and recoil, at the events in Charlottesville. We also discuss the fight among Assembly Republicans, we preview the final four weeks of the Legislature's work for 2017 and we look at the effort to remove a Democratic state senator from office. With John Myers and Melanie Mason of the Los Angeles Times and Marisa Lagos of KQED News. Link Here -- 8/19/17

After Charlottesville, Republicans remain stymied over what to do about Trump -- In the aftermath of the white-supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Republican lawmakers and leaders face the most unpalatable set of choices yet in their relationship with President Trump. They are caught between disgust over his failure to unequivocally condemn neo-Nazism, a desire to advance a conservative agenda and fears of rupturing the Trump-GOP coalition ahead of the 2018 elections. Dan Balz in the Washington Post$ -- 8/19/17

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

California Republicans tell Assembly GOP leader Chad Mayes to step down -- The California Republican Party’s board voted Friday evening to urge Chad Mayes to step down from his position as leader of the party’s Assembly caucus, continuing the bitter fallout over last month’s vote to extend the state cap-and-trade program. Chris Megerian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/19/17

Adam Schiff on Bannon Firing: It Won’t Solve Trump’s Problems -- Rep. Adam Schiff, who’s made a name for himself as the ranking Democratic member of the House Intelligence Committee that’s investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, says today’s departure of White House strategist Steve Bannon won’t fix what ails the Trump administration. Scott Shafer KQED -- 8/19/17

The man who wanted to split California into six states now wants to make it into three -- A Silicon Valley venture capitalist whose saw his dream to carve California into six separate states fizzle has returned with a slimmed down idea: this time. Tim Draper filed his proposed 2018 ballot initiative on Friday asking voters to split California into three new states: Northern California, California and Southern California. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ Jim Miller in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/19/17

Enough signatures have been collected to force a recall election against state Sen. Josh Newman -- Signatures verified by officials in Orange, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties would require a special election for voters to consider removing state Sen. Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) less than a year into his four-year term in office. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/19/17

LA faith leaders call on Americans to ‘show the love’ in face of hate, bigotry -- The dozen or so rabbis, imams, pastors and religious scholars came from all corners of Los Angeles on Friday to meet at an African-American mosque in Hyde Park known as Islah LA, for a sole purpose: to stand together against white supremacy and the ugliness of hate that surfaced on the streets of Charlottesville, Va., last week. Susan Abram in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 8/19/17

What would L.A. do if white supremacists wanted to rally here? During emotional talk, city attorney weighs in -- City Atty. Mike Feuer said Friday that he would urge Los Angeles officials to consider imposing restrictions or even deny permits to hate groups seeking to rally here in order to prevent the kind of violent clashes that erupted last weekend at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va. Kate Mather in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/19/17

Far-right activist faces criminal charges in Berkeley violence caught on video -- Five months after the so-called Battle of Berkeley began, Alameda County prosecutors are pressing charges against those accused of causing the violent clashes between far-right and far-left demonstrators. Paige St. John in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/19/17

Trump supporter arrested in Berkeley could face lengthy prison term -- A Daly City man charged this week with possessing a lead-filled stick that he allegedly used to hit counterprotesters during a March rally in Berkeley could face up to eight years in state prison because of a prior violent felony, officials said Friday. Kimberly Veklerov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/19/17

Vice President Mike Pence is heading to California to raise money with Kevin McCarthy -- Vice President Mike Pence and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) are hosting a series of high-dollar fundraisers in California in September in an attempt to bolster the state’s vulnerable GOP members of Congress, according to invitations obtained by The Times. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/19/17

Oakland firefighter killed in San Jose shooting; suspect arrested -- They were two of Oakland’s newest firefighters, off the clock and enjoying a night out in San Jose with their academy mates when, suddenly and without warning, authorities say a man walked up and shot the pair in cold blood. Robert Salonga, Jason Green, David Debolt and Mark Gomez in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/19/17

Housing  

Richmond mayor wants to scrap city’s public Housing Authority -- Richmond Mayor Tom Butt is proposing the dismantling of the city’s Housing Authority, saying that diminishing funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development make the agency’s continued operations untenable. Kimberly Veklerov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/19/17

Education 

More debt relief for former Corinthian College students -- California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced on Friday that about $51 million in student loan relief will be coming to former California students of the now defunct Corinthian Colleges. Adolfo Guzman-Lopez KPCC -- 8/19/17

How L.A. students will — or won't — experience Monday's solar eclipse -- On Monday morning, as the moon passes directly in front of the sun, more than 2,000 students at the Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies, one of L.A. Unified’s most sought-after magnet schools, will get to view the eclipse in person through NASA-approved glasses. Anna M. Phillips and Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/19/17

USC downplays fundraising efforts of ex-dean at center of drug scandal -- USC on Friday moved to further distance itself from the former dean of its medical school at the center of a scandal, downplaying Dr. Carmen Puliafito’s much-touted performance as a fundraiser for the university. Paul Pringle, Harriet Ryan, Matt Hamilton and Sarah Parvini in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/19/17

Cannabis 

Raids of Emerald Triangle marijuana farms could threaten industry’s legal compliance -- California’s push to legalize and regulate the cannabis industry, a phased rollout with local and state government rules in development, has hit a snag in marijuana’s famed Emerald Triangle region, where a series of state law enforcement operations has targeted growers with county permits or others who have applied for them. Julie Johnson in the Santa Rosa Press -- 8/19/17

Environment 

Sheriff says visitors to Martins Beach won’t be arrested if they go around gates locked by billionaire Vinod Khosla -- One week after a state appeals court ruled that Silicon Valley billionaire Vinod Khosla cannot continue blocking public access to Martins Beach on the coast south of Half Moon Bay, the gate remains padlocked with no-trespassing signs. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/19/17

More restrictions announced for toxic pesticide -- California moved a step closer Friday to banning a widely used agricultural pesticide linked to birth defects, openly departing from the Trump administration’s decision to walk back an Obama-era effort to ban the chemical. Geoffrey Mohan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/19/17

Also . . . 

Tweet from the account of Charlottesville rally organizer insults slain protester Heather Heyer -- A tweet from the account of the far-right activist who organized the Charlottesville “Unite the Right” rally insulted the protester who was killed at the event, saying late Friday night that her death was “payback time.” Matt Pearce in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/19/17

POTUS 45  

Inside the rise and fall of Steve Bannon -- In the end, it was Steve Bannon’s ego that did him in. On Friday, ending weeks of speculation, chief of staff John Kelly fired the president’s chief strategist — the rumpled, populist firebrand who helped the unlikeliest candidate storm his way to the presidency. Bannon, who proved a perfect partner for Donald Trump during the campaign, struggled from the beginning to function within the confines of the West Wing. Josh Dawsey, Annie Karni and Matthew Nussbaum Politico -- 8/19/17

 

-- Friday Updates 

Sacramento County sues to block Delta tunnels – and it’s not alone -- Sacramento County led a cascade of area governments suing the state in an effort to block the Delta tunnels, saying the $17 billion project would harm local farmers, endangered fish and low-income communities at the south end of the county. Dale Kasler and Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/18/17

Jerry Brown commutes prison sentences for six murderers, three others -- Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday commuted the sentences of nine California prisoners who were convicted over the past three decades primarily of murder or attempted murder. Seven are now eligible to appear before the state Board of Parole Hearings, which will determine whether they are ready to be released. Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/18/17

Stephen Bannon Out at the White House After Turbulent Run -- Stephen K. Bannon, the embattled chief strategist who helped President Trump win the 2016 election but clashed for months with other senior West Wing advisers, is leaving his post, a White House spokeswoman announced Friday. Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ Ashley Parker, Philip Rucker, Robert Costa and Damian Paletta in the Washington Post$ Noah Bierman and Jackie Calmes in the Los Angeles Times$ Jill Colvin and Jonathan Lemire Associated Press -- 8/18/17

Citing Trump remarks, entire president’s arts council quits -- Actor Kal Penn, artist Chuck Close and the entire membership of the President’s Committee On the Arts and Humanities have announced their resignation. A letter dated Friday, and signed by 16 of 17 committee members, cited the “false equivalence” of President Donald Trump’s comments about last weekend’s “Unite the Right” gathering in Charlottesville, Virginia. Trump has blamed “many sides” for the demonstrations that left an anti-racism activist dead. Associated Press -- 8/18/17

After Virginia violence, far right and white nationalists turn to a familiar target: California -- When far-ri ght activist Kyle Chapman took to Facebook last week urging followers to attend upcoming rallies in the Bay Area, he was downright gleeful about taking the fight to the celebrated liberal bastion. James Queally and Paige St. John in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/18/17

Bay Area man celebrating honeymoon killed in Barcelona terror attack, father says -- A California man was one of the 13 people killed in Thursday’s terror attack in Barcelona, his father told a Bay Area television station. The father of Jared Tucker, a 42-year-old Lafayette resident, told KGO-TV that his son’s wife had tentatively identified his remains. Veronica Rocha in the Los Angeles Times$ Lizzie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/18/17

Teenager in sex scandal sues Richmond police -- The teenage sex worker at the center of a scandal that affected police departments throughout the Bay Area has filed suit against Richmond police officers, alleging that some had sex with her while she was a minor and that others turned a “blind eye” to her exploitation. Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Paul Elias Associated Press -- 8/18/17

Pie guy attorneys plan to release 2007 Kevin Johnson alleged sex assault findings -- Attorneys for the local activist who tossed a pie at former Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said Friday they plan to release a 2007 police report from a sexual assault investigation into Johnson as a way of challenging his credibility. Darrell Smith in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/18/17

Amid Uncertainty Over Health Care, Covered California Appeals to Insurers’ Bottom Lines -- With ongoing uncertainty around the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the board that oversees California’s health care marketplace took action to stabilize the exchange on Thursday. Their goal was to convince insurance companies to continue offering health plans through Covered California. Laura Klivans KQED -- 8/18/17

California tightens rules on popular pesticide farmers use -- California regulators say they're tightening the rules on a pesticide popular with farmers over new health concerns. The California Environmental Protection announced Friday that it's targeting chlorpyrifos. Farmers use it to kill pests that attack many crops like grapes, almonds and cotton. Scott Smith Associated Press -- 8/18/17

California adds 82,600 jobs in July; unemployment rate rises to 4.8% -- California employers increased their payrolls by 82,600 jobs in July, though the state’s unemployment rate rose to 4.8%, according to data released Friday by the state’s Employment Development Department. The state’s unemployment rate in June was 4.7%. Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/18/17

In Los Angeles, a public school just for boys -- Put dozens of boys in a new school in South L.A., the first one in Los Angeles Unified devoted to young men. Give them ties to knot over sweater vests bearing their names and the logo of the Boys Academic Leadership Academy. Joy Resmovits in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/18/17

Swatt: Remembering Ross Johnson -- It started with trying to provide relief to beleaguered homeowners who simply couldn’t afford the property taxes required to keep them in their homes. It ended three decades later with vigorous advocacy for campaign finance reform so Californians could understand clearly who was behind the curtain pulling the strings on our elections. Susie Swatt Fox & Hounds -- 8/18/17