Updating . .   

EPA rejects Southern California smog-fighting program as ineffective -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has rejected part of a smog-reduction plan by Southern California air quality regulators, saying it has failed to cut pollution from oil refineries and other big emissions sources as required by federal law. Tony Barboza in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/16

California analyst: High-speed rail lacks spending details -- The Legislative Analyst’s Office on Thursday said lawmakers should require more detailed planning on the cost, scope and schedule of each high-speed rail segment. It says the project’s business plans are hard to compare. Juliet Williams Associated Press -- 3/17/16

Trump likely needs California triumph to win nomination -- The party that hasn't elected anyone to statewide office in a decade just might get the last word on whether Donald Trump should be the GOP's presidential nominee -- not to mention a front-row seat to a huge political spectacle that will likely trigger massive protests. Matthew Artz in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/17/16

California smoking bills in holding pattern, stalling lobbyist threat -- Politically potent tobacco bills have not advanced to Gov. Jerry Brown a week after California legislators passed them, for now delaying the tobacco industry’s strategy to exact revenge with a referendum campaign. Jeremy B. White in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/17/16

Crossing borders: Uber takes San Diego riders to Mexico -- On Friday, Uber will launch Passport, its first cross-border service, offering one-way transportation from San Diego across the San Ysidro border to anywhere in the northern Baja California region, which extends as far south as Ensenada and as far east as Mexicali. Jennifer Van Grove in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/17/16

California initiative avalanche makes your signature more valuable -- The voice on the telephone recording could have been that of a stockbroker in a bull market. Instead, it was the head of a firm that collects signatures for proposed initiatives scrambling to qualify for California’s November ballot. Christopher Cadelago in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/17/16

Two more state lawmakers want UC Davis chancellor to leave -- Assemblyman Luis Alejo, D-Salinas, and Assemblyman Jim Cooper, D-Elk Grove, asked Thursday for Katehi to resign or be removed. Their statements followed earlier calls for her resignation by Assemblymen Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento, and Evan Low, D-Campbell. Diana Lambert in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/17/16

Emotional student rally at San Jose State to protest hate crime verdict -- Calling the verdict in a long-simmering racial bullying case everything from "disgusting" to "purely racist," students at San Jose State University rallied Thursday to decry the incident, the court proceedings and the overall treatment of students of color on the campus of 33,000. David E. Early in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/17/16

California auditor: Caltrans road work open to waste, fraud, abuse -- The California state auditor has criticized the Department of Transportation’s approach to highway maintenance, saying Caltrans has “weak cost controls” that “create opportunities for fraud, waste and abuse.” Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/17/16

Garcetti pushes fingerprint-based background checks for Uber and Lyft drivers -- Drivers for Uber, Lyft and limousine services in Los Angeles should undergo fingerprint scans and background checks similar to those imposed on local taxi drivers, Mayor Eric Garcetti and two city lawmakers told California regulators this week. Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/16

FPPC votes to tighten California lobbying regulations -- The ride-along exception was created decades ago to allow subject-matter experts to attend meetings alongside registered lobbyists. Taryn Luna in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/17/16

Down at least 50 cars, BART chaos expected to spill into Friday -- Engineers have been working around the clock since the trouble popped up Wednesday morning, officials said, and BART was flying in an outside expert in power control and protection to help try to diagnose the problem. Kale Williams and Hamed Aleaziz in the San Francisco Chronicle Ted Goldberg KQED -- 3/17/16

Drought eases in Northern California but still severe down south, says NOAA -- It comes as no surprise to anyone living in Southern California that the drought is still going strong in the region, and forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that will likely continue through the spring and summer. Sanden Totten KPCC -- 3/17/16

California lawmakers again headed to Australia -- Seeking to impart lessons from Australia’s 15-year “millennium drought,” the nonprofit California Foundation on the Environment and the Economy is paying for a handful of lawmakers to fly across the world during the Legislature’s spring recess. Jeremy B. White in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/17/16

Two active Southern California faults may cause a Big One by rupturing together -- Two of Southern California's most active faults could rupture together in a magnitude-7.5 earthquake, according to a new study, raising a grim seismic scenario for communities east of Los Angeles. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/16

Prop 47: Tracking lawmakers' promise of drug treatment over prison -- Proposition 47 has resulted in the release of more than 4,500 people from prison, but advocates warn the state may not deliver on the promise of increased drug rehabilitation and mental health funding. Why? Annie Gilbertson KPCC -- 3/17/16

Boom looms for state office construction -- Build it and they will come. A surge in state government office construction looms for downtown Sacramento, including the replacement or renovation of the Capitol’s 64-year-old annex. John Howard Capitol Weekly -- 3/17/16

Dear Mr. Trump: My immigrant parents aren't rapists or drug dealers -- When Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump says something incendiary about immigrants, it’s personal for their children. Daniela Gerson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/16

Trump Fuels Citizenship Drive Among San Diego County Immigrants -- It’s been almost half a century since Concepción Álvarez, a 75-year-old Mexican immigrant who lives in Vista, became eligible for U.S. citizenship. But it wasn’t until this year that she decided to undergo the naturalization process. The reason? She points to Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump. Jean Guerrero KPBS -- 3/17/16

Skelton: Forget comparisons, Trump's bombastic showmanship is in a league of its own -- Two things should be debunked about Donald Trump: One is that he’s the new Arnold Schwarzenegger. Another is that he’s continuing what was started by another California governor, Pete Wilson. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/16

Family claims Long Beach police used excessive force in killing of mentally disabled man -- The family of a mentally disabled man shot and killed by Long Beach police last year claims officers used excessive force during the deadly clash in an arcade, according to a legal claim filed Thursday. James Queally and Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/16

Tribune Publishing wins auction for Orange County Register parent; DOJ sues to block sale -- The owner of the Los Angeles Times was selected as the top bidder for the Orange County Register and Riverside Press-Enterprise, but must first overcome serious anti-trust concerns raised by the U.S. Department of Justice. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ Jonathan Lansner in the Orange County Register -- 3/17/16

Feds file antitrust suit to block California newspaper sale -- The federal government filed an antitrust lawsuit Thursday in an attempt to block Tribune Publishing from buying the bankrupt Orange County Register and Press-Enterprise newspapers in Southern California. Amy Toxin Associated Press Jonathan Lansner in the Orange County Register -- 3/17/16

Fox: Costly California -- For a long time, California residents have been aware that housing is more expensive in the Golden State, that gasoline costs in the state are well above the rest of the continental U.S., and that taxes put the Golden State near the top of the rankings of all the states. The long drought has put pressure on the cost of water. Joel Fox Fox&Hounds -- 3/17/16

Kingsburg school district could allow guns on high school campus -- The school board is considering approving a policy that would allow some employees to possess firearms and ammunition on school grounds. Under the policy, Superintendent Randy Morris would designate which employees with concealed weapon permits can bring their guns to school. Mackenzie Mays in the Fresno Bee -- 3/17/16

Why SeaWorld suddenly stopped breeding killer whales -- SeaWorld will stop its orca breeding program, the company announced Thursday, after years of controversy over keeping its orcas in captivity and discomfiting drops in attendance at its theme parks and the value of its stock. Sandra Pedicini and Hugo Martin in the Los Angeles Times$ Laylan Connelly in the Orange County Register -- 3/17/16

California congressmen try to talk Uncle Sam out of taxing turf rebates -- After months of debate about whether rebates for water-saving measures are taxable, two members of Congress from California have introduced a bill that would clarify that they are not. Brian Watt KPCC -- 3/17/16

Jury selection process begins in Filner civil trial -- Former San Diego Mayor Bob Filner appeared in court Thursday morning as jury selection got underway in a civil trial in which he is accused of sexually harassing a city employee. Dana Littlefield in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/17/16

Porter Ranch: LA County wants 'several more weeks' of subsidized housing for the displaced -- Los Angeles County will ask a judge on Friday to order Southern California Gas Co. to continue paying for temporary housing for Porter Ranch residents displaced by the natural gas leak for "at least several more weeks" beyond Friday's deadline, according to a senior public health official. Elizabeth Aguilera KPCC -- 3/17/16

Sacramento native builds restaurant empire in China with California-inflected cuisine -- Alan Wong strolls into a branch of his Hatsune restaurant chain in Beijing’s swank Taikoo Li mall, dressed in a knit cap, red vest, jacket and distressed blue jeans. He looks more like a Sacramento snowboarder than a Chinese restaurant magnate. Stuart Leavenworth in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/17/16

Malibu’s Summer Rental Market Booms -- Lured by 21 miles of Pacific coastline, tech titans, overseas oligarchs and others are paying from $20,000 to $750,000 a month to rent summer homes in Malibu, California. Katy McLaughlin in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/17/16

Obama is increasingly involved in the 2016 presidential campaign -- As Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton begin to tighten their grips on their respective party nominations, President Obama is plunging into the campaign fray, not only to help Democrats retain the White House but in defense of his own legacy in a political climate dominated by Trump. Juliet Eilperin in the Washington Post$ -- 3/17/16

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning   

Why your signature is worth more than ever -- Democracy has a price. And at the moment, it’s higher than ever in California. Laurel Rosenhall Calmatters.org -- 3/17/16

California's June primary just became crucial in the race for the White House -- Because Donald Trump lost Ohio’s primary on Tuesday night, ceding the state’s 66 delegates to its governor, John Kasich, the race to get the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the nomination seems unlikely to be settled before California votes on June 7. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ David Siders in the Sacramento Bee$ Matthew Artz in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/17/16

Calbuzz: Spencer to Kasich: Keep it Simple and Surprise ‘Em -- Stuart K. Spencer, California’s grand master Republican strategist, who has just been hired as a consultant by John Kasich, has three key words of advice for the Ohio governor’s GOP convention game plan: simple, suspense and surprise. “Why am I doing this? Because I’ve spent my life trying to keep the Republican Party together and this may be the last chance,” Stu, an old friend and a certified Great Man, told Calbuzz on Wednesday. Jerry Roberts and Phil Trounstine CalBuzz -- 3/17/16

L.A. City Council president says Donald Trump is preying on voters' fears -- In case there was any question, the president of the Los Angeles City Council is not a fan of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Alice Walton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/16

Republican Ron Unz enters California U.S. Senate race -- Ron Unz, the conservative critic of bilingual education who in recent years has championed incrementally increasing the statewide minimum wage, said Wednes day he will enter California’s crowded race for U.S. Senate. Christopher Cadelago in the Sacramento Bee$ Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/16

Plastic bag referendum tallies $5 million in contributions -- Plastic bag companies and their allies have pitched in more than $5 million to qualify two November ballot measures they hope will kill a statewide ban on their product and prevent grocery stores from benefiting from the sale of bags. Taryn Luna in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/17/16

Big Pharma Dumps Big Money Into Fight Against Prescription Drug Measure -- Pharmaceutical companies continue to pour cash into their campaign to defeat a California ballot measure that would limit prescription drug prices, a new campaign finance analysis shows. Katie Orr and Dan Brekke KQED -- 3/17/16

San Fernando mayor happier about latest bullet train alternatives, not so conservationists -- The High Speed Rail Authority's latest options unveiled this week for the Burbank to Palmdale segment of the bullet train tracks drew a more positive reaction from the San Fernando mayor than it has previously. Meghan McCarty KPCC -- 3/17/16

$17,000 door for the file room? Audit blasts California agency -- Following the rules, the California Board of Equalization requested a cost estimate for the project from the real estate unit that oversees state building construction and maintenance. This is what came back: Jon Ortiz in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/17/16

Local Elections Yield Results, But Receive Few Votes -- The undercard races for local offices, such as city council and board of supervisors, offer the greatest opportunity for residents to exert influence and directly engage with elected officials, yet they receive some of the least attention, engagement and votes. Ben Bradford Capital Public Radio -- 3/17/16

Bill Would Fund Gun Violence Research Center at UC -- The measure from Sen. Lois Wolk would ask UC to establish a Firearm Violence Research Center. The Davis Democrat is proposing the state give $5 million over five years to help get the center started. Katie Orr KQED Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/16

University of California nonresident limit hits early opposition -- After falling short in its first policy committee, Assemblyman Kevin McCarty will scale back his proposal to cap the University of California’s nonresident enrollment. Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/17/16

Lopez: Cursing coastal commissioner offers an accusatory apology -- The Venetians were as perplexed as anyone in the room last week when a member of the California Coastal Commission suddenly began speaking in Spanish at a public hearing in Santa Monica. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/16

San Francisco mayor, neighbors dismiss list of potential shelter sites -- San Francisco Supervisor David Campos last week said the city should quickly build six new Navigation Centers to house entire encampments of homeless people — but his first stab at finding locations for the centers has agitated neighbors of some potential sites and has been deemed off the mark by the mayor’s office. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/17/16

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions      

California prison guard pact: 9 percent raise over 3 years -- The union representing most California state prison guards says it has agreed to a new labor contract that includes a 9 percent salary increase over three years. Don Thompson Associated Press Jon Ortiz in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/17/16

Local investors walk out as auction for Orange County Register, Press-Enterprise erupts into all-day battle -- A three-way bankruptcy auction for The Orange County Register and The Press-Enterprise turned into a major legal tussle on Wednesday, with an investor group led by Freedom Communications CEO Rich Mirman leaving the bidding after all-day negotiations stalled the auction’s start. Jonathan Lansner in the Orange County Register -- 3/17/16

Why newspaper companies want the Orange County Register, including LA Times' parent Tribune -- Bidding that could help determine the future of the media landscape in Southern California is expected to start Wednesday. At stake: who owns the Orange County Register, which has struggled through multiple bankruptcies amid plummeting advertising revenues. Ben Bergman KPCC -- 3/17/16

Ranching at California Seashore Park Comes Under Fire -- Cows have grazed the slopes of this Pacific peninsula for more than a century, sharing the space with hikers, elk and sunbathing elephant seals. But their days of seaside munching may be numbered. Jim Carlton in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/17/16

Meet the young innovator Kevin Johnson chose to run his 'office of innovation' -- Mayor Kevin Johnson doesn’t yet know what his new Office of Innovation will do, but he has handed the reins to a quintessential denizen of the startup community: a 27-year-old with a dazzling resume in government and technology. Allen Young Sacramento Business Journal -- 3/17/16

Drought   

DWP board OK's plan to start fining major water users up to $40k -- The board for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power passed an ordinance Wednesday setting up a mechanism to fine major water users who don't cut back their consumption. The mechanism would provide for monthly fines of $1,000 to $40,000 for "unreasonable usage." Katherine Davis-Young KPCC -- 3/17/16

Education 

Senate Ed moves bill granting students parent leave -- SB 1014, authored by Sen. Carol Liu, D-La Canada Flintridge, would also allow K-12 schools to collect Average Daily Attendance funding for absent student mothers, who could take up to six weeks parental leave for births without complications, or eight weeks for Caesarian section deliveries. Alisha Kirby Cabinet Report -- 3/17/16

Are charter schools suspending too many students? -- Produced by UCLA’s Civil Rights Project, the report relies on a survey that required every public and charter school in America to submit information including its suspension rates to the federal government. Joy Resmovits in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/16

California charter schools set goal of 1 million students despite pushback -- In the face of widespread pockets of resistance around the state, the California Charter Schools Association has embarked on a new expansion campaign, aiming to serve 1 million students in charter schools across the state by 2022. Michael Janofsky EdSource -- 3/17/16

Parents and Administrators in Oakland Battle Over Middle School’s Future -- In the art room at Westlake Middle School in Oakland, 14-year-old Cheyenne Lewis is working on a colorful mosaic for an outside wall. Cheyenne loves her school and she’s worried about what will happen if a charter moves in to share the campus, as proposed by the school district. Zaidee Stavely KQED -- 3/17/16

Environment 

March storms brighten future of winter-run Chinook salmon -- Seasonal storms that have raised the region’s reservoir water levels to their highest points in the last two years could bolster this year’s run of Chinook salmon, water and wildlife officials said Wednesday. Edward Ortiz in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/17/16

Health 

Even in peak mosquito season, Zika risk is low in California -- As summer approaches, some worry that warmer weather could attract mosquitoes and bring the fast-spreading Zika virus stateside. But new research finds that, in the West at least, that probably won't be the case. Soumya Karlamangla in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/16

Also . . . 

Mystery glitch’s return knocks out BART cars, snarls commute --For the second time in a month, a mysterious power surge knocked out numerous BART cars Wednesday — puzzling agency officials who thought they had the problem under control the first time around, and making life miserable for commuters packed into shortened trains. Matier & Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/17/16

San Francisco car break-ins up 31 percent, nearly triple in 5 years -- The rampant looting of cars parked on San Francisco streets soared last year, with break-ins jumping 31 percent from 2014 and nearly tripling since 2010, according to final figures from the Police Department that are certain to inflame a growing debate over who is to blame. Vivian Ho and Kimberly Veklerov in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/17/16

Frank Sinatra Jr. Dead at 72 -- The Sinatra family said in a statement that he died of cardiac arrest while on tour in Daytona, FL, and that they mourn the untimely passing of their son, brother, family, and uncle. Althea Legaspi Rolling Stone -- 3/17/16

L.A. to pay up to $30 million in curfew lawsuit settlement to provide job training for gang members -- The money, which will be used primarily to provide job training for gang members, is the centerpiece of an agreement to settle a class-action lawsuit that accused the Los Angeles Police Department of enforcing curfews written into many gang injunctions years after they were struck down as unconstitutional. Joel Rubin and Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/16

Webcam Alert: Bald Eagle Chicks Hatch in Channel Islands -- Two bald eagle chicks have hatched in a nest high in a tree in California’s Channel Islands National Park. Associated Press -- 3/17/16

Beltway 

GOP convention is shaping up to be a wild one -- For the first time in a generation, the Republican National Convention will be something more than a four-day infomercial that the TV networks largely ignore until the party nominee’s acceptance speech. Cue the confetti drop. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/17/16

Donald Trump warns of riots if he is denied the GOP nomination -- Donald Trump said Wednesday that riots could break out this summer if he wins more delegates than any of his rivals but is denied the Republican Party nomination for president. Michael Finnegan in the Los Angeles Times$ J. Freedom du Lac in the Washington Post$ -- 3/17/16

Analysis: All that violence at Trump rallies actually helps Hillary Clinton -- Violence at Donald Trump’s campaign events and the ensuing controversy did not slow his march toward the Republican nomination, but it may have helped Hillary Clinton in her pursuit of the Democratic nod. Cathleen Decker in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/16