Updating . .
Chinese newspaper criticizes Trump's choice of UC Irvine professor Peter Navarro as new trade advisor -- A Chinese state newspaper on Friday accused a trade advisor picked by President-elect Donald Trump of “anti-China alarmism” and warned both sides would suffer if commerce is disrupted. Associated Press -- 12/23/16
Sacramento artist Garibaldi says no to ‘bully’ Trump’s inauguration invite -- What do Kiss, Celine Dion and Sacramento performance artist David Garibaldi have in common? They’ve all reportedly turned down invitations to perform at inauguration events for President-elect Donald Trump next month. Ryan Lillis in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/23/16
Gov. Jerry Brown pardons 112, commutes one sentence in pre-Christmas tradition -- Continuing his tradition of giving pre-Christmas reprieves, Gov. Jerry Brown granted 112 pardons and commuted one sentence on Friday. The pardons were granted mostly to individuals convicted of nonviolent, drug-related crimes who have since completed their sentences. Melanie Mason and Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ Christopher Cadelago in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/23/16
2 families of Oakland warehouse fire victims to file 1st lawsuits -- The first lawsuits to come out of the deadly Oakland warehouse fire were expected to be filed Friday by the families of a young man and woman killed in the blaze this month. Kimberly Veklerov in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/23/16
Exclusive: Guards got tip about suspicious sounds before jail breakout -- Before four cellmates cut through solid steel bars and broke out of Santa Clara County’s main jail last month, an inmate in a neighboring cell told at least three guards he heard suspicious sounds, according to sources familiar with the investigation. Tracey Kaplan in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/23/16
Chargers choosing Costa Mesa if they relocate to L.A. -- The Chargers have agreed to lease part of a Costa Mesa office campus and are working with city officials to secure permits for practice fields at the location in anticipation of possibly relocating to Los Angeles, the Orange County Register has learned. Scott M. Reid in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 12/23/16
Chargers lease offices, training facility in Orange County -- The Chargers have leased a new headquarters and training facility in Costa Mesa in case the team moves to Los Angeles, but the lease has an “out” clause if the Chargers decide to stay in San Diego. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 12/23/16
Exclusive look at Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan's East Palo Alto private school -- Toothaches or asthma can cloud the minds of children who are eager to learn, but a new private school started by Dr. Priscilla Chan and her husband, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, might be just what the doctor ordered. Queenie Wong in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/23/16
This teen missed her junior year after her mother was deported, but she’s still graduating a semester early -- During Gabriela Flores’ winter break in her sophomore year, she and her mother visited their relatives in Mexico for the holidays. It was, by all accounts, a routine trip — that is, until they flew back to the United States. Hayley Munguia in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 12/23/16
SoCal gas prices at 8-year low during busy holiday travel weekend -- A record 7.7 million Southern Californians will travel for the holidays starting this weekend and those going by car will enjoy the lowest gasoline prices in eight years, the Automobile Club of Southern California reported. James F. Peltz in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/23/16
Shell’s Martinez Refinery Sent Close to 20 Tons of Gas to its Flares During Monday Outage -- A significant portion of Shell’s Martinez refinery lost power on Monday afternoon, leading to a loud flaring operation that sent flames and black smoke into the sky, prompting an hours-long health advisory. Ted Goldberg KQED -- 12/23/16
Barbara Boxer letter to The Times: 'Our democracy depends' on holding new leaders accountable -- Sen. Barbara Boxer, in a farewell letter to the editor, warned of threats faced by the media under incoming President Donald Trump, and urged the media to hold him accountable. The item is in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/23/16
One solution to Southern California's housing crisis: building in tight spaces, small lots -- In Santa Ana, not long ago, on a tired commercial stretch west of downtown, stood a church, a burnt-out motel and something harder to see: one key to alleviating the region’s housing crisis. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/23/16
Uber’s head of self-driving cars helped develop law DMV says the company flouted -- A fight with the Department of Motor Vehicles over whether it falls under California rules for testing self-driving cars has forced Uber’s pilot program off the state’s roads. Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/23/16
Necessary evidence or privacy intrusion? This bill is trying to expand DNA evidence collection in California -- California lawmakers say they are trying to address an unintended consequence of making theft and drug crimes misdemeanors: a drop in the collection of DNA evidence they say is hurting cold-case investigations. Jazmine Ulloa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/23/16
Decker: After Clinton's defeat, what's the path for future women presidential candidates? -- The first woman president was supposed to make history by accumulating such deep experience that few could deny her ability to serve as commander in chief. Cathleen Decker in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/23/16
Bob Oshita, Sacramento Buddhist reverend, takes over as Assembly chaplain -- The Rev. Bob Oshita delivered his final sermon to the Buddhist Church of Sacramento in May, but he’s not done with public life just yet. Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/23/16
Heavy rain might be a sign of wetter times to come in drought-plagued L.A. -- There’s something unusual in the mix in Southern California this weekend, along with the usual rain-caused traffic gridlock and airport delays, according to one climatologist — a sense of optimism. Joseph Serna and Veronica Rocha in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/23/16
Orange County arsonist occupies firefighters with blaze, then burgles fire station -- Police in Orange County are looking for an enterprising arsonist who is stealing firefighters’ food money, authorities said Friday. Joseph Serna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/23/16
Authorities look for killer who doused gas station clerk in flammable liquid and then burned him -- Shasta County sheriff’s major crimes investigators are looking for a killer who set a gas station attendant on fire for no apparent reason and then rode away on a bicycle. Joseph Serna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/23/16
China fines General Motors $29 million in price-fixing probe -- General Motors Co.’s main joint venture in China was fined $29 million Friday on charges it suppressed competition by enforcing minimum sales prices for dealers, the latest in a string of penalties against foreign auto brands under the country's anti-monopoly law. Associated Press -- 12/23/16
LA mayor's spokeswoman leaves for Airbnb -- Mayor Eric Garcetti’s spokeswoman is headed to Airbnb to serve as the short-term rental company’s deputy manager for the Southern California area, according to the company’s officials and the mayor’s office. Connie Llanos, who became press secretary for Garcetti in mid-2015, will serve out the end of the year in the mayor’s office and begin working at Airbnb on Jan. 9. Elizabeth Chou in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 12/23/16
Rockettes Won’t Be Forced to Dance at Trump Inauguration, Company Says -- Within hours of confirming plans to appear at the inauguration of Donald J. Trump, the Radio City Rockettes were plunged into a maelstrom of outrage and conflicting messages on social media. Would some dancers be forced to perform? Should they? Katie Rogers in the New York Times$ -- 12/23/16
Trump ‘friend’ and N.Y. campaign co-chair says he wants Obama dead of ‘mad cow disease’ in 2017 -- Carl Paladino, a former Republican nominee for governor of New York and an adviser to president-elect Trump, included the death of President Obama and “return” of first lady Michelle Obama to Africa on his list of things he wanted for 2017. Paladino was responding to a survey by an alternative weekly magazine, Artvoice. Abby Phillip in the Washington Post$ -- 12/23/16
California Policy & Politics This Morning
State releases report on disputed twin tunnels water plan -- It takes a while to get to the point, but an 80,000-page environmental opus released Thursday makes the case that Gov. Jerry Brown’s $15.7 billion twin tunnels project is the best way to fix California’s water woes. Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle Ellen Knickmeyer Associated Press -- 12/23/16
With environmental review finalized, could construction on the Delta tunnels begin in 2018? -- In spite of a recent call for a scaled-down version of the project from a prominent nonpartisan California water think-tank, state officials are moving forward with the original plan for what they call California WaterFix. Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/23/16
California and the feds: presidential picks aside, money matters -- California and some other parts of the U.S. are in different political orbits when it comes to presidential picks. But the nation’s largest state and the federal government are more deeply entwined than ever on tax, spending and other fiscal matters. Jim Miller in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/23/16
Two 'deadliest' police departments in US to be investigated in California -- The two largest law enforcement agencies in Kern County, California, labelled the deadliest police departments in America following a Guardian investigation, will be investigated by state authorities, California attorney general Kamala Harris announced on Thursday. Oliver Laughland and Jon Swaine The Guardian Robert Jablon Associated Press -- 12/23/16
Hope, Fear and Low Expectations in Trump-Friendly Central Valley -- here was never really any doubt that California would end up in Hillary Clinton’s column in last month’s election. But Donald Trump did manage to carry two dozen California counties, almost all of them rural. Scott Shafer KQED -- 12/23/16
Santa Rosa marchers want city to be sanctuary for undocumented immigrants -- Some 30 community members joined artist Maria de Los Angeles on a march Thursday from Roseland to Santa Rosa City Hall, demanding the city establish itself as a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants facing possible deportation under President-elect Donald Trump’s administration. J.D. Morris in the Santa Rosa Press -- 12/23/16
LA targets ‘very dangerous dump’ after trash pile grows to 22 million pounds -- The owners of a recycling center on the southern edge of Boyle Heights landed in hot water this week with City Attorney Mike Feuer, who accused the facility’s operator of improperly storing a two-story-high trash heap that went up in flames in September. Elizabeth Chou in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 12/23/16
New push to rename L.A. freeway after Barack Obama -- There are Washington, Lincoln and Jefferson boulevards in Los Angeles, Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive in Manhattan and Gerald Ford Drive in Rancho Mirage. Jeff Landa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/23/16
Riot involving 100 prisoners rocks California prison -- California officials say four inmates were hospitalized following a riot involving about 100 prisoners at the California Correctional Center in Susanville. Associated Press -- 12/23/16
Ex-LA County sheriff touts corruption mistrial as victory -- Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said he wanted to set the record straight when he withdrew his guilty plea in a federal corruption case earlier this year and chose to go to trial. Baca wasn't fully vindicated at trial, but he hailed his mistrial as a victory Thursday after learning that the deadlocked jurors had voted 11-to-1 to acquit him. Brian Melley Associated Press -- 12/23/16
The Baca mistrial explained: What you need to know about the former sheriff's case -- It was supposed to be the culmination of an expansive prosecution of corruption and misconduct in the Los Angeles County jail system. Victoria Kim, Joel Rubin and Shelby Grad in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/23/16
Artist Community Calls on Oakland Mayor to Stop Emergency Evictions -- A group of more than 1,000 local artists, many saying they were friends of those killed in a deadly warehouse fire earlier this month, have signed a letter calling on the mayor of Oakland to stop landlords from evicting warehouse residents in the wake of tragedy. Kevin L. Jones KQED -- 12/23/16
Mexican consul eulogized as ‘caring to soul’ of community -- Alejandra García Williams, a diplomat and human rights advocate who served as Mexico’s consul general in Sacramento for the past year, was eulogized Thursday as a uniting and healing presence for cultures divided by immigration tensions and the United States-Mexico border. Peter Hecht in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/23/16
Opponents File Lawsuit Against Balboa Park Plan -- Opponents of a $70 million plan to remove traffic from the center of Balboa Park have filed a lawsuit in San Diego Superior Court to stop the project. KPBS -- 12/23/16
LA City Hall gadfly won’t face charges for racist comments directed at councilman -- The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has decided not to file charges against Wayne Spindler, a City Hall gadfly who turned in a public comment card scrawled with racist images. Elizabeth Chou in the Los Angeles Daily News$ Matt Hamilton, Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/23/16
Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds
Mortgage rates’ rise continues, reaching highs not seen in more than two years -- A homebuyer who held off purchasing a $500,000 home in July when rates sank to 3.41 percent now will pay $255 more a month on a 30-year loan. Kathy Orton in the Washington Post$ -- 12/23/16
Homeless
For Homeless Families, Finding a Home is a Give-and-Take -- When classes let out for the day at Bessie Carmichael Elementary in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood, Principal Tina Lagdamen high-fives each boy and girl and says the same thing, over and over again: “See you tomorrow.” Stephanie Martin Taylor KQED -- 12/23/16
Berkeley Removes Homeless Camp From Median on Busy Adeline Street -- The cat-and-mouse game between Berkeley and a homeless activist group continued early on Wednesday when city officials rousted about 25 people from their tents and sleeping bags on a median on Adeline Street near Oregon Avenue. Frances Dinkelspiel KQED -- 12/23/16
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Google’s self-driving car plans revealed in patent applications -- Several patent applications from Google made public Dec. 22 provide a window into the secretive self-driving car program the firm just spun off as a separate business called Waymo. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/23/16
Three skyscrapers planned near L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles by Chinese developer -- Chinese developer City Century filed an application with city officials this week to build three residential towers across from L.A. Live as breakneck growth rolls on through downtown Los Angeles. Roger Vincent in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/23/16
Workers can't be on call during rest breaks, California's high court rules -- Employers in California can't keep their workers on call during short rest breaks and must give up any control over how they spend that time, the state Supreme Court said Thursday in a case that pitted labor activists against business groups. Associated Press -- 12/23/16
The days of stay-at-home moms are 'long gone,' report finds -- The days of stay-at-home mothers are behind us, says a new report from the Center for American Progress, which analyzed national labor data and found that, across the country, the share of moms who financially support their families continues to grow. Danielle Paquette in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/23/16
Education
3 Magnolia charter schools facing closure ‘vindicated’ after winning appeal -- Three Magnolia Public Schools, including two in the San Fernando Valley, were spared from potential closure after a county board voted this week to renew their charter school petitions on appeal. Brenda Gazzar in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 12/23/16
Teacher traveled statewide to capture the spark in California classrooms -- David B. Cohen, a veteran English teacher at Palo Alto High and columnist for Education Week, spent a year crisscrossing California observing some of the state’s best teachers. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 12/23/16
Immigration / Border
Border Patrol agent gets bail in drug smuggling case -- A San Diego federal judge granted bail Thursday for a U.S. Border Patrol agent accused of smuggling backpacks he thought were loaded with drugs across the border fence. Kristina Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 12/23/16
Students, who entered the U.S. illegally, leave O.C. airport for Mexico trip before Donald Trump becomes president -- Concerned their legal status in the United States could be upended by Donald Trump, 25 college students and recent graduates who initially arrived here illegally left John Wayne Airport for Mexico on Thursday and will return before he becomes president. Roxana Kopetman and Alejandra Molina in the Orange County Register -- 12/23/16
Trump presidency may dampen immigrants’ driver’s license requests -- More than 800,000 people have received California driver’s licenses in the past two years under a 2-year-old law that allows people living in the country without documentation to legally drive in the state. Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/23/16
Environment
Judge rejects pollution cleanup order against Paramount firm -- A judge has rejected a request from Los Angeles County and regional air regulators for an order directing a Paramount metal processing firm to immediately reduce its emissions of hexavalent chromium, a carcinogenic pollutant. Paul Glickman and Rebecca Plevin KPCC -- 12/23/16
Santa Monica’s Beach Is Getting a Climate Change Makeover -- A patch of Santa Monica’s “plumped-up” beach will soon go au naturel thanks to a restoration makeover — and the reason why is climate change. Molly Peterson KQED -- 12/23/16
Health
$2.5 million allocated to sustain health care for Sonoma Developmental Center residents -- The state has earmarked $2.5 million for construction of a specialized health center in the North Bay that would serve disabled residents living at the Sonoma Developmental Center, which is slated for closure in 2018. Martin Espinoza in the Santa Rosa Press -- 12/23/16
Also . . .
Alleged Mexican drug boss arrested in kidnapping case -- A woman accused of working as a boss in a Mexican drug trafficking ring has been charged with taking a drug courier hostage in Sinaloa and extorting ransom money from the victim’s mother in San Diego. Kristina Davis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/23/16
Petaluma builder adds structures to Standing Rock site -- Petaluma native Miguel Elliott said he wasn’t sure exactly what he would uncover as he helped dig through the frozen North Dakota ground last month, advancing gradually through the icy surface to reveal, inch by labored inch, the softer earth beneath. Eric Gneckow in the Santa Rosa Press -- 12/23/16
POTUS 45
In a day of tweets, Trump suggests major change on national security issues -- Before lunchtime Thursday, President-elect Donald Trump said he would expand the U.S. nuclear arsenal, upending a reduction course set by presidents of both parties over the past four decades, and called for the United States to veto a pending U.N. resolution that criticized Israel’s settlements policy. Karen DeYoung in the Washington Post$ -- 12/23/16
Anti-Trump Inauguration Day concert is proposed, and people are taking sides -- Robert Reich threw out an idea to his nearly 1.7 million Facebook followers this week that has a lot of people asking: How do we make this happen? Lisa Gutierrez in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/23/16
Trump won votes promising to protect veterans, but major veterans groups are rattled by his plans -- Donald Trump’s flair for connecting with veterans won him an overwhelming share of their votes, but the durability of the alliance is already being tested as Trump’s search for a Veterans Affairs secretary veers in a direction that has alarmed some of America’s most influential retired soldiers. Evan Halper in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/23/16
Beltway
Carter is only former president to RSVP for Trump's inauguration -- One month out, Jimmy Carter is the only former president to RSVP to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, while Bill Clinton and George W. Bush are putting off their decision until the new year. Tara Palmeri Politco -- 12/23/16
Trump drops Twitter bomb on Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jet -- President-elect Donald Trump elevated his criticism of Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter today, saying he's asked Boeing to explore pricing for an alternative to the costly fighter jet. Jeremy Herb Politco -- 12/23/16
Obama planning farewell speech in Chicago next month -- President Barack Obama is preparing a major speech in Chicago in early January as he prepares to leave office, according to two sources with knowledge of the event. Natasha Korecki and Daniel Strauss Politico -- 12/23/16
-- Thursday Updates
Ex-L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca's obstruction trial ends in mistrial; jurors hopelessly deadlocked -- A mistrial was declared Thursday in the corruption case against former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca after a jury failed to reach a verdict on charges that he tried to obstruct an FBI investigation into allegations that deputies abused jail inmates. Victoria Kim and Joel Rubin in the Los Angeles Times$ Susan Abram in the Los Angeles Daily News$ Brian Melley Associated Press -- 12/22/16
After Trump election, California GOP leaders split over Electoral College reform -- Jim Brulte, the current chair of the California Republican Party, once served as a high-profile backer of National Popular Vote, a movement that supports the elimination of the Electoral College. Carla Marinucci Politico -- 12/22/16
Uber ships self-driving cars to Arizona after failed San Francisco pilot -- Uber on Thursday announced plans to resume testing its self-driving cars in Arizona, one day after the California Department of Motor Vehicles forced the company to pull the cars from San Francisco streets. Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/22/16
Trump backs out of real estate projects around the world, but that may not be enough to avoid conflicts -- The Trump hotel in Baku, Azerbaijan, would be “among the finest in the world,” Donald Trump promised two years ago, another example of “our involvement in only the best global development projects.” Joseph Tanfani in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/22/16
With environmental review finalized, could construction on the Delta tunnels begin in 2018? -- After years of planning, officials have finalized all 97,000 pages of environmental documents to support Gov. Jerry Brown’s controversial plan to build two massive tunnels through the heart of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/22/16
From football to taxes: How California’s ban on travel to bathroom-bill states will play out in 2017 -- California cops and tax auditors can follow their investigations wherever they lead, but the Bruins and Golden Bears may need to think twice before scheduling an out-of-state-state football game. Adam Ashton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/22/16
Farmers score in battle over diverting Klamath River water for endangered species -- Northern California and Oregon irrigation districts have won a key round in a long-running legal battle as they seek compensation for their loss of water in the Klamath River Basin. Michael Doyle in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/22/16
County board overrules LAUSD to keep the embattled Magnolia charter schools open -- A little-known county board overruled its own staff and the powerful Los Angeles Unified School District this week to allow three embattled charter schools to remain open. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/22/16
Here's how San Francisco became so segregated -- San Francisco likes to think of itself as a beautiful melting pot of people from different cultures, races and financial standings living harmoniously integrated within its 49 square miles. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/22/16
U.S. economy's strong growth isn't expected to last -- The U.S. economy grew at a 3.5 percent annual rate in the July-September quarter, the fastest pace in two years and more than the government had previously estimated. But the growth spurt isn't expected to last. Martin Crutsinger Associated Press -- 12/22/16
Stem cell agency: No giveaways in $150 million plan -- The president of the California stem cell agency, Randy Mills, yesterday said that the firms that responded to an ambitious proposal to create a $150 million public/private partnership were seeking to make a “better deal” than the agency had offered. David Jensen Capitol Weekly -- 12/22/16
Why the ‘Ghost Ship’ Was Invisible in Oakland, Until 36 Died -- The warehouse is close to a firehouse. Yet amid haphazard inspection protocols, it became the site of America’s worst structure fire in a decade. Thomas Fuller, Julie Turkewitz, Yamiche Alcindor, Conor Dougherty and Serg F. Kovaleski in the New York Times$ -- 12/22/16
Fox: Black Bart Award Winner 2016—Kamala Harris, Symbol of New Democrats -- The consensus pick for the 8th annual Fox and Hounds Daily’s Black Bart Award is soon to be U.S. Senator Kamala Harris. She took the prize not only for her achievement of capturing the senate seat vacated by Barbara Boxer, setting herself up as a prime antagonist to the potential moves of the new administration, but also as a symbol. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 12/22/16