Updating . .
Sen. Dianne Feinstein says Russian involvement changed the outcome of the election -- Russian interference in the presidential election “altered the outcome,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Sunday, adding that classified briefings had laid out a “very sophisticated effort” by Moscow to impede Hillary Clinton’s campaign. The California Democrat did not specifically say whether she thought Clinton would have won absent the Russian actions, but strongly suggested that she believed Clinton would have. Cathleen Decker in the Los Angeles Times$ Sean Cockerham in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/15/17
Outgoing CIA chief rips into Trump on Russia threat -- The outgoing CIA director charged on Sunday that Donald Trump lacks a full understanding of the threat Moscow poses to the United States, delivering a public lecture to the president-elect that further highlighted the bitter state of Trump's relations with American intelligence agencies. Steve Peoples and Laurie Kellman Associated Press -- 1/15/17
Author of California histories and former State Librarian Kevin Starr dies at 76 -- Former California State Librarian Kevin Starr, who wrote rich cultural, economic and political histories on the birth, growth and maturation of the Golden State, died on Saturday. He was 76. David Zahniser and Matt Hamilton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/17
Few Asian-Americans Hold Top Legal Jobs, New Study Says -- When Goodwin Liu joined the seven-member California Supreme Court in 2011, he became its fourth sitting member of Asian descent. The number is remarkable. Sudhin Thanawala Associated Press -- 1/15/17
McSwain: Chargers exit may help San Diego, if its leaders are wise -- It’s been clear for years that San Diego may do better, economically speaking, without the Chargers — if keeping the team had required tax dollars to help them build a ne w stadium. Dan McSwain in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/15/17
Why Russia Loves the Idea of California Seceding -- Once again, Moscow is winking at a long-shot breakaway movement in the U.S. Casey Michel Politico -- 1/15/17
10 years after iPhone launch, innovation flagging at Apple -- But as the company delves into new devices and services, including the Apple Watch, AirPods wireless earbuds and software that links Internet-connected home devices to a smartphone, some analysts are wondering whether Apple should rethink its strategy. Wendy Lee in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/15/17
Border tunnels left unfilled on Mexican side pose security risk, officials say -- Mexican drug cartels have burrowed dozens of tunnels in the last decade, outfitted them with rail and cart systems to whisk drugs under the U.S. border and, after being discovered by authorities, abandoned them. But some of the illicit passageways live on. Richard Marosi in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/17
Parade, service projects to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day in L.A. County -- Southern California will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday with a parade and activities designed to educate, entertain and improve communities. David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/17
Some malls are banning teens amid disturbances and unruly gatherings fueled by social media -- It seemed like a typical Saturday evening at the Westfield shopping mall in Culver City, until chaos erupted. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/17
California Policy & Politics This Morning
California vs. Trump: What’s at stake for the Golden State? -- Following months of fast and furious speculation, secessionist plots and preemptive actions from left-leaning California politicians, it gets real Friday: Donald Trump will become the president of the United States. Katy Murphy in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/15/17
Trump's approach might seem new, but Arnold Schwarzenegger tried it first. It was a disaster -- President-elect Donald Trump may have mocked the rocky debut of successor Arnold Schwarzenegger in the faux boardroom chair of “The Celebrity Apprentice,” but as he makes his own start in the Oval Office, Trump may find he has a few things to learn from his reality TV replacement. Evan Halper in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/17
Southern California readies for inauguration of Donald Trump, a president unlike any other -- For supporters, real estate mogul Donald Trump has spurred big hopes — hopes that the first U.S. president with no political or military background will dispense with politics as usual and bring a fresh wave of prosperity to the country. Martin Wisckol in the Orange County Register -- 1/15/17
Here’s how pro-immigrant groups are urging people to prepare for Trump presidency -- The election of Republican Donald Trump has instilled so much fear in some immigrants that a number of them reportedly started packing their bags to move back to their native countries. But immigrant rights organizers are saying, “Not so fast.” Alejandra Molina in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 1/15/17
Rep. Ted Lieu will boycott President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration -- Lieu, who represents the coastal South Bay and Westside, will be one of at least 16 Democrats avoiding the ceremony. His decision was announced Saturday, after the president-elect scolded civil rights leader and Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia, in an early-morning Twitter blast. The item is in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 1/15/17
At least one in five California members of Congress are skipping Trump's inauguration -- There’s a lot Rep. Jared Huffman would rather do than go to Donald Trump’s inauguration on Friday. So he’s going to stay home. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/17
Peter Thiel considering bid for California governor -- Peter Thiel, the Silicon Valley billionaire and outspoken Donald Trump supporter, is considering a 2018 bid for California governor, according to three Republicans familiar with his thinking. Alex Isenstadt Politico -- 1/15/17
Political Road Map: The rules for how California pays for its schools may lead to a surprising result this year -- If this sentence leaves you confused, you’re not alone: Education spending rises under Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed state budget, but some California schools are bracing for cuts. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/17
Watchdog: California gets ready to rumble with Donald Trump over taxes -- If Donald Trump were elected, Jerry Brown quipped before it actually happened, we’d have to build a wall around California to defend ourselves from the rest of the country. Teri Sforza in the Orange County Register -- 1/15/17
Sworn in: Rep. Tony Cardenas vows not to be deterred by Trump -- For Rep. Tony Cardenas on Saturday, the third time was the charm. The San Fernando Valley congressman was sworn in to his third term in the House of Representatives at 11:59 a.m. behind his new district office on Van Nuys Boulevard by a lawmaker likely to become the state’s top lawman. Dana Bartholomew in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 1/15/17
Walters: Drought and storms prove again California needs more storage -- After a half-decade of drought, California has been buffeted this winter by a series of powerful rain and snowstorms that dumped countless billions of gallons of water on the state’s watersheds. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/15/17
Russian River storm relief to be aided by Redwood Credit Union campaign -- Even as a new storm approaches the North Coast, a massive cleanup is underway after heavy rains pushed the river to its highest level in 10 years, causing moderate flooding that threatened up to 800 homes. County officials are still trying to determine the number of people affected by the high water, but damage to county roads alone is now estimated at $7.1 million. Paul Payne in the Santa Rosa Press -- 1/15/17
Schnur: Jerry Brown yells ‘stop’ as Democrats demand more -- Barack Obama and Jerry Brown may be the two most popular Democratic politicians of the modern era. Both were elected twice by convincing margins and both maintain exceptionally solid public approval ratings. Dan Schnur in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/15/17
Lansner: Numbers bust the myth: There's no great exodus from California -- The mocking image of Californians fleeing for other states is simply wrong. Snippets of demographic data have been used to suggest that California policy – among other things such as high taxes and regulation – are nudging huge numbers of residents to exit the state. Jonathan Lansner in the Orange County Register -- 1/15/17
Without better jobs, affordable homes here, people will leave, economy will falter, Chapman researchers say -- Orange County’s future prosperity depends on its ability to attract well-paying jobs, but its efforts are woefully inadequate when compared with those of other regions. Margot Roosevelt in the Orange County Register -- 1/15/17
New San Francisco Supe Jeff Sheehy finds sense of urgency from surviving HIV -- An hour or so after his first meeting as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Jeff Sheehy stood in his new City Hall office, nodding at the small desk in the corner, the battered leather sofa pushed against one wall, a pair of armchairs. Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/15/17
‘Nobody thought to save this man’s life,’ says brother of mentally ill man killed by police -- Damon Flenaugh hadn’t seen his older brother for almost a year when he watched video last week showing the minutes before and after police shot Dazion Flenaugh dead in April. Anita Chabria in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/15/17
Low-power TV stations serving niches could cede airwaves to Wi-Fi -- In the invisible spaces between the broadcast channels on your TV dial, a battle is brewing. As part of an effort to expand access to broadband Internet, Google and Microsoft are butting heads with the nation’s thousands of low-power television broadcasters, all jockeying for the same slivers of wireless spectrum. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/15/17
Willie Brown: Here’s who’s lining up to replace San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee -- After sitting through the marathon installation of the new San Francisco Board of Supervisors the other day and soaking up the gossip at parties afterward, I can safely say City Hall has more candidates saddling up to replace Mayor Ed Lee than there are horses in the Kentucky Derby. Willie Brown in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/15/17
Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds
Covered California scrambles to restore fumbled tax credits -- Nearly 10,000 Covered California policy holders have lost their federal tax credits — at least temporarily — due to a bookkeeping error by the state health insurance exchange. Emily Bazar in the Inland Daily Bulletin$ -- 1/15/17
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Can L.A. support two NFL teams? It's a challenge -- When Dan Reeves moved the Rams from Cleveland to Los Angeles in 1946, the owner made a prediction about his new home. “It's going to be the greatest professional football town in the country,” Reeves said. Seventy-one years later, the boast about the nation’s second-largest market remains an open question. Nathan Fenno in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/17
Dispute over Berkeley project: likely sacred Indian burial site -- At first glance, the parking lot of Spenger’s Fresh Fish Grotto in Berkeley might seem like an odd place for prayer. Few signs above ground hint that beneath the asphalt is ground archaeologists believe is the first inhabited site in the Bay Area — the West Berkeley Shellmound, a place many consider sacred. Filipa A. Ioannou in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/15/17
Education
UC Davis embroiled in another free-speech controversy -- Five years after the pepper-spraying of peaceful protesters swamped UC Davis with negative publicity, another free-speech controversy thrust the normally quiet campus into the national spotlight this weekend. On Friday, the Davis College Republicans canceled speeches by a far-right website editor and a notorious former pharmaceutical executive after raucous protesters created an atmosphere that campus administrators and police deemed dangerous. Sammy Caiola, Hudson Sangree and Christopher Cadalago in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/15/17
Breitbart provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos is shouted down at UC Davis but gets the last word -- There was a bit of jostling — and at least one thrown cup of coffee — Friday evening at Davis. Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/17
California college tuition hikes more likely under Gov. Brown’s new budget plan -- The first version of Gov. Jerry Brown’s spending proposals for the next fiscal year appear to increase the probability that Cal State University trustees will raise tuition within the coming months. Andrew Edwards in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 1/15/17
Santa Rosa school board votes to protect undocumented students -- The trustees overseeing Santa Rosa City Schools voted unanimously last week to declare the district a “safe haven” for immigrant families, meaning no federal immigration officers will be allowed on campus without the written approval of district Superintendent Diann Kitamura. Christi Warren in the Santa Rosa Press -- 1/15/
Also . . .
Military's shift away from oil clashes with Trump's promises -- At a sprawling desert base, a Marine recharged his radio's batteries simply by walking, while nearby fellow troops examined a rocket artillery system and a drone - both powered by the sun. Julie Watson and Gregory Bull Associated Press -- 1/15/17
POTUS 45
Trump aides deny summit with Putin planned -- Two top aides to President-elect Donald Trump denied a published report on Saturday that he is planning to hold a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin weeks after taking office. The Sunday Times of London reported that Trump had told British officials that such a summit was being planned, possibly to be staged in the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik. Steve Holland Reuters -- 1/15/17
Decker: Trump kicks off Martin Luther King weekend with disparaging tweet against civil rights icon John Lewis -- Unwilling to let criticism pass, Donald Trump on Saturday pilloried as “all talk … no action” national icon John Lewis, who was repeatedly beaten by police and nearly lost his life during protests in the long struggle for civil rights. Cathleen Decker in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/17
Donald Trump’s Existing Foreign Deals Could Pose Problems -- U.S. president-elect’s business partners at odds with government officials abroad present possible complications for incoming administration. Tom Wright, Alexandra Berzon and Nicolas Parasie in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 1/15/17
Beltway
Obama on presidency: 'Anything you say can move markets or start wars' -- President Barack Obama warned against the dangers that lie in the power of the presidency during a wide-ranging TV interview Friday. In a thinly veiled comment aimed at the incoming administration, Obama told NBC's Lester Holt that, "You have to be careful because anything you say can move markets or start wars." Cristiano Lima Politico -- 1/15/17
Race is an integral part of Obama’s story, and he embraced its complexity -- President Obama had occupied the Oval Office for nearly a full term when government engineers came to him with a request: that he move out for a few months while they completed an overdue renovation of the West Wing. Christi Parsons and Michael A. Memoli in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/17
-- Saturday Updates
Obama Just Expanded Protections Along California’s Coast — Can Trump Undo Them? -- In what is likely Barack Obama’s final environmental action before Donald Trump moves into the White House, the president has just expanded the existing California Coastal National Monument — adding a mix of lighthouses, rocky outcroppings, stands of redwoods and significant Native American grounds that will be knitted into the existing federal preserve on and off the coast from Humboldt County to Orange County. Julie Cart Calmatters.org -- 1/14/17
Thanks to Obama, coastal wildland preserved — but concerns remain -- Here on the remote Santa Cruz County coast, a little-known stretch of rolling hills has been thrust into the spotlight by President Obama, who in one of his final acts in office declared the area a national monument. But don’t dial it into your GPS just yet. The conservation of this wild and beautiful spot is part of a long story — and one that is still unfolding. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/14/17
Freshman Rep. Ro Khanna plunges into Congress’ whirlwind -- Ro Khanna’s first week or so in Congress passed in a blur of activity. Since being sworn in Jan. 3, the Fremont attorney has hired staff, cast more than 30 votes, given his first speech on the House floor and attended a weekend retreat for new members at Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. But he still has had some moments to marvel at just how far he, the 40-year-old son of immigrants from India, has come. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/14/17
San Bernardino terror attack survivors still report treatment problems -- Survivors of the Dec. 2, 2015 terrorist attack in San Bernardino said Friday that treatment is still being delayed or denied after the county assigned an outside firm to expedite workers’ compensation claims. Suzanne Hurt in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 1/14/17
San Jose: Retired firefighters who owe tens of thousands speak out -- Four months after he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, retired San Jose Fire Capt. Tom Gianatasio got another dose of dreadful news: He owes $34,042 because of a city error causing pension overpayments for two decades. Ramona Giwargis in the San Jose Mercury -- 1/14/17
Bay Area Refinery Malfunctions Lead to Jump in Gasoline Prices -- The price of gasoline in the Bay Area increased over the last month because of problems at the East Bay’s Chevron, Shell and Phillips 66 refineries, according to a new gas survey. Ted Goldberg KQED -- 1/14/17
Homeless: Many shun shelters — even in storms -- That underscores a key challenge for local officials in dealing with such a vulnerable population: Many so cherish their independence that they’d rather face the elements alone than accept an offered bed. And it’s a big worry, given deaths among the county’s homeless spiked to a six-year high in 2016. Eric Kurhi in the San Jose Mercury -- 1/14/17
Study: Obamacare repeal to cost Sonoma County 2,000 jobs, $200M -- If lawmakers successfully sink the law, they could eliminate a source of health insurance for more than 35,000 Sonoma County residents — like Tighe — cost the county 2,000 jobs and saddle it with an economic loss of nearly $200 million, according to University of California health care researchers. Patients would lose access to preventive care, treatment for acute and chronic conditions, as well as mental health services and dental care, local public health officials said. Guy Kovner in the Santa Rosa Press -- 1/14/17
Ten journalists battle efforts to make them testify in a San Bernardino county corruption case -- The California Shield Law, a provision of the state constitution, provides legal protections for journalists who seek to keep from disclosing sources and unpublished information that is obtained while gathering news. Prosecutors have said the information they are seeking does not fall under the protections of the law. Paloma Esquivel in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/14/17
Lopez: Comfort, dignity, security; seniors extol virtues of low-rent housing while thousands of others wait in long line -- If you’re getting on in years and your income is flat but your expenses are not, finding an affordable home in Southern California may require a small miracle. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/14/17
SpaceX sends 10 satellites into orbit, lands rocket booster on drone ship in first flight since September explosion -- Analysts had described the launch as “all-important” for the Hawthorne space company to reestablish customer confidence and momentum after a Sept. 1 launchpad explosion in Florida destroyed a Falcon 9 rocket and a commercial communications satellite perched on top. Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/14/17
Trump kicks off Martin Luther King weekend by attacking civil rights legend John Lewis -- In yet another indication of his unwillingness to let criticism pass, Donald Trump has lashed out at “all talk … no action” national icon John Lewis, who was beaten repeatedly and nearly lost his life in the long struggle for civil rights. Cathleen Decke in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/14/17
Jennifer Holliday backs out of Trump inauguration gig -- Broadway star Jennifer Holliday has backed out as a performer at next week's presidential inaugural, saying she did not realize that her participation would be interpreted as a statement of support for President-elect Donald Trump. Nancy Benac and David Bauder Associated Press -- 1/14/17
Orange Coast College professor addresses her viral Trump comments -- A community college teacher who attracted national attention for describing the election of Donald Trump as “an act of terrorism” said her comments were meant to comfort her students, not ignite political controversy. Roxana Kopetman in the Orange County Register -- 1/14/17
Meet the biker hosting the biggest pro-Trump demonstration at the inauguration -- Chris Cox surveyed a small park near the U.S. Capitol, his German shepherd by his side. Wearing a Harley-Davidson jacket and a crocodile-skin cowboy hat adorned with the animal’s teeth atop his moppy, curly hair, Cox made for a particularly discordant sight in the heart of federal Washington on a misty weekend morning. Perry Stein in the Washington Post$ -- 1/14/17
Scott Pruitt, Trump’s E.P.A. Pick, Backed Industry Donors Over Regulators -- A legal fight to clean up tons of chicken manure fouling the waters of Oklahoma’s bucolic northeastern corner — much of it from neighboring Arkansas — was in full swing six years ago when the conservative lawyer Scott Pruitt took office as Oklahoma’s attorney general. His response: Put on the brakes. Eric Lipton and Coral Davenport in the New York Times$ -- 1/14/17
Obama, who sought to ease partisanship, saw it worsen instead -- He first achieved national renown with a speech hailing bipartisanship, and spent much of his presidency singing the praises of cooperation across party lines. Christi Parsons, Lisa Mascaro in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/14/17