Updating . .
Laid off Sungevity workers’ paychecks bounce amid solar firm’s bankruptcy -- Paychecks have bounced for some of the 350 Sungevity workers who were abruptly laid off ahead of the struggling solar company’s recent bankruptcy filing, increasing the pressure on employees who lost their jobs. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/17/17
Brown administration pressures lawmakers to support road-repair funding plan as support lags for tax hike bill -- But two Democrats — Sens. Richard Roth of Riverside and Henry Stern of Woodland Hills — did not vote for the bill, Senate Bill 1, in committee, and a third, Sen. Steve Glazer of Concord, indicated Friday that he is not yet on board. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/17
House Democrats frustrated after immigration meeting with homeland security head -- Frustrated House Democrats say they got few specifics from Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly when they questioned him Friday in a closed-door meeting about his agency's efforts to comply with President Trump's immigration orders. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/17
Oroville Dam eyes new test as main spillway reopens -- In a fresh test of Oroville Dam’s battered infrastructure, water was released from the fractured main spillway Friday for the first time in three weeks in a renewed effort to lower water levels at the troubled reservoir. Ryan Sabalow and Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/17/17
Politics, gun-control anxiety cited for California's record 2016 gun sales -- Californians bought guns at a blazing-fast pace in 2016, setting a record for the most guns ever sold in the state with 1.3 million. It was the first year Californians had ever purchased more than a million firearms. Aaron Mendelson KPCC -- 3/17/17
Police are using new mouth-swab tests to nab drivers under the influence of marijuana and other drugs -- San Diego police have a new way to confirm the presence of marijuana and other drugs in impaired drivers — a mouth-swab device that is already being used by police departments in more than a dozen states and is expected to become more popular with the legalization of marijuana. Kristina Davis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/17
Trump's push to ease vehicle emissions rules takes aim at the foundation of California's air pollution fight -- The Trump administration’s move to shelve aggressive vehicle fuel economy standards raises the possibility of a confrontation over what for decades has been at the core of California’s fight against air pollution: the state’s power to set its own stricter emissions rules. Tony Barboza in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/17
Immigration judges to be sent to border detention centers -- The Justice Department said Friday that it will temporarily transfer immigration judges to six detention centers mostly near the border with Mexico in an effort to put President Donald Trump's immigration directives into effect. Elliot Spagat Associated Press -- 3/17/17
Huntington Beach restaurant fires waiter after he asks 4 diners for 'proof of residency' -- When Diana Carrillo, her sister and two friends decided to try the Saint Marc Pub-Cafe in Pacific City last week, they were hoping for a nice shared experience. They got a shared experience, but not one they would have expected. Greg Mellen in the Orange County Register -- 3/17/17
Lawmakers warn that Trump budget cuts will deepen California affordable housing crisis -- The average rent in California is now more than double the national average – and as high as $4,500 per month in San Francisco. Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/17/17
Inland Empire rental market tighter than LA's, study says -- Though rents in the Inland Empire are still far cheaper, they're rising as fast or faster than in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, according to a new report from the Center for Economic Forecasting and Development at UC Riverside's School of Business It also found that the Inland Empire has a lower vacancy rate. Ben Bergman KPCC -- 3/17/17
Trump's proposed budget would hurt LA's homelessness efforts -- The proposal – which represents the president's wish list and not a final federal budget – requests $6 billion in cuts from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which is a major funder of local rental assistance projects and affordable housing. Rina Palta KPCC -- 3/17/17
In California, the ‘Beginning of the Battle’ to Save Arts Funding -- With the official release of President Trump’s proposed budget on Thursday, arts leaders in California weren’t surprised to see the elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) among the cuts. Cy Musiker KQED -- 3/17/17
Wages rise on California farms. Americans still don’t want the job -- rnulfo Solorio’s desperate mission to recruit farmworkers for the Napa Valley took him far from the pastoral vineyards to a raggedy parking lot in Stockton, in the heart of the Central Valley. Natalie Kitroeff and Geoffrey Mohan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/17
Fox: Federal Budget Could Rattle California Taxation -- With the threat of far less money coming out of Washington for California under the Trump Administration budget, California officials and advocates are starting to talk about the need to raise more local and state taxes as a cushion against revenue loss. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 3/17/17
Absentee vote pushes L.A. County homeless sales tax measure toward a strong finish -- Ten days after the election, backers of a quarter-cent sales tax to fund homeless programs in Los Angeles County are waiting for new vote counts Friday that are expected to seal the measure’s narrow passage. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/17
California Women’s Caucus sends ‘advice letter’ to Trump’s Supreme Court nominee -- The women helping to lead the world’s sixth-largest economy sent a letter of advice to U.S. Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch. Taryn Luna in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/17/17
With housing costs skyrocketing, rent control is on the docket again in Sacramento -- Amid California’s housing crisis, several state lawmakers want to give cities the ability to dramatically expand rent control, including imposing the kind of strict limits that once existed in Santa Monica and West Hollywood but have been barred since the 1990s. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/17
County supervisor will accept pay raise she voted against -- When San Diego County supervisors voted early this year to increase their own salary by more than $19,000 — as angry taxpayers yelled “shame on you” from the packed chamber — newly seated Supervisor Kristin Gaspar cast the lone vote in opposition. Jeff McDonald in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/17/17
How food delivery apps have changed the game for restaurants -- A year ago Mendocino Farms didn’t offer delivery at any of its 15 Southern California locations. Now Ellen Chen, co-founder of the artisanal sandwich chain, is knocking down restaurant walls to make room for delivery drivers. Tracey Lien in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/17
State unveils a 10-year plan to restore habitat and control toxic dust storms along the Salton Sea's receding shoreline -- Salton Sea advocates on Thursday cautiously celebrated the announcement of a 10-year state plan to complete projects designed to restore areas where migrating birds once proliferated and control toxic dust storms rising off expanses of smelly playa surrounding the shrinking salty lake. Louis Sahagun in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/17
Lake Tahoe expected to fill up with largest physical rise in recorded history -- Winter's unrelenting storms built up a substantial Sierra snowpack and are expected to fill the lake for the first time in 11 years. Many low-lying areas that were exposed when the lake level was declining during the drought will be inundated with water. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/17/17
San Francisco pitches plan for future of California rivers -- For decades, San Francisco has been blissfully removed from California’s water wars. The city’s pristine reservoirs in and around Yosemite National Park have been not only plentiful but also largely outside the reach of regulators. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/17/17
Delicious and Nearly Extinct, Can White Abalone Be Saved? -- Aquilino had driven the rare animal 385 miles from Los Angeles, where it was captured off the coast, and where small numbers of this endangered species can still be found. She was about to introduce the 7-inch marine snail to its new home, a research facility at UC Davis’ Bodega Marine Lab in Bodega Bay. Lindsey Hoshaw KQED -- 3/17/17
Taylor: Desley Brooks’ handling of Oakland pot permits raises questions -- There’s something funky about how the Oakland City Council — and Councilwoman Desley Brooks, in particular — has handled the city’s pot-business permit system. It doesn’t smell right. Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/17/17
Should minors be allowed to marry in California? -- Under 18 and want to get hitched? In California, you need signed permission from a single parent or legal guardian, an interview and approval from the court. Soon, you might need to wait until 18 no matter who signs off, making California the only state in the nation with an absolute ban on under-18 marriage. Robin Opsahl in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/17/17
Senate bill requires publicly funded colleges to provide abortion pills to students -- As Republicans in Congress move to defund Planned Parenthood, a California state senator is pushing a bill to require student health centers on public university and community college campuses to provide non-surgical abortion services. Taryn Luna in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/17/17
PolitifactCA: Nothing inflated in Arnold Schwarzenegger's claim on gerrymandering -- Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger won’t be back to host The New Celebrity Apprentice. He also recently squashed rumors he might run for U.S. Senate. That doesn’t mean, however, that the bodybuilder-turned-movie-star-turned-politician plans to fade quietly into the Hollywood sunset. Chris Nichols PolitifactCA -- 3/17/17
Trump's unsubstantiated claim that Obama spied on him has now entangled — and upset — Great Britain -- White House officials scrambled to explain themselves Friday after an unusual press briefing a day earlier prompted a diplomatic flap with Britain, one of the United States' closest allies. Noah Bierman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/17
California Policy & Politics This Morning
L.A. County sheriff opposes 'sanctuary state' bill, saying it would hinder law enforcement -- Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell has come out in opposition to a so-called “sanctuary state” bill that would bar state and local policing agencies from using resources for immigration enforcement, according to a letter obtained by The Times. Maya Lau and Jazmine Ulloa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/17
After 32 years behind bars, man walks free to meet jubilant family after judge throws out murder conviction -- Catrina Burks caught the first flight to Los Angeles on Thursday. She’d left her Michigan home in a rush the evening before and driven to the airport in Chicago after getting a call from her father’s attorney. Marisa Gerber in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/17
State leaders fill three vacant California Coastal Commission seats -- The state’s top elected officials on Thursday completed their selections to fill three vacant positions on the California Coastal Commission — the powerful land use agency that has been buffeted by controversy, including the firing of its executive director last year. Dan Weikel in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/17
For farmers below the Oroville Reservoir, water still poses a threat -- Marysville, Calif., farmer Brad Foster stood at the eroded edge of the Feather River recently and contemplated how he was going to pull his water pumps out of the soggy, collapsed river bank. Joseph Serna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/17
Walters: California vs. Washington: Smog a new battleground -- There seems to be no end to the issues in which blue California finds itself at odds with a Republican-controlled federal government – and smog is a new one. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/17/17
From arts to prisons, Trump’s budget means cuts in California -- The conservative California farmers who have long sought to eliminate the Legal Services Corp. would get their wish fulfilled under the Trump administration’s bare-bones budget outline made public Thursday. The state’s large defense industry would likewise reap a windfall, as a result of Trump’s proposed $54 billion hike in military spending. Michael Doyle in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/17/17
Gloves off, California vs. Trump -- In the fight between President Trump and California over immigration, many wonder whether a state — even one as massive as this one — can successfully confront the White House. Thus far in Sacramento, the answer is yes — from the governor on down. Dave Kempa Capitol Weekly -- 3/17/17
Rep. Ed Royce cites harassment by activists as reason for women's conference cancellation -- Republican congressman Ed Royce is indefinitely postponing his annual Women's Conference at CSU Fullerton because of what he called harassment of scheduled speakers by activists. Leaders of Indivisible group in his district, who have been critical of President Donald Trump and have been pressing Royce to hold town hall meetings, responded that they had no intention to pose a menace to speakers or disrupt the event. Martin Wisckol in the Orange County Register -- 3/17/17
Reagan and Schwarzenegger brought Hollywood to Sacramento. Now there’s Dante Acosta -- Danta Acosta, a freshman Republican assemblyman from Santa Clarita and a working actor, is keeping the tradition alive – “in my own little way.” “You can’t compare my careers to theirs, obviously,” he said of the two former governors. Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/17/17
Missing some money? Californians aren’t collecting all they own -- A childhood savings account, grandparent’s safe-deposit box or long-ago stock purchase: they may be forgotten, but they’re not gone. Under California law, financial institutions and other businesses must annually report and hand over properties that have been dormant, with no owner contact, in most cases for three years. Jim Miller in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/17/17
Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds
Trump's budget calls for higher passenger fees and a privatized air traffic control system -- The first budget proposal by the Trump administration calls for big changes to the way Americans fly, including a plan to privatize the air traffic control system and raise passenger security fees. Hugo Martin and James F. Peltz in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/17
Homeless
Berkeley sees San Francisco efforts as guide to fighting homelessness -- An ambitious plan to pull Berkeley’s burgeoning homeless population off the streets, first into sheltering mini-villages and then into permanent housing, got a big rollout by the city’s mayor Thursday — but one big question loomed. Kevin Fagan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/17/17
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Why Trump's budget proposal may not be a blueprint for economic growth -- For all of President Trump's promises to strengthen America's economy, his first proposed budget would make significant cuts for research and development that analysts say in the long run would most likely hurt U.S. competitiveness and slow economic growth. Don Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/17
How San Diego Researchers Are Reacting To Trump’s Proposed Cuts -- San Diego's biomedical researchers stand to lose big if President Trump's proposed cuts to the National Institutes of Health make it through Congress. David Wagner KPBS -- 3/17/17
Trump Transportation Plan Could Derail Bay Area Transit Projects -- It’s a long way from becoming law, but the Trump administration’s proposed budget for transportation comes with a message for traffic-choked regions like the Bay Area: If you want big new transit projects to ease the congestion you’re seeing, or if you’re looking to make major new investments so your existing transit systems work better, that’s your business — the federal government’s not going to help. Dan Brekke KQED -- 3/17/17
Sonoma County housing, homeless and legal services brace for budget cuts under Trump plan -- Repairs to decrepit housing, restoration of coho salmon runs, funding for homeless services and legal assistance to low-income tenants are among the Sonoma County programs targeted for significant cuts in the budget blueprint released Thursday by President Donald Trump. Guy Kovner in the Santa Rosa Press -- 3/17/17
58 tech companies sign brief against Trump’s latest travel ban -- Fifty-eight tech companies, including Bay Area-based Airbnb, Lyft, and Dropbox, have signed an amicus brief supporting a lawsuit filed by Hawaii in response to the Trump administration’s latest “Muslim Ban.” That’s almost half of the 97 companies that signed a similar brief against the previous iteration of the plan. Notably absent in this version are signatures from Google, Apple, Spotify, Netflix, and Microsoft. Emily Price in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/17/17
Court-ordered Volkswagen settlement could bring millions to Sacramento -- Under a settlement with federal officials and the California Air Resources Board, the disgraced automaker is poised to spend tens of millions of dollars promoting zero-emission vehicles in Sacramento and four other cities. Anita Chabria and Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/17/17
Tired of hearing ‘Don’t call us, we’ll call you,’ ex-convicts want felonies off job apps -- After joining a gang as a teenager, Wayne McMahon spent 25 years in and out of California prisons. Hearing that his nephew was headed down the same road finally gave McMahon, at the age of 45, the motivation three years ago to start changing his life. “ Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/17/17
Prosecutors refile charges in $150-million fraud case -- It was touted as a mega-bust: the successful end to a five-year investigation aimed at dismantling one of the largest insurance fraud schemes in California history. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/17
CalPERS cuts LA Works pensions: Who’s at fault? -- CalPERS board members voted yesterday to cut the pensions of about 200 former employees of a disbanded job-training agency known as LA Works, unless the four founding cities agree to make a $406,345 payment before July 1. Ed Mendel Calpensions.com -- 3/17/17
Transit
Proposed Trump budget slices needed federal funding for Sacramento streetcars, light rail -- Sacramento’s planned streetcar and numerous other transit projects in cities nationwide are on the chopping block in the Trump administration budget unveiled Thursday morning. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/17/17
Education
Trump’s budget plan would threaten ‘essential’ LA after-school programs and the arts -- Leaders of local arts organizations and after-school programs expressed concern Thursday over what President Donald Trump’s proposed budget and its possible cuts to the National Endowment for the Arts and the Department of Education could mean for them. Antonie Boessenkool in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 3/17/17
How Trump's proposed budget could affect California's schools -- President Trump’s proposed budget would reduce education spending nationwide while boosting money for school vouchers and charter schools. While most public school dollars come from states and districts, federal funds cover specific programs. Since California is the most populous state, it stands to lose the most money. Joy Resmovits in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/17
UC regents debate enrollment limits on students from other states and countries, approve Berkeley chancellor -- University of California regents expressed an array of concerns Thursday over a controversial proposal to limit the number of undergraduates from other states and countries to 20% of total systemwide enrollment. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/17
School districts would get state money to build teacher housing under new bills -- Assemblyman Tony Thurmond (D-Richmond) said the state’s housing affordability crisis has made it hard for districts to attract and retain qualified teachers. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/17
Visitors to Laguna schools will have to pass new screening process -- Beginning in late April, visitors to any of Laguna Beach's four public schools will need to provide identification to be checked against a nationwide sex offender database as the Laguna Beach Unified School District beefs up its security measures. Bryce Alderton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/17
California's new education ratings tool paints a far rosier picture than in the past -- Nearly 80% of schools serving grades three through eight are ranked as medium- to high-performing in the new ratings, earning them positive colors on report cards sent to parents. Last year in state testing at those same schools, the majority of students failed to reach English and math standards. Joy Resmovits and Sandra Poindexter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/17
Teacher collaboration leads to Common Core math success -- It’s a lesson in Learning math the Common Core way means using multiple methods to come up with the right answer, an approach that is working at E.M. Grimmer Elementary School in Fremont. Theresa Harrington EdSource -- 3/17/17
UC regents debate 20 percent cap on undergraduates from outside California -- The number of students studying at the University of California from other states and nations has skyrocketed in the past decade, from about 5 percent to the current 16.5 percent of all undergraduates. Larry Gordon EdSource -- 3/17/17
Cannabis
Meet medical cannabis’ senior weapon: retired Oakland principal turned activist -- Oakland resident Sue Taylor is a self-confessed Goody Two-shoes. A decade ago, the grandmother and former Catholic school principal considered cannabis a hard-core drug, not unlike heroin or crack cocaine. Susan Cohen in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/17/17
Immigration / Border
California Weighs Shielding Personal Data From Federal Reach -- At a small rally near the state Capitol recently, Juan Aguilar stood among a group of people waving large American and Mexican flags. They were taking part in the national A Day Without Immigrants demonstrations to protest against increased federal immigration enforcement. Katie Orr KQED -- 3/17/17
Faith leaders unite in San Bernardino in favor of refugees -- Leaders of diverse faiths gathered Thursday with versions of the same message: We’re all descended from refugees, and our God commands us all to care for refugees today. Ryan Hagen in the Inland Daily Bulletin$ -- 3/17/17
Man is accused of trying to smuggle 4 Chinese citizens across U.S. border inside car trunk -- A 24-year-old man with U.S. citizenship pulled up to a border crossing from Mexico this week, seemingly with an empty Chrysler sedan. Matt Hamilton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/17
Environment
The Environmental Protection Agency is targeted for some of Trump’s most brutal cuts -- President Trump’s budget envisions a rapid retreat from the aggressive federal environmental protection policies developed over the last four decades, to be replaced with hollowed-out enforcement and wholesale elimination of some signature federal conservation efforts. Evan Halper in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/17
Trump EPA cuts could slow Tijuana sewage-system upgrades -- Badly needed fixes to Tijuana’s wastewater system — which recently leaked millions of gallons of raw sewage into the Pacific Ocean, fouling beaches as far north as Coronado — may have to wait. Joshua Emerson Smith in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/17/17
Health
Having unprotected sex without telling a partner about HIV-positive status would no longer be a felony under new bill -- In a test of shifting attitudes about HIV, a group of state lawmakers has proposed that it no longer be a felony for someone to knowingly expose others to the disease by engaging in unprotected sex and not telling the partner about the infection. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/17
Also . . .
Former L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca's conviction sends a message but there's still 'need for reform' -- Each trial, conviction and sentence handed down to members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department since 2014 exposed deep flaws within the nation’s largest law enforcement agency of its kind, observers and civil rights activists said this week. Susan Abram in the Orange County Register -- 3/17/17
POTUS 45
These are the 19 agencies Trump would stop funding entirely -- Here’s a snapshot of the mission and history of the 19 independent agencies President Trump said he would stop funding entirely under his “budget blueprint.” Trump’s proposal also calls for deep cuts in other agencies and departments, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the State Department, and shifts federal resources to defense. Kelly Parker, Dan Watson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/17
Trump Digs In on Wiretap, No Matter Who Says Differently -- The former president denied it. So did the former national intelligence director. The F.B.I. director has said privately that it is false. The speaker of the House and the chairmen of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees — all three Republican — see no indications that it happened. Peter Baker and Charlie Savage in the New York Times$ Elise Viebeck in the Washington Post$ -- 3/17/17
Beltway
Petition to remove Congress members' health care subsidies gets nearly 500,000 signatures -- An Oregon man has circulated a petition demanding that if Congress is willing to repeal the Affordable Care Act, its members should also be willing to forego their own health care subsidies. On Thursday afternoon, the Change.org petition had received more than 432,000 signatures, with a goal of 500,000 before it will be sent off to congressional leadership. Alix Martichoux in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/17/17
-- Thursday Updates
Trump's budget is 'a complete withdrawal' of working with states, says Gov. Jerry Brown's budget chief -- President Trump's proposed federal budget would dramatically shrink the nation's role in solving important issues in California, according to an early analysis by advisers to Gov. Jerry Brown. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/16/17
Fear of deportation comes to middle school -- Middle school is confusing enough to navigate when your family life is stable, but for the kids at one Oakland school, it’s been even more difficult since the election. They’ve been asking their teachers and counselors a lot of heavy questions, like, “Will my parents be home when I get home from school?” Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/16/17
California to Trump: Keep ICE out of our courthouses -- California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye asked the Trump administration on Thursday to stop immigration agents from “stalking” California’s courthouses to make arrests. Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ Scott Shafer KQED Angela Hart in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/16/17
Decker: President Trump embraces the blame game, while brushing aside some inconvenient realities -- President Trump’s frustration has repeatedly been visible as his successful campaign has given way to a troubled presidency, driven by the distance between his promises and the bracing difficulty of governing. Cathleen Decker in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/16/17
Democratic and Republican legislative leaders join to fight campaign finance rule change -- In a rare bipartisan agreement, the leaders of the Democratic and Republican caucuses of the state Senate and Assembly have united to fight a proposal by the state’s campaign watchdog agency to change the test for when a candidate controls a political committee. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/16/17
Man pulls down gay pride flag outside Rep. Alan Lowenthal's Washington office -- An unidentified man entered Rep. Alan Lowenthal's Capitol Hill office Wednesday upset about the display of a gay pride flag and pulled it from its stand outside the office to forcefully and repeatedly step on it, the Long Beach congressman said Thursday. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/16/17
California's revised draft rule on pesticide use near schools is a bit softer -- Before using pesticides near California public schools, growers would have to notify school and county agricultural officials, under a revised draft regulation released Thursday — but the notification requirements would be less strenuous than what was proposed a few months ago. Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ Robert Rodriguez in the Fresno Bee -- 3/16/17
People are furious that Trump's new budget cuts funding to Meals on Wheels -- A popular organization that provides food and companionship to millions of seniors around the country is at risk of losing its funding in President Donald Trump's new budget — and people are incensed. Katie Dowd in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/16/17
Proposed Trump budget slices needed federal funding for Sacramento streetcars, light rail -- Sacramento’s planned streetcar and numerous other transit projects in cities nationally are on the chopping block in the Trump administration budget unveiled Thursday morning. The president’s budget also eliminates funding for the program that local leaders are counting on to help fund a long-planned light rail extension from downtown to Sacramento International Airport. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/16/17
State releases another data tool potentially more useful than new dashboard -- Separate from its new California School Dashboard, the California Department of Education has prepared another online resource that some school officials say may be more useful than the dashboard itself. It consists of color grids showing a breakdown of how every school in a district did on each performance indicator, with links to each school’s dashboard report. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 3/16/17
Trump budget would result in loss of hundreds of millions in education dollars to California -- Even as his proposed 2017-18 budget calls for increasing funding for “school choice” programs, President Donald Trump is proposing to cut programs that would result in the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal support to California for early learning programs, K-12 schools, teacher preparation and retention, and college student aid. Louis Freedberg EdSource -- 3/16/17
President approves California storms disaster declaration -- President Donald Trump has approved a disaster declaration for California to address damage from January storms that were part of the state's extremely wet winter. The action Thursday makes federal funding available to state, local and tribal governments as well as nonprofit groups. Associated Press -- 3/16/17
Borenstein: County hired social worker with domestic violence history -- A Contra Costa child protective services worker has her own history of domestic violence and participated in an infamous “Dirty DUI” scheme to entrap her ex-husband for drunken driving. Daniel Borenstein in the East Bay Times -- 3/16/17
Family ID’s 16-year-old killed by Fremont police -- Relatives identified the 16-year-old girl fatally shot in Hayward on Tuesday by Fremont detectives who opened fire on a car officials said was stolen and had slammed into the officers’ unmarked patrol vehicle during a traffic stop. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/16/17
These four public employees are accused with four others of stealing from the dead -- The state Attorney General’s office has filed a 34-count complaint that charges eight people – four of them Fresno County employees – with thefts from dead people and their families. Marc Benjamin in the Fresno Bee -- 3/16/17
What’s That Thing Off 280? The Flintstone House -- We don’t normally profile real estate listings for Bay Curious, but this one was too fascinating to pass up. The “Flintstone House,” as Peninsula locals call it, is on the market for $3.2 million. Which means we have a rare opportunity to peek inside. Rachael Myrow KQED -- 3/16/17
State librarian hunts dollars in DC -- Prying funds out of the Trump administration may not be easy, but California State Librarian Greg Lucas is giving it a shot. And not just for California. John Howard Capitol Weekly -- 3/16/17
Michael Flynn Was Paid by Russian-Linked Firms, Letter Shows -- Michael T. Flynn, President Trump’s former national security adviser, was paid over $65,000 by companies linked to Russia in 2015, according to a letter released on Thursday by congressional investigators. Adam Goldman and Michael Schwirtz in the New York Times$ Rosalind S. Helderman and Tom Hamburger in the Washington Post$ -- 3/16/17