California Policy & Politics This Morning
‘Racial profiling’? Jaywalking tickets snare hundreds of blacks in Sacramento -- Sacramento police issued 233 tickets for jaywalking last year in the police district that includes North Sacramento and Del Paso Heights – nearly triple the number handed out in the entire rest of the city. Anita Chabria, Nashelly Chavez and Phillip Reese in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/15/17
Signs targeting City Council, undocumented immigrants pop up in LA neighborhood -- Guerilla-style lawn signs were spotted peeking from among an overgrowth of grass and weeds on a Los Angeles parkway Friday, taking jabs at the expense of the Los Angeles City Council and immigrants. One sign at Doheny Drive and Burton Way, in Beverly Grove, read: “Landscaping by L.A. City Council ‘We’d rather spend your taxes on welfare for illegals.’” Elizabeth Chou in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 4/15/17
Trump is creating a void on climate change. Can California persuade other states to help fill it? -- California made no secret of its ambitions when it enacted a landmark law on global warming just over a decade ago. Progress here on slashing greenhouse gas emissions, the law said, would have “far-reaching effects by encouraging other states, the federal government and other countries to act.” Chris Megerian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/15/17
Which California legislative Republicans represent pro-Clinton districts? -- Newly installed Senate Republican Leader Patricia Bates has three GOP-held swing seats to defend next year. The Laguna Niguel lawmaker also may want to keep an eye on her own race. Jim Miller in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/15/17
BOE member wants to curb troubled California tax agency’s mega-conferences -- Board of Equalization member George Runner wants his colleagues to take up his proposal later this month. It would block them from sponsoring large conferences until the board adopts a new, formal policy governing its outreach strategy. Adam Ashton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/15/17
Executive Order To Strip Funding From Sanctuary Cities Faced First Legal Challenge -- President Trump’s executive order to strip funding from sanctuary cities faced its first legal challenge Friday in San Francisco. The city and Santa Clara County went to federal court to block the order, contending it’s unconstitutional. Ben Bradford Capital Public Radio Julie Small KQED -- 4/15/17
What to expect from LA's Tax Day protest -- Thousands of people across the nation are expected to take to the streets on Saturday to challenge President Donald Trump's decision not to release his tax returns. Presidential candidates have traditionally released their returns, but Trump has said an IRS audit prevents him from doing so. KPCC -- 4/15/17
Demonstrators want nuclear waste moved out of San Onofre -- Some brought surfboards, some put on gas masks, others wore bathing suits and some donned yellow hazmat gear. Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 4/15/17
California tribes fear abysmal salmon run may trigger public health crisis -- In the Pacific Ocean off the mouth of the Klamath River, record-low numbers of fall-run adult Chinook salmon are ready to make their annual migration up the river and its primary tributary, the Trinity River, to spawn. The run this year is so miniscule that for the first time there will be practically no tribal fishing on the rivers. Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/15/17
California’s carbon market in the clear? Not so fast -- Opponents of California’s “cap and trade” carbon market said Friday they will take their fight to the state Supreme Court. The Pacific Legal Foundation, a conservative nonprofit law firm based in Sacramento, announced it will appeal the case to the Supreme Court. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/15/17
California’s war on carbon: Is it winning? -- The centerpiece of California’s effort to reduce carbon emissions, an auction system for pollution credits known as cap and trade, has faltered badly in the past year. Businesses have bought far fewer credits than expected, depriving the state of an expected windfall for such big-ticket items as high speed rail. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/15/17
California Politics Podcast -- This week: Lawmakers consider moving the California presidential primary in an effort to make the Golden State third behind Iowa and New Hampshire in 2020. Plus, the fallout from last week's big transportation tax and fee vote -- from constituents back home to the impact on 2017's climate change efforts. With John Myers and Melanie Mason of the Los Angeles Times and Marisa Lagos of KQED News. Link Here -- 4/15/17
Calls to San Bernadino women's shelter reportedly double after shooting -- Cedric Anderson walked into his wife's classroom at North Park Elementary on Monday and fired 10 rounds from a .357 Magnum. He killed his wife, Karen Smith, and her 8-year-old student Jonathan Martinez before turning the gun on himself. Another student is recovering from a bullet wound to the torso. Michelle Robertson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/15/17
Robert W. Taylor, a pioneer of the modern computer, dies at 85 -- Robert W. Taylor, one of the most important figures in the creation of the modern computer and the Internet, has died. He was 85. Esmeralda Bermudez and Michael Hiltzik in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/15/17
Housing
Apartment auctions hit LA's tight rental market -- Auctioning off an apartment to the highest bidder may sound like a nightmare to those struggling to find a home in Los Angeles' tight rental market. But landlords and property managers can do exactly that with the help of digital tools from tech startups. Josie Huang KPCC -- 4/15/17
Battle over rent control in California expected to drag into next year -- Under pressure from the California Apartment Association and other real estate interests, Assemblyman Richard Bloom, D-Santa Monica, has put on hold a bill that seeks to increase renter protections amid California’s widening housing crisis. Angela Hart in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/15/17
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Uber, Lifting Financial Veil, Says Sales Growth Outpaces Losses -- Uber Technologies Inc. isn’t required to report its finances publicly, but the privately held company has decided to forgo that luxury for the first time. Uber said its revenue growth is outpacing losses, hoping to show the business is on a strong trajectory as it attempts to address a recent cascade of scandals. Eric Newcomer Bloomberg -- 4/15/17
General Motors to expand San Francisco self-driving car unit, hire more than 1,100 people -- Automaker General Motors will spend $14 million to expand its Cruise Automation self-driving car unit in San Francisco, and will hire 1,100 workers over the next five years, the firm announced April 14. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/15/17
Water
State will send more water to Southern California as it boosts deliveries to highest levels in 11 years -- Most agencies, including the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, will get 85% of the amount they request. Water districts north of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta will get 100%. Bettina Boxall in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/15/17
Guns
ATF’s focus on firearm sales by police may be tied to gun seizure at Pasadena officer’s home -- A letter from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to law enforcement agencies across Southern California warning about an “emerging problem” of officers engaging in unlicensed firearms sales came just weeks after a Pasadena police officer’s home was searched and guns seized. Greg Moran and Lyndsay Winkley in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 4/15/17
Immigration / Border
5 things to know about tougher prosecution of immigration offenses -- U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions this week issued a memo to federal prosecutors, directing them to designate certain immigration offenses as "higher priorities" for charges, including cases involving immigrants who enter the country without authorization multiple times. Leslie Berestein Rojas KPCC -- 4/15/17
Environment
California Air Resources Board Asks Federal Government To Toughen Train Emission Standards -- California's top air quality agency is asking the federal government to toughen emission standards for trains. The California Air Resources Board says pollutants coming from locomotives are dangerous for communities living near rail yards. Capital Public Radio -- 4/15/17
POTUS 45
Trump picks critic to lead Ex-Im Bank he once opposed -- President Donald Trump plans to nominate a vocal critic of the U.S. Export-Import Bank to serve as its president. The White House announced late Friday that Trump plans to nominate Scott Garrett, a former Republican congressman from New Jersey, to serve as president of the credit agency, which helps overseas buyers get financing to purchase U.S. exports. Jill Colvin Associated Press -- 4/15/17
Even Canadians are skipping trips to America after Trump travel ban -- The cancellations came quickly and in rapid succession. Within days of President Trump’s first executive order restricting travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries, a number of European travel groups pulled their plans, amounting to a loss of 2,000 overnight stays for Hostelling International USA. Abha Bhattarai in the Washington Post$ -- 4/15/17
Trump’s reelection stockpile grows as small donors keep giving -- President Trump's supporters kept up a robust stream of donations in the first quarter of 2017, pouring more than $42 million into the coffers of his campaign and the Republican National Committee, according to new Federal Election Commission filings and party officials. Matea Gold in the Washington Post$ -- 4/15/17
Beltway
White House decides to keep visitor records secret --The White House said Friday that lists of visitors to the building will be kept secret, breaking with the practice of President Donald Trump's predecessor. Darlene Superville and Chad Day Associated Press -- 4/15/17
How Trump insurance changes could affect coverage next year -- A much tighter sign-up deadline and coverage delays will be waiting for some health insurance customers now that President Donald Trump's administration has finished a plan designed to stabilize shaky insurance markets. Tom Murphy Associated Press -- 4/15/17
-- Friday Updates
Delta OKs offers of up to $9,950 to flyers who give up seats -- Delta is letting employees offer customers almost $10,000 in compensation to give up seats on overbooked flights, hoping to avoid an uproar like the one that erupted at United after a passenger was dragged off a jet. David Koenig and Damian Troise Associated Press -- 4/14/17
Lawyer: Little money involved in Trump sanctuary order -- President Donald Trump's executive order withholding funding from communities that limit cooperation with immigration authorities applies to a small pot of grant money, not the hundreds of millions of dollars that cities and counties around the country say is at stake, a lawyer with the Department of Justice said Friday. Sudhin Thanawala Associated Press -- 4/14/17
Mexican tourists once flocked to the U.S. during Easter week. This year they're elsewhere — and they blame Trump -- Rafael Sifuentes Barba normally spends Holy Week visiting the United States. It’s a tradition Barba started when he got his tourist visa four years ago, and he’s enjoyed traveling to San Antonio, New York and San Francisco for shopping and sightseeing. He says he often spends $1,000 a day on such trips. Laura Tillman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/14/17
California police unions push bill on public disclosure in use-of-force cases -- California law enforcement unions are pushing a new law they say will increase public disclosure in cases involving police use of force, but the ACLU says the effort does little to peel back the curtain into police investigations of their own conduct. Taryn Luna in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/14/17
Feeling sting of Aerojet’s departure, Sacramento group calls for statewide jobs plan -- The Greater Sacramento Economic Council on Friday called on the administration of Gov. Jerry Brown to develop a comprehensive statewide plan to prevent other states from poaching California companies and jobs. Mark Glover in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/14/17
Leaving coastal California is a 'no brainer' for some as housing costs rise -- Huntington Beach residents Chris Birtwistle and Allison Naitmazi were about to get married and decided it was time to buy a home. They wanted to stay in the area but couldn’t find a house they both liked and could reasonably afford — despite a dual income of around $150,000. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/14/17
California’s war on carbon: Is it winning? -- The centerpiece of California’s effort to reduce carbon emissions, an auction system for pollution credits known as cap and trade, has faltered badly in the past year. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/14/17
Businesses plan appeal of California carbon fee ruling -- A conservative legal foundation says it will ask the California Supreme Court to strike down a key component of California's effort to combat climate change. The Pacific Legal Foundation said Friday that it will appeal a state appellate court ruling issued last week. Associated Press -- 4/14/17
Road clears in California for Apple self-driving car -- An Apple self-driving car may soon hit the road in California. The Cupertino tech giant is the latest entry on the list of some 30 companies authorized by the state Department of Motor Vehicles to test autonomous vehicles. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/14/17
Interior secretary talks national park worries on visit to Kings Canyon National Park -- U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke toured Kings Canyon National Park Friday and met with staff to discuss pressing issues within California's national parks, including mounting infrastructure woes, forest fire prevention and claims of sexual harassment within the Parks Service. Rory Appleton in the Fresno Bee -- 4/14/17
Republican assemblyman's Modesto office vandalized Thursday night -- Police are investigating a Thursday night break-in and vandalism at the Modesto district office of Assemblyman Heath Flora (R-Ripon). Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/14/17
A sad farewell for Dolores Westfall, whose 'retirement' was motoring from job to job in an RV -- The desert isn't for everyone — too hot, too bleak — but Dolores Westfall loved it. When my time comes, she once told her sister during a desert jaunt, spread my ashes here. Her sister promised she would. Steve Padilla in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/14/17
Statue of Reagan is moving to Newport Beach's Civic Center, home to concrete bunnies and colorful cows -- As a political icon, the nation’s 40th president isn’t exactly in the shadows of history. But in Newport Beach he is — in statue form — in “a lonely cul-de-sac” in Bonita Canyon Sports Park, where his bronze likeness has been vandalized and neglected, Mayor Kevin Muldoon said. Hillary Davis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/14/17
NFL player Konrad Reuland died at 29. But his heart saved baseball legend Rod Carew -- Mary Reuland leaned over the hospital bed and nestled her head on the chest of Konrad Reuland, the oldest of her three football-playing boys, a 6-foot-6, 270-pound NFL tight end who had been in a coma for almost two weeks. Mike DiGiovanna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/14/17