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‘Lethal arrogance’? Oroville Dam crisis sprang from Pat Brown’s towering ambition -- Sixty years before a crisis at Oroville Dam sent thousands fleeing for their lives in February, the late governor brought an almost evangelical zeal to erecting the structure that would hold back the Feather River to deliver water to the parched southern half of the state. Ryan Sabalow, Dale Kasler and Christopher Cadelago in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/14/17

Closer look at $175 million UC hid from the public -- News that thousands of students at the University of California often go hungry because they can’t afford meals prompted a generous promise last summer from UC President Janet Napolitano: $3.3 million for more food pantries and other ways of feeding the young scholars. Nanette Asimov and Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/14/17

San Diego using loophole to hand out large raises during pay freeze -- The city of San Diego has given nearly 150 high-level managers more than $4 million in pay raises since 2012 despite a voter-imposed salary freeze, saddling the city and its taxpayers with many millions in additional pension debt. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/14/17

Suspense growing over Oakland A’s stadium decision -- The Oakland A’s — soon the only game left in town — have committed to staying put. Now they just have to tell their faithful fan base, the ones who stuck with the team through good times and bad and numerous threats to move, where team majority owner John Fisher plans to build his self-financed ballpark. David DeBolt in the East Bay Times -- 5/14/17

Abcarian: Meet the Malibu lawyer who is upending California's political system, one town at a time -- Kevin Shenkman, who is tall and bookish, does not look like the aspiring light heavyweight boxer he once was. Clearly, though, he still relishes a good fight. Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/14/17

How could hundreds of undocumented immigrants fall for adoption-for-citizenship scam? -- Many of Helaman Hansen’s hundreds of victims first heard about his citizenship-through-adoption scheme in their neighborhood churches. Stephen Magagnini in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/14/17

‘Green rush’ in Salinas Valley turns fields from chrysanthemums to cannabis -- A beloved but beleaguered landscape is now sprouting new luxury greenhouses, fueled by a dream of marijuana riches that is changing the people and produce of this corner of Steinbeck Country. Salinas Valley was once the heart of the nation’s flower-growing business. But now collapsing wood-and-plastic greenhouses are being replaced by tall and gleaming high-tech European structures guarded by gates, barbed wire and cameras. Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/14/17

After a week of self-inflicted chaos, Trump could see long-term costs to his presidency -- Besides potential legal problems for Trump and his associates stemming from the investigation, the crisis set off by Comey’s sacking threatens long-term damage to Trump’s presidency — further undermining the White House’s credibility across the board, imperiling the president’s legislative agenda and stunting his ability to attract qualified professionals to serve in an administration already woefully behind in filling top positions. Noah Bierman and Michael A. Memoli in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/14/17

Climb inside the massive tunnel 60 feet below downtown L.A. -- en weeks in and 60 feet beneath the streets of downtown Los Angeles, the miners have clawed through nearly 2,600 feet of earth. At 5 a.m. on a cool Thursday morning, they gather in the construction yard for the start of another shift. Thomas Curwen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/14/17

Clapper says Trump weakening U.S. institutions -- Former director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. warned Sunday that the nation’s institutions are being undermined by President Trump after his decision last week to fire FBI Director James B. Comey. Brian Fung in the Washington Post$ Jonah Engel Bromwich in the New York Times$ -- 5/14/17

Republicans and Democrats agree: If Trump has tapes, he’ll need to turn them over to Congress -- Lawmakers in both parties said Sunday that President Trump will need to hand over any recordings of conversations in the White House if such a taping system does exist. Ed O'Keefe and Jenna Johnson in the Washington Post$ -- 5/14/17

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Gov. Brown's budget proposal includes $15 million to help Californians facing deportation -- Gov. Jerry Brown has earmarked an extra $15 million in the state’s budget to expand legal defense services for people battling deportation, a move that could be interpreted as a response to the Trump administration’s broadened immigration enforcement orders. Jazmine Ulloa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/14/17

Jerry Brown on Donald Trump: 'He doesn't have the answer' -- Gov. Jerry Brown said in a national TV interview on Saturday that President Trump was able to tap populist anger on the way to victory last fall, but dismissed his ability to do anything with it after taking office. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/14/17

Walters: Memo to California pols: Don’t let anti-Trump fury blind you to vital issues -- There’s a common thread in the early skirmishing among Democratic candidates for statewide office next year, including the governorship – pledges of stalwart, even bitter, opposition to President Donald Trump and a Republican Congress. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/14/17

200 protesters spell out 'RESIST!' in flash mob at Trump's Rancho Palos Verdes golf course -- A flash mob of about 200 demonstrators gathered Saturday morning at President Trump’s golf course in Rancho Palos Verdes, where they formed the word “RESIST!” on the coastal property to protest his policies and urge the release of his tax returns. Victoria Kim in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/14/17

Political Road Map: Here's how (and why) the state is making a $12-billion pension payment next year -- If you’re a homeowner, you’ve likely had someone suggest that the easiest way to lower your long-term debt is to make an extra mortgage payment. Thanks to the miracle of compound interest, your total costs in the long run go down. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/14/17

For undocumented immigrants, Mother’s Day raises painful thoughts, plans -- Mother’s Day means kisses and flowers and schmaltzy cards – in any language. But for some immigrant moms, this Mother’s Day is bittersweet. Roxana Kopetman in the Orange County Register -- 5/14/17

Democrat Bryan Caforio looks for a rematch with Rep. Steve Knight in 2018 -- Democratic attorney Bryan Caforio is gunning for a rematch with North Los Angeles County Rep. Steve Knight in 2018 after losing an expensive and high-profile race against the Republican last year. Javier Panzar in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/14/17

Willie Brown: The man President Trump fears most -- Strip away all the spin on why President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, and it comes down to this: Trump did it because he feared him. Willie Brown in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/14/17

Schnur: Why Kamala Harris should not run in 2020 -- Kamala Harris is not going to run for president in 2020. There is already plenty of speculation on both coasts that California’s new U.S. senator is going to pull a Barack Obama and leverage her noteworthy first step onto the national political stage in November into an almost-immediate campaign for the White House. Dan Schnur in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/14/17

Bike lanes are dividing residents in Pacoima, Sunland, where they’re off to a bumpy start -- Javier Romero has witnessed nearly 60 years worth of change from the window of his TV repair shop on Van Nuys Boulevard in Pacoima, but the 78-year-old repairman said the new bike lanes that appeared on his street last fall have him worried. Elizabeth Chou in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/14/17

California Politics Podcast: Brown's Revised Expectations -- We delve into Gov. Jerry Brown's revised state budget and some of the winners and losers. Plus, we take a look at the unsettled and angry politics for many California congressional Republicans after they voted to repeal Obamacare. With John Myers and Melanie Mason of the Los Angeles Times and Anthony York of the Grizzly Bear Project. Link here -- 5/14/17

Housing  

Scarce land in San Francisco forces city to seek creative housing solutions -- An overheated real estate market is forcing city officials and nonprofit housing developers to pursue sites and parcels that have been seen as off-limits because of their current use or an unwilling seller. They include a Muni bus maintenance yard, a Chinatown banquet hall and a parking lot owned by the federal government. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/14/17

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions 

Communications-satellite revolution gets off the ground at SpaceX, Boeing in South Bay -- Inside SpaceX’s secretive white-walled manufacturing and engineering headquarters in Hawthorne, workers are designing the technological foundation of an intelligent global communications system. The mission of truly worldwide communications coverage is unprecedented. Sandy Mazza in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/14/17

Squaw Valley to celebrate historic season with latest closing of its most famous lift -- Squaw Valley ski resort is planning to keep its KT-22 chairlift open until 7 p.m. on May 20 to celebrate the iconic lift’s latest closing in history, the resort announced on its Facebook page Friday. The lift normally closes at 4 p.m., so the overtime will allow skiers and snowboarders to take runs until just before sun sets over Lake Tahoe. Jon Schultz in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/14/17

Cannabis 

Investors gather in Huntington Beach to talk taxes, stocks and marijuana -- Want proof that marijuana is going mainstream? Look no further than a wealth management conference that kicked off Thursday, May 11, at the Hyatt in Huntington Beach. Between discussions on tax strategies and building a real estate portfolio, experts offered tips on investing in cannabis real estate to guests that paid upwards of $2,000 a pop to soak it in. Brooke Staggs in the Orange County Register -- 5/14/17

Environment 

Major shark die-off in San Francisco Bay -- A ghoulish mystery is playing out along the shores of San Francisco Bay, where at least 80 leopard sharks — docile spotted animals that don’t eat people — have washed up dead in recent weeks. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/14/17

California rains brought super bloom – and toxic invaders -- The enemy was a long green weed with tiny flowers known as carnation spurge – a toxic relative of the holiday poinsettia plant and one of the “evil 25” nonnative species officials have identified as plaguing the Santa Monica Mountains by posing a threat to wildlife and a fire hazard to the park. Marisa Agha in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/14/17

Also . . . 

NorCal couple weds on Mount Everest and the photos are mind-blowing -- Sacramento residents Ashley Schmieder and James Sissom have taken their relationship to new heights. On March 16, the couple exchanged vows 17,600 feet above sea level – at Everest Base Camp. Adventure photographer Charleton Churchill captured the atypical nuptials, and his newly released photos throw a wrench into traditional notions of wedding photography. Michelle Robertson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/14/17

This family lost everything in one of California’s worst wildfires. Now, they’re almost home -- The wooded path between Maya Leonard’s house and the elementary school where she is a sixth-grader remains scarred and blackened, a reminder of the epic wildfire that stole so much from this community on a September afternoon in 2015. Cynthia Hubert in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/14/17

POTUS 45  

As FBI controversy rages, Trump doubles down on outsider message before a friendly crowd -- Seeking respite from the tumult he set off in Washington after firing his FBI director, an embattled President Trump on Saturday spoke before a friendly crowd of tens of thousands at Liberty University, where he lashed out at what he charges are “pathetic” critics and an establishment class trying to undermine him. Michael A. Memoli in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/14/17

Trump Still Seethes Over Lack of Credit for Election Win -- At the root of Donald J. Trump’s unpredictable presidency is a deep frustration about attacks on his legitimacy, and a worry that Washington does not see him as he sees himself. Peter Baker and Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ -- 5/14/17

White House ‘systems failed’ with Comey firing, but Trump pushed the buttons -- In deciding to abruptly fire FBI Director James B. Comey, President Trump characteristically let himself be guided by his own instincts — fueled by his creeping anger and sense of victimhood about a probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election that he considers a “witch hunt.” Philip Rucker in the Washington Post$ -- 5/14/17

At Mar-a-Lago, the star power of the presidency helps charities — and Trump — make more money -- The women of the Palm Beach Habilitation Center had whispered among themselves that President Trump might pop in for their Hab-a-Hearts Luncheon at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s luxurious private club. Drew Harwell and David A. Fahrenthold in the Washington Post$ -- 5/14/17

 

-- Saturday Updates 

The L.A. school board race: Brutal, expensive and important -- The four people vying for two pivotal seats on the Los Angeles Board of Education agree on at least two things: The campaign has been brutal, and there’s a lot at stake. The nastiness leading up to the May 16 runoff election has been generated by independent campaigns set up on behalf of the candidates because of the election’s importance. Howard Blume and Anna M. Phillips in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/13/17

The prosecutor who took down Lee Baca calls it a day -- When Brandon Fox moved to Los Angeles five years ago from Chicago to join the U.S. attorney’s office, the office had launched an investigation into abuses and corruption by sheriff's deputies working in county jails. Joel Rubin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/13/17

Lopez: Earthquake denial gets a lot harder when you stand on top of the San Andreas fault -- I had never stood directly on top of the San Andreas fault. Not to my knowledge, anyway, but as a California native, I’ve probably stumbled over it a time or two. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/13/17

Despite those viral videos, airlines are turning passenger bumping into a data-driven art -- The last time transportation expert Seth Kaplan was bumped from a flight, he walked away with $800 and a good excuse for missing the first session of a San Diego business conference. Such compensation may start sounding like chump change. Hugo Martin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/13/17

Global ransomware attack shows why Apple refused to hack terrorist's iPhone -- Cybersecurity researchers said a malicious program that disabled computers at Britain's National Health Service, Russia's Interior Ministry and companies and homes across dozens of countries Friday originated with the National Security Agency. Paresh Dave in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/13/17

72 hours of crime on the San Diego-Tijuana border -- The Nissan Sentra pulled up to the inspection booth at the San Ysidro Port of Entry at 2:19 a.m. on a recent Friday. Kristina Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/13/17

Handful of rich school-choice donors spend big in California -- of the funding for California's pro-school choice groups and candidates comes from a handful of very wealthy donors, including the founders of Netflix and The Gap and children of Wal-Mart creator Sam Walton. An Associated Press analysis of top donors to school-choice ballot measure campaigns around the country found 48 individuals and couples provided most of the reported contributions to those initiatives since 2000. Sophia Bollag Associated Press -- 5/13/17

Trump meltdown sets off GOP alarms over 2018 midterm -- With the White House in meltdown mode, top Republican Party officials and operatives gathered at a posh oceanside resort here and contemplated a 2018 midterm election that will test them in unimaginable ways. Alex Isenstadt Politico -- 5/13/17

Comey firing shows White House problems go far beyond communications strategy -- The firing of James B. Comey as director of the FBI has left the credibility of President Trump’s White House in tatters. The White House now appears to be an institution where truth struggles to keep up with events, led by a president capable at any moment of undercutting those who serve him. Dan Balz in the Washington Post$ -- 5/13/17