Rough&Tumble California Policy and Politics

Updating . .

California takes many hits, large and small, in Trump’s 2018 budget proposal -- Some Central Valley farm spending would fall. Nutrition programs would shrink. Certain school grants would be handcuffed, University of California research would be curtailed and reimbursements ended for the state’s incarceration of law-breaking unauthorized immigrants. Michael Doyle and Sean Cockerham McClatchy DC -- 5/23/17

State lawmakers and advocates for the poor warn that Trump’s budget will hit hard for California's most vulnerable -- President Trump’s proposed budget would likely result in billions of dollars of cuts to vital health and human services programs in California, state Democratic lawmakers and advocates for the poor said on Tuesday. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/23/17

Conservative group runs ads thanking California GOP for health care vote -- A conservative advocacy group will run television ads thanking six California Republicans for voting for the GOP bill to roll back the Affordable Care Act. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/23/17

California’s stem cell agency confronts uncertain future -- C. Randal Mills, the 45-year-old CEO of California’s $3 billion stem cell research program, is a man who loves his milestones. David Jensen Capitol Weekly -- 5/23/17

NFL moves Super Bowl at Inglewood Stadium back to 2022 -- The delay of the opening of the Rams and Chargers new Inglewood stadium will also delay the Super Bowl’s return to Los Angeles. NFL owners on Tuesday voted to move L.A.’s Super Bowl hosting duties from 2021 to 2022. Los Angeles was awarded the 2021 Super Bowl last May after the Rams had been approved to relocate from St. Louis to Los Angeles in early 2016. Vincent Bonsignore in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 5/23/17

Keith Foster found guilty of conspiracy to distribute heroin, marijuana -- Keith Foster, who swore to uphold the law as a deputy chief of the Fresno Police Department but ended up tarnishing his badge to commit crimes, was found guilty Tuesday of federal drug-trafficking charges. Foster, 53, dropped his jaw when the verdict was announced in U.S. District Court in Fresno. Family members openly cried in the court. Pablo Lopez in the Fresno Bee -- 5/23/17

LAPD officer spared time behind bars in high-profile South L.A. assault case caught on video -- Richard Garcia, 36, quietly struck the deal with prosecutors last year, pleading no contest to a felony charge of assault under color of authority. Kate Mather in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/23/17

State senator to introduce a constitutional amendment to limit UC's 138-year-old autonomy -- The amendment suggested by state Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-Azusa) would give the Legislature the power to directly fund the UC Office of the President, which is currently supported by campus fees. Such legislative control was recommended in a recent state audit, which found that central administrators in the office failed to disclose a $175 million surplus, did not adequately justify spending on presidential initiatives and paid unusually generous salaries. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/23/17

L.A. County median home price ties record high as housing market sizzles -- The median home price in Los Angeles County rose nearly 6% in April from a year earlier, hitting $550,000 and tying a record reached in summer 2007. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/23/17

Examination of ballots cast in race for California Democratic Party leader begins in Sacramento -- Supporters of Kimberly Ellis, who lost her bid to lead the California Democratic Party by a razor-thin margin last weekend, started sifting through boxes of ballots at the state party headquarters in Sacramento on Tuesday to see if there were any voting irregularities. Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/23/17

Burned by winter heating bills? California Senate proposal offers relief -- A proposal to buffer Californians from unpredictable and sky-high energy costs to heat their homes in the winter is cruising through the state Legislature with bipartisan support, unanimously passing the state Senate this week. Katy Murphy in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/23/17

Democrats mum on whether Feinstein should run for re-election -- There are two questions that California Democrats whisper incessantly, yet no one can answer definitively. The first: Is Sen. Dianne Feinstein running for re-election next year? Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/23/17

Brennan: Russia may have successfully recruited Trump campaign aides -- Former CIA Director John Brennan said on Tuesday that he had concerns that Russian officials may have successfully recruited aides from Donald Trump’s campaign to help in the Kremlin’s efforts to influence last year’s presidential election. Austin Wright Politico Matt Apuzzo in the New York Times$ Greg Miller in the Washington Post$ -- 5/23/17

Trump the deal maker leaves Israel with no sign that a deal is in the making -- President Donald Trump wrapped up a two-day visit to Israel and the West Bank on Tuesday without evidence of progress toward renewing talks between Israel and the Palestinians. While the president reiterated his desire to broker a peace deal, his visit produced no announcement on steps toward renewing negotiations. Joel Greenberg McClatchy DC -- 5/23/17

California Policy & Politics This Morning

Trump administration appears to ease up on its threat against 'sanctuary cities' -- In an apparent retreat on the war against cities and counties that refuse to cooperate with immigration enforcement, the Trump administration has settled on a narrow definition of what it means to be a “sanctuary city,” and limited the potential financial consequences for state and local governments. Joseph Tanfani in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/23/17

For Democrats in California, a generational shift pulls the party left, with danger and opportunity ahead -- For decades, Democratic politics in the nation’s most populous state has been overseen by a quintet of leaders who helped propel California from reliably Republican to dominantly Democratic. Cathleen Decker in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/23/17

Department of Energy official wants Aliso Canyon gas field to reopen -- A top federal official is urging the “near-term reopening” of the Aliso Canyon storage facility after injections were halted in the wake of a months-long disastrous gas leak that began in October, 2015. Brenda Gazzar in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 5/23/17

San Onofre critics question private meetings on waste storage -- Long before Southern California Edison sought permission to bury millions of pounds of nuclear waste along the San Diego County coast, utility executives were in close contact with state officials responsible for protecting the world-famous shoreline stretching from Mexico to Oregon. Jeff McDonald in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/23/17

LA County wants more people to sign up for food stamps as Trump budget threatens cuts -- Under the threat of federal spending cuts for food stamps, the Los Angeles County supervisors on Tuesday will call for the formation of a special unit to increase enrollment into a local food assistance program. Susan Abram in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 5/23/17

As protests continue, restrictions tighten -- While hundreds continue to protest every Tuesday outside Rep. Darrell Issa’s office in Vista, the city is cracking down on where people can stand and has suggested organizers consider moving the protest to another site. Teri Figueroa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/23/17

Orange County Supervisor Todd Spitzer calls for federal oversight of district attorney's office -- Orange County Supervisor Todd Spitzer asked federal authorities Monday for an emergency takeover of the Orange County district attorney’s office, citing what he called “continuing revelations of scandal.” Frank Shyong in the Los Angeles Times$ Tony Saavedra in the Orange County Register -- 5/23/17

Push to Limit Money Bail Gains Steam in California -- Every year in California, nearly 1 million people are arrested and booked into jail. Their freedom before they go to trial often hinges on a century-old money bail system that critics say favors the rich: If you can pay, you’re free — and if you can’t, you’re stuck behind bars. Marisa Lagos and Sukey Lewis KQED -- 5/23/17

Ex-Customs and Border Protection officer gets 5 years in prison for immigrant smuggling -- A former Customs and Border Protection officer who took bribes of money and sex to allow unauthorized immigrants into the U.S. through the San Ysidro Port of Entry was sentenced Monday to five years in prison. Greg Moran in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/23/17

Massive new slide covers stretch of Highway 1 near Big Sur -- A massive new landslide along California's iconic coastal Highway 1 has buried the road under a 40-foot layer of rock and dirt, the latest hit in a winter of crippling slides and flooding. Associated Press -- 5/23/17

Suit says BART mobile app collected personal information -- A class-action lawsuit filed Monday alleges that BART has been collecting personal information from people using BART Watch, a mobile app meant to help riders report crimes and get updates about the transit system. Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/23/17

Mayor's proposed special election on convention center, homeless funding draws sharp questions -- Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s push for a November special election on a hotel tax hike to finance a long-sought expansion of San Diego’s convention center drew sharp questions Monday from both City Council members and advocates for the homeless. Lori Weisberg in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/23/17

Looking for a job? Your salary history could remain private -- Taking aim at the persistent gender pay gap in California, legislators are pursuing a law that would prohibit employers from seeking the salary history of job applicants. Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/23/17

Walters: The slave next door: 21st century California still has humans in bondage --The current issue of Atlantic magazine carries a fascinating article about a woman kept as a family’s slave in the United States for decades. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/23/17

Bernie backers rage over California Democratic Party chair race -- Supporters of the losing candidate in a bitterly disputed election to serve as chair of the California Democratic Party say they’ll begin a detailed audit of the votes on Tuesday. The move comes after protests, allegations of ballot stuffing and bitter disputes after votes at a weekend party convention. Carla Marinucci Politico -- 5/23/17

Housing

Last-minute attack may foil proposed San Francisco density housing law -- An affordable housing advocacy group is trying to come between the moderate and progressive wings on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, just as they close in on passing housing density legislation that has taken two years to craft. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/23/17

Almost 1 million affordable homes needed for Southern California poor, report says -- A decline in government spending, rising rents and falling incomes have created a shortage of nearly one million affordable homes in five Southern California counties, the nonprofit California Housing Partnership Corp. reported Monday, May 22. Jeff Collins in the Inland Daily Bulletin$ -- 5/23/17

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions

AeroVironment’s cell phone-size drone is helping US military forces -- When it comes to military intelligence, tiny is where it’s at. No one knows this better than AeroVironment Inc. (AV). The Monrovia-based maker of unmanned aircraft systems has produced a variety of small drones that are used extensively by U.S. military forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Kevin Smith in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/23/17

Will Occupy Silicon Valley be the sequel to Occupy Wall Street? -- Could the run-up in tech stocks and the wealth it’s creating spark a backlash against the industry, similar to the one against banks? In a new report, “Occupy Silicon Valley,” Michael Hartnett, chief investment strategist with Bank of America Merrill Lynch, says it could. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/23/17

Education

California colleges welcome revived federal Pell grants for summer school -- California’s colleges and universities are celebrating what many describe as a happy surprise: the revival of federal financial aid for summer school. Larry Gordon EdSource -- 5/23/17

Cannabis

Cannabis tax goes before voters in Santa Rosa -- Should Santa Rosa tax cannabis businesses to help offset the cost of regulating the fast-growing industry? That question will be answered by voters, who will decide the fate of Measure D on the June 6 ballot. Julie Johnson in the Santa Rosa Press -- 5/23/17

Guns

California lawmakers aim to strengthen gun ban in schools -- California lawmakers have passed a bill to revoke superintendents’ ability to let people carry guns in a school zone. The California Assembly passed AB424 43-23 Monday, sending the measure to the state Senate. Sophia Bollag Associated Press -- 5/23/17

Environment

Climate change taking toll on clarity of Lake Tahoe water -- Climate change is causing Lake Tahoe to warm sooner in the spring than it has historically, disrupting the normal mixing of shallow and deep water and undercutting gains made in reversing the loss of clarity of the cobalt mountain lake, scientists say. Scott Sonner Associated Press -- 5/23/17

3 San Diego restaurants stop serving plastic straws -- Three high-profile San Diego restaurants have joined a growing global movement to limit the number of plastic straws that end up in the ocean, potentially harming marine life. Michele Parente in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/23/17

Health

Gas station's nacho cheese sauce is now linked to patient's death -- A person has died after contracting botulism linked to a batch of nacho cheese sauce sold at a Sacramento County gas station, health officials said Monday. Veronica Rocha in the Los Angeles Times$ Sammy Caiola and Jack Chang in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/23/17

Also . . .

How the DMV keeps smutty license plates off our roads -- Some California Department of Motor Vehicles workers have to keep their minds in the gutter all day long. Walter Ko in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/23/17

POTUS 45

Trump asked intelligence chiefs to push back against FBI collusion probe after Comey revealed its existence -- President Trump asked two of the nation’s top intelligence officials in March to help him push back against an FBI investigation into possible coordination between his campaign and the Russian government, according to current and former officials. Adam Entous and Ellen Nakashima in the Washington Post$ -- 5/23/17

Trump drags his scandals back into the spotlight on foreign trip -- The president delivers another self-inflicted wound by vigorously denying he revealed Israel was the source of intelligence. Nolan D. McCaskill Politico -- 5/23/17

Trump budget shows tiny surplus in 10 years, with rosy economic forecast and trillions in domestic cuts -- President Trump in his first full budget says he will produce a surplus in a decade, though his fiscal pathway relies on projections of growth more optimistic than government and private-sector economists expect and deep cuts in anti-poverty programs such as Medicaid. Brian Bennett in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/23/17

What Trump’s budget cuts from the social safety net -- On Monday, President Trump released part of his 2018 budget proposal, making the first of what is expected to be many deep cuts to programs aimed at reducing poverty. Denise Lu and Kim Soffen in the Washington Post$ -- 5/23/17

Trump Budget Cuts Programs for Poor While Sparing Many Older People -- President Trump’s spending blueprint seeks to balance the federal budget through unprecedented cuts to programs for poor and working-class families, effectively pitting them against older Americans who would largely escape the budget ax. Yamiche Alcindor in the New York Times$ -- 5/23/17

Trump's budget hits his own voters hardest -- Donald Trump, whose populist message and promises to help American workers propelled him to the White House, is set to issue a budget proposal on Tuesday that instead takes aim at the social safety net on which many of his supporters rely. Andrew Restuccia, Matthew Nussbaum and Sarah Ferris Politico -- 5/23/17

-- Monday Updates

The price tag on universal health care is in, and it’s bigger than California’s budget -- The pricetag is in: It would cost $400 billion to remake California’s health insurance marketplace and create a publicly funded universal heath care system, according to a state financial analysis released Monday. Angela Hart in the Sacramento Bee$ Melanie Mason in the Los Angeles Times$ Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Jonathan J. Cooper Associated Press -- 5/22/17

Transportation Department releases Caltrain electrification project funding -- In a recent spending bill, Congress directed the administration to fully fund the Caltrain Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project, but it dragged its feet on releasing the funds, saying the president might not ask for funding to complete the project in future years. Chao's move Monday also commits the Department of Transportation to prioritizing an additional $408 million in appropriations for the project in the future. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/22/17

Man in red Trump hat disrupts Shanghai flight to U.S., triggers chants of 'Lock him up' -- A passenger wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat got kicked off a United Airlines flight from Shanghai on Sunday after he became disruptive, officials said. Veronica Rocha in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/22/17

National Democrats name California GOP Reps. Devin Nunes and Duncan Hunter targets in 2018 election -- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added congressional districts held by Reps. Devin Nunes (R-Tulare) and Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine) to their list of 2018 targets on Monday. Both represent traditionally strong Republican districts and have consistently won reelection by large margins, but Hunter and Nunes are facing ethics questions. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/22/17

African American Caucus leaders want to know why U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters was cut off during state convention speech -- The head of the California Democratic Party African American Caucus said Monday he was working with state party officials to determine who was responsible for cutting off the sound to U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters' microphone as she spoke to the group at the party's convention on Saturday. Jazmine Ulloa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/22/17

California Assembly Democrats launch progressive caucus -- Riding a wave of activism in state politics, nearly two dozen Assembly Democrats have formed a progressive caucus to prop up the party's left flank in the Legislature. Melanie Mason in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/22/17

After years of planning, California is likely to roll out its earthquake warning system next year -- California will likely roll out a limited public earthquake early warning system sometime next year, researchers building the network say. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/22/17

California redwoods license plate dies for lack of interest -- Millions of Californians visit the state’s majestic redwood forests every year. Their love for the venerable trees, however, apparently doesn’t extend to their license plates. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/22/17

Pot Convictions Go Up In Smoke With California Legalization -- Jay Schlauch's conviction for peddling pot haunted him for nearly a quarter century. The felony prevented him from landing jobs, gave his wife doubts about tying the knot and cast a shadow over his typically sunny outlook on life. Associated Press -- 5/22/17

California may bar landlords from reporting immigrants -- The California Assembly has approved a bill to bar landlords from threatening to call immigration authorities on tenants. Lawmakers voted 46-15 to send the bill to the state Senate. Sophia Bollag Associated Press -- 5/22/17

Former CIA director expects prosecutions from investigation of Trump campaign and Russian meddling -- Former CIA Director Leon Panetta predicted Friday that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia’s possible meddling in the 2016 election will result in “some prosecutions.” Jim Boren in the Fresno Bee -- 5/22/17

Jerry Brown Could Overhaul UC Leadership If He Wanted To. Here's How -- Gov. Jerry Brown’s latest budget proposal calls for withholding $50 million from the University of California until the UC improves its financial accountability and admits more community college transfers. It’s his way of pushing for change despite the UC’s constitutional independence. Ben Adler Capital Public Radio -- 5/22/17

Capitol Weekly podcast: Scott Lay -- In the heat of the convention battle for the state Democratic Party leadership, when the outcome was still in doubt, The Nooner’s Scott Lay sat down with Capitol Weekly Editor John Howard to chat about the intense fight among the party delegates to pick a successor to John Burton, the party chair since 2009. John Howard Capitol Weekly link here -- 5/22/17