Updating . .
New advertising campaign targets lawmakers over votes for climate change policies -- A coalition of California businesses launched a new advertising campaign on Saturday to pressure lawmakers against enacting tighter policies on climate change and air pollution. Chris Megerian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/27/17
Teenage robbery suspects shot by off-duty federal agent in Arcadia; 1 killed, 1 wounded -- An off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent shot two teenagers, killing one, after the boys allegedly attacked and tried to rob him in Arcadia late Friday, officials said. Brian Day in the Los Angeles Daily News$ Paloma Esquivel in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/27/17
After decades in U.S., feds order Catholic minister to buy one-way ticket to Mexico -- Despite living in the U.S. for nearly 30 years, she was told she had until June 12 to leave the country, and was required to report with proof she had purchased a plane ticket before then. Her case mirrors stories across the country of undocumented people with clean records facing deportation orders, leading advocates to question President Donald Trump’s pledge to focus on criminals living in the U.S. illegally. Mackenzie Mays in the Fresno Bee -- 5/27/17
California bills target private business to help immigrants -- California Democrats are expanding their efforts to resist President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigrants in the country illegally with bills aimed at limiting how much private businesses can cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Sophia Bollag Associated Press -- 5/27/17
California Democrats wrestle with proposal to replace private health insurance with `single-payer’ system -- A sweeping proposal to replace private medical insurance in California with a single, government-run health care system has suddenly taken on sharp political edges for Democrats, threatening party unity even as it promises to mobilize voters on the left. Katy Murphy in the San Jose Mercury$
The store where the pink ‘pussyhat’ began is being pushed out of Atwater Village by rising rents -- Every now and then, people drop by the Little Knittery in Atwater Village to catch a glimpse of where it all began. Esmeralda Bermudez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/27/17
Keeping Golden Gate Bridge in good shape as it turns 80 -- As the Golden Gate Bridge was being built, Joseph Strauss, the chief engineer, was often asked: How long will the bridge last? His answer was always the same. “Forever,” he said. Carl Nolte in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/27/17
California creatures thriving after record winter rains -- The deluge brought distress to deer and butterflies but provided relief for most of the Golden State’s flora and fauna. Yasemin Saplakoglu in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/27/17
To keep crops from rotting in the field, farmers say they need Trump to let in more temporary workers -- More than 11,000 foreign guest workers like Betancourt were approved last year to harvest the lettuce, fruit and vegetables for California’s $47-billion agricultural industry — a fivefold increase from 2011, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis of U.S. Labor Department data. If this year’s hiring pace holds, that number will soar even higher. Geoffrey Mohan and Gary Coronado in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/27/17
After 5 decades, MIA pilot's wedding ring and bone fragments found in Vietnam fish pond -- Two U.S. Navy planes came in fast over a bridge in Dong Phong Thuong, North Vietnam. It was June 1965. Cloud cover forced them to descend extremely low. The enemy was waiting. Jeanette Steele in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/27/17
Facing $140k legal payment to his opponent, Rep. Darrell Issa plans to appeal court ruling -- Rep. Darrell Issa is planning to appeal a judge’s ruling that says the congressman infringed on his opponent’s free speech rights when he filed a defamation lawsuit about attack ads last year. The ruling puts Issa on the hook to pay more than $140,000 in legal costs for Democrat Doug Applegate, who narrowly lost the November election to the incumbent. Joshua Stewart in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/27/17
UC San Diego booming as chancellor Khosla finishes fifth year -- In the land of sunshine, Pradeep Khosla is making it rain. As he finishes his fifth year as chancellor of UC San Diego, the campus is being showered with a record level of private donations, fueling the school’s breakneck expansion. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/27/17
Trump Returns to Crisis Over Kushner as White House Tries to Contain It -- President Trump headed home on Saturday to confront a growing political and legal threat, as his top aides tried to contain the fallout from reports that his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is a focus of investigations into possible collusion between Russia and the president’s campaign and transition teams. Maggie Haberman, Glen Thrush and Julie Hirschfeld Davis in the New York Times$ -- 5/27/17
Trump considers major changes amid escalating Russia crisis -- Aides and allies of Trump say they have come to the realization that unflattering stories about Russia will be part of the daily conversation for the foreseeable future and acknowledge that the White House has been ill-equipped to handle them. Christopher Ruddy, a longtime Trump friend, said the White House has been caught flat-footed on many of the Russia stories. John Wagner, Robert Costa and Ashley Parker in the Washington Post$ -- 5/27/17
California Policy & Politics This Morning
California lawmakers quietly refuse to stop unlimited cash flowing from political parties to their campaigns -- An ambitious effort to close a widely used loophole that allows large donations from political parties to be funneled into California races was rejected on Friday. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/27/17
California lawmakers block proposals meant to make it easier to track and report hate crimes -- California lawmakers Friday stalled measures meant to help report and track hate crimes across the state, proposals filed amid a wave of incidents reported after the 2016 presidential election. Jazmine Ulloa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/27/17
As hate crimes rise in LA, new report says ‘hard left’ actions also pose threat -- Violent clashes and arrests as a result of political intolerance increased in 2016 on California college campuses and at pro-Trump rallies, as did far-left extremism that could lead to more civil conflicts, researchers concluded in a report presented this week to Los Angeles County officials. Susan Abram in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 5/27/17
Orange County DA covered up testimony in murder case, Fullerton city manager DUI, investigators allege -- Two investigators for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office say their top boss, Tony Rackauckas, as well as other county prosecutors and office supervisors, covered up criminal conduct by police and hid evidence in several high-profile cases. Tony Saavedra and Jordan Graham in the Orange County Register -- 5/27/17
UC San Diego Researchers Find Volkswagen Isn’t The Only Auto Maker Deceiving Regulators -- UC San Diego computer scientists have figured out how exactly Volkswagen cheated emissions tests. And they also found evidence that Volkswagen is not the only automaker deceiving regulators. David Wagner KPBS -- 5/27/17
How a supposedly free bridge over the L.A. River will cost taxpayers millions -- In the end, the announcement was too good to be true. L.A. was going to get a “generous gift” — a bridge across the Los Angeles River, constructed with private money. David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/27/17
Schnur: Democratic factions sit and wait for Feinstein to decide -- In November, Dianne Feinstein will achieve a milestone of having served precisely a quarter of a century in the U.S. Senate. Dan Schnur in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/27/17
Veteran Democratic operative criticizes Kimberly Ellis for refusing to concede party chair race -- Veteran Democratic operative Bob Mulholland slammed infighting among California Democrats, and urged Kimberly Ellis, who came up short in a nasty party chair election, to work to unify the party. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/27/17
Torossian concedes in L.A. City Council District 7 race -- Los Angeles City Council aide Karo Torossian conceded Friday in the San Fernando Valley’s District 7 race and congratulated his one-time rival, Monica Rodriguez, after final results showed him losing the May 16 election. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/27/17
California Politics Podcast: The debate among Democrats didn't end at their convention -- This week: The big battle that's front and center for the base of the California Democratic Party, all on display at last weekend's state convention. Plus, we drill down into the new fiscal analysis of the closely watched proposal for single-payer healthcare. With John Myers and Melanie Mason of the Los Angeles Times. Link here -- 5/27/17
California to share in $33 million Johnson & Johnson settlement -- California is expected to receive the largest chunk of a $33 million settlement against Johnson & Johnson after a lawsuit filed by 43 states alleged the company endangered consumers by flouting quality control standards for popular over-the-counter medicines, including Tylenol and St. Joseph Aspirin. Filipa Ioannou in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/27/17
Politifact CA: Lawmaker misleads with claim Jerry Brown has axed funds for California’s dying trees -- Republican Assemblyman Jim Patterson of Fresno recently claimed Gov. Jerry Brown has slashed nearly all the money in the state’s budget to help local governments remove dead and dying trees in California’s forests. More than 100 million trees have died in the forests due to drought and bark beetle infestations since 2010. The tree mortality crisis led Brown, a Democrat, to declare a state of emergency in October 2015. Chris Nichols Politifact CA -- 5/27/17
Homeless
Alameda County’s Homeless Population Climbs Dramatically Over Two Years -- The estimated number of people on streets and in shelters in 2015 was 4,040, and now it’s up to 5,629. Part of the increase is because Alameda County changed the way it conducts the count, which led to more accurate numbers. Devin Katayama KQED -- 5/27/17
Taxes, Fees, Rates, Toss, Bonds
Sales tax bump to help LA County homeless delayed, which could cause funding shortfall -- Los Angeles County residents will begin paying a quarter-cent sales tax to help the homeless beginning on Oct. 1, three months later than county officials had hoped. Susan Abram in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 5/27/17
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Batteries could be latest clean technology to get California boost -- Ten years ago, California started giving homeowners and businesses rebates to go solar, hoping to kick-start an industry. It worked. Now, some state officials want to do the same thing with batteries. David R. Baker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/27/17
ROC co-working space in Santa Monica closing after terrace dispute and missed rent -- The Real Office Centers co-working space in the heart of downtown Santa Monica is set to close in the coming days, forcing more than 100 tenants into a last-minute scramble for new offices. Paresh Dave in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/27/17
Pressure mounts for VW to invest in low-income communities -- The California Air Resources Board has asked Volkswagen to do a better job of explaining how the automaker’s plan to spend $200 million to boost the adoption of zero-emission vehicles will benefit lower-income communities. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/27/17
Ship Building Windfall On Hold With Trump Budget -- During the 2017 presidential campaign, candidate Donald Trump talked about expanding the Navy from 272 ships to at least 350 ships. The budget President Trump submitted to Congress this week does not make good on that pledge, at least not this year, said Lynn Reaser, Chief Economist at Point Loma Nazarene University. Steve Walsh KPBS -- 5/27/17
Sempra VP Surprises, Says 100 Percent Renewable Grid Is Possible Now -- A vice president with Sempra Energy, one of the nation’s largest utilities, made a stunning admission to a roomful of gas and oil executives this week: there is no technical impediment to California getting all of its energy from renewables — now. Ingrid Lobet KPBS -- 5/27/17
California citrus growers ‘shocked and blindsided’ by arrival of lemons from Argentina -- Citrus growers were feeling somewhat confident in January when President Donald Trump issued a 60-day stay on the Obama administration’s plans to lift the ban on lemons from Argentina. But in May, President Trump, who many in farming voted for, agreed to lift the ban and farmers were feeling betrayed. Robert Rodriguez in the Fresno Bee -- 5/27/17
Education
Backers abandon $10 million Super School project in Oakland -- Backers of a $10 million plan to reinvent the American high school in Oakland have scrapped the project, saying it’s neither the time nor the place for such an experiment given turnover and turmoil in the city’s school system. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/27/17
UCLA students say ‘free speech is under attack’ and a conservative professor is the target -- Students and supporters of a UCLA adjunct professor are protesting what they say is pressure the university is putting on him because of his outspoken conservative politics. Antonie Boessenkool in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 5/27/17
Taylor: A line of black SUVs — looking like the motorcade of a dignitary or celebrity — parked at the curb of a hangar at the Buchanan Field in Concord. But the occupants weren’t famous. They were middle-school students from Richmond arriving for a flight on a private jet. Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/27/17
Also . . .
San Francisco activists protect Mission bike lane with their bodies -- As cyclists pedaled along Valencia Street in the Mission, they came upon a pleasant surprise when they reached 16th Street: A line of people in mustard-yellow T-shirts spread along the length of the block, protecting the bike lane with their bodies and fending off the cars that often use it for double-parking. Filipa Ioannou in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/27/17
Despite objections, sexually violent offender to move to Yuba County home next week -- A sexually violent predator from Monterey County has been approved to move into a rural home Thursday outside of Marysville despite objections by local officials and residents, the Yuba County Sheriff’s Department announced. Nashelly Chavez in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/27/17
POTUS 45
Russian ambassador told Moscow that Kushner wanted secret communications channel with Kremlin -- Jared Kushner and Russia’s ambassador to Washington discussed the possibility of setting up a secret and secure communications channel between Trump’s transition team and the Kremlin, using Russian diplomatic facilities in an apparent move to shield their pre-inauguration discussions from monitoring, according to U.S. officials briefed on intelligence reports. Ellen Nakashima, Adam Entous and Greg Miller in the Washington Post$ Maggie Haberman, Mark Mazzetti and Matt Apuzzo in the New York Times$ -- 5/27/17
Senate Intelligence Committee requests Trump campaign documents -- The Senate Intelligence Committee, which is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential race, has asked President Trump’s political organization to gather and produce all Russia-related documents, emails and phone records going back to his campaign’s launch in June 2015, according to two people briefed on the request. Robert Costa in the Washington Post$ -- 5/27/17
Europe's reaction to the Trump style ranges from envy to 'you tiny, tiny, tiny little man' -- When Donald Trump was seen brushing his way past Montenegro Prime Minister Dusko Markovic for a group photo at a NATO summit in Brussels this week, many Europeans came to the same conclusion: The American president came off looking like a bully. Erik Kirschbaum in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/27/17
Mild in Mideast, Trump Is All Elbows in a Europe Eager to Jab Back -- “Trump shoves his allies,” read the front page of Belgium’s Le Soir. “Boor in chief” declared Germany’s financial newspaper Handelsblatt. An editorial in Le Monde called him “brutal and heavy-handed.” Mark Landler and Michael D. Shear in the New York Times$ -- 5/27/17
Beltway
State, local leaders circle wagons to save tax break from Trump -- Elected leaders from both parties are mounting a fight against one likely provision in President Donald Trump’s tax-overhaul plan — the elimination of the 104-year-old deduction for state and local taxes. Aaron Lorenzo, Jimmy Vielkind, Laura Nahmias, Katherine Landergan and David Siders Politico -- 5/27/17
-- Friday Updates
Trump son-in-law had undisclosed contacts with Russian envoy - sources -- U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and close adviser, Jared Kushner, had at least three previously undisclosed contacts with the Russian ambassador to the United States during and after the 2016 presidential campaign, seven current and former U.S. officials told Reuters. Ned Parker and Jonathan Landay Reuters -- 5/26/17
Russian ambassador told Moscow that Kushner wanted secret communications channel with Kremlin -- Jared Kushner and Russia’s ambassador to Washington discussed the possibility of setting up a secret and secure communications channel between Trump’s transition team and the Kremlin, using Russian diplomatic facilities in an apparent move to shield their pre-inauguration discussions from monitoring, according to U.S. officials briefed on intelligence reports. Ellen Nakashima, Adam Entous and Greg Miller in the Washington Post$ -- 5/26/17
California lawmakers shelve bills that would have broadened the state's legal definition of a 'violent crime' -- The Assembly Appropriations Committee on Friday shelved the last of several bills that sought to broaden the number of violent-felony offenses under the California penal code. The legislation would have added to the list additional forms of rape, sodomy and human trafficking. Jazmine Ulloa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/17
Overhaul urged for California court fines -- California’s courts impose hundreds of millions of dollars of “excessive and disproportionate” fines each year for common infractions, then uses much of the money to support their own operations. A blue-ribbon panel examining the system said the fines should be collected by the executive branch — not the courts themselves — to avoid conflicts. John Howard Capitol Weekly -- 5/26/17
A U.S. citizen says her rights were violated after she was detained by immigration authorities in San Bernardino -- Guadalupe Plascencia said she was alarmed when a San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy asked her to sign papers related to her immigration status. Paloma Esquivel and James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/17
We may never know who cut off Rep. Maxine Waters' microphone. Here's what we do know -- Rep. Maxine Waters, a Los Angeles Democrat, has garnered icon-level status and attracted young followers who think of her as “Auntie Maxine” for her acerbic comments about President Trump. Jazmine Ulloa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/17
Fox: Prop 13: Headline Grabber does not Reflect Reality -- “Voters May Reconsider Prop 13,” reads part of the headline on the press release about the new Hoover Institution Golden State Poll. However, read the poll and you’ll see we are nowhere near a Proposition 13 revolution. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 5/26/17
Clinton launches new campaign against Trump -- Speaking before her alma mater, the former Democratic nominee warns that the president is tearing apart the nation. Edward-Isaac Dovere and Nolan D. McCaskill Politico Steve Leblanc Associated Press Jess Bidgood and Katherine Q. Seelye in the New York Times$ Joshua Jamerson in the Wall Street Journal$ Peter Holley and Amber Phillips in the Washington Post$ -- 5/26/17
Senate Dems eyeing 2020 tell Trump ‘hell no’ -- Six Democrats have positioned themselves as the staunchest Trump opponents, according to an analysis of votes on the president's nominees. Seung Min Kim and Elana Schor Politico -- 5/26/17
Boehner: Trump's term 'disaster,' aside from foreign affairs -- Speaking at an energy conference Thursday in Houston, Boehner praised Trump for his approach abroad and his aggressiveness in fighting Islamic State militants, according to the energy publication Rigzone. "Everything else he's done (in office) has been a complete disaster," the Ohio Republican said, according to the publication. "He's still learning how to be president." Mary Clare Jalonick Associated Press -- 5/26/17
The GOP inherits what Trump has wrought -- When GOP House candidate Greg Gianforte assaulted a reporter who had attempted to ask him a question Wednesday night in Montana, many saw not an isolated outburst by an individual, but the obvious, violent result of Trump’s charge that journalists are “the enemy of the people.” Karen Tumulty and Robert Costa in the Washington Post$ -- 5/26/17
For many millennials, it could take a decade to save up enough money to afford a home -- A new survey from ApartmentList.com reveals that millennials in many of the nation’s large metro areas will need at least a decade to save enough money for a 20 percent down payment on a condominium. Kevin Smith in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/26/17
More than 1 million tons of rock and dirt have to be moved off Highway 1. But how? -- The landslide was a third of a mile wide and 40 feet at its deepest. What once was a steep drop into the Pacific was now a broad, sloping bench extending almost 250 feet beyond the shoreline. By some estimates, the collapse had added 15 acres to the coast, a little more than 11 football fields including the end zones. Thomas Curwen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/17
Pregnant? You might be paid for 6 weeks if you work at a school -- California public school employees would be fully paid for at least six weeks during their maternity leave under a bill moving through the California Legislature. Walter Ko in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/26/17
The effort to make tampons tax free in California has been delayed until 2018 -- Legislation to eliminate sales taxes in California on the purchase of tampons was delayed on Friday by the state Assembly's fiscal committee until 2018, a blow to advocates who say the tax is an unfair burden on low-income women and families. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/17
An Army leader told her women didn’t belong in combat units. That only made her try harder -- When an inmate riot erupted at a military prison camp outside Kabul, Staff Sgt. Cyndi Baltezore noticed that detainees hurled blows on male and female soldiers with equal ferocity. Adam Ashton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/26/17
Billboards call for California to resist, but who is behind them? -- The outdoor advertising is funded by the nonprofit California Endowment and local partners. The “resist hate” ads are sponsored by Equality California and are the most widespread of the outdoor advertisements, said Daniel Zingale, a senior vice president of the fund. Ed Fletcher in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/26/17
Outside money spills into L.A. congressional race as election day nears -- Spending by outside groups hoping to influence Los Angeles' congressional race is picking up, with less than two weeks to go before the runoff for the 34th Congressional District. Christine Mai-Du in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/26/17