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California Republicans sweat Trump effect -- Republicans running for governor in the Democratic stronghold of California face a myriad of challenges. One of the them is how to handle the issue of Donald Trump. Travis Allen, an assemblyman who announced his bid last week to succeed Jerry Brown as the state’s next governor, argues that he’s already a standout — of the three leading Republicans in the race, he alone proudly admits voting for the president. Carla Marinucci Politico -- 7/9/17

ATF offers $110,000 reward as it investigates construction fires -- The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced it will pay $110,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a person or people responsible for starting three fires at construction sites in Oakland and Emeryville earlier this year and in 2016. The agency also released photos of a person they consider to be a person of interest. Rick Hurd in the East Bay Times -- 7/9/17

Wildfires around California continue to grow: 'We have very active burn conditions -- The Alamo fire, near Highway 166 in northern Santa Barbara County, has grown to more than 23,000 acres near the border of San Luis Obispo County, Cal Fire said Sunday. A fire near Lake Cachuma, about 35 miles south, scorched 7,800 acres, according to officials with the Los Padres National Forest. Javier Panzar, Andrea Castillo and Christopher Goffard in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/9/17

Oxnard residents are fighting slag heaps, power plants and oil fields that mar the town's beaches -- Ventura County’s largest city is a coastal town where miles of power plants, vast tracts of farmland and private oil and gas holdings limit access to the shore. At Ormond Beach, 750,000 cubic yards of contaminated slag from a former metal recycling plant occupy part of the wetlands. The federal Superfund site stands between the sand and families who live just a few blocks away. Dan Weikel in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/9/17

Worker housing funded by Napa vineyards can’t meet demand -- Wake-up time is 4:30 a.m. for Jesus Angel Sanchez Victoria and Cesar Alegria Ruiz. It’s early — but then again, everyone wakes up early at the River Ranch Farmworker Housing Center in St. Helena, where breakfast is served between 3 and 6 a.m. Esther Mobley in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/9/17

Silicon Valley now reeling in the wake of sexual harassment storm -- It started with a few women speaking up, reporting a suggestive text message, an invitation to a hotel room, an unwanted touch under a table. Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/9/17

How Nvidia’s ‘brains’ are dominating the self-driving race -- As Google, Uber and Tesla fight for control of the self-driving car market, another company better known for its gaming chips than its wheels is positioned to cash-in on the transportation revolution. Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/9/17

Despite scandals and doubts, Orange County district attorney wants another term, and a shot at vindication -- For nearly two decades, Tony Rackauckas has reigned over Orange County law enforcement as district attorney. Richard Winton, Adam Elmahrek and James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/9/17

L.A. requires air filters to protect residents near freeways. Are they doing the job? -- Despite growing warnings about the health problems tied to traffic pollution, Los Angeles officials continue to approve a surge in residential development along freeways. And the crux of their effort to protect people’s lungs is a requirement that developers install air filters. Tony Barboza in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/9/17

Whistle blowers could sway case focused on future of downtown San Diego -- The future shape of San Diego’s skyline and other downtown development is at stake in a lawsuit that could be bolstered next month by information from four whistleblowers. The lawsuit seeks to end what it calls years of shady, backroom deals that it blames on downtown San Diego being the only place in California where a private corporation controls land-use decisions. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/9/17

Smolens: Why Faulconer's decision not to run for governor may be bad news for Issa -- A lot of Republicans really wanted Kevin Faulconer to run for governor and not just because they thought he might be a good fit in the state Capitol’s “corner office.” Michael Smolens in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/9/17

Abcarian: When it comes to L.A. development projects, does anyone really care what the neighbors think? -- On Thursday evening, as the sun sank and the air cooled, neighbors on Butler Avenue in West Los Angeles were starting to come outside. Cameron Neff, who inherited a house last year from his grandparents, bumped into his neighbor Paul Fitzgerald, a retiree who moved onto the block in 1975. Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/9/17

Palomar Health sticks with medical group it created despite $82 million loss -- While it might seem intuitive for the North County hospital operator to pull the plug on a relationship that has run in the red for seven years now, experts said market forces that require doctors and hospitals to work together more closely are keeping partnerships like this one intact — even if they bleed cash. Paul Sisson in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/9/17

Resigned ethics director: Priebus ‘threat’ symbolic of White House relationship -- Reince Priebus’ Jan. 15 warning to Office of Government Ethics Director Walter Shaub that he was becoming too political was emblematic of his interactions with President Donald Trump’s White House, the outgoing OGE chief said Sunday. Nolan D. McCaskill Politico -- 7/9/17

Australian Journalist’s Trump Teardown Goes Viral Amid Interest in G-20 -- In an Australian news broadcast that seems to have resonated with Americans, a political journalist delivered a scathing evaluation of President Trump’s performance last week at the Group of 20 summit meeting in Hamburg, Germany. Maya Salam in the New York Times$ -- 7/9/17

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Explosion, major fire rocks DWP power station; large swath of Valley without power -- An explosion at a Northridge power plant caused a fire that burned for hours Saturday, knocking out traffic lights, stranding people in elevators and leaving huge swaths of the San Fernando Valley without power, officials said. Christopher Goffard in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/9/17

How to survive a power outage after a 110-degree day --It was bad enough: 110 degrees outside, with a very warm night ahead. Still, at least there were fans and air conditioning – until it happened: A power-plant explosion set off an outage Saturday that made one of the hottest days on record even more difficult for 140,000 customers in Northridge, Winnetka, Reseda, Lake Balboa, Tarzana, North Hills, Granada Hills, Chatsworth, West Hills, Canoga Park and Woodland Hills. The item is in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 7/9/17

Investigators seek cause of Oakland fire after crews topple crane -- Hundreds of people remained displaced Saturday as crews toppled a giant, fire-damaged construction crane — the last obstacle before investigators could determine what caused a huge blaze one day earlier in Oakland. Hamed Aleaziz in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/9/17

Army of firefighters battling large blazes in Butte and Yolo counties -- A series of 15 large wildfires laid siege to portions of California on Saturday as more than 3,000 firefighters battled the flames and triple-digit heat in what officials fear is a sign of a difficult post-drought fire season ahead. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/9/17

Wildfires roar through rural Contra Costa County, state -- A fire that ignited near a petroleum refinery in Rodeo charred 370 acres of hillside by Saturday night and was largely contained. It was among roughly a dozen wildfires that spread throughout the state Saturday, fed by hot weather, gusty winds and tinder-dry grassland. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/9/17

Political Road Map: Here's how aging baby boomers will change the impact of Prop. 13 -- America’s annual display of pyrotechnics has come and gone, but there’s an easy way to see political fireworks in California any time of the year: just strike up a discussion about the legacy of the state’s property tax revolt, Proposition 13. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/9/17

You may not have heard of these California jobs, but you'll be voting on them -- While a bevy of political hopefuls have jumped into the 2018 races for governor and lieutenant governor, most of California’s other premiere statewide political posts aren’t exactly drawing a crowd. Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/9/17

After arrest, wife of ex state attorney general seeks rehab -- The wife of a former California attorney general and state treasurer is seeking therapy after being arrested on suspicion of spousal abuse. An attorney for Nadia Lockyer said Saturday that she is seeking treatment "in dealing with alcohol and related issues." Associated Press -- 7/9/17

Sex offender revamp in works under state bill -- California’s sex offender registry didn’t protect Chelsea King. A registered child predator abducted, raped and murdered the 17-year-old high school senior after she set off for a jog on the trails around Lake Hodges in San Diego County in 2010. Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/9/17

Meet the mice who soared through space and back again -- Move over, Mickey, Southern California has new rodent celebrities. You might call them Micetronauts 2.0. The first group of star-trekking mice to ever travel to the International Space Station has returned to their home at a UCLA lab, where they’re being studied for a promising new therapy to regrow lost bone density. Sandy Mazza in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 7/9/17

Protesters keep their cool at pro-Trump, anti-Trump rallies. ‘Empathy tent’ helps -- Trump supporters and anti-Trump protesters kept the peace Saturday by keeping their distance during competing rallies at the state Capitol and Fremont Park. The peaceful gatherings came a year after an unrelated march at the Capitol erupted into violent clashes between neo-Nazi marchers and anti-fascist groups. Sam Stanton and Nashelly Chavez in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/9/17

FBI: More victims likely scammed by fake DHS agents in immigration fraud case -- Desperate to obtain legal immigration status in the United States, people across the country relied on Hardev Panesar and Rafael “Rafa” Hastie to make it a reality, prosecutors said. Kristina Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/9/17

Is Trump administration focusing on Islam and ignoring neo Nazis? -- Some people who work to convince would-be terrorists to shun violence fear that the Trump administration is focusing its own anti-extremism efforts on Islamist terror groups, ignoring neo Nazis, white supremacists and other groups that also espouse violence. Deepa Bharath in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 7/9/17

Politifact CA: Fact-checking claims by Kamala Harris and Dianne Feinstein on GOP health bill -- Politicians on both sides of the aisle have panned the Senate Republican health care plan for its deep cuts to Medicaid and for imposing higher costs on older residents. Critics have also said the bill would loosen protections for individuals suffering from pre-existing conditions. Chris Nichols Politifact CA -- 7/9/17

Why everything in that blue bin isn’t recycled -- Don’t assume just because you tossed that empty container into the blue bin that it actually got reborn into a carpet, a T-shirt or another container. In fact, about a quarter of material placed in those containers around the state won’t be recycled at all. Rachel Uranga in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 7/9/17

Willie Brown: Colin Kaepernick puts more distance between himself and NFL -- It could be that Colin Kaepernick doesn’t want to play in the NFL anymore, or at least doesn’t care whether airing his opinions on race in America scares team owners away. That’s the most logical conclusion to be drawn from the former 49er quarterback’s Fourth of July social media postings from Ghana, the nation from which his ancestors hailed. Willie Brown in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/9/17

Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds

Bay Area property assessments hit $1.6 trillion after 7.4% rise -- Thanks to new construction, rising real estate prices and higher inflation, the assessed value of Bay Area real and personal property rose to about $1.6 trillion for 2017-18, up by $110 billion, or 7.4 percent, from the year before. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/9/17

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions

United Airlines loyalty program will charge prices that vary based on demand -- Making sense of airline loyalty rew ard programs is about to get even more difficult. Hugo Martin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/9/17

New rules are coming for LA Airbnb hosts. Here’s what the city is planning -- While Airbnb is fueling a wave of short-term rentals in American cities, a new report cautions property owners to pay heed to local regulations and permitting requirements. Jason Henry, Kevin Smith in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 7/9/17

This shipping-container farm could someday solve the food desert problem -- Local Roots, a California company, has created an indoor farm that can turn any produce into local produce, anywhere. They grow fruits and vegetables in shipping containers that are stacked in old warehouses or parking lots, which can either be connected to the grid or, eventually, powered by solar energy. Maura Judkis in the Washington Post -- 7/9/17

Long Beach among cities opposed to telecommunication bill -- Long Beach and other Southern California cities are banding together to oppose a state bill that would strip down the process telecommunication companies face to install some wireless equipment in public rights of way. Cynthia Washicko in the Long Beach Press Telegram$ -- 7/9/17

Homeless  

Santa Rosa’s clampdown on homeless camps challenged by shortage of shelter -- Wally Pernell and Genene Marinello sat on the sidewalk recently under the Highway 101 overpass at Sixth Street in Santa Rosa to escape the afternoon heat. Marinello, 46, fed her pet teacup Chihuahua a hot dog and chatted with Pernell, 71. While both are homeless and battle substance addiction, they have different hopes for the future. Nick Rahaim in the Santa Rosa Press -- 7/9/17

Sonoma County homeless population drops in Santa Rosa, rises near Russian River -- Efforts to reduce the number of homeless people living in some of Sonoma County’s urban areas, including Santa Rosa, appear to have paid off over the past year, particularly for a number of military veterans and young people connected with permanent housing, a newly released county report shows. J. D. Morris in the Santa Rosa Press -- 7/9/17

Cannabis 

Nevada dispensaries running out of marijuana; governor steps in -- Nevada dispensaries licensed to sell recreational marijuana are running out of pot less than a week after the legal market came to life, according to the state Department of Taxation. Jenny Kane in the Reno Gazette-Journal -- 7/9/17

POTUS 45  

Despite Deep Policy Divides, Europe Trip Seen by Buoyant Trump as High Point -- To much of the rest of the world, the gathering underscored the administration’s growing distance with, and isolation from, the other G-20 members. But from the perspective of Mr. Trump’s team, the trip to Poland and Germany turned out to be a surprising early high point in his presidency, providing a brief but welcome respite from the forever wars in Washington. Glenn Thrush in the New York Times$ -- 7/9/17

Beltway 

World Leaders Move Forward on Climate Change, Without U.S. -- World leaders struck a compromise on Saturday to move forward collectively on climate change without the United States, declaring the Paris accord “irreversible” while acknowledging President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the agreement. Steven Erlanger, Alison Smale, Lisa Friedman and Julie Hirschfeld Davis in the New York Times$ -- 7/9/17

 

-- Saturday Updates 

Fast-moving Santa Barbara County fire grows to 19,000 acres; evacuations ordered -- The fire, located near Highway 166, was only 10% contained, officials said. Crews were battling to protect Tepusquet Canyon, their efforts hampered by extreme heat, low humidity and winds from the northeast. Javier Panzar and Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/8/17

Wall Fire grows to 2,000 acres, evacuations still in effect -- The Wall Fire in Butte County remains at about 2,000 acres as of 2:50 p.m. Saturday, according to the Cal Fire incident report. The wildfire on Chinese Wall Road, five miles north of Bangor, has destroyed 10 homes and inflicted minor injuries on five civilians and one crew member, according to Cal Fire. Thomas Oide and Anthony Sorci in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/8/17

ATF: 2016 fire in Oakland was 4th arson at unfinished building -- Hours after Oakland’s fifth fire in recent years at half-finished residential buildings — three of which were previously deemed arsons — federal investigators said Friday for the first time they were investigating a fourth of the five as arson. Michael Bodley in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/8/17

Hundreds remain displaced by Oakland blaze -- Hundreds of people remained displaced Saturday as crews continued to mop up debris from the huge blaze that destroyed a seven-story building under construction in Oakland a day earlier. Hamed Aleaziz in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/8/17

Nursing home residents fear cuts from GOP health bill -- A year and a half ago, Robert Hawkins was living on the street in San Francisco’s Financial District, struggling with diabetes and chronic lung disease. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/8/17

Former Obama staffers say they’re running for office to protect his legacy -- As one of Barack Obama’s top political organizers, Buffy Wicks plotted national campaign strategy, mobilized support for the Affordable Care Act and helped marshal the thousands of volunteers who carried Obama to the White House. Casey Tolan in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/8/17

The latest Silicon Valley housing idea: on a landfill -- It’s not your typical site for a new housing development: a former landfill, containing an estimated 5.5 million tons of municipal waste dumped over a quarter century in the heart of this city. Richard Scheinin in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/8/17

What do you get when you sign up for a 100% green electricity plan? -- For the first time, residents and businesses up and down the state can buy electricity plans touted as “100 percent green” in their quest to fight climate change or simply be more environmentally friendly. Joshua Emerson Smith in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/8/17

Another longtime lawman joins race for L.A. County sheriff -- Bob Lindsey says he’s reluctant to recommend the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to a young person hoping for a career as a cop. Maya Lau in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/8/17

Ed Lee is the tops — highest-paid mayor in California, that is -- San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee’s $297,387 salary last year was enough to make him the highest-paid mayor in California, according to data recently compiled by the state controller’s office. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/8/17

Cannabis cotillion: Luxury cannabis brand Beboe debuts in San Francisco -- As canna-business strategist Elise McRoberts walked across an animal skin rug and into the living room of a Pacific Heights home for the recent San Francisco launch of Beboe, an upscale cannabis brand from Los Angeles, she assumed she would see the usual faces on the marijuana circuit — growers, dispensary owners and cannabis chefs. Carolyne Zinko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/8/17

Hot days bring blazes and fallen livestock across California -- Hot, dry winds have fanned a wildfire in Santa Barbara County that has now grown to nearly five square miles and forced evacuations in the most urgent of several blazes burning throughout the baking state. Associated Press -- 7/8/17

At 14, she was told to hide her baby bump and switch schools. Her shaming wasn’t unique -- Graciela Pacheco didn’t know she was pregnant until she was six months along. At 14 years old, she couldn’t differentiate the bodily changes that come with puberty from the signs that a baby was growing inside her. Mackenzie Mays in the Fresno Bee -- 7/8/17

The federal program that can’t be killed — or fixed -- San Francisco is one of the nation’s wealthiest cities, reaping the riches of America’s tech economy. Across the country and worlds away, Allentown, Pa., hasn’t fully recovered from the death of Big Steel. Yet when it comes to federal aid for community development, Silicon Valley wins. Lehigh Valley makes do. Lorraine Woellert Politico -- 7/8/17

Once Dominant, the United States Finds Itself Isolated at G-20 -- For years the United States was the dominant force and set the agenda at the annual gathering of the leaders of the world’s largest economies. But on Friday, when President Trump met with other leaders at the Group of 20 conference, he found the United States isolated on everything from trade to climate change, and faced with the prospect of the group’s issuing a statement on Saturday that lays bare how the United States stands alone. Steven Erlanger and Julie Hirschfeld Davis in the New York Times$ -- 7/8/17

Trump leaves leaders fearing the future as G-20 summit closes -- President Trump and other world leaders on Saturday emerged from two days of talks unable to resolve key differences on core issues such as climate change and globalization, slapping an exclamation point on a divisive summit that left other nations fearing for the future of global alliances in the Trump era. Michael Birnbaum and Damian Paletta in the Washington Post -- 7/8/17