Updating . .
Rep. Brad Sherman just introduced articles of impeachment against President Trump -- Sherman, an 11-term Democrat who represents part of the San Fernando Valley, was the first to draft and circulate articles of impeachment last month. He formally introduced the measure, H.R. 438, on the House floor Wednesday afternoon. Christine Mai-Duc in the Los Angeles Times$ Stephen Ohelmacher Associated Press -- 7/12/17
Gov. Jerry Brown and Michael Bloomberg launch an effort to collect climate data -- Gov. Jerry Brown continues to add to his resume as global climate crusader, announcing on Wednesday a partnership with former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to measure how states, cities and businesses are cutting their greenhouse gas emissions. Melanie Mason in the Los Angeles Times$ Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 7/12/17
Walters: Jerry Brown wants to be global climate change leader, but has a problem in California -- “Desperate” may be too strong a word, but Gov. Jerry Brown, who aspires to global leadership of the climate change movement, very badly needs to renew “cap-and-trade” controls on California’s greenhouse gas emissions that will expire in 2020. Dan Walters Calmatters.org -- 7/12/17
Orange County D.A. is investigating his biggest critic — a former ally — as ugly political battle looms -- Orange County Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas had groomed his senior prosecutor Todd Spitzer as his successor — and then he fired him. The termination seven years ago set off a bitter political rivalry that is expected to culminate in 2018 when the two face off in an election for Orange County’s top prosecutor. Adam Elmahrek in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/12/17
Taylor: New prosecutor in Contra Costa County could right racial wrongs -- Contra Costa County is looking for a top prosecutor. In the next two months, the Board of Supervisors will decide who will replace Mark Peterson, the last district attorney, who resigned in disgrace after pleading no contest to one count of perjury for making false statements on state campaign disclosure forms. Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/12/17
Study: GPS rules send California juveniles into jail cycle -- Counties' overly stringent and varied GPS tracking policies are cycling California juvenile offenders back behind bars for minor infractions, according to a new report. Rules for juveniles who wear GPS monitors were "unrealistically onerous," and "undermine the rehabilitative purpose of the juvenile justice system," said researchers at the University of California, Berkeley and the East Bay Community Law Center in a report released Wednesday. Michael Balsamo Associated Press -- 7/12/17
Latino plaintiffs sue California alleging poor health care -- California is harming medical care for more than 13 million lower-income residents, more than half of them Latinos, by failing to pay doctors enough to provide proper care, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 7/12/17
State lawmakers advance bill that would make 'stealthing' sexual assault but question whether it's enforceable -- Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens) introduced the legislation in May through the "gut and amend" process, stripping the contents of an unrelated bill to insert the new language. It targets stealthing, or the practice of intentionally removing or tampering with a condom during sexual intercourse without consent. Jazmine Ulloa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/12/17
UC Board of Regents adds experts in sports management, media, arms control, finance -- Gov. Jerry Brown’s newest appointees to the University of California Board of Regents offer media pizazz, policy expertise and political skills at a time when the university system is facing major challenges. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/12/17
Politifact CA: Mostly True: California’s taxes are 'among the highest in the nation' -- In the video announcing his run for California governor, Republican Travis Allen said he wants to reduce the state’s crime rate and its high taxes. Chris Nichols Politifact CA: -- 7/12/17
Fox: AG’s First Test on Ballot Title & Summary -- California Attorney General Xavier Beccera faced his first test in approving the title and summary of a controversial and highly watched ballot initiative when the gas tax repeal measure came before him. Becerra has now released the title and summary on that measure. How did he fare? Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 7/12/17
Huge hepatitis outbreak claims fifth victim in San Diego County -- A fifth person has died in San Diego County’s ongoing hepatitis A outbreak — the state’s largest in two decades, public-health officials said Wednesday. The outbreak started in November 2016 and has grown among the region’s homeless population. There have been 228 confirmed infections, including 161 people who had to be hospitalized, according to the county’s Health and Human Services Agency. Paul Sisson in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/12/17
Gymboree is closing 350 stores, including 24 in California -- Children’s apparel retailer Gymboree Corp. said it would close about 350 of its Gymboree, Janie and Jack and Crazy 8 stores nationwide — including 24 in California — as it restructures its business after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in June. Ethan Varian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/12/17
Residents return to fire-gutted homes as California firefighters make progress on massive blazes -- Firefighters took advantage of cooler temperatures Wednesday and increased containment on several destructive wildfires in California just ahead of another forecast of triple-digit heat this weekend. Veronica Rocha in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/12/17
Praise pours in for firefighters pictured saving American flag in Oroville wildfire -- The image has been shared thousands of times and brought freelance photographer Josh Edelson messages of thanks from both home and abroad. Joseph Serna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/12/17
McManus: At long last, the smoking Russian gun -- The unraveling mystery of whether Donald Trump’s presidential campaign colluded with Russia just produced a smoking gun: those emails from Donald Trump Jr. welcoming an offer from Moscow to supply dirt on Hillary Clinton. Doyle McManus in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/12/17
The investigation goes digital: Did someone point Russia to specific online targets? -- Before social media — most specifically, Facebook — campaigns had to balance cost, reach and targeting through spending on direct mail and field programs and television. Now, they can pick out individuals from a massive crowd with a tailor-made video ad, for relatively little cost — with much less of a chance that their opponents find out it ever happened. The presidential campaign of Donald Trump embraced this explicitly. Philip Bump in the Washington Post -- 7/12/17
California Policy & Politics This Morning
L.A. County sheriff can't give prosecutors the names of problem deputies, appeals court rules -- The names of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies who’ve lied, stolen, falsified reports and committed other types of “moral” misconduct are confidential and cannot be handed over to prosecutors — even in pending criminal cases in which the deputies are listed as potential witnesses — a Los Angeles appeals court ruled Tuesday. Maya Lau in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/12/17
Lawmakers ‘lack the courage’ to stop police shootings, civil rights groups say -- Frustrated by what they say has been an overly cautious response to a pressing problem, representatives from the National Action Network, the local chapter of the NAACP and other community groups lambasted state lawmakers that “lack the courage” to increase oversight of law enforcement agencies. Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/12/17
Silicon Valley venture capitalist Sam Altman says he wants to recruit candidates to run for office in California -- A wealthy young Silicon Valley venture capitalist hopes to recruit statewide and congressional candidates and launch an affordable-housing ballot measure in 2018 because he says California’s leaders are failing to address flaws in the state’s governance that are killing opportunities for future generations. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/12/17
Dental lobby prevails again: Grieving parents shelve Caleb’s Law rather than dilute it -- It has become a familiar routine for the Sears family: Gather the medical experts, trek to Sacramento, and tell another panel of lawmakers how their 6-year-old son died from the anesthesia a dentist gave him to pull a tooth. Laurel Rosenhall Calmatters.org -- 7/12/17
Jerry Brown says his climate plan is in danger. To lose would be a tragedy ‘for the world’ -- With his international reputation as a climate leader at stake, Gov. Jerry Brown moved Tuesday to defend his efforts to extend the state’s cap-and-trade program, which the veteran Democrat described in an interview as a crucial method to reduce emissions from greenhouse gases. Christopher Cadelago in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/12/17
Beyond the triumphant rhetoric, Gov. Brown's cap-and-trade plan is stirring up angst -- While rolling out their plan to extend California’s cap-and-trade program, Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders have portrayed their proposal as a win on two fronts: reaching the state’s ambitious climate goals and tackling local air pollution. Melanie Mason, Chris Megerian and Tony Barboza in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/12/17
Cap-and-trade deal heading for showdown -- A hotly disputed agreement to extend California’s cap-and-trade program to 2030 partly reflects the power shift under way in the Legislature in which moderate, business-friendly Democrats are increasingly flexing their political muscle. John Howard Capitol Weekly -- 7/12/17
Brown’s cap-and-trade bill exposes fault lines of state politics -- Gov. Jerry Brown’s bid to extend the state’s cap-and-trade system for fighting climate change illuminates some of the fault lines running through the Legislature — and through the governor’s own party. David R. Baker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/12/17
Debate rages over California cap-and-trade deal, concessions to Big Oil -- A new deal to extend California’s landmark climate program known as cap and trade was met with both praise and condemnation Tuesday as environmentalists, business groups and lawmakers worked furiously to untangle — and wrangle over — the complex proposal that could be up for a vote within days. Katy Murphy in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/12/17
Why the state is in such a hurry to fix Oroville Dam -- The Department of Water Resources have asked federal regulators to let it demolish and replace an additional 240 feet of the spillway’s 3,000-foot concrete chute before the rains comes this fall, leaving less work for next year. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/12/17
Rift in San Francisco Over Bill to Make it Harder for Voters to Block Developments -- State legislation that would make it harder for voters to block developments at the ballot box has split politicians in San Francisco, the latest example of a rift within the liberal city over how to address the city’s housing crisis. Guy Marzorati KQED -- 7/12/17
Former Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher To Run For San Diego Board Of Supervisors -- Former Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher Tuesday confirmed speculation by announcing a run for the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. Fletcher, 40, hopes to succeed Supervisor Ron Roberts, who represents a large section of the city of San Diego and is be ing termed out. KPBS -- 7/12/17
Protests move back to sidewalk by Issa's Vista office -- More than 300 demonstrators chanted and sang on the sidewalk outside U.S. Rep Darrell Issa’s Vista office Tuesday morning — the first of the weekly rallies since the city backed off restrictions limiting where the protesters could stand. Teri Figueroa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/12/17
San Bernardino County Judge drops five more charges in Colonies Corruption case -- The judge in the San Bernardino County Colonies corruption trial dismissed five more charges against the defendants Tuesday, but he determined there was enough evidence for jurors to decide whether bribery was behind a $102 million county settlement with a developer in 2006. Richard K. DeAtley in the Inland Daily Bulletin$ -- 7/12/17
Defying Trump, House panel is expected to propose restoring funding for earthquake early warning system -- Members of Congress on Wednesday are expected to approve a new budget plan that would maintain funding for a West Coast earthquake early warning system that President Trump’s budget sought to slash. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/12/17
SFO near-miss: Air Canada flight got ‘extremely close’ to planes on taxiway, pilot on ground alerted tower, averted disaster -- The wayward Air Canada pilot who was about to land his plane on a crowded San Francisco International Airport taxiway Friday night dropped as low as 175 feet before throttling the engines and pulling up and over four fully-loaded passenger jets waiting to take off, according to multiple online flight tracking systems. Matthias Gafni in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/12/17
Rhee: California seeks justice for rape victims on the cheap -- Guess what these could soon have in common: Alzheimer’s disease, cancer research, fallen firefighters, arts in schools, sea otters and rape victims. If legislators approve, testing rape kits could join the 20 causes that Californians can support by checking a donation box on their state tax returns. Foon Rhee in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/12/17
Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds
Signature-gathering approved for initiative to repeal gasoline tax increase -- SB 1, signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown April 28, increases the gasoline excise tax by 12 cents a gallon, the diesel fuel excise tax 20 cents per gallon, the sales tax on diesel to 5.75 percent, beginning Nov. 1, and raises the vehicle registration fee $25 to $175, depending on the value of the vehicle on Jan. 1. The revenue from the tax and registration fee increases will be used to repair roads, highways and bridges and improve public transportation, Brown said. The item is in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 7/12/17
SDG&E delaying solar credit for some low-income housing tenants -- Delays in setting up green energy accounts for San Diego Gas & Electric customers in multi-family affordable housing have left at least 700 homes paying high summer rates when they were counting on credits for solar energy. Morgan Cook in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/12/17
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Housing woes, labor shortages might “disrupt” Bay Area economy, forecast says -- The Bay Area job market faces disruption from a lack of skilled labor and skyrocketing home prices that could throttle the region’s booming economy, according to Beacon Economics forecasts released Tuesday. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/12/17
Get ready to hear a lot about net neutrality if you use Amazon, Google, Netflix or hundreds of other websites -- On Wednesday, millions of Americans unwittingly will be drawn into the heated battle over the controversial rules for online traffic that Republicans are pushing to dismantle. Jim Puzzanghera in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/12/17
Wells Fargo's $142-million sham accounts settlement: What you need to know -- A federal judge this weekend signed off on a deal under which Wells Fargo & Co. will pay $142 million to settle a bevy of class-action lawsuits over the bank’s creation of unauthorized accounts. James Rufus Koren in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/12/17
Study prompts calls for greater wage theft enforcement in San Diego -- The authors of a new study showing widespread local wage theft are calling on Mayor Kevin Faulconer to more aggressively enforce San Diego’s minimum wage increase, which took effect one year ago. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/12/17
Farmworker housing may get a subsidy boost in Napa -- Napa County’s vineyard owners have voted to renew and increase their self-imposed subsidy to the county’s three farmworker housing centers, from $10 per vineyard acre owned to $15. The results of the mail-in vote were tallied and announced at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting. Esther Mobley in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/12/17
Housing
San Francisco supervisors OK affordable housing laws -- The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved two pieces of legislation intended to keep lower- and middle-class residents in the city, each requiring a hard-won compromise between the board’s moderate and progressive wings. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/12/17
Wildfire
Wall fire devastation: 41 homes destroyed, 5,800 acres burned -- The Wall Fire broke out Friday afternoon along Chinese Wall Road north of the small town of Bangor, which is southeast of Oroville. Thousands of people have been evacuated as firefighters worked to save their homes. Bill Lindelof in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/12/17
Relief, Anguish As Wall Fire Evacuees Receive News On Whether Their Homes Survived -- Residents evacuated due to the Wall Fire braced for news Tuesday afternoon on whether their homes survived. While some evacuation orders remain, containment for the blaze has grown to 55 percent. On Tuesday, CAL FIRE confirmed homes were destroyed. Inspectors mapped 41 homes and 46 other buildings. Capital Public Radio -- 7/12/17
Rancher takes stock of damage following Alamo blaze -- Bob Acquistapace stood atop a tall hill in Tepusquet Canyon Tuesday and took grim inventory of his vast cattle ranch. Just days earlier, its rolling hills were tinted a hazy ochre and studded with grazing cows. Now they were charred black and dusted with gray-white ash. Meg Bernhard in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/12/17
Anonymous woman picks up Denny's tab for 25 firefighters who battled blaze in SoCal Saturday -- After a day of braving 100-plus-degree temperatures, about 25 of the firefighters dropped by a Denny's for dinner. Michelle Robertson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/12/17
Education
UC regents, with four new members, plan to debate budget, admissions -- Los Angeles civic leader George Kieffer says he is “revved up” about taking the helm of the UC Board of Regents this week, and he’s already set his top priority: improve relations with state lawmakers. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/12/17
Teacher Tenure Debate Returns To California Legislature -- A bill up for debate Wednesday in the Senate Education committee would let school districts choose whether to allow teachers to reach permanent status after two years – or add a third year of probation. The bill’s author, Asm. Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), says the state’s current two-year tenure threshold puts principals in an impossible situation. Ben Adler Capital Public Radio -- 7/12/17
New funds available to train bilingual teachers in California -- In the midst of a statewide teacher shortage, the new California state budget includes $5 million to address a shortfall of bilingual teachers, a shortage a new study concludes will continue following the passage of Proposition 58 and the expected growth of bilingual programs. Ashley Hopkinson EdSource -- 7/12/17
Water
Fish or farms? A new battle rages over California water -- The House this week will tackle the question, which for years has triggered a tug-of-war between growers and environmentalists. It plans to vote on a Republican-authored plan aimed at sending more of northern California’s water to the Central Valley farmers who say they badly need it. Anshu Siripurapu McClatchyDC -- 7/12/17
Health
California wants to save your family’s clinic from a Republican health care bill -- But the midtown Sacramento clinic and more than 1,200 other health centers across California, many in isolated, rural communities, are at risk of closing or undergoing drastic changes if Congress enacts pending legislation to replace Obamacare, advocates say. The measure envisions huge cuts to Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California), the health program for the poor, that pays many of the centers’ bills. Rennie Svirnovskiy in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/12/17
Medi-Cal cuts in GOP healthcare bill could be costly for Southern California’s hospitals -- California hospitals will still have patients if the health care bill proposed by U.S. Senate Republicans becomes law. But instead of insured patients getting preventative care, many who lose coverage through Medicaid cuts will show up in dire shape at emergency rooms with no way to pay, imperiling hospitals’ finances along the way. Jeff Horseman in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 7/12/17
Billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong opens ‘next generation’ cancer treatment institute in El Segundo -- Pledging to provide cancer patients with groundbreaking advancements in care, billionaire physician Patrick Soon-Shiong opened a state-of-the-art treatment and diagnostics center in El Segundo on Tuesday. Megan Barnes in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 7/12/17
Environment
Trump's environmental rollbacks are hitting major roadblocks -- As President Trump flouts international calls to act on climate change, his administration is finding the pressure at home tougher to ignore. The limitations of Trump’s power to reset U.S. climate policy has been on full display over the last few days in Washington. Evan Halper in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/12/17
Also . . .
L.A. neighborhood stunned by sledgehammer attacks on Buddha statue. 'We're not going to let this hateful activity win' -- For many years, the little traffic island at Jasmine Avenue and National Boulevard in Palms was a local dumping site. “It was just the spot where everyone dumped their couches, beds, washers and dryers,” said Lee Wallach, director of the Motor Avenue Improvement Assn. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/12/17
POTUS 45
‘Category 5 hurricane’: White House under siege by Trump Jr.’s Russia revelations -- The White House has been thrust into chaos after days of ever-worsening revelations about a meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a lawyer characterized as representing the Russian government, as the president fumes against his enemies and senior aides circle one another with suspicion, according to top White House officials and outside advisers. Philip Rucker and Ashley Parker in the Washington Post -- 7/12/17
Rancor at White House as Russia Story Refuses to Let the Page Turn -- As Air Force One jetted back from Europe on Saturday, a small cadre of Mr. Trump’s advisers huddled in a cabin helping to craft a statement for the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., to give to The New York Times explaining why he met last summer with a lawyer connected to the Russian government. Peter Baker and Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ -- 7/12/17
A revelation unlike any other in the Russia investigation -- There have been other moments in the lengthy investigation of Russian government interference in the 2016 presidential election that have registered on the legal and political Richter scales, but none with the power and explosiveness of the email chain involving Donald Trump Jr. that became public Tuesday. Dan Balz in the Washington Post -- 7/12/17
Four Pinocchios: President Trump’s claim ‘billions and billions’ are ‘pouring into NATO’ because of his administration -- Whenever we delve into Trump’s rhetoric on the funding of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, we find that he fundamentally mischaracterizes the way NATO works. Michelle Ye Hee Lee in the Washington Post -- 7/12/17
Hackers have been stealing credit card numbers from Trump’s hotels for months -- Guests at 14 Trump properties, including hotels in Washington, New York and Vancouver, have had their credit card information exposed, marking the third time in as many years that a months-long security breach has affected customers of the chain of luxury hotels. Abha Bhattarai in the Washington Post -- 7/12/17
Beltway
Tested by the many chapters of the Russia story, Republicans stand by Trump -- Their TV screens screamed out the headlines. The news alerts rattled their phones. As Republican senators moved around the Capitol on Tuesday, they were asked again and again whether emails released by Donald Trump Jr. revealed collusion between Russian interlopers and his father’s 2016 presidential campaign. For the most part, they shrugged. David Weigel in the Washington Post -- 7/12/17
Scholars: Trump Jr. seems to have acted illegally -- It’s illegal for a U.S. political campaign to ask a foreign person or government for “anything of value” — and that’s what Donald Trump Jr. appears to have done in agreeing to meet with a Russian government lawyer during his father’s presidential campaign, legal and ethics scholars said Tuesday. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/12/17
-- Tuesday Updates
House panel unveils $1.6B plan for building US-Mexico wall -- The move by the House Appropriations Committee again puts the Trump administration and its allies on Capitol Hill on a collision course with Democrats who oppose the wall and succeeded in blocking a request by Trump to deliver the money when passing an omnibus spending measure earlier this spring. Andrew Taylor Associated Press -- 7/11/17
Mills College opts for layoffs over admitting male undergrads -- Mills College faculty cheered when hundreds of students occupied the Oakland campus for 13 days in 1990 and forced the school’s trustees to reverse their decision to admit male undergraduates as a way to raise money. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/11/17
California climate deal takes aim at toxic air -- A plan to extend California's signature climate initiative for another decade looks beyond cutting greenhouse gas emissions and takes aim at toxic air in the polluted neighborhoods around refineries and factories. Jonathan J. Cooper, Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 7/11/17
San Diego real estate investor joins other Democrats challenging Darrell Issa -- Real estate investor Paul Kerr announced Tuesday that he will challenge nine-term Republican Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista), one of the Democrats' top California targets for 2018. Issa won re-election by a razor-thin margin last November. Christine Mai-Duc in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/11/17
L.A. County to pay nearly $5 million to settle lawsuits in two shootings by sheriff's deputies -- Expensive payouts stemming from shootings by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies continue to climb, with the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approving nearly $5 million for the families of two men shot by deputies in separate incidents. In both 2014 incidents, deputies’ bullets killed people — and also wounded unintended victims. Maya Lau in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/11/17
Wall fire devastation: 41 homes destroyed, 5,800 acres burned -- The toll exacted by the Wall Fire in Butte County has risen to 41 homes destroyed, according to new figures released Tuesday by Cal Fire. The Wall Fire broke out Friday afternoon along Chinese Wall Road north of the small town of Bangor, which is southeast of Oroville. Thousands of people have been evacuated as firefighters worked to save their homes. Bill Lindelof in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/11/17
Nature lends a hand in fight against three massive California wildfires -- Nature provided a helping hand Tuesday to firefighters tackling three wildfires that have destroyed dozens of homes and forced thousands of people to flee. Veronica Rocha in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/11/17
Refugees find temporary havens on Airbnb -- The guests were exhausted and disoriented when they arrived after a 16-hour flight. These were no ordinary tourists, but refugees from Afghanistan. They came via a new program from the home-stay website that encourages hosts to provide free temporary housing to people uprooted by violence, persecution, terrorism and natural disasters. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/11/17
Google in San Jose: What happens next? -- Now that San Jose has approved negotiations with Google for a massive new tech campus in the heart of downtown, what are the steps toward making it a reality? Like San Francisco’s Mission Bay renewal, the Mountain View search giant’s development would reshape downtown San Jose in a dramatic fashion. Ramona Giwargis in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/11/17
Olympics are returning to L.A. and Paris — but when? -- The Olympic Games are coming back to Los Angeles. The only question now is will Southern California host its third Olympics in 2024 or 2028? Scott M. Reid in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 7/11/17
Ending bail worries California judges -- Though it failed on the Assembly floor last month, an effort to overhaul California’s bail system is still moving this session after an identical measure passed the state Senate. Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/11/17
Days after legalization, Nevada’s pot supply runs low -- Nevada is running dangerously low on recreational marijuana. Less than two weeks after sales of the fun kind of cannabis got underway for the first time in the state, stores are quickly running out of pot to sell. Patrick May in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/11/17
‘Ghost Ship hysteria’ or unsafe conditions? This arts collective faces imminent closure -- For more than a decade, some of Sacramento’s most accomplished artists have used a century-old warehouse in Hollywood Park as their home base. But after an anonymous complaint was filed with the city, the Panama Pottery arts collective could fall victim to what its owner called “Ghost Ship hysteria,” a reference to the 2016 fire that killed 36 people in an artists’ warehouse. Ryan Lillis in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/11/17
Police pursuits cause unnecessary deaths and injuries, L.A. County grand jury says -- Police chases in Los Angeles County are “causing unnecessary bystander injuries and deaths” and most pursuits are launched in response to relatively minor crimes, according to a new report by the county’s civil grand jury. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/11/17
Legislation making it harder to punish police officers accused of lying isn't happening this year -- Assemblyman Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) pulled his Assembly Bill 1298 from Tuesday morning's Senate Public Safety Committee agenda and will no longer pursue it this year, his office said. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/11/17
‘You guys are going to kill me.’ Man knew his fate when he confronted deputies, report says. -- With a knife in hand, Chad Irwin knew sheriff’s deputies would shoot him, according to a new Sacramento County District Attorney’s review. “I know what happens,” Irwin, 40, told deputies last August as he stood across the street from his Brahms Way home, his wife and two daughters inside. “I know what this is. You guys are going to kill me.” Soon after, Irwin was dead from multiple gunshot wounds. Nashelly Chavez in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/11/17
Russian Dirt on Clinton? ‘I Love It,’ Donald Trump Jr. Said -- The June 3, 2016, email sent to Donald Trump Jr. could hardly have been more explicit: One of his father’s former Russian business partners had been contacted by a senior Russian government official and was offering to provide the Trump campaign with dirt on Hillary Clinton. Jo Becker, Adam Goldman and Matt Apuzzo in the New York Times$ Rosalind S. Helderman and John Wagner in the Washington Post -- 7/11/17