Updating . .
Anguish in Sierra foothills as dangerous fire season kicks off -- Just days after California’s burgeoning wildfire season plundered the farm of Danny Lazzarini and Andrew Seidman, the couple were back to work, picking peaches amid the blackened hillsides. Just days after California’s burgeoning wildfire season plundered the farm of Danny Lazzarini and Andrew Seidman, the couple were back to work, picking peaches amid the blackened hillsides. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/15/17
California Politics Podcast: We examine the huge political firestorm in the wake of the Legislature's single-payer healthcare bill being blocked. We also dive deep into a Times exclusive on California's largely ignored housing law. With John Myers, Melanie Mason and Liam Dillon of the Los Angeles Times. Link Here -- 7/15/17
New spending control could win Republican votes for climate bill -- Republicans proposed a constitutional amendment Friday that could help win their support for legislation to extend the state’s climate-fighting cap-and-trade program. Christopher Cadelago, Alexei Koseff and Taryn Luna in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/15/17
Exploitation or opportunity? California’s Capitol employs army of unpaid interns -- Q: How are your elected officials answering their many phone calls? A: Probably with the help of an unpaid intern. Or maybe 50 of them. Hannah Knowles in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/15/17
Silicon Valley investors embrace a new vision of college -- Make School, a for-profit startup in this city’s South of Market district, is one of the most unusual schools in the country: It lets students enroll in classes for free if they agree to pay later after they land a job. Emily DeRuy in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/15/17
The Lawyer, the Addict -- A high-powered Silicon Valley attorney dies. His ex-wife investigates, and finds a web of drug abuse in his profession. Eilene Zimmerman in the New York Times$ -- 7/15/17
Tenant wins case in dispute with landlord over mailed-in rent -- A landlord who insists that rent be paid by traditional mail cannot take action against a tenant if the money doesn’t arrive. But that’s only the case if proper postage was applied, and the rent money was sent with the correct address and in sufficient time to hit the due date, a California court ruled last week. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/15/17
Maryam Mirzakhani, world-renowned math genius and Stanford professor, dies at 40 -- Maryam Mirzakhani, a world-renowned mathematician and Stanford University professor best known for being the first woman to receive the prestigious Fields Medal for mathematics, has died, the university announced early Saturday. Mirzakhani died Saturday after a long battle with breast cancer. She was 40. Tatiana Sanchez in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/15/17
White House releases sensitive personal information of voters worried about their sensitive personal information -- Unfortunately for these voters and others who wrote in, the Trump administration did not redact any of their personal information from the emails before releasing them to the public. In some cases, the emails contain not only names, but email addresses, home addresses, phone numbers and places of employment of people worried about such information being made available to the public. Christopher Ingraham in the Washington Post$ -- 7/15/17
California Policy & Politics This Morning
In California's climate negotiations, Assembly GOP seeks check on cap-and-trade spending -- A proposal introduced Friday evening by Assembly GOP Leader Chad Mayes (R-Yucca Valley) could give the minority party more say in spending money generated by the state's signature climate policy, cap and trade. Melanie Mason in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/15/17
Lawsuit alleges state is trying to sabotage initiative to repeal gas tax increase in California -- The state attorney general allegedly drafted a misleading title and summary for an initiative that would repeal increases to California’s gas tax, and the wording should be changed, according to a lawsuit filed Friday by supporters of the proposed ballot measure. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/15/17
Partisan rift opens over vote-by-mail law -- A dramatic change planned for California elections next year is morphing into a partisan battle over how the state’s ballots should be cast. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/15/17
Trump’s Border Wall Project In San Diego Faces Environmental Lawsuit -- At the edge of San Diego County where the U.S. meets Mexico, the valleys and mountains are home to endangered species like the Quino checkerspot butterfly and fragile ecosystems like vernal pools. Jean Guerrero KPBS -- 7/15/17
Rep. Rohrabacher was lobbied by the former Soviet military intelligence officer who attended Trump Jr. meeting -- A former Soviet military counterintelligence officer who met with President Trump's son, son-in-law and campaign manager in June 2016 had previously lobbied Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) at least twice about U.S. relations with Russia. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/15/17
California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra goes to court to defend state program helping unaccompanied minor immigrants -- The court filing urges a Los Angeles Superior Court judge to follow a process created by the state that helps give "Special Immigrant Juvenile" status to minors who immigrate to the United States and cannot reunite with a parent outside of the country because of abuse, neglect or abandonment. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/15/17
Whistle-blower case could cost San Francisco millions in attorney’s fees -- The city of San Francisco could be on the hook for $2.4 million in attorney’s fees racked up by a former deputy city attorney who said she was fired after exposing a long-running illegal kickback scheme between city workers and plumbing companies. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/15/17
Orange County investigator on leave for allegedly leaking report about top prosecutor’s rival, attorney says -- An investigator with the Orange County district attorney’s office was put on paid administrative leave Thursday for allegedly leaking an investigative report, according to his attorney Joel Baruch. Adam Elmahrek in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/15/17
California corrections officials want to know what you think about the state's new parole guidelines -- California corrections officials on Friday began accepting public comments on the new set of regulations that have overhauled the state parole system, allowing thousands more inmates to be considered for early release. Jazmine Ulloa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/15/17
Barbara Lee fights for new debate over war on terror as House leadership stonewalls -- Rep. Barbara Lee last month reached a major milestone in her 16-year fight to repeal a key authorization for the war on terror when a congressional committee unexpectedly approved her amendment to repeal it. Casey Tolan in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/15/17
OPD chief stands by controversial promotions at private ceremony -- In a public-turned-private ceremony Friday, two high-ranking police officials facing controversy for the handling of a sexual-misconduct investigation were promoted to key positions in the Oakland Police Department. David DeBolt in the East Bay Times -- 7/15/17
Lessons Learned From Oroville Dam Spillway Evacuations Helped In Wall Fire Evacuations -- First came the Oroville Dam spillway evacuation in February. Then came the Wall Fire a week ago. The Butte County Sheriffs Office says it learned several lessons from the first incident that helped it respond to the second. Bob Moffitt Capital Public Radio -- 7/15/17
Gov. Brown blocks parole for killer of San Diego officer -- For the third time, California Gov. Jerry Brown has rejected parole for a man convicted of gunning down a San Diego police officer in 1978 when he was a 17-year-old gang member. Associated Press -- 7/15/17
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Immigrants are 42 percent of California’s STEM workforce -- The Washington D.C.-based nonprofit American Immigration Council studied the occupational, gender, educational and geographic distribution of foreign-born STEM workers in the United States, using 2015 survey data by the U.S. Census Bureau. Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/15/17
This influential Silicon Valley firm is spearheading a blacklist of venture capitalists accused of harassing women -- Faced with a burgeoning sexual harassment crisis, leaders in Silicon Valley have come up with a very Silicon Valley solution: Use technology to create a blacklist. Elizabeth Dwoskin in the Washington Post$ -- 7/15/17
How the Bay Area took over the self-driving car business -- The small white cars topped with what look like stubby metal antennas swarm in and out of an unmarked San Francisco building like bees around a hive. David R. Baker and Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/15/17
On the cusp of a car revolution -- For decades, technological breakthroughs born or nurtured in Silicon Valley — the semiconductor, the personal computer, the Internet and smartphones — have led to sweeping changes in the global economy, as well as in society and the culture. Today, the advent of self-driving vehicles portends an equally vast disruption in how we live and work, and the Bay Area is the engine driving that change. The items are in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/15/17
LA Mayor wants to increase veteran hiring through 10,000 Strong initiative -- Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti joined forces Friday with more than 50 companies for a training session aimed at spurring veteran hiring. The item is in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 7/15/17
As Alfred Angelo closes all stores, here’s what brides-to-be can do -- Alfred Angelo, one of the world’s largest manufacturers and retailers of wedding gowns, closed all 60 of its U.S. stores as it filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The retailer, known for its Disney-themed designs, also has partnerships with some 1,400 retailers. “I’m really trying to stay calm, but all the money we put into these dresses,” Mejia said. Alicia Robinson, Hannah Madans, Kevin Smith and Neil Nisperos in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 7/15/17
‘Moneyball’ legal analytics helps lawyers assess judges -- Intellectual property lawyer Huong Nguyen walked into a federal courtroom a few years ago to defend a case for a maker of generic pharmaceuticals. Another lawyer told her that the judge had a reputation of favoring name-brand drug makers, which would normally suggest that Nguyen might lose at the trial level. But one source of information made her believe that she had a better shot: legal analytics. Isha Salian in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/15/17
Flood insurance rates could rise for hundreds of thousands of homeowners under proposal -- Congress is considering sweeping changes to the debt-laden National Flood Insurance Program that could jack up flood insurance rates for hundreds of thousands of homeowners under a bill that a Florida real estate group called “devastating.” Stuart Leavenworth McClatchyDC -- 7/15/17
Housing
California housing crisis spurring lawmakers into action -- Five years after California ended a program that helped pay for affordable housing, lawmakers are eager to create a new permanent stream of public funding to spur development amid what they say is the state’s worst housing crisis. Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/15/17
Prop. 13 property tax reform could boost housing affordability, experts say -- With housing inventories at a historic low, real estate leaders are proposing to amend Proposition 13 to give homeowners a tax break when they sell and thus generate more supply and reduce pressure on prices. Roger Showley in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/15/17
Education
Revolt spreads in Alum Rock schools -- Tired of board members who they feel disregard their complaints, impatient for basics like heating and cooling in classrooms and now angry that trustees ignore warnings of potential financial shenanigans, a movement is afoot to change board behavior — or change the board itself. Sharon Noguchi in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/15/17
Will local schools follow L.A. lead and pay trustees $125,000 a year? -- Los Angeles Unified Board of Education members are about to receive a whopping raise, nearly tripling their salaries to $125,000. Yes. That’s three zeros at the end. It’s more than the average principal earns in the district, and 2½ times a beginning L.A. teacher’s annual pay. It totally dwarfs most South Bay and Peninsula school board stipends. Sharon Noguchi in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/15/17
Judge rules AP tests to remain invalid, do-overs begin Monday -- A federal judge has ruled that the College Board had the right to invalidate Advanced Placement tests taken by 543 Scripps Ranch High School students. Gary Warth in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/15/17
Cannabis
Jean Quan, husband, given green light to open San Francisco medical pot shop -- The commission’s 5-1 vote allows Quan’s husband, internal medicine doctor Floyd Huen, to open the Sunset District’s first dispensary and the region’s first bilingual (Cantonese/English) and cultural medical pot store, according to the city’s planning department. David DeBolt in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/15/17
Looking for a job in the weed industry? Here are five that don’t involve growing -- While local municipalities scramble to figure out the role of legalized marijuana in the wake of Proposition 64, the cannabis industry continues to develop, especially in states that are further along in the process, places like Colorado, Oregon and now Nevada. Much of the focus falls on the growers and dispensaries, but there are any numbers of ancillary occupations for those looking to break into the business. Joshua Tehee in the Fresno Bee -- 7/15/17
Health
A third of all Californians depend on Medi-Cal. Here’s who they are and where they live -- The debate about health care in the United States resonates in California, considering that over a third of all people in the state rely on Medi-Cal, according to data from the California Department of Health Care Services. But amid all the arguments and partisanship, it may be easy to lose track of who exactly is hit when cuts are made to the health program for low-income Americans. Hattie Xu in the Fresno Bee -- 7/15/17
Also . . .
Cooper: ‘Fake news’ tactics disrupt news-gathering in Bay Area -- Bay Area residents tend to think we’re insulated from the baser practices of national politics. No officeholder or bureaucrat in this deep-blue region would dare utter the words “fake news,” right? Audrey Cooper in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/15/17
Selfie attempt sets off domino effect at L.A. gallery and causes $200,000 in damage -- The quest for the perfect selfie at a pop-up gallery in Los Angeles known for its Instagram-friendly art took a disastrous turn recently, and it came with a steep price. Veronica Rocha in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/15/17
From Occupy to fighting Islamic State: death of an activist turned soldier -- That spirit led Robert Grodt through campaigning for human rights in Santa Cruz, working as a medic for Occupy Wall Street — and this month, with scarcely anything that could be called military training, fighting the Islamic State in Syria. Kevin Fagan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/15/17
POTUS 45
U.S. officials probing Russian lobbyist who met Trump team -- U.S. officials are examining what role a Washington-based lobbyist who they consider a Russian intelligence operative may have played in a controversial June 2016 meeting he attended between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer. Ali Watkins Politico -- 7/15/17
Dropping the Bluster, Trump Revives Banter With Reporters -- The Donald J. Trump who turned up in the press cabin of Air Force One on Wednesday evening, as his plane crossed the Atlantic Ocean on the way to Paris, was starkly different from the one who publicly pillories the news media but surprisingly familiar to reporters who know him well. Mark Landler and Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ -- 7/15/17
Beltway
White House launches aggressive push to flip GOP governors opposed to Senate health bill -- The White House launched an aggressive drive Friday to persuade key Republican governors to stop criticizing a Senate proposal to overhaul the nation’s health-care system, urgently pressuring them in public and private ahead of a decisive week for the controversial legislation. Sean Sullivan, Juliet Eilperin and Dan Balz in the Washington Post$ -- 7/15/17
-- Friday Updates
California the world’s fifth largest economy? Look out, Britain -- Frustrated about unaffordable housing or clogged freeways? Think of it as the price you pay for living in one of the world’s largest economies. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/14/17
In health care, PBMs are crucial — but not regulated -- They are called pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, and while relatively few people have ever heard of them, it turns out that they are a critical factor in the cost of medical care. Anna Frazier Capitol Weekly -- 7/14/17
Quadriplegic teacher is so successful that she could lose her caregivers -- Jenny Weast has taught math at Oakmont High School for 30 years and coached its cheerleaders to six national championships, but she soon may be unable to afford to get out of bed. Diana Lambert in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/14/17
Despite fears over Oakland fire, 'extremist arson' rare -- The bombs exploded before sunrise. The targets were two Bay Area corporations with ties to animal testing, quickly leading to speculation that activists already protesting company executives had decided to send a more extreme message. Kurtis Alexander and Cynthia Dizikes in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/14/17
California pension fund beats earnings target for first time in three years -- The California Public Employees’ Retirement System rode a strong year in the stock market and private equity investments to earn a return rate of 11.2 percent for the fiscal year that ended June 30, the pension fund announced Friday morning. Adam Ashton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/14/17
Three Marines from Southern California were among 16 killed in military plane crash -- The Pentagon identified 16 service members, three from Southern California, who were killed this week when their military cargo plane suffered a mid-air failure on a cross-country flight and crashed in a soybean field in rural Mississippi. W.J. Hennigan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/14/17
Former Russian military intelligence officer attended Trump Tower meeting -- Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting with a Russian lawyer aimed at obtaining derogatory information about Hillary Clinton in June 2016 had another, previously undisclosed participant: a former Soviet military counterintelligence officer. David S. Cloud in the Los Angeles Times$ Desmond Butler and Chad Day Associated Press Eileen Sullivan, Kenneth P. Vogel and Adam Goldman in the New York Times$ Rosalind S. Helderman and Tom Hamburger in the Washington Post -- 7/14/17
United Airlines considers reselling seats to travelers who will pay more -- United Airlines is considering a program that pays passengers to give up their booked seats so that the carrier can resell them for a higher price to other fliers. Hugo Martin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/14/17
Hiltzik: Here are the hidden horrors in the Senate GOP's new Obamacare repeal bill -- Senate Republicans unveiled a new, “improved” version of their Affordable Care Act repeal bill Thursday, so the treasure hunt is on: the search for provisions so horrifically inhumane that they’ve had to be concealed deep in the measure’s legislative language and procedural maze. Michael Hiltzik in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/14/17
$75 million mansion is most expensive Tahoe house ever -- The massive mansion carved into the craggy banks of the north shore in Crystal Bay, Nev., is the most expensive house to ever be listed in the Lake Tahoe area, a title that was previously held by the famed Thunderbird Lodge that went on the market for $60 million in 1996. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/14/17
Winter's snow is disrupting this Sierra Nevada summer -- Trails, roads and campgrounds throughout the Sierra high country were hit hard by snow and runoff from one of the largest snowpacks in recorded history, leaving public agencies scrambling and summer visitors feeling lost. At Tioga Pass Lodge, established in 1914, loyalists’ hopes of kicking back on a sunny afternoon have taken a particularly tough wallop. Louis Sahagun in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/14/17
Governor Jerry Brown Likely To Face Decision On 100 Percent Clean Electricity -- A key vote this week in Sacramento has moved California closer than most people could imagine to a future in which all electricity — 100 percent of it — is produced without releasing more carbon into the air. When Senate President Pro Tem Kevin De León proposed the bill, many viewed it as aspirational. Now, it could actually become the law of the land. Ingrid Lobet KPBS -- 7/14/17