Updating . .
Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility can reopen, state says -- The Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility near Porter Ranch, which closed after a massive leak forced thousands to flee their homes, can reopen at a reduced capacity, state officials said Wednesday. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
Dana Rohrabacher dismisses new report on request he got from Russia as a 'nothing burger' -- Yes, the Russian government asked Rep. Dana Rohrabacher to push back against sanctions on Russians, and he doesn't see what the big deal is. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
Mariposa County fire doubles in size as flames force thousands to flee and threaten power to Yosemite -- A massive wildfire in Mariposa County nearly doubled in size overnight as flames destroyed structures, threatened power to Yosemite National Park and forced 4,000 people to flee their homes. Veronica Rocha in the Los Angeles Times$ Mark Evan Smith in the Fresno Bee$ Evan Sernoffsky, Sarah Ravani and Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/19/17
He’ll lead California’s water department as it rebuilds Oroville Dam, restricts groundwater -- A longtime Sonoma County water manager and environmental advocate is in line to lead the state Department of Water Resources, Gov. Jerry Brown announced on Wednesday. Brown appointed Grant Davis, the general manager of the Sonoma County Water Agency, to be the next director of the state water department. Adam Ashton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/19/17
Oroville dam repairs would benefit from multibillion-dollar ballot measure -- With California’s drought fresh on voters’ minds, a longtime water activist is asking their approval for a veritable wish list of water and other environmental projects costing billions – from fixing Oroville Dam’s cratered spillway to improving the watershed of the Tijuana River. Jim Miller in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/19/17
Plan calls for L.A., Long Beach ports to go to zero-emissions technology; cost could hit $14 billion -- The nation’s largest port complex will seek to slash air pollution and health risks to Southern Californians by replacing diesel trucks and cargo equipment with zero-emissions technology over the next two decades, according to a plan released Wednesday. Tony Barboza in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
California’s cap-and-trade program is costly, controversial. But how does it work? -- Californians pay more for gasoline – and food, cement and other goods – to finance the state’s fight against climate change. They’ll continue doing so at least through 2030, thanks to a landmark bill extends California’s cap-and-trade program for another decade. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/19/17
California’s economy will suffer plenty from climate change. But at least it’s not Florida -- Higher crime rates and electric bills. Crops and laborers wilting in the sun. A new study says California’s economy is going to lose billions of dollars a year to climate change. But hey, it will be a picnic compared to states like Florida and Texas. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/19/17
California is working to avoid a shortage of legalized marijuana, state pot czar says -- With Nevada suffering a shortage of legalized marijuana, California’s state pot czar said Wednesday that efforts are being made in her state to make sure sufficient licenses go to farmers, testers and distributors to supply retailers. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
Alum Rock faces credit slam after critical state audit -- In a potentially costly hit to taxpayers, Standard & Poors Global Credit has signaled that it expects to downgrade or possibly even withdraw its credit rating of the Alum Rock Union School District’s bonds and other debt. Sharon Noguchi in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/19/17
Walters: Jerry Brown wins on cap-and-trade, but is it just symbolism? -- Gov. Jerry Brown traveled two not always parallel paths to win legislative approval for extending California’s cap-and-trade approach to shrinking its carbon emission footprint. Dan Walters Calmatters.org -- 7/19/17
Former Obama advisor jumps in to challenge Rep. Mimi Walters in Orange County -- Brian Forde, who previously served as senior advisor on technology to former President Obama, announced Wednesday that he'll join several other Democrats hoping to unseat the two-term Republican. Christine Mai-Duc in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
The Democrat running against Rep. Darrell Issa has more money than any challenger in California's hottest races -- Out of more than a dozen closely watched congressional seats that Democrats and Republicans are trying to flip in California, the one that belongs to Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) has drawn some of the most robust fundraising. Christine Mai-Duc in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
Looking toward a 2018 rematch, Rep. Steve Knight's opponent is catching up in fundraising -- At one point last year, GOP Rep. Steve Knight of Palmdale was labeled by an analyst as "the most vulnerable incumbent in California." But despite his sometimes shaky fundraising and the attack ads unleashed by Democrats seeking to unseat him, Knight went on to defeat Democratic challenger Bryan Caforio by more than 6 percentage points in November. Christine Mai-Duc in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
Rep. Barbara Lee won't get her war vote after all -- House Republicans have stripped from a Defense Department spending bill Rep. Barbara Lee's amendment to reconsider the authority the president has to wage war. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
Decker: Gov. Jerry Brown shows President Trump the upside of experience -- As his party’s healthcare plan imploded Monday night, President Trump could look across the country to the state he seems to disdain the most and see success forged by the very thing he ran against: old-f ashioned politics. Cathleen Decker in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
Mark Zuckerberg vs. Trump? Poll reveals how tech mogul would fare if he ran for president -- A survey released this week by a Democratic polling firm shows it would be a tight race. Public Policy Polling surveyed 836 registered voters from July 14-17. The poll has a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points. Queenie Wong in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/19/17
Putin-friendly congressman gets boost from House majority leader -- House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who was once caught remarking that Rep. Dana Rohrabacher might be the one member of Congress paid by Russian President Vladimir Putin, is now headlining a fundraiser for him, according to an invitation reviewed by McClatchy. Katie Glueck McClatchyDC -- 7/19/17
Not dead yet: Trump exhorts Senate to pass Obamacare repeal -- Lecturing fellow Republicans, President Donald Trump summoned GOP senators to the White House Wednesday and told them face-to-face they must not leave town for their August recess without sending him an “Obamacare” repeal bill to sign. Erica Werner and Alan Fram Associated Press Lisa Mascaro and Noah Bierman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
Justices uphold refugee ban but say grandparents still OK -- The Supreme Court says the Trump administration can strictly enforce its ban on refugees, but is leaving in place a weakened travel ban that includes grandparents among relatives who can help visitors from six mostly Muslim countries get into the U.S. Mark Sherman Associated Press -- 7/19/17
Mexico announces new laptop, tablet security on US flights -- Laptops and tablets on U.S.-bound flights from Mexico will be subjected to heightened carry-on security measures beginning Wednesday at the request of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Mexican authorities announced. Associated Press -- 7/19/17
California's nuts: Why the almond, pistachio, pecan and walnut were each declared the official state nut -- Botanically speaking, the nuts are technically seeds of drupe fruits, unlike the acorn — a true nut — which did not make the list. Even though they aren’t scientifically nuts, the almond, walnut, pecan and pistachio still all are considered nuts in normal conversation and from a culinary perspective. But semantics are only one part of this nutty development. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
Great white shark swims with paddleboarders off California coast -- How would you react if you saw the fin of a great white shark pop up in the ocean next to you? Francesca Nash was pretty calm when a juvenile great white approached her paddleboard Saturday at Santa Claus Beach in Carpinteria (Santa Barbara County). Alix Martichoux in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/19/17
Owners of Oakland Magazine purchase East Bay Express -- Telegraph Media owners Stephen Buel and Judith M. Gallman purchased the Express from majority owner Jay Youngdahl, bringing familiar faces back to the scrappy alternative weekly. David DeBolt in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/19/17
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Alleged affair between California Assembly Republican leaders fuels political attack -- Incensed that Assembly Republican Leader Chad Mayes supported a Democratic plan to renew a key climate change policy, California conservative activists are calling for his resignation and raising allegations of an affair with his predecessor. Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/19/17
Gov. Jerry Brown says the state's housing crisis is his next priority, but reaching a deal won't be easy -- Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders announced Monday that the state’s housing crisis will be at the top of their agenda when lawmakers return in August from a monthlong break. Now they have to figure out whether what they put together actually can pass. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
The future of California's signature tool to fight climate change is secure — but the political battles are just beginning -- How peculiar are the politics of climate change in California? Just look at this week’s vote on cap and trade, which saw a Republican former grape farmer from Modesto and a Democratic former math teacher from Bell Gardens aligned against a mild-mannered Santa Cruz liberal and a provocative anti-tax crusader from Huntington Beach. Melanie Mason in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
Arnold Schwarzenegger talks bipartisanship and climate change -- Fighting climate change was a lonely undertaking at times for Arnold Schwarzenegger while he was the last Republican governor in the liberal state of California. The landmark global warming law he championed more than a decade ago received only a single vote from a member of his party in the Legislature. Chris Megerian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
Eight California Republicans defy national party line, support climate change regulation -- An almost surreal 2017 political scene was on display Monday in Sacramento: Republicans and Democrats, including Gov. Jerry Brown, standing on a stage together at a late-night news conference — celebrating a climate-change policy victory. Katy Murphy, Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/19/17
Newly passed pollution bill is ‘downpayment’ to environmental justice -- As the quieter ‘companion bill’ to Monday’s cap-and-trade extension legislation, Assembly Bill 617 sought to placate environmental justice advocates who have increasingly complained that the state’s globally ambitious climate policy overlooks a local problem: poor California communities living in the shadow of polluters. Julie Cart Calmatters.org -- 7/19/17
Latest California innovation: A Republican case for cap and trade -- Minutes after a bipartisan coalition of California lawmakers voted to extend the state’s landmark climate change policy for another decade, Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown stood in front of a bank of television cameras and compared the plan to one championed 30 years ago by GOP icon Ronald Reagan. Laurel Rosenhall Calmatters.org -- 7/19/17
Fox: Cap-n-Trade—and Costs—Up -- A punch from the left, a punch from the right but still standing, battered but victorious, the cap-and-trade extension. It was an odd fight. Republicans citing environmental groups’ positions to oppose the measure; Democrats hauling up the flag of big business in support. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 7/19/17
Embattled Rep. Duncan Hunter picks up another challenger from his own party -- Daniel Casara, a 43-year-old retired Army sergeant and motivational speaker, announced Tuesday that he's running against Hunter, a six-term Republican who represents inland San Diego County and a sliver of Riverside County. Christine Mai-Duc in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
With FBI investigation looming, Rep. Duncan Hunter has spent $336,664 on lawyers -- Hunter's most recent campaign finance report shows $152,859 in spending and $114,412 in debt to seven law firms in the San Diego and Washington areas in the months since the House Ethics Committee disclosed the FBI's investigation in late March to explain why it was not pursuing its own probe of the San Diego-area congressman. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
Alleged white nationalist to face charges in statehouse brawl that left seven stabbed last year -- A man described as a white nationalist is fighting extradition to California on assault charges in connection with a brawl between extreme-right groups and counter-protesters that ended with seven people stabbed near the state Capitol last year, officials said. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
Eighth person in Trump Jr. meeting identified as Huntington Beach employee of Russian firm -- A Russian businessman with ties to Huntington Beach, whose banking practices have drawn scrutiny from U.S. regulators fighting money laundering, took part in a June 2016 meeting in which Russians were promising to offer allegedly damaging information about Hillary Clinton to Donald Trump Jr. Greg Mellen, Tony Saavedra in the Orange County Register -- 7/19/17
Hiltzik: Trump makes good on a threat to kill teen pregnancy prevention programs -- Experts in teen pregnancy prevention were nervously holding their breaths as the Trump administration stocked key positions at the Department of Health and Human Services with advocates of ineffective abstinence-only sex education programs and opponents of birth control. Michael Hiltzik in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
Not a Mirage: New BART Cars Appear During Evening Commute -- Here’s proof that not every BART story needs to focus on squalor in the stations or questions about crime on the system. Monday evening, near the tail end of the evening commute, a neighbor who rides to and from BART’s Warm Springs Station texted a couple of pictures of something that all BART patrons are waiting for: the agency’s new “Fleet of the Future” train cars. Spoiler alert: You can’t ride on the cars yet. Dan Brekke KQED -- 7/19/17
After criticism, BART resumes providing riders daily crime log -- BART resumed providing the public with daily crime logs Tuesday morning after weeks of criticism over why the agency replaced the updates with an interactive website that gave minimal details of incidents. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/19/17
Many BART trains equipped with cameras with ’70s technology -- All of BART’s rail cars may be outfitted with working cameras, but more than 100 of them feature technology that was current in the 1970s — including some still using the Betamax format, The Chronicle has learned. Sarah Ravani and Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/19/17
Twin Peaks killing in San Francisco prompts call for extra security cameras -- Despite there being more than two dozen surveillance cameras at the top of Twin Peaks, crime at the popular San Francisco tourist attraction continues to increase, hitting a troubling pitch over the weekend with the murder of a 71-year-old photographer. Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/19/17
Millennium Tower keeps on sinking, but there may be a fix -- A fix appears to be in the works for San Francisco’s sinking and tilting Millennium Tower — just as a new report estimates the 58-story luxury high-rise has sunk yet another inch in the past seven months. Matier & Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/19/17
Sacramento will pay $9.75 million to parents of baby killed when police officer crashed into their car -- After several miscarriages and the death of a newborn baby, Steve and Chrystal Saechao called their healthy 9-month-old son, Raiden, their “miracle baby.” The child was fatally injured in 2013 when a Sacramento police officer rear-ended the family’s car on Interstate 80. Nashelly Chavez in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/19/17
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
California takes on Trump again – on internet privacy rules -- California lawmakers want to go their own way after the Trump administration decided to relax privacy regulations for internet service providers, such as Comcast, Verizon and AT&T. That decision allows internet and cell companies to market personal information harvested from their customers without getting permission. Hawken Miller and Rennie Svirnovskiy in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/19/17
The White House just endorsed the FCC’s effort to roll back its net neutrality rules -- The Trump administration has signaled that it stands behind efforts by the Federal Communications Commission and its chairman, Ajit Pai, to roll back the agency's net neutrality regulations for Internet providers. Brian Fung in the Washington Post$ -- 7/19/17
Trump appointee wants to delay rule that lets consumers bring class-action suits against banks -- A new federal rule allowing Americans to file class-action suits against banks instead of being forced into private arbitration has become entangled in a dispute over consumer protection between appointees by Presidents Trump and Obama. Jim Puzzanghera in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
Dodgers are soliciting sponsorship offers for naming rights to field at Dodger Stadium -- Mike Scioscia called Dodger Stadium home for the entirety of his 13-year major league career. He played on the last two Dodgers teams to win the World Series, in 1981 and 1988. To him, the ballpark on the hill should be known by one name, and one name only. “Dodger Stadium,” Scioscia said. Bill Shaikin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
Housing
Foreigners buy record number of U.S. homes despite fears of immigration crackdown -- Foreign home buyers scooped up a record number of residential properties in the United States in the last year, despite a rising dollar and political uncertainty, according to a survey released Tuesday. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
Housing inventories are low in California and prices keep rising -- Sales of existing homes in California hit their highest pace in nearly four years in June — despite extremely tight inventories — and prices continued to rise. That’s the upshot of a report released Monday by the California Association of Realtors. Kevin Smith in the Inland Daily Bulletin$ -- 7/19/17
Generation X homeowners still hurting from housing crash, study says -- Generation X housebuyers are lagging behind those in other generations in gaining home equity and younger millennials are gaining on them, according to a new report by the real estate website Zillow released Monday. Renee Gross KPCC -- 7/19/17
Long-debated Newhall Ranch project gets key approvals from county -- After decades of controversy, the Newhall Ranch development in the Santa Clarita Valley cleared its last major hurdle Tuesday when county officials certified a revised environmental analysis and approved two of the project’s five planned subdivisions. Nina Agrawal in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
Wildfire
Helicopter fighting Eden Fire forced to land due to drone -- A helicopter fighting a blaze burning in Saratoga near the Mountain Winery was forced to ground when a drone entered the area Monday. "The helicopter had to be waived off due to fear of a collision and then subsequently grounded," said Ryan Cronin, the chief fire investigator with the Santa Clara County Fire Department. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/19/17
Heavy Smoke From Wildfires Causing Health Concerns Across Valley -- Heavy smoke from several wildfires is drifting across the Central Valley and the foothills. Warnings are out for people to take precautions if they see or smell smoke. A smoky haze runs from southern Tuolumne County down to Tulare as 4 wildfires continue to burn. Rich Ibarra Capital Public Radio -- 7/19/17
California blaze destroys 8 structures near Yosemite -- s wildfires rage throughout the western U.S., one California blaze in the rugged mountains outside of Yosemite National Park destroyed eight structures and forced thousands of nearby residents to flee their homes. Scott Smith and Scott Sonner Associated Press -- 7/19/17
Education
Cal State trustees grapple with boosting graduation rates and enrollment -- About 31,000 fully qualified students were turned away from California State University for the fall term because their desired school was at capacity, administrators told trustees during a meeting Tuesday as they discussed budget challenges and new directives to increase enrollment at the largest public university system in the nation. Rosanna Xia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
USC president tries to quell outrage over drug allegations against former medical school dean -- Acknowledging widespread concern on campus, USC President C.L. Max Nikias said Tuesday the university would “examine and address” a report in The Times that its former medical school dean abused drugs and associated with criminals and drug users. Sarah Parvini and Matt Hamilton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
Now for the hard part: translating vision for community colleges into student success -- The stakes for the California community colleges — and California — are exceptionally high. Louis Freedberg EdSource -- 7/19/17
Cannabis
San Francisco supervisors create office to handle coming cannabis business -- The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday created a new “one-stop shop” to handle policies for marijuana businesses once recreational cannabis becomes legal. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/19/17
Immigration / Border
Oakland rescinds agreement with federal immigration officials -- The Oakland Police Department can no longer designate its investigators as U.S. customs enforcement officers — a classification that allows local police agencies to work with federal immigration officials on cases of human trafficking, narcotics smuggling and other cross-border crimes. Kimberly Veklerov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/19/17
Engineers Begin Preparatory Work for Border Wall Construction -- The drilling and soil testing are taking place in El Paso; Santa Teresa, N.M.; Calexico, Calif.; San Diego; and the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas. Mr. Lapan said the testing has been completed in El Paso and Calexico. The agency has identified the San Diego area and the Rio Grande Valley as priority regions for new border walls. Ron Nixon in the New York Times$ -- 7/19/17
Water
California drought: Water district looking to buy land to construct largest Bay Area reservoir in 20 years -- In a significant step toward construction of the Bay Area’s first major new reservoir in nearly two decades, Silicon Valley’s largest water provider has begun negotiations to buy more than 12,000 acres of rural ranch land — an area nearly half the size of San Francisco. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/19/17
Water Wars Loom As State Plans to Boost Streamflow for Imperiled Fish -- On the heels of of the worst drought in California history, state officials are telling water users in the San Joaquin River basin to give up a major share of their water supplies—permanently. Matt Weiser KQED -- 7/19/17
Health
Uncertainty lingers in California despite failed GOP health repeal -- State officials, health insurers and consumer advocates are breathing a tentative, temporary sigh of relief after the GOP campaign to repeal the Affordable Care Act collapsed Tuesday due to lack of Republican support. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/19/17
Covered California Delays Premium Rates Release, Citing ACA Concerns -- As the fate of the Affordable Care Act teeters in Congress, the Covered California exchange is holding off on releasing premium rates for participating health plans, officials announced Tuesday. The rates were supposed to be made public in July, but the continued debate on federal health care has pushed that announcement to Aug. 1. Sammy Caiola Capital Public Radio -- 7/19/17
California hits nerve by singling out cardiac surgeons with higher patient death rates -- Michael Koumjian, a heart surgeon for nearly three decades, said he considered treating the sickest patients a badge of honor. The San Diego doctor was frequently called upon to operate on those who had multiple illnesses or who’d undergone CPR before arriving at the hospital. Anna Gorman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/19/17
Electronic Health Records Are Stressing Doctors Out -- Dr. Lloyd Minor is frustrated. As dean of Stanford University Medical School, he says he can handle the constant cascade of large-scale challenges that come with his job. But what flummoxes him — drives him crazy, in fact — is something that occurs on a much smaller scale every time he examines someone in his clinical practice. David Gorn KQED -- 7/19/17
Environment
Why California suddenly has 20 million more mosquitoes -- Trucks drive up and down streets of a town releasing millions of scientifically engineered mosquitoes during the dog days of summer? No, this isn’t the plot of a science fiction movie. It’s what Google’s sister company “Verily Life Sciences” is up to in Fresno this July. Abby Hamblin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
Deserts, mountains recorded hottest average temperatures on record for early summer period -- The last 30 days in Southern California’s deserts and mountains were the hottest on record for that period, according to the National Weather Service in San Diego. Meg Bernhard in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
So Far, 2017 Is 2nd-Hottest Year on Record -- At the halfway point of the year, 2017 remains the second-hottest year to date—a surprise given the demise of the El Niño that helped boost temperatures to record levels last year. Andrea Thompson KQED -- 7/19/17
Flood risk begins to ease along California rivers after six-month surge in water levels -- For the first time in 193 days, no federally monitored rivers in California or Nevada are flooding or at risk of flooding, according to climate scientists. Joseph Serna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
Also . . .
For SWAT team, a Seal Beach shooting became personal when captain was found dead -- On Sunday evening, West Orange County SWAT rolled up to a Seal Beach apartment complex on Seventh Street. At least one person was barricaded inside apartment No. 12, police thought. For SWAT, which pulls officers from western Orange County police departments, the situation was routine. For the Los Alamitos officers on the team, that quickly changed. Chris Haire, Alma Fausto in the Orange County Register -- 7/19/17
Jim Kanno, one of country's first Japanese American mayors and a founder of Fountain Valley, dies at 91 -- Jim Kanno, who spent what should have been his final high school years confined to a World War II-era internment camp but went on to become one of America’s first Japanese American mayors as an early-day politician in Orange County, has died at the age of 91. Anh Do in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
POTUS 45
Trump had undisclosed hour-long meeting with Putin at G-20 summit -- After his much-publicized two-and-a-quarter-hour meeting early this month with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Group of 20 summit in Germany, President Trump chatted informally with the Russian leader for up to an additional hour later the same day. Karen DeYoung and Philip Rucker in the Washington Post$ -- 7/19/17
Trump threatens to gut Obamacare markets -- The president has repeatedly told aides and advisers that he wants to end the subsidy payments, and he has not changed his position. Paul Demko, Josh Dawsey Politico -- 7/19/17
Beltway
Nancy Pelosi: Democrats are willing to work with Republicans on healthcare fixes -- House Democrats are willing to come to the table on healthcare if Republicans abandon their attempt to do it alone, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) said in a letter to Speaker Paul Ryan (D-Wis.) on Tuesday. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/19/17
Will health bill’s collapse force GOP to work with Democrats? -- Republicans in Congress may be faced with working with Democrats to improve the Affordable Care Act after a last-ditch plan — to repeal the law with no replacement — ended in failure Tuesday. The question is whether they’ll take the opportunity, or leave the exchange markets alone under the assumption that they will collapse and Democrats will take the blame. Carolyn Lochhead in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/19/17
-- Tuesday Updates
A California businessman born in the former Soviet Union also attended Trump Jr. meeting -- Donald Trump Jr.'s controversial meeting with a Russian lawyer in June 2016 was attended by a California businessman born in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, according to two people familiar with the meeting. Irakly "Ike" Kaveladze, a 52-year-old businessman from Huntington Beach, was the eighth individual at the controversial meeting, The Times has learned. His identity had not previously been revealed. David S. Cloud and Joseph Tanfani in the Los Angeles Times$ Sharon LaFraniere and Adam Goldman in the New York Times$ -- 7/18/17
A community in flux: Will Boyle Heights be ruined by one coffee shop? -- As dusk settled over a mostly industrial landscape of warehouses covered with graffiti murals, Fernando Ramirez stood in front of the lone art gallery late Saturday afternoon and urged fashionably dressed visitors not to go inside. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/17
Bay Area has tightest housing supply in California — and highest prices -- Single-family home prices rose markedly across the state in June — by 7.0 percent from a year earlier, according to a new report by the California Association of Realtors. The price growth was even greater in the Bay Area — up 7.9 percent across the nine counties. Richard Scheinin in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/18/17
Detwiler Fire near Yosemite grows to more than 15,000 acres -- A wildfire ravaging the area west of Yosemite National Park burned to 15,000 acres on Tuesday, doubling in size overnight, officials said. Firefighters dealing with steep terrain and dry weather conditions said the blaze was only five percent contained. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/18/17
Ransomware attack puts KQED in low-tech mode -- The journalists at San Francisco’s public TV and radio station, KQED, have been stuck in a time warp. All Internet-connected devices, tools and machinery have been cut off in an attempt to isolate and contain a ransomware attack that infected the station’s computers June 15. More than a month later, many remain offline. Marissa Lang in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/18/17
Plan C’ on Obamacare, Repeal Now and Replace Later, Has Collapsed -- With their bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act in tatters, Senate leaders on Tuesday pushed to vote on a different measure that would repeal major parts of President Barack Obama’s health law without a replacement — but that plan appeared also to collapse. Thomas Kaplan in the New York Times$ Sean Sullivan and Juliet Eilperin in the Washington Post$ -- 7/18/17
House budget blueprint boosts military, cuts food stamps -- House Republicans on Tuesday unveiled a budget that proposes trillions of dollars in cuts to the social safety net and other domestic programs while sharply boosting military spending, a blueprint that elicited criticism from conservatives and moderates. Andrew Taylor Associated Press -- 7/18/17