Updating . .
What happened to L.A.'s push to end its pay-to-play reputation? So far, not much -- As an election loomed earlier this year, Los Angeles politicians were eager to prove that moneyed interests had not bought City Hall. Emily Alpert Reyes and David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/30/17
BART workers get ridership bonus, even with fewer passengers -- Virtually all of BART’s 3,600 employees will get a $500 ridership bonus in their August paycheck — even though ridership is down systemwide. BART employees have long been guaranteed bonuses of up to $1,000 under their labor contract if ridership exceeds expectations. Matier & Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/30/17
The carrots and sticks BART is using to manage homeless population -- When it comes to the homeless population on BART, there are three categories of people, says Armando Sandoval, BART’s homeless outreach worker and crisis intervention trainer: those willing to accept help, those who refuse it and those whose mental state leaves them unable to decide either way. Erin Baldassari in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/30/17
Can a pay raise fix agriculture industry’s labor crisis? Yes and no -- All over California, there’s a desperate labor shortage on farms, ranches, processing and packing houses. But at Christopher Ranch — the nation’s largest producer of fresh garlic and co-founder of this weekend’s Garlic Festival — every job is filled. Even now, at the peak of harvest season, all 600 of its packing and processing positions are claimed. Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/30/17
Homebuilders want high school students for construction jobs -- Sacramento homebuilders are trying to deal with a severe shortage of construction workers by training high school students in summer internships. They want the teens and their parents to consider the possibility that a construction career might be a good alternative to college, though that can require some convincing. Hudson Sangree in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/30/17
Tech leaders struggling to disrupt Democratic Party -- There’s a prevailing belief in Silicon Valley that technology can improve almost anything. So in that spirit, some prominent tech leaders are launching plans to disrupt the Democratic Party, which has plenty of problems. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/30/17
How Barbara Lee Became An Army of One -- She was the only member of Congress to vote against the use of force after 9/11. Now, she’s finding unlikely allies in her campaign against America’s forever war: Republicans. Austin Wright Politico -- 7/30/17
Bay Area housing: Sales plunge for homes under $500,000 -- Homes under $500,000 are becoming an endangered species in the Bay Area. The region’s sales of single-family homes in that price range fell 17 percent in June from the same time a year ago simply because there are so few to be had. Richard Scheinin in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/30/17
Trump resistance buoyed by Senate health care vote -- With Democrats unified in opposing Donald Trump’s agenda, and Republicans so far unable to capitalize on their Congressional majority, the country’s rightward shift has run smack into a wall — and not the one the president hopes to build. The question now for the Trump resistance: Did it simply win a skirmish, or a decisive battle in a four-year war? Tracy Seipel in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/30/17
Abortion foes swarm San Francisco officials’ neighborhoods -- Anti-abortion protesters upset over the San Francisco Planning Commission’s approval of a Planned Parenthood center on Bush Street used military-like precision in protests the other day in neighborhoods where four of the commissioners live. Matier & Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/30/17
Lawsuits could force feds to pay Obamacare insurers -- A pending court decision could force the Trump administration to pump billions of dollars into Obamacare insurers, even as the president threatens to let the health care law “implode.” Paul Demko Politico -- 7/30/17
Trump's travel ban keeps orphan kids from US foster families -- By blocking the program, the U.S. travel bans have stranded more than 100 refugee children who were already matched to waiting American foster families. Without parents or other adult relatives, those kids are living on their own in countries of temporary refuge, in limbo while their U.S. foster parents hope for a court ruling that will allow the children to finish their journeys. Ellen Knickmeyer Associated Press -- 7/30/17
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Knight: Homeless mom panhandles on Market Street with newborn baby -- San Franciscans know they’ll see all walks of life along Market Street, but a new fixture on the colorful thoroughfare has shocked even the most hardened city dwellers: a 6-week-old, homeless baby girl. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/30/17
Despite complaints, judge says Aliso Canyon natural gas facility can reopen -- A state appeals court judge ruled Saturday that Southern California Gas Co. can resume operations at its Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility, the source of the biggest methane leak in the country’s history. Soumya Karlamangla in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/30/17
Protesters in San Diego and around country rally around healthcare access -- The Republicans’ effort to repeal portions of the Affordable Care Act suffered a major blow this week, but organizers were forging ahead with nationwide Saturday rallies — including one in San Diego — protesting any further attempts to undermine the existing system. Brittny Mejia in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/30/17
Pelosi urges more activism to defend and advance Obamacare at D.C. rally -- Addressing hundreds of people at a rally in the District on Saturday evening, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called on Americans to continue pressing for the updating and improvement of the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare. Ellie Silverman and Clarence Williams in the Washington Post$ -- 7/30/17
Willie Brown: Trump turning friends into enemies, and that’s a bad plan for him -- I’m sure Attorney General Jeff Sessions would like his old Senate seat back. It would be a lot more stable than the deck of the political Titanic, which is where he finds himself as the water pours in through the hull. Willie Brown in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/30/17
Political Road Map: There's something missing so far from California's statewide ballot for 2018 -- In the wake of last November’s supersized ballot, which sparked the most expensive ballot measure election in California history, the political arena where initiatives are crafted has been in the midst of a summer of stagnation. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/30/17
Race-based attacks on Boyle Heights businesses prompt this L.A. councilman to take sides -- Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar spoke out Friday against the vandalism and race-based tactics being used against art galleries and a coffee shop in Boyle Heights amid gentrification concerns, saying the actions were “unacceptable” and would not be tolerated. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/30/17
Walters: Marin County gets another smug reprieve from housing quotas -- Four decades ago, writer Cyra McFadden perfectly captured the aura of self-absorbed entitlement that envelops Marin County, on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge. Dan Walters Calmatters.org -- 7/30/17
Lopez: The mystery homeless woman of Pacific Palisades and the village that helped her home -- She became a fixture in Pacific Palisades, strolling aimlessly through the village for hours each day, a visible yet distant presence in the affluent seaside community. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/30/17
Bay Area law enforcement taken aback by Trump’s speech -- President Trump drew vigorous applause from a uniformed New York crowd Friday when he boasted of telling police they can be rougher with suspects. “Please don’t be too nice,” he said. But the reaction from Bay Area law enforcement experts was tepid at best. Vivian Ho, Michael Bodley and John King in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/30/17
Abcarian: A sailor in transition is rocked by President Trump's anti-transgender tweets -- On Friday morning, two days after President Trump tweeted that transgender Americans would no longer be allowed to serve their country in the military, I met up with a Navy petty officer at a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf here in Mission Valley. Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/30/17
Rep. Lee closer to goal of revising military-force resolution -- For Rep. Barbara Lee, a loss can be just a stop on the road to victory. A little more than a week ago, the Oakland Democrat’s amendment calling for repeal of the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, which allows presidents to wage war against terrorists without direct congressional approval, was unceremoniously yanked from a defense appropriations bill by Republican leaders. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/30/17
Pender: Should we fear Big Tech? -- Not long ago, Americans were afraid of Big Oil. Then it was Big Banks. Now Big Tech is coming under attack. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/30/17
Prosecutor misconduct taints convictions in Southern California courts, study says -- But a new study by Harvard Law School’s Fair Punishment Project shows Southern California ranks high in reversals in which misconduct by a prosecutor played a factor. And the embattled Orange County District Attorney’s Office has the state’s worst record based on population. Tony Saavedra in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 7/30/17
California pushes rape-kit testing bills to end backlog -- San Francisco police collected 178 rape kits during the first six months of this year — an average of one a day — and sent all of them to be tested for DNA evidence. It’s a high standard that lawmakers want to replicate statewide. Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/30/17
California seeks to solutions to homeless sex offender rate -- California has as many homeless sex offenders now as it did 2 years ago, when a state Supreme Court ruling that overturned restrictions on where they could live was seen as a way to increase housing options and allow law enforcement to better track them. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 7/30/17
Popular pundits, comedians enliven Politicon in Pasadena -- Politicon took off on Saturday with a number of big names appearing on panels and in debates. Even though those individuals might have different viewpoints, one thing is true of each -- they are all very opinionated. Angela Ratzlaff in the Los Angeles Daily News$ Renee Gross KPCC -- 7/30/17
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
North Coast growers head into grape harvest with labor shortage as their top concern -- The 2017 harvest will soon begin. Added to the usual levels of adrenaline-fueled stress and anticipation is a new concern that has taken root over several years and this year is more insistent than ever — a shortage of labor to bring in the crop. Bill Swindell in the Santa Rosa Press -- 7/30/17
California rice growers stand to prosper from China deal -- For all of the angst concerning trade deficits with China, the United States has something China increasingly needs: rice. Thomas Lee in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/30/17
Canada Aims for Tech Talent, Emboldened by Immigration Worries in U.S. -- Uncertainty over Trump administration policies is spurring some startups and tech workers to choose Canada over Silicon Valley. David George-Cosh and Jacquie McNish in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/30/17
Homeless
LA-area libraries are practicing ‘hard love’ to help the homeless in ‘safe places’ -- She walks among the bounded works of Hemingway and the free verse of Whitman, the magic world of Harry Potter and the gods and goddesses of Greek mythology. But Mary Leasure isn’t at the Glendale’s Downtown Central Library to study literature or admire poetry. She’s there to read patrons for signs of homelessness and mental illness. Susan Abram in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 7/30/17
Wildfire
This modified 747 could soon be California’s biggest weapon in fighting wildfires -- The Global SuperTanker – a converted Boeing 747-400 jet capable of dropping 19,000 gallons of water or fire retardant – on Tuesday received interim approval from the Interagency Airtanker Board, Fireaviation.com reported, clearing it for use over the next 17 months. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/30/17
Education
Later start times in California schools could save sleep, complicate family life -- Knikki Royster starts her workday as a juvenile court teacher in San Diego at 7:30 a.m., and she’s not sure what to do if her two kids can’t start high school until an hour later. Hawkin Miller in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/30/17
Immigration / Border
Video shows U.S. border officers telling Mexican teen to drink the liquid meth that killed him -- Cruz Velazquez Acevedo began convulsing shortly after he drank the liquid methamphetamine he’d brought with him from Tijuana, Mexico. The 16-year-old had just crossed the U.S.-Mexico border to San Diego and was going through the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Kristine Phillips in the Washington Post$ -- 7/30/17
Environment
Dark Sky designation puts Joshua Tree National Park in a new light -- The Milky Way arched overhead as photographer Wally Pacholka trudged across an expanse of boulders and sand here, searching for the right spot to plant the tripod of his camera. Louis Sahagun in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/30/17
POTUS 45
Trump insults and threatens GOP senators in long rant after health bill failure -- After a years-long effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act collapsed on Capitol Hill, President Trump castigated Republican senators on social media Saturday. “They look like fools,” the president wrote on Twitter — and unless they tried yet again to repeal and replace Obamacare, they would be “total quitters” too. Avi Selk in the Washington Post$ -- 7/30/17
Trump threat: End health payments unless there’s an overhaul -- In apparent frustration over Friday’s failure by the Senate Republican majority to pass a bill repealing parts of the Affordable Care Act, Trump tweeted: “If a new HealthCare Bill is not approved quickly, BAILOUTS for Insurance Companies and BAILOUTS for Members of Congress will end very soon!” No Democrats voted for the GOP bill. Darlene Superville Associated Press -- 7/30/17
Beltway
Majority of Americans want Congress to move on from healthcare reform - Reuters/Ipsos poll -- A majority of Americans are ready to move on from healthcare reform at this point after the U.S. Senate's effort to dismantle Obamacare failed on Friday, according to an exclusive Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Saturday. Nearly two-thirds of the country wants to either keep or modify the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, and a majority of Americans want Congress to turn its attention to other priorities, the survey found. Chris Kahn and Michael Erman Reuters -- 7/30/17