Updating . .
Bigger tax breaks for homeowners and renters could be on California's 2018 ballot -- The measure would increase a state tax credit for homeowners and renters to $500 a year, which would continue to go up as housing costs rise. The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn., the anti-tax group behind Proposition 13’s property tax restrictions, is sponsoring the initiative. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/18/17
Protesters shut down Pelosi news conference on DACA, chanting, ‘All of us or none of us’ -- Chanting pro-immigrant slogans — “All of us or none of us,” “Democrats deport” and “We are not a bargaining chip” — more than 60 young people overwhelmed a Monday news conference that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi had organized on her home turf in San Francisco to urge passage of the DREAM Act to protect immigrants who were brought to the country as children. Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/18/17
Bow hunter who shot a deer near homes in Monrovia likely to be prosecuted, state official says -- A bow hunter who triggered outrage after he shot and killed a deer with an arrow near homes in Monrovia is expected to face charges from the L.A. County district attorney, said Capt. Patrick Foy of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. Esmeralda Bermudez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/18/17
California ‘Puppy Mill’ Ban Would Also Cover Kittens and Bunnies -- California could become the first state to outlaw so-called puppy mills with legislation that bans pet stores from selling dogs, cats and rabbits that do not come from rescue organizations or shelters. Christine Hauser in the New York Times$ -- 9/18/17
Will the Southland wind up holding much of the $17-billion bill for the delta water tunnels? -- Some of the state’s biggest water districts are about to make their opening moves in a financial chess game that ultimately could saddle the Southland with much of the bill for re-engineering the failing heart of California’s water system. Bettina Boxall in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/18/17
Millions of Californians on hook for water plan -- Water districts and households across California could be compelled to help pay for Gov. Jerry Brown's plans to build two giant tunnels to ferry water to cities and farms mainly in central and Southern California, under newly disclosed plans to shore up funding for the struggling $16 billion project. Ellen Knickmeyer and Scott Smith Associated Press -- 9/18/17
DACA recipients file suit over Trump's move to end program -- Several legal luminaries are backing the suit filed Monday morning in federal court in San Francisco, including Harvard Law professor Larry Tribe and University of California at Berkeley law school dean Erwin Chemerinsky. Josh Gerstein Politico -- 9/18/17
Connie Leyva’s in, as senators jockey for Kevin de León’s powerful job -- With Senate leader Kevin de León terming out at the end of next year, jockeying for his powerful job is intensifying. On Friday, Connie Leyva became the first to formally announce her intention to run for the Senate’s pro tem position. Taryn Luna and Christopher Cadelago in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/18/17
Costa Mesa considers adding 'spartan' restrooms to deal with growing homeless issues -- Faced with continuing issues with the local homeless population, officials in Costa Mesa have again floated the idea of installing new public restrooms that would provide a hygienic and safe place for transients to use. Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/18/17
How California — yes, California — could make a Trump reelection more difficult -- The state's Democratic-controlled legislature wrapped up its 2017 session Friday by sending three bills to the desk of Gov. Jerry Brown (D) that could significantly influence Trump's reelection chances, how closely he guards his tax returns and his ability to deliver on one of his central campaign promises — to deport more immigrants who are in the country illegally. Amber Phillips in the Washington Post$ -- 9/18/17
Fox: Tax-Happy Session Ends; Could Have Been Worse -- With the gas tax increase, the cap-and-trade extension, which many call a tax increase because it raises revenue for the government to spend, and now the document tax to fund housing issues, this legislative session probably produced the most tax-happy lawmakers since the 1935 legislature created both a state income tax and a vehicle license fee. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 9/18/17
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Democrats trying to turn Orange County blue, one house at a time -- For this brief moment in the nation’s history, Orange County is the center of the political universe. Saying that out loud draws incredulous smiles from some people and nods of agreement from others in the place where Richard Nixon was born, Ronald Reagan conservatism grew up and Democrats have long been comatose. Until lately. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/18/17
Trump supporter launches campaign to unseat Ami Bera in congressional race -- Yona Barash, a Fair Oaks physician, said the health care debate in Congress sparked his candidacy. His campaign is being run by those who handled Republican Scott Jones’ unsuccessful 2016 campaign against Bera. He has never held elected office. Angela Hart in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/18/17
Union power on display in California’s just-completed legislative session -- From family leave and clean-air cars to job applicants and the construction industry, organized labor left its stamp on the just-completed California legislative session. Jim Miller in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/18/17
Gov. Brown Signs Plan To Spend $1.5B In Climate Money -- Gov. Jerry Brown has signed two bills that outline a plan to spend $1.5 billion on environmental initiatives using money from the state's recently renewed cap and trade program. The bills were signed on Saturday, hours after lawmakers approved the plan to spend most of the money on incentives and rebates to promote a cleaner vehicle fleet. Associated Press -- 9/18/17
Skelton: As long as Trump is president, California lawmakers will keep building a wall against his policies -- California state legislators ended their annual session the way they began it — building a wall to protect undocumented immigrants from President Trump. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/18/17
The Dream Act came out of California 16 years ago. It's still the bill Democrats want to be a model for DACA's replacement -- Sixteen years ago, Downey Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard helped file legislation that would have allowed people brought to the country illegally as children to stay in the United States. That bill became the Dream Act. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/18/17
Walters: Legislative session over, politicians turn to 2018 elections -- With the 2017 legislative session completed – for better or worse – California politicians are raising money, hiring campaign staffers and mapping strategies for the 2018 elections that will: Bring California a new governor, fill at least four other statewide offices and perhaps – although not likely – elect a new U.S. senator; Determine whether Democrats retain their two-thirds “supermajorities” in both legislative houses; Reveal whether enough Republican congressional seats change hands to overturn GOP control of Congress; and Decide the fate of ballot measures whose number and importance are still up in the air. Dan Walters Calmatters.org -- 9/18/17
Feinstein ducks questions on re-election bid -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein dodged questions Sunday on whether she is planning to mount a re-election run for a fifth term as a U.S. senator in 2018. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/18/17
Who has the inside track on being the next U.S. attorney in San Diego? -- The Trump Administration has named 42 U.S. attorney nominees so far, but the lead federal prosecutor job in San Diego remains up for grabs as interested candidates navigate an opaque vetting process. Kristina Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/18/17
Hundreds Of Bills Await Governor's Pen As California Legislature Adjourns -- Lawmakers sent Governor Jerry Brown hundreds of bills -— about everything from a parks bond to pet stores. They also struck major housing, transportation and climate change deals this year, which many Capitol -- watchers thought could not find support. Ben Bradford Capital Public Radio -- 9/18/17
Cal Fire Reviews a Close Call for Bulldozer Driver Who Went Missing During Gold Country Blaze -- Cal Fire officials are reviewing a recent incident in which a contract bulldozer driver became isolated during a fast-spreading wildfire and had to deploy an emergency shelter to escape fast-moving flames. Ted Goldberg KQED -- 9/18/17
San Jose flood: City now faces 390 claims from victims totaling $18 million -- A bulk of claims are from attorney Amanda Hawes, who’s representing 150 households deluged by the devastating February flood. Though San Jose leaders set up evacuation centers and sent workers to monitor the rising water, the city didn’t warn or evacuate residents until after floodwaters swept through the homes and forced rescues by boat. Ramona Giwargis in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/18/17
Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds
Going across a Bay Area bridge might get a lot more expensive -- Bay Area voters next year will be asked to raise tolls by as much as $3 on all bay bridges, except for the Golden Gate, under a measure the state Legislature just approved. And more hikes could follow, with no cap, based on a cost of living index. Matier & Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/18/17
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Emmy Awards reflect TV's new world order -- Streaming video solidified its place as the vanguard for television creativity as Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” was honored with five statuettes including outstanding drama series at the 69th Emmy Awards. Stephen Battaglio in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/18/17
Peterson: A’s beware: Bringing a ballpark to fruition a hit-and-miss proposition -- It has been more than 30 years since I surveyed my first proposed ballpark site. It was at Seventh and Townsend in San Francisco, a charmless lot bounded by elevated freeways and train tracks. Giants owner Bob Lurie was desperate to move his team there from Candlestick Park. Gary Peterson in the East Bay Times -- 9/18/17
Transit
Mystery mugger with note tries to rob woman on San Francisco BART train -- Julie Dragland said her rule during a robbery is to hand over the goods and protect her safety. But the quick-thinking, 32-year-old Oakland resident thought otherwise Saturday when a would-be mugger behind her on a BART train handed her a frightening note that said there were two guns pointed at her. Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/18/17
Education
LAUSD to try out sex ed classes for fourth-graders -- The Los Angeles Unified School District will test new sex education lessons this year for children as young as 9 years old. Antonie Boessenkool in the LA Daily News$ -- 9/18/17
Beyond Confederacy: California confronts its legacy of slavery and genocide -- Back when Assemblywoman Monique Limón served on the school board in Santa Barbara, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians donated an encyclopedia-style dictionary to the local schools about their language and culture. Limón, born and raised in Santa Barbara, was mesmerized when she turned the pages, learning so much about her community she never knew. Samantha Young Calmatters.org -- 9/18/17
California defines 'effective' and 'ineffective' teachers, and why it matters -- Intern teachers in programs like Teach for America who earn their preliminary credential while on the job will not have the scarlet letter of being labeled an “ineffective teacher” in California. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 9/18/17
Governor may approve big changes to remedial education at California's Community Colleges -- Four out of five California community college students must take a remedial math or English class at some point in their college career. For some, that’s largely repeating what they already learned in high school. Mikhail Zinshteyn EdSource -- 9/18/17
Cannabis
If a marijuana grow warehouse opens nearby, will your home value suffer? -- Dozens of large-scale pot growers are hoping to reap profits in the city of Sacramento soon, but their gains may mean losses for neighboring homeowners. Hudson Sangree in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/18/17
Immigration / Border
Dreamers in the military face more than DACA deadline -- Several hundred dreamers who enlisted in the Army through a special program are worried that they will be deported before they get to serve. Kate Morrissey in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/18/17
Two killed after attempt to cross U.S.-Mexico border, authorities say -- Two people were struck and killed by a motorist as they dashed across Interstate 5 in San Ysidro early Sunday moments after the van they were traveling in raced out of Mexico heading the wrong way on the highway, authorities said. Teri Figueroa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/18/17
Health
California, other states to extend Obamacare sign-up beyond federal limit -- California and several other states will exempt themselves this year from a new Trump administration rule that cuts in half the amount of time consumers have to buy individual health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. In California, lawmakers are contemplating legislation that would circumvent the rule in future years, too. Pauline Bartolone and Carmen Heredia Rodriguez in the Santa Cruz Sentinel -- 9/18/17
Environment
California’s national monuments spared in Trump review -- The original list of 27 monuments that Zinke was reviewing for possible changes also included six national monuments located in California. But none of the California monuments are being recommended for boundary changes, or for rule adjustments that would allow for more logging, grazing or mining, according to a 19-page memo that Zinke sent to the White House. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/18/17
POTUS 45
Trump Lawyers Clash Over How Much to Cooperate With Russia Inquiry -- President Trump’s legal team is wrestling with how much to cooperate with the special counsel looking into Russian election interference, an internal debate that led to an angry confrontation last week between two White House lawyers and that could shape the course of the investigation. Peter Baker and Kenneth P. Vogel in the New York Times$ -- 9/18/17
Beltway
Senate GOP tries one last time to repeal Obamacare -- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and his leadership team are seriously considering voting on a bill that would scale back the federal government’s role in the health care system and instead provide block grants to states, congressional and Trump administration sources said. Burgess Everett and Josh Dawsey Politico -- 9/18/17
-- Sunday Updates
Why didn't school board president Ref Rodriguez just write himself a big check? -- When news broke that Los Angeles school board president Ref Rodriguez was caught up in a criminal case over his campaign contributions, friends and foes alike were baffled. David Zahniser, Anna M. Phillips and Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/17/17
California tears into Trump -- Ripping into Donald Trump in the final hours of this year’s legislative session, California lawmakers passed measures urging Congress to censure the president, bucking his immigration policies and seeking to force him to release his tax returns. They also formally called on Trump “to publicly apologize to all Americans for his racist and bigoted behavior.” David Siders Politico -- 9/17/17
Top city luxury suite recipients: charities, city attorney's employees -- According to disclosure statements compiled into a database by U-T Watchdog, most of the tickets to the city-controlled suites — a 52-seat luxury box at Qualcomm and a 26-seat luxury box at Petco — go to nonprofit organizations, youth groups and members of the military. Lauryn Schroeder in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/17/17
Mystery mugger tries to rob woman with note on San Francisco BART train -- A woman received a frightening note from a would-be robber on a BART train in San Francisco on Saturday evening that claimed there were two guns pointed at her and demanded her wallet and phone, officials said. But rather than cough up her personal belongings to a faceless crook, the woman faked a seizure, attracting the attention of people on the train and foiling her mugger. Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/17/17
Numerous violations cited at Sacramento foster care shelter campus -- A Sacramento agency running one of the few remaining foster care shelters in California has violated health and safety laws and the personal rights of children more than 120 times in recent years — a number matched only by state-licensed facilities that have been shut down or placed on probation. Karen de Sá, Cynthia Dizikes, and Joaquin Palomino in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/17/17
Little joy in Oakland City Hall for new A’s ballpark plan -- The Oakland A’s plan for a new “walkable” downtown ballpark adjacent to Laney College may be a hit with the public — but it was not met with hugs or high-fives in City Hall. Matier & Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/17/17
Pender: Stuck in the middle with few housing options -- Trevor McNeil and Sarah Montoya, both 35, would love to buy a home in San Francisco, but like many young couples, they make too much money to qualify for a below-market-rate unit and too little to afford a market-rate one. So for now, they are stuck in their one-bedroom, third-floor walk-up apartment in the Sunset District, with twin boys who were born in January and a 2-year old girl. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/17/17
Transbay Transit Center – a difficult journey -- Next spring, after seven years of work that began with the demolition of the aged Transbay Terminal, the doors should finally open. Visitors will be greeted by a sky-lit concourse adorned with colorful art, below a third-level bus deck with a direct ramp to and from the Bay Bridge. A rooftop park will feature 60 species of trees and a 1,000-foot-long fountain triggered by the arrival of buses below. John King in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/17/17
Private schools seek to dump A-to-F grading -- Imagine high school without grades, transcripts without A’s, B’s or F’s, and college applications without grade-point averages. It’s not a wild dream: It’s a goal more than 120 of the nation’s elite high schools have come together to achieve. Sharon Noguchi in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/17/17
Skip the checkout lines: Whole Foods, Walmart and other stores embrace online grocery shopping -- Grocery shopping can feel like you’re navigating through an obstacle course filled with crowded parking lots, long lines and screaming kids. But a growing number of Americans are checking off their grocery lists without even walking inside the store. Queenie Wong in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/17/17
Roadshow: New way to skip DMV waiting lines -- It was a DMV vending machine dispensing license tags and registrations. It scans your bill, you slide your credit card and voila — it prints your tags. Amazing. Gary Richards in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/17/17
McManus: Does Bernie Sanders' single-payer plan have a shot? -- Sen. Bernie Sanders’ “Medicare for All” plan, unveiled last week, is an ambitious and (to many) enticing idea: a single, government-run health plan with generous benefits for everyone — just like most industrialized countries have enjoyed for decades. If only it were feasible in today’s United States. Doyle McManus in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/17/17