California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Evacuations ordered below Santa Barbara burn zones as area braces for rainstorm -- Ahead of a strong winter storm that could trigger flash flooding and mudslides, authorities have ordered evacuations of Santa Barbara County neighborhoods that sit below areas recently burned by wildfires. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/8/18

California governor's race is likely to be decided in Los Angeles County -- For the hopefuls in California’s race for governor, the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles County is as mesmerizing as the blanket of lights that glistens every night from the San Gabriel Mountains to the Long Beach coast. Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/8/18

Is Dianne Feinstein too old to run for re-election? -- California Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s age has become an increasingly unavoidable part of her biography. “At age 84, Dianne Feinstein is the oldest of the 100 United States senators,” Los Angeles Times columnist Harold Meyerson began a July op-ed that argued she shouldn’t run for re-election. Emily Cadei in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/8/18

California Attorney General Says State Will Stand Up to Trump Administration on Marijuana -- California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has asked to meet with the four U.S. Attorneys who prosecute federal law in the state to gauge weather or not they plan on enforcing federal marijuana laws. "I've reached out to all four to sit down with them... because we'd like to know how each of the four will intend to move forward with this new policy from US DOJ." Conan Nolan NBCLA -- 1/7/18

Walters: Senator’s creative tax plan faces many pitfalls -- State legislators are floating some creative schemes to blunt the impact of the new federal tax law on California taxpayers. Several are in the air, but the main one, proposed by Kevin de León, the outgoing state Senate president pro tem, more than slightly resembles phony tax avoidance scams that entice the unwary and often result in hefty penalties and interest payments being imposed by the Internal Revenue Service. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/8/18

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

As Greta Gerwig’s ‘Lady Bird’ wins big at Golden Globes, she thanks Sacramento -- “Lady Bird,” written and directed by Sacramento native Greta Gerwig, received two major awards at the Golden Globes on Sunday night. The film clenched the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, beating popular films “Get Out,” “I, Tonya” and “The Greatest Showman.” Molly Sullivan in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/8/18

Wine mogul Dave Phinney poised to transform Mare Island with distillery -- If Dave Phinney has his way, Mare Island, once the largest naval base west of the Mississippi River, may soon become the Bay Area’s newest adult playground. Esther Mobley in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/8/18

Education 

Despite legalization, California colleges stick to their marijuana bans -- Students at UC San Diego don’t need to go far if they want to take part in California’s new recreational marijuana market: Torrey Holistics, a dispensary that sells cannabis to anyone over 21, is the next exit up Interstate 5 from the university. Nico Savidge EdSource -- 1/8/18

POTUS 45  

25th Amendment unlikely to be invoked over Trump's mental health -- Donald Trump’s description of himself as a “very stable genius” sparked new debate this weekend about the 25th Amendment, but invoking the provision to remove a president from office is so difficult that it’s highly unlikely to come into play over concerns about Trump’s mental health, a half-dozen lawyers with expertise on the measure said. Josh Gerstein Politico -- 1/8/18

Schiff: 'We have a seriously flawed human being in the Oval Office' -- The ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee said Sunday that virtually every member of Congress has concerns about President Donald Trump's mental state, even if they won't say so publicly. Ian Kullgren Politico -- 1/8/18

Beltway 

Bay Area tech exec raises $160,000 in fundraiser for Roy Moore accuser -- More than $160,000 has been pledged to an online fundraising campaign started by a Bay Area tech company executive to help a Roy Moore accuser whose Alabama home burned down in a case of suspected arson. Benny Evangelista in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/8/18