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California lawmaker says utilities’ tax breaks should go to customers -- Money that California utility companies save under the new federal tax overhaul should be returned to their customers in the form of lower rates, state Sen. Jerry Hill said Tuesday. David R. Baker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/16/18

California lawmakers propose bills to beef up disaster insurance coverage -- State legislators have introduced a package of bills that would beef up or extend insurance coverage to policyholders following declared disasters, but only one would be retroactive and apply to victims of the recent wildfires. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/16/18

California governor proposes one-tunnel water plan -- Gov. Jerry Brown is paring down his troubled proposal for redoing California's north-south water system in hopes of launching the mega-project before he leaves office this year. Ellen Knickmeyer Associated Press -- 1/16/18

L.A. County sheriff's deputy charged with selling drugs, offering protection of other cops to dealers -- A Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy has been charged with operating a large-scale drug trafficking operation in which he boasted that he hired other law enforcement officers to provide security to drug dealers and could assault people for his clients, according to court records. Joel Rubin and Maya Lau in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/18

Migrants from countries disparaged by Trump are some of California’s best-educated residents -- African migrants to California are far more likely to have a four-year college degree than Californians born in the United States, census figures show. Phillip Reese in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/16/18

'Time is running out, and our patience is long gone': California 'Dreamers' and Kevin de León work to pressure Congress -- At the start of what’s expected to be a contentious week in Congress, dozens of Californians brought to the country illegally as children gathered on Capitol Hill to pressure lawmakers to agree on a solution for their immigration status. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/18

Help Wanted: Sen. Tony Mendoza sought spring interns despite allegations -- Sen. Tony Mendoza’s office continued to advertise for new interns after the Artesia Democrat agreed to temporarily step down as the California Senate investigates alleged misconduct toward three former employees, including an intern and a Sacramento State fellow. Taryn Luna in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/16/18

Some Democrats raise questions about state Sen. Tony Mendoza's actions during his leave of absence -- Both the leader of the California Senate and the chair of the Legislative Women’s Caucus have clashed with state Sen. Tony Mendoza in recent days over the Southern California Democrat’s behavior while on leave during an investigation of sexual misconduct allegations. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/18

California cannabis sellers want respect: Less 'Cheech and Chong' more three-piece suits -- He was dressed in a three-piece suit. So Chris Coggan nearly went unnoticed when he dropped by a San Diego City Council member’s office last year to do some lobbying on marijuana laws. Gary Robbins in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/18

Identifying the Causes of the California Mudslides -- Geologists and officials in Santa Barbara say it is still too early to know precisely how and why last week’s mudslides became so lethal. But they are already studying satellite imagery to help determine the path of the deadly debris, in the hopes that understanding what happened will prevent similar calamities in the future. Jasmine C. Lee, Jennifer Medina and Alicia Parplapiano in the New York Times$ -- 1/16/18

After a Debacle, How California Became a Role Model on Measles -- In December 2014 something unusual happened at Disneyland. People came to visit Mickey Mouse, and some of them left with measles. At least 159 people contracted the disease during an outbreak lasting several months. This is more than the typical number in a whole year in the United States. Emily Oster and Geoffrey Kocks in the New York Times$ -- 1/16/18

CA120: North versus South in 2018 primary -- With five months to the 2018 gubernatorial primary election, there is a natural tendency to try and find the single major factor that will determine the outcome. Paul Mitchell Capitol Weekly -- 1/16/18

Billionaire Tom Steyer Pledges To Mobilize Orange County Millennials for 2018 Elections -- Billionaire Democrat and environmentalist Tom Steyer, who announced last week he would pour $30 million into ten states toward mobilizing millennial voters, said part of those efforts will focus on Orange County, where the fate of four congressional seats could determine the direction of the House of Representatives. Thy Vo, Nick Gerda and Spencer Custodio VoiceofOC.org -- 1/16/18

Fox: Court Gets Advice on Pensions -- Finley Peter Dunne, a humorist and newspaper columnist at the turn of the 20th Century famously said in making decisions, “The Supreme Court follows election returns.” The question for California is will the state Supreme Court heed the governor’s advice? Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 1/16/18

Trump administration will ask Supreme Court to allow it to end DACA -- The Justice Department on Tuesday said it would take the “rare step” of asking the Supreme Court to clear the way for the Trump administration to dismantle a federal program that provides work permits to undocumented immigrants who have lived in the United States since childhood. Maria Sacchetti in the Washington Post$ -- 1/16/18

Trump's first-year report card: Voters say he's no genius -- Donald Trump’s quarterly report card is in — and if he were back in school, he’d find himself on academic probation. More voters give Trump a failing grade for his first year as president than think he deserves an “A” or “B,” according to a new Politico/Morning Consult poll, conducted earlier this month. Steven Shepard Politico -- 1/16/18

Bannon Is Subpoenaed by Mueller in the Russia Inquiry -- Stephen K. Bannon, President Trump’s former chief strategist, was subpoenaed last week by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III. Mr. Bannon is to testify before a grand jury as part of the investigation into possible links between Mr. Trump’s associates and Russia. Michael S. Schmidt in the New York Times$ -- 1/16/18

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

DACA not dead, but Trump is a racist, says California’s attorney general -- California’s attorney general Monday rebutted President Donald Trump’s claim that Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the federal program that allows temporary residency to some people brought to the United States illegally as children, was “probably dead,” and urged fellow Democrats not to compromise on other immigration issues to win a quick legislative fix for so-called “Dreamers.” Anita Chabria in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/16/18

Antonio Sabato Jr.'s risque film roles have conservatives questioning his congressional candidacy -- Antonio Sabato Jr. is best known as a soap opera star and Calvin Klein underwear model. But parts of his acting career are raising eyebrows among some conservatives as the Republican and early supporter of President Trump runs for Congress in California. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/18

Reagan, Schwarzenegger … Winfrey? -- Will she? Will she really? “She,” of course, is Oprah Winfrey. And after her thunderous speech at the Golden Globes last week, she’s become the latest California-based celebrity to be touted for high political office. Chuck McFadden Capitol Weekly -- 1/16/18

Chinese American vote up for grabs in San Francisco mayoral election -- When it comes to prominent candidates, San Francisco’s mayoral race can boast of having an African American woman, a Korean American woman, an Italian American woman and a gay man. What it does not have is a major Chinese American candidate. Matier & Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/16/18

Remembering Martin Luther King Jr. 50 years after assassination -- April 4, 1968, was a Thursday, and Martin Luther King Jr. was shot to death just after 6 p.m. in Memphis, 4 p.m. Pacific time. People here are more likely to remember the moment they heard the civil rights leader had been murdered, at age 39, as opposed to when Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, 42, was shot two months later in Los Angeles after midnight. Sam Whiting in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/16/18

King Day march in San Francisco unites generations in name of civil rights icon -- Erika Morris rolled out of bed Monday morning with “We Shall Overcome” playing in her head. Before long, the gospel song was blasting throughout the San Francisco home of the 14-year-old and her family — lyrical fuel for the holiday march and celebration of civil rights pioneer the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/16/18

With words and promises of action, marchers honor Martin Luther King Jr. -- Monday’s Martin Luther King Day march through downtown San Diego ended with a rally. Several speakers noted that, while the late civil rights leader cherished eloquence, he placed a higher value on action. “This is a journey,” said Abdur-Rahim Hameed, “not a speech.” Peter Rowe in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/16/18

Honoring a Martin Luther King Jr. that Donald Trump would have opposed -- “Many people try to make King into Santa Claus — a defanged, jovial, neutral sort that even Donald Trump would support,” said Eva Paterson, a civil rights activist who was keynote speaker at Monday’s All People’s Celebration in Balboa Park. “But Trump would have hated Dr. King. He was a militant who fought hard for equality.” Peter Rowe in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/16/18

Thousands come out in South LA to honor MLK for Kingdom Day Parade -- Thousands of people lined the streets of South Los Angeles to for a Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade that is among the nation's biggest celebrations of the holiday. Monday's 33rd annual Kingdom Day Parade down Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Crenshaw Boulevard was themed "When They Go Low, We Go High." KPCC -- 1/16/18

Downtown Fresno march honors the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. -- On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Oliver Baines was thinking of another civil rights pioneer, Rosa Parks. It was 1955 when she refused to give up her seat on a bus in Alabama to a white passenger. Ashleigh Panoo in the Fresno Bee -- 1/16/18

LA's MLK Boulevard got its name because of another King -- Celes King III was a high-profile Republican businessman in South L.A. His family ran a well-known bail bonds outfit as well as the Dunbar Hotel, where famous musicians like Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday once performed. Leo Duran KPCC -- 1/16/18

Put action to Dr. King’s words, MLK March leader says -- The best way to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on his birthday Monday was to walk with people who are different, said Sacramento March for the Dream organizer Sam Starks. Stephen Magagnini in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/16/18

Santa Rosa church celebrates MLK Day with service acts -- Rubin Scott grew up about four blocks from Santa Rosa’s Martin Luther King Jr. Park, playing basketball on its courts as a young boy — the same courts he plays on now as a man, with his son. On Monday, he was at the park with a few dozen others helping clean it up as part of an annual commitment to have “a day on, not a day off” in celebration of the federal holiday marking Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. Christi Warren in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat -- 1/16/18

Martin Luther King Jr. Day speakers in Santa Cruz urge community action -- Carmen Azmitia, a Santa Cruz High School freshman, listed the names of black role models who do not appear in her history textbooks: the pilot Bessie Coleman, physician Rebecca Lee Crumpler, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and civil rights activist Claudette Colvin. Jessica A. York in the Santa Cruz Sentinel -- 1/16/18

How Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination changed America 50 years ago and still affects us today -- Fifty years after King’s assassination, struggles for racial equality appear as acute now as they did then, except the juxtapositions between signs of racial progress and the reality of continued racial injustice are even more stark. Peniel E. Joseph in the Washington Post$ -- 1/16/18

Martin Luther King III calls out Trump on immigration slur: ‘We got to find a way to work on this man’s heart’ -- Leaders of the Cherokee Nation marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day by welcoming the descendants of slaves into their tribe after years of exclusion, while King's children and the pastor of an Atlanta church where King preached passionately decried disparaging remarks President Trump is said to have made about African countries. Associated Press in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/18

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

Brown goes to court to finish pension reforms -- While his lawyers urge the state Supreme Court to allow pension cuts, Gov. Brown is taking his time to fill a vacant seat that would make his appointees a majority on the high court, four of the seven justices. Ed Mendel Calpensions.com -- 1/16/18

CPUC's latest order backing batteries spells more trouble for fossil-fuel power plants -- California, the state that helped birth the global boom in battery-toting electric vehicles, is trying to spark a similar transformation for utilities. And that spells trouble for power plants all across the U.S. that run on natural gas. Mark Chediak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/18

OC Register and other Digital First Media newspapers face 'significant' layoffs -- Southern California News Group, which includes newspapers such as the Orange County Register and the Los Angeles Daily News, will be hit with “significant” layoffs in the coming months, the group’s management announced Friday in newsroom meetings that took place across five publications. Tracey Lien in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/18

Will century-old Impossible Railroad finally thrive, delivering billions in economic activity? -- In Jacumba Hot Springs, less than a mile from the U.S.-Mexico border, Robert Smith lives in an old stationmaster’s house that once serviced the so-called Impossible Railroad, stretching from Imperial County through perilous desert cliffs to the Pacific Coast. Joshua Emerson Smith in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/16/18

Oakland Heads to Trial Over Coal Ban -- A lawsuit against the City of Oakland aimed at overturning a ban against the handling of coal at the old Oakland Army Base heads to trial on Tuesday. Tara Siler KQED -- 1/16/18

Homeless  

Homeless activists say El Cajon law is unconstitutional -- A homeless rights advocacy group plans to take legal action against the City of El Cajon after at least a dozen people were arrested Sunday for feeding the homeless. Lauryn Schroeder and Karen Pearlman in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/18

Temporary trailers for homeless people planned on downtown city lot -- Los Angeles city leaders are planning to house dozens of homeless people in trailers on a city-owned downtown lot as a possible model for citywide temporary shelters. Dakota Smith, Gale Holland and Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/16/18

Education 

CSU Faculty: State Budget Means Too Many Students Are Turned Away -- In 2017, San Diego State University had to turn away about 90 percent of its undergraduate applicants. Across the California State University system, 31,000 students who qualified for a spot didn’t get one. Megan Burks KPBS -- 1/16/18

Can 600-plus California districts narrow the achievement gap? -- As part of the California School Dashboard, the state’s new school accountability system, 1 in 4 school districts will receive assistance from county offices of education and the state to help improve the performance of groups of students who have done particularly poorly on criteria set by the state. John Fensterwald and Daniel J Willis EdSource -- 1/16/18

Poor showing of CA’s special ed prompts budget response -- Spurred by the dramatically poor showing of students with disabilities in statewide testing last spring, Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed new oversight and hundreds of millions of additional dollars aimed at improving special education outcomes. Tom Chorneau K-12 Daily -- 1/16/18

4 Bay Area residents sue UC Berkeley over injuries at campus riot -- Four Bay Area residents — who say they were assaulted last year at a riot that prompted UC Berkeley police to cancel a talk by right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos — have sued the University of California, UC Berkeley, two former UC employees, and the city of Berkeley over their injuries. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/16/18

Health 

New California Bills Address Growing Valley Fever Problem -- On top of the high number of flu cases in California this year, the San Joaquin Valley is also seeing a climb in Valley Fever cases. The disease is caused by a fungus called coccidioides, which lives in the soil. When the soil is disrupted by weather, farmwork or construction, the fungus becomes airborne and anyone can breathe it in. Farmers and construction workers are at heightened risk. Sammy Caiola Capital Public Radio -- 1/16/18

POTUS 45  

Inside the tense, profane White House meeting on immigration -- When President Trump spoke by phone with Sen. Richard J. Durbin around 10:15 a.m. last Thursday, he expressed pleasure with Durbin’s outline of a bipartisan immigration pact and praised the high-ranking Illinois Democrat’s efforts, according to White House officials and congressional aides. Josh Dawsey, Robert Costa and Ashley Parker in the Washington Post$ -- 1/16/18

Four Pinocchios: Fact-checking the Trump administration’s claims on ‘saving’ coal country -- Since the administration’s opening salvo to save coal country, Trump has repeatedly claimed that the industry is starting its comeback. Nicole Lewis in the Washington Post$ -- 1/16/18

Beltway 

As Shutdown Talk Rises, Trump’s Immigration Words Pose Risks for Both Parties -- President Trump’s incendiary words about immigration have dampened the prospects that a broad spending and immigration deal can be reached by the end of the week, raising the possibility of a government shutdown with unknown political consequences for lawmakers in both parties. Jonathan Martin, Michael D. Shear and Sheryl Gay Stolberg in the New York Times$ -- 1/16/18

Shutdown looms as Republicans seek short-term spending deal for government -- Chances of a government shutdown grew Monday as Republicans concluded that they would be unable to reach a long-term spending accord by the Friday deadline. Mike DeBonis, Ed O'Keefe and Sean Sullivan in the Washington Post$ -- 1/16/18

 

-- Monday Updates 

How ex-congresswoman helped squelch reports of secret government surveillance -- When two New York Times reporters learned in 2004 that the George W. Bush administration was secretly wiretapping Americans, and collecting their phone and email records, the reporters’ attempt to publish their findings were thwarted by the administration’s intense and successful lobbying of their editors. In that effort, the Republican president had an unlikely ally: Rep. Jane Harman of Los Angeles, the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/15/18

Parents arrested after children found shackled and malnourished in Perris home -- A Perris husband and wife are in custody on suspicion of torture and child abuse after police found several of the couple’s children chained to beds in putrid surroundings, authorities said Monday. Joel Rubin and Paloma Esquivel in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/18

101 Freeway is expected to reopen in a week, Caltrans says -- The 101 Freeway, miles of which were transformed into a muddy, debris-filled river by the deadly Montecito mudslides, is expected to reopen next Monday, officials said. Joel Rubin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/18

Buried in mud, Montecito faces a daunting cleanup with no end in sight -- The cobbled parking lots outside boutiques are empty. The Italian trattoria known as Oprah Winfrey’s favorite haunt is shuttered, as is the Four Seasons resort owned by Ty Warner, the Beanie Babies tycoon. A place famous for coastal affluence and extravagance is now unlivable and grappling with one basic and primitive question: Where to put all the mud? Matt Hamilton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/15/18

Future floods will be in mind as California town rebuilds -- After power and drinking water return, and cleanup crews haul away the last of the boulders and muck that splintered homes like a battering ram, the wealthy seaside hideaway of Montecito, California, will start rebuilding with the possibility of another catastrophic flood in mind. Justin Pritchard and Christopher Weber Associated Press -- 1/15/18

Oakland coal lawsuit turns into money train for outside lawyers -- City Attorney Barbara Parker has spent nearly $1.4 million for outside attorneys to defend the city in a breach-of-contract lawsuit brought by developer Phil Tagami, who was prevented by the city from carrying out plans to move millions of tons of coal a year through a shipping terminal he wants to develop on the old Oakland Army Base. Matier & Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/15/18

Big billboard company goes small with ads on San Francisco sidewalk screens -- As if screens weren’t already ubiquitous enough, a new generation of TV-size digital billboards has quietly become part of downtown San Francisco’s streetscape. Benny Evangelista in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/15/18

Could legal recreational pot boost your home price? -- As recreational marijuana sales ramp up throughout the Bay Area, could the newly legal drug end up creating an unexpected type of high — in our real estate market? Researchers looking at the impact of legalized recreational marijuana on Denver’s home prices found a surprising trend: dispensaries that began selling recreational marijuana had a “large positive impact on neighboring property values.” Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/15/18

Kevin McCarthy relishes role as Trump’s fixer, friend and candy man -- President Trump and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) were alone in the presidential suite on Air Force One, flying east toward Washington in early October, when the president reached for a handful of Starbursts, the fruit-flavored, box-shaped chewy candies. But instead of unwrapping all the treats, the president was careful to pluck out and eat two flavors: cherry and strawberry, McCarthy noticed. Josh Dawsey and Robert Costa in the Washington Post$ -- 1/15/18

Jeff Flake isn’t just comparing Trump to Stalin. He’s comparing Republicans to Stalin’s enablers -- A sitting U.S. senator plans to give a speech this week comparing the president of his own party to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. That in itself is remarkable. Amber Phillips in the Washington Post$ -- 1/15/18

On MLK Day, President Trump visits Trump golf course -- President Trump's first stop Monday was Trump International Golf Club, apparently beginning the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday with golf rather than the charitable service the slain civil rights leader's family has urged as the best way to memorialize him. Anne Gearan in the Washington Post$ -- 1/15/18