Updating . .   

Jerry Brown accuses Jeff Sessions of lying, using California for a ‘political stunt’ -- Gov. Jerry Brown called on U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to apologize to California, saying he lied when he said California’s immigration policies put the public and federal agents at risk. Melody Gutierrez and Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Tatiana Sanchez in the San Jose Mercury$ Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ Jazmine Ulloa and Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$Scott Shafer KQED Sharon Bernstein Reuters -- 3/7/18

Sessions goes after Oakland mayor and Gavin Newsom in speech on suing California over 'sanctuary' law -- A day after the Trump administration announced plans to sue California over its laws to shield immigrants living in the state illegally, U.S. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions accused the state of impeding federal immigration officials from doing their jobs and said he would use every power he had make it stop. Jazmine Ulloa in the Los Angeles Times$ Melody Gutierrez and Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Anita Chabria, Stevephen Magagnini and Nashelly Chavez in the Sacramento Bee$ Katy Murphy, Matthias Gafni and Tatiana Sanchez in the San Jose Mercury$ Carrie Johnson KQED Thomas Fuller and Vivian Yee in the New York Times$ Matt Zapotosky and Ed O'Keefe in the Washington Post$ -- 3/7/18

Trump's immigration war with California has reached a fever pitch -- Donald Trump and California have long been at odds on the issue of illegal immigration. The president wants to deport those who are here illegally, while many Californians and their leaders want to protect them. Alene Tchekmedyian and Shelby Grad in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/7/18

Jeff Sessions wants to kill these three California laws -- Attorney General Jeff Sessions' lawsuit against California focuses on three recently passed state laws that seek to protect undocumented immigrants from federal immigration officials. Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/7/18

Why the Trump administration’s sanctuary cities lawsuit against California could backfire -- Immigration experts on both sides say this kind of lawsuit takes the sanctuary cities debate into uncharted territory, and it's not clear what the result will be — other than a likely escalation to the Supreme Court. “There is real uncertainty about who will win it,” said Ilya Somin, law professor with George Mason University. Amber Phillips in the Washington Post$ -- 3/7/18

A conservative actress and a celebrity mayor heat up a South Los Angeles congressional race -- Ten days ago, freshman Rep. Nanette Barragán had just won the California Democratic Party's endorsement and had a clear path to securing a second term representing a heavily Democratic stretch of south Los Angeles County in Congress. Today, the dynamic of her reelection bid has dramatically shifted. Javier Panzar in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/7/18

Fox: For DeMaio, Does Run for Congress Mix with Recall Effort and Gas Tax Repeal? -- Former San Diego City Councilman and talk radio host Carl DeMaio pulled nomination papers to challenge fellow Republican incumbent Duncan Hunter in the 50th Congressional District. DeMaio has also been the face of two efforts headed to California ballots—the recall of state Senator Josh Newman and the repeal of the recent gas tax increase. Will DeMaio’s congressional ambition interfere with his ballot efforts? Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 3/7/18

Dianne Feinstein on Trump's support (or not) for gun control and her non-endorsement by the state Democrats -- In the White House Cabinet Room last week, President Trump convened a meeting with legislators about gun regulation. Dianne Feinstein, California’s senior senator and a Democrat, was sitting on Trump’s left, and when he suggested to her that such a bill “add what you have,” Feinstein looked surprised, and delighted. Since 2004, her signature issue has been reviving her original 1994 assault weapons ban. Patt Morrison in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/7/18

Trump will raise money in Beverly Hills next week. Donors can give up to $250,000 -- President Trump will headline a high-dollar fundraiser for his reelection campaign when he visits California next week for the first time in his presidency, according to an invitation obtained by The Times. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/7/18

New study: SFO, Foster City, other San Francisco Bay shoreline areas are sinking, at risk for major flooding -- But prominent areas that were built on fill that was not densely compacted, including sand, gravel, garbage and other debris — such as San Francisco International Airport, Treasure Island and Foster City — are sinking at a much faster rate, about 10 millimeters, or nearly half an inch a year. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Molly Peterson KQED -- 3/7/18

Recycled water from sewers coming to California taps -- New regulations approved Tuesday by the California State Water Resources Control Board allow treated recycled water to be added to reservoirs, the source of California municipal drinking water. Ted Andersen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/7/18

Canada and Mexico could be spared as Trump is poised to sign steel and aluminum tariffs by week’s end -- President Trump may exempt Canada and Mexico from new tariffs on steel and aluminum, reversing his original insistence that the import restrictions apply to U.S. allies as well as countries such as China, the White House said Wednesday. David J. Lynch and Damian Paletta in the Washington Post$ -- 3/7/18

Wells Fargo is the top banker for the NRA and gunmakers -- The San Francisco bank has helped two of the biggest U.S. firearms and ammunition companies access $431.1 million in loans and bonds since December 2012, when the gun control debate gained steam after the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That puts it on the top of the list of banks arranging funding for gunmakers. Bloomberg via the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/7/18

California gains 35,500 jobs, and unemployment falls to record-low 4.4% -- The industries with the largest job gains in January were construction — up 11,000 jobs compared with December — and the trade, transportation and utilities sector, which gained 10,800 jobs. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/7/18

Police fatally shoot armed robbery suspect in car trunk in San Francisco’s Mission -- The deadly ending came after two armed robbery victims flagged down uniformed officers around 10:35 p.m. at 20th and Capp streets, police said. Sophie Haigney and Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/7/18

San Francisco to charge vacant-lot owners for rainwater that runs down the drain -- When it rains, it pours — and that has San Francisco water officials looking into charging property owners a new “storm-water fee” to help with the upkeep of the city’s aging sewer system. The first target will be the owners of vacant lots. “It’s a tax on rain,” fumed Jason Sanders, who was just notified that effective July 1, he will be assessed $31.46 a month for runoff on his vacant lot on Ashbury Street. Matier & Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/7/18

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Trump administration sues California over laws protecting immigrants -- The Trump administration, seeking to force a defiant California to cooperate with its agenda of stepped-up immigrant deportations, went to federal court Tuesday to invalidate three state laws — the administration's most direct challenge yet to the state's policies. Evan Halper in the Los Angeles Times$ Bob Egelko and Hamed Aleaziz in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Franco Ordonez, Anita Chabria and Stephen Magagnini in the Sacramento Bee$ Scott Shafer KQED Matthias Gafni and Katy Murphy in the San Jose Mercury$ Katie Benner and Jennifer Medina in the New York Times$ Sadie Gurman and Don Thompson Associated Press Matt Zapotosky in the Washington Post$ Josh Gerstein Politico Laura Meckler and Alicia A. Caldwell in the Wall Street Journal$ Carrie Johnson NPR -- 3/7/18

A fight simmers in the Bay Area over protecting the privacy of immigrants here illegally -- Panicked callers to Alba Hernandez's hotline reported a possible immigration raid. She rushed to the West Oakland home to find officers had blocked off traffic in what they described as a human-trafficking investigation. Jazmine Ulloa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/7/18

Can’t they all get along? New Senate leader vows to cut Capitol’s ‘us vs them’ rivalry -- Shortly after her election to the Assembly in 2010, Democrat Toni Atkins of San Diego came to Sacramento for a new lawmakers’ orientation. She’s never forgotten the adage imparted by a veteran lawmaker: “The Republicans are our opponents. But the Senate is our enemy.” Those words reflect a reality that is entrenched for Capitol insiders, yet almost invisible to the outside world: The two houses of the Legislature are long-standing rivals. Laurel Rosenhall Calmatters -- 3/7/18

California voters with sloppy signatures must have a chance to correct them, court rules -- California elections officials must notify voters before rejecting their mail-in ballots over concerns that the signature is not authentic, a San Francisco judge ruled this week. Billy Kobin in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/7/18

Liberal plan to win back Congress hinges on California’s millennials -- The path to a Democrat-controlled Congress most likely runs through California. Liberal philanthropist Tom Steyer believes that path hinges on the state’s nearly 10 million millennials. Emily Cadei in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/7/18

Planned Parenthood California staffs up, swings back at Trump administration -- Sacramento attorney Maggy Krell was fighting a high-profile internet sex trafficking case on behalf of the state of California when she made an unexpected career decision: She left her position as a prosecutor for the attorney general to join Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California as its chief legal counsel. Steve Magaginni in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/7/18

Walters: Redistricting did help Democrats, but it was fair -- After the newly created Citizen Redistricting Commission redrew congressional and legislative districts in 2011, Republicans complained that the new maps were tilted in favor of Democrats. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 3/7/18

Michael Peevey insists there was no secret San Onofre nuclear deal -- Michael Peevey wanted to talk about a new book he just co-authored — and did not want to take any questions about the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). “You’re not going to grill me on all this stuff you write about forever in San Diego,” Peevey said when approached by the Union-Tribune last week. “I mean, all you write about is San Onofre.” Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/7/18

Senior San Diego-based Navy officer pleads guilty to 'Fat Leonard' prostitution charges -- San Diego-based Capt. John F. Steinberger took bribes from an overseas Navy contractor and had sex multiple times with prostitutes that the contractor bought for him in Malaysia and the Philippines during a tour of the Western Pacific between 2011 and 2012. Until his guilty plea at a Tuesday court-martial in Virginia, the ex-commander of Destroyer Squadron One also was assigned to Navy Region Southwest’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program that helps the victims of rape and other sex crimes. Carl Prine in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/7/18

Dying vets cannot use life-ending drugs at many state homes -- Suffering from heart problems, Bob Sloan told his children he wants to use California's new law allowing life-ending drugs for the terminally ill when his disease becomes too advanced to bear. But then the 73-year-old former U.S. Army sergeant learned that because he lives at the Veterans Home of California at Yountville - the nation's largest retirement home for veterans - he must first move out. Julie Watson Associated Press -- 3/7/18

L.A.'s famous Playboy Mansion is spared the wrecking ball -- Hugh Hefner may have died, but the Gothic-Tudor facade of his famous Playboy Mansion will live on, thanks to a recent agreement between its new owner and the city of Los Angeles. Sonali Kohli in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/7/18

Creator of Pepe the Frog is suing Infowars -- Pepe is headed to court. Rather, his creator, Matt Furie, is. Jessica Roy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/7/18

Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds 

Oaklanders May Vote on Uber Tax -- Under a proposed ballot measure, passengers would pay a per-pickup charge through ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft. The funds could pay for transportation improvements or other services. Darwin BondGraham in the East Bay Express -- 3/7/18

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

Immigration agency to delay premium processing for H-1B visas, lawyers say -- Officials with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services indicated that the agency will temporarily delay the ability to fast-track certain H-1B applications this year, according to multiple lawyers. The move means some employers may not learn as quickly whether they can staff a position with a foreign worker. Trisha Thadani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/7/18

Uber starts robot taxi service in San Francisco for its own self-driving team -- The 300 local employees of Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group can use a modified Uber ride-hailing app to request one of its self-driving Volvo XC90 sport utility vehicles to take them to and from their new offices at Pier 70 on the city’s eastern waterfront. The free rides, which start Wednesday, will operate only in San Francisco. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/7/18

Uber, Lyft drivers make about $10/hour, per update of disputed study -- A hotly contested study claiming that Uber and Lyft drivers make less than $4 per hour after expenses was significantly revised Monday, now saying drivers earn a median $8.55 or $10 per hour. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/7/18

Verizon looks to Santa Rosa churches to boost wireless coverage -- With Verizon’s plans for a citywide network of “small cell” antennas running into interference in Santa Rosa, the company is turning to a higher power to help it boost its network service in the city. Kevin McCallum in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat -- 3/7/18

Uber’s Self-Driving Trucks Hit the Highway, but Not Local Roads -- Uber said on Tuesday that its self-driving trucks had been carrying cargo on highways in Arizona for commercial freight customers over the past few months. The trucks operate with a licensed truck driver at the wheel, ready to take over in the case of an emergency. But Uber said the eventual goal was to eliminate human drivers inside the cab. Daisuke Wakabayashi in the New York Times$ -- 3/7/18

Transit  

LA Metro figured out how to scan for weapons — without the lines -- More people ride L.A. Metro's rail lines on any given weekday — nearly 360,000, on average — than fly through Los Angeles International Airport on a busy day. Yet rail commuters go through virtually none of the body scanners or metal detectors that are common at LAX. Kyle Stokes KPCC -- 3/7/18

Homeless  

Councilman Jose Huizar drops his opposition to a Boyle Heights homeless housing project -- Ending five years of staunch opposition, Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar cleared the way Tuesday for construction of a homeless housing project next to a popular Boyle Heights shopping and entertainment center. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/7/18

LA Police Commission wants fewer homeless arrests -- Members of the Los Angeles Police Commission signaled Tuesday that they want the LAPD to find ways to reduce the number of homeless people it cites and arrests for minor offenses. Frank Stoltze KPCC -- 3/7/18

LAPD defends rising arrests of homeless people -- Los Angeles police on Tuesday defended stepped-up enforcement against the city's exploding homeless population, saying that despite officials' anti-criminalization stance and adoption of alternative strategies, arrests and citations are needed to meet the crisis. Gale Holland in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/7/18

LA leaders want more dollars to clear away homeless encampments sooner -- Los Angeles city crews could soon be working overtime to clear away a backlog of requests to clean-up homeless encampments, under a proposal advanced by a City Council committee Tuesday. Elizabeth Chou in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 3/7/18

LA to offer hepatitis A vaccine to city employees who work with homeless -- In response to an outbreak of hepatitis A, the Los Angeles City Council moved forward Tuesday with a plan to offer vaccinations against the disease to city employees who come into regular contact with homeless people. The item is in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 3/7/18

Are Most Sacramento Public Restrooms Closed At Night? The City And Homelessness Advocates Disagree -- The Sacramento Regional Coalition To End Homelessness says it recently visited about three dozen city parks at night — and found none of the restrooms were open. Bob Moffitt Capital Public Radio -- 3/7/18

Housing  

New San Diego incentives aim to boost middle-income housing -- The San Diego City Council approved legislation Tuesday that aims to create more housing for middle-income residents, including market-rate “micro” units averaging 600 square feet. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/7/18

January house prices up 8 percent in L.A. and Inland Empire, 6 percent in Orange County -- All three markets now are rated as “overvalued,” meaning home prices are at least 10 percent higher than the long-term, sustainable level. By that measure, almost half of the nation’s 50 largest metropolitan areas are classified as overvalued, CoreLogic found. Jeff Collins in the Orange County Register -- 3/7/18

Education 

Teen arrested with assault rifle after school threat. Officials on high alert after Parkland -- Trevor Joseph Marshall had a loaded assault rifle similar to an AR-15 in his car when police officers located him Monday afternoon in a Chipotle parking lot in Roseville. Diana Lambert and Benjy Egel in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/7/18

At school safety forum, DA tells parents, 'It's a moral responsibility' -- School shootings are preventable, because most attackers announce their intentions, District Attorney Summer Stephan told about 500 concerned parents at a school safety forum in Poway Tuesday night. Deborah Sullivan Brennan in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/7/18

After educators assuaged fears, more students applied for aid under the California Dream Act this year -- After a month of advocacy and efforts to reassure vulnerable students that filling out applications for financial aid would not put them at risk, the state has reached its goal for applications for aid under the California Dream Act, officials said Monday. Joy Resmovits in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/7/18

N.Y. drama takes two big prospects out of discussion for L.A. schools job -- For a while, the nation's three largest school systems all were on the hunt for new leaders, but now Los Angeles has the only vacancy. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/7/18

Some California districts are downplaying the National School Walkout as others embrace it – School administrators throughout California have for the past couple of weeks been holding staff meetings, drafting communiques to parents and connecting with police in preparation for the walkouts, with the response varying depending on the district. David Washburn EdSource -- 3/7/18

Cannabis 

Cashing in on Pot Tourism -- It was a Thursday afternoon in mid-February, and everything seemed relatively normal inside Magnolia Oakland, a cannabis shop at the corner of 3rd and Adeline streets: Customers were waiting to buy product while regulars hung out on couches and nearby chairs. Kathleen Richards in the East Bay Express -- 3/7/18

Immigration / Border 

Asylum Seeker Separated From Young Daughter Is Released From California Jail -- An asylum seeker who sued the Trump administration after being jailed and separated from her 7-year-old daughter has been released, the American Civil Liberties Union said late Tuesday. Alicia A. Caldwell in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/7/18

Environment 

Farmers file formal complaint against Oceanside ag initiative backers -- Farmers opposed to a proposed ballot measure that could help preserve Oceanside’s disappearing agricultural land have filed a complaint with the Oceanside city clerk, the county district attorney, and the state Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC). Phil Diehl in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/7/18

Short-term Tijuana upgrades respond to "crisis" of cross-border sewage -- In the wake of rising outcry in San Diego of cross-border flows of contaminated water, trash and sediment from Tijuana, Mexico is moving ahead with a series of short-term upgrades to Tijuana’s sewage collection and treatment system aimed at preventing such incidents, and responding with greater speed should they occur. Sandra Dibble in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/7/18

California Would Require Electricity To Be 100 Percent Renewable By 2045 If This Bill Passes -- “If we pull that off, then we will be the largest users of energy in the world with such a goal,” said Skinner, who co-authored the bill. S.B. 100 was held in the Assembly last year after passing the Senate. Skinner says it's a big deal for the sixth largest economy in the world to implement this policy. Ezra David Romero Capital Public Radio -- 3/7/18

Also . . . 

Jurors fight tears as families of officers killed by Luis Bracamontes tell stories of loss -- Cop killer Luis Bracamontes wasn’t in the courtroom Tuesday, but his malevolent presence loomed as family members of the deputies he killed three years ago described their loss in searing, tearful testimony. San Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/7/18

Is Southern California's 'dockless' electric scooter fad a public safety hazard? -- As Southern California continues to embrace ‘dockless’ bike sharing, a new player in the app-based mobility market has picked up considerable momentum — electric scooters. Joshua Emerson Smith in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/7/18

Controversial facility for federal inmates approved for this Sacramento neighborhood -- The Sacramento City Council approved a controversial service and counseling center for former federal inmates in South Sacramento on Tuesday, denying the appeals of residents who said the facility would threaten the safety of nearby neighborhoods and hinder development in an economically-depressed area of the city. Ryan Lillis in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/7/18

POTUS 45  

Porn actress Stormy Daniels sues Trump, says hush agreement is null because he didn’t sign it -- Stormy Daniels, the porn star who says she was paid to keep quiet about her alleged affair with Donald Trump, sued the president Tuesday, asking the court to declare that her nondisclosure agreement before the 2016 election is void because Trump did not sign it. Beth Reinhard, Frances Stead Sellers and Emma Brown in the Washington Post$ -- 3/7/18

The president’s company won’t say how much money it made in ‘foreign profits’ last year. Have you got a guess? -- A few days ago, President Trump's company announced that it had kept a promise. The Trump Organization said it had donated all of the “foreign profits” from its hotels to the U.S. Treasury. But there was a catch. The amount of the donation was a secret. “We have nothing further to share at this time,” Trump Organization spokeswoman Amanda Miller said. David A. Fahrenthold in the Washington Post$ -- 3/7/18

An Important Voice for Free Trade Proponents Goes Silent -- Gary D. Cohn is a Democrat, but his resignation as director of the White House National Economic Council on Tuesday actually underscored the fundamental divide between President Trump and his fellow Republicans as the president seeks to raise barriers to foreign trade. Peter Baker in the New York Times$ -- 3/7/18

Fact Check: President Trump’s Exaggerated and Misleading Claims on Trade -- The president’s claims about massive trade deficits, tariffs and the World Trade Organization are overstated and contradicted by his own economic report. Linda Qiu in the New York Times$ -- 3/7/18

Wave of exits from West Wing sparks talk of brain drain -- Turnover after a year in office is nothing new, but the Trump administration has churned through staff at a dizzying pace and allies are worried the situation could descend into a free-fall. One White House official said there is concern about a potential "death spiral" in the West Wing - each departure heightening the sense of frenzy and expediting the next. Zeke Miller and Jonathan Lemire Associated Press -- 3/7/18

Beltway 

Wall Street prepares for ugly sell-off after Cohn’s resignation. It’s about more than trade -- The resignation of President Trump's National Economic Council head, Gary Cohn, on Tuesday sent Wall Street traders rushing to hit the “sell” button as fears of a trade war escalated. The market was closed when the news of Cohn’s imminent departure broke, but traders still sent Dow futures — a predictor of where the market will open Wednesday — tumbling. Heather Long in the Washington Post$ -- 3/7/18

 

-- Tuesday Updates 

Former head of Senate fellows program leaves Sacramento State after investigation -- The former director of Sacramento State's California Senate Fellows program, placed on “indefinite leave" in November after The Bee reported allegations that Sen. Tony Mendoza made unwanted advances on a 23-year-old Senate fellow, is no longer employed by the university. Taryn Luna in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/6/18

Huerta out of Central Valley Congress race, new candidate takes his place -- In a key Central Valley congressional seat, it’s one leading Democratic candidate out and another in, as the names and numbers shift before Friday’s statewide filing deadline. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/6/18

Weinstein Co. deal collapses in yet another twist, pushing studio closer to bankruptcy -- The deal for an investor group to acquire Harvey Weinstein's former movie and TV studio has collapsed in yet another twist in an ongoing saga that has seen agreements come and go amid the general chaos surrounding Weinstein Co. David Ng and Ryan Faughnder in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/6/18

California homeowners receive $6 billion a year in subsidies — 15 times more than renters, report finds -- The report from the California Housing Partnership, a nonprofit low-income housing advocate, found that homeowners in the state received billions in subsidies through being able to deduct interest on their mortgages and their property taxes from their state tax bills. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/6/18

U.S. attorney general in Sacramento on Wednesday for sanctuary announcement -- The U.S. Department of Justice in a Tuesday news release said Sessions will make the announcement while speaking at the 26th Annual Law Enforcement Legislative Day hosted by the California Police Officers' Association. Stephen Magagnini in the Sacramento Bee$ Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Ben Adler Capital Public Radio -- 3/6/18

CA120: Voter files, panels and the search for truth -- Pew Research recently released a report titled Commercial Voter Files and the Study of U.S. Politics, which initially looked like a really interesting piece for someone like me who works in voter files every day. Paul Mitchell Capitol Weekly -- 3/6/18

Why a California lawmaker wants to ban Walmart gift cards at gun buyback events -- Assembly Bill 1903, which Gonzalez Fletcher introduced in January, would prohibit public agencies that run gun buyback events from giving out gift cards to businesses that sell guns or ammunition. Billy Kobin in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/6/18

Washington becomes first state to approve net neutrality rules -- Setting up a likely legal fight with the Trump administration, Washington has become the first state to enact its own net neutrality requirements after U.S. regulators repealed Obama-era rules designed to keep the internet an even playing field. Rachel La Corte Associated Press -- 3/6/18

23andMe can now sell breast cancer genetic test with no prescription needed -- The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized Mountain View’s 23andMe to sell a test for a breast cancer genetic mutation directly to consumers — the first time the agency has allowed the sale of a genetic test for cancer risk without a doctor’s prescription. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Carolyn Y. Johnson in the Washington Post$ -- 3/6/18

Broadcom’s bid for Qualcomm could threaten national security, U.S. warns -- Broadcom Ltd.’s hostile takeover attempt of Qualcomm Inc. could pose a national security risk because of Qualcomm’s leadership in developing critical semiconductor technology, according to the U.S. Treasury Department, setting up a potentially insurmountable hurdle to getting a deal done. Bloomberg -- 3/6/18

Fox: Survey: Biz Execs Down on CA -- A survey of business executives in highly sought after industries such as clean tech and research & development conclude that California has a number of problems that prevent businesses from locating or expanding in the state. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 3/6/18

Border Patrol agents say Tijuana River pollution is making them sick, and officials want it fixed -- With health complaints continuing from Border Patrol agents who work the polluted areas of the Tijuana River Valley, the federal Customs and Border Protection agency is quietly trying to solve some of the problems of toxic sewage flows from Mexico — on its own. Greg Moran in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/6/18

Lazarus: California braces for battle with Trump administration over student loans -- Ask Republican politicians how they feel about gun control, and they'll say this is a matter for states to decide. "I think we need to respect federalism and respect local jurisdictions," House Speaker Paul D. Ryan insisted just last week. But ask Republicans about protecting people from being ripped off by student-loan debt collectors, and they'll sing a completely different tune. David Lazarus in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/6/18

Mount Umunhum: Big crowds, five times what was expected, flock to newly opened Bay Area summit -- For generations, hikers, bicyclists and motorists looking for a sweeping view have ventured up the Bay Area’s most distinctive and popular peaks: Mount Diablo, Mount Tamalpais and Mount Hamilton. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/6/18

Watchdog: Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway violated Hatch Act -- The Office of Special Counsel, which is unrelated to Robert Mueller’s office, says Conway violated the Hatch Act twice last year when she spoke out in support of Republican Roy Moore and against his Democratic rival, Sen. Doug Jones, in the Alabama Senate race. Zeke Miller Associated Press -- 3/6/18