California Policy and Politics Monday

LAUSD’s Black student achievement program upended, targeted by conservative Virginia group -- LAUSD quietly overhauled BSAP, a program meant to bolster struggling Black students, after a legal challenge from a conservative group against basing such help on race. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/14/24

‘Notoriously slow:’ Lengthy investigations into California politicians leave voters in the dark -- A CalMatters analysis shows that California’s campaign finance watchdog has sometimes taken years to resolve cases, sometimes after politicians have won election or left office. Yue Stella Yu and Jeremia Kimelman CalMatters -- 10/14/24

Tech titans pour millions into San Francisco mayor’s race, hoping to set city on a new course -- Wealthy tech leaders are spending heavily in San Francisco’s mayoral race, hoping to infuse more centrist politics and set a course for the city’s future. Hannah Wiley in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/14/24

Labor advocates say Newsom’s gas prices bill risks safety. The state disagrees -- As a gasoline reserve bill faces a final vote today, labor advocates say the bill’s safety measures don’t go far enough. Malena Carollo CalMatters -- 10/14/24

Suspect in Coachella Valley Trump assassination attempt denies accusation, supports ex-president -- A third assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump was thwarted on Saturday after a Las Vegas man was arrested with weapons and fake passes about a half mile from Trump’s campaign rally in Coachella Valley, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said Sunday. Mona Darwish and Brian Rokos in the Riverside Press Enterprise$ -- 10/14/24

Man arrested near Trump rally in Coachella with shotgun, handgun, authorities say -- Deputies found the guns and magazine after searching Miller’s black SUV at a checkpoint at Avenue 52 and Celebration Drive in Coachella about 5 p.m., authorities said. Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/14/24

As California bills soar, PG&E pushes costly wildfire projects over cheaper options -- Burying power lines, often called undergrounding, is a popular way to reduce the risk of wildfires ignited by electrical equipment in California. It’s a powerful safety measure, but one that carries a hefty price tag. Ari Plachta in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/14/24

McManus: Trump flipped on EVs, but he still loathes windmills. That’s a problem for California -- Trump hates windmills with the power of a thousand turbines. That could hurt California, which is becoming more reliant on renewable energy. Doyle McManus in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/14/24

Workplace

A top detective alleges the LAPD is toxic toward women. Will her lawsuit bring change? -- Once a member of the vaunted Robbery-Homicide Division, Det. Kristine Klotz alleges she was demoted after calling out harassment by a male supervisor. Libor Jany in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/14/24

O.C. man charged with workers’ comp fraud involving $100 million of billings -- In a major California workers’ comp insurance case, authorities have charged an Orange County man who was twice convicted of fraud, along with a San Diego neurosurgeon and two others, in connection with allegedly billing nearly $100 million in fraudulent fees. Don Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/14/24

Oil

Nearly 10 years after California oil spill, plan to reactivate pipeline sparks anger -- Plans to restart a pipeline in Santa Barbara County have angered residents worried about an oil spill similar to the massive one near Refugio State Beach in 2015. Tony Briscoe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/14/24

Narcan

- - 8 minutes, 19 seconds: Inside one California man’s dying body as Narcan molecules rush to reverse an overdose -- The man lay on a bedroom floor between an Xbox and a puddle of spilled water. His eyes were closed, feet splayed. Blake Nelson in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/14/24

Fleet Week

Navy parachutist lands on two air show spectators -- The spectators, a woman and a child, were taken to a hospital after the incident, which occurred around 12:40 p.m. at the Marina Green park along Marina Boulevard, said San Francisco fire Lt. Mariano Elias. David Hernandez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/14/24

Housing

Less than 2% of Bay Area homes have changed owners this year. Here’s why -- Fewer than 20 in 1,000 homes in the San Francisco metropolitan area have changed owners this year, a sign housing market activity remains below pre-pandemic levels — though there has been some recent improvement. Christian Leonard in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/14/24

Education

Raw sewage and bursting pipes: Why California community colleges are asking voters for repairs -- This November, California voters will decide on Proposition 2, a $10 billion education bond. Some community colleges are counting on the money to fix critical buildings and protect the safety of students. Adam Echelman CalMatters -- 10/14/24

Environment

White House announces first California marine sanctuary managed by Indigenous peoples -- The Biden administration and native tribes will commemorate the designation of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary on Monday. Noah Haggerty in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/14/24

Top of the ticket

Harris goads ‘weak and unstable’ Trump over ‘hiding’ from a debate -- The new line of attack on the former president comes as he has also declined a “60 Minutes” interview and to release his medical records after the vice president released her own. Elena Schneider Politico -- 10/14/24

Trump wages campaign against real-time fact checks -- The moves are the latest example of Trump’s long-held resistance to being called to account for his falsehoods. Ashley Parker and Josh Dawsey in the Washington Post$ -- 10/14/24

How Kamala Harris Tackled Her Border Assignment -- Vice president’s role has become a political liability as Republicans label her as ‘border czar’. Santiago Pérez, Tarini Parti, Michelle Hackman, and Lauren Weber in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/14/24

Trump chips away at Harris’s national advantage, two new polls show -- The latest polls show that the race is still neck-and-neck, but some sentiment, such as on deportation of undocumented immigrants, has shifted in Trump’s direction. Maegan Vazquez in the Washington Post$ -- 10/14/24

How Trump may try to challenge the election results if he loses again -- If Vice President Kamala Harris wins in November, election officials and experts worry that former president Donald Trump and his supporters will not accept that outcome — and could again try to overturn his loss. Patrick Marley in the Washington Post$ -- 10/14/24

Trump urges using military to handle ‘radical left lunatics’ on Election Day -- The former president asserts that those he labels the “enemy from within” are more dangerous than threats from rival nations such as Russia and China. Maegan Vazquez in the Washington Post$ -- 10/14/24

Vance and Walz take the Sunday show stage -- Their back-to-back interviews allowed two vice presidential candidates to do some cleanup on their past remarks. Mia McCarthy and Meredith Lee Hill Politico -- 10/14/24

Pheasant hunts, football games: Walz makes his appeal to male voters -- Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s recent appearances have been aimed at appealing to male voters, as polls suggest that Trump is winning men by an average of 10 points. Dylan Wells in the Washington Post$ -- 10/14/24

Trump disarmed a political landmine in refusing to release his tax returns -- Despite the storm over the former president’s refusal to disclose them in 2016 and 2020, the issue has gone quiet this year. Brian Faler Politico -- 10/14/24

The Ground Game: Harris’s Turnout Machine vs. Trump’s Unproven Alliance -- Both parties are frenetically chasing votes in the counties that could very well decide the election. In many places, inexperienced conservative groups are going up against a more tightly organized Democratic operation. Lisa Lerer, Julie Bosman, Kellen Browning, Maya King and Jonathan Weisman in the New York Times$ -- 10/14/24

The Trump Voters Who Don’t Believe Trump -- When the former president endorses violence and proposes using the government to attack his enemies, many of his supporters assume it’s just an act. Shawn McCreesh in the New York Times$ -- 10/14/24