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California Policy and Politics Tuesday
A California ballot measure wants to ban slavery. Why is it losing? -- A ban on slavery and involuntary servitude seems like it should be an easy sell in a progressive state like California. So why does it look like voters may reject Proposition 6 next week? Emily Schultheis Politico -- 10/29/24
Gavin Newsom reflects on year of arrests made for retail theft, car burglaries a week ahead of election -- Gov. Newsom touts progress in yearlong crackdown on retail theft across the state to bolster his case against Prop. 36. Anabel Sosa in the Los Angeles Times$ Nicole Nixon in the Sacramento Bee$ Robert Salonga in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/29/24
L.A. County wants to crack down on corruption. Is it worth up to $21 million? -- As local government careens from one corruption scandal to the next, the city and county of Los Angeles each charged forward this election season with ballot measures to try to crack down on unethical behavior by public officials. Rebecca Ellis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/29/24
Ahead of election, Oakland mayor reveals federal grant to fund anti-violence programs -- Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao announced Monday that the city received a $2 million grant last month to address violence — her latest attempt to improve public safety, which supporters of a recall campaign against her say she has failed adequately to do. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/29/24
Gavin Newsom endorses Evan Low in Silicon Valley House race -- The last-minute endorsement is a rare move for the governor, who often doesn’t wade into intraparty fights. Dustin Gardiner Politico -- 10/29/24
Crush of spending in these blue states is political penance for Dems -- A staggering avalanche of money is pouring into congressional elections in just two states: California and New York. Jessica Piper, Melanie Mason and Emily Ngo Politico -- 10/29/24
As Shohei Ohtani takes center stage, remembering baseball at Manzanar prison camp -- As millions cheered Shohei Ohtani’s debut in the World Series at Dodger Stadium, a couple of dozen ballplayers of Japanese descent gathered last weekend on a dusty field 200 miles north. Jack Dolan, Brian van der Brug in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/29/24
L.A. Times, Washington Post see subscription cancellations over not endorsing in presidential race -- The Los Angeles Times and Washington Post have seen significant subscription cancellations in the days since their billionaire owners decided not to endorse in the presidential race after the editorial boards at both newspapers proposed backing Vice President Kamala Harris. James Rainey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/29/24
Workplace
Will Newsom’s expanded tax credit program save California’s film industry? -- Amid mounting pressure from Hollywood to bring production and entertainment jobs back to California, Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled plans Sunday to significantly raise the annual cap on the state’s film and TV tax incentive program. Christi Carras, Samantha Masunaga and Stacy Perman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/29/24
S.F. has lost 45,000 jobs since 2019. These industries were hit the hardest -- Two of the city’s biggest job sectors, restaurants and hotels, were walloped by 2020’s historic plunge in tourism and dining, and haven’t recovered since. Roland Li and Harsha Devulapalli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/29/24
Despite more Bay Area tech layoffs, hope for sector as pace of job cuts slows -- First half of 2024 had many more tech layoffs than second half of year. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/29/24
Insurance
New data shows just how big an impact California’s insurance crisis is having on home sales -- About 1 in 7 California Realtors had a home sale fall through due to difficulty finding insurance in the past year, nearly double the figure from 2023, according to a new survey. Megan Fan Munce in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/29/24
State Farm accused of funneling excess profits to parent as it seeks rate hike -- State Farm General, California’s largest home insurer, is being accused of boosting the profits of its parent company at the expense of state policyholders — while claiming it’s in financial distress and in need of a 30% rate hike. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/29/24
Street
Fresno police sergeant shot multiple times pursues gunman despite injuries -- A Fresno police sergeant was ambushed Saturday evening and struck by multiple rounds of gunfire while on the scene of a homicide investigation but still pursued his assailant despite his injuries, city officials said Monday morning. Melissa Gomez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/29/24
Top of the ticket
Trump’s Puerto Rico fallout is ‘spreading like wildfire’ in Pennsylvania -- Donald Trump has a serious Puerto Rico problem — in Pennsylvania. Many Puerto Rican voters in the state are furious about racist and demeaning comments delivered at a Trump rally. Meredith Lee Hill, Mia McCarthy and Holly Otterbein Politico -- 10/29/24
Trump Long Ago Crossed the Line From Propriety to Profanity. Then Came the Garden -- Four-letter words were flying everywhere. One speaker flipped his middle finger at the opposition. Another made what was interpreted as an oral sex joke regarding Vice President Kamala Harris. Another suggested she was a prostitute. Still another discussed the supposed sexual habits of Latinos rather explicitly. Peter Baker and Dylan Freedman in the New York Times$ -- 10/29/24
How the Trump Campaign’s Gamble on a Provocative Comic Backfired -- Donald Trump’s campaign invited Tony Hinchcliffe, who hosts the popular podcast “Kill Tony,” to do a comedy set at the former president’s rally at Madison Square Garden because of the comic’s popularity with young men, particularly after he sold out two shows at the same venue in August. Natalie Andrews and Vivian Salama in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/29/24
Confederate anthem ‘Dixie’ played at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally -- Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden, meant to demonstrate broad-based and unifying support as he seeks a second term, was marked by racist barbs amid other demeaning insults. It also featured a song that had little in common with the location: “Dixie,” the unofficial national anthem of the Confederate States of America. Emmanuel Felton in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/29/24
Elon Musk’s America PAC uses crude, sexist attack against Harris in new ad -- The narrator in the 34-second ad repeatedly calls Harris a “c-word” and says other elected officials whose photos are displayed in the ad — Democrats President Joe Biden, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — are all “c-words.” Brittany Gibson Politico -- 10/29/24
Trump Hints at ‘Little Secret’ With House Republicans, Setting Off a Panic -- The former president seemed to delight in fueling speculation about what he is cooking up with House Republicans, prompting Democrats to worry about election fraud. Speaker Mike Johnson refused to explain. Annie Karni in the New York Times$ -- 10/29/24
How Russia, China and Iran Are Interfering in the Presidential Election -- The ability to sway even a small pocket of Americans could have outsize consequences for the presidential election, which polls generally consider a neck-and-neck race. Sheera Frenkel, Tiffany Hsu and Steven Lee Myers in the New York Times$ -- 10/29/24
Also
Kid thought he was going to dentist. Dad took him to World Series and he caught Freddie Freeman’s grand slam -- Long encumbered by a mouthful of metal, Zachary was told by his parents Friday that he could leave his fifth-grade class early because he had an orthodontist appointment to get his braces removed. The shaggy-haired 10-year-old figured he’d be out of the chair in time to watch Game 1 of the World Series on TV. Steve Henson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/29/24
California Policy and Politics Monday
Newsom calls for big boost in funding for California’s film and TV tax credit, throwing Hollywood a lifeline -- Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a proposal Sunday to more than double the annual amount of money allocated to California’s film and TV tax credit program as Hollywood struggles to compete with other production hubs dangling lofty incentives. Samantha Masunaga and Christi Carras in the Los Angeles Times$ Nora Mishanec in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Shawn Hubler and Derrick Bryson Taylor in the New York Times$ -- 10/28/24
Will Rollins was written off in 2022. Now, he could help deliver a Democratic majority -- The last time Will Rollins took on the longest-serving California Republican in Congress, he was written off as a longshot candidate by much of the Democratic Party establishment and left to fend for himself. Two years later, the party is lavishing funds on the now-rising star. Dustin Gardiner Politico -- 10/28/24
New lanes meant to speed up Bay Area traffic may be slowing some drivers down -- The number of drivers using the Bay Area’s newest highway express lanes is rising — but even as those drivers are enjoying speedier rides, traffic in the regular lanes appears to be slowing, a new report says. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/28/24
The Sierra Club’s California members are torn over its mission. Can a new leader forge consensus? -- As acting director of Sierra Club California, Bobbi Jo Chavarria oversees a membership divided over the environmental organization’s mission and priorities. Lila Seidman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/24
Not the beef: Testing bolsters case against California onions in McDonald’s E. coli outbreak -- McDonald’s Quarter Pounders are back on the menu in hundreds of restaurants after new testing confirmed that the chain’s beef patties were not to blame for a deadly E. coli outbreak, strengthening the case that California onions served on the burgers were the culprit. Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/24
Tesxtbook antisemitism
Protest of S.F.’s Scott Wiener at kids’ event ‘textbook antisemitism,’ Jewish leaders say -- Demonstrators against the war in Gaza targeted a pumpkin carving event that state Sen. Scott Wiener hosted Saturday in Noe Valley, a protest local Jewish community leaders called antisemitic. David Hernandez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/28/24
Insurance
California families battling addiction fight for their lives after insurance denials -- California requires insurers to cover medically necessary mental health treatment. But to patients, the separation between what that law requires and what health plans provide often feels like a gaping chasm. Jocelyn Wiener CalMatters -- 10/28/24
Homeless
LA has a different solution to homeless camps. But it’s not working for everyone -- For some who lived on the streets of Los Angeles, Inside Safe was a lifesaver — giving them a roof over their head for the first time in years, then helping them find a permanent home. For others, it was a major disappointment. Marisa Kendall CalMatters -- 10/28/24
Cannabis
California hails $544 million in illegal weed seizures. But it’s just a drop in the bucket -- Those in the thick of the fight against illegal pot, like Mendocino County Sheriff Matthew Kendall, can’t help but roll their eyes. Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/24
EV cycles
In nationwide first, California plans to rev up sales of electric motorcycles -- Bikers — many of whom love their noisy combustion engines — say zero-emission motorcycles aren’t ready for long-distance rides. Motorcycles emit an “outsized portion” of smog-causing pollutants. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde CalMatters -- 10/28/24
Lithium-ion batteries causing fires, dangers on California freeways, sparking calls for safety improvements -- Recent fires in California have focused attention and fears on lithium-ion batteries. But how dangerous are these batteries really? Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/24
Top of the ticket
Trump at the Garden: A Closing Carnival of Grievances, Misogyny and Racism -- A comic kicked off the rally by dismissing Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage,” then mocked Hispanics as failing to use birth control, Jews as cheap and Palestinians as rock-throwers, and called out a Black man in the audience with a reference to watermelon. Shane Goldmacher, Maggie Haberman and Michael Gold in the New York Times$ Hannah Knowles and Isaac Arnsdorf in the Washington Post$ Meridith McGraw and Lisa Kashinsky Politico Seema Mehta and Stephen Battaglio in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/24
A Trump Rally Speaker Trashed Puerto Ricans. Harris Reached Out to Them -- Her campaign moved swiftly to highlight that even as a speaker at Donald Trump’s rally in New York made offensive remarks about Puerto Rico and Latinos, she was visiting Puerto Rican voters in Philadelphia. Erica L. Green in the New York Times$ -- 10/28/24
Harris adopts Trump’s playbook as she targets his age and competence -- The Democratic nominee is echoing some of the attacks her opponent directed at Biden as she questions the former president’s stamina and fitness to be commander in chief. Maeve Reston and Ashley Parker in the Washington Post$ -- 10/28/24
Vance defends Trump on using U.S. military against Americans -- In contentious TV interviews, Trump’s running mate forcefully backs his most controversial stances and blasts critics as threats to the country. Mariana Alfaro and Will Oremus in the Washington Post$ -- 10/28/24
Far-Right Figures Escalate Talk of Retribution and Election Subversion -- Michael Flynn has said “hell” will be unleashed if Donald J. Trump wins. Mr. Flynn’s close associate has discussed plans to overturn the election if Mr. Trump loses. Charles Homans and Alexandra Berzon in the New York Times$ -- 10/28/24
Economists Warn of New Inflation Hazards After Election -- Both candidates have big spending plans, but economists say that Trump’s proposals carry the greater risk of stoking price increases. Nick Timiraos in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/28/24
How Donald Trump Weaponized the 2007 Murder of My Fellow Journalist, Chauncey Bailey -- The text came from a fellow journalist. I was driving and glanced at it at a red light. It was a forward of an X post by @realDonadTrump. “You see this!?” my friend had written. Thomas Peele Mother Jones -- 10/28/24
Philadelphia DA sues to stop $1 million giveaway from Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC -- The Justice Department has already warned Musk’s group, America PAC, that the contest could be illegal. Amy B Wang, Perry Stein and Trisha Thadani in the Washington Post$ -- 10/28/24