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A landmark 2016 law praised as an 'unbelievably powerful tool' against gun violence remains scarcely used -- In 2016, California became the first state in the nation to allow family members, roommates and police officers to ask a judge to block individuals believed to be dangerous from having firearms for up to a year. Marisa Gerber in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/19/18

Housing prices are resegregating the Bay Area, UC Berkeley study finds -- The Bay Area’s soaring housing costs are pushing poor people into neighborhoods where poverty and racial segregation are on the rise, a UC Berkeley study published Wednesday found. Kimberly Veklerov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/19/18

Bay Area cities take first steps to deal with RV dwellers — and parking -- Faced with complaining residents and health concerns, city officials late last year evicted several dozen RVs from a residential neighborhood. But city leaders made a pact with social workers and motor home residents — move the vehicles to a safer place, and the city would consider revamping its parking restrictions on RVs. Louis Hansen in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/19/18

San Francisco Mayor Breed racing to keep approvals moving for 3,400 housing units -- San Francisco Mayor London Breed introduced legislation Tuesday that she hopes can keep more than 3,400 proposed housing units — nearly 500 of them permanently affordable — from disappearing into the maw of the city’s development regulations. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/19/18

San Francisco city employees’ union objects to new tests for bilingual pay perk -- The city’s biggest labor union is crying foul over City Hall’s demand that bilingual workers take a test in the language that they are being paid extra to speak. It’s no small matter. Matier & Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/19/18

Congresswoman Anna Eshoo first to hear Blasey Ford’s story: ‘I told her I believed her’ -- The first time Christine Blasey Ford told her story to a member of Congress, she spoke softly and choked up at times, pained by the memories she was sharing. Casey Tolan in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/19/18

Monsanto asks judge to throw out $289M award in cancer suit -- Agribusiness company Monsanto has asked a San Francisco judge to throw out a jury’s $289 million award to a former school groundskeeper who said the company’s Roundup weed killer left him dying of cancer. Sudhin Thanawala Associated Press -- 9/19/18

“Cut Bait”: as the Kavanaugh nightmare escalates, Trump is gripped with uncertainty as Ivanka suggests cutting the judge loose -- The threat of losing the House and Senate has stopped Trump from going scorched-earth on Christine Blasey Ford. If Trump antagonizes women voters, it could increase the odds Republicans would lose both houses in Congress. Gabriel Sherman Vanity Fair -- 9/19/18

Portrait of Kavanaugh Accuser Christine Blasey Ford: Thorough, Guarded, Accomplished Academic -- Christine Blasey Ford sent an unusual Facebook message to her best college friend this summer with a question: Had she ever mentioned a sexual assault that occurred when she was in high school? Alexandra Berzon, Sadie Gurman and Zusha Elinson in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/19/18

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning

Jerry Brown vetoes bill to ban per-signature payments on ballot petitions -- Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a bill Tuesday meant to discourage aggressive or misleading tactics used by signature gatherers working to qualify an initiative for the ballot. Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Ben Adler Capital Public Radio -- 9/19/18

California parole board recommends pardon for former state Sen. Roderick Wright -- A state panel on Tuesday recommended that that Gov. Jerry Brown grant a pardon to former state Sen. Roderick Wright for his 2014 conviction on eight felony counts after prosecutors said he lied about living in his Senate district. Patrick Mcgreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/19/18

Proposed bullet train routes through San Fernando Valley to be whittled down to one -- The California High-Speed Rail Authority’s preferred route for the Pa

lmdale-to-Burbank segment of the state’s controversial bullet train plan will be revealed on Wednesday, Sept. 19, during a noon webcast. All of the three remaining route proposals would travel through the northeast San Fernando Valley, where the rail plan has faced some opposition from residents. They’d all end at a station near Hollywood Burbank Airport. Elizabeth Chou in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 9/19/18

Gavin Newsom's Ex Is Dating Trump's Son. Does That Impact His Relationship With the President? -- Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom can hardly be described as a fan of President Trump. Just over a week ago, Trump called Newsom out for his proposal to have California cover the cost of universal health care for undocumented immigrants. Lily Jamali KQED -- 9/19/18

Black Lives Matter leader reflects on latest protests, her inspiration at Sacramento State -- Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza spoke Tuesday at Sacramento State after a day of protests to mark six months since the death of Stephon Clark, an unarmed black man shot by police. After what she described as a “big day” in the city, Garza discussed police brutality, economic disparity, racial justice and issues circling around the Black Lives Matter movement. Vincent Moleski in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/19/18

Black Lives Matter protest clashes with police backers one day after deputy’s death -- One day after a Sacramento sheriff’s deputy was slain by a gunman in Rancho Cordova, Black Lives Matter protesters took to the streets of downtown Sacramento Tuesday, blocking traffic, clashing loudly with pro-police demonstrators and marching in the name of Stephon Clark, the 22-year-old unarmed black man killed by Sacramento police exactly six months earlier. Sam Stanton, Darrell Smith, Molly Sullivan and Hector Amezcua in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/19/18

Six months after Stephon Clark's death, Black Lives Matter protesters climb into makeshift coffins outside police conference -- They laid dozens of makeshift coffins in the street to represent black people killed by police in California. Blocking traffic, the protesters climbed inside the purple caskets and each raised a fist in the air. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/19/18

Bretón: Show support by inflaming a protest? What was Sheriff Scott Jones thinking? -- Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones should pick up the phone and thank Capt. Norm Leong of the Sacramento Police Department for saving him. Leong stopped two young men, carrying placards bearing the image of a deputy killed on Monday, from confronting Black Lives Matter protesters at a demonstration in downtown Sacramento on Tuesday afternoon. Marcos Bretón in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/19/18

Smith: Black lives or blue lives? Why can’t it be both, Sacramento? -- As cops strapped on riot gear and a helicopter buzzed above the Sacramento Convention Center on Tuesday afternoon, Linda Whiteshirt sat quietly on a bench a few feet from the fray and held fast to her homemade sign decorated with hand-drawn hearts. Erika D. Smith in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/19/18

Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones Talks About Convention Center Demonstrations, Body Cameras -- A Sacramento Sheriff's deputy was shot and killed Monday in Rancho Cordova. Another deputy, the suspect and a bystander were wounded, but none of the deputies involved were wearing body cameras. Unlike the Sacramento Police Department, body cameras have not been issued by the sheriff's department. Drew Sandsor, Bob Moffitt Capital Public Radio -- 9/19/18

‘He was a good kid.’ Sheriff’s deputy mourned after fatal shooting in Rancho Cordova -- A Sacramento County Sheriff’s deputy gunned down Monday while answering a routine service call was a young and recently-married outdoorsman who was well liked in the department. “He was a good kid,” said Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Shaun Hampton. “He was easy to like, easy to know.” Michael McGough, Darrell Smith and Anita Chabria in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/19/18

Hillary Clinton is top draw at pair of San Francisco fundraisers -- Hillary Clinton will come to San Francisco on Monday for a pair of fundraisers — one to benefit lieutenant governor candidate Eleni Kounalakis and the other to fortify the Democratic Party. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/19/18

Walters: Political expediency worsens long-term consequences -- Politicians face a perpetual conflict between what’s expedient at the moment and what they should do for the long-term. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 9/19/18

San Diego Diocese Kept Writing Letters of Recommendation for Priest Accused of Abuse -- Six years ago, the San Diego Diocese recommended a priest — who faced credible accusations of sexual abuse — to continue ministering, including to children. The Rev. J. Patrick Foley told KQED that the sexual abuse accusations against him are “false and libelous," and that he has not held retreats or ministered to children since 1995. Polly Stryker KQED -- 9/19/18

Selling home-cooked food will no longer be illegal under measure signed by Gov. Jerry Brown -- Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill into law on Tuesday that would allow people to sell food they make themselves, a practice that was previously outlawed due to health concerns. Mini Racker in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/19/18

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions

Silicon Valley underpays women in stock options, too, study says -- Women who work at startups earn significantly less than their male co-workers when payments in company shares are counted, according to a report released Tuesday. Melia Russell in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/19/18

Disneyland Resort reaches tentative contract agreement with hotel workers -- After a year and a half of negotiations and protests, the Disneyland Resort has reached a tentative contract agreement with the union that represents about 2,700 hotel workers. Hugo Martin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/19/18

In nationwide protest, McDonald's workers allege culture of sexual harassment has gone unchecked for years -- Mauricio Bautista was eating a McChicken sandwich tbbbo the sound of jazz music at McDonald’s when more than 100 women stormed in with banners, bullhorns and red and yellow fliers, shouting “Keep your burgers, keep your fries, we don’t need your sexist lies.” Alejandra Reyes-Velarde and Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/19/18

Long Beach cargo logistics firm to pay $3.5 million in back wages and benefits -- The U.S. Department of Labor said logistics firm California Cartage Co. will pay $3.5 million to nearly 1,500 warehouse workers, after investigators found the Long Beach company failed to pay wages and benefits required under federal law. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/19/18

Criminal investigation could hurt Tesla fundraising and recruitment -- Elon Musk is often called a visionary, an innovator, a genius. A U.S. Department of Justice investigation will determine whether he also committed a crime. Russ Mitchell in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/19/18

Passenger rail project between Southern California and Las Vegas has a new backer -- A longstanding plan to build a passenger rail system between Southern California and Las Vegas has a new financial backer, a company operating a privately funded rail project in Florida. Ralph Vartabedian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/19/18

Homeless  

San Diego approves spending an additional $1M for large tented shelters -- San Diego City Council members on Tuesday agreed to spend another $1 million on three large tents that serve as bridge shelters for homeless people. Gary Warth in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/19/18

Sacramento County cleared homeless camps all year. Now it has stopped citing campers -- After aggressively clearing homeless camps on the American River Parkway this year, Sacramento County park rangers have suddenly stopped issuing citations altogether after a federal court ruling this month. Cynthia Hubert in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/19/18

Modesto opens up Beard Brook Park to the homeless -- Modesto will let homeless people camp in Beard Brook Park as it works toward providing more shelter beds, after a federal appeals court recently ruled that people cannot be prosecuted for sleeping on public property when they don’t have viable alternatives. Kevin Valine in the Modesto Bee -- 9/19/18

Housing  

State, local leaders show support for affordable housing bond -- A coalition of state and local leaders gathered in North Park on Tuesday to show their support for Proposition A, a bond initiative that could raise $4 billion for affordable housing. Gary Warth in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/19/18

Wildfire  

Keeping Your Head in the Game: How Firefighter Spouses Juggle Parenthood, Marital Issues and Undercurrent of Fear -- Twelve years later, with her husband away for weeks at a time, Katy is feeding her daughter, fixing things that break around the house and working part time. That’s hard, but she has found a group of women who get it. They support each other through the day-to-day and with larger emotional issues. One of the big ones is a consistent undercurrent of fear, Simone Wallace said. Fear that your husband could die from any number of hazards out in the field. Sonja Hutson KQED -- 9/19/18

Education 

School-based health care a low priority in California -- California ranks at or near the bottom of all states when it comes to the percentage of students with access to health and mental health care at schools. Yet, with $90 in added annual spending per student — which would total about $600 million — the state could provide basic care at all public schools, according to a new report. David Washburn EdSource -- 9/19/18

UC Santa Cruz chancellor to retire at the end of the academic year -- Blumenthal’s unusual longevity at UC — first as a doctoral student and then as a faculty member and administrator — has made him one of the leaders most knowledgeable about the system’s institutional history, politics and culture. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/19/18

Death of UC Riverside student raises question of fraternity hazing -- Detectives are investigating the death of a 20-year-old UC Riverside student who collapsed during a fraternity outing to Mt. Rubidoux over the weekend and whether hazing was a factor. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/19/18

Environment 

Sacramento, West Sacramento aim to eliminate carbon emissions by 2045 -- The mayors of Sacramento and West Sacramento announced Tuesday they are forming a joint commission that will look at ways the two cities can cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2045. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/19/18

California sues Trump administration over repeal of methane release rule -- California and New Mexico sued the Trump administration on Tuesday over its action to repeal requirements aimed at reducing methane leakage on federal and tribal lands, Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra said. The item is in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/19/18

Also . . . 

'Drug Llama' accused of selling 50,000 fentanyl pills over dark web also linked to overdose death of baby -- A San Diego woman known to her dark web customers as “The Drug Llama” has been arrested on accusations of shipping more than 50,000 fentanyl pills throughout the country, authorities said Tuesday. Kristina Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$

L.A. County officials move to stop audio recordings in courthouse lockups -- In a letter to Sheriff Jim McDonnell, the supervisors said recording in “satellite lockup facilities” — essentially holding cells off to the side of most courtrooms — would raise “significant concerns” because attorneys regularly talk to their clients in them. Nina Agrawal in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/19/18

Long Beach police suspend use of a self-erasing texting app. What does that mean for old cases? -- The Long Beach Police Department has suspended its use of a mobile texting application that permanently erases messages over concerns that it may violate the city’s record retention policy, raising questions about whether evidence was destroyed in cases. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/19/18

POTUS 45  

Kavanaugh crisis bonds Trump with wary GOP -- The scramble to save the Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination is the first real test of whether President Donald Trump can work in lockstep with Republican members of Congress and conservative activists under crisis conditions. Eliana Johnson, Burgess Everett and John Bresnahan Politico -- 9/19/18

Beltway

The worst is yet to come for Kavanaugh’s accuser. Take it from this sexual assault expert -- Nothing adequately prepares a sex crime victim for the moment she goes public, legal experts say. Christine Blasey Ford, who alleges that Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her decades ago, may do so on a national stage before Senate Judiciary Committee next week, a fate most high-profile criminal courts opt not to put upon sex-crime victims. Deanna Paul in the Washington Post$ -- 9/19/18

Kamala Harris on Kavanaugh accuser: 'I believe her' -- Sen. Kamala Harris said Tuesday that she believes a California woman who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, adding that her Senate testimony, scheduled for next week, will offer a clearer picture "into who Brett Kavanaugh really is." Rebecca Morin Politico -- 9/19/18

 

-- Tuesday Updates 

Republican holds slight edge in House race to replace Ed Royce, poll finds -- Republican Young Kim holds a slight edge over Democrat Gil Cisneros in the fiercely contested race to succeed GOP Rep. Ed Royce of Fullerton, according to a poll released Tuesday. Michael Finnegan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/18/18

It’s getting ugly in California races that hold key to House control -- With six weeks to go before the Nov. 6 election, the TV and digital battle for California House seats is heating up. But it’s not the congressional candidates who are doing most of the spending. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/18/18

California's children fall behind before they start school, and some never catch up, study finds -- When students enter school in California, they learn at a pace on par with — if not better than — those in other states. The problem is that they arrive far behind their national peers, and they never catch up. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/18/18

A farm's workers voted 5 years ago on ousting the UFW union. Today, the ballots are being counted -- California’s Agricultural Labor Relations Board is finally counting ballots cast five years ago by workers at the state’s largest producer of peaches and other stone fruit, after the ballots were impounded over irregularities in the campaign to oust the United Farm Workers union from Gerawan Farming. Geoffrey Mohan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/18/18

Suspect in deputy killing appears to be local rapper. ‘No stranger’ to law enforcement, official says -- The suspect in custody after the shooting that killed a Sacramento County Sheriff’s deputy and injured another Monday has been identified as Anton Lemon Moore, a 38-year-old Rancho Cordova man, the Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday in a statement. Michael McGough, Anita Chabria and Darrell Smith in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/18/18

Abcarian: In sadness and anger, female pastors open up about sexual harassment in black churches -- It was a sweltering weekday morning, and the vibe inside the Rev. Rosalynn Brookins’ Los Angeles home was festive. “Girl! You look great!” “Are you a Delta?” “Hello, room of God!” Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/18/18

McDonald’s workers in SF allege sexual harassment ahead of national protest -- Customers of the McDonald’s at 24th and Mission streets in San Francisco may have to go elsewhere to get their Big Macs on Tuesday. Workers plan to walk off the job at lunchtime as part of a national protest of sexual harassment, which they claim the company ignores. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/18/18

UC Berkeley report assails business improvement districts as 'anti-homeless' -- In a scathing review of the state’s proliferating business improvement districts, a student project released Tuesday by the UC Berkeley law school accuses the nonprofit groups of systematically abusing homeless people. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/18/18

Is L.A.'s homeless population closer to 100,000? Nonprofit offers an alternative view of the data -- The Los Angeles homeless count has become an annual civic drama, starting with thousands of volunteers spreading across the county on three nights in January and ending five months later with the unveiling of the new number: 52,765 this year. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/18/18

Financially ailing Oakland schools will get cash infusion under new state law -- State lawmakers are coming to the aid of the financially embattled Oakland Unified School District, which is bracing for the effects of budget cuts over the next three years. On Monday, Gov. Jerry Brown signed the Education Trailer Bill, which will provide financial relief to cash-strapped school districts across the state. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/18/18

Why running your washing machine in the evening could soon cost you more money -- If you like to crank up your air conditioner or dishwasher in the evening, think twice. It’s about to cost you more on your electricity bill. The Sacramento Municipal Utility District will launch a new rate system next month that charges residential users higher rates between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. — and lower rates at other times. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/18/18

Tesla Is Facing U.S. Criminal Probe Over Elon Musk Statements -- Tesla Inc. is under investigation by the Justice Department over public statements made by the company and Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk, according to two people familiar with the matter. The criminal probe is running alongside a previously reported civil inquiry by securities regulators. Tom Schoenberg and Matt Robinson Bloomberg -- 9/18/18