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Calpers’ Dilemma: Save the World or Make Money? -- The California Public Employees’ Retirement System was one of the first public-pension systems to tie its investments to social activism. Now it is having second thoughts. Heather Gillers in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 6/17/19

Gloria Vanderbilt, heiress, socialite and celebrity entrepreneur, dies at 95 -- Gloria Vanderbilt, the heiress and “poor little rich girl” in a sensational 1930s custody trial who survived a famously disjointed childhood to become an actress, artist, designer and author, has died. She was 95. Her death was announced Monday via a CNN report voiced by anchor Anderson Cooper, her son. CNN reported that she died at her home and was suffering from advanced stomach cancer. Elaine Woo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/17/19

Americans make up Mexico’s largest demographic of immigrants -- They come for the tacos. Or the music. Or the nightlife. They stay to live a less-expensive lifestyle or to retire in a casita in the sand. Americans immigrants living the Mexican dream can have the same hopes and goals of the Mexican immigrant in the U.S.: to get a little ahead or to start a new life. Wendy Fry in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/17/19

PG&E shareholders to meet in SF, but focus remains on Sacramento -- PG&E Corp. shareholders will assemble Friday in San Francisco, meeting for the first time since the company’s power lines started a historically devastating wildfire and upended the future of the business seven months ago. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/17/19

Kaiser Permanente to build new $900 million Oakland headquarters -- Health care giant Kaiser Permanente plans to construct a 1.6 million-square-foot headquarters in Oakland, creating one of the largest new buildings in the Bay Area. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/17/19

Driven by Tesla’s Model 3, electric car sales rise fast in Bay Area -- In 2018, electric cars accounted for 13% of new passenger vehicle registrations in the Bay Area, up from 7% in 2017. The huge Los Angeles metro area has more electric vehicles overall, but its numbers grew more slowly. Kate Galbraith in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/17/19

At Stanford commencement, Apple CEO Tim Cook cites Theranos in call for accountability in Silicon Valley -- Cites ‘false promise of miracles’ from blood testing company founder and Stanford dropout Elizabeth Holmes. Thy Vo in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/17/19

She worked for L.A.’s building department. Then her name came up in an FBI warrant -- It was a bombshell at Los Angeles City Hall when the news broke in January: The FBI was hunting for evidence of bribery, money laundering and other possible crimes involving some of the most powerful politicians in the city, according to a federal warrant. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/17/19

Quinn: The Census Citizenship Question: Tempest in a Teapot -- Why is it that the Trump Administration is so adverse to telling the truth? In their handling of a fairly simple decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 US Census they have lied to a federal court, stonewalled Congress, and may well sully the carefully crafted image of the US Supreme Court as above politics. Tony Quinn Fox & Hounds -- 6/17/19

Hundreds of Companies Descend on Washington to Fight Trump’s Tariffs -- New Balance Athletics Inc. has long advocated and benefited from tariffs, competing with Nike Inc. and other footwear companies while still making shoes in the U.S. Now, it’s among the critics of President Donald Trump’s duties testifying at a public hearing starting Monday. Mark Niquette Blomberg -- 6/17/19

Supreme Court rules in case watched for impact on Trump pardons -- In a 7-2 ruling, the justices declined to disturb a longstanding legal principle known as “dual sovereignty” that allows state governments to bring their own charges against defendants already tried or convicted in federal court, or vice versa. Josh Gerstein and Natasha Bertrand Politico -- 6/17/19

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

LAPD investigates officer’s actions in Costco shooting -- The Los Angeles Police Department is gathering evidence and video footage in an administrative investigation into an off-duty officer who shot and killed a man authorities say attacked him inside a Southern California Costco Wholesale warehouse store. Authorities remained tight-lipped Sunday, not responding to requests for comment about what provoked the Friday night confrontation and whether anyone but the officer was armed. Stefanie Dazio Associated Press -- 6/17/19

Man killed in Corona Costco shooting was a ‘gentle giant,’ cousin says -- A 32-year-old man shot dead by an off-duty Los Angeles police officer inside a Corona Costco was mentally disabled and described Sunday by a cousin a “gentle giant,” while the man’s parents were the two people critically wounded by the same officer, the cousin said. Richard K. De Atley and Joshua Cain in the San Bernardino Sun$ Laura Newberry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/17/19

Nearly all Democratic candidates oppose death penalty as public opinion shifts -- Not so long ago, opposing the death penalty was pretty much a death knell for a presidential candidate. Michael Dukakis, for one, sank his remaining hopes in 1988 when he told a debate questioner he would oppose execution even for someone who had raped and murdered his wife. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/17/19

California goes even bigger on Obamacare -- California is beefing up Obamacare, restoring an individual mandate, expanding health insurance subsidies well into the middle class and covering some undocumented adults through Medicaid. It’s an incremental step toward universal coverage that can animate the Democrats’ party-defining debate over how best to cover everyone — through a mixed public-private system or through “Medicare for All." Victoria Colliver Politico -- 6/17/19

Walters: New workers’ compensation battle on horizon -- About once a decade – or to put it another way, about once in each governor’s reign – powerful interest groups wage political war over the state’s system of compensating workers for job-related illnesses and injuries. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 6/17/19

Schnur: Transition to clean energy will fall to California’s drivers, Influencers say -- Saving the planet is about to get much harder. A few years ago, California lawmakers developed an aggressive plan to reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. So far, we’re ahead of schedule, mainly because renewable energy sources like solar, wind and hydropower have allowed the state’s electricity grid to move away from traditional fossil fuels. Dan Schnur in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/17/19

Skelton: Republicans need to change their product. Californians aren’t buying it -- Politics is like private enterprise. You either sell your product or perish. California voters have not been buying Republican merchandise. So Democrats have monopolized the market. It’s not the fault of consumers for not liking what the GOP has been peddling. Nor should the Democratic retailers be blamed. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/17/19

25 Years Later: What it Was Like in Front of OJ Simpson Chase -- Los Angeles newsman Mark Coogan, in his best rendition of famed sportscaster Howard Cosell, could not resist. "The Juice is on the loose!" But this wasn't a broken-tackle open field sprint to an end zone. We were at Parker Center, which at the time was the home of the Los Angeles Police Department. O.J. Simpson was a fugitive from justice. Conan Nolan NBCLA -- 6/17/19

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

Cal Fire union launches TV ads as it presses Gavin Newsom to hire more firefighters -- The union that represents state firefighters is airing commercials in Sacramento this week with a two-pronged message: Cal Fire’s firefighters are overworked and you should take steps to protect your home. Wes Venteicher in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/17/19

$4 billion in state government construction getting underway in Sacramento -- California state government has launched a historic building boom in Sacramento, scheduling roughly $3.4 billion worth of new construction and renovations over the next five years with more to follow. Throw in plans for new towers for the state’s pension funds, and the spending will top $4 billion. Wes Venteicher in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/17/19

CalPERS using more ESG in investment strategy -- CalPERS is stepping up its ESG investment program, despite evidence that funds based only on environmental, social and corporate governance strategies have tended to underperform. Ed Mendel Calpensions.com -- 6/17/19

Unicorns are real, and they're stampeding -- They were called "unicorns" for a reason: No one really knew whether Silicon Valley's fabled billion-dollar valuations were real, or whether they were a mixture of delusion and financial engineering that would evaporate upon contact with harsh public-market realities. Felix Salmon Axios -- 6/17/19

Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds 

California mulls adopting portions of despised Trump tax law -- California’s liberal Legislature wants to give poor people a lot more money in their state tax refunds each year, including an extra $1,000 for people who earn less than $30,000 a year and have at least one child under 6. But to do it, they’ll have to agree — at least partially — with Republican President Donald Trump. Adam Beam Associated Press -- 6/17/19

Transit  

Fare evasion costing BART a lot, so stopping it a rising priority -- BART estimates that fare evaders cost the cash-strapped transit agency $25 million a year in lost revenue, but for all of the talk of making it tougher to get onto BART without paying, hardening the fare gates has once again come up on the short end of the must-do list. Phil Matier in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/17/19

Homeless  

More state funding coming for homeless youths -- New funding for homeless youth programs is coming to San Diego County while ongoing state dollars helped recently open the city’s first shelter program specifically for young LGBTQ people, California Senate President pro tempore Toni Atkins announced Saturday. Gary Warth in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/17/19

Education 

Affording college a top worry among California voters -- Voters across California worry about affording college, but the fear is more pressing for those in rural areas. That’s the conclusion of a report released Monday by Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) which shows that voters in certain counties — typically those in rural areas and places close to the borders with Nevada and Oregon — are more likely to have greater concerns about college affordability than voters in other parts of the state. Michael Burke EdSource -- 6/17/19

Cannabis 

West Hollywood’s original marijuana dispensaries fear city will leave them behind -- Jason Beck has waited longer than most other California dispensary owners for a chance to sell recreational cannabis. First invited to open Alternative Herbal Health Services by then-West Hollywood Mayor John Duran in 2004, Beck proudly claims to own California’s “longest continuous retail” marijuana business “south of San Francisco.” James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/17/19

POTUS 45  

AP Fact Check: Trump fudges facts on economy, 2020 voting -- He insisted the Electoral College gives Democrats a “big advantage” in U.S. presidential elections, making it difficult for Republicans like himself to win. That’s wrong. Though in 2016 he often described the election as “rigged” against him, Trump, in fact, wouldn’t have won the presidency without the Electoral College system in which the votes of smaller rural states that tend to vote Republican are weighted more heavily than big, Democratic-leaning states like New York and California. Trump also claimed over the weekend that he’s presided over one of the best U.S. economies ever. He’s wrong about that, too. Hope Yen and Calvin Woodward Associated Press -- 6/17/19

Beltway 

Push to impeach Trump stalls amid Democrats’ deference to — and fear of — Pelosi -- As pressure has mounted in recent weeks on House Democrats to move more aggressively against Trump, Pelosi has demonstrated the firm grip she wields over her caucus — quashing, at least for now, the push for impeachment. It is a command that colleagues say is drawn from a deep well of respect for the political wisdom of the most powerful woman in American politics — and fear that challenging her comes with the risk of grave cost to one’s career. Rachael Bade in the Washington Post$ -- 6/17/19

McManus: Norway, if you’re listening: Feel free to hack our presidential race -- Just about every cybersecurity expert agrees that Russia is likely to meddle again in next year’s presidential election — and other governments may try too. And why shouldn’t they? The cost is laughably low, and they face few if any penalties if they’re caught. Doyle McManus in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/17/19

 

-- Sunday Updates 

‘Home school charters’ let families use state dollars to buy Disneyland tickets, horseback riding lessons and more --In California, there’s a way parents can use money from the government to buy multi-day Disneyland Park Hopper passes, San Diego Zoo family memberships, tickets to Medieval Times and dolphin encounters at SeaWorld. Parents can enroll their children in a “home school charter.” Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/16/19

Costco shooting: Police say officer holding child was attacked and opened fire -- Police agencies in Los Angeles and Corona are investigating the circumstance of a shooting inside a Costco Friday night by an off-duty LAPD officer who said he was assaulted while holding his young child. The shooting — which sent scores of panicked shoppers running and prompted a huge police response — left one man dead and two of the man’s relatives in critical condition, authorities said. Dakota Smith, Tony Barboza and James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/16/19

H-1B visa: Congressman seeks to kill OPT work permit for foreign students -- An Arizona Congressman plans to introduce a bill to end a federal government program — widely used as a pathway to the H-1B visa — that lets foreign students and graduates of U.S. schools work in this country for up to three years. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/16/19

Bay Area churches are building housing in God’s backyard -- Congregations in the Bay Area and beyond are taking steps to build affordable housing on their properties to shelter some of the many local residents who can’t pay the region’s sky-high rents. Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/16/19

SF Mayor London Breed struggles to build consensus with supervisors on housing plan -- With stratospheric rents and home prices threatening to exile all but the most affluent from San Francisco, officials and advocacy groups agree on one thing: creating affordable housing for low- and middle-income residents is critical. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/16/19

Mexicans have a special route to the US job market. Trade wars could close it off -- For a quarter century, skilled Mexican citizens have been able to get three-year work permits under a provision of the North American Free Trade Agreement. But President Trump recently threatened to rip up that pact in negotiations with Mexico over border security. Melia Russell in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/16/19

UC vs. UT: Why have spending and tuition grown so much faster at the University of California? -- Texas and California are natural rivals when it comes to everything from their culture and influence to their economies. But when it comes to the two states’ vaunted public university systems, the Lone Star State may have a better handle on a major concern in higher education over the last decade: costs and tuition. John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/16/19

That $52,000 SUV wrecked by the Inglewood mayor? He used the city-owned vehicle 24/7, even though no law authorized it -- An Inglewood-owned Chevy Tahoe involved in an accident at USC that badly injured a motorcycle officer was a $52,000 lease provided for unlimited use by Mayor James T. Butts Jr., according to public records and city officials. Jason Henry in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 6/16/19

What are Helium founders breathing? A cheaper, longer-range wireless network -- Imagine small, cheap, low-power sensors attached to all sorts of stuff people want to monitor: dog collars, rental scooters, irrigation devices, air-quality sensors, even water coolers. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/16/19

Landlords rip out escalators and walls to attract tenants like Google and Netflix -- Google’s January announcement that it would take over much of the failed Westside Pavilion shopping center, which is becoming offices, showed technology disrupting retail in the most concrete of ways. Roger Vincent in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/16/19

Tesla is denied relief from tariffs on Chinese parts used in Model 3 cars -- The Trump administration has refused to spare Tesla Inc. from tariffs of 25% levied on the China-made computer “brain” and large center screen used in Tesla’s Model 3 electric car. Associated Press via in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/16/19

Eric Swalwell says White House bid is aimed at mending ‘a broken promise’ -- East Bay Rep. Eric Swalwell said Friday that he’s running for president to represent a generation the country has failed. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/16/19

Margaret Hunter’s guilty plea could complicate Rep. Duncan Hunter’s defense, experts say -- Legal experts say Margaret Hunter’s guilty plea to a single felony count of conspiracy erodes any spousal-privilege claim asserted by the congressman, who maintains he did nothing illegal. Morgan Cook, Jeff McDonald in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/16/19

South L.A. post office renamed in honor of the late soul singer Marvin Gaye -- “Marvin Gaye's music has transcended generations and gave the ’70s and ’80s a sound,'' said Rep. Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles), who introduced legislation to name the post office at 3585 S. Vermont Ave., adjacent to USC, as the Marvin Gaye Post Office. The item is in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/16/19

Trump says supporters might ‘demand’ that he serve more than two terms as president -- President Trump on Sunday floated the possibility of staying in office longer than two terms, suggesting in a morning tweet that his supporters might “demand that I stay longer.” The president, who will kick off his reelection campaign on Tuesday with an event in Orlando, has previously joked about serving more than two terms, including at an event in April, when he told a crowd that he might remain in the Oval Office “at least for 10 or 14 years.” Felicia Sonmez in the Washington Post$ -- 6/16/19

Trump Designs On Revamped Air Force One May Not Take Off -- A House Democrat added a provision to the annual defense policy bill to put a stop to the president's patriotic design project. It will keep two new versions of the Boeing 747 aircraft within the projected spending target by banning certain paint jobs and other extras. Claudia Grisales NPR -- 6/16/19