Updating . . .

‘Mood is dark’: 80% of Bay Area voters see state of big three downtowns as serious problem, poll finds -- Anthony Estrada hasn’t been to downtown San Francisco since he grabbed a beer after the St. Patrick’s Day parade and “a guy walks up and drops his pants” and, well, we don’t need to tell you what happened next. “It’s really not worth going there anymore.” Julia Prodis Sulek in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/1/23

‘I always think of her as mayor’: Dianne Feinstein’s legacy lives deepest in San Francisco -- Nowhere was Dianne Feinstein’s death felt as strongly as in her hometown of San Francisco. Kevin Rector, Sonja Sharp, Benjamin Oreskes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/1/23

Garofoli: California Republicans are doubling down on transphobia -- California Republicans doubled down on LGBTQ vilification at their three-day convention that ended Sunday. That, of course, wasn’t their preferred framing. Instead, it was cast as favoring “parents rights.” Or being against “child sexual mutilation.” Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/1/23

Desperate to rid Catalina of invasive deer, officials propose bold helicopter hunt -- A plan to use helicopter-mounted sharpshooters to kill nearly 2,000 invasive mule deer roaming the mountains of Santa Catalina Island has ignited a storm of protest among residents of the popular resort destination and prompted calls for state wildlife officials to block the hunt. Louis Sahagún in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/1/23

McManus: Biden and Trump want working-class votes. The economy may decide who gets them -- The battle for working-class voters is on, and it could well decide the outcome of the 2024 election. Doyle McManus in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/1/23

Matt Gaetz Plans Vote to Oust Kevin McCarthy After Speaker Avoids Shutdown -- Challenge comes after leader turned back on GOP holdouts to pass bill with Democratic support. Kristina Peterson, Lindsay Wise in the Wall Street Journal$ Kevin Freking Associated Press Marianna Sotomayor, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Mariana Alfaro in the Washington Post$ Karoun Demirjian in the New York Times$ -- 10/1/23

Workplace

More than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente workers prepare for three-day strike -- The employees’ labor contract expired this weekend, setting the stage for the largest health-care strike in U.S. history. Aaron Gregg in the Washington Post$ -- 10/1/23

COVID

Bay Area residents clamor for new COVID vaccine, but shots remain in short supply -- The new COVID vaccine, which targets more recent variants, is now available in the Bay Area, but people interviewed in the East Bay report a wait for appointments. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/1/23

Climate

Large trees fueled massive Calif. wildfire that killed giant sequoias -- The researchers believe the large-diameter fuel produced longer flames and caused the fire to jump to the forest canopy. Erin Blakemore in the Washington Post$ -- 10/1/23

Street

‘Granny Annie’ found some solace living on the streets of Serra Mesa. Then she was killed with a pellet gun -- Prosecutors say Annette “Annie” Pershal — also known as the “Queen of Serra Mesa” — was targeted while she slept by a suspect who texted he wanted to go “hobo hunting” David Hernandez in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/1/23

Sforza: Orange, Riverside counties will test new strategy to treat severely mentally ill -- It’s a philosophical faceoff between those who argue that folks should be free to chart their own course without government intervention and those who argue that civilized societies don’t allow mentally ill people to live — and die — on public streets. Teri Sforza in the Orange County Register -- 10/1/23

Border

Seeking protection and opportunity, more Chinese migrants take treacherous journey to San Diego-Mexico border -- Though Chinese migrants account for just a fraction of the people arriving at the Tijuana-San Diego border, their presence has grown noticeably in recent months. Alex Riggins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/1/23

Beathe

Morrison: The sordid tale of L.A.’s forever war on smog -- Los Angeles’ first documented smog attack — yes, we had smog attacks — was in 1943. We’ve been fighting the sources of pollution and the quirks of geography that trap it ever since. Patt Morrison in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/1/23

X

Bill Ackman Tweets a Lot of Big Ideas. His Biggest Might Be Combining With Twitter Itself -- Ackman’s firm, Pershing Square PSH 0.69%increase; green up pointing triangle, received regulatory signoff Friday for a novel investment vehicle whose purpose is to invest in a privately held company and take it public. When asked by The Wall Street Journal if he would consider a transaction with X, the billionaire investor said “Absolutely.” Cara Lombardo in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/1/23

AI

Why You Soon Won’t Be Able to Avoid AI—at Work or at Home Tech giants are racing to incorporate artificial intelligence into almost every aspect of their businesses, aiming to make AI indispensable for some—and unavoidable for the rest of us. Christopher Mims in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/1/23

Also

Arnold Schwarzenegger Is Here to Pump You Up (Emotionally) -- As improbable as his achievements are, Schwarzenegger believes his life and outlook can be a model for others. At least that’s the premise of his new self-help book, “Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life,” which will be published Oct. 10. David Marchese in the New York Times$ -- 10/1/23

This is the ‘weirdest stuff’ Yosemite hikers have dropped into Half Dome -- The “honey hole” produced more than 200 pounds of stray Nalgenes and reusable water bottles, shoes, hats and gloves, credit cards, GoPros, a can of bear spray, a canister of asthma medication and a personal satellite GPS tracker, according to Jonah Durham, a seasonal climbing ranger at the park who rappelled off the saddle. Gregory Thomas in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/1/23

How a pro soccer team hopes to create a new identity in Antelope Valley -- The former baseball stadium that hosted the Lancaster JetHawks is poised to host a USL-affiliated pro team that could help revitalize the high desert. Kevin Baxter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/1/23

California Policy and Politics Sunday

Newsom vetoes bill to give striking workers unemployment benefits -- Newsom’s rejection of Senate Bill 799 delivers a rare blow to organized labor, which has enjoyed strong support in the Democratic-controlled state Legislature. In his veto message, Newsom said expanding benefits would make the state’s unemployment trust fund “vulnerable to insolvency.” Queenie Wong in the Los Angeles Times$ Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/1/23

California housekeepers won’t get work safety protections after another Newsom veto -- Newsom said that although he is “committed to the well-being of domestic workers,” private households cannot be regulated in the same way that businesses are. Under this legislation, private households would be required to provide eyewash stations if workers use bleach and could face fines up to $15,000 per safety violation. Mackenzie Mays in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/1/23

Body of Sen. Dianne Feinstein returns to San Francisco -- As Feinstein’s plane taxied down the tarmac, her granddaughter Eileen Mariano and Mayor London Breed were among the crowd that walked out to meet her. Feinstein’s daughter Katherine was the first to disembark, followed by long-time colleague Nancy Pelosi and Feinstein’s chief of staff James Sauls. Megan Fan Munce in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ John Metcalfe in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/1/23

Dianne Feinstein’s cause of death hasn’t been disclosed, but it likely wasn’t dementia -- No cause of death has been disclosed for Dianne Feinstein, who struggled with evident health problems. But doctors doubt it was dementia. Corinne Purtill in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/1/23

Feinstein’s Death Intensifies Fight for a Coveted California Senate Seat -- The death of Senator Dianne Feinstein, the California Democrat, has set the stage for a costly ideological battle to replace a moderate senator who was one of the most monumental figures in California’s political history. Adam Nagourney, Shawn Hubler in the New York Times$ -- 10/1/23

Smith: Newsom’s cynical pitch: Hey, you there, Black woman. Can you keep Feinstein’s seat warm? -- California’s governor vowed to pick a Black woman to fill the vacancy in the Senate. But he won’t get many takers without the ability to run again. Erika D. Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/1/23

News Analysis: Kevin McCarthy avoided a government shutdown. But the fiasco shows he’s weaker than ever -- Congress has voted to prevent a government shutdown. But House Speaker Kevin McCarthy had to rely on Democrats to get the bill to President Biden’s desk. Erin B. Logan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/1/23

In California, Republicans are divided over McCarthy’s deal to avoid government shutdown -- McCarthy’s deal to fund the government through mid-November passed the House with more support from Democrats than Republicans, demonstrating his inability to hold his caucus together on key votes. Ninety Republicans opposed the measure. Faith E. Pinho, Benjamin Oreskes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/1/23

Walters: Technology and labor trade-offs create dilemma for California’s economy -- California’s labor unions prioritize job preservation and employment enhancement, but at what point do these efforts backfire and eliminate jobs? Dan Walters CalMatters -- 10/1/23