Updating . .   

Hoover poll shows support for health insurance rate regulation -- Proposition 45, a ballot measure that would regulate health insurance rates, is ahead, according to a new Internet poll by the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Marc Lifsher in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/14

U.S. Sen. Boxer endorses Schaaf for Oakland mayor -- A candidate for Oakland mayor got a last-minute boost Tuesday, when Sen. Barbara Boxer endorsed her to be the city's next leader. Will Kane in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/28/14

California AG Says 18.5 Million Residents' Info Exposed -- Personal information about more than 18.5 million Californians was hacked, stolen or otherwise exposed last year and as many as one-third of those people will become victims of fraud, California Attorney General Kamala Harris said Tuesday in a new report on data breaches in the nation's biggest state. Brandon Bailey Associated Press -- 10/28/14

Brown delivers on most 2010 campaign pledges -- Jerry Brown drew chuckles decades ago when he suggested that California launch its own communications satellite into space. He had a more down-to-earth proposal when he ran for governor in 2010. Chris Megerian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/14

Governor won't push to extend Prop. 30 sale and income taxes -- Gov. Jerry Brown told reporters Monday that he would not seek to renew sales and income tax increases that are due to expire at the end of 2016. Allen Young Sacramento Business Journal -- 10/28/14

Amgen to cut up to 1,100 more jobs -- Biotech giant Amgen Inc. said Tuesday it will eliminate up to 1,100 additional jobs next year as the Thousand Oaks firm faces pressure to split into two. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/14

Democratic registration surge fuels record number of Ventura county voters -- A sustained voter registration drive that began in late July has yielded nearly 5,500 new Democratic registrations in Oxnard, boosting the total number of registered Democratic voters in the city by 15 percent in just three months. Timm Herdt in the Ventura Star$ -- 10/28/14

California manufacturers’ lobbying group -- Dorothy Rothrock, chief lobbyist for the California Manufacturers and Technology Association, is being promoted to president of the industry group, as its longtime head Jack Stewart announced Tuesday that he will retire at the end of the year. Laurel Rosenhall in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/28/14

Bill Clinton to stump for some California House candidates Wednesday -- Former President Bill Clinton will headline two get-out-the-vote rallies Wednesday for some Democratic House candidates in spirited California races. Jean Merl in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/14

FTC suing AT&T over promises of unlimited data -- Saying 'unlimited means unlimited' the FTC is suing AT&T for allegedly slowing network speeds Christine Mai-Duc, Julie Westfall in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/14

Fox: See Tax Increases, Think Pensions -- Despite the ridicule heaped on bonuses offered public workers for simply doing their jobs – just one prime example: a librarian earning a bonus for helping members of the public find books – the California Retirement System (CalPERS) board last week made sure the bonuses added to salaries will be part of pension calculations. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 10/28/14

Absent after having stroke, senior served with eviction notice -- Oh, the San Francisco Housing Authority. Its staff is always good for a “They did what?” article — but at least this one doesn't end as badly as they usually do. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/28/14

California cities putting the brakes on some for-profit parking apps -- For sheer vexation behind the wheel, it's tough to top driving repeatedly around the block in quest of parking only to have another motorist slide into a just-vacated spot as you pull around the corner. Martha Groves in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/14

CHP sergeant returns $120K found on Concord street -- An off-duty California Highway Patrol sergeant is being hailed for finding $120,000 in the middle of a Concord street and returning the money, which turned out to be a family’s life savings, authorities said. Henry K. Lee in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/28/14

Residential Crime Could Tip the Vote in San Jose’s Mayoral Race -- It’s tough to unite neighborhoods in a city as sprawling, diverse and economically divided as San Jose. But the issue of residential crime appears to be doing just that this election season. Beth Willon KQED -- 10/28/14

Driver who hit, killed Ventura deputy narrowly missed 2 other officers -- A Ventura County sheriff's deputy was killed early Tuesday after he was struck by a vehicle during a traffic stop on the 101 Freeway, authorities said. Veronica Rocha in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/14

SWAT officer shot in San Gabriel: 'We are hoping for the best' -- A Pomona police SWAT officer shot early Tuesday while assisting with a search warrant operation in San Gabriel is recovering in an intensive care unit, authorities said. Veronica Rocha, Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/14

California Policy & Politics This Morning   

Bill Clinton to headline rally for Democrat Ami Bera -- Clinton is scheduled to appear with Democratic Reps. Ami Bera of Elk Grove and John Garamendi of Walnut Grove at the 12:30 p.m. event on the campus of the University of California, Davis. Christopher Cadelago in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/28/14

Bullet train just a blur in California governor's race -- At $68 billion, California's bullet train is the nation's largest infrastructure project and arguably Gov. Jerry Brown's biggest initiative. Ralph Vartabedian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/27/14

Kashkari might blaze a path even while losing -- Republican Neel Kashkari almost certainly will lose to Gov. Jerry Brown next week, but political experts say he could leave a lasting mark on how California Republicans run for office. Josh Richman in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/27/14

Voters have say in doctor-lawyer battle over malpractice cap -- Nearly 40 years ago, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law to help stem spiraling costs for medical malpractice insurance policies in California. Christopher Cadelago in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/28/14

Walters: Decades-old mistake is at the root of California’s Prop. 46 -- Proponents and opponents of Proposition 46 are bombarding California voters with tens of millions of dollars in television spots and other propaganda – probably because of a tactical political mistake 39 years ago. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/27/14

Gov. Jerry Brown downplays possibility of tax-hike extension -- Emphasizing what he called the Democratic Party’s commitment to frugal governing, Gov. Jerry Brown downplayed the chances Monday of returning to the voters to renew sales and income tax increases when they expire starting at the end of 2016. Carla Marinucci in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/28/14

Jerry Brown in Pleasanton, stumps for Props. 1 & 2, Tim Sbranti -- and himself? -- Gov. Jerry Brown rallied Democratic troops Monday for a pair of ballot measures, a local Assembly candidate and -- almost, sort of, not quite -- for his re-election. Josh Richman in the San Jose Mercury$ John Myers KQED David Siders in the Sacramento Bee$ Mark Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/27/14

With election nearing, Sutter Brown hits the campaign trail -- Politicians love trotting out celebrities and powerful supporters to win over voters on the campaign trail. In California, the star is Gov. Jerry Brown's dog. Chris Megerian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/27/14

Criminal justice changes stir debate over safety -- As Gov. Jerry Brown seeks re-election next month, Republicans say decisions he made to reduce prison overcrowding are endangering the public by putting more criminals on the streets. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 10/27/14

Some Sacramento County voters received wrong absentee ballots due to mailing vendor’s error -- Sacramento County Voter Registration and Elections Office employees spent Sunday hand-delivering absentee ballots to voters after elections officials discovered that the wrong ballots were mailed to 232 voters countywide. Cathy Locke in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/28/14

Roger Dickinson responds to CPS attack ads -- Democratic Assemblyman Roger Dickinson lashed out Monday against what he called “faceless and unaccountable super PACs” that have launched a multimedia advertising campaign attacking him for serious problems at Sacramento’s Child Protective Services during the years he oversaw the agency as a member of the county board of supervisors. Laurel Rosenhall in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/27/14

AD16: Dems try hard to GOTV for Tim Sbranti -- Gov. Jerry Brown wasn’t the only one who showed up Monday in Pleasanton to sing Assembly candidate Tim Sbranti’s praises. Josh Richman Political Blotter -- 10/27/14

White men hold most California offices -- Campaign season offers promises of fresh faces and new ideas, but one constant remains: even in a state as diverse as California, white men dominate public office. Jeremy B. White in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/27/14

Spanish videos to boost California DMV’s outreach -- When it comes to bureaucracies, the Department of Motor Vehicles can be difficult to navigate in any language. Jeremy B. White in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/27/14

California voters among those getting mailers in controversial political study -- An unconventional voter guide -- part of a controversial political science study that caused an uproar in Montana -- also hit the mailboxes of nearly 150,000 Californians last week. Melanie Mason in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/27/14

Disney pumps money into Anaheim election -- Disney Corp. has contributed $518,204 to political action committees that back two candidates for Anaheim City Council who support a proposed streetcar line that would take people to two Disney theme parks. Joseph Pimentel in the Orange County Register$ -- 10/27/14

Plante: Why the 36th Congressional District is a toss-up -- Ordinarily, the smart money would be on Ruiz. That’s because of the power of incumbency and also because of his surprisingly strong showing two years ago, when he ousted then-incumbent Mary Bono. Hank Plante The Desert Sun -- 10/27/14

In Malibu, millionaires spar over a slow-growth ballot measure -- The two millionaires squared off in the middle of the stage and sized each other up, staring eye to eye, like prizefighters. Matt Stevens in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/27/14

Kill the Messenger: Hallye Jordan worked with Gary Webb in the San Jose Mercury News Capitol Bureau during the time Webb was writing his series about CIA drug running. Webb's series begot a book, "Dark Alliance," which begot the recently released movie "Kill the Messenger." We asked Jordan to write about her impressions of the movie from the perspective of a former colleague. Capitol Morning Report -- 10/27/14

Taxes, Fees, Rates   

San Francisco hails 'Twitter tax break’ as rousing success -- Construction cranes and rattling power tools are visible evidence that the 2011 tax break designed to draw tech firms like Twitter to San Francisco’s long-neglected Mid-Market has attracted businesses. John Coté in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/27/14

Soda makers try to take fizz out of Bay Area tax campaigns -- Again and again in the U.S., anti-soda crusaders looking to fight obesity have been stymied wherever they've tried to impose new laws on soda sales. Sarah Varney NPR -- 10/27/14

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Pensions   

Job brokers steal wages, entrap Indian tech workers in US -- Labor brokers providing Indian high-tech workers to American companies have hijacked a professional visa program, creating an underground system of financial bondage by stealing wages and benefits, even suing workers who quit. Matt Smith, Jennifer Gollan and Adithya Sambamurthy Center for Investigative Reporting -- 10/27/14

L.A. tech economy is underrated, venture capitalist Peter Thiel says -- The Los Angeles start-up economy seems destined to live in the shadow of Silicon Valley, but PayPal co-founder and venture capitalist Peter Thiel offered some fresh optimism to Los Angeles entrepreneurs and investors. Paresh Dave in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/27/14

Lazarus: The ethics of firms paying to be honored for ethics -- Peter Humber was watching TV at his home in Montecito Heights recently when an ad for Blue Shield of California came on. David Lazarus in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/27/14

Twitter user growth slows, but revenue more than doubles -- Twitter's third-quarter revenue outpaced expectations, but investors concerned about user growth and holiday-quarter sales clipped the company's stock price late Monday. Associated Press -- 10/27/14

CalPERS bides time on downtown Sacramento site near new arena -- It’s one of the hottest real estate opportunities in Sacramento, a vacant city block just a few hundred feet from the future home of the new Kings arena. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/28/14

Education

LA Unified acknowleges mistakes in student transcripts as college deadlines loom -- The new $130 million MiSiS student data system, blamed for student scheduling chaos at some Los Angeles Unified campuses earlier this school year, is now turning out student transcripts with incorrect information on grade-point averages, classes taken, and class rankings. Adolfo Guzman-Lopez KPCC Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/27/14

New graduation standards are a daunting hurdle -- More than 40 percent of San Diego Unified’s high school students are at risk of failing courses needed to graduate in 2016 under new standards designed to make sure college-prep classes are offered equitably — at every campus regardless of ZIP code, income and ethnicity. Maureen Magee UT San Diego$ -- 10/27/14

UC Berkeley students seek to block Bill Maher speech -- Comedian Bill Maher is scheduled to be the speaker at UC Berkeley’s mid-year commencement, but some students, who object to what they allege to be his anti-Muslim statements, are asking administrators to rescind the invitation. Larry Gordon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/27/14

State implements new kindergarten cutoff age -- Of the panoply of reforms now being implemented in California schools, the one affecting the state’s youngest public school students passed almost unnoticed this fall. Louis Freedberg and Laurie Udesky EdSource -- 10/28/14

How Teacher Tenure Figures Into the November Election -- But for those outside education, it may be hard to understand why teacher tenure is such a big deal, especially during an election season in which both Democrats and Republicans are seizing on the issue to win votes. Let’s rewind the clock for a moment. Ana Tintocalis KQED -- 10/27/14

San Francisco City College’s accreditation trial opens with future on line -- By the time a commission voted to revoke accreditation from City College of San Francisco in 2013, the college had a huge obligation to pay retiree health benefits — $189 million and growing then by $10 million a year — and no way to pay for it. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/27/14

Environment

How California is turning drainage canals back to rivers -- The Santa Ana River, born of snowmelt and natural springs near Big Bear Lake, flows through Southern California as one of the region's most scenic rivers — until it hits Orange County. Louis Sahagun in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/28/14

Health

Ebola's evolving threat studied in UCSF lab -- Tiny vials of inactivated Ebola virus from Africa are coming into a San Francisco lab, carrying secrets that might reveal the killer's past -- and fateful future. Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/27/14

Also . . .

TV losing ground, web gaining for political news -- Californians’ reliance on TV for their political news is declining, while an increasing number of people are using the Internet for political coverage, according to a comparative report from the Public Policy Institute of California. John Howard Capitol Weekly -- 10/27/14

$50 million Bay Bridge crane given to builders for free -- Bay Area commuters paid $50million for that monster crane that was used to help build the $6.4 billion eastern span of the Bay Bridge — only to see it later handed over to the builders for free. Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/27/14

Bicycle traffic deaths soar; California leads nation -- If you are going to be killed by a car while riding a bicycle, there’s a good chance you are male, older than 20 and living in California or Florida. Jerry Hirsch in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/27/14

Quinn: Who’s Winning, Who’s Losing A Week From The Election? -- Voting by mail is now the rage in California; in the June primary more than 69 percent of the ballots were cast before Election Day. Tony Quinn Fox & Hounds -- 10/27/14

No oath needed for child witness -- A child who is called to testify in court must show she understands the difference betwen truth and lies, and must promise to tell the truth. But, unlike adult witnesses, a child under 10 doesn’t have to take an oath, says a state appeals court. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/27/14

Greenhut: Fire case ignites misconduct allegations -- Federal and state officials accused of using powers to shake down lumber company. Steven Greenhut UT San Diego$ -- 10/27/14

No joke: This guy has a quaint, gently used bridge to sell you -- Luciano Arruda, a mild-mannered, high-tech salesman of sorts, has a bridge he wants to sell you, and that’s neither a scam nor a joke. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/27/14

NSA / Surveillance   

Report Reveals Wider Tracking of Mail in U.S. -- The Postal Service approved nearly 50,000 requests last year from law enforcement agencies to secretly track the mail of ordinary Americans for use in criminal and national security investigations. Ron Nixon in the New York Times$ -- 10/28/14

POTUS 44    

Obama appeals ruling on NSA disclosure -- Not satisfied with a Bay Area judge’s ruling that allowed the government to withhold a series of documents about its telephone surveillance program, the Obama administration filed an appeal Monday over the one document that the judge ordered disclosed. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/27/14