Updating . .
Records detail dramatic response to California wildfire -- A daughter was worried about her elderly parents trying to flee a massive California wildfire on horseback. A couple needing help evacuating waited for deputies in a creek near their home. A woman fretted that her mother with Alzheimer's wouldn't know to leave. Paul Elias and Ellen Knickmeyer Associated Press -- 9/24/15
Following petroleum defeat, Jerry Brown’s air board flexes muscle on climate -- Earlier this month, when a legislative effort to reduce petroleum use in motor vehicles fell apart, Gov. Jerry Brown vowed to push ahead with greenhouse gas reduction policies on his own. David Siders in the Sacramento Bee -- 9/24/15
California State University faculty union calls strike vote -- Dissatisfied with a proposed 2 percent raise, the California State University faculty union has scheduled a vote next month to authorize a strike across the 23-campus system. Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee -- 9/24/15
NASA satellite captures sprawling burn scar left by Valley Fire -- Satellite images taken by NASA show the staggering devastation left by the Valley Fire that killed at least four people as it leveled hundreds of homes earlier this month. Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/24/15
Carla Marinucci to Politico from San Francisco Chronicle -- We now know who the key player will be when Politico launches its California Playbook sometime soon. It will be Carla Marinucci, the longtime political writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. The news was broken this morning in Politico's national Playbook, Mike Allen's popular morning newsletter. Kevin Roderick LA Observed -- 9/24/15
John Myers new Sacramento bureau chief for LA Times -- The Los Angeles Times has signed John Myers to be the paper's new bureau chief in Sacramento. John is currently the California political and government editor at KQED-TV in the Bay Area. Kevin Roderick LA Observed -- 9/24/15
CALmatters Names Tom Negrete Associate Editor -- Veteran journalist Tom Negrete, with more than 25 years of editing experience, has joined CALmatters as Associate Editor to help the new public interest journalism venture explain how California’s state government works and why it matters. Calmatters.org -- 9/24/15
Court lets Berkeley couple build their 10,000-square-foot home -- The ruling may signal an end to a long legal battle over California laws that exempt single-family homes and construction in already-settled residential areas from environmental review except in “unusual” circumstances. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/24/15
Abcarian: At Hewlett-Packard, Carly Fiorina snuffed out a beloved tech culture -- It’s hard to overestimate the impact that two young Stanford graduates, working in a small wooden garage behind a brown shingled house in 1939, had on the world of high technology. Without David Packard and William Hewlett, there would probably be no Silicon Valley. Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/24/15
Water District Chair Calls for DA to Investigate Conflicts of Interest, Alleged Improper Billing -- Deep into the fourth dry year, our behaviors have finally started to change. As reservoirs drop to crisis levels and creeks run crisp, Californians have changed their routines. Brown lawns and shorter showers have become part of our lives. Josh Koehn sanjoseinside.com Tony Kovaleski, Liz Wagner and Felipe Escamilla KNTV -- 9/24/15
Volkswagen emissions scandal: Lawsuit filed in California -- An Audi owner has filed a federal lawsuit in Los Angeles over news that Volkswagen tampered with emissions testing on VW and Audi models to deceive regulators. The lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court seeks class-action status for all California residents who bought or leased a Volkswagen with a diesel engine or a diesel-powered Audi A3 between 2009 and 2015. Associated Press -- 9/24/15
Officials knew about VW pollution in early 2014 -- As many as 50,000 vehicles in California could have dumped as much as 40 times the allowable limit of nitrogen oxide, a smog-creating pollutant that's especially harmful to children, for 18 months worth of driving before government officials acted. Dennis Romero LAWeekly -- 9/24/15
Skelton: Bicyclists shouldn't get a free ride when it comes to repairing roads -- Californians take an estimated 2 million bicycle trips each day. They should start kicking in for the roads they use. Bicycle riders have been freeloading off motorists who pay gas taxes. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/24/15
How a $2.7 billion air-defense system became a 'zombie' program -- Unknown to most Americans, the Pentagon has spent $2.7 billion developing a system of giant radar-equipped blimps to provide an early warning if the country were ever attacked with cruise missiles, drones or other low-flying weapons. David Willman in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/24/15
Full text: Pope Francis’ historic address to Congress via Politico -- 9/24/15
Q&A with Bishop Quinn: His book, the pope and life as beloved leader -- Bishop Emeritus Francis A. Quinn, who once headed the Roman Catholic Diocese in Sacramento, is a first-time author with the publication of his book "Behind Closed Doors: Conflicts in Today's Church." Bill Lindelof in the Sacramento Bee -- 9/24/15
Trump may have passed his peak, polls indicate -- There's almost nothing Donald Trump likes to talk about more than his steady rise in polls. He may have to find a new topic. David Lauter in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/24/15
Donald Trump says he didn’t speak to a half-empty room. But he did. -- Donald Trump was very annoyed when he called in to CNN on Thursday morning. Philip Bump in the Washington Post -- 9/24/15
Officer’s shooting was ‘friendly fire’ -- A San Diego police officer wounded in the neck during a pursuit and shootout in May was hit by “friendly fire,” or a shot fired by another officer, the department has confirmed. Greg Moran in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/24/15
Saunders: Who wants to shut down the government? -- “I dare Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama to watch these tapes. Debra J. Saunders in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/24/15
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Push to nix California vaccine law enters crucial stretch -- Signed into law this June after a ferocious political fight, Senate Bill 277 requires that children – unless they have a medical exemption – receive all their shots before enrolling in public or private school. Opponents who could not halt it in the Legislature hope voters will rally to their cause by overturning the law at the ballot box. Jeremy B. White in the Sacramento Bee -- 9/24/15
LA's Nuclear Secret: Part 2 -- The Santa Susana Field Laboratory, tucked in the hills between the San Fernando and Simi valleys, might be putting the health of thousands of Los Angeles and Ventura County residents at risk. Joel Grover and Matthew Glasser NBCLA -- 9/24/15
Sudden loss of water in Lassen County reservoir -- A Pacific Gas & Electric Co. official blamed four years of drought for last week’s sudden loss of water in Mountain Meadows Reservoir and the accumulation of dead and rotting fish near Indian Ole Dam. Local residents are not so sure. Jane Braxton Little in the Sacramento Bee -- 9/24/15
Mendocino County sheriff raids Native American pot farm that tribe says is legal -- An Indian tribe's plans to harvest and distribute medical marijuana in Ukiah was nipped in the bud this week when Mendocino County sheriff's deputies seized hundreds of plants at two properties, officials said Wednesday. Joseph Serna in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/24/15
Fresno officials will travel to Spain to study its high-speed rail -- On Saturday, a group of Fresno politicians, businessmen, education, labor and economic development officials will leave on a nine-day trip to Spain, where they will look at various aspects of the Spanish high-speed rail system and how some of its best practices can be used for California’s bullet train. John Ellis and Tim Sheehan in the Fresno Bee -- 9/24/15
Morain: A lonely voice speaks out again -- As the dimensions of the diesel scandal become evident and disgraced Volkswagen executives apologize for their lies and resign, Paul Wuebben feels vindicated though not particularly happy. Dan Morain in the Sacramento Bee -- 9/24/15
Fourth victim found in ruins of Lake County’s Valley Fire -- The death toll in Lake County’s Valley Fire climbed to four on Wednesday as authorities announced the discovery of a body, even as firefighters increased containment on the blaze to 80 percent. Lake County sheriff’s officials found the remains at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the hard-hit Cobb area and believe they belong to Robert Fletcher, 66, who was unaccounted for and had his home destroyed. Hamed Aleaziz in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/24/15
Turning The Lights Back On After The Butte Fire -- The Butte Fire in Amador and Calaveras Counties has left 70,000 acres of gray earth and scorched trees. In many areas, the quiet is reminiscent of, but also starkly different from, the silence of a snowfall. Bob Moffitt Capital Public Radio -- 9/24/15
Middletown Senior Center becomes hub for post-Valley fire assistance -- Several dozen agencies have set up shop at the center to provide residents with a place to acquire new driver’s licenses, file insurance claims, report destroyed vehicles now out of operation, print documents, get a meal or medication and access many other services. Julie Johnson in the Santa Rosa Press -- 9/24/15
Hundreds of millions in damage estimated in California fire -- Future rebuilding efforts after the hundreds of millions of dollars in destruction caused by a wildfire burning north of San Francisco will be an opportunity to improve poor, sparsely populated Lake County, California officials said. Ellen Knickmeyer Associated Press -- 9/24/15
Volkswagen scandal linked to investigation by California Air Resources Board -- A scandal that has crashed stock in Volkswagen and led the chief executive of the German carmaker to resign Wednesday was the result of an investigation initiated by the California Air Resources Board. Allen Young Sacramento Business Journal -- 9/24/15
Frank Gehry Draws Ire for Joining Los Angeles River Restoration Project -- At 86, Frank Gehry, the architect, seems to be everywhere these days, overseeing philanthropic and commercial projects from Watts to the Sunset Strip as he settles into the final years of his career in the city he has called home since 1947. Adam Nagrourney in the New York Times$ -- 9/24/15
High-speed rail takes Henry Perea to Spain -- Post-session legislative travel season has arrived for California lawmakers, with Assemblyman Henry T. Perea, D-Fresno, heading to Spain this week for a high-speed rail study trip alongside business and labor representatives. Jeremy B. White in the Sacramento Bee -- 9/24/15
Mayor Lee defends efforts to improve city’s economy -- While Mayor Ed Lee said Wednesday that his priorities for his second term in office will be alleviating homelessness and building housing, he defended the economic policies critics say directly contributed to the city’s worsening problems of homelessness and housing affordability. Emily Green in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/24/15
Kleiner Perkins drops request; Pao will not pay legal costs -- Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers dropped its request for Ellen Pao to pay its legal costs, after she failed to convince a jury that the venture firm retaliated and discriminated against her, according to a source familiar with the case. Wendy Lee in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/24/15 -- 9/24/15
Pope Francis canonizes Father Junipero Serra, saying he defended Native Americans -- Pope Francis called Father Junipero Serra a defender of “the dignity of the native community,” as the first pope from the Americas canonized the 18th century missionary known as the Apostle of California on Wednesday while celebrating his first Mass in the United States. Noah Bierman in the Los Angeles Times Kevin Diaz in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/24/15
San Francisco priest leaving over attending women’s ordination conference -- A Catholic priest will no longer be allowed to stand at the pulpit in San Francisco after attending a conference over the weekend advocating the ordination of women. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/24/15
Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls
Toll payers will dig deep: Bay Bridge fix could top $15 million -- A long-term fix for the waterlogged steel rods at the base of the new Bay Bridge eastern span’s tower will cost at least $15 million, much of which could come from toll payers, Caltrans officials said Wednesday. Jaxon Van Derbeken in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/24/15
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Uber will change Oakland, but will Oakland change Uber? -- Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf called Uber’s decision to move 3,000 techies to a renovated downtown department store a “game-changer” for the city. Perhaps it will be for Uber, too. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/24/15
Why L.A.'s homeless camp cleanups seem to be futile -- When the workers in hazmat suits arrived there wasn't much left to do. Rosa Torres had received the mandatory 72-hour notice, posted on a tree beside her lean-to in the crescent-shaped median skirting North Hills Community Park. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/24/15
The Big California Milk Fight: Where There’s Whey, There’s a Will -- An exciting courtroom drama began Tuesday in the Central Valley, with teams of lawyers, reams of evidence and what could be weeks of testimony from experts. But it’s not a murder trial. It’s actually a USDA hearing about the price of milk. Sasha Khokha KQED -- 9/24/15
Greenhut: State shreds ballots to ‘protect’ voters -- California's farm-labor agency takes paternalism to a new level. Steven Greenhut in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/24/15
Drought
Sacramento region conservation efforts dip slightly in August -- Sacramento-area residents continue to conserve water in response to the state’s epic drought, with August cutbacks registering just slightly lower than the previous two months. Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee -- 9/24/15
Education
Plan to boost charters splits L.A. Unified board -- Dividing lines quickly emerged on the Los Angeles Board of Education on Tuesday over an ambitious plan to double the number of charter campuses across the city, with two members vowing an all-out fight and two others applauding the expansion of choice for parents. Teresa Watanabe and Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/24/15
Friends, foes of Vergara ruling file briefs to appeals court -- Two former Republican governors joined an impressive array of law professors, education scholars, teachers of the year, civil rights advocates and state and civic leaders submitting briefs on both sides of the appeal of the Vergara lawsuit. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 9/24/15
Orange County says special ed students must comply with vaccination law -- In Orange County, home to the Disneyland measles outbreak that spread to seven other states and fueled a strict California vaccination law this year, attorneys for the Orange County Department of Education have stated that the new vaccination requirements apply equally to special education students, a group that some thought would be exempt because of their federally protected right to educational services. Jane Meredith Adams EdSource -- 9/24/15
Gov. Brown must decide fate of exit exam, other key ed bills -- Gov. Jerry Brown has until Oct. 11 to sign or veto legislation that the Legislature passed before heading home last month. Bills to retroactively award high school diplomas to students who failed the high school exit exam and to ban for-profit charter schools are among those awaiting action. EdSource -- 9/24/15
Immigration / Border
Immigration agents allowed back in L.A. County jails, with limits -- Federal immigration agents have returned to Los Angeles County jails to seek out deportable inmates under a new policy by Sheriff Jim McDonnell that has prompted criticism from immigrant advocates who say it could lead to racial profiling. Kate Linthicum in the Los Angeles Times Ian Lovett in the New York Times$ -- 9/24/15
A 5-Year-Old Girl Gave the Pope a Message About Immigration -- A video of the parade shows the 5-year-old girl from South Gate, California, sneaking through the heavy barricades lining the Pope’s route through Washington, D.C. A police officer holds her back, and Sophie shyly retreats, waiting by the barricade. Tanya Basu TIME -- 9/24/15
Environment
Millions of plastic particles polluting San Francisco Bay -- San Francisco Bay is hundreds of times more contaminated than the Great Lakes with small plastic particles from cosmetics and synthetic clothing, a new study has found. And the small microbeads and other pollutants are gobbled up by fish, whose guts contain far more of the toxic stuff than their fellow Great Lakes fish. Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/24/15
California fishermen face challenges -- California could be on the the verge of making life a lot simpler for fishermen to buy a fishing license, but at the same time a state agency is looking at banning lead fishing tackle in the state. Ed Zieralski in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/24/15
Coronado rises up against bike lanes and 'paint stripe pollution' -- Coronado residents have apparently had enough of bike lanes, lashing out at them as an eyesore at a remarkable City Council meeting last week, likely to make national news in 3, 2, 1... Ricky Young in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/24/15
Ironman deems Tahoe conditions too risky for its triathlons -- The Ironman triathlon held twice at Lake Tahoe has been discontinued due to what organizers are calling “adverse environmental and weather conditions.” Sammy Caiola in the Sacramento Bee -- 9/24/15
Health
Contra Costa Restores Health Care for Undocumented Adults -- The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to restore primary health care services to undocumented adults living in the county. The services had been cut in 2009 during the economic downturn. The county had never ceased covering undocumented children. Farida Jhabvala Romero KQED -- 9/24/15
A defining moment in modern health care -- Martin Shkreli is health care’s Gordon Gekko, its wolf of Wall Street, the symbol of all that makes people uneasy about an industry that seeks to make money by selling treatments while vowing to care only about the well-being of vulnerable patients. Carolyn Y. Johnson in the Washington Post -- 9/24/15
Pharma Bro Is the Face of U.S. Health Care -- A fourth thing might be that he is the face of unapologetic profiteering from the suffering of humans. As CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, he acquired an anti-parasite medication called Daraprim and immediately increased the price from roughly $13.50 to $750. James Hamblin The Atlantic -- 9/24/15
Also . . .
Nevius: Steinle’s parents: ‘no room for angry’ -- Ever since July 1, when their daughter Kate was tragically shot and killed on Pier 14 by an immigrant in the country illegally, Jim Steinle and Liz Sullivan have been approached by well-meaning strangers. C.W. Nevius in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/24/15
Vietnamese refugees reach out to Syrians fleeing by boat -- When Jonathan Huynh heard the haunting story of two young Syrian boys and their mother fleeing their country and drowning when their small rubber boat capsized on its way to Greece, he saw himself. The 37-year-old California chiropractor was a toddler when his family took to the seas to flee communist Vietnam. They survived and wound up at a Malaysian refugee camp. Amy Taxin Associated Press -- 9/24/15
2 found dead in Compton marijuana dispensary -- Two men were found dead Wednesday in a Compton marijuana dispensary, and authorities say the pair died from apparent gunshot wounds. Matt Hamilton in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/24/15
This New Website Promises to Handle Your Entire Divorce And Filing Costs Just $99 -- A new website aims to take much of the heartache and cost out of getting a divorce by conducting the whole process online. Mark Rivett-Carnac TIME -- 9/24/15
POTUS 44
Beltway
Carly Fiorina just another politician? Views shift to sway more conservative crowd -- In one of the most dramatic moments of her breakthrough debate performance, Carly Fiorina called for a government shutdown in the fight over Planned Parenthood, painting a gruesome picture involving the harvesting of fetal tissue for medical research. Mark Z. Barabak and Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/24/15
Carson says immigrants 'don't get to change who we are' -- Speaking at a university in his native Michigan Wednesday, Carson said the U.S. is "Judeo-Christian." He says he has "no interest in being like everyone else and giving away all of our values and principles for the sake of political correctness." David Eggert Associated Press -- 9/24/15
Chris Christie Tells National Guard Leader to Lose Weight -- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has famously struggled to slim his waistline over the years. Now, he’s ordering someone else to lose weight. Justin Worland TIME -- 9/24/15
Colbert bests Trump -- Facing off with the razor-sharp comedian, a subdued front-runner grins and bears it. Ben Schreckinger Politico -- 9/24/15
GOP leaders: Trump sets us back on race -- Donald Trump is campaigning Wednesday in a South Carolina where the Republican Party has been turning the page on a divisive racial past: The state boasts the first black Republican U.S. senator elected to Congress from the south in over a century, an Indian-American Republican governor, and a Republican-controlled legislature that voted in July to remove a Confederate flag from the grounds of its State House. So much for all that. Ben Schreckinger Politico -- 9/24/15