Updating . .
Kamala Harris is hitting another presidential battleground – to help a Senate colleague -- The California senator will be in Florida as a special guest of Sen. Bill Nelson for a Nov. 3 lunch reception, according to an invitation obtained by The Sacramento Bee. The event in Jacksonville is part of a multistop fundraising swing though the state, with plans to appear alongside Nelson in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Christopher Cadelago in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/7/17
Kids of parents on work visas face uncertain future -- Neeraj Dharmadhikari is getting a different version of America than the one he was promised as a wide-eyed 10-year-old. Trisha Thadani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/7/17
Sempra, Chamber lobbying asks San Diego to put government-run electricity program on ice -- A debate is nearing a boiling point over whether the city of San Diego should form a government-run alternative to San Diego Gas & Electric — a move that could foreshadow a massive overhaul of electrical markets across California. Joshua Emerson Smith in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/7/17
Lopez: Even in California, some people think Trump is doing just fine as president -- One year ago this month, I went to a Denny’s in Redondo Beach to have a cup of coffee with a guy who liked what he saw in a candidate by the name of Donald Trump. I didn’t get it, and I thought I should make an effort to find out what I was missing. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/17
Low-tech law books won't fit in new, high-tech San Diego courthouse -- Superior Court Judge Runston “Tony” Maino found a use for the law books lining his courtroom shelves as nice footstools for short-legged jurors. Judge Gerald Jessop noticed that the fat, leather-bound volumes in his courtroom provided effective sound insulation. Pauline Repard in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/7/17
More workers failing drug tests in Northern California -- A growing number of people in Northern California are failing drug tests required by their employers, prompting some local companies to rethink their drug-free workplace policies in an age of legal marijuana. The number of drug detections are relatively small, but the statistics indicate more people are using cannabis following voters’ decision last year to legalize its recreational use in California. Julie Johnson in the Santa Rosa Press -- 10/7/17
Bay Area Job Losses May Be Tied to Affordable Housing Crisis -- Economists have used the term “full employment” to describe the Bay Area’s job market, and the region has a reputation of having plenty of jobs. Take Santa Clara County: The unemployment rate hovers around 3.9 percent. But the county actually lost jobs in August — 3,000, according to the state Employment Development Department. The San Francisco-San Mateo area saw a decline of 2,000 jobs during the same period. Tonya Mosley KQED -- 10/7/17
San Diego may soften park construction requirements to spur more housing -- San Diego would get fewer new parks but existing parks would get more amenities under proposed policy changes that aim to accelerate construction of affordable housing. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/7/17
Balz: Shifting attitudes among Democrats have big implications for 2020 -- Partisan divisions are not new news in American politics, nor is the assertion that one cause of the deepening polarization has been a demonstrable rightward shift among Republicans. But a more recent leftward movement in attitudes among Democrats also is notable and has obvious implications as the party looks toward 2020. Dan Balz in the Washington Post$ -- 10/7/17
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Even deadlier form of fentanyl reaches San Diego County -- Imagine a substance so potent that a few specks — the size of a few granules of table salt — can kill you. If you didn’t think the stakes could get any deadlier in the emerging fentanyl crisis, it has. And it’s here. Kristina Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/7/17
The Strange Political Afterlife of Arnold Schwarzenegger -- Now, six years after leaving Sacramento, he’s still reinventing himself—as a kind of globetrotting do-gooder, promoting a handful of causes like fighting climate change and gerrymandering. But mostly, he’s having a hell of a good time. Wherever he goes, everybody knows him. Edward-Isaac Dovere Politico -- 10/7/17
California sues Trump administration over changes to Obama-era birth control coverage rule -- California sued the Trump administration Friday, claiming it unlawfully discriminated against women in its decision to limit an Obama-era rule that requires employers to provide for contraceptives in their health insurance plans. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$Don Thompson Associated Press Angela Hart in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/7/17
Trump's immigration chief blasts California's new 'sanctuary state' law, saying it will result in more arrests -- In a statement, Thomas Homan, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said his agency "would have no choice but to conduct at-large arrests in local neighborhoods and at worksites." Jazmine Ulloa in the Los Angeles Times$ Olga R. Rodriguez Associated Press Ben Adler Capital Public Radio Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Katy Murphy and Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ Christopher Cadelago in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/7/17
L.A. city councilman wants water board to call off Delta tunnels vote -- Councilman Paul Koretz introduced a resolution Friday that asks the city and Garcetti to formally object to a vote by the board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California on the project, known as California WaterFix. The 38-member board is scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to commit $4.3 billion in MWD funds to the project. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/17
California steps up fight against Trump over clean car standards -- Thinking of buying a new car in a few years? California officials threw their latest punch Friday in an escalating war with President Donald Trump over how much carbon it will spew and how many miles it will get to the gallon. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/7/17
Treasurer John Chiang calls on state pension funds to divest from retailers who sell guns banned in California -- Outraged by the shooting Sunday that killed 58 people in Las Vegas, California Treasurer John Chiang called Friday for state pension officials to investigate whether they have investments in retailers or manufacturers of assault rifles and devices that give the weapons rapid-fire ability. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/17
San Diego followed hepaptitis guidelines, but local conditions worsened outbreak -- Experts say San Diego followed all the right steps in addressing what is now one of the largest hepatitis A outbreaks the country has seen in decades, but variables unique to the city’s situation contributed to the outbreak. Lauryn Schroeder in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/7/17
Trolley workers fear hepatitis from riders who use trains as bathrooms -- Workers in charge of maintaining San Diego trolleys say homeless people regularly urinate and defecate inside the trains, and the hepatitis A outbreak across the county has them worried they may be infected. Jeff McDonald in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/7/17
Sen. Kamala Harris to donate Harvey Weinstein contributions to charity -- In light of news reported Thursday by the New York Times outlining decades of alleged sexual harassment by Weinstein, some Democrats are giving away donations they received from the Hollywood mogul. Those who have not have been criticized by the Republican National Committee. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/17
California bullet train staff recommend German operator -- The agency overseeing California's bullet train project recommended Friday that a U.S. subsidiary of a German rail company design and operate a train segment from the Central Valley to Silicon Valley in its early stages. Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 10/7/17
Hillary Clinton warns cyberattacks are a growing danger to democracy -- Sounding alternately angry and rueful, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned a crowd at Stanford University on Friday night about the growing danger to democracy posed by cyberattacks on the country’s political system. Clinton painted her loss to Republican Donald Trump in November’s presidential election as the opening volley in what she called a new level of political warfare. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Casey Tolan in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/7/17
Gov. Brown vetoes bill barring marketing of pot edibles to children, saying the practice is already banned by law -- Just months before shops can begin selling marijuana for recreational use, Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday vetoed a measure that aims to prevent marketing pot edibles to minors, saying it conflicts with a similar law previously approved by the state. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/17
Jerry Brown vetoes smoking ban at California beaches and state parks -- Cigarette butts are the most common type of litter on California’s beaches, but on Friday Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed two bills that would have banned smoking at all state beaches and state parks in California. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ Ben Adler Capital Public Radio Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/7/17
California will soon end lifetime registration of some sex offenders under bill signed by Gov. Jerry Brown -- Thousands of Californians will be allowed to take their names off the state’s registry of sex offenders as a result of action Friday by Gov. Jerry Brown. Brown signed legislation that, when it takes effect Jan. 1, will end lifetime listings for lower-level offenders judged to be at little risk of committing new crimes. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/7/17
Knowingly exposing others to HIV will no longer be a felony in California -- Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill Friday that lowers from a felony to a misdemeanor the crime of knowingly exposing a sexual partner to HIV without disclosing the infection. The measure also applies to those who give blood without telling the blood bank that they are HIV-positive. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/17
California prosecutors will soon be able to combine child sexual assault and trafficking cases from different counties -- Gov. Jerry Brown this week signed a new law that will allow California prosecutors to consolidate more child sexual assault cases from different counties into a single trial, as long as all district attorneys involved agree. Jazmine Ulloa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/17
California voters warned about their healthcare in new ad: 'Just like a zombie, repeal keeps coming back' -- Republicans may have abandoned their latest effort to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act, but some advocacy groups aren't letting the issue go so easily. Christine Mai-Duc in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/17
If Trump administration tries to sell federal land in California, a new law says the state gets first dibs -- California officials could be barred from transferring the title for federal government land to a private owner under a law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, prompted by fears that President Trump may shift away from previous efforts at preservation. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/17
Treasurer John Chiang calls on state pension funds to divest from retailers who sell guns banned in California -- Outraged by the shooting Sunday that killed 58 people in Las Vegas, California Treasurer John Chiang called Friday for state pension officials to investigate whether they have investments in retailers or manufacturers of assault rifles and devices that give the weapons rapid-fire ability. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/17
Bank pays $1.75M over treasurer likened to Bernie Madoff -- A Beverly Hills-based bank has paid $1.75 million to settle allegations that a bank it acquired facilitated embezzlement by failing to monitor transactions by a woman whom a prosecutor likened to the Bernie Madoff of campaign treasurers. Former Democratic campaign treasurer Kinde Durkee pleaded guilty to five counts of mail fraud in 2012 and was sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison for defrauding high-profile clients, including U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, in a case that a judge said tampered with the electoral process. Juliet Williams Associated Press -- 10/7/17
Prosecution of Oakland police sex exploitation scandal sees little success -- In the year since Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley filed criminal charges against six East Bay law enforcement officers for what she called their “morally reprehensible” actions in Oakland’s sexual misconduct scandal, the most severe punishment handed down has been a $390 fine and three years of court probation. Kimberly Veklerov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/7/17
Hundreds gather to remember San Jose woman killed in Las Vegas shooting -- Months before a gunman felled her and dozens of others at an outdoor country music festival on the Las Vegas Strip, San Jose native Michelle Vo sat down with her husband to hammer out exactly what she wanted done in the event of her untimely death. Jason Green in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/7/17
Linked by shooting tragedy, San Bernardino reflects on Las Vegas -- "It happened again." That's what Angelika Robinson thought to herself on Monday morning when she first heard about the shooting in Las Vegas, that left 58 people dead and hundreds more wounded. “I just felt such heaviness. A heaviness that it happened again. And it never ends,” she said. Jacob Margolis KPCC -- 10/7/17
Las Vegas gunman was a laid-back 'goofball,' longtime business associate says. 'He made you laugh -- Stephen Paddock, the former IRS agent and professional gambler whose shooting rampage in Las Vegas left 58 victims dead, was a laid-back “goofball” who didn’t have a “serious bone in his body,” a longtime employee of the gunman said Friday. Adam Elmahrek, Matt Pearce and Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/17
Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds
SDG&E wants to raise rates 11%, starting in two years -- San Diego Gas & Electric filed a request with state regulators late Friday afternoon, asking for an 11 percent rate increase in 2019 and running through 2022. Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/7/17
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Regulators recommend that the state reject a Ventura County natural gas plant -- Called the Puente Energy project, the 262-megawatt power plant would be owned and operated by NRG, a Houston-based electricity company. NRG contracted with Southern California Edison to supply power to the utility. Ivan Penn in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/17
Transit
Hearing officer recommends $220,000 fine for BART in 2013 deaths -- BART should be fined $220,000 and overhaul lax safety rules and practices that contributed to the deaths of two workers on a track near Walnut Creek in 2013, a state hearing officer recommended Friday. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Erin Baldassari in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/7/17
Homeless
Goal reached: 1,000 homeless veterans receive housing -- Although the original deadline was missed, San Diego’s Housing Our Heroes initiative has hit its goal of helping 1,000 homeless veterans secure rental housing. Gary Warth in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/7/17
Education
SoCal university: More international students denied visas to attend -- California State University, Long Beach said there’s been a sharp increase in the number of international students denied student visas by U.S. officials abroad. University officials tallied about a dozen visa denials for students entering this semester, three times more than last year. Adolfo Guzman-Lopez KPCC -- 10/7/17
Data breach exposes hundreds of Palo Alto High records -- Personal information of hundreds of Palo Alto High students was leaked and used to create a rogue website that allowed students to see their class rank, district officials said. Sharon Noguchi in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/7/17
Janitors who vouched for Ref Rodriguez in school board race are named in his money-laundering case -- When Ref Rodriguez ran for his seat on the Los Angeles school board, opponents accused him of underpaying the lowest-wage workers at the charter-school group he helped found. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/17
Anger, questions at USC after second medical school dean departs over inappropriate behavior -- The exit of a second dean at USC’s Keck School of Medicine over inappropriate behavior brought shock and outrage to the campus Friday and demands that university leadership explain what went wrong. Sarah Parvini, Paul Pringle and Harriet Ryan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/17
Immigration / Border
How many people missed the DACA deadline? -- More than 30,000 young immigrants who were eligible to renew their protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program could be left out in the cold now that the deadline for renewals has passed. Some DACA recipients were eligible to renew their status one last time but they had to do it by Thursday, Oct. 5. Leslie Berestein Rojas KPCC -- 10/7/17
Health
Common airline boarding practice makes spread of disease more likely, study says -- The common practice of boarding airline passengers by classes is the worst way to avoid spreading infectious diseases, according to a study from Arizona State University. Hugo Martin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/17
Also . . .
Pasadena ramps up security for Coldplay concert at Rose Bowl after Vegas massacre -- Pasadena authorities Friday stepped up security for a Coldplay concert at the Rose Bowl in the wake of Sunday’s mass killing at a Las Vegas country music festival. About 60,000 people attended the show at the outdoor stadium. Makeda Easter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/17
Parents of mentally ill man fatally shot by LAPD awarded $3.5 million -- A federal jury awarded $3.5 million on Friday to the parents of a mentally ill man who was fatally shot by a Los Angeles police officer while at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, according to the family’s attorney. Corina Knoll in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/7/17
-- Friday Updates
Major gun show opening in Costa Mesa despite criticism that it's too soon after Las Vegas massacre -- A two-day gun and Western Americana show is scheduled for the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa beginning Saturday, despite concern from some people about the event’s timing in the wake of Sunday’s mass shooting in Las Vegas. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/6/17
A second Republican challenger steps up against GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter -- Shamroze "Shamus" Sayed, 40, announced Friday that he's joining the growing list of people hoping to unseat the five-term Republican, who's facing ongoing investigations into whether he misused campaign funds for personal expenses. Christine Mai-Duc in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/6/17
Sacramento teachers are considering a strike. District calls it an ‘intimidation tactic.’ -- The Sacramento City Teachers Association and the district have been in negotiations for about a year and remain in disagreement over compensation, both sides say. A decision about whether to strike won’t be made until at least Nov. 3, union officials say. Brad Branan in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/6/17
Why Elon Musk is pitching solar panels to Puerto Rico even as residents lack clean water -- Although Musk's idea doesn't solve Puerto Rico's current crisis — 90% of the island is still without power, and many are having trouble getting clean water — it could set the island on the path to sustainable, renewable energy, which could reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuels and ultimately bolster its economy. Brian Fung in the Washington Post$ -- 10/6/17
Abcarian: Another man behaving badly in Hollywood — this time, Harvey Weinstein. What a shocker -- There are so many things about the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment revelations that are distressing and familiar that I hardly know where to start. But let me try. Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/6/17
Fox: Sanctuary State Symbolism -- With Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature on SB 54, California now calls itself a sanctuary state. There is strong symbolism in the move, although California governments’ actions relative to individuals in the country illegally will change little in many parts of the state. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 10/6/17
Housing a barrier to getting LA's foster kids home -- Los Angeles County is expanding a foster care pilot that targets homeless parents and families in unstable housing. Rina Palta KPCC -- 10/6/17