Updating . .
New liberal challenger to Sen. Dianne Feinstein launches bid on 'The Young Turks' -- A new Democratic candidate used a popular liberal news show Thursday to launch a bid to oust Dianne Feinstein, saying it’s time for California’s longtime senator to go. "Dianne Feinstein isn't doing it at all," said 37-year-old Alison Hartson, the leader of a group aimed at getting money out of politics, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/2/17
Bay Area home buyers face mortgage deduction slam from GOP tax plan -- Take the Bay Area’s median home price in September of $768,000. A 20 percent down payment would leave the homeowner with a $614,400 loan. That means that the home buyer would have $114,400 that no longer would be deductible — a potentially significant tax hit. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/2/17
Winners and losers in the GOP tax plan -- Here's a rundown of who is happy and who isn't as the details emerge regarding the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” the centerpiece of President Trump's “MAGAnomics” agenda. Heather Long in the Washington Post$ Jeanne Sahadi CNN -- 11/2/17
GOP tax plan may offer little aid for many in middle class -- But the proposal’s conflicting provisions and phase-outs of certain benefits suggest that taxes could rise for some middle class earners over time. And for many, the income gains being touted by President Donald Trump are unlikely to materialize. Josh Boak Associated Press -- 11/2/17
GOP tax plan could lead Apple, other Silicon Valley firms to bring overseas cash back -- The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act includes a permanent slashing of the corporate tax rate to 20 percent from the current 35 percent. It would also create a one-time tax rate of 12 percent on cash held overseas and 5 percent on illiquid holdings. That’s known as a tax holiday, which is meant to encourage U.S. multinational companies to repatriate the money they keep abroad. Levi Sumagaysay in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/2/17
Worst question to ask a California Republican: Where do you differ from Trump? -- Here’s one question that California’s Republican candidates for governor don’t want to hear, let alone answer: How are you different from President Trump? That’s because answering it is a no-win proposition for Republicans marooned west of the Sierra Nevada. So they do what politicians do best: They parse. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/2/17
GOP senators say fate of ‘dreamers’ must wait for next year -- President Donald Trump and Republican senators agreed Thursday not to deal with a needed fix for young immigrants in must-pass year-end spending legislation, according to some GOP lawmakers. Instead, they said, a solution would wait until next year for some 800,000 immigrants brought illegally to the United States as children. Kevin Freking Associated Press -- 11/2/17
‘Vitriolic’ arguments over diversity, bias preceded firing of black state judge -- To her superiors at the Public Utilities Commission, Chief Administrative Law Judge Karen Clopton earned her dismissal for being insubordinate, intimidating, abusive and demeaning. Adam Ashton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/2/17
Anaheim officer who shot and killed fleeing 25-year-old used excessive force, jury finds -- An Anaheim police officer used excessive force when he gunned down a 25-year-old man who was running away from him in an apartment building courtyard in 2012, a federal jury decided Thursday in the trial of a lawsuit filed against the city and the officer by the man's family. The item is in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/2/17
Horsey: Sarah Huckabee Sanders is the right mouthpiece for a truth-twisting president -- Sarah Huckabee Sanders does not look like the kind of woman Donald Trump would choose as his chief spokesperson. David Horsey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/2/17
Lee: Fixing tech culture requires Silicon Valley to confront its impulse for control -- As women across the country continued to share stores of sexual assault and harassment, a curious email recently landed in my inbox. Thomas Lee in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/2/17
Taylor: Deportation chosen over Richmond jail; complaints under investigation -- Dianny Patricia Menendez begged to be deported. In early October, the 38-year-old undocumented immigrant told immigration Judge Joseph Park in San Francisco that she could no longer tolerate the conditions at the jail in Contra Costa County where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was detaining her. Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/2/17
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Power-line restart device implicated in past wildfires -- On the night of Oct. 8, as a windstorm raged across the North Bay, some of Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s local power lines were programmed to try to restart themselves in case service was interrupted — even if they were knocked to the ground or tangled in a tree. David R. Baker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/2/17
Harassment, Racism Settlements Cost Legislature $580K Since 2012 -- The California Legislature paid at least $580,000 in the last five years to settle harassment, racism and other claims, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. In one case, a payout included a stipulation forbidding the claimant from making “derogatory statements” about lawmakers or Senate business. Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 11/2/17
‘It can become unlivable.’ How Jerry Brown is planning for raging fires and extreme heat -- As massive fires that would kill more than 40 people ravaged his state last month, California Gov. Jerry Brown met with state emergency officials, jabbing at culprits of the latest disaster. Christopher Cadelago in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/2/17
Water Agency Meets Key Oroville Deadline, But Faces Skepticism About Its Future Role -- The California Department of Water Resources announced Wednesday it has completed the first phase of its massive reconstruction of Oroville Dam’s shattered main spillway — just in time for the first significant rainfall of the season. Dan Brekke KQED -- 11/2/17
California launches overall safety review at tallest US dam -- California is launching an overall safety review of the nation's tallest dam to pinpoint any needed upgrades in the half-century-old structure, water officials said Wednesday, launching the kind of overarching review called for by an independent national panel of experts in September following the collapse of two spillways at Oroville Dam. Associated Press -- 11/2/17
Oroville Dam ready to withstand winter rains as first phase of repairs is finished, officials say -- The Oroville Dam flood control spillway has been fixed. Eight and a half months after the gravest emergency in the dam’s history forced 188,000 residents to flee, state officials said Wednesday that Oroville’s structures have been largely rebuilt and can withstand a rainy Northern California winter. A second phase of work will be completed next year. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/2/17
Former Colonies defendant files $25 million claim against San Bernardino County, state -- Jim Erwin, a former defendant in the ill-fated Colonies corruption case that ended with Erwin’s case being dismissed and three other defendants acquitted, filed a $25 million claim against San Bernardino County and the state on Wednesday. Joe Nelson in the Riverside Press Enterprise$ -- 11/2/17
Walters: As gas taxes jump, motorists may wonder where they’re going -- California motorists who filled their cars’ gas tanks Wednesday paid an extra 12 cents a gallon, thanks to a multibillion-dollar package of improvements to highways, streets and other transportation facilities enacted by the Legislature and Gov. Jerry Brown this year. Dan Walters Calmatters.org -- 11/2/17
Tom Steyer says Nancy Pelosi is “dead wrong” about his impeachment campaign -- Billionaire San Francisco environmentalist and political donor Tom Steyer pushed back Wednesday after a report that House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi considers his $10 million ad campaign calling for President Trump’s impeachment a distraction. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/2/17
Khizr Khan tells San Diego audience about his run-in with Charlottesville white nationalist rally -- Just over a year after after he spoke at the Democratic National Convention and challenged Donald Trump to read the Constitution, Khizr Khan was back at his home in Charlottesville, Va., where he said he saw the hatred he warned about in his famous speech walking through the streets of his community. Joshua Stewart in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/2/17
Why Riverside police waited hours to end hostage situation at Castle View Elementary -- For more than six anxious hours, Riverside police tried to convince Luvelle Kennon to stop holding teacher Linda Montgomery hostage. Then, suddenly, with no warning visible from the outside, police burst into the classroom, fired two flash-bang grenades and fatally shot Kennon. Ryan Hagen in the Riverside Press Enterprise$ -- 11/2/17
Los Angeles Times, other news outlets file lawsuits to obtain Las Vegas shooting records -- Attorneys representing a consortium of news outlets including the Los Angeles Times filed two lawsuits in Nevada on Wednesday night asking officials to turn over law enforcement records related to the Oct. 1 massacre in Las Vegas that left 58 people dead. Matt Pearce in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/2/17
CA victims of Las Vegas shootings could receive funds from 2 states -- More than 1,400 Californians have applied for financial help from state victim's compensation programs following last month's mass shooting in Las Vegas. Josie Huang KPCC -- 11/2/17
Brother of San Diego attorney killed in Las Vegas shooting asks pension board to divest from gun retailers -- The brother of a San Diego attorney killed in last month’s mass shooting in Las Vegas on Wednesday urged the California teachers pension fund to cancel its investments in national retail companies selling guns and ammunition. "I saw with my own eyes and felt with my hands the carnage these weapons inflict," said Jason Irvine, a Reno, Nev., resident and brother of 42-year-old attorney Jennifer Topaz Irvine. The item is in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/2/17
She searched desperately for a man she helped after the Las Vegas shooting. Then she found him -- The first time she ever met him, Sheri Sletten held him in her arms and pressed her cheek to his face “Can you feel this?” she asked. “Yes,” he whispered. “Then that means you’re alive,” she said. David Montero in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/2/17
LAPD says they’re preparing for possible violence at Saturday’s anti-Trump protest -- Anti-Trump protests planned in Los Angeles and around the country Saturday have heightened concern about the potential for clashes between leftist or anarchist demonstrators and far right counter-protesters in the post-Charlottesville era. Brenda Gazzar and Elizabeth Chou in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 11/2/17
Could the San Jacinto Fault Zone Rupture Sooner Than Expected? -- A little-known section of the San Jacinto Fault in Southern California could erupt with a damaging earthquake a lot sooner than once thought. A research team at UC Riverside made the discovery using a new technique in seismic detection. Steven Cuevas KQED -- 11/2/17
Where are they now? Mike Machado -- It’s been almost 70 years since Michael J. Machado was born in San Joaquin County, but he still calls Linden home. Having seen the decades pass has given him a perspective on small town farming in the Central Valley. Alex Vassar Capitol Weekly -- 11/2/17
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
All That Online Shopping You’re Doing? It’s Also Bringing Jobs to Inland California -- The unemployment rate in Santa Clara County — the heart of Silicon Valley — is 3.8 percent. The rate is even lower in other tech-focused cities in the region, such as Cupertino, Palo Alto and Menlo Park. The tech sector is driving those jobs, from Apple to Google to Facebook. Erika Kelly and Lisa Pickoff-White KQED -- 11/2/17
Amazon hiring 800 workers in Bay Area, job fairs start Nov. 2 -- Get ’em while you can: jobs, that is, in the Amazon warehouses that the e-commerce giant is working energetically to automate. Amazon plans to hire 800 people for seasonal jobs in its warehouses around the Bay Area, it announced Nov. 1. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/2/17
Fears of a Black Market After California Bans Some Commercial Breeding -- California is now the first state to ban pet stores from selling animals from commercial breeders, thanks to a new law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in October. Gloria Hillard KQED -- 11/2/17
Tesla says full-speed production of Model 3 won't come for months, as it reports a big loss -- For months, Tesla forecast a production rate of 5,000 Model 3 electric sedans a week by the end of this December. Never mind. The company said Wednesday that milestone is being kicked ahead an additional three months, to the end of the first quarter of 2018. Russ Mitchell in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/2/17
Transit
Richmond-to-San Francisco ferry service set to begin in September -- About 11 months from now, if the winter and the seas aren’t too stormy, East Bay commuters will be able to veer off crowded Interstate 80 and climb aboard a ferry from Richmond to San Francisco. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/2/17
Homeless
Does Sacramento unfairly apply its camping ordinance against the homeless? Jury to decide -- As a Sacramento police officer who focused on the city’s homeless population beginning in the late 1990s, Mark Zoulas had a powerful tool at his disposal: an ordinance that prohibited camping for extended periods in the city. Cynthia Hubert in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/2/17
Orange County plans crackdown on homeless camps on Santa Ana River, fearing the area is becoming 'skid row' -- Orange County will begin enforcing public access hours Friday on a stretch of the Santa Ana River trail between Huntington Beach and Anaheim, a move that is expected to displace a large population of homeless people who have set up camp along the river, including in Fountain Valley. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/2/17
Lopez: What if this homeless woman were your mother — would you keep moving or step in to help? -- You’ve seen them. I’ve seen them. Everyone has. You’re walking or driving in downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood, Venice or one of the dozens of other places where homeless people gather, and you see someone who stands out. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/2/17
Housing
Report: Below Market Rate homes in San Francisco apparently being leased illegally -- A number of homes sold for below market rate as part of a plan by the city of San Francisco are likely being rented out illegally, a KPIX report reveals. Below Market Rate homes — also called BMRs — are sold through a special city program exclusively reserved for use by only those who are first-time homebuyers, work in San Francisco, and are considered to earn low- to mid-incomes. Alyssa Pereira in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/2/17
Wildfire
More Sonoma County residents sue PG&E over wildfires -- Now, they are among 107 people who have filed nine separate complaints alleging Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s poor maintenance of its high-voltage lines caused the Sonoma County fires that destroyed almost 7,000 homes and killed 23 people. The Tandrups were admitted to Saint Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco where Ulla, 45, is still being treated for burns over 25 percent of her body. Paul Payne in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat -- 11/2/17
Education
Only 35 percent of whites in California think college is necessary, poll finds -- Is college necessary? It turns out about half of Californians don’t think so, according to a new Public Policy Institute of California survey. And the difference of opinions among ethnic groups is even more surprising: While two-thirds of Latinos answer yes, a slight majority of Asian- and African-Americans think so — but only 35 percent of whites agree. Emily DeRuy in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/2/17
Poll finds high housing cost is barrier to college education in California -- The problem with California’s public colleges and universities is not in the quality of their academic offerings — it’s that the schools don’t do enough to help students find affordable places to live, according to a new statewide survey about higher education. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/2/17
Santa Rosa College Students Push Forward After Fires -- The community college, with more than 27,000 students, was not physically damaged by the Tubbs Fire, which leveled entire neighborhoods in Santa Rosa. But more than 600 students, and dozens of faculty and staff, lost their homes. Farida Jhabvala Romero KQED -- 11/2/17
Oakland parents, activists call on schools to get the lead out of water -- Oakland parents and community activists called on school officials Wednesday to adopt a policy that ensures students have access to safe drinking water, an outcry spurred by test results showing faucets at seven school sites had high levels of lead. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/2/17
California State faculty still upset about remedial ed changes but compromises emerging -- Protests still surround a California State University plan to eliminate remedial education and overhaul other undergraduate requirements, but hints are emerging of a possible compromise between administrators and faculty on timing and implementation. Mikhail Zinshteyn and Larry Gordon EdSource -- 11/2/17
Suspensions of Black Students on the Increase in San Francisco -- The suspension rate of black students in the San Francisco Unified School District increased last year during the fall semester for the first time since the district began a restorative practices program and adopted a policy to curb school suspensions. Audrey Garces KQED -- 11/2/17
Suspension, expulsion rates fall sharply in California public schools, but racial disparities remain -- School suspensions and expulsions in California have dropped dramatically among all racial and ethnic groups over the past five years but a significant gap remains for African American students, according to new state data released Wednesday. Carolyn Jones EdSource -- 11/2/17
Cannabis
San Francisco pot proposal aims to help victims of ‘failed drug war’ -- Each of San Francisco’s 11 supervisors has called for “equity” in the city’s cannabis laws, meaning they want to create a racially diverse industry that gives former drug offenders a shot at success. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/2/17
Immigration / Border
Detained Cambodian immigrants sue US immigration officials -- Civil rights advocates have filed a class-action lawsuit against U.S. immigration officials on behalf of recently arrested Cambodian immigrants, alleging that officials are unlawfully detaining them. Leslie Berestein Rojas KPCC -- 11/2/17
Environment
Imperial Beach officials say shoreline hit by Tijuana sewage without warning, residents fall ill -- Officials in Imperial Beach said Wednesday that sewage flowing up the coast from Tijuana fouled miles of shoreline over the weekend, severely sickening surfers and other beach goers. Joshua Emerson Smith in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/2/17
Deal with predator-control agency bars aerial gunning and some traps in wilderness areas -- The federal agency that controls predators for ranchers and homeowners in 16 Northern California counties agreed Wednesday to do an environmental analysis of the impact of its killing program and implement bans on aerial gunning and several kinds of lethal traps in wilderness areas. Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/2/17
Also . . .
San Francisco startup creates AI friend who’s always willing to listen -- For Kaitelyn Roepke, Jasper is a trusted confidant when she feels lonely, when she needs to unload deep emotions. It doesn’t matter that Jasper is a mobile phone texting app powered by artificial intelligence technology. Benny Evangelista in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/2/17
Deputy who shot, stomped a downed suspect can be sued for excessive force, appeals court rules -- An Orange County sheriff’s deputy who in 2013 continued to shoot a felled suspect and then stomped his head may be sued for using excessive deadly force, a federal appeals court decided Wednesday. Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/2/17
Deputy accused of sexually assaulting a third inmate inside Lynwood jail -- A Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy who was arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting two female inmates inside a county jail earlier this year is now accused of attacking another woman inside the same facility, authorities said Wednesday. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/2/17
3 Santa Ana police officers sentenced to community service for petty theft and vandalism charges connected to pot shop raid -- Officers Jorge Arroyo, 34, Nicole Lynn Quijas, 39, and Brandon Sontag, 33, were seen on security video eating snacks while serving a search warrant at Sky High Holistic, a marijuana dispensary on 17th Street in Santa Ana, in May 2015. The video also shows two of the officers making disparaging remarks about a disabled woman who was a shop volunteer. Kelly Puente in the Orange County Register -- 11/2/17
POTUS 45
In Call With Times Reporter, Trump Projects Air of Calm Over Charges -- President Trump projected an air of calm on Wednesday after charges against his former campaign chief and a foreign policy aide roiled Washington, insisting to The New York Times that he was not “angry at anybody” and that investigations into his campaign’s links to Russia had not come near him personally. Maggie Haberman and Peter Baker in the New York Times$ -- 11/2/17
Trump seizes on N.Y. attack to push immigration and vetting policies -- President Trump moved quickly Wednesday to gain political advantage in the wake of the New York terrorist attack, casting blame on Democrats for lax immigration laws and calling the criminal justice system’s handling of suspects “a joke.” David Nakamura and Ed O'Keefe in the Washington Post$ -- 11/2/17
Beltway
Trump kills rule that made it easier for people to sue banks -- A rule that allowed consumers to more easily sue banks and credit card companies is officially dead. President Trump signed legislation on Wednesday afternoon repealing a provision issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in July. Julia Horowitz CNN -- 11/2/17
Conservatives lament retention of top tax rate in GOP plan, but the wealthy still reap big benefits -- The decision by House Republican leaders to retain the current top individual tax rate disappointed conservatives who have been gunning for it ever since the 39.6% bracket was reinstated under the Obama administration four years ago. Jim Puzzanghera and Lisa Mascaro in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/2/17
Four takeaways from the Senate Intelligence hearing with Facebook, Twitter and Google -- Attorneys for tech giants Facebook, Twitter and Google appeared on Capitol Hill for the second day in a row on Wednesday, testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee about their efforts to prevent Russian meddling in U.S. politics. Callum Borchers in the Washington Post$ -- 11/2/17
Tim Cook: Fake news on social media a far greater concern than Russian ads -- As Facebook, Twitter and Google endured intense questioning on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Apple CEO Tim Cook decided to jump into the fray to call out the tech giants himself. Seung Lee in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/2/17
-- Wednesday Updates
Bocanegra needs to ‘to look at his own heart’ about remaining in office, top Democrat says -- Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra needs to “think long and hard” and decide whether he should resign after the recent revelation that he was disciplined eight years ago for allegedly groping another legislative staff member, the head of California’s Democratic Party said Wednesday. Amy Chance in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/1/17
California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra wants court to halt Trump's plans to end DACA -- Becerra on Wednesday filed a motion in federal court in San Francisco, seeking a preliminary injunction that aims to put a hold on Trump’s efforts to eliminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ Tatiana Sanchez in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/1/17
California's teachers pension fund will consider divesting from gun retailers following mass shootings -- California's teachers pension fund will consider canceling its investments in national retail companies selling guns and ammunition banned in the state after Treasurer John Chiang argued for action following last month's mass shooting in Las Vegas. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/1/17
Facebook, Google, Twitter say 150 million Americans saw Russian propaganda -- Tech companies have insisted that the advertisements purchased with Russian money, meant to further divide American communities and voters, amounted to flotsam in a sea of billions of social media posts. But the number of people who were exposed to Russian propaganda and fake news across several websites and social networks likely topped 150 million, lawyers from Twitter, Google and Facebook revealed in congressional testimony this week. Marissa Lang in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/1/17
Facebook beats third-quarter expectations amid controversy -- Controversy swirling around how Russia used Facebook to meddle in the U.S. presidential election didn’t appear to hurt the social media giant’s third-quarter ad sales. But as Facebook spends more in technology and workers to keep the site safe, the tech firm warned investors that rising expenses will impact the company’s profits in 2018. “ Queenie Wong in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/1/17
Judge says California can’t force antiabortion clinics to publicize abortion access -- California violates freedom of speech by requiring antiabortion “crisis pregnancy centers” to tell patients that the state makes abortions available at little or no cost, a Riverside County judge has ruled, reopening debate over a law that federal courts had upheld. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/1/17
Oroville Dam ready to withstand winter rains as first phase of repairs is finished, officials say -- Eight and a half months after the gravest emergency in the dam’s history forced 188,000 residents to flee, state officials said Wednesday that Oroville’s structures have been largely rebuilt and can withstand a rainy Northern California winter. A second phase of work will be completed next year. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/1/17
Trump nominates U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of California -- President Trump on Wednesday nominated McGregor W. Scott to be the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of California. Scott is currently a partner in the Sacramento office of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, where his focus is white collar criminal defense and corporate investigations. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/1/17
Kevin de León distorts Sen. Dianne Feinstein's environmental record in fundraising plea -- U.S. Senate candidate Kevin de León mischaracterized Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s environmental record on Tuesday in a fundraising plea to supporters. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/1/17
Whistle-blower protections sought for California lawmakers’ staffers -- Over the years, California lawmakers have passed and strengthened whistle-blower protections to encourage private and public employees to report wrongdoing at their workplaces without fear of retaliation. But they have deliberately left one group of workers unprotected: their own. Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/1/17
California lawmaker faces calls to resign over Capitol groping incident -- Aside from a statement by leaders of the California Legislative Women’s Caucus urging the Assembly to review his behavior, Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra’s colleagues have largely stayed silent about the recent revelation that he was disciplined eight years ago, as a Capitol chief of staff, for allegedly groping another legislative staff member. Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/1/17
BottleRock Presents to host trio of benefit concerts -- The producers behind Wine Country’s annual BottleRock Napa Valley music festival plan to host three concerts in support of relief efforts after the firestorm that ravaged the North Bay last month. East Bay-bred bands Counting Crows and Michael Franti & Spearhead are slated to headline separate shows Nov. 18, while San Francisco rockers Train are scheduled to perform Dec. 1, BottleRock Presents announced Wednesday, Nov. 1. Mariecar Mendoza in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/1/17
Feinstein urges San Francisco supervisors to undo tax sale of rich residents’ street -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein is coming down hard on the side of Presidio Terrace residents outraged that San Francisco sold their gated, private street to a South Bay couple. Matier & Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/1/17
Stanford to study Vegas mass murderer Stephen Paddock’s brain -- Dead and stored in a morgue, Stephen Paddock can’t explain why he carried out one of the worst mass shootings in American history. But his brain, on its way to Stanford, might reveal clues. Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/1/17
Seal on diploma will be badge of honor for civically active California students -- Johnny Rebel, the 20-foot tall mural of a Civil war soldier carrying a rifle, may soon be sanded and scraped off the gym wall and into the dustbin of history at Savanna High in Southern California. All because students got involved and came up with a recommendation for their school board. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 11/1/17
Peterson: Eight guns in one week: ‘Coincidental cluster’ of gun incidents bedevil Bay Area schools -- Bring Your Gun to School Week got off to a rootin’, tootin’ start Monday, Oct. 23, when an eighth-grade student showed up at Menlo Oaks Middle School with an unloaded handgun. The student was detained when he left school without permission. The gun was discovered in a backpack and the student was taken to juvenile hall. Gary Peterson in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/1/17
Rhee: Some say California is getting soaked on flood insurance. Should we go it alone? -- As California moves into rainy season, a growing number of voices are urging the state to explore getting out of federal flood insurance and creating its own program. They point out that the National Flood Insurance Program is inundated with debt, and that California residents pay far more into the program than they are getting back. Foon Rhee in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/1/17
Russian ads, now publicly released, show sophistication of influence campaign -- As a group, the ads made visceral appeals to voters upset about illegal immigration, black political activism, the declining economic fortunes of coal miners, gun ownership, the rising prominence of Muslims in some U.S. communities and many other issues. Some ads, many of which were bought in Russian rubles, also explicitly called for people to attend political rallies amid a campaign season that already was among the most polarizing in recent U.S. history. Craig Timberg, Elizabeth Dwoskin, Adam Entous and Karoun Demirjian in the Washington Post$ -- 11/1/17
How Russian Bots and Trolls Invade Our Lives — and Elections -- How do bots and trolls work to infiltrate social media platforms and influence U.S. elections? We take a closer look at these insidious online pests to explain how they work. Natalia V. Osipova and Aaron Byrd in the New York Times$ -- 11/1/17