Updating . .
Build-it-yourself ‘ghost guns’ bypass California’s tough laws -- The man who shot five people to death on a rampage through a small town in the northern Central Valley couldn’t buy guns legally. But by building his own untraceable weapons, he was able to amass an illegal arsenal. Kevin Janson Neal used at least two homebuilt semiautomatic rifles to massacre his wife and four other residents of Rancho Tehama Reserve in Tehama County, authorities who seized the weapons said. Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/19/17
For Filner's victims, painful echoes in today's sexual harassment cases -- Watching TV news last week, Irene McCormack was shaken by a painful realization. She'd been here before. "To quote a famous sports figure," she said, "it was déjà vu all over again." Peter Rowe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/19/17
Immigration attorney who hopes to impeach Trump will challenge Rep. Steve Knight in Antelope Valley -- A desire to impeach President Trump inspired Santa Clarita immigration attorney Scott McVarish to run for the Antelope Valley seat held by Republican Rep. Steve Knight. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/19/17
Tom Steyer scores publicity with ads seeking Trump’s impeachment -- Who is Tom Steyer, the guy showing up on your TV screen every 20 minutes calling for the impeachment of President Trump? Matier & Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/19/17
Trump says he should have left UCLA players in Chinese jail -- Trump's tweet Sunday comes after the father of player LiAngelo Ball minimized Trump's involvement in winning the players' release during an interview Saturday with ESPN. Trump has said he raised the players' detention with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the leaders' recent meeting in Beijing. Associated Press -- 11/19/17
Tesla mass firings could show impact down the road -- Tesla’s October dismissal of 700 workers has left former employees angry and outspoken. Some, like Morales, have refused to a sign a separation agreement they feel is unfair and restrictive. Louis Hansen in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/19/17
San Francisco’s newest rolling toilets are an homage to the Painted Ladies -- San Francisco Public Works is celebrating World Toilet Day with the rollout of its new Painted Ladies-style, two-in-one portable toilets — modeled after the city landmark homes that are a draw for tourists from around the world. Matier & Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/19/17
In Democrat-led state capitals, GOP tax reform push could scramble fiscal plans -- The Republican tax reform push in Washington is setting off budgetary alarm bells in high-tax states like New York, California and New Jersey, in the latest political skirmish to pit national Republicans against Democratic state and big-city leaders. Laura Nahmias, Katherine Landergan and Carla Marinucci Politico -- 11/19/17
California Policy & Politics This Morning
California Democratic Party members start petition seeking resignations of legislators accused of harassment -- California Democratic Party delegates are circulating a petition to seek the resignations of two state lawmakers who have been accused of sexual misconduct in recent weeks. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/19/17
Harassment claims shine light on California Capitol partying -- Holding meetings over drinks or winding down at a bar after a hectic day in the Legislature is a regular part of business in Sacramento, where policymaking and deal-cutting often depend on personal relationships. After-work campaign fundraisers and other evening events provide numerous opportunities for colleagues to do business and socialize. Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 11/19/17
Walters: Capitol’s sex harassment scandal not going away -- In the past, accusations of harassment by a political figure either were covered up or attracted only momentary public and media attention. But those days are over. Dan Walters Calmatters.org -- 11/19/17
Here's why these Republicans think they can be elected governor in deep-blue California -- Assemblyman Travis Allen and businessman John Cox, two politicians unfamiliar to most Californians, share an audacious goal that no Republican has achieved in more than a decade: to be elected governor of the Golden State. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/19/17
Democrats see opportunity in a strongly Republican California congressional district -- Regina Bateson was at home trying to get her young children to fall asleep before they realized Donald Trump would be their next president. Jessica Morse was volunteering in an empty office in Colorado surrounded by the wreckage of Hillary Clinton’s failed campaign. Roza Calderon felt like s`he was living through a nightmare as she watched the results roll in with a friend. Chris Megerian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/19/17
This is the group of California voters everyone will be watching in 2018 -- Politics is full of references likening one group or another to a "sleeping giant," a powerful voting bloc that could change the outcome in any given election. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/19/17
Both Democrats and Republicans mad at ‘lords of Silicon Valley’ -- It was telling that former White House adviser Steve Bannon dismissed the allegations of sexual harassment against GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore of Alabama because they came from the “Bezos-Amazon Washington Post.” Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/19/17
Willie Brown: Harassment furor has frightened politicians scrambling for strategies -- The national uproar over allegations of politicians’ sexual misconduct has a lot of powerful men seriously scared. No one knows who’s going to get called out for something they did in the past month, past year or past century. Willie Brown in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/19/17
Knight: San Francisco librarian, blinded by nanny, inspired registry for child care workers -- Everybody can use a little inspiration these days and, fortunately, there’s a heaping dose of it on the second floor of San Francisco’s Main Library. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/19/17
Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds
Tax plan’s windfall for high-tech firms unlikely to create many jobs -- The nation’s high-flying tech giants would get a huge windfall under the Republican tax plan, but economists say the companies are more likely to reward shareholders with dividend hikes and stock buybacks than in directly creating U.S. jobs. Tim Johnson McClatchy DC -- 11/19/17
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Trump administration updates demands as NAFTA talks continue -- President Trump’s top trade official has issued new objectives for renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement — including some likely to irk Canada and Mexico, as well as the U.S. recording industry and other major business interests, as talks continue this weekend. Don Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/19/17
Instacart workers plan Sunday-Monday strike -- Some Instacart shoppers and drivers, the people who buy and deliver groceries to the companies’ customers, have beefs about their compensation. Those grievances are bubbling over into a planned strike on Sunday and Monday. The workers, who are independent contractors, are organizing on social media for what they’re calling a “no-delivery day.” Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/19/17
Homeless
Homeless man burned to death near Mission Bay -- Police are investigating the case of an unidentified homeless man who burned to death in a field near Mission Bay, authorities said. An off-duty California Highway Patrol officer spotted the fire on a vacant lot just north of Pacific Highway near Seaworld Drive about 11:30 p.m Friday, according to the San Diego Police Departmen. Paul Sisson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/19/17
Wildfire
North Bay congressmen outraged that Trump hasn’t funded fire relief -- Stunned that a White House request for $44 billion in disaster relief funds didn’t include a penny for fire victims in Northern California, two North Bay congressmen delivered a strong rebuke to President Trump on Saturday. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/19/17
Santa Rosa neighborhoods hold ‘garage non-sale’ for wildfire victims -- The largest community garage sale in Santa Rosa history wasn’t a sale, really. That’s because everything was free for survivors of the destructive Wine Country wildfires, earning it the name the “garage non-sale.” Jenna Lyons in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/19/17
Danger endures in Wine Country as fight shifts from fires to mudslides -- When last month’s deadly wildfires chased Jonathan Umholtz and his family from their Sonoma County home for 16 days, the disruption seemed endless. It turns out, that was just the beginning. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/19/17
Sonoma County did not consider using mass cellphone alerts to warn of fires, top emergency official says -- Long before Oct. 8, when more than a dozen wildfires erupted across Sonoma County, including a deadly blaze that would grow into California’s most destructive inferno, county emergency officials knew they had a tool that could force targeted warning messages onto the cellphones of people in harm’s way. Julie Johnson in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat -- 11/19/17
Santa Rosa retailers brace for change following Sonoma County fires -- As the holiday season kicks off this week, business and civic leaders are trying to understand how the county’s retail landscape has changed after the most devastating wildfires in U.S. history. Many are joining with Sonoma County merchants in urging residents to shop local, especially this holiday season, as a means of saving jobs and helping retailers bounce back. Robert Digitale in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat -- 11/19/17
Home prices jump to record highs after Sonoma County fires -- October’s deadly wildfires sent shock waves through Sonoma County’s housing market, simultaneously leading to record high prices, a drop in completed sales and a jump in newly signed deals in the weeks after the disaster. Robert Digitale in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat -- 11/19/17
Education
Schools adept at shoring up security at any hint of danger -- It's a familiar scenario: A school official, hearing about a potential danger that's too close for comfort, locks down the building. A nearby bank may have been robbed. Officers might be serving a warrant in the neighborhood. There are reports of shots fired in the area. Carolyn Thompson Associated Press -- 11/19/17
Immigration / Border
Border gate opens, briefly, for rare reunions and a wedding -- With a creak and groan, the heavy steel gate on the fence between the U.S and Mexico at Border Field State Park slowly swung open on its rusty hinges just after noon on Saturday. A trio of Border Patrol agents pulled it open wider, revealing a tightly packed crowd of Mexican citizens and media with cameras peering north. Greg Moran in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/19/17
Also . . .
Afghan feminist who battled domestic violence now helps refugee families make it here -- Basira Haidari, a fearless Afghan refugee, had her family shattered and her heart broken last winter after she’d declared war on domestic abuse. Stephen Magagnini in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/19/17
Officials investigating inmate death at Mule Creek State prison as homicide -- Inmate Wayne Bradley, 50, was found unresponsive in his cell about 2:30 a.m. Saturday, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said in a statement. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Carlos Lozano in the Los Angeles Times$ Nashelly Chavez in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/19/17
-- Saturday Updates
State Senate leader Kevin de León 'shocked' at sexual harassment allegations against colleague -- California Senate Leader Kevin de León said he knew nothing about sexual harassment allegations against a Senate colleague until earlier this month. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/18/17
Sen. Dianne Feinstein: Next year could be another 'Year of the Woman' -- Democratic U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein told party officials Saturday morning that the sexual harassment allegations that have rocked the federal government and state legislatures across the country could lead to a wave of new women lawmakers not seen in decades. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/18/17
State Senate leader Kevin De León: We can't fail women who work in government -- As weeks of sexual harassment allegations have engulfed the state Capitol, California Senate leader Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) used his speech Saturday at the state Democratic Party’s Executive Board meeting to pledge that the state Senate would be a leader in protecting victims. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/18/17
Anti-sharia and anti-fascist demonstrators face off at site of San Bernardino terrorist attack -- Small crowds of anti-sharia and anti-fascist demonstrators faced off Saturday at the site of the 2015 San Bernardino terrorist massacre. The two groups, totaling no more than 100, gathered near the Inland Regional Center, a nonprofit that serves people with developmental disabilities, where a Pakistani American couple fatally shot 14 people nearly two years ago. Doug Smith and Irfan Khan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/18/17
Big-farm takeover feared under California’s new pot rules -- Long-held fears of a corporate takeover of cannabis agriculture bubbled to the surface Friday, a day after the state released detailed regulations for what has historically been a loosey-goosey trade populated by small backwoods farmers. Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/18/17
San Jose moves to shut down two churches selling marijuana -- San Jose is about to crack down on two churches that apparently are selling marijuana despite not having permits to do so, Councilwoman Devora “Dev” Davis said Monday. Julia Baum in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/18/17
L.A. Democratic donor's home was littered with drug paraphernalia after man died, coroner says -- The Los Angeles County coroner's report, which was obtained by the Los Angeles Times on Friday, says that Gemmel Moore died from an accidental methamphetamine overdose July 27 in the Laurel Avenue home of Ed Buck. The drug was injected into his body. Hailey Branson-Potts and Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/18/17
The mystery behind California's most destructive wildfires: Who is to blame? -- More than two dozen investigators have spent weeks scouring wine country trying to solve the mystery at the heart of the most destructive wildfires in California history: What caused the infernos that killed 43 people and destroyed more than 8,000 buildings? Sonali Kohli in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/18/17
Bay Area residents seek the California dream — in Sacramento -- The region has become the top destination in the country — ahead of trendy Seattle and Portland — for those looking to flee the jammed roads and high costs of the tech-dominated Bay Area, according to new migration data from Redfin, a popular real estate site. Katy Murphy in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/18/17
Lopez: The house that sold for nearly $800,000 over asking price speaks to the inequity of California -- The turkey was done, or getting close. So my Aunt Mimi and my Aunt Marie opened the oven to take a look, and decided to lift it onto the counter for closer inspection. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/18/17
Tehama gunman lived in a hellscape, then turned his anger on others -- Kevin Janson Neal and his wife lived at the end of the road, at the bottom of a ravine, in a battered baby-blue trailer home with a front yard full of broken-down cars, abandoned television sets and assorted other trash. Dale Kasler and Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/18/17
UC Berkeley professor's eerie lethal drone video goes viral -- UC Berkeley professor Stuart Russell and the Future of Life Institute have created an eerie viral video titled "Slaughterbots" that depicts a future in which humans develop small, hand-sized drones that are programmed to identify and eliminate designated targets. Eric Ting in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/18/17