Updating . .
Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra announces he will resign next year as Times prepares report on new sexual harassment allegations -- Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra announced he will not seek reelection Monday, citing “persistent rumors and speculation” regarding sexual harassment claims. Melanie Mason in the Los Angeles Times$ Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ Elizabeth Chou in the Los Angeles Daily News$ Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/20/17
Newsom has bipartisan target on his back as apparent front-runner for governor -- With the June 5 primary still more than six months away, Democratic state Treasurer John Chiang and Republican businessman John Cox are both spending campaign cash to slam Newsom for his work as San Francisco’s mayor and, in Cox’s case, for Newsom’s association with Brown. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/20/17
Why tougher fire safety rules for utility companies took 10 years -- For 10 days in October of 2007, wildfires riding hot Santa Ana winds swept across Southern California, forcing nearly 1 million people to flee and killing 10. When the ashes cooled, investigators found that many of the blazes had been caused by electrical lines swaying or falling in the wind. David R. Baker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/20/17
ACLU says too many people are killed by Anaheim police -- The American Civil Liberties Union of California issued a blistering report on Monday that contends the Anaheim Police Department’s rate of officer-involved deaths of civilians exceeds that of many other law enforcement agencies of similar size or larger. Scott Schwebke in the Orange County Register -- 11/20/17
California Politics Podcast: Running Interference -- This week: New criticism of the University of California's president after investigations of interference with a state audit. We also discuss sexual harassment policy changes in the California Senate, as a lawmaker in the upper house faces new allegations. With John Myers and Melanie Mason of the Los Angeles Times. Link here. -- 11/20/17
Fox: Steyer’s Impeachment Campaign More Like a Recall -- Tom Steyer’s “Need to Impeach” campaign targeting President Trump is more like a recall effort familiar to Californians than an impeachment effort. The constitution clearly states “high crimes and misdemeanors” generate impeachment. Recall from office is mostly triggered over policy issues. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 11/20/17
Drugs made in Mexican 'superlabs' are more potent than ever, fueling the addiction epidemic -- Ten years ago, the average gram of meth available in the U.S. was 39% pure. Today, it is being sold in a nearly pure state, manufactured in Mexican "superlabs" and smuggled across the border to feed an epidemic of addiction. Kristina Davis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/20/17
These new homes have shiny appliances and granite counters, but you can’t buy them -- The homes aren’t for sale, however. They’re for rent. The build-to-rent project by JMC Homes is part of the latest twist on a rental trend that’s been playing out since the housing market hit bottom six years ago. Hudson Sangree in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/20/17
Disneyland to discontinue Southern California annual pass – for now -- Starting Monday, Nov. 20, the $469 pass – one of Disneyland’s least expensive annual pass options – will go on hiatus. The Southern California annual pass option was removed from the Disneyland.com website this morning Joseph Pimentel in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 11/20/17
New push on Parkinson’s disease -- A “new era” in the search for a cure for Parkinson’s disease was heralded this month in an article in a prominent scientific journal that explored research involving more than $52 million and an organization called GForce-PD. David Jensen Capitol Weekly -- 11/20/17
Volvo to supply Uber with 24,000 self-driving SUVs for taxi fleet -- Volvo said Monday it will sell tens of thousands of luxury sport-utility vehicles to Uber Technologies Inc. starting as early as 2019 that will serve as the ride-hailing company's self-driving taxi fleet. Samantha Masunaga and Russ Mitchell in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/20/17
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Charles Manson, mastermind of 1969 murders, dies at 83 -- Charles Manson was an unlikely figure to evolve into the personification of evil. A few inches over five feet, he was a petty criminal and small-time hustler. And his followers bore little resemblance to the stereotypical image of hardened killers. Most were in their early twenties, middle-class white kids, hippies and runaways who fell under his charismatic sway. Miles Corwin in the Los Angeles Times$ Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ John Rogers Associated Press Paul Valentine in the Washington Post$ Maragalit Fox in the New York Times$ -- 11/20/17
Whiting: Charles Manson, no mystic of the macabre, was just another killer -- Charlie Manson, Helter Skelter, fame? Give us a break. Death couldn’t come soon enough for a man who doesn’t deserve to be called by his last name. David Whiting in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 11/20/17
California Democrats vote to make it harder for incumbents to obtain party endorsement -- The proposal, written by members of the party’s liberal wing, was approved on a voice vote on the final day of the state party’s executive board meeting in Millbrae. Incumbents will now need 60% of party delegates’ votes to win an endorsement, the same amount challengers need. Until now, incumbents needed a simple majority. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/20/17
They reported sex harassment in state jobs and found ‘retaliation is alive and well’ -- When Carmyn Fields was negotiating a settlement last year in her sexual harassment case against the California Highway Patrol, the state’s lawyers had a serious sticking point. They were insistent, even adamant, recalled Fields’ attorney, Andrea Rosa of Elk Grove. “They wanted Carmyn gone,” she said. Marjie Lundstrom and Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/20/17
State workers: Want a nepotism audit at your department? Send evidence -- The report that detailed a dense web of personal relationships at a California tax agency was the first deep look at nepotism in the state workforce by an auditing arm of the State Personnel Board. Adam Ashton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/20/17
Walters: California also gives hefty tax breaks to business -- There’s much political complaining in California these days over congressional plans to overhaul the nation’s tax system in a way that would cost many Californians, particularly those in high tax brackets, more money. Dan Walters Calmatters.org -- 11/20/17
California lawmakers upset that wildfire money is left out of White House's disaster aid request -- Every day, Mike Thompson hears a new story about how last month’s fires in Northern California have affected people’s lives. Insurance is being denied. Tourism is down. Some companies have laid off workers. Maya Lau in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/20/17
Skelton: Colin Kaepernick as 'citizen of the year'? Not quite — good citizens vote -- Colin Kaepernick is a decent quarterback whom no NFL team will hire. He’s a gutsy guy who stood up against racial injustice by kneeling. But “citizen of the year”? Hardly. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/20/17
One corner. Four killings -- A South L.A. neighborhood grapples with a wave of violence. Nicole Santa Cruz and Cindy Chang in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/20/17
California Leaves Another Big Footprint at U.N. Climate Talks — But Does It Matter? -- Governor Jerry Brown blazed a trail through this year’s round of U.N. climate talks, just concluded in Bonn, Germany. Along the way he spoke at the Vatican, met with key players in the European Union and signed up some more subnational leaders to his Under 2 Coalition for climate action. Craig Miller KQED -- 11/20/17
Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds
California has message for the state's new legal pot industry: Pay your taxes -- California's shift to legal sales of marijuana for recreational use hits a milestone Monday when the state begins issuing tax permits to marijuana distributors. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/20/17
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Surprise Weinstein Co. bidder — a former Obama official — proposes majority-female board -- A former Obama administration official has submitted a bid to buy the Weinstein Co. and install a majority-female board of directors, in a surprising twist for the beleaguered film and television studio that has been trying to avoid bankruptcy. Ryan Faughnder in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/20/17
CalPERS shelves rate increase opposed by cities -- CalPERS delayed action last week on the chief actuary’s proposal to shorten the period for paying off new pension debt from 30 years to 20 years, a cost-cutting reform that would end the current policy not recommended by professional groups. Ed Mendel Calpensions.com -- 11/20/17
Homeless
Defying city ban, activists feed homeless in El Cajon Park -- El Cajon activists handed out 100 brown lunch bags Sunday, in defiance of a municipal ordinance that prohibits distributing food to the homeless on city property. Deborah Sullivan Brennan in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/20/17
Education
Songs about computer coding? It's what happens when an arts school adds STEM focus -- Most STEAM schools are STEM schools that recently added arts education but the Renaissance Arts school is more successful partly because it first established an effective arts education program. George White EdSource -- 11/20/17
Cannabis
Oakland reviewing 255 permit applications to cultivate, deliver cannabis -- Oakland officials are reviewing 255 applications from individuals seeking special business permits to cultivate, sell, distribute and transport marijuana legally under the state cannabis laws that take effect Jan. 1. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/20/17
Wary Marin cities in no rush to enable pot trade -- Marin voters overwhelmingly supported state legalization of recreational marijuana, but although sales become legal Jan. 1, there will be nowhere in the county to buy it. Adrian Rodriguez in the Marin Independent Journal -- 11/20/17
Immigration / Border
For deported dad from Moreno Valley, adjusting to life in Ensenada hasn’t been easy -- Ruiz’s case is one that Southern California immigration advocates signaled as a shift in enforcement. He was an undocumented immigrant with no criminal record who was deported when his application to adjust his legal status was denied. Previously, people who did not qualify were just denied, not deported. Alejandra Molina in the San Bernardino Sun$ -- 11/20/17
POTUS 45
Politics ‘A long winter’: White House aides divided over scope, risks of Russia probe -- Six months into a special counsel’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, White House aides and others in President Trump’s close orbit are increasingly divided in their assessments of the expanding probe and how worried administration officials and campaign aides should be about their potential legal peril, according to numerous people familiar with the debate. Ashley Parker and Carol D. Leonnig in the Washington Post$ -- 11/20/17
The Hidden History of Trump’s First Trip to Moscow -- In 1987, a young real estate developer traveled to the Soviet Union. The KGB almost certainly made the trip happen. Luke Harding Politico -- 11/20/17
Beltway
Why a Republican owner of a booming business says he wants a tax cut (and what it says about the GOP’s biggest goal) -- Douglass Henry, owner of packaging materials manufacturer Henry Molded Products, admits he could live without a tax cut. He is not going to shutter his factory and lay off his 105 workers here in Pennsylvania Dutch country if Congress fails on tax overhaul. His company is flourishing, the workers and machines humming 24 hours a day. “We’ve been selling everything but the paint on the wall,” he said. Todd C. Frankel in the Washington Post$ -- 11/20/17
-- Sunday Updates
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