Updating . .
Russia probe examining possible obstruction of justice, Feinstein says -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said Sunday that her panel is focused on investigating possible obstruction of justice by President Trump. “The [Senate] Judiciary Committee has an investigation going as well and it involves obstruction of justice and I think what we’re beginning to see is the putting together of a case of obstruction of justice,” Feinstein said in an interview that aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Lizzie Johnson and Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/3/17
For tenants on the edge, paying the rent often takes more than half their income -- The problem has been building for decades, a result of rising rents and stagnant income for many lower- and middle-class workers as the economy shifted away from manufacturing to create a legion of low-wage service jobs. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/17
Lopez: They're leaving California for Las Vegas to find the middle-class life that eluded them -- The rent steals so much of your paycheck, you might have to move back in with your parents, and half your life is spent staring at the rear end of the car in front of you. You'd like to think it will get better, but when? All around you, young and old alike are saying goodbye to California. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/17
Willie Brown: Ed Lee, George Gascón were missing in action after Kate Steinle verdict -- The silence out of San Francisco’s top officials after the verdict in the Kate Steinle case was both uncharacteristic of our city and unhealthy. Uncharacteristic, because in past years, mayors and district attorneys have never been shy about stepping before the microphones when San Francisco is in the headlines, be the news good or bad. Willie Brown in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/3/17
San Diego gun buyback is so popular, police ran out of money -- San Diego police officers bought back 164 unwanted guns from people in South Bay on Saturday — a no-questions-asked event that proved so popular, officers ran out of the gift cards they gave in exchange for weapons. Teri Figueroa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 12/3/17
Taylor: Artist collective called Deathtrap faces new reality after Ghost Ship fire -- The Deathtrap family didn’t gather this year to eat leftover turkey legs, casseroles and pies. The annual post-Thanksgiving gathering had been one of the best parties for years, because as many as 50 people would bring food to the West Oakland warehouse. Otis Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/3/17
Group says Rep. Duncan Hunter is too close to the vaping industry, seeks ethics review -- A legal advocacy group has asked the Office of Congressional Ethics to look into Rep. Duncan Hunter’s “endorsement of private vaping products in blatant disregard of the House Ethics Rules” — but Hunter’s office says the group is just blowing smoke. Joshua Stewart and Morgan Cook in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 12/3/17
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Next step in GOP tax bill unlikely to deliver help to California -- Now that the GOP-led Senate has passed a tax bill that will largely benefit the nation’s biggest companies and wealthiest people, the next step is to merge that version with what the House passed last month — and the version that emerges is unlikely to be much different for most residents of California. Chances are, many state residents’ tax bills will be higher in years to come. Joe Garofoli and Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/3/17
Governor candidates square off over education at San Diego forum -- From charter schools to property taxes, six California gubernatorial candidates faced off on a range of topics Saturday before hundreds of school bord members from throughout the state. Paul Sisson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/17
The Kathryn Steinle murder trial: Why the jury and Trump saw two different cases -- On a breezy summer day two years ago, Kathryn Steinle was strolling with her father along Pier 14 by the Ferry Building in San Francisco, when she was hit by a .40-caliber bullet. The single shot, fired by a homeless man, had hit the concrete pier first, ricocheting 78 feet before striking her in the back. Joe Mozingo and Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/17
Changes since Steinle shooting wouldn’t have kept San Francisco from freeing immigrant -- Much has changed in immigration policy and politics since April 2015, when San Francisco released undocumented immigrant Jose Ines Garcia Zarate less than three months before he fired the shot that killed Kate Steinle on a city pier. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/3/17
Myers: The major parties just aren't cutting it for California voters -- Hardly anyone would be surprised to learn the vast majority of Californians — two in every three adults in the latest statewide poll — thinks the country is headed in the wrong direction. And they're placing much of the blame on the nation's two dominant parties. The political map of red and blue, it seems, isn't cutting it anymore. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/17
Walters: Could California be seeing onset of recession? -- Twice each year, once in January and again in May, Gov. Jerry Brown warns Californians that the economic prosperity their state has enjoyed in recent years won’t last forever. Dan Walters Calmatters.org -- 12/3/17
California Assembly hearing on sexual harassment policies leaves unanswered questions -- California Assembly members held a special hearing this week in what they called a first step to overhauling how the chamber handles claims of sexual misconduct and harassment. Jazmine Ulloa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/17
San Francisco elite to couple who bought their street: There’s the way to San Jose! -- For months, the San Jose couple who gained notoriety by snatching ownership of a private street in an exclusive San Francisco neighborhood for $90,100 in an online auction have been portrayed as money-grubbing opportunists preying on the hapless millionaires who live inside the gated confines of Presidio Terrace. Julia Prodis Sulek in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/3/17
Western governors shrug off Flynn furor -- While Mike Flynn’s downfall roiled Washington, the governors of 10 western states took shelter in an alternate universe 2,000 miles away. David Siders Politico -- 12/3/17
Homeless
Mobile showers set up for homeless near riverbed; Anaheim says a permit is needed -- The portables were brought in by the Orange County Poverty Alleviation Coalition, a homeless advocacy group. This was the first operation of its kind since the group had three portable toilets confiscated by the City of Anaheim after setting them up without permission earlier this year. Jonathan Winslow in the Orange County Register -- 12/3/17
Wildfire
Southern California faces fire warnings amid dry, gusty winds -- The National Weather Service has issued fire weather warnings for the mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura counties starting Sunday night, expanding across much of Southern California by Monday, including Orange County and vast stretches of San Diego County and the Inland Empire. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/17
Garage doors a surprising, deadly obstacle in firestorm -- As Santa Rosa resident Cheryl Diehm raced to escape her Oakmont home in first hours of October’s deadly firestorm, she encountered an unexpected obstacle: Her garage door would not open. The power was out, the electricity cut off after nearby blazes had toppled utility lines. J.D. Morris in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/3/17
Fires wipe out work for housekeepers, gardeners, pool cleaners -- Although the flames have long been extinguished, the disaster delivered a sharp and lingering economic blow to the people who tidied up homes, washed windows, maintained yards and cleaned pools in fire-ravaged neighborhoods. With so many homes lost in northern Santa Rosa, some business owners say they could be forced to shift their work to southern Sonoma County or Marin County. Martin Espinoza in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat -- 12/3/17
Education
Berkeley students create tool to estimate cost of GOP tax bill -- There has been much discussion about how the House tax bill's provision taxing tuition waivers for graduate students will effect those who receive waivers, with some saying it will raise students' taxes thousands of dollars and others saying it won't have such a huge effect. A similar measure was included in the Senate's version of the tax bill. Drew Costley in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/3/17
UCI student's novel approach to helping refugees and asylum seekers -- An encounter with Syrian refugees during a family trip to Turkey in 2014 inspired a UC Irvine senior to create the University of California’s first student-funded scholarship program for refugees and asylum seekers. Iman Siddiqi, 20, raised a little over $93,000 for the program last month during a banquet at the university. Priscella Vega in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/17
Cannabis
How marijuana does — and doesn't — affect your health and well-being -- Some of the claims are true, notably those involving marijuana’s value in treating pain. Physicians began pointing to that benefit long before California voters approved medical marijuana in 1996. But consumers also are being exposed to ads and testimonials that conflict with the findings of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, which struck a cautionary tone in January in a landmark report on the health effects of marijuana. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 12/3/17
Free legal clinic assists those who want to reduce or expunge marijuana convictions -- Tim Gee woke before dawn Saturday and donned a black three-piece suit with crimson tie. The Las Vegas resident then flew to Los Angeles, home to a past that still haunts him. Christine Mai-Duc in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/17
Sebastopol City Council set to decide whether to allow recreational cannabis retail by January -- City Council members Tuesday will consider putting draft rules for the non-medical marketplace on a fast track in preparation for January when recreational cannabis sales can begin across the state. Julie Johnson in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat -- 12/3/17
Immigration / Border
Vista rally calls for law to protect 'dreamers' -- About 300 people rallied in a Vista park Saturday, calling on Congress — and Rep. Darrell Issa in particular — to support a program that provides protections for some unauthorized immigrants brought to the country as children. Teri Figueroa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 12/3/17
Environment
Porter Ranch residents informed of brief surge in methane levels at Aliso Canyon gas storage facility -- Methane levels briefly surged Friday night at the Aliso Canyon gas storage facility in the San Fernando Valley, prompting Southern California Gas Co. to notify nearby residents in Porter Ranch. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/17
Also . . .
Oakland warehouse fire anniversary memorial honors 36 victims -- A year ago, family members, friends and fellow artists rushed to an Oakland warehouse, waiting to hear the fate of their loved ones in a fire. Saturday, they gathered again at the site on 31st Avenue to remember the 36 people who died in the Ghost Ship fire on Dec. 2, 2016. It was one of the deadliest building fires in the nation’s recent history. Jenna Lyons in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/3/17
Navy aviators disciplined over air phallus after Coronado hearing -- The Navy’s “Air Boss,” Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker, has disciplined two aviators involved in a Nov. 15 incident of phallic skywriting in Washington. Carl Prine in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 12/3/17
Elon Musk, ever the merry prankster, plans to launch a Tesla to Mars on a SpaceX rocket -- Shortly after he founded SpaceX, Elon Musk paraded a mock-up of his Falcon 1 rocket down Independence Avenue in the nation's capital, with a police escort, hoping to get the attention of leaders in Washington. Later, he had a plan to land a greenhouse plant on Mars, which he hoped would reinvigorate interest in space. Christian Davenport in the Washington Post$ -- 12/3/17
POTUS 45
Did Trump’s tweet about Michael Flynn’s guilty plea just admit something it shouldn’t have? -- A little more than 24 hours after Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, President Trump finally took to Twitter to offer his thoughts. He may wish he hadn't. Aaron Blake in the Washington Post$ -- 12/3/17
Trump’s campaign: Big Macs, screaming fits and constant rivalries -- Elton John blares so loudly on Donald Trump’s campaign plane that staffers can’t hear themselves think. Press secretary Hope Hicks uses a steamer to press Trump’s pants — while he is still wearing them. Trump screams at his top aides, who are subjected to expletive-filled tirades in which they get their “face ripped off.” Michael Kranish in the Washington Post$ -- 12/3/17
Beltway
Senate tax measure helps President Trump pivot away from clean energy and back to fossil fuels -- The tax measure they approved proposes to open the Arctic to oil and gas development, weaken investment incentives for solar and wind production, and end a big tax credit for new electric vehicles. Taken together, the Senate tax provisions are clearly allied with the Trump administration’s goal to shift American energy development back to black fuels and reverse Obama-era programs to encourage cleaner technologies to generate electricity and move people and goods. Keith Schneider in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/17
-- Saturday Updates
LAPD cadet scandal: Joyrides in cruisers went on for weeks before anyone caught on -- If the group of young Los Angeles police cadets accused of stealing department vehicles had any fear of getting caught, they certainly didn’t show it. James Queally and Kate Mather in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/17
'Nothing is permanent': One year after the Ghost Ship fire, a survivor struggles to find housing in Oakland -- Carmen Brito wonders whether there's room for her in the Bay Area. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/17
Abcarian: The verdict in the Kate Steinle murder trial was shocking but fair. Jurors put facts over politics -- The family of Kate Steinle chose not to be in court on the day jurors rendered their verdict in the case of the undocumented Mexican immigrant who was accused in her death. It was probably for the best. In a decision many found shocking, Jose Ines Garcia Zarate was acquitted of all but the least serious charge he faced. Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/17
Taylor: Surviving Ghost Ship: Man learns to stand, walk and talk again -- Sam Maxwell’s hands shake as he raises a cup of water to his mouth. Water trickles from the corner of his lips, and he coughs as he swallows. Ernest Mena, his caretaker, gently pats Sam’s back as he leans forward in his wheelchair. Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/3/17
Biggest Changes in Decades, Some Made at the Last Minute -- The new Republican tax plan affects families, small business owners and multinational corporations, with the biggest benefits flowing to the highest-earning Americans. Jim Tankersley, Thomas Kaplan and Alan Rappeport in the New York Times$ -- 12/3/17