California Policy & Politics This Morning  

More cops will hit San Francisco streets New Year’s Eve in wake of foiled terror plot -- In the wake of a foiled terror plot that may have targeted Pier 39, the San Francisco Police Department is putting more officers on the street for New Year’s Eve, when large crowds will gather around the city to watch fireworks, drink Champagne and ring in 2018. Sophie Haigney in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/30/17

California spreads its liberal wings in 2018 with a slew of new laws -- Whether you cross the street, head to college or apply for a new job, one of the hundreds of new laws that California will add to the books on New Year’s Day is likely to affect you. Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/30/17

PG&E devices’ role in Wine Country fires come under scrutiny by state legislators -- As winds picked up in Sonoma and Napa counties the night deadly fires broke out in October, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. shut down some devices on its power lines that have a history of sparking fires. Across the two counties, however, the utility company disabled just three of hundreds of the machines, known as reclosers, it operates on lines there. Joaquin Palomino in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/30/17

Fund helps immigrant family find ‘better future’ in Oakland -- Abdul Nasiri, his wife and four children left Kabul in 2016 for a new life in Oakland with only several changes of clothes. They wanted to save most of the space in their suitcases for their children’s academic accomplishments — report cards, certificates of achievement and medals they’d won. Sarah Ravani in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/30/17

Where are they now? Paul Horcher -- For all the drama that comes with a first day of session, it’s largely a scripted affair. Legislators and their families fly to Sacramento and at about noon everyone files into the Chambers for the oath of office. A few procedural votes are taken and then everyone goes home until January. But that wasn’t how it happened in 1994. Alex Vassar Capitol Weekly -- 12/30/17

1 lawyer killed, another wounded at Bixby Knolls law office; reportedly fired partner takes own life -- An attorney reportedly fired from a prominent Long Beach law firm shot two of his senior partners Friday at their Bixby Knolls office, killing one and wounding the other, before killing himself, police and sources said. Jeremiah Dobruck and Larry Altman in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 12/30/17

Motive sought in California law firm shooting with 2 dead -- Police are trying to learn what motivated a man to walk into a law firm where he worked and shoot two of his colleagues before turning the gun on himself. Police arrived at the office building in Long Beach on Friday to find the gunman and one victim dead and learned that the second victim had driven himself to a hospital, police Sgt. Brad Johnson said at a news conference. Andrew Dalton Associated Press -- 12/30/17

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

US eyes increased pumping from biggest federal water project -- The Trump administration said Friday it will look at revving up water deliveries to farmers from California's Central Valley Project, the largest federal water project in the United States, in what environmental groups called a threat to protections for struggling native salmon and other endangered species. Associated Press -- 12/30/17

Housing  

New Tax Law Could Hurt New and Middle-Class Homebuyers -- Homeowners and future buyers in the Bay Area, where real estate prices are astronomical, could be hit the hardest by the new Republican tax law that limits how much mortgage interest, as well as local and state taxes, residents can deduct from their federal taxes. Erika Aguilar KQED -- 12/30/17

Wildfire  

Sonoma County enlists law group to track fire litigation against PG&E -- The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors has enlisted a coalition of law firms with expertise in wildfire litigation to begin tracking legal suits and proceedings against Pacific Gas & Electric Co., a move that comes as the county continues to explore filing its own lawsuit against the utility for taxpayer damages incurred during the devastating North Bay wildfires. Martin Espinoza in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat -- 12/30/17

Trash dumped in burned-out neighborhoods angers Santa Rosa homeowners -- The Anderson family could not believe what they discovered when they returned to the ruins of their Fountaingrove home on Christmas Eve, planning to create some happy memories by putting up holiday decorations in a display of resilience that has spread through fire-ravaged neighborhoods across Sonoma County. Kevin Fixler in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat -- 12/30/17

Cannabis 

Looking for legal weed around L.A.? WeHo is your only option — and you'll have to wait until Jan. 2 -- Recreational marijuana sales will be legal in California come Monday morning, but Angelenos will have to wait a day — and will have limited options — if they want to buy cannabis without taking a road trip. James Rufus Koren in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/30/17

Sacramento’s first retail pot shop is approved for Jan. 1 sales -- Recreational sales of marijuana can begin on Jan. 1 in Sacramento, as the city now has at least one store with the required city and state permits. A Therapeutic Alternative on H Street in East Sacramento was the first shop to complete the permitting process. Brad Branan in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/30/17

Recreational pot launch: Will new retail shops enjoy a near-monopoly? -- Even as California readies for the rollout of recreational marijuana starting Monday morning, elected officials and industry leaders are wrangling over a pivotal question: How widely available should the drug be? Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/30/17

California braces for legal pot: Here’s what we can learn from other states -- As licensed businesses around California on Monday begin legally growing and selling marijuana for recreational use, the questions are piling up: How will various law-enforcement agencies get their arms around a whole slew of new pot laws to enforce? Patrick May in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/30/17

Also . . . 

In hopes of saving young kids, California beefs up pool safety law -- Between 2010 and 2014, more than 160 California children age 4 and under died due to drowning, according to state public health data. Drowning is one of the leading cause of death for young children. Priska Neely KPCC -- 12/30/17

POTUS 45  

Time at Mar-a-Lago is a respite for Trump — and a headache for his staff -- When President Trump sat down with a reporter for a wide-ranging, 30-minute interview at his private golf club here Thursday, not a single aide or adviser was present at the table — and not a single aide or adviser knew about it in advance. Ashley Parker and Josh Dawsey in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/30/17

Beltway 

The latest 2018 election-hacking threat: 9-month wait for government help -- That means some states might not get the service until weeks before the November midterms and may remain unaware of flaws that could allow homegrown cyber vandals or foreign intelligence agencies to target voter registration databases and election offices’ computer networks, the officials said. Russian hackers targeted election systems in at least 21 states in 2016, according to DHS. Tim Starks Politico -- 12/30/17

-- Updates