Updating . .
Pardoned by Brown, blasted by Trump: Bay Area man grateful for 2nd chance -- Within hours, Daniel Maher’s name was everywhere. “Did you hear the good news?” asked his colleagues at the Ecology Center in Berkeley, where the 44-year-old works. Gov. Jerry Brown had just pardoned 56 ex-convicts in a pre-Easter act of clemency. Maher was among them. Lizzie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/7/18
Police using 'drone killers' to disable flying devices in emergency situations -- The Oceanside Police Department recently acquired a "drone killer," an electronic device that can disable a drone in the sky and force it back to the ground. Other area law enforcement agencies are considering the technology as a way to rein in unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs. Phil Diehl in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/7/18
Taylor: Sex allegations against Contra Costa deputy further cloud county jail system -- Right now in Richmond, Contra Costa County sheriff’s officials are preparing to expel a deputy they say had unlawful consensual sex with two female inmates at the jail there. His behavior was, they want you to know, an anomaly. Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/7/18
YouTube shooter wasn’t a scorned lover — so why did so many jump to that conclusion? -- When word spread that the YouTube shooter wasn’t a disgruntled man but a woman, the almost immediate assumption was dead wrong: that she was a spurned lover intent on killing her boyfriend. Julia Prodis Sulek in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/7/18
Is your lawyer a crook? The California State Bar may soon let you know -- What do you call up to 10 percent of lawyers in California? Convicted criminals. And that’s no rotten-lawyer joke. That’s the eye-popping new estimate by the agency that licenses them. Tracey Kaplan in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/7/18
California zigzags on ambitious water-delivery project, puts two-tunnel concept back on the table -- Four days after Southern California's biggest water agency dropped a plan to pay for most of a major water delivery project, the funding proposal is back on the table. Bettina Boxall in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/7/18
Trump meets his match: Stormy Daniels' combative lawyer Michael Avenatti -- Michael Avenatti, the newly famous lawyer for porn star Stormy Daniels, has more than a few things in common with President Trump. He's brash. He's media savvy. He enjoys the high life. He revels in antagonizing opponents. Michael Finnegan and Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/7/18
Lopez: She vanished 17 months ago with no leads. Now, a volunteer cop has a troubling theory about what happened to her -- Last spring, an off-duty LAPD cop named Mike Goldberg went to the movies at the Laemmle in North Hollywood with his wife. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/7/18
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Gov. Brown Hedges On Sending Troops To Border -- California Gov. Jerry Brown has been silent on President Donald Trump's call this week for National Guard troops to help protect the southern border with Mexico. That contrasts with the Democratic governor's quick response when Trump's administration recently sued over the deep blue state's immigration policy days before the president journeyed to San Diego to view his border wall prototypes earlier this year. Associated Press -- 4/7/18
Governors could be powerless to deny Trump troop request -- The statute known as "Title 10 duty status" establishes that National Guard personnel operate under the president's control and receive federal pay and benefits. It also forbids them from performing tasks of civilian law enforcement unless explicitly authorized, according to the Congressional Research Service. Andrew Selsky and Tom James Associated Press -- 4/7/18
What President Trump Could Do If Jerry Brown Rejects California National Guard Deployment To Border -- There’s broad agreement among legal scholars that a governor can reject a president’s request to deploy that state’s National Guard under the section of federal law Trump cites in his proclamation. What would Trump's options be if Brown says no? Ben Adler Capital Public Radio -- 4/7/18
Sheriff’s association weighs in against California’s sanctuary state laws -- A law enforcement organization whose members include every county sheriff in California and across the nation threw its support Friday behind the Trump administration’s challenge to the state’s sanctuary laws, telling a federal judge that the laws interfere with immigration enforcement and could even subject local officers to criminal charges. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/7/18
Will Riverside and San Bernardino counties join the federal lawsuit against the sanctuary state law? -- There appears to be little to no sentiment among Riverside or San Bernardino County supervisors to follow Orange County’s lead in joining a federal lawsuit against California over state laws intended to shield undocumented immigrants from deportation. Jeff Horseman in the San Bernardino Sun$ -- 4/7/18
California Assembly staffer quit amid harassment probe -- The complaint against Rodney Wilson, who was chief of staff to Assemblyman Tom Daly at the time, claims he was drunk and slurring his words on the final night of the legislative session last year. Two female Assembly employees said he made sexually suggestive comments and leered at them, according to the documents. Sophia Bollag Associated Press Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/7/18
Trump’s troubles in California proving a drag to GOP House incumbents -- There’s a new bit of evidence that California’s long-running unhappiness with President Trump and his policies is rubbing off on the Republican politicians who support him. Cook’s Political Report, a nonpartisan election forecaster, came out with a report Friday that moved the race for Republican Rep. David Valadao’s Central Valley seat from the “Likely Republican” category to “Lean Republican,” which signals that the November election could be a real contest. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/7/18
Feinstein’s re-election challenge is coming from the left, and her own party -- For Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, complaints from Republicans are a given. But it has to be galling that the sharpest attacks now come from members of her own party. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/7/18
California disability clients, state employees hit by data breach -- Vandals who ransacked a state office in Sacramento in February stole 12 government computers and briefly had access to the personal health records of 582,000 people, the state Department of Developmental Services disclosed on Friday. Adam Ashton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/7/18
After police shootings, officers are rarely prosecuted. But many are fired -- A police officer shoots and kills a black man who probably never posed a threat. If prosecutors file charges, the cop goes on trial but is set free because a jury fails to reach a verdict or decides that the officer had reasonable — though mistaken — fear and was acting in self-defense. That leaves the police department to decide whether to continue to employ the officer. Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/7/18
Another Sacramento councilman criticizes police shooting of Stephon Clark -- In a meeting with The Sacramento Bee editorial board on Friday, Councilman Jay Schenirer said Clark "should not be dead" and that "we need to hold ourselves accountable, we need to hold the Police Department accountable." Ryan Lillis in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/7/18
San Francisco man awarded $10 million after jury finds police framed him for murder -- A federal court jury awarded $10 million in damages Friday to a San Francisco man who spent six years in prison before his murder conviction was thrown out. Jamal Trulove accused four San Francisco police officers of framing him for a 2007 killing at the city’s Sunnydale public housing complex. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/7/18
Gov. Jerry Brown turns 80 on Saturday -- Saturday is shaping up to be a big day for Jerry Brown: a slice of his mother’s famous banana cake, a trip to the gym and then maybe a bike ride. Not to mention the governor of California hits the big 8-oh! That’s right. The leader of one of the world’s largest economies will become an octogenarian, the oldest governor in the land and the longest-serving governor of California. Emily DeRuy in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/7/18
Jerry Brown Is Turning 80. Here's the Advice Other Seniors Have for Him -- People always want to know how folks will spend their time once they've retired, so I visited The Sequoias senior community in San Francisco in search of advice for the governor. As she lingered over her lunch, Hilda Richards revealed that she is "100 plus," having reached the century mark last November. When told Brown was turning 80, she was a little judgmental. Scott Shafer KQED -- 4/7/18
We pay millions for sex offender therapy at Coalinga hospital. Most patients aren't in it -- Thirteen years after Coalinga State Hospital was built to treat the state’s sexually violent predators, some of the men there say they’re more like prisoners than patients, and that the multimillion-dollar facility once criticized for its amenities is a sort of purgatory failing to rehabilitate offenders — and therefore failing the public. Mackenzie Mays in the Fresno Bee -- 4/7/18
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Santa Clara County spends big to boost census count -- Even before the Trump administration moved to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, officials in the Bay Area’s largest county were concerned with getting a complete count. Santa Clara County supervisors had already planned to spend a record amount to count every single resident. Jenna Lyons in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/7/18
California proposes new rules for self-driving cars to pick up passengers -- California’s public utility regulator on Friday signaled it would allow self-driving car companies to transport passengers without a backup driver in the vehicle, a step forward for autonomous car developers just as the industry faces heightened scrutiny over safety concerns. Heather Somerville Reuters -- 4/7/18
California wineries brace for bottle shock as US-China trade war escalates -- All week, the United States and China have been going back forth, threatening to impose tariffs on each other's goods. Friday morning, the trade war escalated once again, with China saying it was ready to strike back "forcefully" at the new U.S. tariffs. KPCC -- 4/7/18
Farmers to Trump: No trade war, please -- President Donald Trump has promised to shield farmers from the sting of China’s trade retaliation, but that embattled portion of Trump’s rural base says they just want to sell on the open market, without tariffs slapped on their products amid escalating tensions. Adam Behsudi, Catherine Boudreau and Doug Palmer Politico -- 4/7/18
Water
Southern California might pay for two Delta tunnels after all -- A powerful Southern California water agency has breathed life back into the twin-tunnels Delta water project, a plan that appeared dead just a few days ago. In a dramatic 11th-hour pivot, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is considering again whether to finance the lion's share of the entire Delta tunnels project instead of supporting the scaled-back, single-tunnel approach. Dale Kasler and Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/7/18
Guns
California Senate Republicans Want More Oversight For Prohibited Gun List -- All 13 California Senate Republicans called this week for joint oversight hearings for a state program designed to seize guns from people who bought them legally but were later barred from owning firearms. Maureen Cavanaugh, Michael Lipkin KPBS -- 4/7/18
Trauma Surgeon Who Treated YouTube Victims: 'Every Day There are People Who are Getting Shot and Hurt' -- Campbell surfaced from the emergency room to talk to the press on Tuesday afternoon, emphasizing that gun violence happens daily in the Bay Area and across the United States, whether a scrum of reporters is there to cover it or not. "I'd like to make sure that people know that we got a serious problem that we need to address," he said. Laura Klivans KQED -- 4/7/18
Housing
El Mercado files suit to rescind approval of a Boyle Heights homeless housing project -- The owners of the El Mercado shopping center have filed a lawsuit seeking to block a 49-unit project of affordable and homeless housing, opening a new chapter in a five-year battle that has pitted homeless advocates against a popular Boyle Heights institution. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/7/18
Wildfire
Six months later, emergency upgrades after Northern California fires slow to take effect -- Six months after Linda Tunis died in her home at Journey’s End mobile home park in northern Santa Rosa during the Tubbs fire, her daughter still questions whether she could have saved her. Julie Johnson in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat -- 4/7/18
Education
Student awarded $7 million in lawsuit for football brain injury -- Grossmont Union High School District has agreed to pay a former student football player and his family $7.1 million to settle a lawsuit that alleged the boy has permanent brain damage because the coaching staff did not recognize he had a concussion after a game. Gary Warth in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 4/7/18
Environment
Air quality board delays vote on regulating freight pollution -- Southern California air quality officials delayed action Friday on a proposal to draft regulations for warehouses, rail yards and large construction projects that are responsible for much of the region's most harmful, smog-forming emissions. Tony Barboza in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/7/18
Rolling back fuel economy standards could mean bigger cars — and less progress on climate change -- Gas prices have been so low in recent years that more Americans are choosing to buy bigger vehicles, a trend that has stymied efforts to cut auto emissions. One thing reining in consumer appetite for trucks and SUVs has been tough fuel economy standards adopted several years ago by California and the Obama administration. Tony Barboza in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/7/18
California's Lost Wetlands Get Help From Sacramento Valley Rice Farms -- Before the Gold Rush, the Central Valley in California was like a bathtub. Rivers full of water from the mountains meandered through the valley, spreading the water far and wide across a vast expanse of natural wetlands. Lisa Morehouse KQED -- 4/7/18
Also . . .
Feds close Backpage offices in move that could affect Sacramento case -- The walls appear to be closing in on Backpage.com after Associated Press reports that federal agents shut down the controversial website at its Phoenix offices Friday afternoon in what looms as a major development in the Sacramento criminal case against the site’s founders. Darrell Smith in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/7/18
A planned space hotel hopes to welcome guests by 2022 — for a cost of almost $800,000 a night -- Looking for a getaway that offers unmatched views of sunrises and sunsets? Specifically, 384 of them in 12 days? Try outer space. Marwa Eltagouri in the Washington Post$ -- 4/7/18
Beltway
Three months into the tax cuts, significant wage gains seem elusive -- February’s blockbuster jobs report — a huge gain in employment and drops in the unemployment rate among key groups — was not matched by the March number released Friday morning. The economy added 103,000 jobs last month, according to preliminary estimates, and the number of jobs created in January and February was adjusted downward by 50,000 (down 63,000 in January and up 13,000 in February). Philip Bump in the Washington Post$ -- 4/7/18
-- Friday Updates
Latino support becomes a flashpoint in race for California governor -- After facing criticism for not taking part in a Latino business group’s gubernatorial forum, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom has rolled out an endorsement from one of the most prominent Latino politicians in the state. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/6/18
100,000 California teenagers are now pre-registered to vote -- California's effort to get 16- and 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote has now enlisted 100,000 teenagers, according to information released on Friday by Secretary of State Alex Padilla. “This is a big milestone,” Padilla said. “I’m optimistic it’s going to translate into action at the ballot box.” John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/6/18
Sudden departure of state industrial relations head Baker stuns labor, business -- Christine Baker, the first female director of the California Department of Industrial Relations, retired abruptly and unexpectedly after 34 years with the agency that administers and enforces state laws covering workers’ compensation, workplace safety, wages, hours, overtime, retaliation and apprenticeship programs. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/6/18
Man beaten by Sacramento cop after jaywalking stop settles for $550,000, police reforms -- Sacramento has tentatively settled a lawsuit with a black man who was beaten by a city police officer last April after allegedly jaywalking, an incident that ignited community outrage and led to national headlines. Anita Chabria in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/6/18
As waves of homeless descend onto trains, L.A. tries a new strategy: social workers on the subway -- The early morning commuters stepping off the Metro escalator paid little attention to the 10 people huddled under blankets and curled up in corners at the Hollywood and Vine station. John Gant, 60, lay sprawled on the tile floor, his hoodie drawn over his face. When three social workers stopped to ask if he wanted help, he nodded. Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/6/18
Amid deportations, those in U.S. without authorization shy away from medical care -- They need to prepare, they say, in case they never come back. Patients at the St. John’s Well Child & Family Center in South Los Angeles have recently started asking for copies of their medical records. Some request extra medicine from their doctors, taking home as much as they’ll supply. Soumya Karlamangla in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/6/18
Brown Mum On Trump's National Guard Deployment, But Lawmakers Start To Speak Up -- Every border state governor has embraced President Trump’s requested deployment of National Guard troops to the Mexican border — except in California, where Gov. Jerry Brown remained quiet Thursday for a second straight day. Ben Adler Capital Public Radio -- 4/6/18
YouTube shooter's parents: 'She never hurt one ant, how she shoot the people?' -- YouTube's shooter Nasim Aghdam's anguished parents told "Good Morning America" Friday morning that they knew their daughter was frustrated with the social media site, but they never suspected she would shoot someone. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/6/18
Fox: Go Get ‘Em, George! Too Many Laws -- Bravo to Los Angeles Times columnist George Skelton for his article yesterday excoriating frivolous and dumb laws that waste lawmakers’ time and public money. Too many laws is an issue I’ve returned to time and again on this page, even praising former U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer because she did not author many laws. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 4/6/18
A report: California Latinos and higher education -- The number of Latinos in California with two- and four-year degrees has doubled in little more than a decade, a dramatic increase. But compared with the overall, growing Latino population, the proportion of college-trained Latino adults over the same period has remained flat — roughly one in 10 from 2005 to 2015. John Howard Capitol Weekly -- 4/6/18
A wealthy developer owns a rare plot of green in a very crowded part of L.A. What does he owe his neighbors? -- Koreatown residents band together to save Liberty Park, the only green space for miles on end in either direction along Wilshire Boulevard. Victoria Kim in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/6/18
Uber, Lyft car ads headed for San Francisco -- Some companies look at Uber and Lyft cars and see a vast, untapped resource: a way to reach passengers and pedestrians with marketing messages. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/6/18
After Mark Zuckerberg’s messages disappear, Facebook says ‘unsend’ feature coming to all users -- Thursday night, tech news website TechCrunch reported that messages from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg had conspicuously disappeared from recipients’ inboxes. The next day, Facebook explained this is not a bug or a coverup — but rather a new feature it plans to roll out to all users in the future. Seung Lee in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/6/18
Abcarian: A few more words on Alzheimer's prevention: Tap water? Caviar? Twinkies? -- It didn't take long for Mosconi, the associate director of the Alzheimer's Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, to conclude that Americans, with their affinities for coffees, Frappuccinos, sodas, juices and alcohol, are basically walking around in a state of dehydration, which can be devastating for the brain. Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/6/18
Capitol Weekly Podcast: Kevin Eckery -- Twenty two years ago this week, federal authorities arrested Ted Kaczynski - known as the Unabomber - in his remote Montana cabin, ending a 17 year reign of terror. While the Unabomber had no strong ties to the Sacramento region, both his first and final murders occurred here. Link Here -- 4/6/18