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Urgent cures are required for Bay Area housing, traffic ailments: experts -- Innovative — and swift — remedies are required if the Bay Area and the rest of California can begin to cure a forbidding array of ailments poised to imperil the region’s economic health, experts urged during an economic conference on Friday. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/13/18

House Speaker Paul Ryan endorses California Rep. Kevin McCarthy as his successor -- Speaker Paul D. Ryan's endorsement Friday of Rep. Kevin McCarthy as his successor vastly increases chances that the Bakersfield congressman will lead House Republicans come November, but it may not seal the deal. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/13/18

Van Nuys toy mogul makes $900 million bid for Toys R Us -- Billionaire Isaac Larian, the Van Nuys toy marketer whose lineup includes Little Tikes and Bratz dolls, offered to save part of Toys “R” Us from liquidation with an almost $900 million bid for stores in the U.S. and Canada. Bloomberg in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 4/13/18

Running to replace the governor, Gavin Newsom embraces Jerry Brown—at arm’s length -- It’s hard to run as the change agent in the California governor’s race when you’re the state’s second-ranking elected leader. But Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is giving it his best shot. Ben Christopher Calmatters -- 4/13/18

Fox: Steve Poizner’s “Puncher’s Chance” Could Alter CA Politics -- Steve Poizner’s independent run for Insurance Commissioner can be precedent setting. Last week, on this page Joe Mathews argued that Poizner’s run as an independent was an act of folly. I disagree. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 4/13/18

Wells Fargo confirms that it may pay $1-billion penalty over latest consumer abuses -- Wells Fargo & Co. confirmed Friday that the bank might pay as much as $1 billion to regulators over its mortgage-lending and auto-insurance abuses — which would be the biggest penalty yet for the bank related to its long running sales-practices scandal. Jaclyn Cosgrove in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/13/18

Facebook a force for good? Nearly a third of Americans say no -- Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg says his company’s goal is to connect the world and make the world a better place. His former pollster says his data show people don’t feel that positively about Facebook. Seung Lee in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/13/18

San Francisco scooter problem: City impounds dozens of the two-wheelers -- San Francisco officials impounded 66 electric shared scooters from sidewalks Friday in the first enforcement effort since hundreds of the standup vehicles were dropped on city sidewalks about two weeks ago, triggering an avalanche of complaints to City Hall from business owners and residents about potential hazards. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/13/18

Waymo applies for no-driver testing in California -- Waymo, the self-driving unit of Google parent Alphabet, this week applied to test cars without drivers on California roads, the Chronicle has learned. Waymo confirmed that it had submitted an application to the California Department of Motor Vehicles late Thursday. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/13/18

Diablo Canyon’s dismantling -- An in-depth look at the painstaking process of decommissioning California’s last nuclear power plant. David R. Baker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/13/18

Patrick Soon-Shiong — immigrant, doctor, billionaire, and soon, newspaper owner — starts a new era at the L.A. Times -- A 43-year-old woman lay dying on the floor of the emergency room lobby at Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital as her boyfriend frantically called 911 for help from a pay phone outside. Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong read about it in the Los Angeles Times. Meg James and Andrea Chang in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/13/18

Californian and White House veteran offers clarity on Washington’s chaos -- Even for unusually chaotic times, there’s been an unusual amount of chaos lately. President Trump is threatening to attack Syria, and all but daring Russia to do something about it. He’s musing about firing Robert Mueller. The FBI just raided Trump’s lawyer’s office, looking into hush money paid to a pornographic movie actress. Trump’s nominee to lead the CIA was involved in its history of torture. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/13/18

San Francisco roofers are swamped with months-long waits -- For anyone with a leaky roof in need of immediate repairs, San Francisco roofers have a message for you: It could take a while. On-again, off-again spring showers have extended this year's wet season in the Bay Area, and upped the number of calls for repairs to local roofers. Ted Andersen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/13/18

California's plan for Every Student Succeeds Act heads to Betsy DeVos for approval -- Cross off one area of conflict with the Trump administration. Accepting compromises negotiated with the federal government, members of the State Board of Education on Thursday passed a state plan for the federal Every Student Succeeds Act with the expectation that U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos will approve it. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 4/13/18

Please (don’t) sign on the dotted line -- Strike up a win for the beleaguered consumer: that annoying requirement that we sign for a credit-card transaction at check-out is going bye-bye. Patrick May in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/13/18

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Gavin Newsom says he’d refuse Trump on sending National Guard to the border -- A day after Gov. Jerry Brown agreed to the Trump administration’s request to beef up the National Guard in states along the Mexico border, fellow Democrat Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom said he would not have made the same decision as governor. Laurel Rosenhall Calmatters Angela Hart in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/13/18

Guard faces tricky dance in California border mission -- California Gov. Jerry Brown is crystal clear that his National Guard will help President Trump go after drugs and thugs on the Mexican border, but not immigrants. Drawing that line may be hazy. Elliot Spagat Associated Press -- 4/13/18

L.A. billionaire Eli Broad donates $1.5 million to pro-charter school group supporting Villaraigosa for governor -- The contribution came one day after Netflix chief Reed Hastings donated $7 million to the same group, Families & Teachers for Antonio Villaraigosa for Governor 2018, which is sponsored by the California Charter Schools Assn. Advocates, according to the California secretary of state’s office. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ Angela Hart and Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/13/18

This $7 Million Donation Signals The California Governor's Race Is Ready To Rumble -- The California governor’s race is heating up just weeks before vote-by-mail ballots go out for the June 5 primary, with two giant donations the first sign that the big money is starting to move. Ben Adler Capital Public Radio -- 4/13/18

She has her eye on 2020 and Trump. But first this California senator is lending a hand in 2018 -- She’s been in the Senate for just over a year, but California Democrat Kamala Harris has been quickly making friends. Emily Cadei in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/13/18

Pro-Kevin de León group launches ad castigating Dianne Feinstein -- A group that is supporting Kevin de León’s bid for the U.S. Senate launched a blistering ad against Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Thursday, questioning her progressive principles and tying her to President Trump. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/13/18

De León: Feinstein’s ‘lived in a mansion surrounded by walls all her life’ -- Styling Sen. Dianne Feinstein as a privileged relic of a California that no longer exists, Democratic state Sen. Kevin de León said he would provide a much-needed new voice in the U.S. Senate for a fast-changing state. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/13/18

Dispute over money emerges in campaign to repeal California's gas tax increase -- A proposed initiative to repeal hikes to California’s gas tax has been caught in the middle of a dispute involving Republican rivals in the governor’s race. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/13/18

Attack ad targets NRA support for California Republican -- Throughout his career in Congress, Rep. Jeff Denham of Turlock has regularly appeared on Democratic lists of Republicans who can be knocked off in the next election — but he’s always survived. He’s there again this year, largely because Hillary Clinton outpolled Donald Trump in his district in 2016 and Denham won his own race by just three points. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/13/18

Yuba City City Council opposes sanctuary state law -- The Yuba City City Council made clear its opposition to California’s Sanctuary State law at its meeting Tuesday night. It directed staff to pen a resolution opposing the bill, which critics say keeps law enforcement from doing its job. Rachel Rosenbaum in the Appeal Democrat -- 4/13/18

Sanctuary opponents travel from town to town, screaming an agenda -- They are proudly pro-Trump and anti-sanctuary. And right now, as they travel from city to city in Southern California, waving flags and speaking out, their voices are being heard. If the faces look familiar, it’s because they are. They are a group of about 20 people – sometimes more – from throughout Southern California who, in recent weeks, have been turning out for multiple city council debates to loudly voice their support for anti-sanctuary measures. Roxana Kopetman and Susan Christian Goulding in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 4/13/18

Bloody clashes at UC Berkeley put Democrats and Republicans in the Capitol at odds over free speech -- Last year's bloody clashes on California college campuses have spawned a battle in the state Legislature over how far the law should go to protect unpopular speech and prevent violence between those with opposing political views. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/13/18

Will Democrats pluck the next president from city hall? -- Los Angeles' Eric Garcetti, like other Democratic mayors considering the presidential race in 2020, is hoping to show party activists that his experience running a city can preview success on the national scene. Thomas Beaumont and Bill Barrow Associated Press -- 4/13/18

Republicans make runoffs in 2 special Assembly elections -- A Democrat and a Republican have advanced to a June runoff in each of two special elections to replace Los Angeles-area lawmakers who resigned amid sexual harassment allegations. Sophia Bollag Associated Press -- 4/13/18

Lawsuits filed against L.A. County, lenders over green energy program -- Attorneys representing homeowners filed lawsuits Thursday against the Los Angeles County, alleging a county program that funds solar panels and other energy-efficient home improvements is a "plague" that's ruined the finances of many borrowers by saddling them with loans they cannot afford. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/13/18

Coachella: Police using army of drones to boost security in wake of Las Vegas massacre -- With 125,000 people expected daily and an increased camping area and footprint, the festival dwarfs its host city, Indio. In the wake of the killing of 58 at a Las Vegas music festival, Indio police and 14 other local and federal agencies will have more eyes than ever on the crowd thanks to the aerial surveillance. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/13/18

These five activists are keeping the peace in Sacramento in the wake of Stephon Clark -- Tanya Faison, the leader of the Sacramento chapter of Black Lives Matter, strolled casually in flip-flops through the streets of downtown last week, a water bottle in one hand and the other occasionally raised in a fist above her head. Anita Chabria in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/13/18

Rhee: This could complicate the push for economic justice in Sacramento after Stephon Clark -- If local elected officials only say generally how the money from a tax measure will be spent, it requires only a simple majority to pass. But if officials make promises that are too specific – if they try to be more transparent about where the money will go – it takes a two-thirds supermajority to pass. Foon Rhee in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/13/18

Stephon Clark Protest Moves Outside Sacramento Jail, After Two Arrested -- Protesters blocked downtown Sacramento streets and rallied in front of the main county jail after two women were forcibly arrested by police on Thursday. The arrests occurred outside the district attorney’s offices, where demonstrators have gathered regularly to protest Stephon Clark’s death and demand that the officers be held accountable. Nick Miller, Ben Bradford Capital Public Radio Cathy Locke and Nashelly Chavez in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/13/18

'Nobody had to die.' Neighbors say Tehama sheriff ignored year of terror before shootings -- Hours after a gunman attacked his school, FBI agents told Gage Elliott his father was dead. The 7-year-old boy didn't hesitate to name the killer. “I know who it was,” he said. “I know it was my neighbor.” Dale Kasler, Anita Chabria and Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/13/18

Jane Kim on Learning from Losses, Clean Streets, and Wu-Tang Love -- San Francisco supervisor and mayoral hopeful Jane Kim joins KQED Political Breakdown to talk about Wu-Tang as her campaign anthem, coming up in Chinatown politics as a Korean-American, learning from losses, and why she's focusing on clean streets in her mayoral campaign. Scott Shafer, Marisa Lagos KQED -- 4/13/18

Faulconer budget getting bipartisan praise for infrastructure spending, lack of cuts to key areas -- The proposed budget that Republican Mayor Kevin Faulconer unveiled on Thursday is receiving bipartisan praise for sharply boosting infrastructure spending and avoiding deep cuts to neighborhood services despite funding challenges. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 4/13/18

California plan to keep executions partially secret draws media lawsuit -- With the prospect of executions resuming in California, news organizations are suing state prison officials for their plans to conceal some of the lethal injection process from reporters and witnesses, and to pull the curtain if the drugs fail to kill the condemned inmate. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/13/18

Is California too big? Voters may get chance to split Golden State into three -- Should there be three Californias instead of just one? You may soon have a chance to decide. A Bay Area venture capitalist backing a ballot measure to divide California into three states said Thursday it has received more than enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot. John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/13/18

Nearly 1 million signatures filed for initiative to strike Prop. 13’s ‘moving penalty’ -- If approved, the Prop. 13 “portability” measure would allow homeowners who are 55 or older to take their low property tax base with them after selling their home and buying a new home anywhere in the state. There would be no limit on how many times they can use the provision and no limit on home prices (although buying a more expensive home would result in a slightly higher “blended” tax assessment). Jeff Collins in the Orange County Register -- 4/13/18

Billionaire vs. Billionaire: A Tug of War Between 2 Rogue Donors -- Tom Steyer, a former hedge fund investor based in California, is the biggest individual donor on the Democratic side. His Republican counterpart is Richard Uihlein, an elusive packaging supplies magnate from Illinois. Alexander Burns, Jasmine C. Lee and Rachel Shorey in the New York Times$ -- 4/13/18

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

America’s Most Powerful Car Regulator Isn’t Going to Stop for Trump -- Mary Nichols gave the California Air Resources Board national reach, and now President Trump’s EPA is threatening to roll back her vision of the future. Mark Chediak Bloomberg -- 4/13/18

Change in law allows pooling of tips in California, aiding cooks, dishwashers -- A new law may save tipping as we know it, thanks to a rider slipped into the 2018 federal budget that changes how restaurants in California can pool servers’ tips. The seemingly wonky change may have major ramifications for how cooks and waiters are paid — and how diners settle up their bills. Jonathan Kauffman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/13/18

H-1B application numbers fall for second year in a row -- The number of H-1B applications for the next fiscal year dipped for the second year in a row — a trend experts say could be influenced by the current administration’s “America First” rhetoric and a rise in scrutiny of companies’ petitions. Trisha Thadani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/13/18

Backpage.com and its CEO plead guilty in California and Texas -- The chief executive of a website that authorities have dubbed an "online brothel" pleaded guilty to California money-laundering charges Thursday, while the company itself pleaded guilty to human trafficking in Texas. Carl Ferrer will cooperate in prosecuting Backpage.com's creators and will serve no more than five years in state prison under a California plea agreement. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 4/13/18

Tronc cuts dozens of employees, including former Times Editor Lewis D'Vorkin -- Former Los Angeles Times Editor in Chief Lewis D'Vorkin was fired by Tronc Inc. on Thursday and several dozen other employees of the company were laid off. D'Vorkin was the chief content officer of Tribune Interactive, a newly formed digital business unit of The Times' parent company. The reason for his removal was not clear. Andrea Chang in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/13/18

Tesla Workers Claim Racial Bias and Abuse at Electric Car Factory -- On a fall evening in 2015, Owen Diaz went to drop off food for his 20-year-old son Demetric, whom he’d helped find a job at the same Tesla Inc. factory where Owen operated elevators. As he turned the corner, the two African-American men allege in a lawsuit, Owen saw Demetric’s supervisor condemning his black subordinates with curses and slurs: “All you f-cking n-ggers,” they heard him say. “I can’t stand you motherf-ckers.” Josh Eidelson Bloomberg -- 4/13/18

Reports: Ex-CEO Paul Jacobs still seeking to raise funds for potential Qualcomm takeover bid -- Former Qualcomm Chairman Paul Jacobs is continuing his efforts to raise money to buy the San Diego cellular giant and take it private, two news outlets reported Thursday. Mike Freeman in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 4/13/18

Judge’s ruling ends tribe’s legal fight to build casino at Point Molate in Richmond -- A federal judge formally ended a 14-year dispute involving a proposed casino on the western tip of Richmond, approving an agreement quashing the casino plan and ruling that the city did not have to pay damages to the American Indian tribe that had been pushing for it. Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/13/18

Venting on social media? Yes, you can, but the First Amendment won't save your job -- Last summer, a Google engineer lost his job after posting a memo on internal message boards saying that women had a tendency toward neuroticism and empathy, making them less suited to be engineers than their "systemizing" male counterparts. Cathie Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/13/18

Homeless  

Orange County's Civic Center is no longer a massive homeless encampment -- Officials in Orange County expect to finish clearing a large homeless encampment from the Santa Ana Civic Center this week. Early Thursday afternoon, just a handful of people were still packing up tents and other belongings in a corner of the Plaza of the Flags. Most of the concrete plaza — where more than 180 homeless people were camped up until a few weeks ago — has been cleared and fencing put up to block people from moving back in. Jill Replogle KPCC -- 4/13/18

Housing  

San Francisco evictions law struck down as violation of Ellis Act -- A state appeals court has struck down a San Francisco ordinance that requires landlords who evict their tenants and go out of the rental business under the state’s Ellis Act to wait 10 years before rebuilding or renovating any of the formerly rented units. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/13/18

Proposed $900M housing bond suffers setback -- Momentum slowed this week behind a proposed $900 million bond measure to build low-income housing and pay for it with an increase in San Diego city property taxes. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 4/13/18

A California Housing Fight, Waged With Pen and Walking Shoes -- How do you get a landlord to endorse a proposal to limit rent increases? Yong Her, a 39-year-old bookkeeper, was one of 40 or so organizers who considered the question on a recent afternoon. Conor Dougherty in the New York Times$ -- 4/13/18

Teachers, police see their ability to buy homes shrink -- Teachers, first responders and restaurant workers increasingly are unable to find homes they can afford in much of Southern California, an analysis by real estate website Trulia shows. Marilyn Kalfus in the Orange County Register -- 4/13/18

Education 

California education officials finally agree on a plan to meet key federal requirements -- Two years, a presidential election and many meetings after the California State Board of Education first started talking about how to satisfy a major federal education law, members finally agreed Thursday to submit a final plan. Joy Resmovits in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/13/18

Tired of paying for your 4-year-old's preschool? California looking at expanded public kindergarten -- A proposal to expand transitional kindergarten to all four-year-old children in California cleared its first hurdle this week, but opposition and a major funding problem could doom its chances in the state Legislature. Tarun Luna in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/13/18

Campaign underway in California to elect a 'children's governor' – The Silicon Valley Community Foundation's Center for Early Learning has launched a multi-million dollar Choose Children campaign to elect a "children's governor." Louis Freedberg EdSource -- 4/13/18

Why LAUSD students and celebrity alumni are partnering to raise more money for the arts -- LAUSD budgeted over $31 million for arts education this year to do things like pay and train arts teachers and to buy arts supplies – but that isn't enough to cover all of the district's arts related expenses like providing musical instruments to all students who want to learn music and bringing students on field trips to local studios and museums. Carla Javier KPCC -- 4/13/18

Immigration / Border 

California GOP Rep. Jeff Denham says he has the votes to force party leaders to consider bills to protect 'Dreamers' -- California Republican Rep. Jeff Denham says he has the support needed to force a vote in the House on four immigration bills to protect so-called Dreamers, despite the objections of his own party's leadership. But he's not committing to using it yet. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/13/18

Immigration judge orders release of street vendor who became rallying point -- A street vendor detained by immigration officials after she was arrested for selling corn has been ordered released by an immigration judge. Marcelina Rios had been held in a detention facility for six months. Leslie Berestein Rojas KPCC -- 4/13/18

Environment 

Trump targets smog standards, ordering EPA to make it easier for companies to comply -- President Trump took aim at federal air quality standards Thursday, directing the Environmental Protection Agency to relax restrictions on state governments and businesses that have been key to cutting smog. Tony Barboza and Evan Halper in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/13/18

Also . . . 

Calling all geeks and lab rats: Bay Area March for Science returns this Saturday -- Following up on an event that drew 70,000 people at multiple locations across the Bay Area last year, and 1 million around the world, advocates for improved science literacy and research funding will hold a streamlined version of the March for Science this Saturday. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/13/18

Prince tribute in Sacramento neighborhood drawing visitors from all over -- A colorful tribute to Prince has attracted media attention to a Sacramento suburb — including a flood of visitors to the artist's home, sending her into apparent seclusion. The mural was painted by Citrus Heights artist Christine Stein in 2016 after the artist's death and was strategically placed in her front yard, enshrouded in a tree that serves as a leafy version of Prince's hair. Dianne de Guzman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/13/18

That viral video of Stephon Clark's brother waving cash? He says it's not what it seems -- A video of Stephon Clark’s brother Stevante waving a thick stack of dollar bills around an electronics store made waves across the internet this week. But there's more than meets the eye, he says. Benjy Egel in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/13/18

A new historical museum is envisioned for Sacramento -- The stately Governor's Mansion on H Street has housed 14 of the state's top political leaders and their families since the state purchased it in 1903. Now the Governor's Mansion Foundation wants to ensure that history is preserved. Ellen Garrison in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/13/18

POTUS 45  

Trump’s allies worry that federal investigators may have seized recordings made by his attorney -- President Trump’s personal attorney Michael D. Cohen sometimes taped conversations with associates, according to three people familiar with his practice, and allies of the president are worried that the recordings were seized by federal investigators in a raid of Cohen’s office and residences this week. Ashley Parker, Carol D. Leonnig, Josh Dawsey and Tom Hamburger in the Washington Post$ -- 4/13/18

James Comey’s memoir: Trump fixates on proving lewd dossier allegations false -- The nation’s intelligence chiefs had just finished briefing Donald Trump on Russia’s interference in the 2016 election when FBI Director James B. Comey stayed behind to discuss some especially sensitive material: a “widely circulated” intelligence dossier containing unconfirmed allegations that Russians had filmed Trump interacting with prostitutes in Moscow in 2013. Philip Rucker in the Washington Post$ Michael D. Shear in the New York Times$ -- 4/13/18

Trump meeting stokes fears he may oust Rosenstein -- Rod Rosenstein, the embattled deputy attorney general overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday amid growing fears that the president may oust Rosenstein in an attempt to rein in the inquiry. Darren Samuelsohn and Josh Gerstein Politico -- 4/13/18

Beltway 

Ryan Tries to Ensure Orderly Succession, but Unrest Simmers -- One day after he stunned fellow Republicans by announcing his retirement, Speaker Paul D. Ryan moved on Thursday to tamp down a succession fight, throwing his weight behind his second-in-command, Representative Kevin McCarthy of California. Sheryl Gay Stolberg in the New York Times$ -- 4/13/18

 

-- Thursday Updates 

Money for police cannot be pegged to cooperation with ICE, judge rules -- The U.S. Department of Justice cannot force local police departments to cooperate with immigration agents as a condition for receiving federal funding for a law enforcement program, a judge in Los Angeles ruled this week. The permanent, nationwide ban against the funding rules delivered an unambiguous victory to Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer in the legal battle he opened last year with U.S. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions. Joel Rubin and Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/12/18

Antonio Villaraigosa was paid $50,000 for a speech in China to promote company later sued by the SEC -- In the years before running for governor, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa traveled the world addressing audiences from Beijing to Baku to Bakersfield, leveraging his political celebrity to rake in hundreds of thousands of dollars in speaking fees. Casey Tolan in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/12/18

Attack ad targets NRA support for California Republican -- Throughout his career in Congress, Rep. Jeff Denham of Turlock has regularly appeared on Democratic lists of Republicans who can be knocked off in the next election — but he’s always survived. He’s there again this year, largely because Hillary Clinton outpolled Donald Trump in his district in 2016 and Denham himself won his race by just three points. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/12/18

UC guarantees path for community college students — at one-tenth the cost -- Amid growing concern about rising costs and access to its campuses, the University of California reached an agreement Wednesday that is expected to boost the number of transfer students from the state’s community colleges by 10 to 15 percent. John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/12/18

Faculty union says they don't want a new online community college -- Community college faculty are raising their voices in opposition to the creation of a new online community college. That opposition has extended from the state’s biggest labor unions to the local campuses. Adolfo Guzman-Lopez KPCC -- 4/12/18

Marijuana laws for every city and county? Our database shows California slow to accept Prop. 64 -- Fewer than one in three California cities (144 out of 482) allow any kind of cannabis business to operate in their borders. And just 18 of the state’s 58 counties permit cannabis businesses in their unincorporated areas. Brooke Staggs and Ian Wheeler in the Orange County Register -- 4/12/18

San Francisco auto break-ins down 17 percent as city tries to smash epidemic -- San Francisco is looking to build on a new set of policing strategies that helped shrink auto burglaries significantly in the first three months of the year, after a dismal 2017 that saw an average of 85 break-ins a day, officials said Wednesday. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/12/18

Zuckerberg hearings shed little light on Facebook’s ‘dark matter’ collection -- Besides visible content, there’s another type of data that is not immediately obvious, a kind of “dark matter” data. This is the information Facebook gleans based on your behavior both on and off Facebook, along with what you voluntarily post. It’s this data that makes Facebook feel “creepy” to some, that invokes ads that seem eerily timely. Dwight Silverman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/12/18

After Stephon Clark shooting, Sacramento devotes $500,000 more toward low-income kids -- The city of Sacramento is offering $500,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations that work with young people in high unemployment neighborhoods, the second time in a week the city announced it was investing in disadvantaged neighborhoods like the one where police shot and killed Stephon Clark. Ryan Lillis in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/12/18

I-5 is ‘falling apart,’ and a massive fix is coming -- On a rainy morning two years ago, a Federal Express truck slid across three lanes of Interstate 5, vaulted the center divider and smashed a pickup truck, killing an Elk Grove man. The crash set off alarm bells at Caltrans. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/12/18

California exporters worry that 'scuffle' could become costly trade war with China -- California exports and employment have been flying high, but the Trump administration's ongoing trade dispute with China has experts concerned that Golden State shipments and jobs could take a hit before the dawn of summer. Mark Glover in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/12/18

Controversial $1-billion Hollywood high-rise project relaunched by developer -- The developer of a stalled $1-billion real estate project near the Capitol Records Building in Hollywood will try again with a new proposal that prioritizes housing over commercial uses. Roger Vincent in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/12/18

Huntington Beach school trustee calls for removal of committee member over alleged ‘colored people’ comment -- An Ocean View School District trustee is calling for the removal of a member of city and school district panels who is alleged to have referred to minorities as "colored people" in a YouTube video. Priscella Vega in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/12/18

Fox: Polling Puzzles -- Some interesting—and puzzling—findings reflected in the new Public Policy Institute of California survey on the mix of education and politics. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 4/12/18

What ice cream flavors can teach us about the changing California Dream -- Chris and John Fosselman hoist ice cream flavors — mango, salty caramel, vanilla, coffee — into four mixers and wait for the churn before hand-packing buckets with their crew. At Fosselman’s Ice Cream in Alhambra, the family-run operation is streamlined, producing 200-plus flavors for the retail store and wholesale operation on Main Street. Elizabeth Aguilera Calmatters -- 4/12/18

Red-tailed hawk hatches live on webcam in San Francisco's Presidio -- And you thought kittens were cute. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/12/18

A giant swath of ocean off California's coast could get new protections -- What’s the best way to protect coral reefs and underwater sponge gardens from being damaged by fishing gear? Ban bottom trawling from a huge swath of ocean off of Southern California. That’s according to the Pacific Fishery Management Council, which voted earlier this week to create a gigantic new marine conservation area larger than New Mexico off the California coast. It includes nearly all of the ocean off Southern California. Emily Guerin KPCC -- 4/12/18

National Enquirer paid second source with embarrassing Trump rumor -- The owner of the National Enquirer paid $30,000 in late 2015 to a onetime Trump Tower doorman who was offering an embarrassing story about then-presidential candidate Donald Trump but never published it, according to a person familiar with the payment. Carol D. Leonnig in the Washington Post$ -- 4/12/18