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University Of California Workers Start 3-Day Strike Over Pay -- Thousands of custodians, security guards, gardeners and other service workers at University of California campuses started a three-day strike Monday to address pay inequalities and demand higher wages. Strikers gathered at sunrise on the 10 campuses throughout the state, wearing green T-shirts and carrying signs that call for "equality, fairness, respect." Olga R. Rodriguez Associated Press -- 5/7/18

UCSF workers walk off job, medical appointments canceled -- Thousands of medical appointments were postponed this week at UCSF’s Mission Bay and Parnassus Avenue campuses as health-care workers across the University of California system walked off the job Monday amid an impasse in wage negotiations. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/7/18

L.A. Unified school bus drivers and teacher assistants are planning a daylong strike -- The union that represents 30,000 Los Angeles Unified School District support staff workers is planning a strike on May 15 over what its leaders have called unfair labor practices. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/18

Children likely to be separated from parents illegally crossing the border under new Trump administration policy -- All immigrants who cross the border illegally will be charged with a crime under a new "zero-tolerance" border enforcement policy, Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions said Monday, in a crackdown that could overwhelm already-clogged detention facilities and immigration courts with hundreds of thousands of new cases. Joseph Tanfani in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/18

Gig economy faces shakeup after California high court ruling -- Berkeley’s Aaron Powell may be the consummate gig worker. He drives his electric Volkswagen Golf for Uber, Lyft, Postmates, DoorDash, Caviar — “anything that might give me a step up,” he said. “I just pick whoever is paying the most money at the time and do that one.” Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/7/18

Elk Grove lawmaker called out for accepting tobacco money -- A non-profit organization is calling out Assemblyman Jim Cooper, D-Elk Grove, for ending his pledge to reject campaign donations from tobacco companies. Taryn Luna in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/7/18

Surfer Rohrabacher faces ‘blue wave’ -- After 30 years in office, Orange County Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher is facing his toughest re-election. Rohrabacher, 70, is being challenged by more than a dozen people in the June primary, including his former ally, Republican Scott Baugh. Lisa Renner Capitol Weekly -- 5/7/18

Big voting changes in Sacramento, but business as usual elsewhere -- With mail-in voting for California's June 5 primary election set to begin Monday, some officials are worried that Sacramento County's move to a new voting system could be confusing to those in neighboring counties. Diana Lambert in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/7/18

Solar panels on new homes soon could be required in California -- The mandate, which would take effect in 2020, is expected to be approved by the California Energy Commission on Wednesday as part of the state’s ongoing push to move from fossil fuels to renewable power. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/7/18

A teacher allegedly harassed students every few years. School leaders say they're powerless -- Roseville school superintendent Ron Severson and assistant superintendent Steve Williams have asked lawmakers to help protect students and staff from alleged pedophiles and sexual harassers. Diana Lambert in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/7/18

This one stretch of river could decide the future of Shasta Dam -- The final stretch of the McCloud River before it empties into the state's largest reservoir is a place of raw beauty. On a recent morning, the river's icy water, flanked by flowering dogwood trees and jagged rock formations, flowed fast and clean. Ryan Sabalow and Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/7/18

California Governments Take Drugmakers To Court Over Opioid Crisis -- From Shasta to San Diego, local governments are asking drugmakers to cover the cost of caring for opioid-addicted patients, and to pay for the public safety and law enforcement resources used to combat the crisis. Sammy Caiola Capital Public Radio -- 5/7/18

Bretón: Hey, man, light one up for Cheech Marin, he's earned it -- If someone had told comedic actor Richard "Cheech" Marin 40 years ago that he would be in Sacramento Monday to receive an award from politicians at the state Capitol for being a "positive role model," Marin likely would have said: "You're stoned, man." Marcos Bretón in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/7/18

Tourists in Los Angeles County pumped a record $22.7 billion into the local economy -- A record-setting pace of tourists visiting Los Angeles County injected $22.7 billion into the local economy last year, countering fears that a strong dollar and tough rhetoric from the White House might scare off international tourists. Hugo Martin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/18

Rank-and-file Republicans get almost no guidance from California GOP -- The big news out of the state GOP convention in San Diego over the weekend wasn’t who the Republicans endorsed, but who they didn’t. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/7/18

Fox: GOP Whiffs on Guv Endorsement -- In an article last week, I argued that an endorsement for governor at the state GOP convention could have a serious impact on the entire party strategy in November. But there was no endorsement for either businessman John Cox or Assemblyman Travis Allen, thus no impact on that race and possibly down ticket races if the lack of a Republican at the top of the ticket means Republican voters will not bother to vote. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 5/7/18

Here's what came out of the California GOP convention -- In the June 5 primary election, voters will select the top two gubernatorial candidates to advance to the November 6 runoff; the highest voter-getters move on, regardless of their political party. Many in the party had hoped Republicans would unite behind one candidate rather than risk being shut out of the general election by the Democrats. Of the six major candidates running to succeed Gov. Jerry Brown, four are Democrats and just two are Republicans. Mary Plummer and Sandra Oshiro KPCC -- 5/7/18

D.C. vs. Sacramento? GOP House members target California’s gas tax -- With the president and a federal tax bill both less than popular, and talk of a blue wave coming in November, what’s a GOP congressman from California to do? Take on Sacramento! Specifically, House Republicans from California are teeing off on SB 1, the gas tax increase passed a year ago by their home state’s Legislature. Jeff Horseman in the Riverside Press Enterprise$ -- 5/7/18

Transgender woman on migrant caravan: 'I wouldn’t last a day if I returned to Honduras' -- Of the 225 asylum seekers escaping from places like Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, the dozen or so members of the transgender community who arrived in Tijuana feel they are targeted wherever they go. Gustavo Solis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/7/18

Climate Scientist Won't Back Down Despite Threats, Harassment -- Even as negotiators wind up another round of climate talks in Germany this week, there is little evidence that leaders are reining in global greenhouse gas emissions enough to avoid warming Earth by more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) — that's the threshold at which scientists say we can avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Craig Miller KQED -- 5/7/18

Trump calls on Congress to pull back $15 billion in spending, including on Children’s Health Insurance Program -- President Trump is sending a plan to Congress that calls for stripping more than $15 billion in previously approved spending, with the hope that it will temper conservative angst over ballooning budget deficits. Damian Paletta and Erica Werner in the Washington Post$ -- 5/7/18

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning

Balancing act: How California Republicans hope to survive in the ‘resistance state’ -- As the Republican candidates for various offices plan for the top-two primary election, now only a month away, they’ll be walking a tightrope between a party base on the right and a broader group of voters, many of whom hope to punish the president and his party in a “blue wave” election. But party leaders say they’ve found the secret to this balancing act: Keep it local. Ben Christopher Calmatters -- 5/7/18

State GOP delegates split on governor, a likely boost for national Democrats -- The Republican Party’s chances of holding onto the House may have taken a hit over the weekend, thanks to the California GOP’s inability to rally around one of its two main candidates for governor. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Seema Mehta, Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ Jordan Graham in the Los Angeles Daily News$ Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ Joshua Stewart in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/7/18

At California GOP gathering in San Diego, the talk was about the future -- Their playbooks is: attack Democrats’ failures to quell ballooning homelessness and housing costs; attempt to repeal the state’s gas tax; embrace President Donald Trump; and, most prominently, run on the back of opposition to California’s contentious sanctuary state law, SB 54. But if state Republicans are in need of a pivot to revitalize, as some insiders believe, it’s unclear if anything in that playbook is fresh enough to make that happen. “Sounds like the same old stuff to me,” said Fred Smoller, a political scientist at Chapman University in Orange. Jordan Graham in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/6/18

California GOP Divided Over Governor in Tough Election Year -- To many delegates, landing a candidate in the runoff for governor is the biggest issue facing the ailing state GOP this year. Otherwise, the party could see only Democrats on California's November ballot for governor and U.S. Senate, which would dampen GOP turnout and hurt the party's candidates for Congress and the Legislature. Michael R. Blood Associated Press -- 5/7/18

Skelton: Gavin Newsom says he was 'the first' to take on the NRA and win. Not quite -- You've got to wonder what goes through a candidate's head when his first TV ad contains an indisputable, major falsehood. Maybe nothing goes through it. Maybe he doesn't recognize the falsehood and it's not an intentional lie. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/18

In his bid to be California's next governor, John Chiang touts his battles with a previous one -- As political matchups go, it was an incongruous one: the bodybuilder-turned-Terminator-turned-governor against the bespectacled numbers geek. One of the most famous men in the world versus — um, what's that guy's name again? Melanie Mason in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/18

California is overflowing with lieutenant governor hopefuls — so many candidates, so few duties -- Absent an untimely death or unprecedented crisis, the most modest of California's political prizes is lieutenant governor, a job whose official description runs just 14 words in the state Constitution. And yet, it's sparked a fierce contest this year among 11 candidates — the largest crop of hopefuls in at least 50 years. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/6/18

Diverse Field Running for California Insurance Commissioner -- One way or another, California's next insurance commissioner will be the first of his kind. The June 5 primary features Democrats Dr. Asif Mahmood and Sen. Ricardo Lara against former commissioner. Brian Melley Associated Press -- 5/7/18

This Silicon Valley congressman wants to sell his vision to Trump country. Here's why Democrats' future could hinge on it -- Congress was off, and in these days of mounting uneasiness over calls for more technology regulation, the representative from Silicon Valley might have had good reason to stick around his district, soothing nerves. But Ro Khanna had other plans. Evan Halper in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/6/18

Pelosi: Democrats have cash and environment to win House -- House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said Sunday that House Democrats have the fundraising, the issues and the political atmosphere on their side to win back the majority in November. Thomas Beaumont Associated Press -- 5/7/18

From Bakersfield to DC, McCarthy’s unlikely rise in GOP -- People watching Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s political rise often marvel at how he got here. He’s the not-so-serious guy who used to bop around town selling sandwiches and cars before dipping into politics. He was considered likable and fun, but hardly Bakersfield’s star pupil. Lisa Mascaro Associated Press -- 5/7/18

Walters: California sees slowing population growth -- It’s time for some fun with numbers, dissecting a new state report on population trends. The big number is 39.8 million. That’s the state Department of Finance’s latest calculation of California’s population as of Jan. 1. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 5/7/18

Amid Stephon Clark autopsy controversy, doctors push bill to overhaul coroner's offices -- As Sacramento prosecutors consider dueling autopsies in the police shooting of Stephon Clark, a state senator is pushing a bill at the Capitol he says would give the public more reason to trust investigations into officer-involved shootings. Sen. Richard Pan's Senate Bill 1303 would require all coroners in the state to be licensed physicians who work independently of county sheriff's offices. Taryn Luna in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/7/18

In the Golden State Killer's path, terror still runs deep -- In the 1970s, families moved to Sacramento's expanding suburbs with fresh streets and open space so their children could play and wander at will. Victoria Kim, Sarah Parvini, Hailey Branson-Potts, Joe Mozingo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/6/18

Where Southern California’s many deadly vehicle crashes occur -- California is home to one of the most dangerous roads in the United States, according to a study of deadly highways by the consumer website ValuePenguin. That road is Highway 99, which runs through the Central Valley and had a rate of 62.3 fatal accidents for each 100 miles of its length from 2011 to 2015. Kurt Snibbe in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/6/18

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

UCSF hospital workers ready to strike Monday -- Tens of thousands of health care workers are scheduled to go on strike Monday across the University of California system, including UCSF Medical Center, which rescheduled surgeries and delayed cancer treatments for several hundred patients. Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Peter Arcuni KQED Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/7/18

Will I have to reschedule a hospital procedure? Here's what patients need to know about UC Davis strike -- Approximately 53,000 hospital workers are to hit the picket lines on Monday at 6 a.m., to protest stagnating contract negotiations with the University of California. Nurses will strike in sympathy May 7-9. About 10,000 of the 53,000 workers represented in the strike work for the University of California, Davis, on its campus or in its medical center. Molly Sullivan in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/7/18

Homeless  

Mayoral candidates face hurdle of housing homeless who resist moving inside -- Oscar McKinney has seen seven mayors occupy City Hall since he started camping on San Francisco sidewalks more than three decades ago, and he’s got an opinion about every one. Those opinions were summed up in a derisive snort the other day as he lounged outside his tent on 13th Street near Van Ness Avenue. Kevin Fagan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/7/18

As gentrification escalates in California, people wonder: Where can the homeless go? -- The search party pulled out of a McDonald’s parking lot, a collection of homeless men and women and their advocates squeezed into VW station wagons and old SUVs. They sought a patch of land or a spare building, a place — any place — where dozens of people might live for a while. Scott Wilson in the Washington Post$ -- 5/7/18

Education 

How teacher strikes in other states help California unions make their case -- While there’s no telling when and where the wave of teacher strikes across the country will crest, don’t expect grassroots, Facebook-driven walkouts to wash over California. David Washburn and John Fensterwald EdSource -- 5/7/18

This bill could relieve burden on mental health counselors at CSU campuses -- Last year, the then-junior nursing student at Cal State Long Beach was juggling a large workload, a role in student government, and rounds at a hospital. Kim felt overwhelmed: Was she doing enough to help patients? Why wasn’t she fulfilled doing something she loved? Did she have unrealistic expectations? “I needed help,” Kim, now a senior about to graduate, said last week. “I needed to see someone.” Chris Haire in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/7/18

Immigration, Border, Deportation 

Immigration courts are deeply split on who can claim asylum over violence in home countries -- Central Americans who travel north to plead for entry at the U.S. border are taking their chances on an immigration system that is deeply divided on whether they can qualify for asylum if they are fleeing domestic violence or street crime, rather than persecution from the government. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/6/18

Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions to visit U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego on Monday -- Sessions' visit follows a March visit by President Donald Trump to Otay Mesa to survey border wall prototypes. Other administration officials also have made recent visits to the border region. Lindsay Winkley in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/6/18

Environment 

Offshore wind farms coming to California — but the Navy says no to large sections of the coast -- Fans of renewable energy anticipate a bonanza blowing off the coast of California. But a map released by the U.S. Navy puts large swaths of the state off limits to future offshore wind farms — including all of San Diego and Los Angeles, extending up to the Central Coast. Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/7/18

1,400 acres of Bay Area redwood forest will soon be opened up to the public -- On the edge of the Silicon Valley, a bountiful swath of forestland with a rollicking history will soon be accessible to the public. The 1,432 acres of redwood forest, oak woodlands, meandering creeks and grassy meadows is situated in the wild hills of Los Gatos off Bear Creek Road, west of Lexington Reservoir and Highway 17. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/7/18

Also . . . 

How Larry Harvey, the Founder of Burning Man, Taught America to Experiment -- Harvey saw Burning Man as a movement to restore community and creative expression in a time of homogenized mass culture and societal anomie. His reputation was less as charismatic leader than keeper of the word. (His title since 2013 was “chief philosophical officer.”) Emily Witt in The New Yorker -- 5/7/18

California's hottest surf spot is a Kelly Slater-designed artificial wave pool 100 miles inland -- The wave rolls toward Jeremy Flores, gaining speed as it draws near, looking big and translucent and smooth as glass in the morning sun. "All clean and perfect," he says. David Wharton in the Los Angeles Times$ Laylan Connelly in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/7/18

POTUS 45  

Trump team makes the midterms about saving his presidency -- The president has raised the specter of impeachment in cautioning his party against letting the House, and even the Senate, fall into Democratic control. Christopher Cadelago and Darren Samuelsohn Politico -- 5/7/18

Beltway 

Republicans whose jobs once seemed safe are struggling for a 2018 survival strategy -- Across the country, dozens of House Republicans who previously coasted to victory are for the first time facing credible and well-financed Democratic opponents — and working furiously to find a strategy for survival. David Weigel and Paul Kane in the Washington Post$ -- 5/7/18

 

-- Sunday Updates 

Republican Hopefuls Fail To Win Governor’s Race Endorsement At California GOP Convention -- California Republicans gathered over the weekend in San Diego for their state party convention, but after hearing from their two leading candidates for governor, they did not make an endorsement. Ben Adler Capital Public Radio Seema Mehta and Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ Ben Christopher Calmatters -- 5/6/18

Republicans at state party gathering would rather talk about the gas tax than keeping the House -- These California Republicans mostly just didn't want to talk about it. At their state party convention in San Diego over the weekend, the GOP activists talked about who to endorse in the governor's race. They talked about blaming Democrats for a whole host of ills, including income inequality and increased crime. Christine Mai-Duc in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/6/18

Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst jabs at L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and promotes President Trump as she speaks to California Republicans -- Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst took a jab at California politicians, notably Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, as she addressed the state GOP convention on Saturday night. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/6/18

An Urgent Debate for California Republicans: How to Get Back in the Game -- For anyone wondering about the state of the Republican Party in California these days, consider this: There may be no Republican candidate for governor or United States senator on the state’s ballot this November. Adam Gagourney in the New York Times$ -- 5/6/18

Governor Rivals Embrace Trump, Battle for GOP Backing at San Diego Convention -- Rancho Santa Fe’s John Cox and Chula Vista native Travis Allen have other things in common besides San Diego County as they fight for the California GOP’s endorsement for governor. Cox and Allen both want Donald Trump to stump for them. Ken Stone Times of San Diego -- 5/6/18

Democratic governor candidates vow to hire equal numbers of men and women if elected -- In a sign of the MeToo movement’s resonance in California politics, all of the major Democratic candidates for governor are vowing to hire equal numbers of men and women if they’re elected and to pay both equally for the same jobs. Casey Tolan in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/6/18

LA mayor, eyes on White House, hawks ties to Hawkeye state -- Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, the Democratic leader of a city with 75 miles of coastline, immigrants from around the world and the Kardashians, is considering running for president in 2020. But first he would have to make it through Iowa. On a recent visit, he did his best to connect, playing up everything his city shares with the rural, overwhelmingly white voters. It was no easy task. Thomas Beaumont Associated Press -- 5/6/18

How likely are asylum-seekers from Central American caravan to win their cases? -- As Central Americans from a migrant caravan made famous by President Trump's angry tweets begin entering the asylum process from the U.S. border, they face a complex legal battle that most who have tried in recent years from their countries have lost. Kate Morrissey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/6/18

 There’s a new idea on how to honor late SF Mayor Ed Lee. It’s at SFO -- Board of Supervisors President London Breed suggested renaming Portsmouth Square in honor of late Mayor Ed Lee, former Mayor Willie Brown pitched Lotta’s Fountain, and others suggested renaming Kearny Street. Now, with the backing of Lee’s family, the Chinese community is gathering signatures in support of renaming the International Terminal at San Francisco International Airport in honor of Lee. Matier & Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/6/18