Updating . .
Trump administration loses most of challenge to California sanctuary laws -- A federal judge upheld the core of California’s sanctuary laws Thursday, rejecting a Trump administration lawsuit that argued the state was violating U.S. law by restricting local cooperation with federal immigration agents. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ Taryn Luna in the Sacramento Bee$ Tatiana Sanchez in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/5/18
Trump Accepts the Resignation of Scott Pruitt, the E.P.A. Chief -- Mr. Pruitt had been hailed as a hero among conservatives for his zealous deregulation, but he could not overcome the stain of numerous ethics questions about his alleged spending abuses, first-class travel and cozy relationships with lobbyists. Coral Davenport in the New York Times$ -- 7/5/18
Fire three times the size of San Francisco keeps raging in Napa, Yolo counties -- A ferocious inferno burning in Yolo and Napa counties was nearly three times the size of San Francisco early Thursday as firefighters made some headway gaining control despite the difficult terrain. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Benjy Egel in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/5/18
Supreme Court fight could spotlight California governor candidate’s anti-abortion stance -- Republican businessman John Cox is hoping to pull off an upset win in the race for California governor by avoiding any mention of social issues — but his past extreme views on abortion, shaped by personal experience, could make that difficult. Casey Tolan in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/5/18
California Senators Reach Agreement on Net Neutrality Bill -- Key California lawmakers say they've reached an agreement on legislation to enshrine net neutrality provisions in state law after the Federal Communications Commission dumped rules requiring an equal playing field on the internet. Jonathan J. Cooper Associated Press -- 7/5/18
Big-Name Charter School Backers Donate to Key Governor Races -- Last week, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs donated $29,200 each — the maximum amount — to Democrat Gavin Newsom's campaign for California governor. It's a sign that the potent charter forces in Golden State politics are pivoting toward the state's lieutenant governor, who is widely considered a shoe-in to beat Republican businessman John Cox. Sally Ho Associated Press -- 7/5/18
For many waiting in Tijuana, a mysterious notebook is the key to seeking asylum -- All conversations stopped when they saw the notebook. Men, women and children — asylum seekers from Central America, Mexico, Africa and beyond — parted to make way for its keeper. Cindy Carcamo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/5/18
Civil suit by families of Ghost Ship victims could bring damages, reforms -- The case against two men accused of involuntary manslaughter in the Oakland Ghost Ship fire reached its end stage Tuesday with a pair of criminal convictions, but the more complex and costly litigation that will determine who can be held accountable for the deadliest fire in city history is nowhere close to resolution. Kimberly Veklerov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/5/18
ProPublica: He Is a Member of a Violent White Supremacist Group. So Why Is He Working for a Defense Contractor With a Security Clearance? -- There likely isn’t such a thing as a “typical” violent white extremist in America in 2018. Still, Michael Miselis — a University of California, Los Angeles doctoral student with a U.S. government security clearance to work on sensitive research for a prominent defense contractor — makes for a pretty unusual case. A.C. Thompson and Ali Winston ProPublica -- 7/5/18
'You took 32 years of my life': Freed man accuses LAPD detective of manipulating eyewitness ID -- The teenager stared at 16 mugshots, searching for the face of the man who had stabbed her boyfriend to death while they slept in his pickup truck in South L.A. Marisa Gerber in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/5/18
Kimberly Guilfoyle debuts as Donald Trump Jr.’s girlfriend at the White House -- Kimberly Guilfoyle and Donald Trump Jr. made their hot-and-heavy romance as official as possible by appearing together as a couple at Wednesday’s July Fourth celebration at the White House. Martha Ross in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/5/18
Low pay for child care workers puts more than half at poverty level, study finds -- A majority of child care workers in California are paid so little they qualify for public assistance programs, according to a new report on the early education workforce. Ashley Hopkinson EdSource -- 7/5/18
A changing climate at Mono Lake could mean more dust storms in the Eastern Sierra — or less water for L.A. -- When dust storms began rising off the dry bed of Owens Lake, authorities in the Eastern Sierra blamed Los Angeles’ thirst. The city had, after all, drained the lake in the 1920s to serve its faucets. Louis Sahagun in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/5/18
Enter soon for chance to score $375,000 in San Francisco down-payment lottery -- Low- and middle-income home buyers who enter a lottery this month could win up to $375,000 toward the purchase of a house or condo in San Francisco. The catch: When they sell the home, they must repay the assistance plus a prorated share of any appreciation. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/5/18
Taylor: Berkeley’s new Navigation Center ‘kind of like a dream come true’ -- Sarah Smith and Zack Minjarez have longed for a home that opens with the twist of a doorknob rather than a tug of a tent zipper. Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/5/18
San Diego man set on fire in unprovoked attack has forgiven but faces slow recovery -- Julio Edeza’s body still bears the scars of the attack that left him with burns over 90% of his body two years ago, but he refuses to be defined by them or dwell on the past. Gary Warth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/5/18
Fox: Big Gulp! A Soda Tax War is Coming -- In the tit-for-tat battle over soda taxes, the ball is now in the industry’s court—how will it respond to the announcement that healthcare advocates plan to push a 2020 initiative to allow taxes on sodas? Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 7/5/18
California Policy & Politics This Morning
County Fire grows to 86,000 acres, some evacuations lifted as crews make progress -- The County Fire torching grasslands east of Lake Berryessa reached 86,000 acres but was 27 percent contained as of Wednesday evening, up 12 percent from the day before. Benjy Egel in the Sacramento Bee$ Sarah Parvini in the Los Angeles Times$ Erin Stone in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/5/18
White supremacist posters appear in Saratoga -- A Saratoga resident reported spotting several white nationalist posters plastered on the sides of newspaper bins around downtow7n Tuesday. He said he tore them all down. Khalida Sarwari in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/4/15
Dockless bicycles impounded in Coronado headed for scrap pile -- The city of Coronado has impounded more than 100 dockless bicycles since March. Now it plans to recycle those that have been held in storage for more than 90 days. Gustavo Solis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/4/15
Renewable Energy Push in Sunny Arizona Draws Political Fight -- Arizona's largest utility is fiercely opposing a push to mandate increased use of renewable energy in the sun-drenched state, setting up a political fight over a measure funded by a California billionaire Melissa Daniels Associated Press -- 7/4/15
Walters: Did Brown fix California’s budget mess? Nope -- Jerry Brown signed the 16th and final state budget of his two-part gubernatorial career last week, and bragged a bit. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 7/5/18
Skelton: Year-round daylight saving time? More dark mornings is just one downside -- We’d be better off on the Fourth of July if daylight saving time were eliminated. It would get darker earlier, and we wouldn’t have to wait so long for the fireworks shows. But the sun would rise the next day at a ridiculously early 4:47 a.m. in Los Angeles. Forget that. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/5/18
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Is it great to be a worker in the U.S.? Not compared with the rest of the developed world -- Those factors have contributed to the United States having a higher level of income inequality and a larger share of low-income residents than almost any other advanced nation. Andrew Van Dam in the Washington Post$ -- 7/5/18
Housing
Valley housing prices skyrocket to record highs -- The median price of a single-family home in the San Fernando Valley surged 11.3 percent in May from a year earlier, rising to a record $708,000, according to a report from the Southland Regional Association of Realtors. Olga Grigoryants in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 7/5/18
Immigration, Border, Deportation
Some Contractors Housing Migrant Children Are Familiar to Trump’s Inner Circle -- Many of the nonprofits, corporations and religious groups watching over migrant children detained at the southwest border have been in this business for years — and they have a history of political connections, donating millions of dollars to Democrats and Republicans alike. Ben Protess, Manny Fernandez and Kitty Bennett in the New York Times$ -- 7/4/15
Education
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos appears ready to sign California’s education plan -- Next week, the State Board of Education will likely approve yet another set of revisions to California’s plan to comply with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act — and this time state officials are “very optimistic” that the plan will finally get U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’s signature. David Washburn EdSource -- 7/5/18
POTUS 45
Stormy Daniels’ lawyer: If Trump seeks reelection, ‘I will run’ -- Michael Avenatti, the attorney representing adult-film actress Stormy Daniels, said Wednesday he will run against President Donald Trump if he seeks reelection, but only if he thinks there isn’t another candidate that could beat the president. Rebecca Morin and Quint Forgey Politico -- 7/4/15
Beltway
Liberal Democrats mount campaign against Trump’s Supreme Court nominee by targeting two Republican senators -- Liberal political strategists hope to block President Trump’s next Supreme Court nominee by replaying a strategy they used to help defeat the Republican effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act last year. Michael Scherer in the Washington Post$ -- 7/4/15
Progressives poised to shape agenda if Dems take back House -- Move over, House Freedom Caucus. Progressive lawmakers are poised to play a pivotal role in the next Congress if Democrats take back the House in November. Melanie Zanona The Hill -- 7/5/18