Updating . .
One dead after fire jumps I-5, Gov. Brown declares state of emergency -- The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office said Friday morning that a person was killed by the fire raging near the Oregon-California border. The Klamathon fire jumped Interstate 5 just south of the Oregon border on Thursday afternoon and Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Siskiyou County, noting that people are in “extreme peril.” Erin Stone in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Kellen Browning, Daniel Hunt in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/6/18
County Fire burns 88,000 acres, 110 structures threatened -- The massive fire burning in Yolo and Napa counties continues to challenge firefighters from across the state as they work to try and contain the northernmost part of the blaze, which on Friday entered its seventh day. The County Fire grew more than 300 acres overnight, engulfing 88,375 acres in total as of Friday morning. Erin Stone in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/6/18
L.A. gangs stockpile untraceable 'ghost guns' that members make themselves -- A small arsenal of weapons that authorities seized from gang members during a six-month undercover operation lay across the tables at LAPD’s Hollywood station Thursday. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/6/18
Illegal Pot Shops Disrupt California's Budding Legal Market -- A slight marijuana smell wafted out as a steady stream of customers walked into a warehouse, its doors and windows covered by bars. Suddenly, police swooped in. Michael Balsamo Associated Press -- 7/6/18
How Control of Congress Could Swing on a Fight to Repeal California’s Gas Tax -- It was enacted by the thinnest of margins: A 12-cent gasoline tax passed by lawmakers last year to finance a multi-billion-dollar campaign to repair California roads and bridges hobbled by years of neglect and disrepair. But the tax, which took effect in November, is now the subject of a major battle with far-reaching implications for the state’s transportation network and the Democratic campaign to seize control of Congress in November. Adam Nagourney in the New York Times$ -- 7/6/18
How California's farm labor shortage made friends of old rivals -- D’Arrigo Bros. and the United Farm Workers once took more than 25 years to reach a contract, and for many years afterward they communicated mostly through court filings and job actions. Geoffrey Mohan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/6/18
Shell refinery in Martinez has unplanned shutdown, health advisory issued -- A public health advisory was issued Friday in Martinez and Pacheco after an early morning “upset” at the Shell oil refineryy. The “unit upset” was reported at about 2:30 a.m. Friday. Erin Stone in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Amel Ahmed KQED -- 7/6/18
San Diego Mixes Up Traffic Death Data On New Vision Zero Webpage -- San Diego recently revamped the webpage for its Vision Zero campaign to end traffic deaths and serious injuries, adding graphics, videos and a map of crash data to make the site more readable. But the data in the crash map greatly understates the number of traffic deaths that took place over the past two years, based on a comparison with information from the city's Open Data portal. Andrew Bowen KPBS -- 7/6/18
Fox: Judge Upholds Most Sanctuary Laws But Business Concern Mollified -- As anticipated here after the hearing on California’s sanctuary state laws were argued in federal court, Judge John A. Mendez offered a split decision upholding the state’s ability to establish sanctuary laws but halting the state’s power to punish businesses for cooperating with federal immigration authorities. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 7/6/18
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Doctors, nurses, insurance companies spending big to influence California's health care future -- Powerful political forces with a stake in the future of California's health care delivery system are pouring money into lobbying and lawmakers' campaign accounts in the current legislative session, battling over costly large-scale changes as they await Gov. Jerry Brown's successor. Angela Hart in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/6/18
California's likely next governor tamps down expectations for single payer -- Gavin Newsom, favored to be California's next governor, is campaigning on a progressive vision of single-payer health care whose viability could pose a major test ahead of the 2020 elections for Democrats wrangling over how to enshrine universal health coverage. Victoria Colliver and Rachana Pradhan Politico -- 7/6/18
Here are the 16 health care bills proposed after California shelved single-payer -- Here is a rundown of the 16 bills proposed by Democratic lawmakers after the Assembly's special health care hearings concluded. The hearings began following a decision last year by Speaker Anthony Rendon to shelve a controversial single-payer health care bill. Angela Hart in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/6/18
Big-Name Charter School Backers Donate to Key Governor Races -- Prominent charter school supporters are dishing out campaign money, as key gubernatorial races in several states have now begun in earnest. Sally Ho Associated Press -- 7/6/18
‘This is their Hail Mary’: California GOP bets on gas tax repeal -- California Republicans are banking on a ballot measure this fall that the embattled state party believes can stave off a Democratic wave in November — and perhaps even spark a GOP revival in the run-up to 2020. Carla Marinucci and Jeremy B. White Politico -- 7/6/18
Travis Allen wants to 'Take Back California' from the liberals -- After giving up his Assembly seat to mount an unsuccessful run for governor, it seemed Travis Allen might be headed for an exit, stage right, from California politics later this year. Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/6/18
Schwarzenegger: Pruitt resignation is ‘fantastic’ -- Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, one of President Trump’s highest-profile environmental critics on Twitter, called the resignation of EPA director Scott Pruitt Thursday a “fantastic” development — one he said now rids Washington of a man who wrongly challenged California’s leadership on tough auto emissions standards and who “had no interest whatsoever to protect the people’’ on environmental protection. Carla Marinucci Politico -- 7/6/18
EPA Rollbacks Already Touching Americans' Lives -- For 37 mostly female farm-workers in California's Central Valley, U.S. policy under Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt became personal not long after sunup one day in May 2017. Picking cabbage that morning, the workers noticed a tarry smell drifting from a nearby orchard. Mouths and lips tingled or went numb. Throats went dry. Soon some workers were vomiting and collapsing. Ellen Knickmeyer Associated Press -- 7/6/18
Feinstein won’t seek California Democratic Party endorsement -- Citing a need for unity, Sen. Dianne Feinstein won’t seek the California Democratic Party endorsement she was unlikely to receive anyway in her re-election campaign. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/6/18
California's new consumer privacy law isn't as sweeping as you might think -- Its supporters say California's new consumer privacy law dramatically expands your power to control the information tech companies collect about you. Bryan Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/6/18
Lawmakers Reconcile On California Net Neutrality Measure -- A couple of weeks after a state assemblyman gutted a California net neutrality bill over the objections of its author, the two announced a deal to restore the measure’s restrictions on Internet providers. Rather than a compromise agreement, state Sen. Scott Wiener, the bill’s author, says his bill will once again include all of the major provisions that the Assembly committee removed last month. Ben Bradford Capital Public Radio Antoinette Siu Calmatters Jonathan J. Cooper Associated Press Brian Fung in the Washington Post$ -- 7/6/18
Even though the deadline has passed, the California Assn. of Realtors still hopes to strike deal -- Last week, the deadline passed for proponents of California initiatives to pull their measures off the state’s November ballot. But that hasn’t stopped one powerful interest group from hoping it can still strike a deal with lawmakers. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/6/18
Judge Warns Against 'Piecemeal' Court Rulings on Immigration -- A U.S. judge urged Congress and the president to set aside partisan differences on immigration in a ruling that allowed California to enforce some state sanctuary laws but warned that "piecemeal" court decisions were not a long-term solution to the nation's heated immigration debate. Sudhin Thanawala and Don Thompson Associated Press -- 7/6/18
Heat wave puts Southern California power grid under pressure -- With a heat wave bearing down on Southern California, officials from San Diego Gas & Electric and the managers of the state’s electric grid are working to make sure the power system doesn’t wilt. Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/6/18
Trump administration sends Sacramento $1.8 billion for flood protection -- Even after years of drought, Sacramento's biggest worry over water is flood risk. The city is widely considered the second-most flood-prone major city in America, after New Orleans. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/6/18
From Texas to California, Older Women Take to Streets to Protest U.S. Immigration Policies -- For the first time in her life, Judith Taylor made an appearance at a political rally in East County San Diego on Saturday. Well, not just an appearance. The 85-year-old led a protest against the Trump administration’s immigration policies from atop her mobility scooter. John Sepulvado KQED -- 7/6/18
Racist posters popping up in South Bay -- Racist fliers that appear to be the handiwork of a white nationalist group have been popping up all across the country and now seem to be penetrating the Bay Area’s progressive bubble. Over the past month, the posters have been discovered in San Jose’s Willow Glen neighborhood, Saratoga and Campbell. Khalida Sarwari in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/6/18
Thousands petition against Dixon vice mayor who wrote ‘hateful,’ homophobic column -- A vice mayor who penned a controversial column in which he called gay men "faries" has faced escalating outrage, a planned protest and calls for a recall or resignation in the week since the column was published in the hometown newspaper. Michael McGough In the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/6/18
Federal bill to reinstate Siskiyou-area tribe draws fire -- A controversial bill to reinstate federal tribal recognition to a long defunct Siskiyou County American Indian rancheria is stalled in the House of Representatives amid questions about the group’s authenticity and motivations. Lisa Renner Capitol Weekly -- 7/6/18
KQED Political Breakdown -- East Bay Congresswoman Barbara Lee joins to share the secrets of her first pitch at Wednesday's Oakland A's game, integrating her high school cheerleading squad, fundraising for the Black Panthers, her controversial 2001 vote against the use of military force, and her run for a leadership position in the House. Link here -- 7/6/18
Wildfire
County Fire grows to 88,000 acres, Cal Fire warns of warm weather to come -- Firefighters continue to fight the County Fire, which has grown in size to 88,000 acres with 33 percent containment. Claire Morgan in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/6/18
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
California agency opens third probe into Tesla's Fremont factory -- The state’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal-OSHA) said it opened the latest case on June 21, but did not give details on the investigations beyond confirming that they are active and ongoing. Reuters -- 7/6/18
Workers in Central Coast Pesticide Drift Tied to Dole, Driscoll's Were Sick for Days -- A group of raspberry pickers, sickened by several chemicals that drifted onto the Watsonville field where they were working close to a year ago, felt sick for longer than previously known, according to newly revealed investigative findings. Ted Goldberg KQED -- 7/6/18
Soon-to-open Richmond ferry terminal could revive shoreline, usher in gentrification -- Officials, business owners and real estate developers see the terminal as a trigger for economic development. They say it could spur the revival that Richmond leaders have talked about for years, although it’s always seemed just a little out of reach. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/6/18
Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds
West Sacramento sales tax increase would help recruit police by raising salaries -- West Sacramento, struggling to recruit high-quality police officers, is likely to ask voters in November to increase the city's sales tax to raise lagging police salaries. Kellen Browning in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/6/18
Homeless
Man accused of throwing Molotov cocktail at two homeless men in Anaheim -- A 29-year-old man is accused of hurling a Molotov cocktail at two homeless men sitting in and near a makeshift tent in Anaheim, officials said. Andrew Eric Mongerson, of Garden Grove, has been charged with one count each of assault with a deadly weapon, possession of flammable material and attempted arson, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/6/18
Panhandlers can ask for cash near ATMs and stores as judge halts Sacramento crackdown -- A federal judge ordered an immediate halt Thursday to Sacramento's ordinance against aggressive panhandling, saying "this is a direct First Amendment case" involving the free speech rights of individuals seeking donations from passersby. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/6/18
Sacramento Approves Year-Round Bathroom For Homeless People -- The Sacramento City Council has approved a plan to open a restroom year-round specifically for homeless people. Under the plan, the city and Sacramento County would open the site of the Winter Sanctuary Shelter on North A Street for 12 hours a day. Bob Moffitt Capital Public Radio -- 7/6/18
Housing
Is California’s legacy environmental law protecting the state’s beauty or blocking affordable housing? -- Redwood City approved more than a year ago the kind of affordable-housing project California desperately needs: a 20-unit building, downtown, near transit lines, in the heart of Silicon Valley, where the state’s housing crisis is most severe. The developer was a nonprofit, Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco. But today the lot remains vacant, except for a row of portable toilets, a trailer and a dumpster. Ben Bradford Capital Public Radio via Calmatters -- 7/6/18
Education
Cal State Fullerton officer charged with DUI on duty -- Other officers noticed that Thomas Henry Higgs, 59, was showing signs of intoxication during a May 7 police briefing and notified their command staff, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/6/18
Could LAUSD Tax Its Way Out Of A Budget Crisis? Better Question: Will Voters Let Them? -- If the Los Angeles Unified School District is so strapped for cash these days, school board member George McKenna recently asked, why can't the district simply raise taxes? LAUSD could put the question on the ballot and ask voters to approve it. "The longer we wait," McKenna argued last month, "the longer we go without solving the problem." Kyle Stokes LAist -- 7/6/18
Immigration, Border, Deportation
US Army Quietly Discharging Immigrant Recruits -- Some immigrant U.S. Army reservists and recruits who enlisted in the military with a promised path to citizenship are being abruptly discharged, the Associated Press has learned. Associated Press -- 7/6/18
Health
Pharma companies pay FDA advisers after drugs are approved -- Conflicts of interest are common in the health care industry, especially between companies that make drugs and doctors who prescribe them. But this new analysis indicates people who sit on official government panels, and who are supposed to evaluate drugs impartially, are getting rewarded later from the drug companies they helped. Bob Herman Axios -- 7/6/18
Environment
Popular trails closed due to heat concerns -- Some of the most popular trails in the county will be off-limits this weekend due to extreme heat. And officials are cautioning everyone to avoid hiking altogether, with temperatures expected to soar into triple digits in many inland and mountain areas. J. Harry Jones in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/6/18
Hundreds turn out for post-Fourth of July beach cleanup — most volunteers but some working off holiday infractions -- Following Fourth of July revelry, hundreds of volunteers on Thursday morning helped pick up about 1,500 pounds of trash and recyclables along shorelines from Ocean Beach to Oceanside. Joshua Emerson Smith in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/6/18
Also . . .
Clerk recorded people inside restroom at Long Beach Police Department, authorities say -- A 28-year-old clerk has been accused of secretly recording other employees inside a restroom at the Long Beach Police Department’s headquarters, authorities said. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/6/18
Domestic violence-related deaths up in Santa Clara County, trend in senior murder-suicides -- Officials recorded six more domestic violence-related deaths in 2017 than the year before in Santa Clara County, with data showing a trend of murder-suicides among seniors, according to a report released Thursday. Lauren Hernandez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/6/18
Nixon Estate, Buffett Beach House Go Begging in Languishing Luxury Market -- When the owner of Richard Nixon’s former beachfront estate in San Clemente, California, listed the 15,000-square-foot home three years ago for $75 million, you may have been tempted. Now, with the historic property back on the market for $63.5 million, you can hardly say no. Noah Buhayar Bloomberg -- 7/6/18
POTUS 45
Chinese factory claims to be making Trump’s 2020 campaign flags -- The owner of a Chinese factory said it has been hired to make flags for President Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign. Li Jiang owns a flag-making company in China’s Zhejiang province that reportedly made flags for the campaigns of both Trump and his opponent, Hillary Clinton, in 2016. Morgan Gstalter The Hill -- 7/6/18
Trump Plan to Save Coal May Put Lives at Risk From Pollution -- The Trump administration’s plan to keep money-losing power plants open would save coal mining jobs but at the same time unleash more pollution that would cost lives, according to a new analysis. Jennifer A Dlouhy Bloomberg -- 7/6/18
Beltway
Maxine Waters could be a serious problem for Trump if Democrats win the House -- If President Donald Trump doesn’t like Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), he really won’t like her if Democrats take back the House in the 2018 midterm elections. The California Democrat is poised to take over the House Financial Services Committee if Democrats are in the majority, and such a position, she could wield a lot of power. Emily Stewart Vox -- 7/6/18
Two GOP Candidates Went on White Power Podcasts in Past Two Weeks -- In late June, congressional candidate John Fitzgerald appeared on two neo-Nazi podcasts, Media Matters first reported. Fitzgerald, a Holocaust denier running on an anti-Semitic platform, advanced through the Republican primaries in California’s 11th Congressional District, and is on the ballot in the general election. Kelly Weill The Daily Beast -- 7/6/18
-- Thursday Updates
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$ David Gorn Calmatters -- 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