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California Policy & Politics This Morning

Workers claim injuries all over their bodies for big payouts — but continue their active lives -- After nearly two decades on the force, former LAPD Officer Jonathan Hasall ended his career the way many veteran officers do these days, claiming job-related injuries across most of his body. Jack Dolan, Ryan Menezes and Gus Garcia-Roberts in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/15/18

In rebuke of Dianne Feinstein, Kevin de León wins endorsement of California Democrats in Senate race -- California Democratic Party leaders took a step to the left Saturday night, endorsing liberal state lawmaker Kevin de León for Senate in a stinging rebuke of Democratic icon Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ Taryn Luna in the Sacramento Bee$ Casey Tolan in the San Jose Mercury$ Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- Adam Nagourney in the New York Times$ Sonja Hutson Ryan Levi KQED Carla Marinucci, Jeremy B. White Politico -- 7/15/18

Feinstein: I’m equipped to lead anti-Kavanaugh brigade -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Saturday that the vetting process for the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court will be “incredibly difficult,’’ and that her staff is reading nearly 1 million documents that she said could give red-state Democrats reason to oppose his nomination. Carla Marinucci Politico -- 7/15/18

California voters almost always say yes to bonds, but don't always understand the trade-offs -- Perhaps more than any state, Californians govern themselves through the ballot. Most of the attention goes to the laws they write, but voters also spend taxpayer money — a lot of it. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/15/18

Never mind the candidates. In a key midterm contest, it's all about Trump -- Katie Hill and Steve Knight are waging one of the most fiercely competitive congressional races in the country, a free-for-all spilling from the pin-neat subdivisions of Simi Valley to the scrubland of the high desert. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/15/18

Maxine Waters on Trump: He doesn’t even know how to spell his wife’s name -- Rep. Maxine Waters continued her war of words with President Trump Saturday in Oakland, with the Los Angeles Democrat saying Trump was “embarrassing us every day” during his trip through Europe. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/15/18

Fire near Yosemite explodes as officials mourn firefighter killed on front lines -- A dangerous forest fire burning near Yosemite National Park continued to grow Sunday as officials mourned the death of a firefighter killed battling the blaze. The Ferguson fire exploded to 4,000 acres Sunday morning and was only 2% contained. Andrea Castillo, Maya Lau in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/15/18

Walters: California vs. Trump over 2020 census -- There are, more or less, 40 million people living in California now, nearly twice its population when Jerry Brown began his first governorship in 1975. But is it more, or less? Dan Walters Calmatters -- 7/15/18

'Rights are easy to lose': San Diego Pride Parade calls for persistence in fight for equality -- By the time the San Diego Pride Parade got underway Saturday morning in Hillcrest the party was already in full swing on its sidewalks, and it seemed everyone was invited. Morgan Cook in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/15/18

USC cancer institute funded by Larry Ellison finds home in West L.A. -- A pioneering cancer-research center funded by tech mogul Larry Ellison will launch next April in an office complex being built near a light-rail stop in West Los Angeles. Roger Vincent in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/15/18

Suspected DUI driver plows into vehicle carrying State Controller Betty Yee -- California State Controller Betty Yee and her husband were recovering at home on Saturday after a driver suspected of being under the influence of marijuana plowed into their car a day earlier in the Posey Tube between Oakland and Alameda, officials said. Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/15/18

East Bay Express publisher resigns after admitting to using derogatory words -- The publisher of the East Bay Express weekly newspaper resigned on Saturday, admitting to “indiscretions” and saying his presence had “become a threat to the mission ....of healthy independent journalism.” Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/15/18

Promises of cash, protection lure teens into smuggling drugs across border -- They made a lot of promises. They promised to pay the 16-year-old $1,000 for his first drug smuggling trip across the border. It was the kind of money that could help the teen’s single mom in Tijuana. Kristina Davis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/15/18

Trump closed little-known door for family reunification, leaving refugees stranded -- She dreamed for 16 years of bringing her children from El Salvador to live with her near San Francisco. Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/15/18

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

If state Supreme Court rules against San Diego on pensions, it could could cost city millions -- The state Supreme Court strongly indicated in May that it will rule San Diego’s six-year-old pension cutbacks are illegal, but crucial questions remain about how the court might order the problem fixed and how much it could cost the city’s taxpayers. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/15/18

Wildfire  

‘You failed us:' Records show how Sonoma County reacted to warning shortfall in October fires -- The wildfires were still raging out of control early Oct. 12 when a top Sonoma County official warned elected leaders of a simmering controversy that was about to become a public relations nightmare. Journalists were beginning to scrutinize the county’s failure to send mass cellphone alerts during the first hours of the Oct. 8 firestorm. J.D. Morris in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat -- 7/15/18

Guns 

As Crossroads gun show returns to Del Mar, so do protesters -- At the entrance to the Del Mar Fairgrounds, a young woman wearing an anti-gun violence shirt played a flute while, across the street, two men waved a 5-foot-tall cutout of a black AR-15 semiautomatic rifle at passing cars. Paul Sisson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/15/18

Immigration, Border, Deportation 

Trump administration outlines plan to reunify remaining 2,500 separated children -- The Trump administration, under order to quickly reunify families that have been separated at the border, is moving ahead — somewhat reluctantly — with a new, streamlined plan to bring together the roughly 2,500 remaining children and their parents in order to meet the court-imposed deadline. Kristina Davis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/15/18

Also . . . 

Judge orders L.A. Times to alter story about Glendale cop, sparking protest from newspaper -- A federal judge on Saturday ordered the Los Angeles Times to remove information from an article that described a plea agreement between prosecutors and a Glendale police detective accused of working with the Mexican Mafia, a move the newspaper decried as highly unusual and unconstitutional. Cindy Chang in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/15/18

Sister of motorist found on Big Sur beach: ‘It’s not going to be an easy recovery’ -- Angela Hernandez sat injured and dazed for seven days on a small craggy beach at the bottom of a cliff along Central California’s picturesque coastline, surviving on water from her wrecked Jeep’s radiator, anxiously hoping someone would find her. Evan Sernoffsky and Lauren Hernandez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/15/18

Mexican citizen who stole government benefits for 37 years is sentenced to 37 months in federal prison -- A Mexican citizen with more than 40 aliases who admitted to stealing more than $350,000 in government benefits was sentenced Friday to 37 months in federal prison, equaling one month of custody for every year he lived in the U.S. with a stolen identity. Alex Riggins in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/15/18

Alameda County battalion fire chief undergoes surgery after pit bull mauling -- A veteran battalion fire chief who had helped put out a one-alarm fire on Saturday suffered extensive facial injuries after being attacked by one of the resident’s pit bulls, authorities said. Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/15/18

POTUS 45  

Trump heads to Putin summit with no clear goal — and worries that he'll make concessions -- When President Trump flew to Singapore last month to meet with Kim Jong Un, he had a clear agenda: to try personal diplomacy, rather than insults and threats, in a still unsuccessful effort to persuade North Korea to give up its arsenal of nuclear weapons. Eli Stokols, Sabra Ayres in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/15/18