Updating . .
GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter indicted on campaign finance charges -- The Department of Justice had been investigating Hunter for more than a year, after hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenditures ranging from an Italian vacation to dental work to bar tabs were discovered on his campaign credit card. Hunter served as co-chair of the Trump campaign’s U.S. House Leadership Committee with Rep. Chris Collins, who was arrested on charges of securities fraud earlier this month. Axios Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ Morgan Cook in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ Katherine Tully-McManus Roll Call Jeff Horseman in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/21/18
Nurses association calls for lawmaker’s resignation over altercation with its lobbyist -- The California Nurses Association is calling for a lawmaker to resign from the Senate and withdraw his candidacy for the state Board of Equalization after an altercation with its lobbyist at a Sacramento restaurant. Taryn Luna in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/21/18
Borenstein: Contra Costa County at first buried assessor sex harassment case -- If not for one of the victims speaking up, public would not have known about elected Assessor Gus Kramer’s behavior Dan Borenstein in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/21/18
DA Under Scrutiny for Not Disclosing Private Jet Trip from Billionaire Henry Nicholas -- State investigators are reviewing a complaint alleging Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas and his chief of staff, Susan Kang Schroeder, illegally failed to disclose private jet travel provided by billionaire Henry T. Nicholas III, who previously was charged with using his plane for drug trafficking. Nick Gerda VoiceofOC.org -- 8/21/18
Jerry Brown blasts ‘Trump’s insanity’ on clean power plan -- Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday issued a damning condemnation of President Donald Trump’s plan to undo Obama-era regulations restricting greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants, calling the president’s intention “a declaration of war against America and all of humanity.” Angela Hart in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/21/18
Trump’s coal plan to have little direct effect on California -- President Trump’s plan to roll back one of his predecessor’s key climate change programs, governing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, will likely have little direct effect on California, because the state’s own regulations were already tougher than the federal standards that the administration now wants to ease. David R. Baker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/21/18
Two Republicans want to be called farmers on the ballot. Democrats say they’re not -- Reps. Jeff Denham and Devin Nunes say they’re farmers, and that’s how they’re going to be described on this fall’s California election ballots. But are they farmers? Kate Irby and Emily Cadei in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/21/18
Commuter college no more? Here comes housing for 4,000 students near Sac State -- Drawn to Sacramento’s hot rental market, national developers are laying plans to build housing for 4,000 students within walking distance of campus near Folsom Boulevard south of campus. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/21/18
Fox: Legislative Action and Inaction -- With something around a thousand bills to deal with in the last two weeks of the legislative session, lawmakers decided to take a pass on two of the most difficult issues facing them: the question of utility liability for wildfires and the threat to the gig economy presented by the California Supreme Court’s Dynamex ruling on employee classification. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 8/21/18
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Female lobbyist lodges complaint that state Sen. Joel Anderson threatened to hit her -- State Sen. Joel Anderson is facing a legislative investigation after a female lobbyist accused him of threatening to “bitch slap” her and harassing her at a Capitol-area bar last week, sources say. Melanie Mason in the Los Angeles Times$ Taryn Luna in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/21/18
California lawmakers move to cap prison time for felons, including robbers, murderers -- California’s approach to crime and punishment is complicated enough that a state watchdog agency once referred to it as a “chaotic labyrinth of laws with no cohesive philosophy or strategy.” Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/21/18
Effort to end cash bail in California clears major hurdle in Legislature -- A landmark bill to end money bail in California passed out of the state Assembly on Monday, clearing a major legislative hurdle despite mounting opposition to last-minute changes that gave judges greater power to decide who should remain incarcerated ahead of trial. Jazmine Ulloa and Maya Lau in the Los Angeles Times$ Sophia Bollag Associated Press Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Marisa Lagos KQED Jessica Hice Capitol Weekly -- 8/21/18
PG&E legislative effort to ease its wildfire liability dies, other wildfire measures still on table -- A controversial PG&E-backed effort to ease the utility’s costs for wildfires, such as those that scorched the North Bay Wine Country last October, will not pass the state legislature this year, but other wildfire-related measures could still advance, state officials said Monday. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/21/18
Who’s writing checks to Democrats in Central Valley House races? Bay Area liberals -- Democrats’ unprecedented fundraising in Central Valley House races this year is fueled in significant part by the support of well-heeled donors in Silicon Valley and San Francisco. The cash influx has helped boost these Democrats’ visibility and kept them competitive with the GOP incumbents, who can attract big checks from political action committees and other special interests. Emily Cadei in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/21/18
Trump endorses Republican Diane Harkey in race to replace Rep. Darrell Issa -- President Trump threw his weight behind another California candidate in the closely watched midterms, giving his nod on Twitter to the GOP state tax board chair, Diane Harkey. Christine Mai-Duc in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/21/18
De Leon demands Feinstein ‘come home to California’ -- Underfinanced and trailing in the polls, state Sen. Kevin de Leon ratcheted up the pressure Monday on Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, demanding that she “come home to California” and participate in a debate for the first time in nearly two decades. Carla Marinucci Politico -- 8/21/18
Alameda County Sheriff’s Office secretly recorded juvenile, attorney, video reveals -- The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office illegally recorded at least one confidential conversation between a juvenile crime suspect and his attorney, the county public defender’s office said Monday, and an exchange between two sheriff’s officials captured on video suggests that the practice may have been routine. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/21/18
California Law to Ban Male Guard Pat-Downs of Female Inmates -- Male prison guards in California will be prohibited from pat-down searching of incarcerated women and viewing them while they are not fully dressed under a new law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown. Brown announced he signed the bill Monday. It will take effect in 2019. Sophia Bollag Associated Press -- 8/21/18
San Francisco mayor Breed blasts Muni chief over delays, background checks and scooter permitting -- Mayor London Breed blasted the director of San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency on Monday over service delays related to its Twin Peaks Tunnel closure that she said the transit system’s managers should have anticipated. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/21/18
Nuclear expert says recent San Onofre incident posed no threat to public — but says operators 'need to quit tempting fate' -- An independent nuclear power expert said an incident earlier this month at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in which a canister filled with spent nuclear fuel got wedged into a storage cavity about 18 feet from the floor did not pose a threat to the public or workers at the plant that is in the process of being decommissioned. Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/21/18
Proposal that would place restrictions on plastic straws advances in California Legislature -- The California Senate on Monday approved legislation barring dine-in restaurants from offering plastic straws to customers unless they are requested. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/21/18
Stockton Releases New Details On Guaranteed Income Program -- Starting in November, 1,000 letters will go out to families living in neighborhoods at or below the city's median income of around $46,000. The letters will invite them to participate to receive a $500 monthly stipend for 18 months. Rich Ibarra Capital Public Radio -- 8/21/18
Merced DA Morse ‘more likely than not’ sexually harassed employee, county report says -- A county-funded investigation into District Attorney Larry Morse II “sustained” allegations the veteran politician sexually harassed a married female employee, the Merced Sun-Star has confirmed. Rob Parsons in the Merced Sun-Star -- 8/21/18
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Google location-tracking lawsuit seeks to include virtually anyone with a phone -- Anyone who owns an iPhone or Android phone and has turned off location tracking will be eligible to join a lawsuit that claims Google has created “near perfect surveillance” — if a judge grants class-action status. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/21/18
Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds
PG&E-backed Diablo Canyon nuke plant retirement measure passes Legislature, monthly utility bills will rise -- A bill to ease the impacts of the pending closure of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant in San Luis Obispo received final approval by the state Legislature on an overwhelming Assembly vote Monday night — a decision that will likely increase monthly utility bills for PG&E customers. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/21/18
Housing
You need to make $131K a year to afford San Diego home, study says -- San Diego was one of the least-affordable U.S. metro areas for buying a home in the second quarter, said a recently-released study from mortgage website HSH. Potential buyers needed to make $130,986 a year to afford the median-priced single-family house. Phillip Molna in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/21/18
Wildfire
Utah Firefighter Died After Plane Made Drop -- A firefighter from Utah was killed last week from falling tree debris after a modified airliner dropped thousands of gallons of flame-suppressing liquid on the area where he was helping battle California's largest-ever wildfire, according to a preliminary report from investigators obtained by The Associated Press. Don Thompson and Lindsay Whitehurst Associated Press Matthias Gafni in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/21/18
California's largest wildfire brings new dangers for firefighters on front lines -- After more than three weeks, firefighters Monday continued to struggle against the largest fire in modern California history as the Mendocino Complex blaze prompted more evacuations and posed new dangers to those on the front lines. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/21/18
Environment
Nearly 75 percent of state's new oil wells in recent years were drilled in poor areas, study says -- Nearly three-quarters of the new oil wells drilled in California in the past 7 years were in low income communities of color, according to a new analysis. Those numbers are helping fuel a campaign to get Governor Brown to ban new oil wells in the state before he leaves office. Emily Guerin KPCC -- 8/21/18
Water
Farmers Protest California Water Plan Aimed to Save Salmon -- Hundreds of California farmers rallied at the Capitol on Monday to protest state water officials' proposal to increase water flows in a major California river, a move state and federal politicians called an overreach of power that would mean less water for farms in the Central Valley. Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press Ken Carlson in the Modesto Bee -- 8/21/18
San Francisco Is Fighting California’s Plan to Save Salmon. Wait. What? -- California water officials are poised to approve a revolutionary plan that could redefine the way water is allocated. At stake are the state's oldest water rights, known as “senior rights,” which have long been seen as untouchable, and that includes San Francisco's. Lauren Sommer KQED -- 8/21/18
Education
California community colleges urged to plan now for fewer students in remedial courses – California’s community colleges are being urged to move quickly to overhaul their curriculums so they are ready for the fall of 2019 when drastically fewer students will be required to take remedial classes in English and math. Mikhail Zinshteyn EdSource -- 8/21/18
Fewer Californians than residents nationwide favor raising teacher pay -- The plight of teachers in the half-dozen states who went out on strike over wages last spring resonated across the nation. A near-majority of people now favor raising teachers’ pay — a significant increase over a year ago — according to a poll by the education journal Education Next. An exception, though, is California — at least when those surveyed were told how much teachers in the state currently earn. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 8/21/18
Also . . .
Bay Bridge sideshow shutdown part of escalating trend, authorities say -- An audacious car-spinning sideshow that brought Bay Bridge traffic to a standstill Sunday was the latest instance of a craze longtime observers say is now fueled by the desire for viral video notoriety. Robert Salonga in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/21/18
‘We are all going to die’: Uber driver taunted and kidnapped 3 women, they say -- An Uber ride home from book club turned into a scene out of a horror story for three Sacramento women when their driver allegedly began speeding erratically while telling the women that they were “all going to die,” according to passengers. Julia Sclafani in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/21/18
FBI: Chinese Man Kidnapped After Business Meeting in LA -- he FBI is looking for three suspects who kidnapped a Chinese man after a business meeting in the Los Angeles area last month, but authorities haven't heard from the kidnappers since they demanded a $2 million ransom and the man remains missing, investigators said Monday. Michael Balsamo Associated Press Joshua Cain in the Orange County Register -- 8/21/18
Surf's up forever in California as surfing becomes the official state sport -- Let it be known that on Aug. 20, 2018, surfing became California’s official state sport. Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Monday that enshrines surfing in the state’s code. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/21/18
POTUS 45
Trump worries that Mueller interview could be a 'perjury trap' -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he was worried that any statements under oath he provides to Special Counsel Robert Mueller could be used to bring perjury charges against him as part of the probe into Russia’s electoral interference. Steve Holland, Jeff Mason, James Oliphant Reuters -- 8/21/18
Beltway
Microsoft says it has found a Russian operation targeting U.S. political institutions -- A group affiliated with the Russian government created phony versions of six websites — including some related to public policy and to the U.S. Senate — with the apparent goal of hacking into the computers of people who were tricked into visiting, according to Microsoft, which said Monday night that it discovered and disabled the fake sites. Elizabeth Dwoskin, Craig Timberg in the Washington Post$ -- 8/21/18
New Russian Hacking Targeted Republican Groups, Microsoft Says -- e Russian military intelligence unit that sought to influence the 2016 election appears to have a new target: conservative American think tanks that have broken with President Trump and are seeking continued sanctions against Moscow, exposing oligarchs or pressing for human rights. David E. Sanger and Sheera Frenkel in the New York Times$ -- 8/21/18
-- Updates
BART, dogged by fare cheats, may replace all 600 gates — but it won’t be cheap -- BART is looking at a new solution to the widespread fare evasion problem that siphons off up to $25 million a year: replacing the orange, pie-wedge gates that have defined the system for decades. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/20/18
‘Time for action is now.’ Interior chief demands plan to pump more California water south -- The Trump administration is accelerating efforts to pump more of Northern California’s water to farmers in the San Joaquin Valley, setting up a bruising conflict with state officials and environmentalists. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/20/18
California wildfires: New evacuations ordered for Mendocino Complex -- Overnight fire activity in the north and northeastern portions of the Mendocino Complex pushed more people out of their homes Sunday evening and early Monday morning as the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office announced mandatory evacuations. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/20/18
The Long Run: Sending the Right Message as a Female Candidate -- Political ads are meant to grab voters' attention and that's certainly what Democrat Katie Hill was going for with a standout ad from last spring. It features Hill scaling the side of a mountain as the wind whips her hair. Katie Orr KQED -- 8/20/18
UC Berkeley suspends professor after ‘pattern of sexual harassment’ -- UC Berkeley has suspended a renowned architecture professor for three years without pay for sexually harassing a graduate student and abusing his power for personal gain, The Chronicle has learned. Cynthia Dizikes and Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/20/18
CalPERS wants to turn its ‘hole in the ground’ into Sacramento’s tallest building -- CalPERS is ready to put up to $550 million into a long-vacant site on Capitol Mall, aiming to build what would become the tallest office tower in Sacramento. But that doesn’t mean a new crane is coming soon to the banks of the Sacramento River to get started on construction. Adam Ashton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/20/18
Californians are rich with home equity after market surge -- Boosted by soaring home prices, California homeowners are now sitting on the richest vein of home equity in the nation, hundreds of thousands of dollars per home in most cases, an analysis shows. Tony Bizjak And Michael Finch in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/20/18
Questions around Musk’s Tesla plan lead J.P. Morgan to slash stock’s price target -- As the drama surrounding Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk’s idea to take the electric-car maker private continued, a J.P. Morgan analyst on Monday slashed his price target on Tesla’s stock due to concerns about whether Musk’s audacious dream will come to fruition. Rex Crum in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/20/18
Why historic San Jose Latino district fears losing traditions -- Residents of the Guadalupe Washington neighborhood in San Jose want a say in what happens to their neighborhood as Google and other development creeps in. Emily DeRuy in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/20/18
Fox: A Californian in the White House? -- At the Politico/AARP event in Los Angeles last week, some time was spent on speculating if a Californian might be successful capturing the White House in 2020. While a handful of Californians are considering a run, getting the most attention from the political experts were Kamala Harris and, yes, Jerry Brown. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 8/20/18