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How far can California push the nation — and the world? Jerry Brown's climate summit may provide the answer -- Even as California forged its own path for years to battle global warming, pressing forward whether Washington agreed or not, skeptics have persistently scolded that it is just a state — it can’t set policy for the nation, much less the world. Evan Halper in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/12/18

California’s poverty rate is still the highest in the nation, despite state efforts -- Newly released federal estimates show California’s poverty rate remained the highest in the nation, despite a modest fall, and the state’s falling uninsured rate slowed for the first time since before Medicaid expansion. Michael Finch in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/12/18

Fearing earthquake destruction, California considers requiring lists of buildings most likely to collapse -- Structural engineers and seismic experts can drive along a street and quickly identify at least some buildings most vulnerable to collapse in a major earthquake. There are some telltale signs: parking spots under apartments, brick walls that have not been reinforced, first floors held up by flimsy poles. Rong-Gong Lin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/12/18

San Francisco e-cigarette maker Juul has 60 days to show FDA how it will reduce youth sales -- San Francisco’s Juul and other e-cigarette makers have 60 days to tell federal regulators how they plan to reduce sales to teens — or face having their products taken off the market, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/12/18

You can get a job at Caltrans in two days. It still has 1,100 openings -- Forget the stereotypes of California state government’s painfully slow process for hiring new workers. This summer, it was possible to walk into a Caltrans hiring fair and leave with a job offer. Adam Ashton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/12/18

In response to Trump policies, some Californians open their homes to asylum seekers -- When it comes to fighting the Trump administration’s immigration policies, California has two “resistances.” There’s the official one, conducted by politicians, that includes the state’s landmark “sanctuary” law. Then there’s the unofficial resistance, which includes people like Ann and Kent Moriarty. Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/12/18

Del Mar board votes to suspend fairgrounds gun show up to a year -- The family-owned company that has operated the gun shows at the Del Mar Fairgrounds for nearly 30 years failed to overcome growing public concern about gun violence nationwide and questions about its owners’ legal troubles. Phil Diehl in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/12/18

Fire Chief: Downed PG&E Power Line Caused Marin County's Irving Fire -- Marin County's top fire official says a downed PG&E power line sparked a wildfire that burned more than 150 acres and threatened dozens of homes near the community of Lagunitas. Ted Goldberg KQED -- 9/12/18

Lopez: Taxpayers could foot the bill when coastal officials are accused of wrongdoing -- Where’s Oliver Hardy when you need him? If Laurel’s partner were still around, and paying attention to the long-running California coastal corruption case, he’d have the perfect line at the ready. “This is another nice mess you’ve gotten us into.” Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/12/18

Fox: Californians Aboard State’s Fight Over Climate Change—So Far -- Costs and economic concerns have not derailed Californians majority support for the fight against climate change. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 9/12/18

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning

Koch-linked charity must disclose top donors to California, appeals court rules -- A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that two conservative charitable groups, including one tied to the billionaire Koch brothers, must turn over a list of their top donors to the California attorney general. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ Sudhin Thanawala Associated Press Josh Gerstein Politico -- 9/12/18

Who you calling a carpetbagger? California House candidates trade accusations -- Democratic congressional candidate Jessica Morse hadn’t even advanced to the general election when her campaign began airing an ad hitting Republican Rep. Tom McClintock on his residency. Emily Cadei in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/12/18

With state jobs to be had, it pays to be a friend of Jerry Brown -- Juan Pedro Gaffney’s career as a Bay Area choir director would seem to make him an odd fit for a six-figure job with the state deciding whether people who say they were hurt on the job should receive worker’s compensation pay. Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/12/18

California's candidates for governor remain in standoff over debate schedule as CNN shelves plan to host faceoff -- With less than two months until election day, California’s two gubernatorial contenders remained locked in a standoff over whether they’ll meet to discuss the issues facing the state. Melanie Mason in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/12/18

The one thing the California DMV does make it easy to do -- Republicans running statewide in California don’t have numbers on their side, with just one-fourth of the state’s voters registered GOP. But they do have the DMV, which sure is making it easy for the underdogs to attack California’s Democratic-controlled state government. Laurel Rosenhall Calmatters -- 9/12/18

Third party threat? In survey, California political establishment doesn’t see it coming -- State Democratic registration has flatlined, Republicans are sinking, and the share of California voters registering no party affiliation is at an all time high. Pundits and politicians speak of the “swamp,” use “politics” as a term of abuse and inveigh against the hacks and the insiders who make up the political establishment. Ben Christopher Calmatters -- 9/12/18

Walters: Feinstein, Harris pursue agendas in Kavanaugh hearings -- As fate would decree, both of California’s U.S. senators, Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee, both played starring roles in last week’s confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, and both had personal political agendas. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 9/12/18

The one idea that has the state teachers’ union allied with Tuck over Thurmond -- In something of a role reversal, Tony Thurmond and Marshall Tuck, the candidates vying to become California’s next schools’ superintendent, disagree about pending legislation that would require later school start times for the state’s middle and high school students. Ricardo Cano Calmatters -- 9/12/18

Charter Schools, Teacher Raises Draw Debate From Finalists For California’s Top Educator -- But they disagree on a heavily contested issue: the growth of charter schools in California. Tuck criticized Thurmond for calling for a pause on new charters. Tuck called it counterproductive, especially when there isn’t a high-quality public school alternative. Nadine Sebai Capital Public Radio -- 9/12/18

Fight against climate change heats up in a lower-income San Francisco neighborhood -- California and the nation will never be able to beat back the devastating effects of climate change unless everyone, rich and poor, can get involved, state Sen. Kevin de León said in San Francisco on Tuesday. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/12/18

Will Enthusiasm Lead To Greater Turnout For California’s Young Voters? -- Turnout for all registered voters in California jumped to 37 percent in June’s primary election. That’s the highest rate the state has seen in a non-presidential primary in over a decade. But turnout for one group in particular — voters under 30 years old — was still disproportionately low. Sami Soto Capital Public Radio -- 9/12/18

Board of Supervisors moves to replace Sheriff’s department watchdog after lockout -- Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones clashed with members of the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday as they debated how to handle Jones’ unilateral ouster of the county-hired department watchdog, vowing there was no compromise to be had that would allow Inspector General Rick Braziel to remain in his oversight role. Anita Chabria and Marcos Breton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/12/18

Sacramento Mayor Says Stephon Clark Shooting Investigation Will Be Done ‘Very, Very Soon’ -- Two police officers killed Clark on the night of March 18 in South Sacramento following a complaint about a man breaking car windows. They pursued Clark into a backyard, which was later discovered to be the home of Clark’s grandparents. Nick Miller Capital Public Radio -- 9/12/18

San Francisco man’s tweetstorm over stolen van leads to new state law -- Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill Tuesday inspired by a drama-filled tweetstorm over a stolen rental car. Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/12/18

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions

Starting Thursday, Sacramento will be a pioneer in blazing-fast wireless internet -- Beginning Thursday, some Sacramento residents will be some of the first in the world to be able to purchase Verizon’s 5G broadband internet service, which will start Oct. 1. Vincent Moleski in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/12/18

ThredUp closing Bay Area distribution center in favor of Phoenix -- The company said the San Leandro facility’s lease was ending, and the company decided to move its West Coast operations to a “new, larger and more cost-efficient” facility in Phoenix, according to a company spokeswoman. Sophia Kunthara in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/12/18

San Diego needs more skilled workers. Can they be found here? -- San Diego’s business leaders want the next generation of skilled workers to come from El Cajon instead of New York. Given the high cost of housing and other factors, recruiting the best workers to come to San Diego can be difficult for the region’s more cutting-edge businesses. Phillip Molnar in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/12/18

Education 

In the age of Trump, there's a fine line between racism and free speech. Even at high school football games -- Maybe in another time, the scene at an Orange County high school football game might have felt different: the home team fans dressed in red, white and blue chanting, “USA!” “USA!,” after a touchdown. Howard Blume and Sonali Kohli in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/12/18

Should school start later? Sleepy kids, logistics at odds as Gov. Brown weighs legislation -- Middle and high school students do better when they get an extra hour or so of sleep, according to research and, many parents would say, common sense. But many school districts resist a mandate on start times because it can inconvenience working parents and disrupt bus schedules. Ashley McBride in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/12/18

UC Berkeley Law looks to — mostly — exorcise association with racist figure -- The legacy of John Boalt, a 19th century lawyer who not only supported the infamous Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 but inspired it, may soon be removed — mostly — from the UC Berkeley School of Law. The school has been associated with the racist figure for more than 100 years. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/12/18

University of California campus reaches far afield for transfer students to meet state mandate -- The University of California at Riverside was under the gun this year to enroll more transfer students from community colleges nearby and far away. Alexia Carrillo’s decision to sign up for this fall helped move the university one more step toward success and away from threatened state reprisals. Larry Gordon EdSource -- 9/12/18

Guns

Sacramento judge strikes down 95-year-old California ban on handgun advertising signs -- A federal judge in Sacramento has overturned a 95-year-old state law that banned firearms dealers from using images of handguns on their storefronts as advertising to sell such weapons. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ Sudhin Thanawala Associated Press -- 9/12/18

California orders NRA to stop selling ‘self -defense’ firearm insurance without state license -- California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has ordered the National Rifle Association to stop selling liability insurance in the state without a license. Lauren Hernandez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/12/18

Environment 

Gov. Brown blasts Trump’s latest retreat from global warming as bordering ‘on criminality’ -- This week, the Environmental Protection Agency is planning to announce a proposal to roll back requirements for oil and gas companies on monitoring and repairing methane leaks, according to several news reports. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Jeremy B. White Politico -- 9/12/18

PG&E agrees in settlement to protect San Francisco Bay from chemical runoff from utility poles -- The Ecological Rights Foundation sued PG&E in 2010, saying sawdust and wood chips at 31 of the company’s service yards in Northern California contained pentachlorophenol, a preservative and pesticide with high levels of dioxins. Dioxins can cause cancer and reproductive damage. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/12/18

Also . . . 

Apple sets recall of some defective iPhone 8 devices, but there could be a catch -- If you have an iPhone 8, and have been having problems with your phone, you might be able to get it replaced for free by Apple. But Apple isn’t making it easy to do so. Rex Crum in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/12/18

Dying To Get Out: Stigma, ‘Copycat Effect’ Drive Youth Suicide In Rural Amador County -- At the start of the last school year, Stacey Larson got used to her 15-year-old daughter, Liz, shutting herself in the bedroom at the end of the hallway. Sammy Caiola Capital Public Radio -- 9/12/18

POTUS 45  

Trump calls storm response in Puerto Rico 'incredibly successful' — recent studies show nearly 3,000 died -- With a powerful hurricane bearing down on the southeast coast, President Trump on Tuesday turned attention back to the federal government's response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico a year ago, deeming it "incredibly successful" even though a recent federal report found that nearly 3,000 people died. Jonathan Lemire Associated Press -- 9/12/18

Anatomy of a Trump rally: 68 percent of claims are false, misleading or lacking evidence -- More than two-thirds of every factual claim made by President Trump at two of his rallies turns out to be false, misleading or unsupported by evidence. Glenn Kessler in the Washington Post$ -- 9/12/18

Beltway

McConnell screws Dems ahead of election with October session -- Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is planning to keep the chamber in session for a significant portion of October if not four entire weeks, costing Democrats key campaign trail days and allowing the Senate to continue its work into the fall, according to five Republican officials. Burgess Everett Politico -- 9/12/18

 

-- Tuesday Updates 

Governor Brown signs foreclosure funds bill -- A new law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown allows the state to keep $331 million that a court had designated for programs to help California homeowners who had been hit with foreclosures by banks accused of abusive practices. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/11/18

San Francisco wants to use old retrofit bond money to preserve affordable housing -- It could soon be possible for San Francisco officials to loan out $260 million in unused bond money to preserve and grow the city’s affordable-housing stock. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/11/18

I-5 open in Shasta County. Delays still expected as crews fight 53,000-acre Delta Fire -- The Delta Fire burning in Shasta County since last Wednesday has surpassed 53,000 acres (83 square miles) and remains just 5 percent contained as of Tuesday morning, Cal Fire said. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/11/18

More than 220,000 solo HOV-lane drivers will lose carpool stickers Jan. 1 -- Nearly 224,000 solo drivers stand to lose their green and white carpool stickers — permanently — on Jan. 1 in a seismic shakeup of the rules governing diamond lanes. Gary Richards in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/11/18

At Jerry Brown's climate summit, one deadline will overshadow all the others -- The political leaders coming from around the world for Gov. Jerry Brown’s climate action summit this week will grapple with a lot of urgent deadlines to drive down emissions, but one date is especially exasperating. It is 2035 — the year advocates aim to kill off production of gasoline and diesel powered vehicles. Evan Halper in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/11/18

Abcarian: On the trail with the Latino Arab American candidate trying to oust Duncan Hunter -- Retired FBI agent Jeff Iverson had his doubts about Ammar Campa-Najjar, the 29-year-old Democrat whose race to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter took on an unexpected importance after federal prosecutors charged Hunter and his wife with stealing $250,000 in campaign funds. “It’s not his politics, it’s his age,” Iverson, 67, told me as we stood on the porch of a stunning home overlooking Lake Hodges in Escondido. Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/11/18

What do a porn star, a combative lawyer and a reality-TV contestant all have in common? Trump -- The constellation of personalities orbiting Donald Trump is unlike any known to previous presidents. Mark Z. Barabak and Michael Finnegan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/11/18

Tent village for homeless given eviction notice -- A handful of community advocates who are fed up with what they see as slow official progress on addressing San Jose’s homeless population opened an unsanctioned tent village in a vacant lot over the weekend, complete with a portable toilet and garbage service. Emily DeRuy and Mark Gomez in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/11/18

Orchard Supply job cuts: more than 600 in Bay Area, 1,500 in California -- Lowe’s will jettison more than 600 Orchard Supply jobs in the Bay Area, part of a wrenching elimination of over 1,000 jobs in Northern California and at least 1,500 statewide, according to new official state government filings. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/11/18

Big Safety Testing Failure Rate for California Pot Products -- Nearly 20 percent of marijuana products in California have failed tests for potency and purity since the state started requiring the checks on July 1, a failure rate some in the industry say has more to do with unrealistic standards and technical glitches than protecting consumer safety. Michael R. Blood Associated Press -- 9/11/18