Updating . .
A $15-billion mystery: Who's to blame for California's most destructive fire? -- The answer will have huge implications for residents who lost their homes and are trying to rebuild, insurers faced with massive claims and, perhaps most importantly, to Pacific Gas & Electric. Joseph Serna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/18
In the midst of bitter national debate, San Diego immigrants share their stories -- People of all persuasions wield it in discussions about the country’s future. Polling shows a partisan divide in perceptions about how many immigrants are here illegally, about their impact on the economy and on crime, about their willingness to assimilate. John Wilkens, Kate Morrissey, Luis Cruz in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/16/18
Navy’s Hunters Point retesting plan draws on questionable cost-cutting study -- The U.S. Navy’s latest promise to clean up radioactive soil and buildings at its former San Francisco shipyard relies on an earlier Navy effort to remove less radioactivity in order to cut costs, The Chronicle has learned. Jason Fagone and Cynthia Dizikes in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/16/18
As opioid death toll worsens, California doctors will soon be required to check patient prescription drug history -- By the time the 59-year-old woman overdosed in the late summer of 2013, she’d been given 75 prescriptions by three primary care doctors, a psychiatrist and a pain specialist in the course of a year. Her deadly cocktail: opioid painkiller, sleeping aid and anti-anxiety medication. Kristina Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/16/18
Feinstein thinks California still needs a Democrat who gets along with GOP -- It was her first morning event, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein already was running late. She was going to a South Bay wildlife refuge to give a speech that was billed as nonpolitical, but nothing an officeholder does in an election year is nonpolitical. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/16/18
California Race Highlights Challenge Facing GOP in the Toughest House Districts -- Nowhere does the House GOP face a tougher task holding seats in November’s midterm elections than in the eight districts where Hillary Clinton won in 2016 and the incumbent is retiring—putting the pressure on Republican nominees such as Young Kim to win in Southern California. Kristina Peterson in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/16/18
Bay Area’s runaway housing market taps the brakes. Will the lull last? --When Sean Cook put his family’s San Jose home up for sale for more than $3 million this summer, he assumed it would fly off the shelf in a week or two. A similar house in his neighborhood took just three days to sell for $3.3 million in the spring. Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/16/18
Windows have 'crazing defect' at $550 million San Diego courthouse, will have to be replaced -- It cost more than $550 million and opened more than a year late. Now the new downtown San Diego courthouse is undergoing a window-replacement job less than nine months after its opening. Jeff McDonald in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/16/18
San Diego continues hands-off approach as electric scooter injuries mount -- From broken bones and teeth to punctured lungs and lacerations requiring plastic surgery — injuries from riding dockless electric scooters have, according to medical professionals, landed people in emergency rooms all over California. Joshua Emerson Smith in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/16/18
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Containment tops 50% as some evacuation orders lifted on 60,000-acre Delta Fire -- The fire, which was reported to be 56 percent contained as of Saturday evening, has ripped through 60,018 acres in Shasta, Trinity and Siskiyou counties since it ignited Sept. 5 about 10 miles north of Redding near Lakehead. Cassie Dickman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/16/18
‘There is no justice yet.’ Six months after Stephon Clark, Sacramento still seeks answers -- Two teenage boys walked home from school through south Sacramento recently, passing the house where Stephon Clark, an unarmed black man, was killed by police in March. Molly Sullivan, Anita Chabria and Phillip Reese in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/16/18
California Had Its Own Climate Summit. Now What? -- For years, presidents and prime ministers have been the public face of the fight against climate change, gathering at United Nations summit meetings and pressuring each other to reduce emissions. The results have often been lackluster. Brad Plumer in the New York Times$ -- 9/16/18
For climate change crusaders who trekked to California, the hottest ticket was a private audience with Gov. Jerry Brown -- It was an off-the-cuff remark from California’s enigmatic chief executive, one that might have faded with the laughter it sparked if it weren’t a sharp reminder of why a global audience trekked to San Francisco for advice on combating climate change. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/18
California lawmakers didn't act. Now the private ambulance industry is asking voters to change workplace rules -- Few Californians will have any idea why they’re being asked to vote this fall on workplace conditions in the private ambulance industry. But the backstory is a reminder of how ballot measures are the ultimate Plan B for those who don’t get satisfaction from the Legislature. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/18
Veterans clash over support of Ammar Campa-Najjar and Duncan Hunter -- A group of military veterans who support congressional challenger Ammar Campa-Najjar, the 29-year-old Democrat running against indicted incumbent Republican Duncan Hunter, held a news conference Saturday to counter right-wing attacks on the candidate they say unfairly smear him because of his race. Andrew Dyer in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/16/18
Sheriff's election forum features candidate — but no sheriff -- The people in the church wanted to know how the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department would improve the jails, give deputies more training and end all interactions with immigration agents. Maya Lau in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/16/18
Walters: Gov. Jerry Brown’s carbon-free legacy—at what cost? -- Jerry Brown publicly denies harboring thoughts of the legacy of his record 16 years as California’s governor. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 9/16/18
Drug court participation drops four years after Proposition 47 reduced many drug crimes to misdemeanors -- When Californians approved Proposition 47 four years ago, reducing many drug crimes to misdemeanors instead of felonies, judges and lawyers associated with the local drug courts were concerned the change would have unintended consequences. Pauline Repard in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/16/18
Economist and trailblazer Mary Daly chosen as next president of San Francisco Fed -- Daly is a widely respected economist who joined the San Francisco Fed in 1996 as a researcher and climbed the ranks to become director of research. She has focused much of her attention lately on why wages aren’t rising faster despite low unemployment. Heather Long in the Washington Post$ -- 9/16/18
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
UC hospitals, nurses’ union have tentative five-year deal that would boost pay 15% -- After almost two years of negotiations, the California Nurses Association announced Saturday that it has a tentative contract agreement with the University of California that would boost pay 15 percent over five years. Cassie Dickman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/16/18
How many of your Fresno neighbors are on food stamps, welfare? You may be surprised -- More than one out of every five households in both the city of Fresno and Fresno County receive food stamps or other supplemental food assistance – by far the highest rates of people getting food aid among California’s most populous cities and counties. Tim Sheehan in the Fresno Bee -- 9/16/18
‘Not doing better than their fathers’: Men’s earnings have fallen since 1970s, Census Bureau says -- The gender pay gap has begun narrowing over the last four decades — and women’s earnings are now closer to men’s. But that is not only because women are doing better. Jeff Stein in the Washington Post$ -- 9/16/18
Housing
Even if you can afford a new home, here’s why you can’t find one in the Central Valley -- There’s a reason you can’t find a new home to buy: too few people to build it. Tony Bizjak, Ryan Lillis and Michael Finch II in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/16/18
Environment
10 tons of trashed removed from American River during annual cleanup -- The American River Parkway Foundation collected more than 20,176 of pounds – more than 10 tons – of trash Saturday from the American River in just three hours, according to the group who organized the event. Cassie Dickman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/16/18
Also . . .
Trained dogs set to sniff out deadly citrus disease in California -- They’ve been used to detect drugs, bombs and bugs. Now a team of specially trained dogs will put their wet noses to work in California, sniffing out a fatal citrus disease with the potential to cripple the state’s $3.4 billion citrus industry. Robert Rodriguez in the Fresno Bee -- 9/16/18
Chicago Tribune owner Tronc in 'early stage' discussions about sale to McClatchy newspaper chain -- A second firm is in talks to potentially acquire Chicago-based newspaper chain Tronc. California-based newspaper chain McClatchy is in “early stage” discussions to buy Tronc, owner of the Chicago Tribune and other major newspapers, a source familiar with the negotiations said Friday. Robert Channick in the Chicago Tribune -- 9/16/18
POTUS 45
Trump launches first broadside at Mueller after Manafort plea deal -- President Donald Trump on Saturday fired his first salvo against special counsel Robert Mueller since former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort entered a plea deal with the Russia probe's federal prosecutors. Quint Forgey Politico -- 9/16/18
‘Robert Mueller’s real quest here is for the truth’: How Paul Manafort’s plea brings the special counsel probe closer to its endgame -- First came George Papadopoulos, the former Trump campaign adviser who was arrested by the FBI when he stepped off a plane at Dulles International Airport and soon agreed to help the special counsel’s office as part of a plea agreement. Matt Zapotosky, Carol D. Leonnig and Ashley Parker in the Washington Post$ -- 9/16/18
The Economy Is Humming, but Trump Is Tweeting. Republicans Are Worried -- As Democrats enter the fall midterm campaign with palpable confidence about reclaiming the House and perhaps even the Senate, tensions are rising between the White House and congressional Republicans over who is to blame for political difficulties facing the party, with President Trump’s advisers pointing to the high number of G.O.P. retirements and lawmakers placing the blame squarely on the president’s divisive style. Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns in the New York Times$ -- 9/16/18
Beltway
Paul Manafort Forfeits $22 Million in New York Real Estate in Plea Deal -- Paul Manafort, President Trump’s former campaign chairman, is forfeiting an estimated $22 million worth of real estate in New York — including three Manhattan apartments, a Brooklyn townhouse and a home in the Hamptons — as part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors announced on Friday. Julia Jacobs in the New York Times$ -- 9/16/18
-- Saturday Updates
California wants to go carbon-negative. No one knows the cost -- By the middle of this century, Gov. Jerry Brown wants California to pull more greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere every year than it puts in. That vision will almost certainly cost Californians. No one can say how much, however, because no one quite knows how we’ll achieve it. David R. Baker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/15/18
Willie Brown: He took on climate change. Will Michael Bloomberg take on Trump? -- The Global Climate Action Summit may or may not save the planet, but it did serve as a great platform for launching former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s run for president in 2020. Willie Brown in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/15/18
Legislation could abolish an embattled Compton water board. But it won't be without a fight -- A Compton water district that could be abolished for delivering brown water is waging an eleventh-hour campaign for its survival. Angel Jennings in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/15/18
In L.A. case, judge rules Trump administration can’t tie anti-gang grants to immigration enforcement -- A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction Friday barring the Trump administration from imposing requirements that local jurisdictions cooperate with immigration agents to receive anti-gang funds. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/15/18
Why sinking San Francisco tower is now a top tourist destination -- Ever since news of its precarious tilt became public in 2016, San Francisco’s Millennium Tower has mortified its owners and entertained just about everyone else. John King in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/15/18
The financial crisis hit 10 years ago. For some, it feels like yesterday -- Katrina Matthews was headed to law school, working part time at a real estate company in Manhattan Beach when the financial crisis hit. “This is a fire I need to put out,” she remembered thinking at the time. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/15/18
Lopez: I did yoga with a goat standing on my back and discovered an L.A. fountain of youth -- When I arrived at goat yoga class Wednesday night, I had two things on my mind. First, I don’t do yoga. Second, I don’t generally hang out with goats. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/15/18