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Gov. Jerry Brown vetoes legislation barring immigration arrests inside California courthouses -- Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday vetoed legislation that would have barred any civil arrests at state courthouses, as judges have raised concerns over the presence of federal immigration agents in courtrooms across the country. Jazmine Ulloa in the Los Angeles Times$ Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/27/18

Gov. Jerry Brown rejects bill that would have allowed immigrants in the U.S. illegally to serve in California civil office -- Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday vetoed legislation that would allow all Californians to serve on state and local boards and commissions regardless of immigration status. Jazmine Ulloa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/27/18

Crews begin work to shore up cracked beams at SF’s Transbay Transit Center -- Standing on scissor lifts, construction workers peeled off corrugated metal sheeting below the cracked section while crews inside the facility rerouted electrical lines and other utility equipment. The next step is to ease the pressure on the beams that officials say are in danger of failing. Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/27/18

Net neutrality, abortion pills at UC and CSU awaiting Jerry Brown’s verdict -- Gov. Jerry Brown has until Sunday to decide the fate of 350 bills on his desk, including legislation that would create net neutrality regulations in California, expand access to abortion pills at public universities and increase public access to police misconduct records. Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/27/18

Uber ‘thinking of’ providing benefits for drivers, CEO says -- Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said Thursday the ride-hailing company is “thinking of” providing health and other worker benefits for its drivers. Khosrowshahi’s remarks came during a “fireside chat” with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff at Dreamforce, the annual Salesforce conference in San Francisco. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/27/18

17 arrested, charged in $1 million Apple store robbery ring, CA officials say -- Seventeen people were arrested or charged in a far-reaching string of Apple store robberies across California that totaled more than $1 million in losses, officials announced Thursday. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/27/18

Gas prices in Southern California are rising toward $4 a gallon -- Gasoline prices are climbing toward $4 a gallon in Southern California, boosted in large part by a rise in worldwide crude oil prices. James F. Peltz in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/27/18

A GOP congressional candidate walks into a mosque: How Andrew Grant's constituents reacted to his outreach -- Andrew Grant had just finished an afternoon of door-knocking in his uphill bid for Congress when he decided to drop by the Muslim community center in Folsom. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/27/18

Congressman under indictment still leading his opponent, new poll shows -- Congressman Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, still holds a significant lead over his Democratic opponent in the November election, despite the fact that he has been indicted on multiple federal crimes, according to a poll released Thursday. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/27/18

Bay Area home sales plunge 10 percent in August to seven-year-low -- The number of Bay Area homes sold in August plunged by 10 percent year over year due to the scarcity of affordable homes. Activity was at a seven-year low with 7,659 sales, according to real estate data firm CoreLogic. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/27/18

Rent control: What we can learn from Berkeley and Santa Monica -- Walk into almost any rent-controlled apartment building in California, and you will likely find new tenants paying twice the price charged to their neighbors who moved in long ago. That wasn’t always the case. Katy Murphy and Angela Hart in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/27/18

In Little Saigon, strong support for Trump's war on illegal immigration collides with other realities -- President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration has sparked strong criticism and protests across California. But among older residents of Little Saigon, he has found a corner of support for his hard-line tactics and rhetoric. They too believe that those who want to come the United States should go through legal channels, just as they did. Anh Do in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/27/18

Fox: Devil in the Details on Hot Ballot Measures Poll Finds -- As is often heard around the capitol, the devil is in the details when it comes to laws that are written to carry out what appear to be acceptable concepts. That seems to be the case with two controversial ballot propositions according to the latest Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) poll. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 9/27/18

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Before transbay center beam cracked, 2 contractors already mired in litigation -- The engineering firm in charge of structural steel at the new $2.2 billion Transbay Transit Center sued the general contractor overseeing the entire project in May, claiming the job was compromised by construction documents that were “substantially defective and incomplete.” J.K. Dineen and John King in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/27/18

Ballot measures to repeal gas tax, expand rent control trail in poll -- Voters are snubbing two high-profile ballot measures to repeal California’s gas tax increase and expand rent control, according to a Public Policy Institute of California poll. Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/27/18

California rent control ballot measure lagging, new poll finds -- Roughly half of likely voters — 48 percent — oppose Proposition 10, according to the poll — the first conducted on the measure. Just 36 percent are in favor and 16 percent are undecided, the poll found. Angela Hart in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/27/18

Wording matters: Decoding mixed messages on gas tax and rent control from new poll -- Do California voters actually hate a tax but not want to repeal it? It might seem so based on their answers in a poll released tonight from the Public Policy Institute of California. Ben Christopher Calmatters -- 9/27/18

Gavin Newsom and Dianne Feinstein still lead, but races are tightening -- California’s Nov. 6 contests for both governor and senator have tightened dramatically, but frontrunners Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Sen. Dianne Feinstein still hold double-digit leads, according to a poll by the Public Policy Institute of California. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/27/18

New poll shows Cox cut Newsom's lead in half in the California governor's race -- Voter support for Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox rose enough over the summer to cut front-runner Democrat Gavin Newsom’s lead in half, according to a new poll by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California. Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/27/18

Walters: Maybe there’s a U.S. Senate race after all -- U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein took a lot of heat from the left wing of her Democratic Party by adopting a somewhat conciliatory attitude toward Donald Trump during the first year of his presidency. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 9/27/18

John Cox launches bus tour in California governor's race, telling voters 'help is on the way' -- Republican John Cox, kicking off the final weeks of his campaign for governor, huddled on Wednesday with workers who produce Sriracha hot sauce and prodded them to air their grievances about California’s housing costs and the price they pay at the pump. Phil Willon and Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/27/18

Different backgrounds, similar visions: Lt. Gov candidates on higher ed -- For voters who have trouble distinguishing between the political positions of lieutenant governor candidates Eleni Kounalakis and Ed Hernandez—or remembering what the so-called “Lite Gov” does, anyway—their personal backgrounds provide an obvious contrast. Felicia Mello Calmatters -- 9/27/18

Rep. Duncan Hunter's campaign denies he implied campaign rival is a radical Muslim -- U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, the Alpine Republican fighting charges of misusing campaign funds, appeared to suggest in a speech to a women’s group that his election opponent is a “radical Muslim” and part of an attempt by Islamists to infiltrate the federal government. Maya Sweedler in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/27/18

Calbuzz: PPIC Poll: Why Feinstein is Crushing Kevin de Leon -- The just-out poll from the Public Policy Institute of California shows that, with two Democrats on the ballot because of California’s top-two primary system, more than half of Republicans (52%) and a quarter of no-party-preference independents (26%) say they won’t vote for anyone for U.S. Senate. Jerry Roberts and Phil Trounstine CalBuzz -- 9/27/18

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

California regulator probes links between high-cost lenders and consumer finance sites -- The state’s top financial regulator launched an investigation Wednesday of high-cost consumer lenders after the failure of several bills in the Legislature that would have tightened oversight of the industry. James Rufus Koren in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/27/18

Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds 

Gas-tax supporters tout report finding fewer potholes in Bay Area -- Roads throughout the Bay Area are slowly improving, according to a new report, and officials at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission are crediting an infusion of SB1 gas tax dollars for the gradual upward trend. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/27/18

Gas Tax Repeal’s Fate Could Rest On What Voters Think They Can Gain Or Lose -- A new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California suggests the fate of Proposition 6, which would repeal last year’s gas tax increase, could rest on what voters think they’re being asked to decide. Nadine Sebai Capital Public Radio -- 9/27/18

Housing  

Southern California home prices rise 7%, though some say the market is slowing -- Southern California home prices kept rising in August, but sales fell as questions grow over whether the torrid housing market is finally cooling. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/27/18

San Diego Home Prices Rise Again -- San Diego County home prices continued their upward march, with the median price rising 9 percent in August, compared to the same month a year earlier, a real estate information service announced Wednesday. KPBS -- 9/27/18

Transit  

San Joaquin Valley’s long-distance commuters a step closer to getting rail line -- The Bay Area’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission voted Wednesday to spend $10 million on an environmental study for a new rail line to ferry commuters from the San Joaquin Valley to the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station, which supporters see as a solution to soul-grinding car trips that clog freeways. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/27/18

Wildfire  

Orange County just approved a plan to build 340 houses in a high risk fire area -- A plan to build 340 new houses on a site that burned to the ground in a wildfire 10 years ago just passed the Orange County Board of Supervisors. Emily Guerin KPCC -- 9/27/18

Cannabis 

LAX travelers can carry marijuana — but first they have to get past TSA, police say -- Los Angeles International Airport is allowing travelers to carry marijuana at the giant hub — news that sent a ripple of glee and surprise across Twitter and Reddit on Wednesday. Jared Gilmour in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/27/18

Education 

Orange County Board of Education’s sex ed forum pits religious conservatives against the LGBT community -- Hundreds gathered outside the Orange County Board of Education’s meeting room in two dueling groups Wednesday evening to make their feelings known about the California Healthy Youth Act, the state’s sex education law passed in 2016. Deepa Bharath in the Orange County Register -- 9/27/18

UC faculty leaders announce study on whether SAT and ACT tests accurately predict college success -- Those who want the nation’s most prestigious public university system to make the standardized tests optional for admissions saw it as a positive sign, though Robert May, the chairman of the UC’s Academic Senate, would not say whether that outcome could result from the review. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/27/18

LA teachers union rips into LAUSD offer for a 6 percent raise. It’s an ‘insult,’ officials say -- An angry teachers union has slammed the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education vote to offer its educators a 6 percent salary increase and reduce class sizes at 90 schools as part of its contract. The new offer on Tuesday came two days before the district and union begin the formal mediation process. The item is in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 9/27/18

Under local pressure, California school districts adopt lower lead limits for water -- Two years ago, McClymonds High School in Oakland found alarmingly high lead levels in water coming from a locker room shower. Water from some fountains and sinks tested high as well, leading health and community activists to demand that the district ensure safe water for all children. Nico Savidge and Daniel J. Willis EdSource -- 9/27/18

Guns 

Jerry Brown vetoes California bill to expand gun restraining orders -- Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a bill Wednesday that would have allowed co-workers and school personnel to petition a court to temporarily remove guns from someone they believe poses an immediate danger. Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/27/18

Gov. Jerry Brown makes it tougher to get concealed gun permits, but vetoes other firearm bills -- Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday signed a bill that will make it harder for Californians to obtain concealed gun permits, but he vetoed a proposal that would have expanded the number of people who could petition the courts for an order removing firearms from those thought to be dangerous. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/27/18

Also . . . 

Questions swirl about immigration status, criminal past of Houston man charged in L.A. homeless killings -- The man accused of carrying out a series of savage attacks against homeless men in the Los Angeles area was sent to federal prison for illegally crossing the Texas border on multiple occasions, according to a review of court records that also raised questions about his mental health history. James Queally and Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/27/18

Another first for scooters in L.A.: a conviction for scooting under the influence -- Southern California has seen a series of firsts since motorized rental scooters began flooding streets and sidewalks last year, including the first collision with a driver and the first scooter sent to a watery grave in the Venice canals. Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/27/18

List of improperly recorded attorney-client phone calls from Orange County jail continues to grow -- The Orange County jail’s telephone vendor improperly recorded another 617 confidential phone conversations between inmates and defense attorney Joel Garson over the past three years, bringing to nearly 1,700 calls improperly recorded by a Sheriff’s Department contractor since January 2015. Tony Saavedra in the Orange County Register -- 9/27/18

L.A. agrees to pay $5 million to the family of a man killed crossing the street in Playa del Rey -- His parents sued Los Angeles, alleging that the city was responsible for Lockridge’s death. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in 2017, said city officials were aware that Vista del Mar’s design posed a danger to pedestrians but had failed to correct it. Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/27/18

POTUS 45  

As Fourth Accusation Surfaces, White House Defends Kavanaugh -- A fourth accusation of sexual misconduct against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh emerged Wednesday evening with four alleged witnesses, just hours before he is set to testify after his first accuser tells her story to a key Senate panel. John T. Bennett Roll Call -- 9/27/18

Beltway 

Hill Sends Big Chunk of Next Year’s Money to Trump, Minus His Border Wall -- As President Donald Trump gave a stem-winding press conference Wednesday on refusing to meet with the Canadian prime minister, getting laughed at by the United Nations, and what will happen to his embattled Supreme Court nominee, the House was passing legislation. Andrew Siddons, John M. Donnelly Roll Call -- 9/27/18

 

-- Wednesday Updates 

2nd crack at San Francisco Transbay Transit Center — to stay closed through next week -- San Francisco’s new Transbay Transit Center will remain closed at least through the end of next week, officials said Wednesday, after yet another cracked beam was discovered during an overnight safety inspection. Kurtis Alexander and Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/26/18

Investigate hiring of CalPERS CEO, John Chiang says -- California State Treasurer John Chiang on Wednesday called for an independent investigation into the hiring of CalPERS Chief Executive Officer Marcie Frost to resolve questions about whether she misinformed the $360 billion pension fund when she applied for her job. Adam Ashton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/26/18

He says ICE beat him to force him to be an informant, or be deported. He wants $750,000 -- One year ago Wednesday, Carlos Alfred Rueda Cruz says he was inside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in downtown Sacramento where federal agents physically attacked him to force him to authorize a voluntary deportation order. Anita Chabria in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/26/18

What a rent control fight in Silicon Valley could mean for the rest of California -- A fight over rent control has raged for three years in the Silicon Valley suburb of Mountain View with no end in sight. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/26/18

Spending more than half your money on rent? You’ve got lots of company in the Central Valley -- More than 220,000 households in the Central Valley spend at least half their monthly incomes on rent, placing them under a severe cost burden as they try to make ends meet, according to Census data analyzed by a top rental marketing firm. Ryan Lillis in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/26/18

City employees exposed to asbestos for months before they were moved, claim alleges -- San Diego city officials allowed hundreds of employees to remain in leased office space despite months of construction that exposed workers to cancer-causing asbestos, according to a legal claim filed on behalf of a longtime building inspector. Jeff McDonald in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/26/18

Uber customer, driver data breach leads to $148 million settlement, officials say -- California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón announced a $148 million, national settlement Wednesday resulting from a data breach at Uber. Ashley McBride in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/26/18

Gas-tax opponents file proposal to kill $77 billion high-speed train -- Proponents of Proposition 6, the measure to repeal California’s gas tax hike, filed a new ballot measure Tuesday that would torpedo Gov. Brown’s high-speed rail project and prevent the state from spending gas tax funds on mass transit. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/26/18

California bullet train aims to dodge a political bullet in San Fernando Valley -- With the bullet train project facing titanic legal battles in the San Francisco Bay Area and Central Valley, the last thing the state rail authority needs is a route into Southern California that would galvanize new opposition. Ralph Vartabedian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/26/18

Maxine Waters is one of Trump's fiercest critics. She'll get a powerful new platform if Democrats take the House -- Rep. Maxine Waters has tried for months to get a House committee chairman to subpoena documents from Deutsche Bank about Russian money laundering and the finances of President Trump and his family. Jim Puzzanghera in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/26/18

GOP Retirement Leaves SoCal Congressional Seat Up for Grabs -- Even before 13-term Congressman Ed Royce, R-Fullerton, announced in January that he would retire rather than seek re-election, a bevy of Democrats had already jumped in to challenge him. Scott Shafer KQED -- 9/26/18

California teens pumped to vote — but not as Democrats or Republicans -- As political turmoil in Washington and a drumbeat of school shootings have spurred activism among young people, there are growing signs that they will be backing up their voices with votes — and are already reshaping California’s political map. Casey Tolan in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/26/18

Why Australia's famed gun control laws probably wouldn't reduce shooting deaths in America -- On a spring day in the Tasmanian town of Port Arthur, a lone gunman shot an elderly couple at the inn they owned, 22 diners lunching at a nearby tourist spot, two tour bus drivers and several of their passengers, four occupants of a BMW, and two customers at a gas station. Karen Kaplan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/26/18