Updating . .
PG&E may notify its employees this week of potential bankruptcy -- PG&E Corp., facing billions of dollars in wildfire liabilities, may notify employees as soon as Monday that it’s preparing a potential bankruptcy filing, according to people familiar with the situation. Mark Chediak Bloomberg -- 1/13/19
What to know as LAUSD teachers prepare to strike Monday -- Third Street Elementary School will be open Monday, but it will hardly be business as usual at the Hancock Park campus: Teachers are expected to picket outside. Students will be herded by unfamiliar adults into big groups both outdoors and indoors. Sonali Kohli in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/13/19
As LAUSD teachers prepare to strike, one central question: Where's the money? -- The message has been clear for months from the president of the Los Angeles teachers union: Not only does the L.A. Unified School District have no deficit, it has a huge reserve, more than large enough to meet the union’s demands for higher wages, smaller classes and schools staffed every day with the supportive services they need. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/13/19
Support grows for giving part of San Francisco’s $181 million windfall to public schools -- When San Francisco learned in November it was getting an unexpected $181 million to spread around, the first instinct of the mayor and the Board of Supervisors was to spend it on homeless initiatives, child care and affordable housing. There was no talk of using it for teacher pay raises. Trisha Thadani and Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/13/19
Newsom bringing wife on board as “first partner” in Sacramento -- Siebel Newsom’s focus will be on gender equality and lifting up women and families. She will not be paid but will have an office just down the hall from the governor’s. Phil Matier in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/13/19
Davis officer’s killer says in note that he was being bombarded by ultrasonic waves -- Davis police investigators said they recovered evidence from the rental property of the man who shot and killed one of their officers Thursday, including a note they believe was written by the man and two guns that were not registered to him. Daniel Hunt in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/13/19
Candlelight vigil for slain Davis officer draws more than a thousand -- Well over 1,000 mourners turned out at a candlelight vigil Saturday night for Davis police Officer Natalie Corona, who was gunned down two days earlier after responding to a traffic collision. Vincent Moleski in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/13/19
Gov. Gavin Newsom embraces an untested idea on how California's rainy-day fund should work -- Four years after California voters embraced an effort to strengthen state government rules for cash reserves, a new kind of conventional wisdom is taking root in Sacramento about how that system works. Not all dollars, it turns out, may be equal. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/13/19
FBI corruption probe goes beyond L.A. Councilman Jose Huizar to include other City Hall figures -- An ongoing FBI investigation into Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar is part of a broader corruption probe in which agents are seeking possible evidence involving Councilman Curren Price and a senior aide to Council President Herb Wesson, as well as several other city officials and business figures, according to a federal search warrant. David Zahniser, Emily Alpert Reyes and Joel Rubin in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/13/19
Walters: We pay through the nose to live in California -- Gov. Gavin Newsom’s inaugural address was a bit too long and somewhat disjointed, but he did make some cogent points, including this one: Dan Walters Calmatters -- 1/13/19
Another blow to local journalism: East Bay Express editorial staff laid off -- Five of seven editorial staffers were laid off Friday, Editor Robert Gammon said. The newspaper, which is known for its investigative reporting as well as arts, culture and music coverage, will rely on freelance writers. Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/13/19
Kamala Harris, not yet a candidate for president, toys with warm SF crowd -- While Obama administration official Julian Castro launched his presidential campaign Saturday, California Sen. Kamala Harris merely lurched closer toward her rollout as she continued her presidential non-announcement announcement tour Saturday in San Francisco. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/13/19
Trump has concealed details of his face-to-face encounters with Putin from senior officials in administration -- President Trump has gone to extraordinary lengths to conceal details of his conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, including on at least one occasion taking possession of the notes of his own interpreter and instructing the linguist not to discuss what had transpired with other administration officials, current and former U.S. officials said. Greg Miller in the Washington Post -- 1/13/19
Americans blame Trump and GOP much more than Democrats for shutdown, Post-ABC poll finds -- By a wide margin, more Americans blame President Trump and Republicans in Congress than congressional Democrats for the now record-breaking government shutdown, and most reject the president’s assertion that there is an illegal-immigration crisis on the southern border, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll. Scott Clement and Dan Balz in the Washington Post -- 1/13/19
‘In the White House waiting’: Inside Trump’s defiance on the longest shutdown ever -- The president who pitched himself to voters as a world-class dealmaker has proven to be an unreliable negotiator. Grappling for the first time with a divided government, Trump has contradicted himself, sent miscues and spread falsehoods. He has zigzagged between proudly claiming ownership of the shutdown and blaming it on Democrats, and between nearly declaring a national emergency to construct the wall without congressional approval and backing off such a legally and politically perilous action. Robert Costa, Josh Dawsey, Philip Rucker and Seung Min Kim in the Washington Post -- 1/13/19
With LAUSD teachers set to strike, union's call-in town hall asks parents for support -- Two days before a strike in the nation’s second largest school district, parents all over Los Angeles received automated phone calls encouraging them to connect to a teachers union town hall designed to answer questions and ramp up support. Sonali Kohli in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/13/19
Lopez: L.A. teachers’ strike: It’s not too late to avert disaster -- Memo to L.A. Unified, the teachers’ union and all concerned: Can a strike, which could begin Monday, be averted? Absolutely, and about half a million families in greater Los Angeles would be grateful. But the adults still have some homework to complete. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/12/19
Strike or no strike, pensions problematic for LA schools -- Strike or no strike, after a deal is ultimately reached on a contract for Los Angeles teachers, the school district will still be on a collision course with deficit spending because of pensions and other financial obligations. School systems across California are experiencing burdensome payments to the state pension fund while struggling to improve schools. Christopher Weber Associated Press -- 1/12/19
Gunman who killed Davis Officer Natalie Corona was ordered to surrender AR-15 rifle -- The gunman who shot and killed Davis Police Officer Natalie Corona Thursday night has been identified as Kevin Douglas Limbaugh, a 48-year-old man who was ordered last fall to surrender a semiautomatic rifle after he was convicted in a battery case. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/12/19
Gov. Newsom angers no one with budget, puts off big fights for another day -- Gov. Gavin Newsom threaded the political needle with his first proposed state budget, putting out a spending plan that’s both bold and cautious, ducking the type of pitched battles that many of his more grandiose campaign promises might have provoked. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/12/19
Willie Brown: How Trump can win the wall: Stop calling it ‘the wall’ -- President Trump could get his wall in a minute. All he needs to do is stop calling it “the wall.” Politics is the art of ambiguity mixed with sleight of hand. Willie Brown in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/12/19
Why this California garlic farmer loves tariffs -- California farmers hate Trump’s tariffs. Except maybe one. Ever since President Donald Trump fired the first major shot in his international trade war, imposing a 10 percent tariff on Chinese garlic and other imports, Gilroy’s Christopher Ranch – America’s largest producer of fresh garlic — has experienced a surge in sales. Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury -- 1/12/19
Junk, blight and problem businesses: South L.A. residents fume over code enforcement -- For more than a decade, complaints have rolled into the Department of Building and Safety about broken cars cluttering the street around an auto repair shop on West Adams Boulevard. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/12/19
Flight 662 backstory: Why Aeromexico took nearly five hours to release passengers from plane at Oakland airport -- It turns out, the Aeromexico flight from hell that languished on the Oakland airport tarmac for nearly five hours Thursday as sweaty passengers fainted, cried and screamed for help, could have been avoided. Matthias Gafni in the San Jose Mercury -- 1/12/19
California Policy & Politics This Morning
SFO air traffic controllers reportedly consider driving for Lyft and Uber to cope with shutdown -- The nation's airports remain open despite the partial government shutdown, and air traffic controllers are working even though they aren't receiving a paycheck Friday, the first missed payday for federal workers since the start of the closure 21 days ago. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/12/19
Valley town with bad wells gets ‘surprise’ visit from Gov. Newsom — who wants tax on water -- A day after proposing a tax on drinking water, Gov. Gavin Newsom took a “surprise” road trip to meet with Stanislaus County residents in a community known for having unsafe wells. Erin Tracy and Sophia Bollag in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/12/19
Davis police detail torrent of bullets that kills ‘rising star’ Natalie Corona during routine call -- Davis police Officer Natalie Corona died as the result of a chilling, resolute ambush by a city resident on a bicycle who rode up to an accident scene she was investigating Thursday night, then opened fire with a hail of bullets from a semiautomatic handgun, police said. Benjy Egel, Molly Sullivan, and Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/12/19
Witness: Davis police officer was ambushed by bystander who then targeted ‘random people’ -- he shooting death of Davis Police Officer Natalie Corona Thursday night began with a routine collision that spiraled out of control when a bystander suddenly opened fire on Corona at close range, according to one of the drivers in the crash. Benjy Egel, Vincent Moleski, and Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/12/19
Motive for slaying of California policewoman still a mystery -- A gunman on a bicycle ambushed a rookie policewoman in Northern California, shooting her from the shadows, then reloaded and narrowly avoided wounding others before walking home and calmly watching the chaos he had caused, police said. Jonathan J. Cooper and Jocelyn Gecker Associated Press -- 1/12/19
Bretón: ‘Dad, this is what I want to do.’ Now, father of fallen cop mourns -- Natalie Corona was her father’s daughter. Of course, her brief but joyous life was profoundly informed by her mother Lupe as well. But Corona followed her father Merced’s footsteps into law enforcement. Marcos Bretón in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/12/19
Kamala Harris in the Senate -- Sen. Kamala Harris’ communications director has a note in all capital letters stuck on her office computer: “Show the math.” It’s a quote from her boss — one the senator uses frequently. Tal Kopan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/12/19
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
How the shutdown is hurting small towns outside Yosemite -- When it comes to those swept up in the problems that come with a government shutdown, there are always some who get overlooked. Take, for instance, Katherine Ogilvie, a small-business owner in Mariposa. Dianne de Guzman in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/12/19
San Diego accelerates pension debt payoff with aggressive new policies -- New policies adopted Friday by San Diego’s pension board accelerate paying off the city’s $2.76 billion pension debt and rein in a controversial policy that has allowed the city to significantly delay paying off increases in the debt. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/12/19
Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds
SpaceX to lay off 10% of its workforce -- SpaceX, citing a need to get “leaner,” said Friday it will lay off about 10% of its roughly 6,000 employees. The cuts were cited in an email sent to employees by President Gwynne Shotwell, which was provided to The Times. “This was a very difficult but necessary decision,” Shotwell wrote. Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/12/19
Transit
As it develops rules of the road, L.A. County considers a voluntary ban on scooters -- The plan would ask companies not to deploy the scooters until rules for their use, safety and distribution are established — although the county hasn’t crafted any penalties to impose if the companies don’t comply. Matt Stiles in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/12/19
Disability advocates target city of San Diego, scooters in new lawsuit -- The city of San Diego and electric scooter brands Lime and Bird are the targets of a lawsuit filed in federal court alleging the ubiquitous motorized vehicles are violating the Americans with Disability Act by impeding and blocking access to city streets and sidewalks. Greg Moran in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/12/19
Immigration, Border, Deportation
GoFundMe intervenes to give refunds to Trump's border wall donors -- A GoFundMe campaign that sought to raise $1 billion for President Donald Trump’s promised border wall amassed $20 million in 25 days, but the crowd fundraising company has decided to refund the donations from hundreds of thousands of people. Here’s why. Abby Hamblin in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/12/19
Education
LAUSD teachers' strike all but certain as union rejects district's latest offer -- Negotiations between the teachers union and the Los Angeles Unified School District ended Friday with no deal in sight. All signs point to the first walkout in 30 years in the nation’s second-largest school system. Howard Blume, John Myers and Sonali Kohli in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/12/19
‘Lock the door and throw away the key’: As strike looms, LAUSD asks Newsom to intercede -- Less than a week into Gov. Gavin Newsom’s tenure—and with a massive teachers strike set for Monday—the leader of California’s largest school district on Friday publicly asked the new governor to get involved, officially and personally. Ricardo Cano Calmatters -- 1/12/19
Health
Ventura County administered thousands of vaccines that may not have worked -- Ventura County officials are scrambling to contact thousands of patients who received vaccines that may have been ineffective because county workers stored them at the wrong temperature. Soumya Karlamangla in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/12/19
‘Death Certificate Project’ Aims to Weed Out Doctors Overprescribing Opioids in California -- It was January of last year when San Francisco doctor Ako Jacintho got home from traveling to find a letter from the state medical board waiting for him. April Dembosky KQED -- 1/12/19
Also . . .
California police use genealogy websites to arrest suspect in 1990s rapes -- A California man has been arrested in connection to rapes committed in the 1990s after his DNA was linked to the crime scenes through commercial genealogy websites, which initially turned up the both the suspect and his twin, police said on Friday. Dan Whitcomb Reuters -- 1/12/19
Plea for birthday cards draws 50,000 well-wishes for Fullerton World War II vet -- At 96, Duane Sherman, a World War II veteran and Purple Heart recipient, has survived nearly all of his friends. His wife of 57 years, Lois, died in 2011. The only mail he receives at his Fullerton home these days are bills. Lou Ponsi in the Orange County Register -- 1/12/19
POTUS 45
F.B.I. Opened Inquiry Into Whether Trump Was Secretly Working on Behalf of Russia -- In the days after President Trump fired James B. Comey as F.B.I. director, law enforcement officials became so concerned by the president’s behavior that they began investigating whether he had been working on behalf of Russia against American interests, according to former law enforcement officials and others familiar with the investigation. Adam Goldman, Michael S. Schmidt and Nicholas Fandos in the New York Times -- 1/12/19
White House warns shutdown could carry on after emergency declaration -- Trump may tap his emergency powers without reopening the government, a move some allies say could 'screw' Democrats. Gabby Orr Politico -- 1/12/19
Beltway
Mitch McConnell could end the shutdown. But he’s sitting this one out -- President Trump is not the only person in Washington who could end this government shutdown now. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) could bring a “clean” funding bill to the floor, free up his GOP caucus to support it and could quite possibly secure enough votes to override a presidential veto. Colby Itkowitz in the Washington Post -- 1/12/19
-- Friday Updates
Judge: Lodi man’s terrorism convictions should be vacated -- Nearly 14 years after Hamid Hayat was convicted in a sensational terrorism trial in Sacramento and packed off to federal prison, a judge on Friday recommended that his conviction be vacated because of ineffective representation by his defense lawyer. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/11/19
White House considers diverting San Francisco Bay money to pay for Trump’s wall -- The Trump administration is considering diverting millions of dollars from San Francisco Bay shoreline restoration and flood control to help build the president’s wall on the southern border — part of a bigger plan under consideration to move disaster relief money to the project. Tal Kopan and Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/11/19
California’s Camp fire was the costliest global disaster last year, insurance report shows -- The Camp fire in Northern California was the costliest single natural disaster in the world for insurers last year, resulting in $12.5 billion in covered losses, and was the most destructive wildfire ever, according to a new report by a German reinsurance firm. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/11/19
Natalie Corona was ‘married to the job.’ How a sense of duty shaped the Davis police officer -- Natalie Corona wanted to be a cop for as long as anyone she knew can remember. Her family – and a sense of duty – drove her to put on the uniform. Molly Sullivan and Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/11/19
Trump could divert money from Folsom Dam to fund a border wall; Democrats vow a fight -- President Donald Trump is reportedly considering raiding disaster recovery funding — including more than $1 billion for Sacramento-area flood protection projects — to help pay for his wall on the southern border. Congressional Democrats are promising a fight. Emily Cadei in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/11/19
California water projects could be shelved as Trump seeks money for border wall -- As the federal government’s partial shutdown on Friday tied for the longest one ever, President Trump was considering declaring a national emergency to get the money he wants for a border wall, perhaps by diverting funds designated for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects in California and Puerto Rico. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/11/19
Davis police officer, 22, gunned down on her beat; suspect found dead -- The call came into Davis police just before 7 p.m. Thursday, a three-car accident near 5th and D streets that by any measure would be considered routine. Hannah Darden, Benjy Egel, and Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/11/19
California officer’s killing stirs a familiar fear: ‘I hope to God the suspect isn’t Latino’ -- The procession of police cars worked its way through the Central Valley, escorting the body of Ronil Singh for his final watch in this small town. Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/11/19
Study finds 30 percent of California public companies must add women to their boards under new law -- The Women on Boards survey released Friday by San Diego-based Board Governance Research looked at the board makeup of 642 publicly traded companies headquartered in California. It found 184 firms will need to find a woman director this year under the law. Mike Freeman in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/11/19
Kamala Harris in the Senate -- California senator gains prominence by grilling Trump officials, laying the groundwork for a likely 2020 presidential run. Tal Kopan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/11/19
Jury orders Mongols motorcycle club to forfeit logo trademarks -- A federal jury on Friday decided an outlaw motorcycle club should be stripped of the trademarks it holds on its coveted logo as punishment in a racketeering case, delivering a victory to the U.S. government in its unusual legal fight to dismantle the notorious organization. Joel Rubin in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/11/19
Transbay officials acknowledge inspection process didn’t catch cracked beams -- As Transbay Transit Center officials prepare to repair the broken girders that have kept the building closed for 15 weeks, they acknowledged Thursday that their system of inspections during construction failed. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/11/19
California Attorney General tries to block sale of O’Connor and St. Louise hospitals to Santa Clara county -- California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is trying to block the sale of two financially struggling hospitals to Santa Clara County, saying the county has not agreed to operate the hospitals under certain conditions that would protect healthcare access. Thy Vo in the San Jose Mercury -- 1/11/19
California’s native landscapes can’t take this many fires -- Summer had not yet arrived, but already the hillside on the edge of Los Padres National Forest was the color of toast. Even a brilliantly sunny day couldn’t dress up the dull palette of invasive grasses that had transformed the slope into a dried-up weed patch. Bettina Boxall in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/11/19
Fox: Cautious Paddling on the First Budget -- In looking at Governor Gavin Newsom’s first budget and the reaction to it, it appears that former Gov. Jerry Brown’s famous canoe has not been retired. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 1/11/19