Updating . .
Critical UC Davis campus alert system failed during Corona shooting, officials say -- A critical emergency alert system designed to warn UC Davis students and staff failed the night Davis police Officer Natalie Corona was shot and killed blocks from the campus, university officials announced, calling the breakdown “unacceptable.” Darrell Smith in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/16/19
L.A. teachers bask in support for strike, but pressure grows to settle amid financial losses -- It’s been a heady two days for striking Los Angeles teachers and their union leaders. Rain failed to fizzle huge rallies. People brought free tacos and “Tofurky for Teachers” to the picket lines. And their strike became a cause celebre of liberal politicians such as Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Howard Blume and Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/16/19
PG&E bankruptcy could mean price hikes, unpaid fire lawsuits -- Pacific Gas & Electric Co. said this week it will file for bankruptcy, raising concern that rates for electricity and gas will rise and victims of California wildfires who are suing the nation’s largest utility won’t get all the money they may be owed. Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 1/16/19
Los Angeles County sets record with estimated 50 million tourists in 2018 -- Marking the eighth year in a row of tourism growth, Los Angeles County hosted an estimated 50 million visitors in 2018, reaching a target milestone two years ahead of schedule. Hugo Martin in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/16/19
San Francisco’s Van Ness project nearly 2 years behind schedule, millions in cost overruns -- The $316 million makeover of San Francisco’s Van Ness Avenue is running a year and nine months behind schedule, according to the main contractor, with the completion date now pushed to late 2021. Phil Matier in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/16/19
Pelosi asks Trump to reschedule SOTU because of the shutdown -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday asked President Donald Trump to reschedule his State of the Union address — or deliver it in writing — as long as the government remains shut down. Heather Caygle and Rachael Bade Politico -- 1/16/19
Fox: PG&E Bankruptcy Opens the Door for Municipal Utilities -- PG&E’s bankruptcy declaration, liabilities, stock plunge, wrathful legislators, and possible criminal charges put the utility in a life and death situation. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 1/16/19
California Policy & Politics This Morning
California Gov. Gavin Newsom gets no honeymoon as PG&E bankruptcy, LA school strike hit -- Newsom started his first full week in office with two crises thrown into his lap: The state’s largest utility, Pacific Gas and Electric Co., said it would file for bankruptcy protection, and teachers in Los Angeles went on strike, crippling a school district where 80 percent of the students live in poverty. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/16/19
Gov. Gavin Newsom wants the tech industry to help pay for new housing. But not for the neediest Californians -- California’s housing affordability crisis over the past decade has coincided with a boom in tech-fueled job growth. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/16/19
About that giant, surplus-plus budget surplus -- What would you do with a $21.4 billion windfall? That’s essentially the question California is confronting amid record surplus projections in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s first year in office. Judy Lin Calmatters -- 1/16/19
Walters: State tax reforms or state tax increases? -- There is a substantial list of governance issues that former Gov. Jerry Brown said were important, but that he left on his desk for successor Gavin Newsom. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 1/16/19
PG&E Bankruptcy Threatens California Wildfire Suits, Green-Power Contracts -- PG&E Corp.’s plan to file for bankruptcy protection has enormous repercussions for everyone from the homeowners suing the utility for California wildfire damages to the companies that furnish it with green energy. Russell Gold, Sara Randazzo and Rebecca Smith in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 1/16/19
PG&E’s bankruptcy could slow California’s fight against climate change -- Climate change helped fuel the deadly fires that prompted California’s largest power company to announce Monday that it would file for bankruptcy in the face of $30 billion in potential liabilities. In a grim twist, the bankruptcy of PG&E Corp. could now slow California’s efforts to fight climate change. Sammy Roth in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/16/19
PG&E bankruptcy plan leads San Francisco to reconsider public power system -- The planned bankruptcy of Pacific Gas and Electric Co. has opened the possibility of San Francisco taking over some or all of the utility’s local operations and infrastructure, reinvigorating an enduring debate over whether the city should take on a greater role as a power provider. Dominic Fracassa and J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/16/19
Butte County Is Latest to Take PG&E to Court for Camp Fire -- Butte County filed suit against PG&E on Tuesday, alleging that the company's failure to respond to extreme weather conditions in the hours before November's Camp Fire played a central role in sparking the catastrophe. Dan Brekke KQED Risa Johnson in the Chico Enterprise-Record -- 1/16/19
Frayed Wires: As California enters a brave new energy world, can it keep the lights on? -- Gretchen Bakke thinks a lot about power—the kind that sizzles through a complex grid of electrical stations, poles, lines and transformers, keeping the lights on for tens of millions of Californians who mostly take it for granted. They shouldn’t, says Bakke, who grew up in a rural California town regularly darkened by outages. Julie Cart Calmatters -- 1/16/19
Gavin Newsom made a big move on drug pricing. Will it save you money? -- Gov. Gavin Newson wants to deliver lower drug prices by harnessing the full weight of the state against the pharmaceutical industry, but it’s unclear whether his team can get a better deal without giving up something Californians want. Michael Finch II in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/16/19
With FBI probe looming, L.A. City Council members revive plan to limit developer donations -- Two years ago, Los Angeles City Council members called for a ban on political donations from real estate developers seeking city approval for their projects, saying they wanted to erase the perception that money is the reason big buildings are getting the green light. Emily Alpert Reyes and David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/16/19
Reeling California Republicans elevate social conservative -- California Republicans, battered by deep losses in the 2018 elections, have shaken up their leadership by elevating a social conservative to lead the state Senate caucus. Jeremy B. White Politico -- 1/16/19
Kate Steinle shooter seeks to have gun conviction overturned -- The undocumented immigrant acquitted by a jury of murder in the shooting death of Kate Steinle on a San Francisco pier, in a case that touched off a furor about immigration and sanctuary laws, has appealed his conviction for illegally possessing the fatal weapon, saying momentary and accidental possession of a gun is not a crime. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/16/19
Teachers strike
Teachers strike at L.A. charter schools too, a first for California -- Teachers at three charter schools in South Los Angeles walked off the job Tuesday, marking the first time ever that a charter school organization in California went on strike, according to the teachers union. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/16/19
Tale of two schools: Though separated by just 9 miles, effects of the strike on these campuses are far apart -- During the strike, administrators at schools in less privileged communities are left teaching more students without teachers — and parents face more stressful decisions regarding whether to send their children to school. Ariella Plachta in the LA Daily News$ -- 1/16/19
LA County supervisors OK $10 million for the LAUSD to pay for more mental health counselors -- As the Los Angeles teachers strike continued Tuesday, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved $10 million in funding for the Los Angeles Unified School District to pay for more mental health counselors in schools. As part of its contract demands, the teachers union has called for smaller class sizes as well as more nurses, counselors and librarians in schools. Sarah Favot in the LA Daily News$ -- 1/16/19
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
San Jose to consider covering local TSA workers’ salaries during government shutdown -- As the federal shutdown drags on, San Jose is exploring ways to pay Transportation Security Administration screeners and other federal employees currently working without pay at San Jose International Airport. The City Council will hold a special meeting on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the issue. Emily DeRuy in the San Jose Mercury -- 1/16/19
Furloughed TSA workers plan protest at Sacramento International Airport -- Furloughed government workers are planning a demonstration at Sacramento International Airport Wednesday afternoon to protest a government shutdown that’s depriving them of their income. Madeline Ashmun and Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/16/19
Laguna Food Pantry offers help to unpaid federal employees during government shutdown -- As hundreds of thousands of federal employees went without a paycheck Friday, the Laguna Food Pantry began a social media campaign inviting workers and families affected by the partial government shutdown to shop at the pantry. Faith E. Pinho in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/16/19
Bay Area Food Banks Prepare to Help Feed Local Furloughed Federal Workers -- Two Bay Area food banks are working to help some of the thousands of federal employees who are not receiving paychecks because of the partial government shutdown. Ted Goldberg KQED -- 1/16/19
Section 8 rent checks in jeopardy if shutdown lasts until March -- Tenants getting federal rent subsidies have yet to be affected by the partial government shutdown, now in its fourth week. But big problems could arise for those renters and their landlords should the shutdown last until March. Jeff Collins in the Orange County Register -- 1/16/19
Shutdown cuts subsidies for low-income, senior, disabled housing -- Federal subsidies that helped pay the rent at hundreds of local housing units for the needy, seniors and the disabled have not come through this month because of the partial federal government shutdown. Gary Warth in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/16/19
34-year federal employee on missing cancer treatment during shutdown: ‘This is my life’ -- Chris DeLeon feels a financial sting of unpaid furlough familiar to hundreds of thousands of his fellow government employees as the partial federal shutdown stretches into its fourth week. But the stakes are higher for the 53-year-old IRS employee. His health is at risk. And, perhaps, his survival. Rory Appleton in the Fresno Bee -- 1/16/19
Marin Coast Guard families tread water with donations as shutdown drags on -- Raising three kids including a 4-month-old, Novato resident Meghan Wood and her husband, Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Brian Wood, are wondering how they’re going to keep up without a paycheck. There’s preschool, car payments, a cellphone bill, costs for their children’s extra-curricular activities and groceries to pay for, to name a few. Will Houston in the Marin Independent Journal -- 1/16/19
Fresno court workers launch strike; court functioning with skeleton crew -- Hundreds of Fresno County Superior Court workers picketed under gray skies Tuesday morning, as a skeleton crew of workers sought to prevent the court from shutting down. Yesenia Amaro and Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado in the Fresno Bee -- 1/16/19
Plans to build LA’s new tallest tower on Bunker Hill moving forward -- Developers of what’s posed to be the tallest building in Los Angeles and west of the Mississippi River are moving forward with their plans to transform the site of a Downtown hotel into a glittering 77-story hotel and condo tower. Bianca Barragan Curbed LA -- 1/16/19
Homeless
London Breed declares ‘shelter crisis’ in San Francisco -- It’s all part of the mayor’s plan to open 1,000 new shelter beds by 2020 with the hope of clearing the nightly waitlist for shelter. She hopes to do this by cutting through the red tape that comes with building shelters (or anything, for that matter) in the city. Brock Keeling Curbed San Francisco -- 1/16/19
Housing
Newsom, San Jose mayor join forces in fight for housing -- Flanked by Gov. Gavin Newsom and surrounded by Bay Area residents struggling with the region’s cost of living, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo on Tuesday pledged $10 million to help fund the governor’s ambitious housing development goals and hinted more money will follow from Silicon Valley tech companies. Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury -- 1/16/19
Gov. Gavin Newsom Says California Is Continuing The Discussion On Rent Control -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom says conversations are underway on rent stabilization, after voters rejected a rent control ballot measure last fall. Newsom spoke Tuesday in San Jose at a roundtable discussion on California’s housing crisis, saying the state is speaking with housing industry groups about possible next steps following the defeat of Proposition 10 in November. Ben Adler Capital Public Radio -- 1/16/19
Kaiser funding helps keep Oakland apartments affordable for 50 residents -- Kaiser Permanente said Tuesday it spent $5.2 million to help acquire a 41-unit apartment complex in East Oakland as part of the health care giant’s new effort to keep and expand affordable housing. Kimberly Veklerov in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/16/19
Transit
E-scooters, dockless bicycles gaining foothold in Southern California as LA County drops orders to remove them -- Like Uber and Lyft before them, the latest Silicon Valley startups also showed up uninvited, dropping electric scooters, battery-powered bicycles and other dockless, micro-mobile rentals onto streets and sidewalks of Southern California. Steve Scauzillo in the Orange County Register -- 1/16/19
Education
UC regents want to boost enrollment and graduations. They hope Newsom will chip in -- University of California regents this week will take their first collective look at the inaugural budget proposal of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has pledged to boost higher education spending after years of fiscal frugality under his predecessor, Jerry Brown. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/16/19
San Diego approves first 'hybrid dormitory' near SDSU to alleviate housing scarcity -- The 128-room apartment complex will be privately owned and is not affiliated with the university, but it’s geared for students because it will have small single-occupancy rooms and shared kitchen areas on each of its five floors. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/16/19
Cal State Long Beach’s top spokesperson is leaving for Brandman University in Irvine -- Cal State Long Beach spokeswoman Terri Carbaugh on Tuesday, Jan. 15, announced that it was her last day at “The Beach,” as she is leaving for Brandman University in Irvine to become vice chancellor of public affairs. Emily Rasmussen in the Long Beach Press Telegram$ -- 1/16/19
Trauma in Paradise: a California school system focuses on mental health after devastating fire -- The flames have long since died down, but Fiona Roberts, a high school senior, remains haunted by the memory of being trapped with her mother in a slow-motion race for their lives on the morning of Nov. 8, the day the Camp Fire swallowed Paradise. David Washburn EdSource -- 1/16/19
Health
California bill would limit tackling during youth practices. Why it has leagues’ support -- Young football players would be restricted to just two 60 minute full-contact practices each week if lawmakers approve a new bill aimed at protecting kids from brain injuries. The bill from Assemblyman Jim Cooper, D-Elk Grove, has support from youth football leagues. Madeline Ashmun in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/16/19
Top California doctors group seeks legislation to ensure pain prescriptions get filled -- The California Medical Association is working to get legislation introduced — perhaps as early as this week — that will alleviate a problem with prescription forms that has pharmacists across the state rejecting patients who bring doctors’ orders for pain medications. Cathie Anderson in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/16/19
Environment
US sues Tetra Tech over Hunters Point shipyard work, claiming widespread fraud -- Top managers of the environmental engineering firm Tetra Tech directed their employees to commit widespread fraud in the cleanup of America’s largest Superfund waste site, according to new legal complaints by the U.S. Department of Justice. Jason Fagone and Cynthia Dizikes in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/16/19
Also . . .
Opioid Overdoses Surpass Vehicle Crashes on Leading Causes of Death List -- For the first time in U.S. history, a leading cause of deaths — vehicle crashes — has been surpassed in likelihood by opioid overdoses, according to a new report on preventable deaths from the National Safety Council. Ian Stewart NPR -- 1/16/19
POTUS 45
Why you can't look away from that Trump fast food photo -- President Trump served the college football national champion Clemson Tigers a fast food buffet for their official White House visit Monday, and newly released photos from the event are pretty incredible to many people, including a UCLA art history professor who saw parallels to Leonardo da Vinci's “The Last Supper.” Jessica Roy in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/16/19
Palm Beach used to be a nice town for billionaires. Then Trump came along -- Once just another rich guy in a place full of really rich guys, the 45th president has invaded the residents’ roads, their airspace, their head space. In this ultimate escape town, President Trump and everything he brings with him — security, media, protesters and controversy — are inescapable. Roxanne Roberts in the Washington Post -- 1/16/19
Beltway
California’s McCarthy gets early leadership test with King’s racially charged remark -- Rep. Kevin McCarthy appears to have passed his first test as House Republicans’ minority leader this week — holding the party together to sanction one of its own, Iowa Rep. Steve King, for his latest racially charged comments. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/16/19
How Wilbur Ross ‘aggressively’ tried to alter the 2020 Census and ‘conceal’ why, according to a federal judge -- For months, experts warned Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross that asking about citizenship on the 2020 Census would result in an undercount of minorities, particularly Latinos. Ross pushed ahead anyway. Fred Barbash in the Washington Post -- 1/16/19
-- Tuesday Updates
‘PG&E is going to have to pay.’ Sympathy is gone for utility facing bankruptcy -- Angered by PG&E’s inability to prevent deadly wildfires, legislators and regulators are openly talking about breaking up the utility or engineering some other kind of restructuring. Dale Kasler, Tony Bizjak, Sophia Bollag, and Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/15/19
Amid LAUSD teachers’ strike, L.A. County supervisors vow more funding for schools -- Los Angeles County supervisors inserted themselves into the LAUSD teachers’ strike on Tuesday, approving a vague, nonbinding plan to provide $10 million for healthcare at schools and to create programs for the thousands of students who are missing class during the impasse. Matt Stiles in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/15/19
L.A. teachers’ strike brings day of disruption for thousands of students -- Across a rain-drenched city, students crowded into school auditoriums, talked over the adults brought in to manage them, watched “Black Panther” and played “Minecraft.” From San Pedro to El Sereno to Reseda on Monday, skeletal staffs crammed students together to try supervising them as Los Angeles teachers went on strike for the first time in 30 years. Howard Blume, Sonali Kohli, Doug Smith and Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/15/19
LAPD detective accuses fellow officer of physical abuse, sharing explicit photos -- A Los Angeles police detective went public Tuesday with allegations that another officer distributed sexually explicit photos of her throughout the LAPD and physically abused her several times, marking the latest in a series of sex scandals to rock the department in recent years. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/15/19
House panel adds member after complaints from Hispanic Democrats -- Rep. Jimmy Gomez, a second-term Democrat from California, was tapped to join the ranks of the Ways and Means Committee on Monday night, nearly a week after leadership announced the Democratic slate for the panel. Heather Caygle, Bernie Becker and Rachael Bade Politico -- 1/15/19
L.A. schools lost $15 million on Day 1; now comes Day 2 of the teachers' strike -- Los Angeles schools Supt. Austin Beutner said the first day of the teachers’ strike hit hard. Only a third of the district’s students showed up, which he said would cost the district $25 million in state funding based on attendance. Subtract unpaid wages for the strikers of $10 million, he said, and that amounts to an estimated one-day $15-million loss. Hannah Fry, Nicole Santa Cruz, Sonali Kohli and Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/15/19
In L.A. strike, leading Democrats — including presidential hopefuls — side with teachers -- Los Angeles became the latest flash point for the national standoff between educators and public school districts on Monday, as national Democratic Party leaders aligned themselves with thousands of striking teachers in L.A. and the broader labor movement. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/15/19
FBI corruption inquiry could bring political fallout for Eric Garcetti and other L.A. leaders -- Mayor Eric Garcetti crisscrossed the country last year, arguing that Los Angeles is setting an example by boosting the minimum wage and investing in public transit, a record he says stands in contrast to the dysfunction of Washington, D.C. Emily Alpert Reyes and David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/15/19
Judge rules against Trump administration's citizenship question on 2020 census -- A federal judge in Manhattan shot down the Trump administration’s attempt to ask about citizenship on the 2020 census Tuesday, potentially paving the way for the case to land before the Supreme Court. Caitlin Oprysko Politico -- 1/15/19
Jeffe & Jeffe: California’s Presidential Primary Might Matter -- By moving the California Presidential Primary to March 3, the Golden State has positioned itself to be a significant, if not determinative, battleground in the race to win the Democratic Presidential nomination and, presumably, to reestablish the party clout of the nation’s biggest and bluest state. Sherry Bebitch Jeffe & Doug Jeffe Fox & Hounds -- 1/15/19
Hiltzik: A vulture firm's bid for Gannett shows there's still value in newspapers — for plundering -- Among those who believe that the press provides value for society — especially local journalism that slaps state and municipal politicians’ hands out of the public cookie jar — Alden Global Capital is a “vulture investing” firm that makes real vultures look good by comparison. Michael Hiltzik in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/15/19