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LAUSD teachers’ strike: Marathon weekend bargaining sessions continue -- Teams from the teachers union and the L.A. Unified School District are working long hours this weekend to settle a teachers’ strike that has so far cost students five days of normal instruction. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/20/19

PG&E’s other big problem: Regulators detail gas record falsification claims -- About a decade ago, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. allowed a dangerous trend to take hold: Its workers repeatedly filed false records about the company’s response to excavators who were trying to avoid striking underground pipelines, regulators say. J.D. Morris and Kimberly Veklerov in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/20/19

During the LAUSD teachers' strike, Encino living rooms become classrooms -- Corey Moss, who normally runs a production company, stood at the head of his dining table, surrounded by 17 fidgeting third-, fourth- and fifth- graders. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde and Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/20/19

San Francisco Gives Kindergartners Free Money for College. Could It Work Statewide? -- Emelyn Jerónimo is only 12 years old, but she already has $3,000 saved towards college. Socked away by her mother in chunks of $100 or less since Jerónimo was in kindergarten, the money may not seem like much, but it’s helped fuel the San Francisco sixth-grader’s dreams of becoming a pediatrician. Felicia Mello Calmatters -- 1/20/19

The drug that saved the people who overdosed in Chico -- One person was declared dead at the scene. But a dozen others who overdosed on Jan. 12 survived, in part because they were quickly treated with naloxone, officials say. Soumya Karlamangla in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/20/19

Out of Paradise: Camp Fire survivors start over in the Bay Area -- It’s 200 miles from home, wildly expensive and a world apart from the rural, tree-filled communities they left behind — but for some Camp Fire survivors, the Bay Area offers their best bet at a new life. Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury -- 1/20/19

H-1B visas: The Bay Area’s non-tech employers seek foreign workers, too -- Mike Evans isn’t the kind of worker most people would associate with an H-1B visa. He’s British. He’s got a Ph.D. in astronomy and worked on the Cassini project. And he’s employed by Mountain View’s SETI Institute. Leonardo Castañeda in the San Jose Mercury -- 1/20/19

With a ballot fight looming, Gov. Gavin Newsom suggests dealmaking to revamp California's tax system -- Gov. Gavin Newsom has the next four years to make his mark as California’s most powerful politician but significantly less time — more like 15 months — to broker a deal that would stave off a galactic clash of political heavyweights while also making public policy history. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/20/19

Walters: Two crises point to a larger societal ill -- Gavin Newsom had scarcely been inaugurated as governor when two crises erupted – a strike by teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District and a declaration by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. that it would file for bankruptcy. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 1/20/19

The most striking signs and costumes from the Women's March -- Thousands of people gathered in cities across the United States, before taking to the streets for Saturday's third annual Women's March, and the signs many people held displayed humor and candor to the march. Dianne de Guzman in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/20/19

Sacramento Women’s March Draws Thousands To California’s Capitol -- Judy Stokes has attended each of the previous two women’s marches, but she says she arrived at Saturday’s gathering in Sacramento with some skepticism. Things haven’t improved politically in the past years, she said. “But I am inspired,” she told CapRadio after the march. “My inspiration was renewed among this group of wonderful people.” Nick Miller Capital Public Radio -- 1/20/19

Southern California demonstrators join peers around the world for Women’s March 2019 -- Two years after millions of women flooded streets around the world to decry the election of President Donald Trump, a smaller but determined contingency shared messages of empowerment and equality during Women’s March events held Saturday from Santa Ana to London. Brooke Staggs in the LA Daily News$ -- 1/20/19

Bay Area Lawmakers Dismiss Trump's Proposal to End Government Shutdown -- San Francisco Democrat and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the proposal a "compilation of previously rejected initiatives" in a statement released 30 minutes before Trump's speech. "It is unlikely that any one of these provisions alone would pass the House, and taken together, they are a non-starter," she wrote. Ryan Levi, Jeremy Siegel KQED -- 1/20/19

 

LAUSD teachers' strike: hours of negotiating behind closed doors -- Bargaining teams for striking teachers and the Los Angeles school district finished a second day of new talks without a deal, but the mayor’s office issued a statement saying the meetings had been “productive,” and negotiations were expected to resume Saturday morning. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/19/19

Second executive at L.A. charter schools network Celerity charged with conspiracy, making false statements -- The former chief executive of the Los Angeles-based charter school network Celerity Educational Group has been charged with conspiracy to misappropriate and embezzle public funds — money that was intended for students at Celerity’s schools but was used for lavish travel and the purchase of a property in Ohio, according to court papers. Matt Hamilton in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/19/19

Newsom touches nerve by connecting gas tax funds to housing targets -- During his first budget speech, Gov. Gavin Newsom extended his palms as if balancing a scale, a theatrical gesture meant to underscore a theme. “Transportation is housing,” he said, “and housing is transportation.” Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/19/19

California leaders move to help federal workers during the shutdown -- There are more than 285,000 federal workers in California, according to the latest job estimates, although it’s unclear how many have been impacted by the shutdown. As of Jan. 5, the most recent data available, 1,813 federal workers in California filed claims for unemployment benefits, according to the state. Casey Tolan and Helen Santoro in the San Jose Mercury -- 1/19/19

Court upholds California’s tough emissions reduction standards -- California’s low-carbon fuel standard, designed to reduce emissions of planet-heating carbons from transportation fuels sold in the state, is a valid measure to protect residents’ health and well-being and does not violate the rights of out-of-state producers and suppliers, a federal appeals court ruled Friday. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/19/19

Can bankrupt PG&E maintain wildfire prevention this summer? -- Another fire season is looming and California’s largest utility, already blamed for at least a dozen major wildfires since 2017, is headed into bankruptcy. Tony Bizjak and Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/19/19

Former state Sen. Ronald Calderon released after serving three years in political corruption case -- Three years after he went to prison following a political corruption scandal, former state Sen. Ronald Calderon completed his sentence and was released from a halfway house Friday, ending a dark chapter in the history of the California Legislature that ended with four ex-lawmakers behind bars. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/19/19

Willie Brown: Free advice to California Gov. Gavin Newsom: Stay away from teachers strike -- It’s tough to take office as governor and promptly have two crises on your hands, like Gavin Newsom did with the Los Angeles teachers strike and impending bankruptcy filing of Pacific Gas and Electric Co. Willie Brown in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/19/19

Bay Area couple who fell to their deaths from Yosemite’s Taft Point were intoxicated -- Two people who died after falling more than 800 feet from a scenic overlook at Yosemite National Park in October had alcohol in their systems and were intoxicated at the time of the incident, according to autopsy reports. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury -- 1/19/19

Lopez: To Grace Lopez with love — and apologies that your end wasn’t better -- Several times in the last few years my family headed up to the Bay Area thinking it would be the last chance to see my mother alive. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/19/19

House Dems add $1 billion in border spending to reopen government -- House Democrats will offer $1 billion in funding for border security measures in a bill to reopen the government next week, a Democratic source told CNN on Saturday. CNN reports that none of the money will be eligible for use in construction of President Trump's signature border wall as Democrats view other border security measures as more effective. John Bowden The Hill -- 1/19/19

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Garcetti appointee named in FBI warrant quits his post -- Joel Jacinto, who sat on the five-member Board of Public Works, submitted a resignation letter that went into effect immediately. His attorney, Thomas M. Brown, said in an email that Jacinto stepped aside voluntarily to avoid becoming a distraction for his agency. David Zahniser and Adam Elmahrek in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/19/19

Erin Brockovich to lead protest against PG&E bankruptcy at Capitol in Sacramento -- Erin Brockovich, the activist whose crusade against PG&E spawned a hit movie, will appear with wildfire survivors at the Capitol in Sacramento to protest the utility’s plans to file for bankruptcy. The rally is set for noon Tuesday on the south steps of the Capitol, according to an announcement Friday by a consortium of law firms suing PG&E on behalf of wildfire survivors. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/19/19

Edison sues Santa Barbara County over last year’s deadly mudslides -- Southern California Edison — fighting dozens of legal claims related to the Montecito mudslides that followed the Thomas fire — is pointing the blame on Santa Barbara County and Caltrans for failing to prepare for deadly debris flows they knew were inevitable. Joe Mozingo in the Los Angeles Times Amanda Lee Myers Associated Press -- 1/19/19

PG&E’s San Francisco headquarters may be worth $1 billion -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company has been based in San Francisco since 1905, and its predecessor San Francisco Gas Company put down roots in the SF in 1852. But nothing is too precious to part with when the company finds itself teetering on bankruptcy and looking at a potential $30 billion legal liability stemming from two years of devastating wildfires, many of which Cal Fire says were caused by PG&E equipment. Adam Brinklow Curbed San Francisco -- 1/19/19

California Legislature to open office for misconduct reports -- The California Legislature’s new office to handle sexual misconduct and other workplace complaints will open Feb. 1, more than year after the #MeToo movement rocked the Capitol and prompted several lawmakers to resign. Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 1/19/19

Kamala Harris says she focused ‘almost every day’ on justice reform. That’s not the whole story -- Kicking off the publicity tour for her new memoir, The Truths We Hold, in Washington, D.C. this month, California Sen. Kamala Harris took pains to explain her choice to become a prosecutor. Emily Cadei in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/19/19

Davis police chief to Corona family: ‘I am so sorry that we didn’t get her back home’ -- Thousands gathered on a gray and somber Friday in Davis to mourn and celebrate a young woman described as a brief but shining light. Bagpipes played inside a packed UC Davis ARC Pavilion and police officers from around the country stood in salute as an honor guard placed the flag-drapped casket of slain 22-year-old officer Natalie Corona front and center. Tony Bizjak, Molly Sullivan, and Benjy Egel in the Sacramento Bee Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/19/19

Bretón: She opened her heart to us and, now, we for her. Natalie Corona touched us all -- The road leading to Natalie Corona’s grave site was lined with mourners along freeway shoulders and frontage roads of shared grief and mournful respect. They grieved for about 40 miles, the distance from the UC Davis campus, where the slain Davis police officer was memorialized, to Arbuckle, the town where Corona was raised and buried on Friday. Marcos Bretón in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/19/19

Strange bedfellows: Harder praises Trump, Denham for work to keep water for farmers -- When it comes to water, the lifeblood of the Central Valley, Democrats don’t have all the answers. So says freshman Representative Josh Harder, suddenly one of the most powerful Democrats in these parts. Garth Stapley in the Modesto Bee$ -- 1/19/19

Chronicle science editor David Perlman turns 100, still has stories to tell -- When David Perlman retired from The Chronicle two years ago, at age 98, it was like part of the physical newsroom went missing. The science editor, first hired as a copy boy in 1940, was no less a Chronicle institution than the elevators, or the printing presses, or the walls of the building. Peter Hartlaub in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/19/19

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

Navigating LAUSD strike is especially tough for parents of students with special needs -- Gloria Perez-Stewart was adamant: Her son would not attend school while his teachers at Eagle Rock Jr./Sr. High School were on strike. But for Perez-Stewart and her son, Aidan Villasenor Walker, skipping school involves much more than filling an extra six hours of free time. Aidan, 19, has autism. Matthew Ormseth and Leila Miller in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/19/19

Echo Park parents, rich and poor, joined forces to honor teacher picket line -- Parents at Elysian Heights Elementary speak proudly of its longstanding culture of civic-mindedness: the after-school art and music classes taught on a volunteer basis. A curriculum that stresses concepts of social justice and community. The mascot, a stray tabby cat fed and nurtured by students in the 1950s. Laura Newberry in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/19/19

Oakland teachers stage unauthorized walkout as contract talks hit impasse -- Hundreds of Oakland teachers called in sick or took a personal day Friday to rally in front of school district offices and demand a contract that includes higher salaries and smaller class sizes. Students, saying they are tired of seeing their good, qualified teachers leave for districts with higher pay or a lower cost of living, joined them. Ashley McBride in the San Francisco Chronicle Don Clyde KQED -- 1/19/19

PayPal offering cash advances to federal workers affected by shutdown -- As the U.S. government shutdown drags on, a California tech giant is pitching in: PayPal is offering interest-free cash advances of up to $500 to each affected federal employee. Levi Sumagaysay in the Orange County Register -- 1/19/19

Immigration, Border, Deportation 

Hundreds of Central American migrants buck Mexico's efforts to register their entry at the southern border -- Hundreds of Central American migrants broke their way into a federal port of entry on Mexico’s southern border early Friday, authorities said, bucking efforts by Mexican immigration officers to register their arrival in an orderly manner. Sandra Dibble in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/19/19

Also . . . 

Federal probe of L.A. County jail abuses notches its final guilty verdict -- A jury on Friday found that a former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy lied to FBI agents about the beating of a visitor to a county jail. The guilty verdict against Byron Dredd, which came nearly eight years after the 2011 assault, served as a capstone on the sweeping investigation federal authorities carried out into abuses in county jails. Joel Rubin in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/19/19

POTUS 45  

Mueller team disputes aspects of Buzzfeed report on Trump, Cohen -- The special counsel's normally tight-lipped operation issued a statement saying there were inaccuracies in a blockbuster report that the president instructed his former personal attorney to lie to Congress. Josh Gerstein and Darren Samuelsohn Politico -- 1/19/19

 

-- Friday Updates 

LAUSD teachers’ strike, Day 5: The sun’s out and hopes rise for a settlement -- The length of the first day of talks was one hopeful sign. Another, perhaps, was a mutual understanding that neither side would discuss the content of negotiations in public. Competing news conferences had become a forum for harsh rhetoric and accusations of bad faith. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/18/19

Navigating LAUSD strike is especially tough for parents of students with special needs -- Gloria Perez-Stewart was adamant: Her son would not attend school while his teachers at Eagle Rock Jr./Sr. High School were on strike. But for Perez-Stewart and her son, Aidan Villasenor Walker, skipping school involves much more than filling an extra six hours of free time. Matthew Ormseth and Leila Miller  in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/18/19

The Camp Fire 911 Calls -- Smoke filled the air as flames approached. But worried 911 callers were told of ‘no threat to Paradise.’ Within minutes, homes were burning and thousands were fleeing from another California town caught off guard. Megan Cassidy, Joaquin Palomino and Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/18/19