Updating . .
PG&E says judge’s wildfire safety plan would cost $75 billion, lead to huge rate hike -- PG&E on Wednesday blasted a federal judge’s plan for wildfire safety as unrealistic, saying his proposal for the utility to inspect every inch of its electrical grid and remove risky trees would cost $75 billion to $150 billion. Dale Kasler and Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/23/19
Parents, students celebrate return to routine as L.A. teachers end strike, head back to class -- Los Angeles teachers and union staff returned to school Wednesday morning, hours after voting on a contract agreement with the Los Angeles Unified School District that put an end to a strike that spanned six school days. Hannah Fry, Ruben Vives and Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/23/19
Advocates Say Newsom's Multi-Billion Dollar Anti-Poverty Budget Proposals Aren't Enough -- Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget would double a state tax credit for low-income Californians and take the first steps toward universal preschool. But a coalition of advocates and Democratic lawmakers seeking to end deep child poverty is seeking much more from Newsom and the Legislature. Ben Adler Capital Public Radio -- 1/23/19
Federal shutdown starting to hurt San Diego's science, biomedical research industries -- The partial shutdown of the federal government is starting to affect key projects in San Diego’s huge science and biomedical research industries, including the approval of new drugs and a landmark study of California’s marine environment. Gary Robbins, Bradley J. Fikes in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/23/19
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power agrees to relinquish Owens Valley commercial property -- Angelenos bearing gifts have elicited skepticism in Owens Valley since the early 1900s, when city agents posed as ranchers and farmers to buy land and water rights and then built dams and diversions that turned much of the region into an acrid dust bowl. Louis Sahagun in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/23/19
Mayor Eric Garcetti kicks off annual L.A. homeless count: ‘Counting is the beginning of caring’ -- On a night when temperatures dipped into the 40s in Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti joined thousands of volunteers documenting the area’s homeless population. Benjamin Oreskes in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/23/19
A mile in their shoes: Inside San Diego’s migrant shelter -- In October, federal officials began releasing asylum-seeking families on the streets of San Diego with little or no guidance about how to get to their final destinations. Since then, the San Diego Rapid Response Network has helped more than 5,000 migrants in its temporary shelter. Kate Morrissey and Sam Hodgson in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/23/19
Santa Ana man charged with threatening Parkland shooting victims’ family and friends online -- A Santa Ana man is facing federal charges after authorities say he used Instagram to send threatening messages to family members and friends of people killed in a mass shooting last year at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/23/19
Abcarian: So many female presidential candidates, so many sexist double standards -- On Tuesday morning, the day after Democratic U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris made her presidential bid official, a fledgling birther conspiracy about her began to take wing on Twitter. Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/23/19
Berkeley passes ordinance to charge customers 25 cents for disposable cups -- Berkeley residents might want to start bringing ceramic mugs from home to their favorite coffee shops. The Berkeley City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve a new ordinance that will require all food businesses to charge customers 25 cents for disposable cups. The goal is to reduce the amount of litter being dumped into landfalls and ending up on city streets. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/23/19
Vacancy glut in San Francisco Chronicle could spur tax on empty storefronts -- When people see the empty storefronts that have multiplied in San Francisco the past few years, they often blame competition from online vendors for the death of small retailers. Supervisor Aaron Peskin sees another culprit: landlords who intentionally keep their properties vacant until they can extract higher rents from potential tenants. Trisha Thadani in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/23/19
King tides offer look at the coast’s flooded future with sea-level rise -- As dramatic as king tides can be when they flood the streets of Seal Beach or the Peninsula in Long Beach, an aerial perspective of waves battering the coast takes the drama to another level. Martin Wisckol in the Orange County Register -- 1/23/19
Pelosi denies Trump his State of the Union during shutdown -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent President Trump a letter Wednesday stating that the House "will not consider a resolution authorizing the President's State of the Union in the House Chamber until the government has opened." The state of play: As Axios' Jonathan Swan reported this morning, the White House has a Plan B outside Washington, perhaps in the Southwest as a way of sending a message about immigration. Axios -- 1/23/19
Fox: A False Carrot-and-Stick Solution on Housing -- Lack of housing in California is a big problem. But, so is Gov. Gavin Newsom’s solution of withhold transportation money from local governments that do not hit housing goals. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 1/23/19
California Policy & Politics This Morning
California governor seeks to transform youth prisons -- Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed Tuesday to change the way California’s juvenile prisons are overseen, eventually closing facilities to cut what he called the “ludicrous” cost. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 1/23/19
Former California lawmaker registers as a lobbyist after #MeToo investigation -- A month after the state Assembly told him he had likely violated its sexual misconduct policy, former Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas moved to return to the Capitol by registering as a lobbyist. Sophia Bollag in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/23/19
How close are we to Doomsday? Jerry Brown will soon tell us -- After eight years as California’s governor, Jerry Brown has a new job: Tracking the apocalypse. On Thursday, the former four-term governor will announce whether the minute hand of the Doomsday Clock — a measurement of humanity’s proximity to total annihilation — has moved. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/23/19
Why Kamala Harris chose Baltimore, not Oakland, for her campaign HQ -- Her decision to set up shop back east, though, offers a number of logistical advantages, not least of which is proximity to Washington, where Harris is still serving as a first-term lawmaker. But although it's close to Washington, it's free of the political trappings associated with the nation's capital. Tal Kopan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/23/19
Walters: Kamala Harris grabs for the brass ring -- President Kamala Harris? She thinks so, anyway. After just 1 1/2 terms as California’s attorney general and two years as a U.S. senator, Harris this week declared her candidacy for the White House. She joins a Democratic field that grows larger every day and could eventually reach two or three dozen – all trumpeting their implacable disdain for President Donald Trump. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 1/23/19
Politifact CA: Who is Kamala Harris? Meet the California Democrat running for president -- Democratic U.S. Senator and 2020 presidential candidate Kamala Harris is relatively new on the national scene, though she's quickly become recognized for her tough questioning of Trump administration appointees in Senate hearings. Chris Nichols Politifact CA -- 1/23/19
Education
Tentative deal to end LAUSD teachers’ strike brings celebration and disappointment -- Los Angeles teachers, students and parents reacted with exhilaration — and, for some, disappointment — after union leaders reached a tentative agreement Tuesday with the L.A. Unified School District to end the strike, more than a week after it started. Matthew Ormseth, Ruben Vives, Sonali Kohli and Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times Christopher Weber Associated Press -- 1/23/19
What's in the deal to end the LAUSD teachers' strike? A look at the details -- The Los Angeles Unified School District and the teachers union came to a tentative agreement Tuesday morning. Here are some of the elements included in the three-year contract, which union members were to vote on Tuesday afternoon: Sonali Kohli in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/23/19
LA teachers strike may be over, but in Sacramento, the debate has just begun -- As Los Angeles teachers celebrate the end of their six-day strike against California’s largest school district, the issues underlying the union’s bitter walkout appear to be headed straight for the state Capitol. Ricardo Cano Calmatters -- 1/23/19
Cal State chancellor vows a tuition increase is 'off the table' -- In his annual State of the CSU address, White declared that 2018 was, in many ways, the best year ever for the nation’s largest and most diverse public university system — with 487,000 students on 23 campuses. Teresa Watanabe and Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times Larry Gordon EdSource -- 1/23/19
Cal State, buoyed by Newsom’s generous budget proposal, to boost enrollment -- California State University is poised to enroll thousands more Californians and step up support to help them graduate sooner, thanks to a hefty increase in state funding proposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/23/19
Lopez: In teachers’ strike settlement, public support for education was the best news -- Ring the bell, load the backpacks and start the buses. School is back in session in L.A. Unified, with teachers returning to work on Wednesday after a six-day strike, the first one in 30 years. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/23/19
Stockton Unified Agrees To Address Discriminatory Discipline Practices Following State DOJ Investigation -- The investigation found that the district used school police often unnecessarily to settle problems in the classroom. Black and Latino students and students with disabilities were most often discriminated against, and search and seizure practices were sometimes unconstitutional. Rich Ibarra Capital Public Radio David Washburn EdSource -- 1/23/19
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
San Francisco is a 'train wreck' because of the 'tech sector,' says Marc Benioff -- Salesforce co-CEO Marc Benioff called his hometown of San Francisco a "train wreck" of inequality and he blamed local technology companies like his own in an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "We have a real inequality problem," Benioff said in an interview with CNBC. "It's because of the tech sector." Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/23/19
Erin Brockovich says PG&E is ‘runaway monopoly,’ calls for oversight after wildfires -- Environmental activist Erin Brockovich and Camp Fire survivors rallied at the Capitol on Tuesday to protest PG&E’s recent announcement that it plans to file for bankruptcy at the end of January. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 1/23/19
PG&E Says Bankruptcy Could Take 3 Years as Shareholders Fight Filing -- A week after announcing that the company will file for bankruptcy protection at month's end, Pacific Gas and Electric officials said they have secured financing to continue safe operations while the Chapter 11 case proceeds. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, PG&E wrote that it entered into an agreement with four major banks to provide $5.5 billion in "debtor-in-possession," or DIP loans. Lily Jamali, Marisa Lagos KQED -- 1/23/19
PG&E bankruptcy could put squeeze on millions of dollars for Valley counties -- PG&E’s bankruptcy could potentially put a cash-flow pinch on hundreds of millions of dollars in property taxes to counties across the state. That’s money cities and counties use to help provide basic services to their residents. Tim Sheehan in the Fresno Bee -- 1/23/19
Oracle’s bias against women, blacks and Asians cost more than $400 million in lost wages: feds -- Redwood City software giant Oracle, while systematically favoring Asians in hiring, systematically paid women, blacks and Asians less, with pay disparities costing workers more than $400 million in lost wages, the Department of Labor claimed in a new lawsuit filing. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury -- 1/23/19
Racial harassment lawsuit costs Modesto nearly $363,000 -- It cost Modesto nearly $363,000 to settle a lawsuit in which a waste-water treatment plant operator who is half African-American alleges he was subject to racial harassment and discrimination as well as retaliation when he complained. Kevin Valine in the Modesto Bee -- 1/23/19
How Uber Thwarts Drivers' Organizing Efforts -- Uber, the largest and most influential on-demand gig company in the country, has always claimed that its drivers are contractors, not employees. The San Francisco-based company insists it’s not a taxi business but rather a tech firm that creates a platform, or online marketplace, to connect riders to independent drivers. Sam Harnett KQED -- 1/23/19
Fresno County court staff agree to tentative contract, end strike -- SEIU spokeswoman Elsa Mejia said the new contract will restore a 40-hour work week for court reporters and protect staff from “unjust” cost increases to their health care benefits. Court reporters had previously worked 35-hour weeks, and the union had rejected the court’s offer of 37.5 hours prior to striking. Rory Appleton in the Fresno Bee -- 1/23/19
L.A. City Council backs Hollywood project with new apartment towers -- The Los Angeles City Council granted its approval Tuesday of a vast new project that will include glassy towers with more than 900 new units of housing, over 300 hotel rooms and new shops and restaurants on more than eight acres in Hollywood. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/23/19
Billionaire Burkle to join Sacramento Republic FC. Is a Major League Soccer spot next? -- Sacramento’s chances of landing a Major League Soccer expansion team seemed to be languishing in the past year. Three other cities secured expansion spots, and Sacramento struggled to find the billionaire “whale” investor that MLS was demanding as the price of admission. Dale Kasler, Tony Bizjak, and Marcos Breton in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/23/19
California payday lender refunds $800,000 to settle predatory lending allegations -- California Check Cashing Stores also agreed to pay $105,000 in penalties and other costs in a consent order with the state’s Department of Business Oversight, which has been cracking down on payday and other high-cost consumer loans that critics allege are predatory. The company did not admit guilt in the consent order. Jim Puzzanghera in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/23/19
Bay Area workplaces are among nation’s best: Glassdoor survey -- Facebook, Google, Apple and Clorox were listed among the best places to work for 2017, according to a Glassdoor survey released Wednesday. Silicon Valley companies in the top 10 of Glassdoor’s list included Menlo Park-based Facebook at No.2, Mountain View-based Alphabet unit Google at No. 4, Mountain View-based LinkedIn at No. 8 and San Jose-based Adobe Systems at No. 9. Boston-based Bain, an investment firm, was No. 1, Glassdoor reported. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury -- 1/23/19
Transit
BART’s approval rating plummets as riders complain about filth and crime -- A new survey of 5,292 customers, which goes before the Board of Directors on Thursday, shows that customer satisfaction plunged to 56 percent last year, from 69 percent three years ago. The drop occurred despite BART’s efforts to clean stations, repair old machinery and add glossy new train cars. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/23/19
Cannabis
Cannabis reform no laughing matter for Oakland Rep. Barbara Lee -- For Rep. Barbara Lee, the fight for justice runs through the Congressional Cannabis Caucus. The Oakland Democrat was recently named co-chair of the bipartisan group, formed in 2017 to advocate for more “sensible” federal marijuana laws. Tal Kopan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/23/19
Immigration, Border, Deportation
Tijuana braces for another caravan coming from Central America -- With a new caravan on the way, Tijuana government officials have not given much thought to avoiding the chaos that arrived in November with 6,000 Central American migrants. Wendy Fry in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/23/19
The Border Wall Isn't The Only Reason Democrats Oppose Plan To End The Shutdown -- The proposed bill includes some big changes to U.S. immigration policy that were not included in the president's public announcement — including a provision that would sharply limit asylum applications for children from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Joel Rose NPR -- 1/23/19
Guns
Gun show operators file lawsuit against board that oversees state-owned Del Mar Fairgrounds -- The 22nd District Agricultural Association board of directors, which oversees activities at the state-owned fairgrounds, voted to stop the shows after December until staff members develop a policy that could ban the sale and possession of firearms on the property. Any decision in the case is likely to take years and have far-reaching effects. Phil Diehl in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/23/19
Also . . .
L.A. Sheriff Alex Villanueva defends reinstating deputy fired over abuse allegations -- Alex Villanueva is less than two months into his role as Los Angeles County Sheriff, but county watchdogs are already expressing concern over some of his moves. Maya Lau in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/23/19
Former Kings executive pleads guilty in multimillion-dollar fraud scheme -- Jeffrey R. David, the former Sacramento Kings executive and rising NBA star who schemed to steal $13.4 million from the franchise and sponsors to snatch up exclusive beachfront properties, pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in Sacramento federal court. Sam Stanton and Darrell Smith in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/23/19
POTUS 45
Trump exasperated by gaffe-prone Giuliani -- After the president's freewheeling lawyer cleans up yet another set of public comments, the West Wing's patience is wearing thin. Eliana Johnson and Darren Samuelsohn Politico -- 1/23/19
Beltway
Hundreds of IRS employees are skipping work. That could delay tax refunds -- Hundreds of Internal Revenue Service employees have received permission to skip work during the partial government shutdown due to financial hardship, and union leaders said Tuesday that they expected absences to surge as part of a coordinated protest that could hamper the government’s ability to process taxpayer refunds on time. Danielle Paquette, Lisa Rein, Jeff Stein and Kimberly Kindy in the Washington Post -- 1/23/19
-- Tuesday Updates
LAUSD teachers union and school district reach tentative deal to end strike -- Los Angeles teachers are poised to end their first strike in 30 years after union leaders reached a tentative deal Tuesday with the L.A. Unified School District. The Board of Education is expected to move quickly to ratify the deal, which must be officially approved by United Teachers Los Angeles through a vote of its members. Howard Blume and Sonali Kohli in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/22/19
PG&E: Major banks to put up $5.5 billion to help fund two-year bankruptcy -- PG&E Corp. said Tuesday it has lined up $5.5 billion in funding to help its operations during a planned bankruptcy reorganization, which it expects to last two years. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury -- 1/22/19
Atmospheric river boosted California snowpack well above average by mid-January -- Snowpack across California is about 110 percent of normal for this time of year, thanks in no small part to an atmospheric river that brought heavy snowstorms to the Sierra range, the state Department of Water Resources’ most recent data show. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/22/19
L.A. weighs charging drivers by the mile, adding freeway tolls to cut congestion -- But now, transportation officials say, congestion has grown so bad in Los Angeles County that politicians have no choice but to contemplate charging motorists more to drive — a strategy that has stirred controversy but helped cities in other parts of the world tame their own traffic. Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/22/19
UCSF scientists decry beverage industry’s preemption of soda taxes -- A longtime opponent of soda taxes, the sugar-sweetened beverage industry has recently deployed a legislative tactic borrowed from the tobacco industry called preemption, in which it has convinced states to limit the ability of cities or counties to pass soda taxes. Tara Duggan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/22/19
“5 minutes of sheer terror”: Hackers infiltrate East Bay family’s Nest surveillance camera, send warning of incoming North Korea missile attack -- Laura Lyons was preparing food in her kitchen Sunday when the lazy afternoon took a turn for the absurd. Matthias Gafni in the San Jose Mercury -- 1/22/19
Billionaire Burkle to join Sacramento Republic FC -- Billionaire financier Ron Burkle has agreed to buy controlling interest in Sacramento Republic FC, a deal that could seal the city’s prolonged and sometimes frustrating bid to land a Major League Soccer franchise. Dale Kasler, Tony Bizjak, and Marcos Breton in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/22/19
Is Tijuana prepared for the next caravan? -- With a new caravan on the way, Tijuana government officials have not given much thought to avoiding the chaos that arrived in November with 6,000 Central American migrants. Wendy Fry in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/22/19
Quinn: Presidential Elections Likely Will be Decided by “Reconquista” -- “Reconquista” is a Spanish word for the reconquest of Spain from the Moors by Spanish Christians in 1492, the same year Columbus sailed the ocean blue. It also describes what has happened over the past 50 years in the American southwest, once part of Spain and now being reconquored by the descendants of the first settlers. Tony Quinn Fox & Hounds -- 1/22/19
Supreme Court clears the way for Trump's ban on transgender troops to be enforced -- The justices by a 5-4 vote set aside nationwide orders from three federal judges who blocked Trump’s ban on the grounds that it was unconstitutional. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan dissented. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/22/19
Supreme Court leaves in place rulings that temporarily protect ‘Dreamers’ -- The Supreme Court took no action Tuesday in a case about whether President Trump properly ended an Obama-era program that offered special protections for more than 700,000 immigrants brought to this country illegally as children. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/22/19
Borenstein: Is Gov. Newsom serious about taming pension costs? -- Gavin Newsom deserves credit for his unprecedented proposal to pay down California’s pension debt. But don’t kid yourself: The amount is a pittance compared to the overall shortfall of the state’s retirement funds. Dan Borenstein in the San Jose Mercury -- 1/22/19