California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Former aide sues Assembly, alleges sex harass claim dismissed because he's male -- A former California legislative staffer who alleged he was sexually groped by Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia has sued the lawmaker and the Assembly, arguing they failed to adequately address his #MeToo case because he is a male victim. Carla Marinucci Politico -- 2/2/19

Embattled California utility spent most for 2018 lobbying -- Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. spent nearly $10 million on California lobbying efforts in the year before the utility giant declared bankruptcy, spending more than any other entity seeking to influence California government in 2018. Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press Wes Venteicher and Sophia Bollag in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/2/19

Immigrant rights attorneys and journalists denied entry into Mexico -- Two U.S. immigrant rights attorneys and two journalists who have worked closely with members of a migrant caravan in Tijuana said they had been denied entry into Mexico in recent days after their passports were flagged with alerts by an unknown government. Kate Linthicum, Cindy Carcamo and Molly O'Toole in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/2/19

California Democrats who won in November have lots of cash for next time -- Gov. Gavin Newsom not only won a landslide victory over Republican businessman John Cox in November, but he also had more than $15 million left in the bank when the last votes were counted, according to state campaign finance reports. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/2/19

Pelosi: I Won't Let Republicans Shut Down Government Again -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told KQED's Forum on Friday there were "no winners" from the recent 35-day partial shutdown of the government, and vowed not to let Republicans close it again. Katie Tandy KQED -- 2/2/19

Pelosi: Trump’s suspension of arms treaty with Russia is ‘irresponsible’ -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blasted President Trump’s suspension of a 32-year-old nuclear arms treaty with Russia on Friday as dangerous and irresponsible, and warned it could prompt a new arms race. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/2/19

A retired Supreme Court justice’s harsh critique of today’s public dialogue -- Democracy and social decency are in trouble in the United States, former Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy told law students on Friday. The philosopher Aristotle once said “he did not think democracy could mature. And it’s our duty to prove him wrong,” Kennedy told a packed auditorium at UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. “At the moment, we are failing. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/2/19

Howard Schultz tells San Francisco audience he is ‘not going to be a spoiler’ -- Howard Schultz wanted to make sure that his San Francisco audience understood one thing Friday after the former Starbucks CEO’s tough first week of publicly exploring an independent run for the White House: “Howard Schultz is not going to be a spoiler,” Schultz said, speaking in the third-person. “And I’m not going to do anything to re-elect Donald Trump.” Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/2/19

Kamala Harris’ campaign fought to get American flags at Oakland kickoff -- Sen. Kamala Harris’ campaign was adamant about draping American flags from Oakland City Hall at the kickoff event last weekend for her presidential bid — but it almost didn’t happen. Kimberly Veklerov in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/2/19

LAPD inspector general report examines stops by gang unit -- More than half of the searches conducted by Los Angeles gang officers on people they stopped last summer were potentially unconstitutional, according to a report released Friday by the department’s Office of the Inspector General that examined a sample of 91 cases. Cindy Chang in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/2/19

Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds 

Oakland sued for certifying education tax measure without two-thirds of vote -- City officials were expecting the litigation when they certified Measure AA in December. Taxes in California that go toward specific programs have typically required a supermajority to pass, but proponents of the measure say a recent legal opinion supports their argument that a simple majority was sufficient. Kimberly Veklerov in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/2/19

Homeless  

After Complaints About Treatment Of Homeless People, Sacramento To Allow Public On City Hall Grounds Overnight -- Homeless advocates have been complaining recently about the Sacramento Police Department rousting people from tents near the entrance of City Hall — and on at least one occasion moving homeless campers off the site, sometimes into the rain. Bob Moffitt Capital Public Radio Theresa Clift in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/2/19

Housing  

Bay Area home sales drop 21 percent in December -- Orange County-based data firm Core Logic made yet another startling announcement about the state of the Bay Area’s real estate market Friday, reporting that December 2018 home sales figures dropped more than 21 percent year over year in the region and down nearly 19 percent in San Francisco. Adam Brinklow Curbed San Francisco -- 2/2/19

Transit  

Rail ridership dips as Metro loses passengers for fifth straight year -- Metro isn’t just losing bus riders anymore. The number of passengers riding trains dipped last year for the first time since 2015, the year before major extensions of the Expo and Gold lines opened, Metro data show. Elijah Chiland Curbed LA -- 2/2/19

Wildfire  

Camp Fire Survivors Race to Find Housing Before Last Shelter Closes -- For survivors of last fall's Camp Fire, which killed 86 people and destroyed nearly all of Paradise in Butte County, a deadline loomed this week. The last shelter — operated by the Red Cross at the Silver Dollar fairgrounds in nearby Chico — was slated to close on Thursday. So did it actually close? Yes and no. Kirk Siegler NPR -- 2/2/19

For Many Fire Evacuees, There's Still No Going Back To Paradise -- Paradise, Calif., the northern California town nestled in a pine cloaked ridge in the Sierra Foothills, had a population of about 25,000 until it was almost entirely wiped out by the Camp Fire nearly three months ago. It was the deadliest, most destructive wildfire in the U.S. in more than a century. Now, despite a massive effort to clean up, restore power and make plans to rebuild, the town remains largely uninhabitable. Kirk Siegler NPR -- 2/2/19

Changing Winds Could Shift Southern California Fire Season -- In popular culture, Southern California's Santa Ana winds have been portrayed as harbingers of chaos, strange behavior and most notably, fire. And they're changing, with potential big implications for the SoCal fire season. Peter Arcuni, Danielle Venton KQED -- 2/2/19

Also . . . 

The Washington Post creates its first Super Bowl spot -- The Washington Post will debut its first Super Bowl commercial — a message underscoring the importance of newsgathering and the dangers journalists can face — during Sunday’s game between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams. The 60-second spot, narrated by actor Tom Hanks, will air in the fourth quarter of the game, shortly before the two-minute warning. Maura Judkis in the Washington Post -- 2/2/19

California officers on leave, face charges in overtime fraud -- The California Highway Patrol has suspended the police powers of dozens of officers after discovering they got overtime pay for thousands of unworked hours in a case that could lead to criminal charges, officials said Friday. Amanda Lee Myers Associated Press -- 2/2/19

Sheriff lieutenant arraigned for allegedly bodybuilding while claiming disability -- When investigators met her at a Las Vegas-area Starbucks last year, they recalled Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Lt. Mandy Henderson walking slowly and gingerly, leaning on her husband’s arm to steady herself. In the middle of their conversation, she even reportedly stopped to lay down on a bench after complaining of deep pain. All of it was planned, detectives say, to secure millions of dollars in potential disability benefits. Robert Salonga, Nico Savidge in the San Jose Mercury -- 2/2/19

Police say man in LAPD shirt who chanted ‘white power’ at Black Lives Matter protest isn't a cop -- The video, taken Thursday morning outside a 24 Hour Fitness gym in Hollywood, was brought to officers’ attention, and police tried contacting the man at the scene, but he fled on foot, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a tweet Thursday. A spokesman with Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office said officials determined Friday that the man was not affiliated with the Police Department. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/2/19

Autopsy: Drugs, restraints caused death of Marshall Miles, who became unresponsive in Sacramento jail -- An autopsy report released Friday by the Sacramento County Coroner found that physical exertion, drug intoxication and restraint by law enforcement were factors in the death of 36-year-old Marshall Miles, who died Nov. 1 after a prolonged struggle with deputies at the Sacramento County Main Jail. Molly Sullivan in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/2/19

Beltway 

McConnell privately cautions Trump about emergency declaration on border wall -- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell cautioned President Trump privately this week about the consequences of declaring a national emergency to build his border wall, telling him the move could trigger political blowback and divide the GOP, according to two Republicans with knowledge of the exchange. Sean Sullivan , Erica Werner and Seung Min Kim in the Washington Post -- 2/2/19

Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and others call on Virginia governor to quit over KKK photo -- Sen. Kamala Harris of California called on Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam to resign Friday after he admitted appearing in a 1984 yearbook photo showing one person in a Ku Klux Klan robe and another in blackface. Harris, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, was one of the first members of Congress to say Northam should step aside. Michael Finnegan and Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/2/19

Why one of California's most influential donors stepped off the sidelines for Kamala Harris -- It did not take a lot of coaxing and lobbying and pleading to bring San Francisco philanthropist Susie Tompkins Buell, one of the most influential Democratic fundraisers in California, off the sidelines of the party’s presidential primary. Evan Halper in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/2/19