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Stephon Clark: No charges to be filed against police officers by California attorney general -- California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced Tuesday that he will not file criminal charges against the officers who shot Stephon Clark a year ago, setting the stage for even more unrest and protests in Sacramento. Sam Stanton, Darrell Smith, and Sophia Bollag in the Sacramento Bee$ Anita Chabria in the Los Angeles Times$ Don Thompson Associated Press Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/5/19

Sacramento mayor wants answers from police after mass arrests at Stephon Clark protest -- A spokeswoman for Mayor Darrell Steinberg said the mayor wants to have an airing of police tactics used during a street protest Monday in East Sacramento that ended in 84 arrests and prompted complaints from activists that they had been tricked and trapped by police as they were trying to get to their cars to go home. Tony Bizjak and Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/5/19

Police end Stephon Clark protest in East Sacramento with arrest of 84 people -- What began as a relatively mellow Stephon Clark protest outside a Trader Joe’s supermarket in East Sacramento turned into a spectacle as more than 100 riot police arrested 84 protesters and detained a Sacramento Bee reporter Monday night. Benjy Egel, Dale Kasler, Sam Stanton, Ryan Sabalow, and Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ Ezra David Romero, Andrew Nixon, Chris Hagan, Nick Miller Capital Public Radio -- 3/5/19

Reporter Dale Kasler: ‘It dawned on me...I could get detained as well.’ -- Dozens of us, effectively penned in by a phalanx of police officers by a police cordon at the edge of the Highway 50 overpass, had nowhere to go. Then the arrests started. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/5/19

Bretón: Arrests Monday night mean honeymoon is over for Hahn -- Right about the time my colleague Dale Kasler, covering a Monday night demonstration fueled by discontent in Sacramento’s less affluent neighborhoods, was handcuffed and detained, the self image of the state capital as a progressive and diverse community was exposed as a fanciful exaggeration. Sacramento is not nearly as cool as it thinks it is. By Marcos Bretón in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/5/19

Abcarian: Teen party with Nazi salutes all too real for victims of ‘Jew jokes’ and casual anti-Semitism -- On Saturday night, Michael Maietta Weinberg, a Tustin high school senior, was visiting his cousin, Rachel Weinberg, at her home in Newport Beach. It was around 9 p.m. Rachel, a high school junior, was baking a cake with ube, a purple yam, when her social media feeds started pinging with photos that would soon make national news. Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/5/19

L.A. to pay nearly $2 million in suit over sexual assault by LAPD officers -- Los Angeles will pay nearly $2 million to settle a lawsuit from a woman who was sexually assaulted by a pair of LAPD officers, the fourth such assault case L.A. has settled in recent years. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/5/19

California lawmakers accepted $810,000 in gifts and overseas trips in 2018 -- California lawmakers were showered with more than $810,000 in gifts last year, many from powerful interest groups lobbying the state who handed out concert and professional sports tickets, spa treatments, gourmet dinners and trips to a dozen countries, new state reports show. Patrick McGreevy and Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/5/19

With a whopping 2,628 bills pending, here’s the one most popular among California legislators -- Nobody can say California lawmakers haven’t kept busy. Between their December swearing-in and a late-February cutoff, they introduced an average of more than 32 bills a day. Now they face a June deadline to decide which of those 2,628 ideas will advance out of either the Assembly or state Senate. Ben Christopher Calmatters -- 3/5/19

California lawmakers target cities’ ability to block new housing -- The spirit of housing construction has imbued the state Capitol with renewed fervor this year as Gov. Gavin Newsom and coastal lawmakers push for policies to spur what they say is badly needed development to get soaring rents and home prices under control. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/5/19

Post-Hurricane Harvey, NASA tried to fly a pollution-spotting plane over Houston. The EPA said no -- In the weeks after Hurricane Harvey’s catastrophic sweep through the Houston area — which resulted in chemical spills, fires, flooded storage tanks and damaged industrial plants — rescue crews and residents complained of burning throats, nausea and dizziness. Susanne Rust and Louis Sahagun in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/5/19

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Wildfire victims, creditors grill PG&E at bankruptcy hearing, insolvency filing was in works for “months” -- PG&E’s top finance boss was grilled by wildfire victims and creditors at a bankruptcy court hearing on Monday during which the power company revealed it had been considering a bankruptcy filing for “months” prior to actually starting the proceeding. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/5/19

About two dozen detained in Sacramento after Stephon Clark protest turns tense -- About two dozen people, including a Sacramento Bee reporter, were detained Monday night when a protest over the Sacramento County district attorney’s decision not to charge two officers in the shooting death of Stephon Clark, a black man holding a cellphone, turned tense and closed down one of the city’s most affluent neighborhoods. Anita Chabria in the Sacramento Bee$ Ezra David Romero, Andrew Nixon Capital Public Radio -- 3/5/19

Sacramento was ready for Stephon Clark protests at Golden 1 Center -- Anticipating the types of protests that barred many Kings fans from two games last season, security measures were stepped up around Golden 1 Center on Monday morning. Inside, as the Kings hosted the New York Knicks, it was business as usual, as no large-scale protesting was evident outside the arena in the hours leading to the game. Noel Harris in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/5/19

Sacramento State Hosts Town Hall Focused On Death Of Stephon Clark -- Sacramento State leaders provided a space Monday for the campus community to express feelings about the death of Stephon Clark, the 22-year-old who was shot and killed by Sacramento police last March. Gabriela Fernandez Capital Public Radio -- 3/5/19

Stephon Clark: Black Lives Matter plans to ‘occupy’ Sacramento police headquarters -- Black Lives Matter Sacramento says it plans to “occupy” the main Sacramento police station on Freeport Boulevard Tuesday afternoon as part of the protests over the district attorney’s decision in the Stephon Clark shooting. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/5/19

Stephon Clark: California clergy implore attorney general to charge cops or face political heat -- Stephon Clark activists turned their focus to California Attorney General Xavier Becerra Monday, demanding that he file criminal charges against the Sacramento police officers who shot Clark last March or face determined political opposition in the future from clergy leaders. Sam Stanton and Sophia Bollag in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/5/19

Arden Fair reopens after protests, but mall employees and city took a big financial hit -- Arden Fair mall reopened today at 10 a.m. for regular hours, after being shut down on Sunday due to protests. Tony Bizjak and Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/5/19

California wants new voting machines for next year. Riverside County will have to spend to do it -- With a year to go until the 2020 presidential primary, California counties are figuring out how to respond to a recent state order that says old voting machines that don’t meet security standards have to be replaced in time for the next election season. Jeff Horseman in the Riverside Press Enterprise$ -- 3/5/19

California rail authority calls Trump plan to end high-speed rail funding 'rash and unlawful' -- In two letters to the Federal Railroad Administration, state officials say they have not breached the terms and conditions of the grants and are making progress in building what would be a transformative passenger rail system. Ralph Vartabedian in the Los Angeles Times$ Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 3/5/19

California lawmakers want $100 billion toward clean energy -- A group of Democratic California lawmakers called Monday for the state to invest $100 billion to drastically reduce its carbon emissions and reliance on fossil fuels by 2030. Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 3/5/19

California Sues Trump Administration to Block Restrictions to Family Planning Program -- Once again taking aim at President Trump, California on Monday filed its 47th lawsuit against the administration, this time to block a move that would effectively strip millions of federal dollars from reproductive health providers that perform abortions and abortion referrals. Jose A. Del Real and Robert Pear in the New York Times$ Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$-- 3/5/19

California is the nation’s biggest GMO and organic food battleground -- California was the first state to have genetically modified crops sold commercially, but it is also the state with the most organic farms. Do you remember the Flavr Savr tomato? It was the first genetically engineered crop to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval 25 years ago. Kurt Snibbe in the Riverside Press Enterprise$ -- 3/5/19

Federal judge says San Francisco’s cash bail system violates rights of poor defendants without protecting public -- In the latest blow to the cash-bail system, a federal judge ruled Monday that San Francisco’s bail schedule, requiring newly arrested defendants to pay amounts based on the charged crimes in order to be released from jail, violates poor defendants’ rights without protecting the public. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/5/19

Recalled former state Sen. Josh Newman running to retake seat in 2020 -- Newman, who was elected to represent the 29th state senate district in 2016, was recalled by voters in June – only 17 months into his first four-year term – after he was targeted by a state Republican effort to break Democrats’ legislative supermajority in Sacramento. Jordan Graham in the Orange County Register -- 3/5/19

Transit  

Disabled man sues city, scooter maker over injuries caused by teen scooter pilot -- The city of San Diego is facing a lawsuit filed by a disabled man who said he was injured when teenagers on an electric scooter lost control and caused a bicyclist to slam into his wheelchair on the boardwalk in Pacific Beach last July. Greg Moran in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/5/19

LA councilmember wants to ban scooters from his entire district—including Dodger Stadium -- With more dockless scooters and bicycles set to hit LA’s streets as soon as next week, City Councilmember Gil Cedillo is seeking to ban the devices from the neighborhoods he represents. Elijah Chiland Curbed LA -- 3/5/19

Housing  

San Diego council votes 8-1 to wipe out parking requirements in neighborhoods near transit --Supporters say the new policy will make housing cheaper by eliminating antiquated rules about parking that fit poorly in a city where many residents are more inclined to use mass transit, bicycles or ride-booking services like Uber and Lyft. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ Joshua Emerson Smith in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/5/19

Wildfire  

California winter rains used to ward off wildfires — but not anymore, new study finds -- Storms have dumped torrential rains and snow across California this winter, triggering deadly floods, mudslides and other catastrophes. But all that water is also banishing drought conditions in the state, and bringing scrubby hills to life with vegetation. Jared Gilmour in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/5/19

Education 

What you need to know about Oakland teachers’ new contract -- Oakland teachers, nurses and counselors voted Sunday to ratify a new contract, ending a seven-day strike in which they demanded raises, reduced class sizes and other terms. Here’s a look at what’s in the deal: Kimberly Veklerov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/5/19

Day after teachers’ pay raise approved, Oakland Unified cuts $21.75 million from budget -- Although thousands of teachers and students returned to class Monday morning after a tumultuous seven-day strike, hundreds took one more day off to protest at a daytime meeting where the school board ended up cutting $21.75 million from Oakland Unified’s budget. Ali Tadayon in the East Bay Times$ Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Vanessa Rancañon, Matthew Green KQED -- 3/5/19

What to do about student debt? These ideas are brewing in the California Legislature -- A group of seven Assembly Democrats are carrying a package of bills that fiercely regulate the “widespread misconduct and fraud” of the financial and marketing strategies that for-profit colleges use to enroll students in programs that often leave them drowning in debt and unemployed. Hannah Wiley in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/5/19

Demanding open access, UC breaks with world’s largest scholarly research publisher -- The University of California has broken up with the world’s largest scholarly rThe average California college graduate has more than $20,000 in loan debt. That’s on the low end of the national numbers.esearch journal publisher, ending its subscriptions with behemoth Reed Elsevier. By ending its contract, UC is the first major university system in the U.S. to insist on open access publishing, which makes research findings freely available to anyone, anywhere in the world. Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/5/19

How the Agency That Investigates Teacher Misconduct Plans to Dig Itself Out From a Mountain of Cases -- Not only is the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing juggling more misconduct cases than any point in at least a decade, the state attorney general late last year flagged a handful of concerns with how the agency operates. The stakes are high: The case backload and other potential missteps by the commission can mean problem educators remain in classrooms, working with children. Kayla Jimenez voiceofsandiego.org -- 3/5/19

New data detail soaring costs of California school pensions -- California school districts’ costs for employee pensions nearly tripled over six years to a statewide average of $1,407 per student, according to newly released state data. And those expenses will rise at least several hundred dollars more per student before stabilizing two years from now. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 3/5/19

California Supreme Court stops short of allowing school districts to modify existing pensions -- In a highly anticipated but narrow decision on pensions for teachers and other state and local public employees, the California Supreme Court on Monday upheld the elimination of a retirement benefit in the 2012 pension reform law that then-Gov. Jerry Brown championed. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 3/5/19

Cannabis 

San Diego exploring 'cannabis equity' to boost low-income participation in emerging industry -- San Diego Councilman Chris Ward plans to propose a “cannabis equity” program this spring that would aim to give low-income residents in neighborhoods affected by the war on drugs a leg up in opening marijuana businesses in the city. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/5/19

Also . . . 

Scotsman facing rape charges may have faked death off California coast, officials say -- After days of searching, investigators think a Scotsman who reportedly vanished after diving into the waters off Carmel may have faked his own death to evade justice in his native country, where he stands accused of multiple rape charges, authorities said. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/5/19

Booze, Nazi salutes and swastikas: Newport Beach and Costa Mesa teens 'made a big mistake' -- At the house party in Costa Mesa, the high school students were playing a drinking game with red Solo cups and ping pong balls. At some point in the night, the plastic cups ended up in the shape of a swastika. Matthew Ormseth, Sarah Parvini, Anh Do and Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/5/19

Authorities investigating swastikas scrawled in blood near Holocaust museum -- Los Angeles police opened an investigation Monday after discovering a “large amount” of blood and two swastikas written in blood in and around a bathroom near Pan Pacific Park in the Fairfax area, authorities said. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/5/19

Swastika photo on social media sparks outrage in Newport Beach and community reaction -- Esther Agi Gurik, 83, was one of more than 500 people who packed Newport Harbor High School’s auditorium Monday night, March 4. Gurik is a Hungarian survivor of the Holocaust whose father, along with many other relatives, was killed in the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz. Deepa Bharath and Erika Ritchie in the Orange County Register -- 3/5/19

L.A. County sheriff's deputy pleads guilty in brazen pot heist -- Marc Antrim, 41, admitted to his role in the scheme during a hearing before U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips, who is scheduled to sentence the deputy on June 3. Antrim and several co-defendants briefly got away with over 1,200 pounds of marijuana and two large safes filled with more than $600,000 in cash during the fake drug raid. Joel Rubin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/5/19

POTUS 45  

Trump’s Grip Shows Signs of Slipping as Senate Prepares to Block Wall Emergency -- Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, conceded on Monday that he could not stave off final passage of a resolution overturning President Trump’s national emergency declaration, setting up a rebuke to Mr. Trump amid signs that the president’s grip even on his own party in Congress may be slipping. Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Emily Cochrane in the New York Times$ -- 3/5/19

Beltway 

House Democrats open sweeping corruption probe into Trump’s world -- The House Judiciary panel is requesting documents from more than 80 people or entities in Trump’s orbit, including his adult sons. Andrew Desiderio and Darren Samuelsohn Politico -- 3/5/19

Presidential candidate Julian Castro offers a blue vision of America to students at UCLA -- Presidential candidate Julian Castro, who served as U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary under President Barack Obama, told students at UCLA on Monday that America would be a better place if it had more affordable housing, comprehensive immigration reform, a higher minimum wage and universal health care. Roxana Kopetman in the Orange County Register -- 3/5/19

 

-- Monday Updates 

California sues Trump administration over rules restricting abortion access -- Leading what is expected to be a national battle over the issue, California on Monday sued the Trump administration seeking to block a new regulation that restricts access to abortion and other family-planning services. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/4/19

Sacramento Kings expect Stephon Clark protest tonight. What it means if you’re going to the game -- The Sacramento Kings announced the team would close the Golden 1 Center plaza to everyone but ticketed guests and employees Monday in anticipation of possible protests at tonight’s game with the New York Knicks. Ryan Sabalow, Sam Stanton, and Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/4/19

Everyone is saying they just won a big court case on pensions. What does that mean for you? -- If all sides are declaring victory in the California Supreme Court’s pension ruling on Monday, it’s because the decision had a little something for all the combatants in the state’s pension wars. Judy Lin Calmatters -- 3/4/19

California public employees’ pension perks can be taken away, court rules -- The California Supreme Court on Monday released a decision that allows California government agencies to alter secondary retirement benefits offered to public workers while sidestepping a bigger question about whether employers can alter “core pension rights” in their contracts. Wes Venteicher in the Sacramento Bee$ Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/4/19

ADEMs are crucial — and a bit of a mystery -- Few Californians are familiar with the state Democratic Party’s Assembly District Election Meetings, known as ADEMs. Even fewer – under 40,000 – vote in them. Dave Kempa Capitol Weekly -- 3/4/19

Supreme Court lets stand $4-million verdict against L.A. County deputies in shooting -- The Supreme Court on Monday let stand a $4-million verdict against two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies who were searching for a fugitive and mistakenly shot an innocent homeless couple sleeping in a shed behind a Lancaster home. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/4/19

New police alliance emerges in opposition to California use-of-force bill -- Protect California pushing police-backed legislation and other policies as civil-rights groups gain momentum to change how state addresses police violence. Robert Salonga in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/4/19

Oakland schools greet students, teachers as classes resume -- Oakland Unified school trustees were meeting this morning to consider cutting $21.75 million from the 2019-20 budget to help pay for teachers’ raises and shore up the struggling district’s finances. If no reductions are made, the district’s deficit is expected to reach $56 million by the 2020-21 school year. The cuts are expected to involve staff layoffs as well as other drastic actions. Ali Tadayon in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/4/19

California takes politics out of a very political job. It’s looking for help -- State Auditor Elaine Howle is on the recruiting trail, looking for California voters interested in a job that’s almost guaranteed to make them no friends at all. Once again, Howle is responsible for picking the 14 people who will form the state Citizens Redistricting Commission, the group that will redraw California’s political maps after the 2020 census. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/4/19

An Oakland school upped spending after a $2.8M donation of Chinese paintings. Then came the appraisal -- When the small Oakland private school received the donation of four Chinese paintings, valued at $2.8 million, administrators were gobsmacked. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/4/19

San Francisco Mayor Breed wants Embarcadero to have San Francisco’s largest Navigation Center -- San Francisco’s newest homeless Navigation Center could come with one of the best views in the city. City officials are hoping to persuade the Port Commission to bring what would be San Francisco’s largest Navigation Center to the Embarcadero, just south of the Bay Bridge. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/4/19

East Oakland, despite resistance, edging out San Francisco in building bus rapid transit -- On a long-neglected stretch of East Oakland, bulldozers are tearing gullies in the asphalt, clearing the path for a bus system that could breathe new life into the strip of auto body shops, taquerias and splashy murals. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/4/19

Guerneville floods more than anywhere in the Bay Area. Why can’t it be fixed? -- Since 1940, the Russian River has flooded Guerneville 38 times, the result of history, geology and no cheap solutions. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/4/19

Fox: One Path to Follow After the Stephon Clark Decision -- In the wake of the announcement this weekend that no charges would be brought against the police officers that shot and killed unarmed Stephon Clark, Governor Gavin Newsom spoke of the need for increased community policing to build trust between residents and policing agencies. He should look at the success of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Community Safety Partnership (CSP). Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 3/4/19