Updating . .
California is awash in cannabis cash. Some is being used to bribe public officials -- Sheriff Jon Lopey was startled when the mysterious stranger offered him $1 million if he would keep deputies away from certain illegal cannabis farms in Siskiyou County. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/19
Gov. Gavin Newsom puts himself at top of national news with moratorium on death penalty -- No sooner did Gov. Gavin Newsom declare a moratorium on the death penalty in California than he was on a plane to the East Coast for a series of national media appearances, including stops at CBS, NPR and MSNBC. “He’s making the case as a leader to hearts and minds, just as he did with marriage equality, when his willingness to go out on a limb made a huge difference,” Newsom political spokesman Dan Newman said. Phil Matier in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/17/19
University of Scandal, Corruption? USC at core of bribe plot -- Roy Nwaisser has four degrees from the University of Southern California and is a superfan of its storied football squad — he hasn’t missed a home or away game in 27 years. Brian Melley Associated Press -- 3/17/19
Admissions scandal reinforces stereotypes but elite colleges admitting more low-income students -- Far from the California epicenter of the massive college cheating scandal, Matt McGann has followed the news with more than casual concern. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/19
Fallout from college admissions scandal worsening for accused parents, schools -- The college admissions cheating scandal that was revealed this week is shaping up to have long-term ramifications for both the parents accused in the scheme and the large world of getting into college. Richard Winton and Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/19
Lopez: The college cheating scandal hit these Eastside high school kids hard -- On Saturday morning at the Boyle Heights Beat, a student-run journalism operation, the hot topic was the college entrance cheating scandal and how to craft stories about it for the group’s newspaper and radio show. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/19
Exodus: As Bay Area moves left, these conservative voters move out -- Retired engineer Stewart Tagg spent four decades in the Bay Area — appreciating the blue skies, good schools and strong economy. But in recent years, his home changed too much for his liking: higher taxes, an open immigration policy and no end in sight to the state’s liberal direction. Louis Hansen in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/17/19
Oakland’s police chief had a critical goal for 2019. Then came a dispute over a shooting -- As the year began, Oakland Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick offered a list of goals for 2019 — and she saved perhaps the most ambitious for last. By the end of the year, Kirkpatrick told the city’s Police Commission, she hoped to finally bring her agency into compliance with a federal judge’s order for reforms stemming from a 2-decade-old brutality case. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/17/19
Things look good for San Francisco Supervisor Peskin’s deal to add tax to Uber and Lyft rides -- By this time next year, Uber and Lyft passengers in San Francisco will be paying a new surcharge on every trip if voters approve a deal cut in a North Beach restaurant by Supervisor Aaron Peskin and representatives of the ride-hail giants. Phil Matier in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/17/19
SAT and ACT take hit in bribery scandal, but many colleges no longer require them -- The college admissions scandal that ensnared Stanford and other California universities revealed the lengths that some parents will go, including cheating and breaking the law, to obtain high scores for their kids on the SAT or ACT. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/17/19
Major League Soccer commissioner talks Burkle, Sacramento and expansion -- Speaking to The Sacramento Bee on Friday evening, Garber said Sacramento and St. Louis are not only the frontrunners to win a team this year, the two have submitted “the strongest bids by far.” Garber declined to say whether one of the cities, both with solid soccer histories, is in the lead. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/17/19
Rupert Murdoch, scrappy Fox mogul who transformed media, begins his Hollywood goodbye -- Thirty-four years ago, Rupert Murdoch showed up in Hollywood with $250 million, buying a stake in the 20th Century Fox film studio — even though he had little interest in making movies. Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/19
Is Amazon killing retail? Or is retail killing itself? -- It’s not even three months into 2019, and 10 retailers have filed for bankruptcy, including clothing companies Gymboree and Charlotte Russe in San Francisco. The effect is visible on the streets, with hundreds of stores shuttered and thousands of workers laid off. Shwanika Narayan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/17/19
Bretón: Insolvency 101: Sacramento teachers, you better add this to your lesson plan -- Any discussion about education must begin like this: Teachers don’t make enough money and that could probably be said for teachers in any school district in America. That sentiment has moved thousands of people in Los Angeles and Oakland to rally around public school teachers when they decided to go on strike recently. Marcos Bretón in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/17/19
California Policy & Politics This Morning
PG&E Close to Naming New CEO, New Board -- PG&E Corp. is likely to name Bill Johnson, retiring head of the Tennessee Valley Authority, as its new chief executive as early as next week and to announce an overhaul of its board backed by some of its largest investors, according to people familiar with the matter. Russell Gold, Juliet Chung and Katherine Blunt in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/17/19
Southern California Muslims host candlelight vigil for New Zealand shooting victims -- Muslim, Jewish and Christian faith leaders gathered for a candlelight vigil Saturday night in Pasadena to remember the victims of the mass shootings in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. Joe Mozingo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/19
Walters: Slowing economy could hit state budget -- Gov. Gavin Newsom’s first budget proposal, unveiled two months ago, took a surprisingly conservative approach, given his promises of high-dollar spending during his campaign for the governorship. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/17/19
The ghosts of California’s death chamber will never go away -- The worst thing about seeing a man die in San Quentin’s execution chamber isn’t watching him pull his last breaths. It’s the bottomless rage, sorrow, helplessness and frustration throbbing all around you. That’s what you get when you’re standing in that tiny death room alongside the loved ones of those he murdered, the supporters of the killer, and the investigators who put him where he is. That’s what you absorb into your pores. And feel. Kevin Fagan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/17/19
Newsom takes his case against death penalty to national stage -- Gov. Gavin Newsom is taking his anti-death penalty campaign to the national stage, where capital punishment could become a signature social cause — just like gay marriage more than a decade ago when he was the mayor of San Francisco. Carla Marinucci Politico -- 3/17/19
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tells women to ‘know your power’ in San Francisco talk -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged a room packed mostly with women to “know your power” in community organizing, government and their influence on younger generations in an intimate conversation in San Francisco on Saturday. Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/17/19
Willie Brown: Even for Trump’s corrupt hangers-on, justice should be blind -- Justice is not about revenge, even when the defendant is Paul Manafort. Willie Brown in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/17/19
Former Los Alamitos mayor who helped lead push against state sanctuary law picked for federal job -- Former Los Alamitos Mayor Troy Edgar, who last year led his city to defy California’s sanctuary law – sparking similar efforts statewide – is President Trump’s choice to be the next chief financial officer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Roxana Kopetman in the Orange County Register -- 3/17/19
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Does Silicon Valley Need an Instagramable Icon? -- Hollywood has the Hollywood Sign. San Francisco has the Golden Gate Bridge. But there’s no one iconic visual the world recognizes as embodying Silicon Valley. The garage in Palo Alto where Hewlett Packard began? Too humble, visually speaking. Rachael Myrow KQED -- 3/17/19
Racing to resume at Santa Anita, Golden Gate Fields after deal on Lasix -- An agreement reached Saturday between The Stronach Group and the Thoroughbred Owners of California over the use of the medication Lasix will allow for racing to resume at Santa Anita and continue at Golden Gate Fields. Larry Stumes in the San Francisco Chronicle$ John Cherwa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/17/19
Layoff notices will go to hundreds of Oakland school workers to trim budget -- Hundreds of Oakland school clerks, library workers and other staff will receive layoff notices in coming weeks as the school district grapples with the expense of the contract concessions that settled the seven-day teachers strike this month, the school board has decided. Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/17/19
Wildfire
Stretch of I-15 dedicated to fallen Cal Fire firefighter Cory Iverson -- A swath of Interstate 15 that runs through Escondido was dedicated Saturday in honor of Cory Iverson, a North County Cal Fire firefighter who died battling the Thomas Fire in 2017. Kristina Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/17/19
Education
Scandal lays bare stress of elite college admissions process -- With dreams of UCLA for her daughter, single mother Donna Balancia chose a high-rent apartment to get her into Beverly Hills High School, which she hoped would give her the best shot at the college of her choice. Jocelyn Gecker and Carolyn Thompson Associated Press -- 3/17/19
Cannabis
John Boehner Was Once 'Unalterably Opposed' To Marijuana. He Now Wants It To Be Legal -- John Boehner has been known to enjoy the occasional adult beverage. He famously nicknamed his negotiations over raising the nation's debt ceiling in 2011 the "Nicorettes and Merlot sessions." Jason Breslow NPR -- 3/17/19
Guns
As Dick’s Sporting Goods pulls guns from shelves, retail industry asks whether firearms are still sporting goods -- Dick’s Sporting Goods announced this week it will pull guns and ammunition off the shelves of 125 of its 720 stores. The move comes as Dick’s, the nation’s largest sporting goods retailer, is getting squeezed by specialty competitors and big-box stores looking to claim a piece of the ever-growing “athleisure” market. Jacob Bogage in the Washington Post$ -- 3/17/19
Environment
‘Disneyland-size crowds’ creating crisis at poppy bloom, Lake Elsinore officials say -- Desperate Lake Elsinore officials, saying the city has been overrun by “Disneyland-size crowds” viewing the prolific California poppy bloom, said on Saturday, March 16, that there is a “public safety crisis” and urged visitors to reschedule their pilgrimages to the colorful attraction. Brian Rokos in the Riverside Press Enterprise$ -- 3/17/19
The Trump administration is opening millions of new acres to drilling — and that’s just the start -- A final plan issued Friday weakens federal protections on 9 million acres in the West that were put in place under Obama to protect an iconic bird. Darryl Fears and Juliet Eilperin in the Washington Post$ -- 3/17/19
Also . . .
Teenage boy shot dead at house party in Highland, 2 other partygoers injured -- A 16-year-old boy was fatally shot and two other people were injured at a house party in Highland on Friday night. The shooting, which took place after a verbal argument between several people at the party, was reported at 11:19 p.m., the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said Saturday in a statement. Jonah Valdez in the Riverside Press Enterprise$ -- 3/17/19
POTUS 45
Trump says he told House GOP to 'play along' on Mueller report vote -- President Donald Trump on Saturday said he encouraged House Republicans to vote in favor of a resolution calling on the Justice Department to make Robert Mueller’s final report public — despite tweeting a day earlier that the special counsel “should never have been appointed” and that “there should be no Mueller Report.” Quint Forgey Politico -- 3/17/19
Did Trump’s Team Collude With Russians? Key Clues From Mueller’s Probe -- While Mueller’s report may remain secret, at least for a while, his actions have revealed compelling plotlines. The special counsel’s office has obtained indictments or guilty pleas from at least 34 people, 26 of them Russians. Several of the others were accused of lying about their contacts with Russians or about business dealings in Russia. Paul Murray, Mira Rojanasakul, Andrew Martin and David Voreacos Bloomberg -- 3/17/19
Beltway
O'Rourke says he wouldn't be running for president if he'd won Texas Senate race -- Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke said Saturday if he had won his Texas Senate race against incumbent Ted Cruz he might not be “in Waterloo and Keokuk and all the other communities I've been in to run for president.” Christian Vasquez Politico -- 3/17/19
Pete Buttigieg, the young and openly gay Midwest mayor, finds a voice in crowded Democratic presidential field -- The Navy veteran with a hard-to-pronounce name, from a city small enough to fit every resident in a college football stadium, seems to be winning the argument at the moment. Weeks after declaring his interest in challenging President Trump, he has become, if not exactly well-known, a subject of interest for many Democratic voters, buoyed by a breakout performance at a CNN town hall on March 10. Chelsea Janes and Michael Scherer in the Washington Post$ -- 3/17/19
Klobuchar breaks with O'Rourke: 'I wasn't born to run' in 2020 -- Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Saturday that she “wasn't born to run” for the White House — drawing a pointed contrast with the words of fellow Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke. Quint Forgey Politico -- 3/17/19
Despite verbal miscues, presidential hopeful Harris draws little criticism from voters -- Before Sen. Kamala D. Harris stepped out of her white minivan, no presidential candidate had ever visited St. George, at least as far as any local officials could remember. But the shadow of the ever-growing Democratic field fell on Harris even here, when a young voter named Essence Williams asked her about fellow Democratic candidate Andrew Yang’s proposal to give $1,000 of basic income to every American ages 18 to 64. Chelsea Janes in the Washington Post$ -- 3/17/19
-- Saturday Updates
Lynn Swann says USC was ‘blindsided’ by alleged actions of administrator in college admissions scandal -- USC athletic director Lynn Swann was in bed Tuesday when he received the call about the college admissions bribery scandal that would rock USC and several other schools around the nation. His phone rang twice around 7 a.m. before he finally picked it up the third time. Arash Markazi in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/16/19
The crooked counselor, privileged parents and cutthroat college admissions game -- Rick Singer looks straight into the camera, auditioning for his own reality show about the cutthroat world of college admissions. Julia Prodis Sulek in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/16/19
The rich buying names on college buildings ‘legal bribery,’ Gov. Gavin Newsom says -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday that the college admission scandal extends beyond the recent charges against rich parents buying entrance to elite colleges and suggested it should include the “legal bribery” of billionaires buying naming rights on university buildings. Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/16/19
An estimated 100,000 homes are sitting empty in San Francisco -- Here's a number that will make anyone trying to find a place to live in San Francisco frustrated: An estimated 100,025 households are sitting vacant. The number comes from a study released this week by LendingTree, an online service connecting consumers with lenders and banks. The company based in Charlotte, N.C., looked at the vacancy rates in the nation's 50 largest metropolitan areas, revealing some interesting findings. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/16/19
Harvard-Westlake students were vaccinated. Dozens caught whooping cough anyway -- Nearly 50 students at Harvard-Westlake School have been recently diagnosed with whooping cough, in an outbreak that has forced school officials to send students home at the first sign of illness. Soumya Karlamangla in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/16/19
Mumps cases increasing in San Diego region, public health department warns -- In just the first three months of 2019, 5 mumps cases have already been diagnosed compared to nine cases in all of 2018, suggesting that the disease is spreading more quickly than usual, according to the county’s newly released medical community health alert. Paul Sisson in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/16/19
Jackie Speier wants to fine Jared and Ivanka $1000 a day for working in White House -- With the release of a dishy book on the Kushners on the horizon, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump's roles in the White House have been under renewed scrutiny as of late, and Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., has taken aim at the pair with a bill that seeks to financially penalize people who use volunteering as a loophole to anti-nepotism laws, she explained this week. Filipa Ioannou in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/16/19
2 bear cubs were found alone on Northern California highway. Authorities want to know why -- The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is seeking the public’s help in finding out more information about how two small bear cubs became separated from their mother in Siskiyou County earlier this month. The cubs were found alone along Highway 96 and are currently being cared for at Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, according to department social media posts. Cassie Dickman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/16/19
Trump’s move to end humanitarian program exposes Liberian UCLA student to deportation -- After the end of this month, Yatta Kiazolu will be eligible for deportation to a country where she never has lived. The 28-year-old PhD candidate in history at UCLA was born in Botswana to Liberian parents. She has lived in the U.S. since she was 7 and since 2002 has maintained legal authorization under a humanitarian relief program. Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/16/19
Charles Manson, Rose Bird, Caryl Chessman and California’s wrenching death penalty debate -- One of Elisabeth Semel’s earliest memories of the death penalty in California was the 1960 execution of Caryl Chessman. She remembers seeing her father upset. She became a criminal defense lawyer and went on to defend inmates convicted of capital crimes, running a death penalty clinic at UC Berkeley. Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/16/19
Drought, schmrought, California water experts already fret the next dry year and still preach conservation -- Yet, even with all this wet news, local water manager still preach conservation and worry the drought will return next year and the year after. Also, they face the very real threat of climate change reducing snowpack forever, which may force them to stop relying on the open spigot from Northern California to keep water flowing through customers’ pipes and into SoCal homes and businesses. Steve Scauzillo in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/16/19
As mass shooting spreads online, social media users tell tech to do better -- As copies of a violent video flooded the internet, calls to do something went straight to the top. On Market Street in San Francisco, a handful of protesters marched outside Twitter headquarters Friday. One sign read: “Big tech: making a killing in S.F.” Melia Russell in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/16/19
1 Dead After Small Plane Crashes at Residential Area in Riverside: Police -- One person died after a small plane crashed at a residential area in Riverside around noon on Saturday, authorities said. The incident happened in the 10500 block of Robinson Avenue near Norwood Avenue in the La Sierra area, according to the Riverside police and fire departments. Kristina Bravo KTLA -- 3/16/19
2 ‘virtual kidnap’ scams within 24 hours has Laguna Beach police on alert -- Two “virtual kidnap” cases within 24 hours in this seaside community have led police to alert all local schools. The incidents were similar: Phone calls were made to potential victims, with the caller demanding a large sum of money or threatening to harm a loved one. Erika Ritchie in the Orange County Register -- 3/16/19
‘Highly visible eyesore:’ Hillsborough sues to declare Flintstone House a ‘public nuisance’ -- It’s a big Yabba Dabba Don’t for this Hillsborough home. Calling it a “highly visible eyesore” and “out of keeping with community standards,” Hillsborough planning and building officials are asking a judge to officially declare the iconic Flintstone House a “public nuisance,” and they want a recently-erected metal menagerie of prehistoric animals, along with other features, removed. Erin Baldassari in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/16/19