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Updating . .  

One year later: Will Stephon Clark’s family get the justice they desire? -- The Sacramento district attorney said no. The state attorney general said the same. Neither would level charges against the two police officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark. Now, a year after the death that rocked a city, a third review is underway. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/18/19

U.S. Supreme Court won't intervene in San Diego pension case -- The U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday it won’t intervene in San Diego’s pension cuts case, leaving in place a California Supreme Court ruling that the city skipped a key legal step when the cuts were placed on the ballot in 2012. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/18/19 

Yes, you can be arrested for riding a horse drunk -- On Sunday, a California Highway Patrol officer responded to a report of a person suspected to be riding a horse while intoxicated on Highway 152 near College Road in Santa Cruz County. After the officer performed a DUI evaluation, he arrested the man for public intoxication, not a DUI. Douglas Zimmerman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/18/19

Calpers Gives New Private-Equity Plan Tentative Thumbs-Up -- On Monday, the 13-member investment committee of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System gave its approval—but only “in concept”—to fund private-equity-managed companies that would invest in late-stage venture capital and make long-term bets on private companies. The vote was only on the general idea for the plan, and didn’t authorize any investments. Chris Cumming in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/18/19

Kevin Tsujihara out as CEO of Warner Bros. -- Warner Bros. Chief Executive Kevin Tsujihara will step down after allegations that he had an affair with a young actress and tried to help her get cast in the Burbank studio’s movies, WarnerMedia said Monday. Ryan Faughnder in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/18/19

Parents in college-admissions scandal got tax breaks. Outrage sparks calls for change -- Tax breaks resulting from charitable donations to universities and colleges could be receiving new scrutiny in Washington after the largest admissions cheating scandal in U.S. history. Matt Stiles in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/18/19

Donors to D.A. Jackie Lacey included a murder suspect’s parents and a convicted felon -- When Jackie Lacey first ran for Los Angeles County district attorney, she loathed asking people for money. The veteran prosecutor eventually got comfortable working donors and settled on a pitch she could tolerate: “Can you invest in my campaign?” Matt Hamilton and Harriet Ryan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/18/19

Public takeover of PG&E? Sacramento’s past provides important lessons -- Nearly a century ago, thousands of dissatisfied Pacific Gas and Electric Co. customers decided they wanted to divorce themselves from the company’s power service and form their own government-run utility. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/18/19

Sacramento airport lawsuit: Don’t leave disabled behind in emergency evacuation -- In what disabled rights advocates call a “groundbreaking” deal, Sacramento International Airport officials have agreed to make changes to Terminal B to accommodate disabled people – including rewriting the airport’s emergency evacuations plan so that disabled people are not left behind if disaster strikes. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/18/19

Anti-vaccine activists have doctors ‘terrorized into silence’ with online harassment -- Dr. Dana Corriel wrote on Facebook in September that the flu vaccine had arrived and encouraged patients to come to her office for a shot. Within hours, the post was flooded with thousands of comments from people opposed to vaccines. Soumya Karlamangla in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/18/19

Shyong: Excluded by banks, minorities in California became their own lenders -- If you’ve ever been to a Cambodian-owned doughnut shop, fried chicken restaurant or jewelry store, there’s a good chance it was financed by a tontine. Frank Shyong in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/18/19

Metallica reunites with San Francisco Symphony to open Warriors’ Chase Center -- The band, which has sold more than 125 million albums worldwide, will rock the new home of the Warriors on Sept. 6, long before Steph Curry and company play their first official game in the 18,064-seat venue. Jim Harrington in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/18/19

A day after super bloom shutdown, Lake Elsinore reopens Walker Canyon, looks to alleviate jams -- One day after Lake Elsinore announced it was closing access to the popular poppy fields in Walker Canyon, city officials reopened the entrance to the fields, which have been overrun during this year’s super bloom. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/18/19

Lewd Photos, Harassment And Retaliation Allegations: Inside The Meltdown At LAUSD's Powerful Watchdog Agency -- The Office of the Inspector General at the Los Angeles Unified School District is the type of government agency that any taxpayer — not just those with kids in school — would want working well. Kyle Stokes laist -- 3/18/19

SoCal Edison Is Cutting Your Trees And There's Not Much You Can Do About It -- When work crews hired by Southern California Edison cut back the canopy of shade trees in unincorporated Altadena last month, many residents of the foothill community were angered that their trees were left unsightly and mangled. Sharon McNary laist -- 3/18/19

CA120: In 2020, don’t forget California’s GOP primary -- With the coming 2020 Presidential primary, all eyes are on the plethora of Democratic candidates joining the fray, and the big possibility that an early California contest could catapult one or more contenders past Super Tuesday. Paul Mitchell Capitol Weekly -- 3/18/19

Dozens march in the buff through San Francisco advocating for public nudity -- Three dozen people in the buff paraded around San Francisco on Sunday in the fourth-annual Nude Love Parade, celebrating the human body and protesting the city's nudity ban. The lively procession began at noon at the Jane Warner Plaza in Castro and continued to Haight and Stanyan in Golden Gate Park. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/18/19

Fox: LA School Strike Settlement Threatens Businesses -- Looking for increased revenues to pay for the Los Angeles school strike settlement, the plan apparently is to largely target business. This will add to the perception that Los Angeles and California are not business friendly. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 3/18/19

The burden of a 40-year career: Some of Joe Biden’s record doesn’t age well -- Joe Biden is carrying a 20th century voting record into a 21st century political dogfight. Janet Hook in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/18/19

Beto O’Rourke’s huge $6.1 million one-day haul, in context -- In case there was any doubt that Beto O’Rourke’s record-setting fundraising for his 2018 Senate campaign could translate to the presidential stage, he quickly erased it. Aaron Blake in the Washington Post$ David Siders and Daniel Strauss Politico -- 3/18/19

Ahead of 2020, white evangelicals are sticking with Trump -- More than two-thirds of white evangelicals continue to support President Trump, along with almost half of white Catholics and white mainline Protestants, according to a new study released by the Pew Research Center. Stef W. Kight Axios -- 3/18/19

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Vigils, Commemoration Ceremonies Planned To Remember Stephon Clark On Anniversary Of His Death -- Monday marks one year since two Sacramento police officers fatally shot Stephon Clark, and the community and Clark family will be hosting gatherings throughout the day to remember. After a weekend of events in Meadowview celebrating Clark’s “legacy” — including a brunch for mothers and summit for teens — the Clark family will hold a commemoration on Monday, where Rev. Al Sharpton is scheduled to deliver the keynote address. Nick Miller Capital Public Radio -- 3/18/19

Stephon Clark lived and died in Meadowview. A year later, has the neighborhood changed? -- The brick home on 29th Street in south Sacramento has seen some changes in the last year. The Meadowview house owned by Stephon Clark’s grandmother was painted, the exterior refinished and the large brick cross over the garage door restored. Sawsan Morrar in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/18/19

Walters: Newsom does it again with death row reprieve -- Gavin Newsom is fond of making grandiloquent, headline-grabbing gestures couched in moralistic terms. His tendency first surfaced in 2004 when, as the newly elected mayor of San Francisco, he directed officials to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in defiance of a state law passed by California voters just a few years earlier. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 3/18/19

Banks: Newsom's death penalty moratorium isn't perfect, but here's why it matters -- The apparatus of death is being dismantled in California, and hundreds of inmates slated for execution have been granted reprieves. But whether this is anything more than a pause in the insanity of our state’s death penalty system will be up to us. Sandy Banks in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/18/19

News of a death penalty moratorium elicits a muted reaction at San Quentin -- Douglas “Chief” Stankewitz got up Wednesday in the early morning darkness. That’s when he meditates and exercises and reads. He turned on the television and caught the Channel 7 news. It was around 5:30. And he heard. Maria L. La Ganga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/18/19

San Jose’s veteran Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren fills key House role as ‘mayor of Capitol Hill’ -- She got the nod from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to quarterback Democrats’ symbolic first major legislation as the majority. She’s also the congresswoman you see about turning up the heat in the winter. Longtime San Jose Rep. Zoe Lofgren is settling into her new role as the “mayor of Capitol Hill,” chairing the often-under-the-radar House Administration Committee. Tal Kopan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/18/19

California has a $9.3 billion ‘pot of gold’ in abandoned funds that might have your name on it -- California is sitting on $9.3 billion of unclaimed property and forgotten funds scattered throughout the state in bank accounts, uncashed employee checks, stocks, bonds and insurance benefits, according to the state controller’s office. Hannah Wiley in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/18/19

California counties slow to sign on to all-mail elections -- Californians will be holding on to their neighborhood polling places for a while longer, despite last year’s successful introduction of a system that sends a mail ballot to every registered voter. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/18/19

Authorities call off search for 5-year-old girl who fell into Stanislaus River -- Hindered by darkness, fast-moving water and difficult terrain, authorities called off their search Sunday night for a missing 5-year-old girl who fell into the Stanislaus River in Knights Ferry. The girl slipped off the rocks and fell into the water about 5 p.m. near the 330-foot Knights Ferry covered bridge, which overlooks the river. It’s unclear how far she fell. Jaclyn Cosgrove in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/18/19

‘Virtual kidnapping’ scammers seek ransom from affluent Southern California families -- Two Laguna Beach families were the recent targets of a “virtual kidnapping” scam in which they were told one of their children had been abducted and would be killed unless they paid a ransom, police said. As implausible as the scenario may seem on its face, Laguna Beach police said in one of the two instances it worked with a parent sending the culprit thousands of dollars. Joseph Serna in the Los Angeles Times$ Erika I. Ritchie in the Orange County Register -- 3/18/19

Two bear cubs found along Northern California highway may have been left by poachers -- The cubs were found in Siskiyou County along Highway 96, which runs through Klamath National Forest, a 1.7 million-acre forest that has a resident population of black bears. Wildlife officers believe one or more people might be responsible for separating the cubs from their mother. Jaclyn Cosgrove in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/18/19

Crowds, backed-up traffic force closure of poppy viewing area in Lake Elsinore -- Lake Elsinore officials, with roads and staff overtaxed by tens of thousands of people arriving daily to view the giant California poppy bloom north of the city, ended the city’s shuttle service and closed the viewing area Sunday. Brian Rokos in the Riverside Press Enterprise$ Jaclyn Cosgrove in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/18/19

Living on pennies with a million-dollar view: how car campers survive in beach parking lots -- A year ago, he was homeless. Today, he owns a residence that boasts a million-dollar view of the rolling Pacific. Or at least it does for 22 hours a day. Between 2 and 4 a.m., the law requires this home — a rusting Ford Econoline van — to leave its usual spot in a public parking lot beside the sand dunes of Ocean Beach. Peter Rowe in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/18/19

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

A tale of two cities and blocked pension reforms -- A San Diego city attorney urged an appeals court last week to order talks with unions on repaying 4,000 employees for pensions illegally replaced by 401(k)-style plans under an initiative, a cost some estimate could reach $100 million. If the talks result in agreement, the city attorney suggested the pact could go back to voters for approval. Though not mentioned by the attorney, that’s what happened to another cost-cutting pension reform in San Jose also approved by two-thirds of voters in June 2012. Ed Mendel Calpensions.com -- 3/18/19

Education 

‘Pied Piper’ of College Admissions Scam Had All the Answers -- He was part coach, part therapist, part motivational speaker and part name dropper. Like a traveling salesman, he sought out clients near and far, selling dreams of prosperous futures. Julie Bosman, Serge F. Kovaleski and Jose A. Del Real in the New York Times$ -- 3/18/19

A prominent La Jolla family is linked to the massive college admissions scandal. Who are the Kimmels? -- Elisabeth Kimmel, an attorney-turned-media executive, and her husband, a former San Diego County prosecutor, both attended elite universities. She, Stanford and Yale; he, the Universite de Toulouse in the South of France and the University of Southern California. Years later, it was determined their children would, too. Kristina Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/18/19

Sacramento State bans Delta Chi fraternity for three years following hazing investigation -- Sacramento State’s Delta Chi fraternity had its recognition revoked Saturday following an investigation by the university into two anonymous tips alleging hazing. Having an unrecognized status means Delta Chi cannot use university facilities or resources, participate in university activities, or receive funding from student government, according to the student organization handbook. Vincent Moleski in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/18/19

Women were missing from school history lessons. An effort in California would change that -- The year was 1972. In a high school classroom in Northern California, a student asked his teacher a timely question: What is the women’s movement? Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/18/19

Push underway to lower the barrier for school districts to pass a parcel tax -- Confident that a new Democratic supermajority in the California Legislature will back them, two state senators are proposing to ask voters in 2020 to make it easier for school district voters to pass a parcel tax. Unwilling to await that outcome, Los Angeles Unified school board members are confident they can persuade their voters to pass an ambitious parcel tax now. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 3/18/19

Environment 

On Fiesta Island, an endangered bird species faces tough odds to survive -- Drive to Fiesta Island, walk all the way through the dog park on the southwestern end, and you’ll run into a chain link fence with a sign that cautions, “Do not disturb.” That fence protects one of the last remaining patches of sand dune where the endangered California least tern can nest and nurture its chicks. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/18/19

Beltway 

Two Pinocchios: Did Wall Street get a ‘trillion-dollar bailout’ during the financial crisis? -- Sanders, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, includes a version of this line in his stump speeches — as part of a slew of statements that he says demonstrates how the system is rigged in favor of the rich and powerful. But his language is a bit slippery and exaggerated. Let’s take a look. Glenn Kessler in the Washington Post$ -- 3/18/19

Anti-war presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard campaigns in Fremont -- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii swept through Fremont on Sunday afternoon on a campaign stop for her budding bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, which has crystallized largely around matters of war and peace. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/18/19

McManus: Is Beto O’Rourke just another pretty face? -- The most striking thing about the Democrats’ newest presidential candidate is that he’s so hard to pin down. Even though Beto O’Rourke spent six years as a congressman from El Paso, he has offered few specific positions on issues. Doyle McManus in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/18/19

 

-- Sunday Updates 

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