Updating . .
Supreme Court upholds government’s authority to detain and deport immigrants for past crimes -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the Trump administration’s power to arrest and hold legal immigrants indefinitely if they had past crimes on their records that could trigger deportation, even if they served their time years ago or were convicted of minor drug offenses. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/19
California is growing so much marijuana it could crash the market -- In its 2019 cannabis harvest projection, Vessel Logistics, a San Francisco-based cannabis distribution company, found that more than 1,142 acres of cannabis farms hold state permits. They can produce up to 9 million pounds of crop every year, but the permitted wholesale market can realistically support 1.8 million to 2.2 million pounds. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/19/19
Orange County man was high on pot in Fullerton crash that hurt 11 pedestrians, prosecutors say -- A 23-year-old man accused of plowing his truck into a crowd in a crash that injured 11 people last month in downtown Fullerton pleaded not guilty Monday to driving under the influence of marijuana and hit-and-run charges, prosecutors said. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/19
Here are the stories about police misconduct uncovered so far by a new media partnership -- The California Reporting Project — a partnership of 33 newsrooms across the state — launched Tuesday in an effort to combine resources to review internal police records that became public under a new transparency law that took effect this year. Ben Poston and Maya Lau in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/19
‘We don’t want them in our city’: San Francisco officials seek Juul crackdown -- San Francisco officials proposed legislation Tuesday that would ban the sale of e-cigarettes in the city and prohibit e-cigarette companies like Juul from occupying city-owned property in the future. Catherine Ho and Trisha Thadani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/19/19
They moved to make way for California’s high-speed rail. Now they wonder if it was for nothing -- For more than five years, California’s high-speed rail project has disrupted and dislocated residents and businesses up and down the central San Joaquin Valley through the acquisition of property for the bullet-train right of way. Tim Sheehan in the Fresno Bee -- 3/19/19
A political awakening: How Howard University shaped Kamala Harris’ identity -- The war on drugs had erupted, apartheid was raging, Jesse Jackson would soon make the campus a staging ground for his inaugural presidential bid. Running for student office in 1982 at Howard University — the school that nurtured Thurgood Marshall, Toni Morrison and Stokely Carmichael — was no joke. Evan Halper in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/19
Meet the blue wave now representing Orange County in Congress -- Long a bastion of Republican power, Orange County is now represented entirely by Democrats. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/19
Devin Nunes sued a parody account with about 1,000 followers. Here’s how many it has now -- One of the accounts, known as Devin Nunes’ Cow, saw its followers on Twitter swell from just over a thousand to more than 119,000 in less than a day after the Republican congressman from Tulare announced his lawsuit on Fox News. Kate Irby in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/19/19
Where has Kevin Johnson been on the Clark shooting? On Monday, the ex-mayor spoke out -- Former Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson’s life out of office has been pointedly private. Monday night was an aberration. Benjy Egel in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/19/19
College admissions scandal: Wealthy parents told to make deal or face more charges -- Federal prosecutors are seeking potential deals with some of the wealthy parents charged in the sweeping college admissions scandal as investigators continue to broaden the case, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation. One source said some of the parents are being given a short window to consider a deal or potentially face additional charges. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/19
USC places hold on student accounts of those linked to college admissions scandal -- As the fallout from a massive college admissions cheating scandal that has ensnared several elite universities across the country enters its second week, USC officials have started investigating students who may be linked to the scheme. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/19
Cal investigating former crew team member linked to college admissions scandal -- In the ever-widening college admissions scandal, UC Berkeley confirmed Monday that it has opened an investigation into the acceptance of a student in 2014 whose father paid $100,000 for a test taker to ace the SATs on behalf of his son, according to a federal indictment. Matthias Gafni in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/19/19
Barstow High School teacher accused of having sex with teenage student -- Katherine O’Neill, 51, was arrested a day after authorities received a report that the Barstow High School teacher was having an inappropriate relationship with a 16-year-old student, according to sheriff’s officials. O’Neill posted $100,000 bail and was released from custody Saturday. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/19
These Donors Gave Nearly $8 Million At Gavin Newsom’s Request. He Gave Them Access At His Inaugural Events -- Newsom offered this access in exchange for nearly $8 million in donations to his inaugural committee and a charitable fund that donated proceeds from the concert to wildfire relief. They’re known as “behested contributions,” and they’re entirely legal. Ben Adler Capital Public Radio -- 3/19/19
Meet the 27-year-old mayor about to double her Bay Area city’s population -- While she’s by no means a typical mayor, she is a typical victim of the Bay Area’s affordable housing shortage. And in that sense, she’s the ideal person to lead her tiny city as it sets out to do something it has resisted for years — build a ton more housing. Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/19/19
California Has the Jobs but Not Enough Homes -- California’s economy is adding jobs far faster than affordable places to live, forcing some employers to leave the state as they expand. Nour Malas in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/19/19
Hayward construction biz owner faces up to 30 years on forced labor charges -- A jury found Job Torres Hernandez, 38, guilty of the charges following a 10-day trial in Oakland. Prosecutors said he hired Mexican immigrants to work on his construction projects, including the Silvery Towers development in downtown San Jose, but didn’t pay them and threatened them if they tried to report him. Ashley McBride in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/19/19
$25 million in private funds to help build waterfront park in San Francisco’s Bayview -- The grant from the John Pritzker Family Fund, a local foundation, will pay for environmental remediation as well as design and partial construction of an 8-acre park along India Basin, in the Bayview district. John King in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/19/19
Turns out San Francisco’s big, new hospital on Van Ness didn’t draw development as predicted -- The great Van Ness Avenue land rush began five years ago when Sutter Health broke ground on its new San Francisco hospital. Developers bet that the $2 billion building would fuel a multitude of new medical offices and glassy apartment buildings. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/19/19
L.A. Times Owner Sets Ambitious Goal: Five Million Digital Subscribers -- The target is no small task, as the Times now has 150,000 digital-only subscribers, the company said—almost double what it had when Dr. Soon-Shiong took over. Dr. Soon-Shiong didn’t set a timeline for achieving the goal, but pointed to the digital-subscriber growth numbers posted by the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal as proof that it is possible. Lukas I. Alpert in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/19/19
As United Methodist leaders tighten LGBTQ ban, churches struggle with path forward -- But like so many gay Methodists, Baudler now feels betrayed by the United Methodist Church, which is fighting a civil war over homosexuality so acrimonious that it could split the denomination. Hailey Branson-Potts in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/19
A California battle over swordfish — and gill nets -- Conservationists are pushing a $1 million effort this summer to change the way swordfish are caught off the California coast by phasing out the use of gill nets. Chuck McFadden Capitol Weekly -- 3/19/19
Murdoch family launches a new Fox; ex-House Speaker Paul Ryan joins its board -- Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox spun off various television assets — including the Fox News Channel and Fox broadcast network — to form a new company Tuesday known simply as Fox Corp. Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/19
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Trump’s 9th Circuit court nominee doesn’t live in California. Some say that’s a problem -- 9th Circuit Court of Appeals nominee Daniel Bress was born and raised in Gilroy, Calif., but has lived all but one year of his adult life on the East Coast. California’s Democratic senators, Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, argue that should disqualify Bress from filling a California-based vacancy on the court, the largest and busiest in the country. Emily Cadei in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/19/19
Legal claim puts city ‘on notice’ for civil rights suit over Stephon Clark protest arrests -- An attorney for the scores arrested in East Sacramento’s Stephon Clark protests earlier this month is laying the groundwork for a federal civil rights suit with a claim against the city of Sacramento, the city’s Police Department and Sacramento County for officers’ actions that night. Darrell Smith and Theresa Clift in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/19/19
Sacramento Police Department Changes Protocol Following Arrests Of Journalists At Stephon Clark Protest -- Demonstrators held a vigil and march Monday night in South Sacramento on the one-year anniversary of Stephon Clark’s death. The peaceful protest came as the Sacramento Police Department says it is changing how it operates during demonstrations, including the way it handles members of the press. Randol White Capital Public Radio -- 3/19/19
Family, Neighborhood Residents Remember Stephon Clark As Rev. Al Sharpton Calls For Police Investigation Reforms -- The family of Stephon Clark spent the one-year anniversary of his death commemorating him with music, consolation and calls for justice. At the Genesis Church in Meadowview on Monday, neighborhood residents and Clark’s loved ones gathered to celebrate the 22-year-old’s life and legacy. He died March 18, 2018, after Sacramento police shot him in his grandmother’s backyard. Sammy Caiola Capital Public Radio -- 3/19/19
Sharpton: Clark decision ‘threat to all of the young people in this city’ -- Standing on the north steps of the State Capitol on Monday, flanked by members of the Clark family and attorney Ben Crump, Sharpton had sharp words for District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert. He said her decision to not charge the two officers who shot Clark is a “national disgrace,” and urged support of a bill – AB 392 – he said would hold officers accountable when they fire on unarmed people. Molly Sullivan in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/19/19
Fremont Destroyed Decades of Police Misconduct Records Shortly Before Transparency Law Took Effect -- Last year, while state lawmakers were considering a landmark bill to open up previously confidential police misconduct records to the public, the City of Fremont quietly destroyed a large archive of papers, cassettes, and computer files documenting over four decades of internal affairs investigations and citizen complaints. It is not known if the destroyed records could have covered officer-involved shootings. Darwin BondGraham KQED -- 3/19/19
California news agencies join forces to obtain previously secret records from hundreds of police agencies -- One Los Angeles police officer had sex with a drug addict he met on foot patrol. A San Diego County sheriff’s deputy was linked to a Mexican drug cartel. That same deputy sold erectile dysfunction pills illegally to a colleague in a jail parking lot. A Brea police sergeant hawked official shoulder patches he took from the department for $95 apiece. Such misconduct, once secret under four decades of police confidentiality statutes, now must disclosed under a new transparency law targeting police personnel records. Tony Saavedra in the Orange County Register Sukey Lewis, Thomas Peele, Alex Emslie and Lisa Pickoff-White KQED and Bay Area News Group Julie Johnson in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat Ben Poston and Maya Lau in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/19
An off-duty officer fled DUI crash, then let his mom try to take the blame, records show -- South Pasadena Police Cpl. Ryan Bernal realized he was in trouble. Ben Poston and Maya Lau in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/19
Connected Bay Area recruiter gets no bid contract as online community college staffs up -- California’s new online community college director, hoping to quickly establish her executive team, pushed Monday to grant a no-bid contract of up to $500,000 to an executive recruiter who is a friend and long has been a part of San Francisco’s political scene. Dan Morain Calmatters -- 3/19/19
Thousands of San Diego street lights are equipped with sensors and cameras. Here's what they record -- Some 3,200 smart sensors have already been installed in street lights citywide as part of an effort to make San Diego a so-called “smart city,” and last week, city officials met with members of the public for the first time to quell fears about privacy given the rise of facial-recognition technology and license-plate scanners. Luis Gomez in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/19/19
Gov. Newsom says Trump-backed investment program could boost California -- Newsom said the Opportunity Zones program could help address two of the state’s major challenges: promoting energy investment to meet its climate change goals and providing funding for housing amid a shortage that has exacerbated income inequality. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/19/19
L.A. sheriff abruptly removes second-in-command Ray Leyva, promotes Tim Murakami to undersheriff -- A longtime Los Angeles County sheriff’s official who came back from retirement to serve as Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s second-in-command — and was seen as a steadying hand in a fledgling administration that has already grappled with controversies — is leaving a little more than three months into the new sheriff’s term, he said. Maya Lau in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/19
Rep. Devin Nunes sues Twitter for $250M, claims ‘shadow ban’ of conservatives, report says -- The lawsuit accuses Twitter of hiding, punishing or “shadow-banning” posts with a conservative bent – including those from Nunes – while simultaneously allowing others to profit from defaming him. Rory Appleton and Kate Irby in the Fresno Bee -- 3/19/19
Late vote count confirms Irvine Mayor Don Wagner will be new county supervisor -- With only a few dozen ballots left to count on Monday, Wagner, a Republican, led former congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, a Democrat, by 3,537 votes in the seven-candidate race to represent the inland 3rd District, according to county officials. Jordan Graham in the Orange County Register -- 3/19/19
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
New CalPERS leader wants pension fund to put its money back into tobacco -- Jason Perez, a Corona police officer who was elected to the pension board in October, put forward the motion during a meeting of the fund’s investment committee Monday. Board members Margaret Brown and Dana Hollinger supported the proposal to consider reinvesting in tobacco, but the rest of the 13-member committee rejected it. Wes Venteicher in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/19/19
California truck drivers could become employees under ruling -- The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal by the California Trucking Association on Monday in a case that could classify tens of thousands of California truck drivers as employees of freight-hauling companies, with the right to minimum wages, overtime pay and reimbursement for business expenses. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/19/19
San Diego Regional Chamber Of Commerce Heads To Mexico City -- The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce is leading a delegation of nearly 100 U.S. and Mexican business and community leaders to Mexico City to advocate for projects that benefit the binational region. It will be the first such delegation to Mexico's capital under the country's new president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Jean Guerrero KPBS -- 3/19/19
Some patience, a burned chair or two: Bay Area restaurateurs outline the requirements to open a restaurant -- Burning furniture wasn’t a requirement Dennis Leung ever thought would be necessary to open a restaurant in San Francisco. Justin Phillips in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/19/19
Housing
San Francisco Mayor London Breed says she’s ready for battle over housing, homelessness -- San Francisco Mayor London Breed said Monday that she’s ready to confront the controversies and neighborhood squabbles that will inevitably accompany her attempts to grapple with the city’s homelessness crisis and housing shortage. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/19/19
Education
Amid college admissions scandal, USC announces tuition increase -- Undergraduate tuition and fees at USC will total $57,256 in the coming school year, a 3.5% increase from the previous year, the university announced Monday. The USC Board of Trustees approved the increase, which the university said is one of the smallest increases in 50 years. Jaclyn Cosgrove in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/19
College admissions scammers found 'the hole in the Death Star' -- There have long been serious concerns about the fairness and equity of the admissions process to elite universities. But the sprawling college admissions scandal has exposed serious weaknesses that experts say will result in far-reaching changes. Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/19/19
Cal investigating former crew team member linked to college admissions scandal -- In the ever-widening college admissions scandal, UC Berkeley confirmed Monday that it has opened an investigation into the acceptance of a student in 2014 whose father paid $100,000 for a test taker to ace the SATs on behalf of his son, according to a federal indictment. Matthias Gafni in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/19/19
San Diego Unified trustee sued for alleged sexual assault, harassment of campaign consultant -- A political consultant who helped Kevin Beiser get elected to the San Diego Unified School Board filed suit against Beiser Monday, alleging sexual assault and sexual harassment. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/19/19
California community colleges show little progress in student graduations and transfers -- California’s community colleges are making some gains toward ambitious goals of getting more students to complete degrees and transfer to universities but the small improvements last year were “disappointing” and show that much work remains ahead, the system’s leader said Monday. Larry Gordon EdSource -- 3/19/19
Immigration / Border
Pentagon confirms slew of San Diego military projects could be cut to fund border wall -- The list of vulnerable projects includes a number of projects previously reported by the Union-Tribune, including proposed infrastructure for Osprey aircraft at Naval Air Station North Island, new landing pads for F-35B at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, and a replacement pier at Naval Base San Diego. Andrew Dyer in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/19/19
Concertina wire stolen from border fence and used for home security in Tijuana, authorities say -- The concertina wire installed under the Trump administration to reinforce the U.S.-Mexico border is now being stolen and used to protect Tijuana residences as the city grapples with a surge in crime, officials confirmed Monday. Wendy Fry in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/19/19
George W. Bush: ‘May we never forget that immigration is a blessing and a strength’ -- Former president George W. Bush, making a rare public appearance on Monday, greeted new U.S. citizens and described immigration as “a blessing and a strength,” a message that sharply contrasts with President Trump’s rhetoric on the issue. Felicia Sonmez in the Washington Post$ -- 3/19/19
Health
Mosquito-Borne West Nile Virus Cases Expected To Increase With Spring’s Arrival -- San Diego County officials say residents need to protect themselves from West Nile virus after the mosquito-borne disease was confirmed last week in a dead hawk found in the East County. Susan Murphy KPBS -- 3/19/19
Environment
Chevron's Richmond Refinery Flaring Incidents at Highest Level in More Than a Decade -- The number of flaring incidents in 2018 at Chevron's Richmond refinery was at its highest level in 12 years, according to data the Bay Area Air Quality Management District released Monday at a board of directors committee meeting. Ted Goldberg KQED -- 3/19/19
Edison makes changes at San Onofre, ready to resume loading nuclear waste -- The blue Pacific shimmered and rippled through waves of heat, much like what rises from a car’s roof on a hot summer day. But here, the heat comes not from the sun, but from 29 vents allowing nuclear waste to cool at the shuttered San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. Teri Sforza in the Orange County Register Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/19/19
Once Again in Redwood City, a Battle Brews Over Cargill's Land -- It's no easy task keeping track of the disagreements between Californians and the current version of the United States federal government when it comes to environmental policy. Now, here's another one ... KQED -- 3/19/19
Walker Canyon poppy fields reopen in Lake Elsinore as officials ask: What do we do next? -- In the midst of perhaps the most stunning wildflower superbloom in recent memory, the irresistible Walker Canyon poppy fields that closed in Lake Elsinore on Sunday, March 17, amid chaotic crowds have reopened — for now. David Downey in the Riverside Press Enterprise$ -- 3/19/19
Also . . .
Oakland store owner, relatives charged with defrauding food stamp program for more than $1 million -- The owner of an Oakland convenience store has been charged with defrauding the food stamp program out of more than $1 million, federal prosecutors said Monday. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/19/19
Camp Mather email leads to confusion among San Francisco campers -- Every year, San Francisco families anxiously await acceptance emails to Camp Mather, the beloved family camp 20 miles outside Yosemite. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/19/19
POTUS 45
‘Be Weak & Die!’ Seeking Clues Behind Trump’s Weekend Twitter Barrage -- There was no golf. There were no meetings. There were no activities, other than a rare visit to church. So President Trump did what he could do: He tweeted. Annie Karni, Katie Rogers and Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ -- 3/19/19
Beltway
Democratic presidential debate on LGBTQ issues will be held in California -- There will be at least one presidential debate in California. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation — the education arm of the nation’s largest LGBTQ rights organization — and UCLA will co-host a Democratic presidential candidate debate Oct. 10 in Los Angeles. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/19/19
Beto O’Rourke’s early campaign: Upbeat sentiments absent many specifics -- In the first five days of his campaign, O’Rourke asked voters to shape him into the presidential candidate they want him to be, to help him draft a vision for America. He’s operating without a campaign manager and with an often-exhausted skeleton staff, driving himself from Iowa to New Hampshire in a rented minivan and appearing at dozens of hastily organized events. Jenna Johnson in the Washington Post$ -- 3/19/19
-- Monday Updates
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