Updating . .
Bay Area voters: ‘Yes, we’ll pay to fix traffic’ but middling support for housing plan -- They’re the twin demons plaguing Bay Area residents: the never-ending grind of bumper-to-bumper traffic and the ever-climbing cost of housing. But in a recent poll, voters said that when it comes to tackling those most vexing issues, they are far more willing to open their wallets to fix traffic problems than they are to support a wide-ranging plan to bring down high housing costs. Erin Baldassari in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/25/19
Eminent domain threatened in Santa Cruz highway widening plans -- The City Council on Tuesday will consider taking the rare step of forcing a private River Street property owner to sell the city two properties integral to a planned highway interchange road widening project. Jessica A. York in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/25/19
Some Startup Founders Leave Silicon Valley ‘Bubble’ and Head East -- Silicon Valley has long been the epicenter of tech talent and investor cash, but startup founders who recently made the move to New York City say a Bay Area address isn’t necessary to start a successful tech firm. Kate King in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/25/19
Taylor: Bay Area’s housing crisis rolls on for UC Berkeley grad living in van -- Yesica Prado’s graduation stole hangs in her living room like a piece of art. She graduated from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism in May and now works as a freelance photographer and writer, reporting on homelessness. It’s a subject she knows a lot about. She lives in an RV. Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/25/19
San Diegans could face two tax hikes to fund world-class transit system. But will they foot the bill? -- San Diegans will likely be asked in coming years to pay for a costly yet world-class public transit system — complete with a San Diego Grand Central, new rail lines and commute times that rival driving. Joshua Emerson Smith in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/25/19
As Trump tries to roll back clean water rules, California seeks stronger protections -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is working to rein in the landmark law and halt what it sees as excessive oversight of small marshes, creeks and ponds, like the scores that spill across California’s farm country. State regulators are seeking to maintain and even expand watershed protections. They say too many waterways have been eaten up by human sprawl. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/25/19Urban Shield, much-criticized police anti-terror training exercise, is dead -- The decision to defund the program followed an earlier 3-2 vote by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors on a resolution that called for the $1.5 million program to lose the Urban Shield name and its controversial vendors show, which exhibited the latest in police gadgetry, and to cut the SWAT team competitions from the exercise. Phil Matier in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/25/19
How bad are porch pirates in California? You might want to rethink those online purchases -- New report says Golden State rates No. 3 for most packages stolen from homes. Patrick May in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/25/19
California lawmakers will consider banning cosmetic genital surgery on intersex children -- River Gallo has prosthetic testes he says he never asked for and never wanted. Alice Alvarez says she should have been able to decide for herself before a doctor removed her testicles, which one did when she was an infant. Melody Gutierrez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/25/19
Pelosi wins breathing room on impeachment after Mueller findings -- The speaker appeared to be vindicated in urging Democrats to move slowly on impeachment. John Bresnahan and Heather Caygle Politico -- 3/25/19
Fox: Death Penalty Politics -- Gov. Gavin Newsom’s anti-death penalty position will not only intensify the politics of district attorney campaigns but may one-day reach as high as California Supreme Court retention elections. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 3/25/19
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Time, money and a ‘culture shift:’ How three California police departments overhauled their policies -- In Los Angeles, police can’t always shoot at moving vehicles. San Francisco banned choke holds. Stockton officers are required to intervene if their colleagues use excessive force. They are among the California police departments that cracked down on deadly force policies following controversies similar to Stephon Clark’s death in Sacramento in March 2018. Hannah Wiley in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/25/19
Big business’ political muscle in Sacramento is tested by new Democratic mega-majority -- If the state Capitol had a hall of fame for legislative influence, a no-brainer inductee for playing defense would be the California Chamber of Commerce — a feared linebacker with a two-decade record of tackling and stopping new laws. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/25/19
Arsonist strikes mosque in Escondido, Calif., refers to New Zealand massacre in note -- An arsonist set a fire that blackened the walls of an Escondido mosque early Sunday and left a note on the house of worship’s driveway referencing a shooting rampage at two New Zealand mosques that left dozens dead, investigators said. Lyndsay Winkley and Lauryn Schroeder in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/25/19
Sen. Bernie Sanders draws enthusiastic crowd to Fort Mason in San Francisco -- Thousands of people packed a Bernie Sanders rally in San Francisco’s Fort Mason on a sunny Sunday afternoon as the independent senator from Vermont continued his campaign for U.S. president as a Democrat with a fiery populist speech, vowing to turn his progressive agenda into reality. Carolyn Said and Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/25/19
Walters: Can California close its ‘achievement gap’? -- The biggest issue facing the nation’s biggest public school system – California’s, with six million students – is a stubborn “achievement gap.” That’s the term educators use to describe persistent differences between what white and Asian students learn, as revealed by academic testing, and what Latino, black and poor students are getting from the public schools. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 3/25/19
Skelton: Big backyards and pools are California’s past. Apartment buildings are its future -- You don’t need to be a Nobel physicist to figure the direction California must go to solve its acute housing shortage — up. Stop expanding sideways and become more like New York City — and less like us. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/25/19
California Lottery official dismissed amid investigations -- A senior California Lottery executive has been dismissed from his position six months after anonymous state employees sent a letter to the Governor’s Office complaining about rowdy behavior among a group of the lottery’s top brass. Wes Venteicher in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/25/19
San Diego politicians, scholars disagree on impact of Mueller report -- Amid the shouts of “no collusion” among Republicans and “no exoneration” among Democrats, a consensus emerged that issues raised by the special counsel’s 22-month probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign aren’t going away. John Wilkens and Kristina Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/25/19
Disappointed Democrats shrug: 2020 election about health care, economy -- The newly released summary of the Mueller report has already emboldened Republicans to declare victory, encouraged by the special counsel’s conclusion that neither Donald Trump nor any of his campaign officials colluded with Russian actors during the 2016 presidential election. Katie Glueck and Alex Roarty in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/25/19
Smolens: Mueller report doesn't make 2020 any easier for San Diego Republicans -- The 2020 election was already shaping up as another rough one for San Diego County Republicans. That special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation didn’t find any collusion between President Donald Trump and the Russian government in the 2016 election doesn’t change that. Michael Smolens in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/25/19
Weekend of violence leaves five dead — Five people were killed as the result of gun violence in Stockton in the span of less than 52 hours while a young woman clings to life in an area hospital, leaving families devastated, homicide detectives working overtime and the public demanding answers. Joe Goldeen in the Stockton Record -- 3/25/19
Education
Schools lack a clear view of Asian and Pacific Islander discipline disparities, study finds -- When examining school discipline disparities, data consistently show that Asian-American students, compared to other racial and ethnic groups, have the lowest rates of suspensions and expulsions. David Washburn EdSource -- 3/25/19
Cannabis
Bingo and bongs: More seniors seek pot for age-related aches -- The group of white-haired folks — some pushing walkers, others using canes — arrive right on time at the gates of Laguna Woods Village, an upscale retirement community in the picturesque hills that frame this Southern California suburb a few miles from Disneyland. John Rogers Associated Press -- 3/25/19
Environment
Selfie-Seeking Tourists Are Crushing California’s Superbloom -- American cities often tout attractions to draw crowds. This city, 90 minutes east of Los Angeles, is trying to keep them away. Tens of thousands of visitors are showing up every day, drawn by the so-called superbloom that has blanketed hillsides in orange, yellow and purple flowers after a winter of heavy rain in Southern California. Nour Malas and Ian Lovett in the Wall Street Journal$ Richard K. De Atley in the Riverside Press Enterprise$ -- 3/25/19
Are oil companies responsible for climate change? A group of senators thinks so -- When a federal judge dismissed lawsuits by San Francisco and Oakland seeking to hold major oil companies responsible for harm caused by climate change, he said the issue was one for the political branches of government, not the courts. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/25/19
Also . . .
Henry Tseng, who exercised every day at age 111, dies -- Every day at 3 p.m., Henry Tseng arrived at a gym on the Westside for his daily workout — not an unusual sight in Los Angeles, except Tseng was 111. Tseng’s passion for physical fitness made him something of a local celebrity at the Collins & Katz Family YMCA in Sawtelle, where he had been a member for more than 40 years. Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/25/19
POTUS 45
Trump Declares Victory, and a War on His Enemies -- President Trump was in the private quarters of his Palm Beach, Fla., club on Sunday afternoon when two White House lawyers briefed him on the details of Attorney General William P. Barr’s four-page summary of the Russia investigation. Mark Landler and Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ -- 3/25/19
Trump begins post-Mueller 'reset' by strafing Democrats, media -- The president and his allies see a chance to reconnect with voters. But first they want payback for Mueller mania. Anita Kumar and Gabby Orr Politico -- 3/25/19
A Cloud Over Trump’s Presidency Is Lifted -- For President Trump, it may have been the best day of his tenure so far. The darkest, most ominous cloud hanging over his presidency was all but lifted on Sunday with the release of the special counsel’s conclusions, which undercut the threat of impeachment and provided him with a powerful boost for the final 22 months of his term. Peter Baker in the New York Times$ -- 3/25/19
Mueller finds no Trump-Russia conspiracy but doesn’t ‘exonerate’ Trump on obstruction, attorney general says -- Atty. Gen. William P. Barr told Congress on Sunday that special counsel Robert S. Mueller III did not find evidence that President Trump or his campaign conspired with Russians during the 2016 election, a significant victory for a president who has steadfastly denied any inappropriate ties to Moscow. Chris Megerian and Del Quentin Wilber in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/25/19
Mueller’s punt on obstruction question throws issue into the political arena -- Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s decision that he could not conclude whether President Trump’s attacks on the Russia investigation amounted to obstruction of justice illustrates the difficulty in proving such a charge — and left Democrats with a narrow but fraught path to press a case against Trump. Rosalind S. Helderman and Josh Dawsey in the Washington Post$ -- 3/25/19
Mueller findings help Trump toward re-election, could change Democrats’ focus -- “It really clears the landscape tremendously,” Shawn Steel, the Republican national committeeman for California, said Sunday. “Trump doesn’t have to look over his shoulders anymore. That big rock around his neck is gone.” Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/25/19
No Impeachment in View, but Democrats Push On With Investigations of Trump -- Attorney General William P. Barr’s summary on Sunday of the special counsel investigation keeps the impeachment of President Trump off the table, at least for now, but Democrats vowed to push forward with investigations into every aspect of the presidency and for access to the full report of the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III. Nicholas Fandos in the New York Times$ -- 3/25/19
Beltway
How much of the Mueller report will the public see — and when? -- What will the public see, and when will it see it? Those became the key questions Sunday after Attorney General William P. Barr released to members of Congress a brief summary of the conclusions of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. The answers, based on Barr’s letter to lawmakers, are cloudy. Fred Barbash in the Washington Post$ -- 3/25/19
-- Sunday Updates
Mystery parent paid $6.5 million to get kids into top universities as part of admissions scandal -- Of the many outrageous allegations revealed by federal prosecutors in the college cheating scandal, one stands out. Someone paid $6.5 million to get his or her children into elite schools. But the identity of that parent — and details about which schools were involved — remains a mystery nearly two weeks after authorities in Boston filed the charges against dozens of wealthy individuals. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/24/19
Your kid’s an average student: What’s it cost to boost his college application? -- The national college admissions scandal has renewed focus on an uncomfortable truth: If mom and dad have the means, there are plenty of legal ways to boost an otherwise average student’s chances to get into a coveted university. John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/24/19
Valero refinery to temporarily shut down after air pollution warning -- The Valero refinery in Benicia will shut down, probably for several days, after a problem caused coke particles to escape through a stack, creating health risks for people with respiratory problems, officials said Sunday. Benicia officials urged vulnerable people to immediately seek shelter, and they said the shutdown of the facility may result in visible flaring. Kimberly Veklerov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/24/19
Leaks reveal San Diego operations of white nationalists active at area colleges -- A recent leak of more than 200,000 online chat logs from a white supremacist group reveals how local members are targeting students on San Diego college campuses and trying to project a respectable image even as the group’s members privately espoused Islamophobic, anti-Semitic and racist views. Andrew Dyer in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/24/19
How smart would a 'smart wall' be at the border? -- Deep in the Otay Mountain Wilderness, there is no wall. The only boundary between the U.S. and Mexico is a section of barbed wire fence in a pastoral valley. And miles and miles of treacherous terrain. Kristina Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/24/19
Trump says barbed wire ‘can be a beautiful sight.’ Many border communities disagree -- Most people know it as razor wire. It coils atop the walls and fences that divide the U.S. and Mexico, snaking through weeds and past traffic signs, splintering the sunlight with its shiny knife-like barbs. The U.S. military prefers a less menacing name: concertina wire. Molly Hennessy-Fiske in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/24/19
Shut out of the legal pot market, Indian tribes pursuing cannabis sales on their own land -- The legalization of recreational marijuana in California left American Indians out in the cold. Proposition 64, approved by voters in 2016, lets local governments decide whether to allow cannabis dispensaries to operate within their jurisdictions. But it made no provisions for tribes. J. Harry Jones in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 3/24/19
Bretón: Deal with it: Our homeless problem will surely persist if we don’t do anything -- Homelessness is not as pronounced or overwhelming in Sacramento as it is in Seattle, San Francisco, Berkeley and Los Angeles. But it could be in a few years. Marcos Bretón in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/24/19
California’s patchwork of care for the undocumented: Where you live matters -- In the outpatient waiting room at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, Spanish and Chinese chatter spills from pharmacy windows as other patients doze on chairs or play on their phones. Sammy Caiola Capital Public Radio via in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/24/19
Is the Bay Area pushing people to the breaking point? -- Despite a booming economy, pleasant climate and natural treasures, nearly two-thirds of Bay Area residents say the quality of life here has gotten worse in the last five years, according to a new poll. Louis Hansen in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 3/24/19
Bubble Watch: Southern California building permits take biggest tumble since recession -- But 2018’s slightly cooling job market helped create a large local supply of unsold newly built homes. And as summer began, homeowners were rushing to list their existing homes for sale. More competition for sellers, at a minimum, diminished builders’ immediate need to create more single-family homes. Jonathan Lansner in the Riverside Press Enterprise$ -- 3/24/19
Willie Brown: Bernie Sanders: New haircut, new suit, old news -- Are California voters feeling the Bern this time? That’s the question facing Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont when he arrives in San Francisco on Sunday to stoke support for his renewed run for president. Willie Brown in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 3/24/19