Updating . .
How California’s troubled high-speed rail project was ‘captured’ by costly consultants -- When California shifted its bullet train plan into high gear in 2008, it had just 10 employees to manage and oversee design of the largest public construction project in state history. Ralph Vartabedian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/26/19
Why so many old CA police misconduct cases are coming out now -- A new transparency law focused on police misconduct in California has exposed numerous instances of illicit activity under the color of law — sometimes going back years — and a slew of additional records are expected to come from Bay Area law enforcement agencies in the coming weeks and months. Kimberly Veklerov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/26/19
Muni suffers widespread subway delays in midst of contract standoff -- In the midst of a contractual standoff with its bus drivers, San Francisco’s public transit system suffered yet another setback Friday morning when Muni subway service was shut down, leaving commuters to find alternative routes to work as they fumed on social media. Josh Koehn in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/26/19
Newsom administration expands nepotism probe to those who helped official’s daughter -- The administration of Gov. Gavin Newsom has expanded a nepotism probe of the state Department of Industrial Relations after new evidence emerged that half a dozen managers may have helped the director's daughter and another favored job applicant bypass civil service procedures, records show. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/26/19
Chiu, Wiener’s bill to stop suffering from unfair hospital billing moving forward -- San Francisco General Hospital’s recent announcement that it will no longer stick patients with huge, unfair bills if their insurance companies don’t pay the hospital’s crazy prices was great news. But it’s not the end of the story — not even close. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/26/19
Cost of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s first international trip still unknown 2 weeks later -- Newsom’s office deferred to the organization paying for the trip, the California State Protocol Foundation, where a representative refused to answer questions on the record. The nonprofit foundation pays for travel by California governors and is funded through donations made on the governor’s behalf. Sophia Bollag in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/26/19
Councilwoman helped champion marijuana in Lynwood while quietly earning money from Weedmaps -- Few local politicians have championed marijuana as loudly as Aide Castro. She says the drug was crucial to treating a thyroid condition. And as a Lynwood city councilwoman, she was the driving force behind the city’s decision more than two years ago to become one of the first in Los Angeles County to embrace the newly legalized industry. Adam Elmahrek in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/26/19
Disgraced coach could provide key details of USC’s role in college admissions scandal -- From the beginning, USC has played a central role in the college admissions scandal. Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/26/19
The Biggest Clients in the College Admissions Scandal Were From China -- One Chinese family allegedly paid $6.5 million to William “Rick” Singer, the California-based college counselor who has admitted to masterminding the scheme, according to a person familiar with the matter. Melissa Korn and Jennifer Levitz in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/26/19
USC cardiovascular fellowship to be stripped of national accreditation, in major setback -- The panel did not publicly state the reasons for the action. But it comes a year after revelations that a medical resident had accused a fellow in the program of sexual assault and alleged officials didn’t take her case seriously. Matt Hamilton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/26/19
Trump administration unveils plan to open up 1 million California acres to oil drilling -- The Trump administration on Thursday moved forward with plans to open large swaths of California to new oil drilling, dashing the hopes of many who want to see the state put fossil fuels in its past. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/26/19
Klamath Dam removal project moves forward -- A company is officially on board to be the primary contractor for the Klamath Dam removal project, the latest tangible step in a years-long campaign to remove the dams scientists say have threatened the river’s fish populations and harmed its water quality. Shomik Mukherjee in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/26/19
Silicon Valley could be the second richest country in the world -- If Silicon Valley was its own country, its per-person GDP would make it the second richest in the world, just behind oil-producing Qatar. Leonardo Castañeda in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/26/19
The secret HQ2: How Amazon quietly raised a Bay Area army of engineers -- When Amazon created a contest for cities that wanted to host a second headquarters, or HQ2, the Bay Area turned in 160 pages arguing why it should win. Melia Russell in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/26/19
A fire’s unfathomable toll -- The Shepherds followed their dreams to a ridge in Mendocino County. In a flash of flame, everything changed. Lizzie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/26/19
A sixth-grader was sick of coloring. So she skipped six grades to attend Cal State L.A. -- Mia Turel was in first grade when she asked her father to teach her how to chart the probability of losing her baby teeth over time. By second grade, she was reading high school-level books on Martin Luther King Jr. Then she became fascinated by TED Talks on global warming and marine biology. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/26/19
Abcarian: A new skirmish in the California vaccination wars breaks out. Science will prevail -- I thought the vaccination wars in California pretty much fizzled out in 2015 after we outlawed religious and “personal belief” exemptions for children whose parents don’t want to immunize them against diseases like pertussis, measles and mumps. Silly me. Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/26/19
Trump takes Biden’s bait, defends his Charlottesville ‘both sides’ response -- It took one day for President Trump to take Joe Biden’s bait. Departing the White House on Friday morning, Trump defended the comments he made in the aftermath of the violent 2017 white supremacist march in Charlottesville, Va. when he claimed that there were “very fine people on both sides.” Eli Stokols in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/26/19
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Quarantines at 2 LA universities amid US measles outbreak -- More than 200 students and staff at two Los Angeles universities have been placed under quarantine because they may have been exposed to measles and either have not been vaccinated or cannot verify that they are immune, officials said Thursday. Christopher Weber Associated Press Soumya Karlamangla in the Los Angeles Times$ Jacey Fortin in the Los Angeles Times$-- 4/26/19
Measles cases among adults climb in the Bay Area, most exposed through international travel -- Measles cases are on the rise statewide this year, with 15 new cases reported just last week. And those numbers reveal a disturbing new trend: About three-quarters of this year’s 38 reported cases occurred in adults who had never received vaccinations or had partial vaccinations. Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 4/26/19
Trump fracking plan targets over 1 million acres in California -- The Trump administration on Thursday detailed its plan to open more than a million acres of public and private land in California to fracking, raising environmental concerns at a time when opposition to oil and gas drilling in the state is intensifying. Anna M. Phillips in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/26/19
State rent-gouging bill advances, but still no action on tighter rent control -- A bill aimed at protecting California tenants from “egregious” rent hikes cleared a key hurdle in the state Legislature today, less than 24 hours after pro-tenant groups learned their latest try to expand tighter rent controls throughout California is flailing in the Capitol. Matt Levin Calmatters Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Hannah Wiley in the Sacramento Bee$ Guy Marzorati KQED -- 4/26/19
Inspectors pan California prison built to boost inmate care -- California’s inspector general says a flagship prison medical facility built to improve the state’s substandard care is itself providing poor treatment. His report released Thursday gives an “inadequate” rating to the California Health Care Facility in Stockton. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 4/26/19
California prison escapes double with new community programs -- Fifty of the state’s more than 126,000 prisoners absconded last year, almost half of them from a program that allows male inmates to serve the final year of their sentences in community centers to get help with substance abuse, mental and other health issues, jobs, education, housing, family reunification and social support. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 4/26/19
Can California get any more liberal? It will if these laws pass -- California is often considered the birthplace of many of the country’s most progressive policies. Hannah Wiley in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/26/19
San Francisco supervisor seeks new solutions to open drug dealing in the Tenderloin -- A marathon hearing on the scourge of open-air drug dealing in San Francisco’s Tenderloin, South of Market and Mid-Market neighborhoods Thursday raised more questions than it answered about the city’s fragmented, sputtering response to the problem. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/26/19
California approves free phones, internet for foster youth -- Young people in California’s foster system will get free cellphones and internet access under a unique program approved Thursday that supporters say will bridge a digital divide. Christopher Weber Associated Press -- 4/26/19
Orange moves toward electing council members by district -- An Orange resident sued the city in late February for having an at-large system, in which all voters choose from the slate of candidates for the council. Kevin Shenkman, the attorney for the resident, has said the current system dilutes the votes of Latinos, who make up nearly 40 percent of the city’s population. Jeong Park in the Orange County Register -- 4/26/19
Political Breakdown: David Chiu on Rent Control, San Francisco Politics, and Electric Violining -- San Francisco Assemblyman David Chiu discusses renter protections, his relationship with Governor Gavin Newsom, growing up with a "tiger mom," San Francisco vs. state politics, and jamming out on the electric violin. Scott Shafer, Marisa Lagos KQED -- 4/26/19
He was accused of plotting to kill Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi. He may be released before trial -- A federal judge has ordered the release of a Coast Guard officer and self-proclaimed white nationalist who is accused of stockpiling weapons as part of a plot to kill several media and Democratic political figures, including California Sen. Kamala Harris, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, and Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/26/19
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Morgan Stanley to Pay $150 Million to Settle California Case -- California’s attorney general said Morgan Stanley has agreed to pay $150 million to settle allegations the company misled investors, including pension funds serving the state’s teachers and public employees. Stephen Nakrosis in the Wall Street Journal$ Adam Beam Associated Press -- 4/26/19
Mayor proposes major $47 million transformation plan for Old Sacramento waterfront -- Mayor Darrell Steinberg on Thursday announced a proposal to use up to $47 million in hotel tax revenue to transform the Old Sacramento waterfront – adding a long lawn and concert stage, two rooftop bars and maybe even a docked barge with a swimming pool. Theresa Clift in the Sacramento Bee$ Bob Moffitt Capital Public Radio -- 4/26/19
Aerojet Rocketdyne to lay off 180 in Rancho Cordova amid continued Arkansas expansion -- The layoffs are projected to happen by June 20 as part of a previously announced series of layoffs, leaving about 450 employees in the city, Aerojet director of communications Lynn Machon said. Vincent Moleski in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/26/19
Eskaton hit with $42.5 million verdict in elder abuse lawsuit -- The verdict – $35 million in punitive damages awarded late Thursday on top of $7 million in compensatory damages awarded last week – comes seven years after 77-year-old Barbara Lovenstein died because of what her family attorneys say was routine drugging of the woman with the prescription drug Ativan without her consent. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/26/19
Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds
New California law requires Amazon to collect sales tax for small online retailers -- E-commerce giants like Amazon and eBay will have to collect California sales tax on behalf of small online retailers that sell products through their platforms under a law Gov. Gavin Newsom signed on Thursday. Sophia Bollag in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/26/19
Transit
There’s no money for rail on Vermont Avenue, but Metro will pursue it anyway -- Metro’s Board of Directors voted unanimously today to keep examining options for a train along Vermont Avenue, in addition to a bus rapid transit project that the agency aims to complete by 2028. Elijah Chiland Curbed LA -- 4/26/19
Negotiating move by Muni bus drivers leads to delays on more than a dozen lines -- Some called it a piecemeal strike — a combination of drivers calling in sick, taking family medical leave and refusing to work their days off. More than a dozen lines and thousands of commuters suffered, creating a stark, visible impact as contract talks heat up. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/26/19
Housing
San Francisco home sales drop, suggesting slowdown in market -- The number of residential and commercial properties sold in San Francisco fell by 10.5% in the nine months from July through March compared with the same time frame last year. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/26/19
Wildfire
L.A. County sues Edison over devastating Woolsey fire, citing $100 million in losses -- Los Angeles County on Thursday joined a growing list of entities suing Southern California Edison, seeking to hold the utility accountable amid hints that its damaged electrical equipment may have sparked the devastating Woolsey fire. Matt Stiles in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/26/19
Many fire-prone California towns don’t plan for evacuations -- Wildfire surrounded Darrel Wilken and the three hospital patients in his car. But instead of evacuating Paradise, they were stuck in traffic along with thousands of others. Cars burned in front of them. Trees, homes and buildings exploded into flames as the gusting firestorm destroyed nearly everything around them. Damon Arthur Associated Press -- 4/26/19
California seeks lessons from Florida for fire evacuations -- With Hurricane Michael strengthening as it took aim at Florida’s Panhandle, Mark Bowen and his employees watched the live footage through tears. They weren’t looking at increasingly dire storm forecasts last October. They were watching cameras trained on rural Bay County’s three main evacuation routes leading away from sugar-white beaches. Traffic was flowing smoothly when there should have been gridlock. Jennifer Kay and Paul Elias Associated Press -- 4/26/19
Riding out a wildfire is risky but can be the only option -- For Californians who might have to escape wildfire again this year, the options are perilous. Many live in communities that don’t have well-thought-out public evacuation plans and lack the road capacity that’s needed to get everyone out fast. Does this mean people should just shelter in place? Absolutely not, except as a last-ditch resort, according to wildfire experts. Michelle Chandler Associated Press -- 4/26/19
Education
USC cardiovascular fellowship to be stripped of national accreditation -- The panel did not publicly state the reasons for the action. But it comes a year after revelations that a medical resident had accused a fellow in the program of sexual assault and alleged officials didn’t take her case seriously. Matt Hamilton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/26/19
San Francisco Had an Ambitious Plan to Tackle School Segregation. It Made It Worse -- Like many parents in San Francisco, Melvin Canas and Delfina Ramirez described applying to public kindergarten as a part-time job. They researched schools all over the city for their daughter, Cinthya; took unpaid hours off their jobs as cooks to tour over a dozen; and ultimately ranked 15 of them on her application. Dana Goldstein in the New York Times$ -- 4/26/19
Despite education reforms, foster students in California lag far behind on multiple measures -- Seven years ago, two education researchers in California did something that had never been done before. They sat for months in San Francisco in a secure, private room and matched confidential information on children in the child welfare system — those who had been removed from their biological parents due to abuse or neglect and placed into foster care — with information on those same kids’ school attendance and performance. Rob Waters EdSource -- 4/26/19
Immigration / Border
Judge orders Trump administration to ID additional separated children within 6 months -- New effort will focus on migrant families separated at border between July 2017 and June 2018 as part of San Diego litigation. Kristina Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 4/26/19
Guns
A 9th-grader threatened to shoot a classmate, police say. Now his dad faces gun charges -- Albert Sanchez, 48, was charged with two criminal counts of unlawful storage of a firearm and, if convicted, faces up to a year in jail and $2,000 in fines, City Atty. Mike Feuer said at a news conference. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the Los Angeles Times$ Josh Cain in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 4/26/19
Health
Reversal in sight? State rethinks decision to quit providing glasses to needy adults -- Willie Posey of Oakland takes great care of his three-year-old glasses. He needs to keep them as long as he can because Medi-Cal, the state’s health plan for low-income Californians, stopped covering lenses or frames—and he says he can’t afford to pay out-of-pocket again even though he has a new prescription. Elizabeth Aguilera Calmatters -- 4/26/19
Environment
Firm fined $3.3M for worst California oil spill in 25 years -- A judge issued a fine and penalties against Plains All American Pipeline for a 2015 spill that sent 140,000 gallons of crude oil gushing onto Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara County, northwest of Los Angeles. The spill from a corroded pipeline blackened popular beaches for miles, killed wildlife and hurt tourism and fishing. Associated Press -- 4/26/19
Also . . .
Police tweet calls Muslim American congresswoman ‘un-American.’ Fontana blames off-duty officer -- Officials initially said the department’s account had been hacked when the tweet was posted Tuesday and then promptly deleted. But a day later, authorities said in a statement that the culprit was actually an off-duty officer. Officers said they learned about the tweet shortly after 8:30 a.m. after a reporter contacted the Police Department about the post, according to a news release posted Wednesday. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/26/19
POTUS 45
Trump’s Biden insults fueled by belief he can win -- Hours after Joe Biden posted an online video announcing his 2020 White House bid, President Donald Trump responded on Twitter. “Welcome to the race Sleepy Joe,” Trump taunted the former vice president on Thursday. “I only hope you have the intelligence, long in doubt, to wage a successful primary campaign.” Trump’s insults were actually masking respect — and genuine concern about Biden’s potential to win, Trump advisers say. Eliana Johnson and John Bresnahan Politico -- 4/26/19
Stymied by aides, Trump sought out loyalist to curtail special counsel — and drew Mueller’s glare -- President Trump’s efforts to enlist Corey Lewandowski as a back channel were read by some legal observers as one of the clearest cases for potential obstruction of justice laid out in Robert S. Mueller III's report. Ashley Parker, Rosalind S. Helderman and Matt Zapotosky in the Washington Post$ -- 4/26/19
Beltway
5 Questions That Will Determine if Joe Biden Can Succeed -- Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s entry Thursday into the sprawling Democratic primary has immediately reshaped the race, giving definition to a contest that has been defined mostly by uncertainty. Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns in the New York Times$ -- 4/26/19
-- Thursday Updates
Investigations of alleged misconduct by California judges fall short, audit finds -- The report by California State Auditor Elaine M. Howle, released Thursday, determined that the Commission on Judicial Performance failed to take all reasonable steps to probe allegations of judicial misconduct in about a third of the cases the auditor reviewed. Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/19
Kings and NBA launch investigation of assault allegations against coach Luke Walton -- The Sacramento Kings and the NBA announced Thursday they have started a joint investigation into allegations that new head coach Luke Walton sexually assaulted a former sports reporter in a Santa Monica hotel room five years ago. Sam Stanton and Jason Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/25/19
Joe Biden lacks big-name California allies as he launches presidential bid -- Vice President Joe Biden is a popular figure among California Democrats, but that doesn’t mean he can count on the backing of party leaders in the state for his 2020 presidential run, launched Thursday morning. With Biden in the race, Democrats’ presidential field now features more than 20 candidates. Emily Cadei in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/25/19
Nancy Pelosi’s new chief of staff reflects her barrier-breaking boss -- She worked her way up from the San Francisco district office to the House speaker’s office, becoming the first woman to hold her post. She says her mission is serving the American people, including assuring affordable health care, economic security and social equity. Tal Kopan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 4/25/19
More people are dying on L.A.’s streets despite a push to eliminate traffic fatalities -- On a clear afternoon last April, Frederick Frazier was riding his bike in South Los Angeles, headed to help a friend fix a flat tire, when a driver in a Porsche Cayenne rear-ended him. Frazier, who had been in the curb lane of Manchester Avenue, was thrown more than 50 feet through the air. The speeding SUV hit the 22-year-old with such force that it shattered his white-and-blue bicycle. He died in the street as the driver sped away. Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/19
Just how hard is it to fight a parking ticket in L.A.? Here’s one Angeleno’s story -- For nearly two years, Hollywood resident Lisa Soremekun fought City Hall, demanding reimbursement for the $73 parking ticket that was placed on her car — wrongly, she says — and the $239 towing fee that went with it. David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/19
L.A. takes climate change fight to the streets by pouring cooler pavement -- The gray sludge poured out of giant plastic buckets like pancake batter. Workers in neon vests and spiky cleats squeegeed it across a parking lot in downtown Los Angeles, smoothing it into a thin layer beneath a cloudless sky. This light-reflecting goop is part of L.A.’s experiment to cool the city as it’s hit by climate change. Tony Barboza in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/19
California measles cases reach 38, with outbreaks expected to keep growing -- California health officials announced Thursday that 38 people had been infected with measles so far this year, a tally expected to rise in the coming weeks as outbreaks grow in the state. Soumya Karlamangla in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/19
After inmate dies of Legionnaires', Stockton prison works to kill bacteria -- California state officials have initiated a chlorine water treatment to clear out deadly bacteria that are the source of Legionnaires’ disease from several facilities in the Central Valley. The measure is part of a larger investigation into the source of two confirmed cases of the disease at a Stockton facility, one of which resulted in the death of an inmate in March. Alexa Díaz in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/19
Orange County homeless population jumps to nearly 7,000, survey shows -- A new census of Orange County’s homeless population found nearly 7,000 people living in shelters or on the streets countywide — a significant uptick from the last such count in 2017 as the county has struggled to deal with the issue. Luke Money, Hillary Davis, Faith E. Pinho and Priscella Vega in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/19
A Senior On The Streets, With Little Chance Of A Home -- Rising housing costs compounded by insufficient retirement income and life’s calamities are driving more seniors, such as 71-year-old Carl Russell, onto California’s streets. Each night, Russell sleeps sitting up. A sleeping bag on a concrete sidewalk is his bed. The front of San Diego’s Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center is his headboard. He is among the rapidly growing number of homeless seniors across the nation. Amita Sharma KPBS -- 4/25/19
Surprise homeless sweeps aren’t just disruptive, say activists—they aren’t working -- David Busch has lived in Venice Beach on and off since the 1980s. He started out with a $350 monthly rental on the boardwalk and continues to live nearby. Only now, he sleeps in a tent and must contend with the city’s periodic sweeps of homeless encampments. Nadra Nittle Curbed LA -- 4/25/19
Despite his ouster, Max Nikias is still a force at USC, leaving some worried -- He moves through USC without fanfare these days, just another bespectacled academic cutting across the quad by Tommy Trojan. Students flying by on skateboards and bicycles seem to take little notice. Matt Hamilton and Harriet Ryan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/19
Fox: No Surprise in Poll Results on Tax Questions -- Well, here’s a shocker revealed by the most recent Public Policy of Institute of California poll: Voters are more likely to raise taxes on someone else than they are to raise taxes on themselves to help fund public education. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 4/25/19