Updating . .
Founder of California white power group, another member plead guilty in Charlottesville riot -- Two key members of a white supremacist group based in Southern California pleaded guilty Friday to conspiring to riot for their roles in provoking violence at a deadly far-right rally in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/3/19
Toxic water in California prisons: Sickening inmates and costing taxpayers millions -- An inmate’s death in Stockton from Legionnaires’ disease marks the third time in four years the rare form of pneumonia has struck California’s state prisons – and has laid bare a history of contamination and other problems plaguing water supplies in the corrections system. Ryan Sabalow, Dale Kasler, and Wes Venteicher in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/3/19
A final battle: bringing best friend’s remains home from Vietnam -- As kids, Ruben and Raul thought they had life all figured out. They would grow up and live minutes from one another, be best men in each other’s weddings, godfathers to each other’s children. They would sit side by side at Dodger stadium, two old men in a sea of blue. Esmeralda Bermudez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/3/19
Capitol Weekly Podcast: Hilary McLean, Roger Salazar a duo again -- Prominent political consultants Roger Salazar and Hilary McLean worked together in tiny digs in Gov. Gray Davis’ press office before the current crop of Capitol Weekly interns were even born. Those were trying times for the Davis communications team — you may ‘recall’ that Davis’ gig didn’t end well. Link Here -- 5/3/19
Phillips 66 Fined Again For Polluting San Pablo Bay -- State water regulators announced Wednesday that the Houston-based company will pay $80,000 for violating chlorine limits in water it released into the bay more than a dozen times over a five-month period last year. Ted Goldberg KQED -- 5/3/19
Could Expanding Nurse’s Scope of Care Help Fight the Opioid Epidemic in California? -- When it comes to treating opioid addiction, most health care experts say nurses have a critical role to play in prescribing the life-saving medication, buprenorphine. Buprenorphine can be prescribed by both doctors and nurses who have taken specific training and received a license from the Drug Enforcement Administration. Laura Klivans KQED -- 5/3/19
California Dispatches Goats to Eat Brush, Prevent Wildfires -- California firefighters are enlisting help from some unusual allies to prevent more deadly wildfires from ripping across the state -- goats. The Ventura County Fire Department is releasing hundreds of goats next week north of Los Angeles to eat dead brush that could become fuel for a fires. Gerald Porter Jr. Bloomberg -- 5/3/19
Reclaiming Paradise -- Before the Camp Fire wiped out this town, David and Chenoa Rivera had found a niche here. The couple bought run-down properties in the Sierra foothills and turned them into charming mountain getaways. Their remodels were so smartly done, often with wood-beam ceilings and big fireplaces, that the husband-wife team landed a reality show on HGTV. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/3/19
Fox: High Speed Rail Update Spurs Review of Original Arguments Made About the Project -- A new report on the ever-changing promises on the high speed rail is out and it serves as a reminder that ballot arguments made on behalf or opposed to ballot measures don’t always play out as promised. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 5/3/19
California Policy & Politics This Morning
PG&E Says S.E.C. Is Investigating Its Wildfire Disclosures -- The Securities and Exchange Commission has opened an investigation into Pacific Gas and Electric’s accounting for its losses related to three years of wildfires in Northern California, the utility reported to shareholders Thursday. Ivan Penn in the New York Times$ -- 5/3/19
California prosecutors investigate L.A. archdiocese's handling of sex abuse cases -- The California attorney general’s office will review how the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has handled sexual abuse allegations, including whether it followed mandatory reporting requirements to law enforcement, according to a letter reviewed by The Times. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/3/19
When the next recession hits, will California be able to count on Washington? -- They don’t call it the Golden State for nothing, at least not lately. California’s fiscal health is in extraordinary shape. Income tax receipts surpassed expectations for the pivotal month of April. Projections of a $21 billion-plus surplus are not out of the question. Judy Lin Calmatters -- 5/3/19
Newsom officially kills Jerry Brown’s Delta twin tunnels project -- The Newsom administration announced it is withdrawing permit applications that the Brown administration had submitted to the State Water Resources Control Board, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and several federal agencies. Instead, the administration said it will begin environmental studies on a one-tunnel project. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ Dale Kasler and Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/3/19
The Trump Administration Stopped Working On California’s High-Speed Rail Project Last Year. Now, It’s Not Even Talking With The State -- The Trump administration has cut off all communication and cooperation with the California High-Speed Rail Authority — including freezing all environmental review, engineering and safety work dating back to last year — which the state says is putting the already embattled project at risk of further delays and cost increases. Ben Adler Capital Public Radio -- 5/3/19
Likely cost of high-speed rail rises again -- The state’s plan to connect San Francisco to Los Angeles via bullet train—a project that is not, in fact, cancelled despite some confusion about Gov. Gavin Newsom’s intentions earlier this year—has most likely grown more expensive, although cost estimates remain within the parameters laid out in last year’s business plan. Adam Brinklow Curbed San Francisco -- 5/3/19
California’s 2018 midterm election: A dive into the numbers -- Voter participation dramatically increased in California in the 2018 midterm elections, part of a nationwide trend. About 51.9% of California’s 25.1 million eligible voters hit the polls in the 2018 general election, up from 36.6% in 2014, the previous midterm election, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Scott Soriano Capitol Weekly -- 5/3/19
Fight for the House: California sees another GOP challenger -- Another tough U.S. House race is shaping up in Southern California. Orange County Supervisor Michelle Steel announced Thursday that she’s challenging first-term Rep. Harley Rouda, whose victory in the coastal 48th District last year helped Democrats retake control of the House. Michael R. Blood Associated Press -- 5/3/19
California renews bid to get presidential candidates’ taxes -- The California Legislature is trying again to force presidential candidates to publicly disclose their tax returns, hoping a new Democratic governor known for his clashes with President Donald Trump won’t block them this time. Adam Beam Associated Press -- 5/3/19
Should Trump be impeached? Here’s what Bay Area members of Congress say -- With the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 election, the question is before lawmakers: What will they do next? Tal Kopan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/3/19
KQED Political Breakdown: Jay Inslee -- Washington Governor Jay Inslee talks about his Jimi Hendrix connection, hooping with Obama, the vote that cost him his House seat in 1994, climate change politics, and his campaign for President. Link here -- 5/3/19
Synagogue didn’t get to fund security upgrades before attack -- Leaders at a Southern California synagogue knew they needed to increase security around their front door a year before a gunman walked through it and opened fire. Julie Watson and Don Thompson Associated Press -- 5/3/19
Downtown L.A. residents, alarmed by assaults, demand more police foot patrols -- Dozens of downtown residents went to Los Angeles City Hall on Thursday to demand more foot patrols in their neighborhoods, saying they are frustrated by the number of assaults, open-air drug sales and incidents of harassment outside their homes. David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/3/19
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Study finds one in eight San Diegans facing hunger -- An annual report on nationwide hunger has found San Diego County has one of the nation’s largest populations of people facing food insecurity, with one in six children struggling with hunger. Gary Warth in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/3/19
California janitors may get labor law protections in wake of federal court decision -- In a decision opening yet another front in the battle over how to classify workers, a federal appeals court Thursday ruled that an international franchiser could be forced to treat its California janitors as employees rather than independent contractors. Margot Roosevelt in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/3/19
Interview: Theranos Whistleblower Erika Cheung Thinks Elizabeth Holmes Should Spend Years in Prison -- She joined Theranos fresh out of the University of California, Berkeley, a self-described “starry-eyed’’ 22-year-old chemist and biologist who saw Elizabeth Holmes as a role model: the CEO who would revolutionize the blood testing industry. Rick Berke STAT via KQED -- 5/3/19
Unraveling Mark Zuckerberg’s Secret Deal for a $59 Million Tahoe Compound -- A few months ago, the 34-year-old CEO of Facebook quietly closed on $59 million worth of real estate on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe, a popular vacation destination for Northern Californians. And he’s looking to buy more, according to people familiar with the transactions, reported here for the first time. Katherine Clarke in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 5/3/19
Once disciplined, Cal Fire chief hailed for saving family on his way to work -- A Cal Fire division chief might have saved four lives on his way to work on Oct. 3, 2017. Chief Paul Melendrez, who was honored with a public employee medal of valor Thursday in West Sacramento, spotted a home whose porch was engulfed in flames at about 6 a.m. that day off U.S. Route 6 in Hammil Valley, north of Bishop, according to a Cal Fire citation for a heroic act. Wes Venteicher in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/3/19
Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds
San Francisco proposes surge pricing at tea garden, arboretum, Coit Tower for nonresidents -- A stroll along the rolling paths of Golden Gate Park’s Japanese Tea Garden and a visit to the blossoms at the Conservatory of Flowers could soon become slightly pricier for out-of-town visitors. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/3/19
Transit
Breed picks former Bay Area transportation czar to join SFMTA board -- Mayor London Breed has picked Steve Heminger, recently retired head of the regional Metropolitan Transportation Commission, to be the next board director for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. He would take the seat vacated by outgoing Director Lee Hsu. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/3/19
Steep toll for crooked Lombard Street moves forward, passing state Assembly -- Congestion relief — at a cost of up to $10 — may be coming to drivers on the crooked section of Lombard Street, now that a bill to test out a toll system has cleared its first hurdle. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/3/19
Wildfire
Fire season is off to a slow start, but high burn potential is forecast for California -- The Western U.S. has seen a slow start to this year’s fire season, but California can still expect “above normal” potential for large wildfires this summer as heavy crops of grasses sprouted by the wet winter dry out, according to a new government report on fire potential. Javier Panzar in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/3/19
Education
Mother says she was duped into paying admissions fixer $6.5 million to get daughter into Stanford -- The mother of a former Stanford student acknowledged Thursday that she paid $6.5 million to the man at the heart of the college admissions scandal, but said she was tricked into believing the seven-figure sum would go toward scholarships, university salaries and programs for needy students. Matthew Ormseth and Joel Rubin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/3/19
Last-minute changes to ballot language could create problems for L.A. schools tax measure -- A few legalistic words in one sentence could create an expensive headache for taxpayers. Or, they could create an even bigger mess for the Los Angeles Unified School District, where a $500-million tax levy could hinge on those few words. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/3/19
Ruling favors teachers union in salary dispute with Sacramento City Unified -- The district and the Sacramento City Teachers Association entered voluntary arbitration in March, after disagreeing over a salary increase for mid-career teachers. Sawsan Morrar in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/3/19
School newspaper gets Lodi district’s OK to publish story about student who works in porn -- The decision comes after a battle over free speech between district officials and The Bruin Voice at Bear Creek High School in Stockton. After an attorney reviewed the story, Lodi Unified said Wednesday that “on that basis (the district) will not prevent its publication.” Sawsan Morrar in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/3/19
UC Berkeley’s plan for new housing, classrooms has professors, city up in arms -- To ease a faculty housing shortage that UC Berkeley says makes it hard to recruit and keep professors, the university expects to break ground in September on two buildings with faculty apartments, parking, classrooms and event space. But instead of rejoicing, the faculty voted this week to try to kill the project. Nanette Asimov and Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/3/19
Students draft a ‘youth bill of rights’ for San Diego County -- The 11 priorities in the bill of rights include restorative justice, sustainable housing, free healthcare and freedom of expression. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/3/19
First on new California state superintendent’s long agenda: getting more men of color in the classroom -- Four months into his first term, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond is creating 13 work groups that he expects will recommend strategies for addressing some of the state’s thorniest education challenges. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 5/3/19
Cannabis
A joint is cheap in California, but marijuana costs even less in these states -- California might not be the cheapest place to score a joint, but the price of green in the Golden State falls well below the national average. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/3/19
Immigration / Border
ACLU sues Homeland Security to stop feds from moving immigrant detainees far from Orange County -- Ubaldo Arroyo, who has lived most of his life in Orange County, is being held as an undocumented detainee at the James A. Musick Detention Facility in Irvine, unsure where he will be sent following the Orange County Sheriff’s announcement that it will no longer house detainees while their deportation cases are pending. Roxana Kopetman in the Orange County Register -- 5/3/19
ACLU: Border Agents Violate Constitution When They Search Electronic Devices -- The American Civil Liberties Union says it has uncovered new evidence that federal border agents are violating the Constitution when they search travelers' electronic devices. The ACLU, along with the San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation, sued the federal government in 2017, alleging that its "warrantless and suspicionless searches" of electronic devices at the U.S. ports of entry violated the First and Fourth amendments. Matthew S. Schwartz KQED -- 5/3/19
Water
Good news for California water supply: Spring snowpack still deep and will melt slowly -- Four months ago, surveyors with the California Department of Water Resources probed the frozen ground in a field in the Sierra Nevada, calculating the first snowpack of the year, an important measurement of the state’s water supply. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde and Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ Vincent Moleski in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/3/19
Health
Health insurance deductibles soar, leaving Americans with unaffordable bills -- Soaring deductibles and medical bills are pushing millions of American families to the breaking point, fueling an affordability crisis that is pulling in middle-class households with health insurance as well as the poor and uninsured. In the last 12 years, annual deductibles in job-based health plans have nearly quadrupled and now average more than $1,300. Noam N. Levey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/3/19
Also . . .
Sacramento activist files lawsuit after being hit by sheriff’s SUV during Clark protest -- The Sacramento activist who was hit by a Sacramento County Sheriff Department patrol vehicle during a Stephon Clark protest last year filed a lawsuit Thursday, alleging the officer used “excessive and unreasonable force,” according to court documents. Molly Sullivan in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/3/19
POTUS 45
Trump touts new faith-based protections for health-care workers at National Day of Prayer ceremony -- During a speech Thursday before faith leaders, President Trump announced a new rule allowing health providers, insurers and employers to refuse to provide or pay for services such as abortion, sterilization or assisted suicide that they say violate their religious or moral beliefs. Ariana Eunjung Cha, Sarah Pulliam Bailey and Amy Goldstein in the Washington Post$ -- 5/3/19
Trump erases offshore drilling rules enacted after BP oil spill -- The Trump administration on Thursday dismantled safety rules for offshore drilling put in place by the Obama administration after the disastrous BP oil spill fouled the Gulf of Mexico nearly a decade ago. Ben Lefebvre and Eric Wolff Politico -- 5/3/19
Exclusive: Foreign government leases at Trump World Tower stir more emoluments concerns -- The U.S. State Department allowed at least seven foreign governments to rent luxury condominiums in New York’s Trump World Tower in 2017 without approval from Congress, according to documents and people familiar with the leases, a potential violation of the U.S. Constitution’s emoluments clause. Julia Harte Reuters -- 5/3/19
Beltway
Trump finds in Barr the attorney general — and shield — he long sought -- For a time, President Trump was reluctant to select William P. Barr as his attorney general. The veteran Justice Department official from the George H.W. Bush administration was not a longtime Trump loyalist, and the president wondered whether one of his own political allies might serve better as a shield, people familiar with the matter said. Matt Zapotosky, Josh Dawsey, Tom Hamburger and Ashley Parker in the Washington Post$ -- 5/3/19
Pelosi Accuses Barr of Law-Breaking as Democrats’ War With Attorney General Boils Over -- House Democrats’ feud with Attorney General William P. Barr boiled over on Thursday, as Speaker Nancy Pelosi accused the nation’s top law enforcement officer of lying to Congress and the Judiciary Committee threatened to hold him in contempt if he did not promptly hand over a complete version of Robert S. Mueller III’s report. Nicholas Fandos in the New York Times$ -- 5/3/19
-- Thursday Updates
Synagogue got US security grant before attack -- A gunman fired his semi-automatic rifle at Jewish worshippers after walking through a Southern California synagogue’s open front door, a spot that synagogue leaders determined last year needed improved security. The Chabad of Poway synagogue applied for a federal grant to install gates and more secure doors to better protect that area. The $150,000 was approved in September but only got awarded in late March. Julie Watson and Don Thompson Associated Press -- 5/2/19
Poway synagogue shooting captured on video, prosecutors say, as they describe attack -- Prosecutors say the suspect, John T. Earnest, legally purchased the weapon used in the attack, which was captured on surveillance video. He has pleaded not guilty. Authorities have not yet determined whether he will face the death penalty. The item is in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/2/19
PG&E profits drop drastically because of Camp Fire, bankruptcy -- The parent company of Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said Thursday that its net income in the first quarter of this year plummeted 69 percent to $136 million, from $442 million a year earlier. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/2/19
California wildfire dilemma: Can the state keep bailing out counties ravaged by disaster? -- As embers were dying from the cataclysmic 2018 wildfire season, Gov. Gavin Newsom and California legislators rushed in with tens of millions of dollars in bailout funds for Butte and other counties to keep fire-ravaged areas afloat until they can rebuild their tax base. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/2/19
Google’s employee rebellion expands with same-day actions on two fronts -- Google workers angry about the firm’s employment practices and its handling of internal criticism held two protest actions Wednesday, fighting forced arbitration and alleged retaliation against organizers of a massive walkout in November. At one protest site, there were “tears and talk of unions,” according to an organizer. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/2/19
These Chinese parents paid $1.2 million to get their daughter into Yale. Are they victims of college admissions scam? -- Sherry Guo came to California five years ago, a teenager from China with dreams of attending an elite university. Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/2/19
Prescription drugs cost 14% more in San Francisco than national average -- Prescription drugs cost 14% more in San Francisco compared to the national average, making it the second most expensive U.S. city for prescription medications, according to an analysis released Thursday by GoodRx, a website that tracks prescription drug prices. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/2/19
California tap water may increase risk of cancer, study says -- How healthy is your tap water? Just as more of us are trying to boost our water intake, a new study says that drinking California tap water may increase the number of cancer cases statewide by more than 15,000 over the course of a lifetime. Karen D’Souza in the San Jose Mercury$ Hannah Wiley in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/2/19
Blueprint to battle Bay Area sea-level rise focuses on natural solutions -- A blueprint outlining how San Francisco Bay communities should combat sea-level rise was released early Thursday by ecosystem scientists and urban planners who envision a ring of man-made reefs, rocky beaches and graded marshlands around the largest estuary on the Pacific coast. Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/2/19
Forecast calls for busy wildfire season along West Coast -- Most of the country can expect a normal wildfire season but residents along the West Coast of the United States should be ready for another busy season, the National Interagency Fire Center said Wednesday. Nicholas K. Geranios in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/2/19
Sharks the length of a small bus are showing up off Ventura and some say that's great news -- About the length of a small bus, one of the world's biggest sharks may be making a comeback off Ventura. After basking sharks all but disappeared decades ago, people had reported some sightings off the coast in recent years. Then, this spring, those numbers started to climb. Cheri Carlson in the Ventura County Star -- 5/2/19
Reform capitalism or face revolution, billionaires are told at Milken Conference -- The gathering of billionaires, hedge fund managers and other financial industry professionals who converged on the Beverly Hilton hotel largely had a particular end in mind: how to increase their alpha, which, not to get too complicated, means improving their investment returns. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/2/19
Borenstein: Oakland A’s private ballpark will be taxpayer-subsidized -- The Oakland A’s, after claiming the team would privately finance its new ballpark, could receive a taxpayer subsidy worth tens of millions of dollars. Once again, government officials are preparing to spend public money to try to keep a professional sports team under the false rationale that it would boost the local economy. Dan Borenstein in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/2/19
Taylor: A homeless Oakland couple moved into a $4 million Piedmont home. Then came the calls to police -- Greg Dunston and Marie McKinzie lived on Oakland’s streets for almost 10 years, pushing their carts around with all their belongings and sleeping in the doorway of an Alameda County building. But for the past three months, the couple have lived among the wealthy — on a nearly $4 million property in one of the Bay Area’s most exclusive neighborhoods in Piedmont. The homeowner, Terrence McGrath, did something few in his position would dare do: He opened his doors to homeless people in need. Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/2/19
Fox: The Power of Single Family Homeowners and SB 50 -- If single family homeowners’ power can be harnessed it could mean the end of SB 50, the controversial bill designed to grant state authority to override local zoning laws in order to build high-density housing near transit lines. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 5/2/19
Facebook Bans Alex Jones, Milo Yiannopoulos, Other Far-Right Figures -- Facebook Inc. said it’s banning a number of controversial far-right figures, including Alex Jones, Milo Yiannopoulos and Laura Loomer, for violating the social-media company’s policies on hate speech and promoting violence. Kurt Wagner Bloomberg -- 5/2/19