Updating . .
L.A. spent $619 million on homelessness last year. Has it made a difference? -- The gloomy prognosis on one of Southern California’s top political issues emerged during two recent briefings on homelessness and the 2019 point-in-time count, the results of which are due to be released May 31. Gale Holland in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/11/19
Rent inflation in Los Angeles and Orange counties at 5.4%, a 12-year high -- The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index for the two counties shows the cost of local renting was up at a 5.4% annual rate in April vs. 5.1% a year earlier. This is the highest April reading since 2007 when the rate was 6.4%. Jonathan Lansner in the Orange County Register -- 5/11/19
Early money is on Southern California Democrats keeping their 2018 momentum -- After Democrats scored a clean sweep of the hardest-fought congressional races in Southern California last November, there were reasons to wonder if they could keep their upward momentum — or even hold onto their newly won seats — in 2020. Kevin Modesti in the Orange County Register -- 5/11/19
Cost of Aliso Canyon gas leak rises again – to an estimated $1.07 billion – and could get even bigger -- The 2015 Aliso Canyon gas leak has cost Southern California Gas Co. and its parent company $1.07 billion — and those costs may rise “significantly,” according to the company’s first-quarter earnings report. Sempra Energy said this week that the estimated cost of the leak, which was discovered in October 2015, inched up 1.5 percent from the company’s $1.05 billion estimate at the end of last quarter. Olga Grigoryants in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/11/19
Device explodes outside Denny’s in Fullerton, leaves man seriously injured; 2nd device found -- Investigators believe the explosion came from a “device” that the injured man brought to the area. A second explosive device was discovered by the bomb squad, and was rendered safe, Radus said. Alma Fausto in the Orange County Register -- 5/11/19
Glendale teacher admitted secretly photographing female students, official’s letter says -- A Glendale high school teacher admitted secretly taking inappropriate photos of female students for several years, according to a letter obtained in a public records request from the Glendale Unified School District. Andy Nguyen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/11/19
Dennis Rodman, others accused of stealing 400-pound crystal from yoga student in Newport Beach -- A Newport Beach yoga studio claims former NBA star Dennis Rodman entered the business twice in two days this week and helped other people, including a former employee of the studio, steal more than $3,500 in merchandise, including a 400-pound amethyst crystal. Julia Sclafani in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/11/19
BART slows rollout of new trains as it contends with more repairs than expected -- It was supposed to be BART’s shining evolutionary moment. Instead, it’s been a year-and-half of stumbles and delayed gratification: The system’s new rail cars are grinding through maintenance issues, slowing the rollout of a fleet that captivated riders and transit officials. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/11/19
Pender: Companies try to retain new moms with full-time pay, part-time work -- When Lauren McClelland returned to her job in February as a director in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ audit practice in San Francisco after seven months of maternity leave, she was able to work 60 percent time at 100 percent pay for the first four weeks under a program known as phased return. Her husband, who also works for PwC, got the same benefit. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/11/19
Gray whales starving, washing up dead in startling numbers along SF coast -- Exhausted, emaciated gray whales are going belly up along the coast of San Francisco this year at a rate seen only once — during a two-year period 20 years ago — since whaling was banned and the leviathans were pulled from the brink of extinction. Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/11/19
USC honors interim chief Wanda Austin, who led amid tumult ‘with courage, dignity and grace’ -- With weeks left in her tenure as USC’s interim president, Wanda Austin received an honorary degree Friday celebrating her leadership as the university grappled with extraordinary issues and unprecedented tumult. Matt Hamilton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/11/19
Willie Brown: Spare us the subpoena soap opera, but we’d love to see Trump’s taxes -- I found myself in front of my closet the other day, asking, “What does one wear to a constitutional crisis?” When I was mayor I learned how to suit up for various crises: garbage strike, jeans and a windbreaker. Muni meltdown, flak jacket and running shoes. Willie Brown in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/11/19
LGBT voters in California have two favorites: Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg -- Estevan Montemayor couldn’t even pronounce Pete Buttigieg’s name before he attended the Democrat’s presidential campaign fundraiser at a West Hollywood bar in March. By the time it was over, he was so “mesmerized” that he promptly cut a donation check. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/11/19
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Newsom alters plan to divert public health dollars to cover unauthorized immigrants -- Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration Friday reversed course on his plan to divert public health dollars from several California counties to help provide health coverage to young adults who are in the country illegally. Samantha Young California Healthline via in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/11/19
San Francisco police raid journalist’s home in probe over leaked Adachi report -- San Francisco police on Friday raided the home of a freelance journalist who provided three Bay Area television stations with a copy of a police report into the death of Public Defender Jeff Adachi, the journalist and police officials said. Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/11/19
Ghost Ship trial: Former tenant feared ‘the place could burn down’ -- When Jennifer Turner moved into the Ghost Ship warehouse in Oakland in November 2014, she was asked to bring a 50-foot extension cord to provide her Airstream trailer with electricity. Matthias Gafni in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/11/19
‘Black and Brown Mama Bailout’ frees moms from jail in time for Mother’s Day -- The DeDe McClure Community Bail Fund, a new grassroots organization, bailed eight women out of jail Thursday and Friday in the San Diego area, just in time for Mother’s Day on Sunday. Alex Riggins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/11/19
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Uber ends up worth less as a public company than when it was private -- Uber did not get five stars from Wall Street. In its hotly anticipated debut on the New York Stock Exchange Friday, the stock stumbled out of the gate and never recovered. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/11/19
Record Imports at Port of Oakland, Partly Due to Companies Trying to Beat Trump's Tariff Increase -- The Port of Oakland experienced record import volume for April, with more than 80,000 containers coming in — the highest number in its 92-year history, the port said. KQED -- 5/11/19
California insurance commissioner to investigate inequity in auto premiums -- If some California motorists pay reduced auto insurance premiums because they’re part of a group plan, does that hike rates for other low-income drivers? That’s what California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara wants to know. Kevin Smith in the Riverside Press Enterprise$ -- 5/11/19
Transit
Transbay Transit Center could reopen as soon as June -- No opening date has been set because Transbay Joint Powers Authority officials need to wait until an independent review panel of engineers and steel experts from around the country approves a paperwork inspection done by the authority’s engineers. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/11/19
Homeless
Judge allowing construction to start on Venice homeless shelter—despite residents’ efforts to stop it -- Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff said Friday that concerns about the shelter expressed by neighbors were understandable, but agreed with the city’s claim that not building the shelter would provide greater harm to residents now living on sidewalks. Elijah Chiland Curbed LA -- 5/11/19
Housing
Wealthy Bay Area suburbs could have a whole new look under California housing bill -- When Paul Wickboldt moved to the Bay Area from Boston more than two decades ago, he settled in Walnut Creek for the same reasons many families choose the suburbs: good public schools, safety, a backyard for the kids to play in, and the pleasure of knowing his neighbors. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/11/19
Wildfire
House OKs disaster aid for California and other states — heat now on Senate -- The House passed a massive disaster relief package Friday that includes billions of dollars for California wildfire victims, upping pressure on the Senate and White House to resolve political fights that have held up aid for months. Tal Kopan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/11/19
Gov. Gavin Newsom announces wildfire technology competition at conference in La Jolla -- On Friday Gov. Gavin Newsom visited the Near Future Conference in La Jolla and announced the state was partnering with X Prize to find technology that focuses on detecting fires in their infancy, along with suppression strategies. Charles T. Clark in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/11/19
Education
City College of San Francisco officials meet critics as they propose class cuts -- Students, teachers and other supporters of City College of San Francisco crowded onto the steps of City Hall Friday to protest the latest crisis to befall their beloved institution — class cuts — before piling inside to confront school officials. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/11/19
Sacramento teachers union asks state schools chief to help prevent strike, district takeover -- The Sacramento City Unified teachers union announced Friday that it called on California’s schools superintendent to set up a committee to help avert its second planned strike – and a possible government takeover of the school district. Sawsan Morrar in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/11/19
Cannabis
Court: Some immigrants can be deported for pot crimes despite state legalization -- California’s legalization of marijuana doesn’t protect immigrants from deportation if they were convicted of deportable pot crimes before voters approved the new law in 2016, a federal appeals court ruled Friday. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/11/19
Immigration / Border
Immigrant children in US custody soaring back toward record levels -- The number of undocumented immigrant children in U.S. custody is reaching breaking-point levels again, months after the Trump administration had reduced the total in shelters in response to anger over policies that kept children there. Tal Kopan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/11/19
Health
San Mateo County alarmingly vulnerable to measles, study says -- A new study names San Mateo County as among the most vulnerable places in the country to measles, primarily because it’s home to a massive hub of infectious disease threats: San Francisco International Airport. Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/11/19
State Senator, Advocates Release Per County Cost of Recent Measles Outbreak -- Health advocates say containing and investigating the wave of measles cases this year comes with a hefty price tag. Every time a new or potential measles case is reported, it requires a thorough public health investigation. That means blood tests, informing the public and tracking down people who may have been exposed. Alyssa Jeong Perry KQED -- 5/11/19
Also . . .
Stanford scholar found 17 hours after he died in SFO bathroom, report says -- A prominent East Asian historian affiliated with Stanford University died in a San Francisco International Airport bathroom stall, and it took more than 17 hours for someone to find him, according to an autopsy report. Gwendolyn Wu in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/11/19
Banker charged with fraud for allegedly aiding fentanyl traffickers -- A former personal banker for Wells Fargo has been charged with bank fraud for his role in what federal prosecutors in San Diego said was an international money laundering scheme for fentanyl producers based in Mexico. Greg Moran in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/11/19
POTUS 45
Trump takes over Fourth of July celebration, changing its location and inserting himself into the program -- President Trump has effectively taken charge of the nation’s premier Fourth of July celebration in Washington, moving the gargantuan fireworks display from its usual spot on the Mall to be closer to the Potomac River and making tentative plans to address the nation from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, according to top administration officials. Josh Dawsey, Juliet Eilperin and Peter Jamison in the Washington Post$ -- 5/11/19
White House Asked McGahn to Declare Trump Never Obstructed Justice -- White House officials asked at least twice in the past month for the key witness against President Trump in the Mueller report, Donald F. McGahn II, to say publicly that he never believed the president obstructed justice, according to two people briefed on the requests. Michael S. Schmidt in the New York Times$ -- 5/11/19
-- Friday Updates
4 smiling teachers posed with a noose. Now they’re on leave, along with the principal -- Four teachers and a principal have been placed on leave after a photo of the educators posing with what appears to be a noose circulated on email and social media. The circumstances around the origin of the noose at Summerwind Elementary School in Palmdale and the response afterward are under investigation. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/10/19
Democrats subpoena Trump's tax returns in escalating fight with White House -- House Democrats issued subpoenas Friday for President Donald Trump's tax records, escalating a fight that is likely to end up in court. Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.), who is spearheading the effort, delivered formal demands for the filings to both Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. Brian Faler and Aaron Lorenzo Politico -- 5/10/19
Chris Darden, attorney for suspect in Nipsey Hussle shooting, to withdraw from case -- The attorney representing the man accused of gunning down Nipsey Hussle said Friday he is withdrawing from the case, citing personal reasons. Chris Darden, a former prosecutor, announced the decision in a Facebook post Friday morning, noting that he and his children had received threats after he took on the case. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/10/19
Only one California Republican defied Trump on disaster bill. He represents Paradise -- Rep. Doug La Malfa of Oroville was the only California Republican to defy President Donald Trump and vote for House Democrats’ disaster aid bill on Friday. Emily Cadei in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/10/19
Woodland High on lockdown after shooting threat that may have come from inside school -- The lockdown went into effect after a shooting threat came to 911 from inside school around 10 a.m., according to the Woodland Police Department’s Twitter account. Students are being bused off the school property as police clear each room and building, authorities said. Mila Jasper and Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/10/19
California’s high-speed rail project and Trump administration are no longer on speaking terms -- The California bullet train project, for much of the past decade, enjoyed no more important partner than the U.S. Department of Transportation. Ralph Vartabedian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/10/19
Uber stock sharply declines, then rebounds in post-IPO trading -- Uber thundered onto Wall Street Friday in the biggest initial public offering in years — and the largest for a Bay Area tech company since Facebook sold $16 billion in shares in 2012. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/10/19
‘Absurd’ delay in Paradise: endangered frog species blocking Camp Fire cleanup -- State officials tasked with debris cleanup say they have been directed not to enter an estimated 800 burned Butte County home sites within 100 feet of a waterway. They’ve been told to wait for representatives of several state and federal agencies to reach an agreement on environmental assessment guidelines. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/10/19
Gunman told 911 ‘I just shot up a synagogue’ after attack -- As the 19-year-old college student sped away in his 2012 Honda Civic, he dialed 911 and said: “I just shot up a synagogue.” He told the dispatcher that he thought he had killed some people and that he did it “because Jewish people are destroying the white race.” Julie Watson and Elliot Spagat Associated Press -- 5/10/19
The ‘Tactical Rabbi’ helps synagogues defend against anti-Semitic violence -- It was 45 minutes into his lecture when the rabbi pulled out an AR-15. “Who thinks, by show of hands, that we should be carrying more guns in shul?” Rabbi Raziel Cohen asked the crowd at a Westside Chabad synagogue Wednesday night, during an active-shooter seminar organized in the wake of the deadly attack at Chabad of Poway. Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/10/19
Yosemite: Deep snow cleared, famed road opens Friday -- In an annual California event that marks the changing of the seasons in the High Sierra, Yosemite National Park officials plan to open Glacier Point Road to motor vehicles on Friday morning. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/10/19
Controversial sex education framework for California approved despite protest -- California education officials have agreed on a sweeping new framework for sex education in the classroom, sparking intense debate about whether some of the proposal’s teacher material is too graphic and explicit. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/10/19
KQED Political Breakdown -- Gavin Newsom lays out a revised state budget, and Marisa and Scott discuss the governor's break with Attorney General Xavier Becerra over the release of police misconduct records. Then, pollster David Binder joins to talk about polling vs. focus groups, early indications of Trump's electoral success, the myth of voters in the 'middle,' and the 2020 Democratic primary. Link Here -- 5/10/19
Fox: What Happened to the Spending Limit? -- Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a record breaking $213.5 billion budget, $4.5 billion larger than he proposed in January. The state’s got $21.5 billion surplus money to spend and $16.5 billion stashed away in the “rainy day” fund. California’s treasury is bursting with money. Does anyone remember that the state’s voters asked for budget discipline by overwhelming passing a spending limit? Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 5/10/19