Updating . .   

Major California housing bill from Sen. Scott Wiener put on hold until 2020 -- A controversial measure to revamp local development rules in California by promoting denser housing around public transit and job centers will not move forward this legislative session. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ Bryan Anderson and Hannah Wiley in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/16/19

Jackie Goldberg’s win changes LAUSD equation for unions, charters and Beutner -- Jackie Goldberg began her first day after winning election to the L.A. school board making an appearance with schools Supt. Austin Beutner, all smiles and talking about a unified vision to fix the troubled school district. But the camaraderie belied what could be a rocky road ahead: They are two strong-willed titans of L.A.’s education universe with some fundamentally different views on crucial issues facing the nation’s second-largest school district. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/16/19

Paradise goes on as PG&E gets official blame for fire: ‘It doesn’t make me feel better at all.’ -- Everyone in town already knew. They had read reports from Pacific Gas & Electric Co. admitting it was likely responsible for the Camp Fire. They had cried with their neighbors and listened to newscasts about the blaze. They had kept their televisions on overnight when it happened, the drone of news making them feel more in control, even when events had decimated their hometown. They already knew. So in Paradise, life had to limp on. Lizzie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/19

California already reaping IPO rewards, but employees have to wait -- California saw a jump in personal income tax revenues last month thanks in part to initial public offerings by Lyft and Pinterest. Uber’s sale of shares to the public last week will swell May’s coffers. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/19

Defiance in California after NLRB decision about Uber drivers’ contractor status -- Flying in the face of last year’s California Supreme Court ruling on gig-worker classification, a National Labor Relations Board memo on Uber drivers made public this week and a recent Labor Department letter make clear the Trump administration’s position: ride-hailing drivers are contractors, not employees. Now, experts and others say, it will be up to states to provide worker protections for drivers. Levi Sumagaysay in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/16/19

Report: San Jose State misused $6.3 million for sports scholarships -- A San Jose State University scholarship fund redirected donations to pay its sports coaches and staff, according to a report published Wednesday by the school’s student newspaper. Gwendolyn Wu in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/19

Big new mega village will be launched in Santa Clara -- When complete, the new village would dramatically reshape the north side of Santa Clara and potentially bring 25,000 jobs to Silicon Valley. The early stages of construction will begin this month on the 240-acre project, located near Tasman Drive and Lafayette Street. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/16/19

Major revamp of Santa Ana’s MainPlace mall, including allowing up to 1,900 apartments, clears a hurdle in getting city approval -- A $300 million project to make over Main Place mall in Santa Ana with hundreds of apartments, more entertainment and a fancier food court boasting international flavors is moving forward, with City Council approval as the final hurdle. Alicia Robinson in the Orange County Register -- 5/16/19

Housing in San Francisco Is So Expensive Some People Live on Boats -- Homelessness has become such a big problem in the San Francisco area that waters outside the city are increasingly crowded with people living on makeshift boats. The homeless population floating off the coast of wealthy Marin County, just north of San Francisco, has doubled in recent years to about 100, according to authorities. Jim Carlton in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 5/16/19

Union workers strike again Thursday, saying UCD cuts them out of jobs at Aggie Square -- By partnering with a private-sector company to build a new rehabilitation hospital, UC Davis Health is subverting labor contracts with its employees and partnering with a company that has a record of suppressing the wages of health care workers, two unions allege in complaints to a California labor board. Cathie Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/16/19

Patt Morrison: Joe Biden discusses why he didn't run in 2016, the field for 2020 and drag-racing Colin Powell -- Election year 2016 was like no other year in American history, but it was 2015 that left its mark on the life and the heart of former Vice President Joe Biden. He was at the Los Angeles Times’ Ideas Exchange last week to talk about his book “Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship and Purpose,” the year of the illness and death of his son Beau, and of his long debate with himself about running for president. Patt Morrison in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/16/19

Excruciating: Travelers wait 2-3 hours in airport immigration lines -- In early May, frequent traveler Nancy Brown took a very long-haul flight to the U.S. from South Africa. Her journey started in Cape Town, connected in Amsterdam and ended at San Francisco International. Total time in transit was about 24 hours. Phew! Little did she know what awaited when she got off the plane and started walking down the long corridor toward immigration and customs. Chris McGinnis in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/19

Nearly 200 people rally to pressure Anaheim to make Angel Stadium discussions public -- Anaheim officials shouldn’t make a long-term deal for Angel Stadium – one of the city’s biggest public assets – in private, and any deal must benefit the city’s neighborhoods, union leaders and community activists said Wednesday, May 15. Alicia Robinson in the Orange County Register -- 5/16/19

Fox: Health Care Mandate: End Run Around a Two-thirds Tax Vote? -- Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to create health care subsidies by pushing a mandate requiring those who don’t carry health care insurance to pay a fee. Or is it a tax? The distinction matters because Newsom is trying to accomplish his goal of expanding health care with majority vote bills. A tax requires a two-thirds vote in both houses of the legislature. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 5/16/19

What Happened When I Tried to Surf an Artificial Mega Wave -- Down a dusty road in California’s agricultural belt is a man-made wave as powerful as any produced by the ocean. Designed by surf champion Kelly Slater, it’s one of a growing number of wave-making projects betting that people will embrace a new future for the sport. Dan Fitzpatrick in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 5/16/19

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Trump pardons Pat Nolan, former GOP lawmaker taken down in FBI’s ‘Shrimpscam’ probe -- President Trump has pardoned Pat Nolan, a former Republican state legislative leader who spent years in prison after being convicted in the “Shrimpscam” FBI sting in the 1990s. Christine Mai-Duc in the Los Angeles Times$ John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/19

San Francisco Mayor Breed Supports Police Raid of Journalist's Home While Supervisor Condemns It -- San Francisco Mayor London Breed said Wednesday she supports a decision by two judges allowing police to search freelance journalist Bryan Carmody's home and office, as the first city official spoke out against the raid. Sonja Hutson KQED -- 5/16/19

PG&E power lines caused California’s deadliest fire, investigators conclude -- Investigators with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection have concluded that Pacific Gas & Electric equipment caused the devastating Camp fire that destroyed nearly 14,000 homes and killed 85 people, most of them elderly, last year. The conclusion of the Cal Fire probe marks a milestone in the recovery from the worst wildfire in modern California history. Joseph Serna and Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ Kurtis Alexander, J.D. Morris and Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Janie Har Associated Press George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ Dan Brekke KQED -- 5/16/19

‘Incredulous’: Newsom pushes PG&E to move faster in bankruptcy case -- Gov. Gavin Newsom officially waded into Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s bankruptcy case on Wednesday, pushing the utility to craft a reorganization plan faster than it wants to and accusing it of failing to act with enough urgency about its wildfire problems. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/19

‘Let’s not do it again’: PG&E braces for Camp Fire fallout -- Moments after PG&E Corp.’s new chief executive began speaking publicly to lawmakers in his second week on the job, California officials announced that his company was responsible for the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in state history. Johnson didn’t blink. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/19

Walters: A dangerous conflict-of-interest loophole -- It is – or should be – obvious that a government official should not have a personal financial stake in his or her decisions. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 5/16/19

Skelton: Forcing California cities to allow marijuana sales is ignoring the will of voters -- California’s budding cannabis industry isn’t exactly blossoming. It’s having trouble sprouting. So a San Francisco legislator has some unique ideas. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/16/19

LA leaders demand plan to target northeast San Fernando Valley and other areas prone to Census undercount -- Council members Monica Rodriguez, Nury Martinez, Gil Cedillo, Jose Huizar, and Curren Price introduced a motion Tuesday which said Los Angeles is home to the largest hard-to-count population in the nation, and an undercount can cost the city millions of dollars. The item is in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/16/19

‘This is horrifying.’ California lawmakers, celebrities weigh in on Alabama abortion ban -- Roe v. Wade has been settled law for nearly half a century, but as a wave of conservative lawmakers in states like Alabama, Georgia and Ohio pass bills heavily restricting or outright outlawing the medical procedure of abortion, California lawmakers and other public figures are sounding the alarm. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/16/19

Senate backs appeals court judge from California as Dems protest -- The Senate voted, 52-45, Wednesday to confirm Kenneth Lee’s nomination to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris opposed Lee, saying he failed to provide dozens of controversial writings on voting rights, race and sexual harassment. Matthew Daly Associated Press -- 5/16/19

‘Is anybody in here?’ Firefighter’s camera shows inside of Ghost Ship warehouse as it burned -- Eerie silence and heavy smoke. That’s what could be seen and heard from a firefighter’s helmet footage shown to jurors Wednesday as rescuers entered the burning Ghost Ship warehouse where 36 people perished. Angela Ruggiero in the East Bay Times -- 5/16/19

Oakland Fire Battalion Chief Defends Response to Ghost Ship Fire -- Oakland Fire Department Battalion Chief Heather Mozdean, who was one of the first to arrive at the scene of the deadly 2016 Oakland warehouse fire that killed 36, testified Wednesday, calling the blaze “the most difficult one I’ve ever fought.” Don Clyde KQED -- 5/16/19

New CalFresh rules vastly expand the pool of people eligible for food assistance in California -- Once, an extra $10 a month on government assistance checks kept nearly half a million poor Californians from being eligible for the federal program that puts food on people’s tables in other parts of the country. But starting June 1, changes in a state law that dates back to 1974 will allow California recipients of Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, to also get CalFresh food benefits. Theresa Walker in the Orange County Register -- 5/16/19

USC-sponsored plastic surgeon used patient’s insurer as ‘personal ATM,’ lawsuit says -- A popular plastic surgeon who practices in Beverly Hills and Newport Beach and leads a USC-sponsored fellowship is being accused of unnecessarily operating on a patient for profit, according to a recently filed lawsuit. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/16/19

Gov. Gavin Newsom pushes individual mandate for health insurance -- Hoping to persuade lawmakers to support a state individual mandate for health coverage, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday that California needs to stabilize a health insurance market that has suffered a “kneecapping” by the Trump administration. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/19

After Poway Shooting, How Can Law Enforcement Monitor Violent Extremists Online? -- In the aftermath of the shooting at the Chabad of Poway synagogue, questions have been raised about what could have been done to prevent the attack. Priya Sridhar KPBS -- 5/16/19

Inland assemblyman wants to make sure every bill gets a vote in Sacramento -- Jay Obernolte says recent rule change stifles debate. Others say rules aren't so different than they were. Sandra Emerson in the Inland Daily Bulletin$ -- 5/16/19

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

Disney layoffs hit film studios as cost cutting continues after Fox deal -- Walt Disney Co. shed more workers Wednesday within its film studios as the company absorbs the 20th Century Fox film operation that it acquired two months ago. Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/16/19

H-1B: San Francisco tech firm sues feds over denied visa for Indian man with U.S. master’s degree -- San Francisco technology firm Xterra Solutions is suing the federal government, claiming immigration officials improperly denied an H-1B visa to an Indian man on the basis that the business systems analyst position he was to fill did not qualify for the controversial visa. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$

San Francisco’s proposed e-cigs ban would snuff out local business, store owners say -- To Chris Chin, owner of the Gone With the Smoke vapor shop in San Francisco, the city’s proposed legislation to ban the sale of e-cigarettes would mark an end to his nearly six-year run in the Tenderloin neighborhood. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/19

Juul seeks San Francisco vaping ballot measure -- Juul wants San Francisco voters to decide how e-cigarette sales should be regulated in the city. The vaping company filed a notice Tuesday with the San Francisco Department of Elections indicating that it intends to collect signatures for a ballot initiative that aims to impose additional restrictions on online and brick-and-mortar e-cigarette retailers. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/19

Uber Drivers Are Not Employees, National Relations Board Rules. Drivers Saw It Coming -- Much like customers anticipate the arrival of an Uber, watching as the tiny image of a car winds its way across a map on a phone, Uber drivers say they have also been anticipating (and predicting) the National Labor Relations Board's decision denying them recognition as employees. Vanessa Romo NPR -- 5/16/19

Homeless  

Homeless, homeowners share concerns about new vehicle habitation law -- A day after the San Diego City Council approved a new ban on people living in vehicles, homeless people and at least supporter of the ban share some concerns about how it will be implemented. Gary Warth in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/16/19

Sacramento homeless shelter cost $5 million. How many people did it get off the streets? -- Ted Rash spent about a year in a north Sacramento homeless shelter, but now finds himself again sleeping in a tent. Theresa Clift in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/16/19

Housing  

Only 51% of Southern California households can ‘afford’ entry-level home with ‘generous’ mortgage -- Income of $70,090 was needed for $2,340 payment on a $432,650 home. Jonathan Lansner in the Orange County Register -- 5/16/19

Wildfire  

Poll: Nearly 70 percent of Sacramento region see wildfires, smoke as ‘serious’ risk -- A climate change poll surveying nearly 1,000 residents in the greater Sacramento region found Northern Californians consider air pollution from wildfires and water issues to be their biggest environmental concerns. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/16/19

Cal Fire reaches quicker, divergent conclusion in Camp fire from 2017 Tubbs inferno -- Six months after the Camp fire killed 85 people and destroyed the town of Paradise, residents from the Sierra Nevada communities east of Chico had confirmation of what was long suspected: one of PG&E’s aging transmission lines sparked the wildfire that ruined so many lives. It’s a swift conclusion compared to the 16 months that survivors of the 2017 Tubbs fire waited to receive Cal Fire’s far less-decisive report in that blaze. Julie Johnson in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat -- 5/16/19

Education 

Outrage Over Sick Teachers Paying for Their Own Substitutes Sparks Calls for Reform -- KQED found that a San Francisco Unified elementary school teacher had to pay the cost of her own substitute — amounting to nearly half of her paycheck — while she underwent extended cancer treatment. Since the story published, more public school teachers have reached out to describe similar hardships. Julia McEvoy KQED -- 5/16/19

Controversial UC Berkeley housing, classroom project clears key hurdle -- Under threat of two community lawsuits and faculty ire, the University of California regents signaled Wednesday they will green-light a pair of new buildings at UC Berkeley meant to house professors and add classroom space. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/16/19

UCSD Has Not Told Women With HIV Of Data Breach, Despite Researchers’ Pleas -- University of California, San Diego officials stonewalled attempts to notify women in an HIV research study that their confidential data was breached more than seven months ago, an inewsource investigation has found. Jill Castellano and Brad Racino inewsource via KPBS -- 5/16/19

Report names eight San Diego County school districts where students of color achieve higher than predicted -- The study identified school districts where Hispanic, African-American and white students achieved higher than predicted, after controlling for socioeconomic status. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/16/19

Sacramento schools narrow their budget gap -- Sacramento City Unified School District says it has found a way to cut its massive budget deficit enough to temporarily stave off a government takeover – but it remains unclear whether the plan will fly with county education officials. Sawsan Morrar in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/16/19

LAUSD’s board has a new member. But no time to celebrate, as the campaign for a parcel tax marches on -- L.A. Unified’s next election — less than three weeks away on June 4 — will ask residents within district boundaries to support Measure EE, a tax of 16 cents per square foot of developed property to raise about $500 million annually for the district. L.A. Unified is projecting insolvency in three years and is at risk of a county takeover if it can’t stay out of the red. Taylor Swaak LA School Report via in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/16/19

His wealthy dad admitted bribing his way into Georgetown. Now he's suing to block expulsion -- The son of a Los Angeles executive who admitted paying a $400,000 bribe to secure a spot at Georgetown for his child as a tennis recruit sued the university to prevent it from kicking him out and nullifying his college credits. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/16/19

Georgetown University to Expel Two Students Tied to Admissions Scandal -- Georgetown University said Wednesday it would expel two students implicated in the college-admissions scandal—hours after one of the students sued the school for allegedly depriving him of due process. Jake Holland in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 5/16/19

Racist ‘promposal’ shows disconnect between affluent Palos Verdes, the rest of L.A. -- The young couple appeared jubilant as they held up a poster-board sign adorned with hearts meant to cement their date to Palos Verdes High School’s upcoming prom — a quintessential teenage event with the dreamy theme “Wish Upon a Star.” Hannah Fry, Colleen Shalby and Jaclyn Cosgrove in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/16/19

XPRIZE to award $10M for software teaching children to read -- The challenge was to develop software that could easily be downloaded onto tablets that poor children around the world could use to teach themselves to read, write and do simple arithmetic. The incentive was $10 million for the winner. John Rogers Associated Press -- 5/16/19

Gov. Newsom proposes tighter rules on charter school enrollment -- State law already requires that a charter school admit any student who applies. In his May budget revision, Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing to tighten the language banning discrimination in charter school enrollment, particularly to protect students with disabilities and students with poor grades who want to attend charter schools. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 5/16/19

Cannabis 

Cannabis Tax Revenue In California Could Be Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars Below Projections -- In January, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget forecast $355 million and $514 million in excise tax revenues for fiscal years 2019 and 2020, respectively. The revised budget released last week reduced those projections to $288 million in 2019 and $359 million in 2020 — more than $200 million combined. Scott Rodd Capital Public Radio -- 5/16/19

Immigration / Border 

More construction coming to California border barriers -- The Department of Homeland Security issued environmental waivers for expedited work in four more areas along the state’s border with Mexico. Kate Morrissey in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/16/19

Trump's Push to Detain More Migrant Families Is Risky and Inhumane, Advocates Warn -- As the number of families seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border grows, the Trump administration is contemplating the detention of more parents with their children while they wait to go before an immigration judge. Julie Small KQED -- 5/16/19

Immigrant soldiers now denied US citizenship at higher rate than civilians -- Immigrants serving in the U.S. military are being denied citizenship at a higher rate than foreign-born civilians, according to new government data that has revealed the impact of stricter Trump administration immigration policies on service members. Tara Copp McClatchy DC -- 5/16/19

Water 

California lawmakers move to reject Gavin Newsom’s water fee -- A Senate budget subcommittee rejected Gov. Gavin Newsom’s water tax plan on Wednesday, instead recommending finding $150 million elsewhere to finance a safe and affordable drinking water fund. Hannah Wiley in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/16/19

Shasta Dam Expansion: California, Conservation Groups Sue Water District Over Plan -- The battle over Shasta Dam is escalating. This week, California's attorney general and several fishing and conservation groups filed separate lawsuits to stop a controversial project to elevate the dam and expand the state's largest reservoir, near Redding. Craig Miller KQED -- 5/16/19

Walters: Key conflicts roil California’s ever-evolving waterscape -- As 2018 was winding down, one of California’s leading newspapers suggested, via a front-page, banner-headlined article, that the drought that had plagued the state for much of this decade may be returning. Just weeks later, that same newspaper was reporting that record-level midwinter storms were choking mountain passes with snow, rapidly filling reservoirs and causing serious local flooding. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 5/16/19

Environment 

Moving nuclear waste at San Onofre sparks war of words between contractor, community panel -- Concerns about Holtec International’s ability to do its job — moving San Onofre’s highly radioactive nuclear waste from wet to dry storage — have been voiced by leaders of a citizens panel advising Southern California Edison on the plant’s decommissioning. Teri Sforza in the Orange County Register -- 5/16/19

Lead in your kid's baby teeth? Children downwind of a now-closed LA battery smelter test positive -- A new study documents dangerous lead in the baby teeth of 100% of babies and children tested downwind of a now closed battery smelter in southeastern Los Angeles, often absorbed when their mothers were pregnant and the plant was still operating. Janet Wilson USA TODAY via in the Desert Sun$ -- 5/16/19

Also . . . 

Drone dumped swastika leaflets at Sac State. Suspect pilot now faces charges for NFL flights -- Tracy Mapes faces federal charges of violating national defense airspace nearly two years after his arrest in 2017 for steering a drone and dumping fliers over Bay Area football games. The federal complaint was filed Tuesday in San Jose Federal Court, U.S. attorneys and the Department of Transportation announced in a joint statement on Wednesday. Darrell Smith in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/16/19

Bedbugs force closure of LAPD jail -- An LAPD jail is closed for the week after officials confirmed that it has a bedbug infestation, the department announced Wednesday. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/16/19

John Wayne Airport puts out piano for travelers to play -- Anyone with keyboard skills who doesn’t mind playing for strangers can help make traveling a little more pleasant at John Wayne Airport, where the “Play Me! Piano” program launched this month. Alicia Robinson in the Orange County Register -- 5/16/19

County property crime rate lowest in 39 years, hate crimes plummet -- San Diego County’s property crime rate last year was the lowest it has been in 39 years while hate crimes fell to their second lowest total in a decade. Lyndsay Winkley in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/16/19

How would Congress jail Trump officials? History says it’s not easy -- Congress can arrest people who don’t obey its orders to come talk — like Attorney General William P. Barr jokingly dared House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to do on Wednesday. (“Madam Speaker, did you bring your handcuffs?” he asked her.) But jailing them is a whole different problem. Amber Phillips in the Washington Post$ -- 5/16/19

POTUS 45  

Trump pardons author of flattering Trump biography -- President Donald Trump on Wednesday granted a full pardon to Conrad Black, a former newspaper publisher who has written a flattering political biography of Trump. Black's media empire once included the Chicago Sun-Times and The Daily Telegraph of London. He was convicted of fraud in 2007 and spent three and a half years in prison. An appeals court reversed two convictions, but left two others in place. Kevin Freking Associated Press -- 5/16/19

Beltway 

Abortion ban reaction: Democrats erupt, Republicans stay quiet as both sides see an impact in the 2020 election -- An Alabama bill intended to test whether President Trump’s Supreme Court appointees will allow for the banning of abortion, even in cases of rape and incest, threatened Wednesday to reshape the dynamics of the 2020 election. Michael Scherer and Felicia Sonmez in the Washington Post$ -- 5/16/19

 

-- Wednesday Updates 

To block homeless shelters, activists use California environmental law -- Earlier this spring, residents of a San Francisco waterfront neighborhood put up a plea on GoFundMe, seeking to raise $100,000 to file a lawsuit under one of California’s landmark environmental laws. Liam Dillon and Benjamin Oreskes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/15/19

His dad admitted bribing his way into Georgetown. Now he's suing to block expulsion -- The son of a Los Angeles executive who admitted paying a $400,000 bribe to secure a spot at Georgetown for his child as a tennis recruit sued the university to prevent it from kicking him out and nullifying his college credits. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/15/19

Newsom’s tough sell on healthcare: persuading public on fines for those without coverage -- Five months after unveiling a sweeping plan to lower health insurance costs for middle-class Californians, Gov. Gavin Newsom now must sell the politically unpopular part of his proposal — hefty fines on those who do not have medical coverage. Melody Gutierrez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/15/19

CCSF instructors confront pay mystery: Records show errors of up to $360,000 -- A mystery unfolding at City College of San Francisco could, when solved, leave a nursing instructor $360,591 richer, while forcing an engineering teacher to pay a cool $144,464 to the college out of pocket. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/15/19

$8 billion in offices, retail and housing to be built next to Levi’s Stadium -- Related Santa Clara, one of the largest projects in the Bay Area, will create over 9 million square feet of offices, housing, hotels and retail on 240 acres next to Levi’s Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/15/19

Traveling by car to Warriors’ new San Francisco Chase Center could earn drivers a foul -- San Francisco is hiring 20 new parking control officers at a cost of $2.5 million a year to handle the expected traffic around the Golden State Warriors’ new Mission Bay arena when it opens this fall. Phil Matier in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/15/19

These everyday items could cost you more after the latest salvo in U.S.-China tariff war -- Reports Tuesday said he's attempting to secure a $15 billion relief package that would seemingly protect American farmers from China's latest economic response. But most American consumers in need of basic goods will likely have to pay out of their own pockets higher prices for a significant number of household and everyday items. Peter Dawson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/15/19

Report: Yosemite, Joshua Tree, all other national parks in Calif. have 'significant' air pollution -- All nine national parks in California, including Yosemite and Joshua Tree, are dealing with "significant air pollution problems," according to a recent report released by the National Parks Conservation Association. Eric Ting in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/15/19

Empty lot in Steve Jobs’ old neighborhood listed for $9 million -- The leafy neighborhood of Old Palo Alto that Steve Jobs once called home is among the most coveted places in the Silicon Valley to own property. A vacant quarter-acre lot that hit the market for $9 million is a testament to its cachet. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/15/19

Fox: Court Funding -- The courts got new money in the May budget revision and it was long overdue. Circumstances leading to the lack of funding over the years may have been due, in part, to a ballot measure I supported 21-years ago when you hitch that measure to the legislature’s desire to expand health and welfare programs while ignoring the needs of the courts. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 5/15/19