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Fire danger could force San Francisco blackout, PG&E says -- San Francisco is not at high risk of burning down in a wildfire, but if the weather gets windy and dry enough in the East Bay, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. could temporarily cut power to the city and its nearly 900,000 residents anyway. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/19/19
Will PG&E face criminal charges for California’s Camp Fire? -- The answer may hinge, legal experts say, on whether PG&E was reckless in failing to replace aging or damaged equipment and on whether prosecutors feel they can prove that in court beyond reasonable doubt. Tony Bizjak and Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/19/19
Myers: California's prison parole rules might hinge on quiet fight over ballot measures -- Nothing is more sacrosanct in California politics than the power of the state’s voters to create laws through ballot measures, so much so that judges rarely block a duly qualified initiative from getting its moment on election day. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/19/19
Drowning in debt from employee benefits and unwilling to reform, LAUSD looks for lifeline in Measure EE -- Los Angeles Unified estimates more than half of its general fund will be needed to pay down pension and health benefit debt by 2031, leaving little for students in a district already struggling against declining enrollment and competition from charter schools. Jason Henry in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 5/19/19
Adachi leak: Mayor Breed shifts stance slightly on raid of journalist -- Mayor London Breed said Sunday she was “not okay with police raids on reporters,” a shift in her stance on the San Francisco Police Department’s seizure of computers and other possessions from a journalist who refused to identify the confidential police source who leaked him an internal report on the death of Public Defender Jeff Adachi. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/19/19
L.A. County juvenile halls are so chaotic, officers are afraid to come to work -- Inside the Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar, he found shattered windows, smashed walls and tiles ripped from the ceilings. Phones in common areas were busted and debris lay scattered on the floors. Gang graffiti had been scrawled on the walls. The staff were overwhelmed. Matt Stiles in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/19/19
For the wealthy, Bay Area housing costs are actually declining -- While housing costs for some of the Bay Area’s poorest residents skyrocketed far beyond the income they gained over the past decade, the region’s wealthiest households saw their housing costs actually drop as their incomes swelled. Leonardo Castañeda in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/19/19
Nanny state or progressive politics? In ‘Ban Francisco,’ the debate rages on -- To San Franciscan Chris Chin, the owner of a vape shop in the city’s Tenderloin neighborhood, the proposed e-cigarette ban being considered by city officials would be tantamount to becoming the ultimate “nanny city.” Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/19/19
Schnur: California can make traffic less of a nightmare. But can we agree on how? -- Every Californian knows the best way to deal with our state’s soul-crushing traffic problems: get everyone else out of their car so I can stay in mine. Dan Schnur in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/19/19
Can a Democrat win an L.A. City Council seat long held by Republicans? -- When Ian Carr knocks on doors in neighborhoods like Porter Ranch and West Hills, he is sometimes asked whether his chosen candidate is a Democrat or a Republican. His answer — Democrat — once got a door slammed in his face. Emily Alpert Reyes and Maloy Moore in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/19/19
Young love lost, an only son gone, after fatal training accident at Camp Pendleton -- The incident comes as training accidents have spiked and on-duty deaths have exceeded military deaths in combat, a trend that began in 2015. Lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee said that in 2017, for example, nearly four times as many military personnel died in training accidents as were killed in combat. In all, the committee reported, 21 service members died in combat while 80 died as a result of non-combat training-related accidents. Erika I. Ritchie in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/19/19
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Gov. Newsom promotes California’s reproductive health rights during San Diego rally -- The governor’s proposed budget includes $100 million for reproductive health and sexual healthcare, as other states have recently passed laws against abortion. Morgan Cook in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/19/19
Walters: Can California crack its housing nut? -- The state Department of Finance reported this month that California, which has a stubborn and growing shortage of housing, added just 77,000 houses, apartments and condos in 2018. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 5/19/19
Richmond Officer Found to Have Engaged in ‘Predatory Behavior’ Won Job Back on Appeal, Records Show -- A Richmond police officer who a former city official found engaged in “predatory behavior” with a then 18-year-old woman at the center of massive police sexual exploitation case was nevertheless allowed to keep his job, new internal documents released Friday afternoon show. Alex Emslie and David DeBolt KQED and Bay Area News Group via KQED -- 5/19/19
Trump signs disaster declaration for flooded Northern California counties -- President Trump signed a disaster declaration Saturday for 17 Northern California counties that endured battering rains and landslides this year, making them eligible for federal relief. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/19/19
Trump seeks to pardon SEAL and others accused of war crimes -- The requests include Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher of the Navy SEALs, who is scheduled to stand trial at Naval Base San Diego in the coming weeks on charges of shooting unarmed civilians and killing an enemy captive with a knife while deployed in Iraq. Andrew Dyer, Dave Philipps in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/19/19
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Unemployment in Sacramento drops sharply as California rate holds steady -- California’s economy continued to benefit from strong national growth in April, according to data released Friday by the state Employment Development Department. The state added 46,000 net jobs and held unemployment steady at 4.3 percent last month. Mila Jasper in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/19/19
Not every tech IPO has been a disaster — Bay Area has four of the year’s best -- The Bay Area is home to four of the nation’s top-performing initial public offerings this year. They’re just not the companies everyone expected to see up there as investors flipped the script. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/19/19
Homeless
Major Homeless Spikes Reported in San Francisco, Alameda and Santa Clara Counties -- The homeless populations in Alameda, San Francisco and Santa Clara counties grew considerably over the past two years, according to initial results from January's point-in-time counts, released Thursday. Matthew Green KQED -- 5/19/19
Housing
Developer in San Lorenzo says unions holding up critical housing project -- Developer Terry Demmon knew he would face challenges in building 163 apartments on a 5-acre parcel in the heart of San Lorenzo, an unincorporated town of sycamore trees, cul-de-sacs and midcentury ranch homes 12 miles south of downtown Oakland. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/19/19
Coronado warns state housing goals would be ‘catastrophic’ -- Coastal retreat may be asked to build up to 1,800 housing units over the next eight years, which mayor says would destroy city’s charm. Gustavo Solis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/19/19
Education
Racial and academic divide in Healdsburg schools spurs call for change -- While Estrella Chombo has fond memories of playing at recess and making new friends at Healdsburg Elementary School, the 13-year-old Latina student also remembers feeling separated from her mostly white peers at Healdsburg Charter. Susann Minichiello in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat -- 5/19/19
At 100, UCLA celebrates, takes stock, and looks ahead -- As UCLA kicked off its centennial celebration on Saturday, the university’s pride was clearly on display: Banners throughout campus lauded its faculty’s 14 Nobel prizes, its $1 billion in annual research funding and its myriad national sports championships. But that, according to Chancellor Gene Block, is just the beginning. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/19/19
Environment
Hundreds form a line in the Huntington Beach sand to protest offshore drilling -- It was one of hundreds of demonstrations around the country meant to underscore the risks of drilling on the ocean floor. Established in 2010, Hands Across the Sand has become an international event – with participants clasping hands at noon in their various time zones. The event took place at eight California sites, including San Diego, Playa del Rey and Malibu. Susan Christian Goulding in the Orange County Register -- 5/19/19
POTUS 45
Balz: Nos. 44 and 45 broke the mold. What does that mean for the future of the presidency? -- For more than two centuries, until the election of 2008, American presidents all looked alike. They were white and male and every one of them came to office with experience in the government, military or both. Barack Obama, the first African American president, broke one mold. Donald Trump, who had neither military nor government experience, broke the other. Dan Balz in the Washington Post$ -- 5/19/19
Beltway
At rally, Biden pledges to unite the country: ‘We’re all in this together’ -- Former vice president Joe Biden offered himself to voters as a leader uniquely positioned to unify a divided country during a rally Saturday afternoon. The event, the largest of his nascent campaign, was intended to bookend the opening phase of his White House bid. “We’re all in this together,” Biden told the crowd. “We need to remember that today, I think, more than any time in my career.” Annie Linskey in the Washington Post$ Katie Glueck in the New York Times$ -- 5/19/19
GOP lawmaker says Trump’s conduct meets ‘threshold for impeachment’ -- Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.), a critic of President Trump who has entertained a run against him in 2020, became the first Republican congressman to say the president “engaged in impeachable conduct” based on the Mueller report. The Michigan lawmaker, often the lone Trump dissenter on his side of the House aisle, shared his conclusions in a lengthy Twitter thread Saturday after reviewing the full report by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. Colby Itkowitz in the Washington Post$ -- 5/19/19
-- Saturday Updates
USC gave nearly $1 million in exit pay to medical school dean linked to drugs -- The University of Southern California paid Dr. Carmen Puliafito, its former medical school dean, nearly $1 million in severance along with a bonus, according to tax filings disclosed this week. Puliafito was the subject of Times investigation in 2017 that revealed he used drugs and partied with young addicts while running the Keck School of Medicine. Matt Hamilton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/18/19
Raids, threats and a slander suit: Is the free press under attack in California? -- It’s the kind of stuff that would make Deep Throat cringe and President Richard Nixon smile. Police and powerful people taking action to keep journalists from doing their jobs. Breaking down doors. Threatening arrest. Filing lawsuits demanding millions. No, not in the age of Watergate. In California. Now. Thomas Peele in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/18/19
Few left unscathed in Arambula trial, which cleared lawmaker of child cruelty charge -- A Fresno jury rejected a charge of child abuse against Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula this week, but the case left Central Valley officials bitterly divided and could dog both the Democratic legislator and the local prosecutor for years to come. Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 5/18/19
Knight: Adachi leak: San Francisco ransacks its values with police raid on reporter’s home -- The political spectrum in this country isn’t so much a line from left to right, but a circle. The further left a person goes, the more in common he or she has with somebody on the far right. Take the shocking story of the San Francisco police bringing a literal sledgehammer to a journalist’s door — and a metaphorical one to the freedom of the press — on the morning of May 10. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/18/19
Man drop-kicks former Gov. Schwarzenegger at South Africa sports competition -- Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was drop-kicked while taking a Snapchat video of a multi-sport competition he promotes as part of his Arnold Sport Festival in South Africa on Saturday, event organizers said. Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/18/19
Willie Brown: Kamala Harris’ campaign is hit and miss. And her staff is way too touchy -- The last few days have been a clear example of why Sen. Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign is wobbling. Let’s begin with the former district attorney’s visit to her home ground for the 75th anniversary celebration of the Sun Reporter, the town’s African American newspaper. Willie Brown in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/18/19
Wealthy Bay Area suburb gets housing religion: It’s allowing 11 affordable units -- All the town leaders in Danville and its state assemblywoman gathered the other day to eat cake and celebrate something that rarely happens in the wealthy Contra Costa County suburb: There’s an apartment building going up, one that will include units for lower-income tenants. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 5/18/19
Bay Area biohacker tells you how to edit your DNA. Does that make him a criminal? -- Oakland’s Josiah Zayner publishes a DIY gene-editing guide and once injected his own arm with DNA, while sipping Scotch, in a live-streamed event watched by nearly 150,000 people. Does that make him a criminal? Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/18/19
More California kindergartners are skipping required vaccinations -- As California faces its worst measles outbreak in years, some are paying attention to the rising number of children who skip required vaccinations, as permitted by state law. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 5/18/19
Did San Jose State scholarship donations go for perks instead? University will investigate -- An independent auditor will conduct a financial review of San Jose State’s athletic donations in the wake of allegations that school officials misappropriated funds donated for sports scholarship and used them to pay for bonuses for coaches and staff, car allowances and other perks. Elliott Almond in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/18/19
Northern California almond, walnut, rice farmers face problems with persistent rain -- As the end of May nears, Butte County’s main agricultural drivers — almonds, walnuts and rice — will likely face some setbacks as more showers cause more precautions taken by farmers for the county’s multi-million dollar industry crops. Brody Fernandez in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 5/18/19
Lawsuit targets Sacramento for 84 arrests in ‘wealthier’ Fab 40s at Stephon Clark protest -- Attorneys for the marchers confronted by police during Stephon Clark demonstrations in East Sacramento are suing the city of Sacramento, Sacramento County and its police and sheriff’s departments in federal court alleging civil rights violations in the mass crackdown that netted 84 people in the March protest. Darrell Smith in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 5/18/19
Where women call the shots -- The nation’s first majority-female legislature is currently meeting in Nevada. Carson City may never be the same. Emily Wax-Thibodeaux in the Washington Post$ -- 5/18/19