Updating . .
California’s share of these grants for roads, rail and bridges is shrinking under Trump -- In eight years under President Barack Obama, California received a larger share of grants from a U.S. Department of Transportation program for infrastructure improvements than any other state in the nation. But in two fiscal years since President Donald Trump took office, California’s share has fallen to less than half of what it was during the Obama administration, ac cording to a Bee analysis of data from the federal grant program. Tim Sheehan in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/21/19
Newsom appoints inspector general to oversee BART’s finances, safety efforts -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed an inspector general to oversee the finances of BART, hold the agency’s managers accountable for safety and cleanliness and ensure the trains are running on time. Harriet Richardson, a former city auditor for Palo Alto, will be the first person to take the position. She will set up the office in August. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/21/19
Rick Singer, the mastermind behind the college admissions scandal, knew who to target: the wealthy -- The wealthy couple willing to pay him millions lived in Beijing, but William “Rick” Singer needed only to go to Pasadena to find them. Michael Wu, a financial advisor for banking behemoth Morgan Stanley, worked on the seventh floor of an office building in the city outside Los Angeles. Joel Rubin and Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/21/19
Stockton Fire Chief Arrested In Spousal Abuse Allegation -- Stockton Fire Chief Erik Newman was arrested Thursday on a charge of felony domestic spousal abuse following an alleged assault that happened last weekend in Turlock. Rich Ibarra Capital Public Radio Gwendolyn Wu in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/21/19
Costco shooting is worst nightmare for families of developmentally disabled children -- Anytime there’s a shooting in the news, dread floods Lillian Vasquez. “Please,” she thinks, “let the victim not be someone with autism.” Laura Newberry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/21/19
Unconventional Housing, Fear of Eviction Challenge Bay Area Census Efforts -- Escobar’s trailer doesn’t have an official address, so he directs people to send letters to a nearby friend. She stops by his trailer to bring him his mail every few days. But while friends and family know to write him at this address, the U.S. Census Bureau doesn’t. Isabella Jibilian KQED -- 6/21/19
Tech IPOs haven’t made a mark on SF housing — yet -- The recent stock market debuts of San Francisco’s Uber, Lyft, Pinterest and Slack — collectively worth more than $120 billion — sparked fears of even more frenzy in what’s already the country’s most expensive housing market. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/21/19
With Judge Carter out in key case, how will homeless lawsuits work in Orange County? -- To his critics, U.S. District Judge David O. Carter has been too much of an activist in the way he has handled ongoing federal lawsuits that have affected the way homeless people are treated in Orange County. But now that Carter has been disqualified in one of the two key cases, and replaced with U.S. District Court Judge Percy Anderson, critics and admirers alike are wondering what his ouster will mean for people in need of shelter and the various local efforts to fix the problem. Theresa Walker in the Orange County Register -- 6/21/19
Stem cell agency halts new grant applications -- The $3 billion California stem cell agency, which is running out of cash, has served notice that it would stop accepting applications for more research awards beginning next month. David Jensen Capitol Weekly -- 6/21/19
California Policy & Politics This Morning
California vaccine bill clears Assembly panel despite emotional backlash from parents -- Following a five-hour hearing in which hundreds of parents spoke in opposition to tightening California’s school immunization requirements, the Assembly Health Committee easily passed a contentious bill Thursday to do just that. Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Hannah Wiley in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/21/19
It’s been a mess for decades. Can Gov. Newsom fix the state’s technology? -- California government’s technology drastically pales in comparison to Silicon Valley, but Gov. Gavin Newsom is betting $40.8 million and a new office will change that. Elizabeth Castillo Calmatters -- 6/21/19
‘She was a hero’: Sacramento cop grew up in Bay Area, achieved dream before slaying -- Tara O’Sullivan returned every December to College Park High School in Pleasant Hill to participate in the soccer team’s annual alumni game. Even the year she had an injured knee, she insisted on playing with her former teammates. Alexei Koseff, Michael Cabanatuan and Ashley McBride in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/21/19
A day after Tara O’Sullivan’s death, 56 police officers get badges in emotional ceremony -- If Officer Tara O’Sullivan’s funeral will take place sometime next week, Thursday’s Sacramento Police Academy graduation felt like a celebration of the last year of her life. Benjy Egel in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/21/19
Sacramento State Community Mourns Death Of Police Officer Tara O’Sullivan -- Sacramento State students and administration are in shock over the shooting death of a Sacramento police officer who came through the school's law enforcement preparatory program. Tara O’Sullivan, 26, was shot and killed Wednesday night while she was mediating a disturbance between a man and a woman at a North Sacramento home. Bob Moffitt Capital Public Radio -- 6/21/19
Who is Adel Ramos, the man suspected of killing Sacramento Police officer Tara O’Sullivan? -- Adel Sambrano Ramos is a 45-year-old Sacramento man who is accused in the June 19, 2019, slaying of Sacramento police Officer Tara O’Sullivan. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/21/19
Builders take wrecking ball to Supervisor Peskin’s housing demolition bill -- A supervisor’s proposal to stem the growth of monster homes in San Francisco would instead kill many modest home additions, increase the time and cost of minor upgrades, and make it harder to add housing units, officials said Thursday. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/21/19
Ghost Ship witness has ‘snapshot memory’ of firefighters ignoring warning signs -- A former Ghost Ship tenant testified Thursday that firefighters entered the Oakland warehouse approximately two years prior to the horrific fire that killed 36 people, contradicting what one firefighter told jurors several weeks ago. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/21/19
Jose Huizar won't have to answer questions in harassment lawsuit until FBI probe ends -- Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar cannot be deposed in a harassment case filed against him by an ex-staffer until the FBI’s criminal investigation involving him is resolved, a judge ruled Thursday. David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/21/19
Senate panel approves judge over objections by California lawmakers -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Sen. Kamala Harris, both Democrats, argued that Daniel A. Bress, whom President Trump had nominated for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, has lived in California for only one year since high school and doesn’t practice law in the state. Caroline S. Engelmayer in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/21/19
California clinics stand to lose federal funds after court lets Trump abortion rule take effect -- The Trump administration notched a legal win over California Thursday when a court ruled that the federal government could begin denying federal funding to health clinics that provide abortion referrals. Sophia Bollag and Emily Cadei in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/21/19
Trump: San Diego Mayor Thanked Me for the Wall. Mayor: I Did Not -- San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and President Donald Trump have very different memories of their discussion at the White House. Scott Lewis Voiceofsandiego.org -- 6/21/19
Bitter talks over auto emissions turn personal as California and EPA chiefs feud -- Top environmental regulators in Washington and Sacramento sparred Thursday over failed negotiations on contentious vehicle emissions and fuel economy rules — each blaming the other for a standoff that could lead to years of legal battles and dueling auto requirements in parts of the U.S. Ryan Beene and Jennifer A. Dlouhy Bloomberg via in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/21/19
Video shows deputies firing 34 shots at car in killing of unarmed man, prompting questions -- The deputies pulled up to the South Los Angeles apartment complex, stepped out of the patrol car and quickly drew their weapons. Within 20 seconds, the incident turned tragic. Deputies fired 34 rounds at a white Kia that backed rapidly out of a parking space. Nicole Santa Cruz and Maya Lau in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/21/19
Costco shooting: Did LAPD officer face ‘imminent threat’ when he opened fire? -- An off-duty LAPD officer was shopping with his family at a Corona Costco on Friday night, carrying his young son in his arms. Nearby, a couple were roaming the aisle with their 32-year-old son, Kenneth French, who family members have said had an intellectual disability. Richard Winton and Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/21/19
Medic stuns courtroom saying he killed prisoner, not Navy SEAL on trial -- A Navy SEAL medic testified on Thursday that he was responsible for the death of an Islamic State fighter - not the Navy SEAL defendant undergoing a court martial for war crimes - describing it as a mercy killing. Marty Graham Reuters Erika I. Ritchie in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/21/19
Panel okays voting rights for former prisoners, parolees -- Former state and federal prisoners, including those on parole, would have the right to vote in California, under a constitutional amendment approved by an Assembly committee. Nahima Shaffer Capitol Weekly -- 6/21/19
California’s Population Is Majority-Minority. The Attorneys Who Represent It Are Overwhelmingly White -- The lawyers in the California Attorney General’s office are significantly less diverse than the state they represent in court. Scott Rodd Capital Public Radio -- 6/21/19
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Amid jitters, experts eye potential California recession -- There are clouds on California’s economic horizon, but whether they herald a coming recession is uncertain. The experts agree that there is a slowdown, but there is little consensus beyond that. Chuck McFadden Capitol Weekly -- 6/21/19
$1 billion 5M project starts construction, transforming South of Market -- Developer Brookfield Properties and partner Hearst, owner of The Chronicle, will transform four acres of parking lots and vacant buildings at 5th and Mission streets with two new towers, a 200-foot apartment building, two parks and renovated historic buildings. The project includes 702 residential units on site and helps fund another 154 affordable units nearby. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/21/19
For Santa Anita’s low-paid workers, horse deaths bring pain and fears about the future -- But many of the roughly 1,500 humble backstretch workers like Lopez who labor behind the scenes — grooms, trainers, exercise riders and stable cleaners — say powerful people and the media are talking over them, unconcerned about their fate. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde and Hailey Branson-Potts in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/21/19
Heated battle over automation and jobs at Port of L.A. moves to City Council -- A fierce battle over automation at the Port of Los Angeles will move to the City Council as dockworkers continue to protest expected job losses at the nation’s largest shipping terminal. Margot Roosevelt in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/21/19
Who’s coming and who’s going: California in 5 interactive charts and maps -- The “California Dream” is a global brand. For more than a century the state has been a magnet for migrants from around the world, and now has the largest foreign-born population of any state in the country. Matt Levin Calmatters -- 6/21/19
Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds
California gas tax goes up July 1, but leaders say road repairs need even more money -- California is poised to charge the highest taxes and fees on gas in the country when an increase kicks in July 1, but officials say the state is still billions of dollars short of what’s needed to properly fix the roads and are considering additional charges. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/21/19
California lawmakers pass tax change to help working poor -- California lawmakers have agreed to reduce business tax write-offs to raise more than a billion dollars a year to pay for an expanded tax credit for the working poor. The bill, AB91, realigns California’s tax code to match some changes made by President Trump’s 2017 federal tax overhaul. The Assembly passed it by a bipartisan vote of 59-2 on Thursday. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/21/19
Court: Calif. cities can collect 25% tax on public university parking fees -- San Francisco can collect millions of dollars in parking taxes from drivers who use University of California and state university lots in the city, the state Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday in a decision that applies to dozens of cities statewide. University officials said the ruling could push up the price of parking on campuses. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/21/19
Transit
‘Stop this madness’: Valley residents trying to block bus rapid transit -- Metro’s Board of Directors will soon vote on whether to begin environmental review of a planned bus rapid transit project in the Northern San Fernando Valley, but some Valley residents are set on blocking the bus-only lanes. Elijah Chiland Curbed LA -- 6/21/19
BART will receive $300 million from feds to start crucial work on Transbay Tube -- Finally, some good news for BART and its beleaguered riders: The transit agency will pick up $300 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation, money that’s crucial to stay ahead of rush-hour crowds through the tube that connects Oakland to San Francisco, officials said Thursday. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Dan Brekke KQED -- 6/21/19
Homeless
LA's Trash Trucks Could Start Making Regular Stops At Homeless Encampments -- As L.A.'s homeless population grows, so do piles of trash near encampments. The city spends millions of dollars on periodic sweeps to clear away tents and debris, but residents soon return and the accumulation begins anew. Some homeless people and their advocates are now demanding the city provide something simpler - garbage cans and regular trash pickups. Sharon McNary laist -- 6/21/19
Housing
After razing rent-controlled apartments, Mountain View adopts new affordable housing rules -- After approving the demolition of more than 100 rent-controlled apartment units this year, Mountain View is putting more pressure on developers to build affordable units into their project plans. Maggie Angst in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/21/19
Wildfire
Driven from Paradise by fire, kept out by gentrification? -- As heavy equipment hauls out mangled bedsprings, tree trunks and charred fireplace bricks, evidence of rebirth is emerging in this town scorched seven months ago by the most destructive fire in state history. Signs offering “Cash for your lot” are tacked up on telephone poles; real estate agents and developers in shiny SUVs are riding across the torched earth; and the frames of houses are taking shape, more modern and fire resistant than the ones that preceded them. Frances Stead Sellers in the Washington Post$ -- 6/21/19
Summer is rolling in with high temperatures and gusty winds as California braces for fire season -- Fire weather officially arrived in Northern California this week, signaling the beginning of what officials expect will be an exhausting year for firefighters across the state. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/21/19
Education
CSU secretly stashed away $1.5 billion surplus, auditor says -- The California State University system amassed a surplus of more than $1.5 billion over 10 years, hiding it from students and the public even as the trustees doubled tuition to nearly $6,000 and collected rising amounts of state funding, the state’s independent auditor said Thursday. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Lauryn Schroeder in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/21/19
After college admissions scandal, UC rolls out reforms to avoid more fraud -- The University of California on Thursday released a sweeping list of recommendations aimed at better policing of fraud and conflicts of interest in admitting students — a process triggered by the national college admissions scandal. Teresa Watanabe and Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/21/19
San Diego Unified teachers to get 4% pay increase with new contract -- The raise will cost San Diego Unified about $12 million as it continues to face other growing costs such as special education and pension. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/21/19
What schools and parents need to know about California's vaccination law -- Proposed changes to California’s vaccination law would make it more difficult for parents to use medical exemptions to avoid immunizing their children before enrolling them in school. The bill is making its way through the state Legislature and is expected to be signed by the governor. Jane Meredith Adams and Diana Lambert EdSource -- 6/21/19
Health
There’s a drug that prevents HIV. Insurers discriminate against people who use it, investigation finds -- Insurance companies discriminated against Californians who take an HIV-prevention drug by denying or limiting coverage, or charging higher premiums, according to a state investigation. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/21/19
Unsanitary conditions at Pettis Medical Center may have led to rise in potentially fatal infections, VA says -- The VA Office of Inspector General’s 55-page report released Tuesday also reaffirms a separate 2018 federal investigation that found Jerry L. Pettis Memorial VA executives concealed the existence of Legionella bacteria in the hospital’s water system from clinical staff for months. Scott Schwebke in the Orange County Register -- 6/21/19
Environment
Stay clear of Chico’s Horseshoe Lake until further notice. There may be toxic algae -- Officials are warning people to stay clear of Horseshoe Lake in Chico until further notice as they investigate what may be toxic algae. Members of Butte County’s environmental health team said Thursday they are coordinating with the city and regional water quality control board to perform a site assessment and test water from the lake. Meghan Bobrowsky in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/21/19
Also . . .
Canine flu outbreak hits Oakland shelter -- At least five dogs at the Oakland city shelter have confirmed cases of canine influenza, according to Oakland Animal Services director Rebecca Katz. Cat Ferguson in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/21/19
POTUS 45
Trump Approves Strikes on Iran, but Then Abruptly Pulls Back -- President Trump approved military strikes against Iran in retaliation for downing an American surveillance drone, but pulled back from launching them on Thursday night after a day of escalating tensions. Michael D. Shear, Eric Schmitt, Michael Crowley and Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ -- 6/21/19
Beltway
The gloves come off in the Democratic primary -- The tenor of the Democratic presidential primary has verged on courteous from the start: To the extent that Democrats went after Joe Biden, it was usually not by name. And Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren kept their rivalry decidedly civil. This week, with the first debates of the election season days away, the gentility came to an end. Natasha Korecki Politico -- 6/21/19
-- Thursday Updates
Man charged with killing Sacramento officer has long history of domestic violence -- The suspect in Wednesday night’s slaying of Sacramento police Officer Tara O’Sullivan is a 45-year-old Sacramento man with a lengthy history of domestic violence and battery against women, The Sacramento Bee has learned. Sacramento police have not yet released the suspect’s name, but online jail records show Adel Sambrano Ramos was booked into the main jail at 5:55 a.m. Thursday on a single count of murder. Sam Stanton and Benjy Egel in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/20/19
Can California avoid a third year of fire catastrophe? Here’s what’s been fixed — and what hasn’t -- State and federal leaders are working to reduce the threat, but they face a number of long-standing challenges: overgrown forests that haven’t been cleared of undergrowth, sprawling development in high-risk areas, an electric grid prone to throwing deadly sparks and a warming climate. Kurtis Alexander, Peter Fimrite, J.D. Morris and Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/20/19
Could San Diego cover a billion-dollar price tag to save its shoreline? -- Defending San Diego County against rising seas would cost about $1 billion, according to a new study that estimated that the cost of coastal armoring would be at least $22 billion for California, and more than $400 billion for the United States as a whole. Deborah Sullivan Brennan in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/20/19
Costco shooting: Mother wounded by LAPD officer who killed her son still in coma -- Family members said Russell and Paola French were dedicated to their son Kenneth, who suffered from an intellectual disability and needed their care. Now, they are hospitalized with gunshot wounds and their son is dead after being shot by an off-duty Los Angeles police officer inside a Costco in Corona. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/20/19
Citizenship for military service? California Democrat renews bill to let Dreamers enlist -- Rep. Josh Harder knows there’s little chance that a big immigration bill will pass in Congress this year. But so-called Dreamers — people who came to the country illegally as children — in his California district want any path to citizenship they can get. Kate Irby in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/20/19
Public To Weigh In On Revised California Vaccine Bill -- Residents are getting their first chance to weigh in on changes to a California measure that would give state public health officials oversight of doctors who grant a high number of medical exemptions for vaccinations and schools with vaccination rates less than 95%. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 6/20/19
Fox: Homelessness Issue Chasing Businesses Away -- Businesses have long been concerned about taxes and traffic congestion as impediments to business and while those concerns still exist they have suddenly been joined by a new issue that is frustrating Californians—homelessness. That is the finding of the latest Los Angeles County Business Federation (BizFed) poll. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 6/20/19
Horns are growing on young people’s skulls. Phone use is to blame, research suggests -- New research in biomechanics suggests that young people are developing hornlike spikes at the back of their skulls — bone spurs caused by the forward tilt of the head, which shifts weight from the spine to the muscles at the back of the head, causing bone growth in the connecting tendons and ligaments. The weight transfer that causes the buildup can be compared to the way the skin thickens into a callus as a response to pressure or abrasion. Isaac Stanley-Becker in the Washington Post$ -- 6/20/19