California Policy & Politics This Morning
Trump postpones nationwide immigration enforcement sweep -- President Donald Trump on Saturday said he was postponing a nationwide immigration sweep to deport people living in the U.S. illegally, including families, saying he would give lawmakers time to work out border solutions. Colleen Long Associated Press -- 6/22/19
Police: O’Sullivan’s wounds ‘not survivable,’ armored vehicle broke down in ambush -- Sacramento police officials released jarring bodycam footage and confirmed details published in a Sacramento Bee report during a news conference Friday night regarding the shooting death of Officer Tara O’Sullivan. Molly Sullivan and Theresa Clift in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/22/19
Sacramento State to hold vigil in memory of alumna Tara O’Sullivan -- Sacramento State will hold a vigil Sunday evening for alumna Tara O’Sullivan, the Sacramento police officer who was killed in the line of duty Wednesday responding to a domestic violence call. The vigil will be held at 8 p.m. Sunday at the Outdoor Studio Theatre, northwest of the University Library. Jaimie Ding in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/22/19
Gavin Newsom to California’s critics: State is ‘still the envy of the world’ -- California is getting a bad rap from businesses and the national media, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday, and he’s getting mighty tired of it. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/22/19
Faulconer says he did not thank Trump for border wall -- San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer is disputing President Donald Trump’s comments that Faulconer thanked Trump for his efforts on the border wall during a Tuesday meeting between the two men at the White House. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/22/19
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers to get 4% pay raise -- The raises will bump the base pay of California legislators to $114,877 on Dec. 2, while Newsom’s pay will jump to $209,747. Four-percent raises will also be received by the state attorney general, treasurer, controller, insurance commissioner and other statewide officials. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ Sophia Bollag in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/22/19
ICE Raids
ICE to target migrant families in nationwide raid that may include San Francisco -- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is planning to arrest migrant families with deportation orders in major U.S. cities, the head of the agency says. The effort could begin as soon as Sunday and could include San Francisco, according to sources familiar with the planning and news reports. Tal Kopan and Tatiana Sanchez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/22/19
Trump immigration sweeps to target 2,000 people, including 140 in Southern California -- Federal immigration officials plan new sweeps targeting migrants with orders for removal from the United States beginning Sunday, with about 140 individuals targeted in Southern California, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said Friday. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/22/19
With ICE raids expected this weekend, local police reiterate they don’t enforce immigration laws -- In anticipation of mass immigration arrests apparently set to begin Sunday in major cities across the nation, local law enforcement agencies in San Diego County reiterated they do not enforce federal immigration laws and would play no part in such an operation. In fact, they can’t by law. Lyndsay Winkley in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/22/19
Trump’s Threat of Mass Deportations Could Test Bay Area Legal Aid Networks for Immigrants -- In the San Francisco Bay Area, advocates and local governments have been preparing for mass immigration arrests for years, building up “rapid response” networks aimed at delivering speedy legal aid to detained non-citizens so they can fight deportation. Farida Jhabvala Romero KQED -- 6/22/19
Immigrant advocates prepare for ICE sweeps: ‘The effect is terror. We’re getting call after call after call’ -- Emilio Amaya, a longtime immigrant advocate in the Inland Empire, spent much of the day Friday taking calls from a frightened community. Paloma Esquivel in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/22/19
Gascón strongly considering running for LA district attorney job -- San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón on Friday said he is strongly considering running for district attorney in Los Angeles after announcing that he would not seek re-election when his term expires at the end of the year. Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Alene Tchekmedyian and James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/22/19
Report: Darrell Issa considers run for Rep. Duncan Hunter’s seat with caveat -- With an appointment from the Trump Administration seemingly going nowhere, former Rep. Darrell Issa has been a ghost since departing from U.S. Congress earlier this year. Now one of San Diego’s most recognizable political figures may be eyeing another way in to the political game. Charles T. Clark in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/22/19
Support impeachment, lose a seat: Why some California Democrats go easy on Trump -- California Democrats flipped seven GOP-held seats last year and will be all-out to hold them in 2020. A campaign battle over impeachment won’t help their chances, said Tony Quinn, a former Republican consultant who is now senior editor of the nonpartisan California Target Book, which focuses on the state’s political contests. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/22/19
Income for all is on Democrats’ 2020 radar. One California city is trying it -- Tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang will talk a lot about giving every U.S. citizen $1,000 a month for life in the first Democratic presidential debate next week. It’s called universal basic income, and it’s Yang’s big issue. But it’s theoretical to him — he’s never held elective office. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/22/19
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Supreme Court bolsters rights for developers and property owners in California and elsewhere -- The Supreme Court’s conservative majority gave a major boost to property rights Friday, ruling that developers and land owners may go directly to federal court and seek compensation for a “taking” of their property. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/22/19
New 341 area code introduced in East Bay -- Now, in addition to 510, residents of the western parts of Alameda and Contra Costa counties can choose to register for a 341 area code. But after June 30, it’s unlikely that 510 area codes will be available, so those registering a new number will be given a 341 code. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/22/19
Homeless
Oakland opens Bay Area’s first 24/7 safe parking area for homeless RV dwellers -- Oakland opened the Bay Area’s first safe parking location for recreational vehicles last week in East Oakland as part of its effort to experiment with new strategies to address the homeless crisis. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Sara Hossaini KQED -- 6/22/19
Charity furnishes 40th home for formerly homeless family -- Rose Hurtado and her three children have had a place to live since moving out of Father Joe’s Villages last month. On Friday, the family also felt they had a home. “It’s beautiful,” she said inside her newly furnished bedroom in City Heights. “I love it.” Gary Warth in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/22/19
Housing
Can mayor and SF supervisors make nice to build more affordable housing? -- In March, San Francisco officials held a lottery to find the lucky tenants who would rent apartments at an affordable housing development on Fell Street in the heart of Hayes Valley. There were 72 apartments available, but, in a stark example of San Francisco’s housing crisis, more than 5,600 people applied for them. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/22/19
Wildfire
To reduce wildfires and save utilities, Newsom wants $10.5 billion from ratepayers -- Gov. Gavin Newsom is asking the California Legislature to extend an existing charge on utility customers’ bills in hopes of generating $10.5 billion for a new wildfire fund, one that power companies could use to pay for fire damage — but only if they meet the state’s safety standards. Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/22/19
Newsom pitches wildfire claims relief plan for PG&E — with conditions -- Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday outlined an ambitious plan that would help the embattled Pacific Gas and Electric Co. deal with any future wildfire liabilities — if the utility clears strict safety requirements and exits bankruptcy protection by next June. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Scott Rodd Capital Public Radio Marisa Lagos KQED -- 6/22/19
Newsom’s new proposals on wildfire costs walk a political tightrope -- Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office has released his promised wildfire response, proposing to hold utilities more accountable for their actions, establish a fund for fire victims and, for the first time, require customers to prove a utility’s negligence when challenging rate increases tied to fire losses. The governor also wants to overhaul the state’s utility regulator. Julie Cart Calmatters -- 6/22/19
Tracking Wildfires: Where To Find Information During California Fire Season -- We’ve assembled a list of the places you can find official updates on everything from fire size and location, to evacuation orders and road closures. Keep in mind that emergency situations develop quickly, so information may come haphazardly and from different sources along the way. Kacey Gardner Capital Public Radio -- 6/22/19
Education
That mysterious $1.5 billion found in an audit? Cal State says it’s ‘nothing nefarious’ -- Is California State University hoarding a $1.5-billion surplus, hiding it from legislators and students while threatening to hike tuition unless the state ponies up more money? Or is Cal State just socking away money in a rainy day reserve, prudently using it for onetime needs, such as building projects, and fully disclosing it in multiple public meetings and documents? Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/22/19
Sacramento City School District Passes Budget Plan, Eliminating Nearly 400 Jobs -- The good news? The new fiscal plan avoids a state takeover for now. The bad news? The district cut nearly 400 teachers and school positions, and teachers and administrators are still deadlocked over labor negotiations. Pauline Bartolone Capital Public Radio -- 6/22/19
Sacramento City Unified approves budget that relies on reserves – and faces county rejection -- The Sacramento City Unified School District on Thursday night approved adoption of its budget for the upcoming school year – despite concern that the district is still spending more than $12 million in reserves to balance its books, which officials say is not fiscally sustainable. Sawsan Morrar in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/22/19
Immigration / Border
Trump’s threat to deport millions of immigrants risks backlash in 2020 -- With his latest threat to round up and deport millions of “illegal aliens,” President Trump left little doubt that racially fraught rhetoric on immigration will be a central part of his run for reelection. Michael Finnegan and Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/22/19
Detained migrant children got no toothbrush, no soap, no sleep. It’s no problem, government argues -- The government went to federal court this week to argue that it shouldn’t be required to give detained migrant children toothbrushes, soap, towels, showers or even half a night’s sleep inside Border Patrol detention facilities. Meagan Flynn in the Washington Post$ -- 6/22/19
Water
Court throws out federal approval of Cadiz water pipeline -- A federal judge has struck down Trump administration decisions that cleared the way for Cadiz Inc. to build a water pipeline across public land in the California desert. The ruling is a blow to the company’s decades-long effort to pump groundwater from beneath its desert property 200 miles east of Los Angeles and sell it to urban Southern California. Bettina Boxall in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/22/19
Health
Patient’s morphine overdose death leads to state fine for Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento -- Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento has been fined by state regulators over a lethal dose of morphine administered by medical staff, according to a report released this week by the California Department of Public Health. Cathie Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/22/19
Lack of dental insurance is often lost in the health care debate, but it impacts millions -- The severe pain struck when Christian Ortega’s lower left molars decayed, causing one molar to break. The pain was so bad that one day he had to skip his shift as a cook. Lacking dental insurance, Ortega had previously scheduled an appointment at a Western Dental office, where he says the quote he was given to treat the decayed teeth was around $4,000, with a discount. Yesenia Amaro and Nicole Hayden Uncovered California in the Orange County Register -- 6/22/19
Environment
California fishermen report the biggest salmon season in a decade -- California commercial fishermen are reporting the biggest king salmon season in a decade, on the heels of three years of disastrously low catches because of the drought. The sudden bounty has resulted in a price drop for the coral-pink, fatty fillets to $20 per pound in many markets, down from the $30- to $35-per-pound range of recent years. Tara Duggan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 6/22/19
Also . . .
Jurors award Drew Brees more than $6M in jewelry lawsuit -- A Superior Court jury on Friday awarded New Orleans Saints quarterback and former San Diego Charger Drew Brees more than $6 million in his civil lawsuit against a La Jolla jeweler that Brees said mislead him about the value of jewels. Jeff McDonald in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/22/19
POTUS 45
What if Trump won’t accept 2020 defeat? -- The situations all seem far-fetched, but the president's comments have people chattering in the halls of Congress and throughout the Beltway. Natasha Bertrand and Darren Samuelsohn Politico -- 6/22/19
Urged to Launch an Attack, Trump Listened to the Skeptics Who Said It Would Be a Costly Mistake -- He heard from his generals and his diplomats. Lawmakers weighed in and so did his advisers. But among the voices that rang powerfully for President Trump was that of one of his favorite Fox News hosts: Tucker Carlson. Peter Baker, Maggie Haberman and Thomas Gibbons-Neff in the New York Times$ -- 6/22/19
Beltway
Joe Biden remains publicly mum about upset over his remarks about segregationist senators -- Former vice president Joe Biden for the second day on Friday publicly ignored a controversy over comments he made this week bragging about his working relationship with two segregationist senators. Annie Linskey and Chelsea Janes in the Washington Post$ -- 6/22/19
-- Friday Updates
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