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Hostile takeover of PG&E? Billion-dollar hedge funds duel over bankrupt utility -- Two groups of multibillion-dollar hedge funds are fighting over control of PG&E Corp. in a battle with huge implications for California’s largest electric utility and the thousands of wildfire victims who hold claims against the bankrupt company. What had been a quiet tug-of-war turned into a hostile takeover battle late Wednesday. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/18/19

‘Sticker shock’ for California wildfire areas: Insurance rates doubled, policies dropped -- Two consecutive disastrous wildfire seasons have created a budding insurance crisis for thousands of Californians who live in and around fire-prone areas. Stung by $24 billion in losses, insurers are imposing rate hikes or dumping customers altogether, leaving homeowners to seek replacement policies that can be two or three times as expensive. Dale Kasler, Ryan Sabalow, and Phillip Reese in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/18/19

California insurance commissioner won’t disclose calendars after accepting industry donations -- An advocacy group is demanding that California’s insurance commissioner release records about his business meetings following a report that he accepted tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from insurance leaders and their spouses. Hannah Wiley in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/18/19

Tensions intensify between LAPD and ICE over immigration raids -- Tensions between Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Los Angeles police have ramped up over the last month amid the Trump administration’s loud threats to unleash immigration sweeps. Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/19

Becerra backs change in murder law that’s widely opposed by state prosecutors -- Ever since changes to California’s felony murder law went into effect this year, making thousands of inmates serving life sentences potentially eligible for reduced prions terms or even freedom, prosecutors have dug in and fought to overturn it. Greg Moran in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/18/19

Billionaire Tom Steyer needs your money, or his campaign is doomed -- The problem is, while Steyer doesn’t need money, he needs donors — 130,000 of them — to qualify for the Democratic National Committee’s Sept. 12 debate in Houston. That’s in addition to support of 2% or more in four national or early-voting-state polls. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/18/19

Bubble watch: Foreigners dramatically shrink homebuying in California, U.S. -- Folks complain when foreigners — or any “non-traditional” house hunter — are buying. Then others fret when they are not. On one hand, buyers from out of the country are a small slice of California house hunters. Jonathan Lansner in the Orange County Register -- 7/18/19

Just half of Californians believe they can afford to live here, poll finds -- A newly released Quinnipiac University poll found that just slightly more than half, or 53 percent, of Californians believe they can afford to live in the Golden State. Surveyors spoke to 1,125 California voters between July 10-15, with a margin of error of 3.9 percentage points. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/18/19

Marijuana battles turn ugly in one California city: Fistfights, nasty accusations and questions -- The Commerce City Council meeting had started when Councilman Leonard Mendoza stepped onto the dais and sat a seat away from Mayor Pro Tem Ivan Altamirano, the man he accused of sucker-punching him. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/19

MS-13 gang’s bloody reign of terror in San Fernando Valley leaves residents horrified -- The indictment describes a reign of terror, called “medieval” by one prosecutor, by a section of the gang in parts of the San Fernando Valley. It included allegations of ritualistic murders involving dismemberment and machetes by a Central American gang that took root in Los Angeles in the 1980s. Ruben Vives, James Queally, Matthew Ormseth, Nicole Santa Cruz in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/19

Stephen and Ayesha Curry commit to Oakland with new foundation for kids -- The Warriors are leaving. Some key players have packed up and exited. But Stephen and Ayesha Curry are committed to Oakland. Ann Killion in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/18/19

BART stations have a new draw — they’re magnets for housing -- Housing development on former BART parking lots is gaining traction as never before, including a 24-story apartment tower at MacArthur Station — even though some people who live near these “transit villages” see the trend as an imposition or outright assault on their neighborhoods. John King in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/18/19

SF office space is expensive. A ballot proposal will make it worse, critics say -- San Francisco would restrict future office development if the city fails to meet its affordable housing goals under a proposed ballot measure. The measure would reduce the amount of office space allowed by a percentage equal to the city’s shortfall in approving affordable housing, based on state-mandated goals. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/18/19

Top Obama adviser: Trump ‘absolutely’ can win re-election -- Ben LaBolt was a longtime top aide to former President Barack Obama and the national spokesman for his 2012 re-election campaign. Now he’s packing a warning for Democrats: President Trump is following some of the playbook Obama used to win re-election, and he “absolutely” can prevail. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/18/19

Ready for a rematch? California Republican ousted in blue wave files to run in 2020 -- After months of speculation, former Rep. David Valadao has filed to run against Rep. TJ Cox – again. The move sets up a rematch between Valadao, a Republican from Hanford, and Cox, D-Fresno. Kate Irby in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/18/19

A Democrat outraised Tom McClintock more than two-to-one. Does it matter for 2020? -- Democrat Brynne Kennedy outraised Republican Rep. Tom McClintock more than two-to-one over the last three months, new fundraising reports show. But after being outraised by a similar margin in 2018 — and still winning by 8 percent — it’s not clear that McClintock’s sluggish fundraising is a sign of real vulnerability in California’s 4th district, the most Republican congressional district in the state. Emily Cadei in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/18/19

Times Investigation: Trump administration has gutted programs aimed at detecting weapons of mass destruction -- The Trump administration has quietly dismantled or cut back multiple programs that were created after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to help detect and prevent terrorism involving weapons of mass destruction, a Times investigation has found. The retreat has taken place over the last two years at the Department of Homeland Security, which has primary domestic responsibility for helping authorities identify and block potential chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats. David Willman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/19

As America Debates Abortion, Hollywood Seeks the Realities -- Series and films depicting abortion in a matter-of-fact way have markedly increased, a scholar finds. Writers say they’re showing what they know. Cara Buckley in the New York Times$ -- 7/18/19

Court documents show close contact between Cohen and Trump during hush-money arrangements -- An affidavit, used to obtain court approval for searches of Cohen’s properties more than a year ago, cites phone records showing frequent communication between the two men as Cohen scrambled to enact the illegal scheme shortly before the 2016 election. Chris Megerian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/19

Fox: Harris Gains in Poll -- The Quinnipiac poll this week showed Kamala Harris taking the lead in the presidential contest among California Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters. Her gain in the polls reflects rising support for her candidacy in Southern California. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 7/18/19

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Trump’s California funders—where they are and what they’re giving -- How much has President Trump raised from Californians this year? Which neighborhoods are giving him the most money? Could it be yours? We break it down in six graphs. Ben Christopher Calmatters -- 7/18/19

Longtime California House member faces tough race — from a fellow Democrat -- For the past 14 years, Fresno Rep. Jim Costa has managed to hold off Republicans seeking to grab his Central Valley congressional seat. But a fellow Democrat could be his toughest challenger in 2020. Fresno City Councilwoman Esmeralda Soria, the daughter of farmworkers, will run against Costa next year, hoping to parlay her Latina heritage and her political base in the 16th Congressional District’s largest city into a seat in Washington, D.C. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/18/19

Rep. Hunter ordered to stop using Marine Corps emblem in campaign materials -- Controversial mail pieces sent by the campaign of Rep. Duncan Hunter recently were criticized as Islamophobic. Now the materials have drawn attention from the U.S. Marine Corps. for a different reason. Charles T. Clark in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/18/19

Skelton: With new California wildfire law, Newsom didn’t let perfect be the enemy of good -- “Nothing’s clean, Howard. But we do our best, right?” the Ava Gardner character tells eccentric Howard Hughes, who is fretting over germs. It’s one of my favorite movie quotes, one that universally speaks to the human condition — most any condition, particularly politics. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/19

U.S. Forest Service relents in California firefighting dispute, state to recoup millions -- The state of California and the U.S. Forest Service reached an agreement late Tuesday on federal reimbursement rates for local firefighters, ending a tense standoff that had alarmed state officials. Emily Cadei in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/18/19

Fur clothing’s days could be numbered in California — bill would ban sales -- For more than three decades, furrier Bennie Lin outfitted San Francisco’s elite in custom pieces — chinchilla vests, full-length mink coats and lynx jackets — from his showroom in the South of Market neighborhood. But Lin’s run ended last year after San Francisco became the first major U.S. city to ban the sale of animal fur, a prohibition that California could soon take statewide. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/18/19

LA's Sheriff Knew About 'Degrading' Strip Searches Of Women — Back When He Was A Lieutenant -- When he was a lieutenant at the women's jail in South L.A., Alex Villanueva commanded deputies who carried out "highly invasive visual and body cavity searches under inhumane conditions," according to a civil rights lawsuit that has led to one of the largest monetary settlements in L.A. County history. Frank Stoltze laist -- 7/18/19

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

California Bail Industry's Latest Effort To Stay In Business? Ask Voters For Constitutional Protection -- The battle over whether California should eliminate cash bail is moving toward a double-barreled showdown at the ballot box. The industry is now seeking constitutional protection, on top of its effort to overturn a new state law abolishing the current system. Ben Adler Capital Public Radio -- 7/18/19

Bubble Watch: Southern California bankruptcies rise for 1st time in 8 years -- There were 18,736 filings in U.S. Bankruptcy Court’s California Central District in 2019’s first half, up 433 in a year, or 2%. Its the first year-over-year increase since 2011. Nationally, bankruptcy filings were essential flat. Statewide, bankruptcies rose 1%. Jonathan Lansner in the Riverside Press Enterprise$ -- 7/18/19

Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds 

Downtown SF businesses to tax themselves to pay for clean streets, homeless outreach -- San Francisco businesses rarely celebrate new taxes. But when given the choice to pay a little extra for more street cleaning, trash collection, power washing and street-beautification — all of which help attract tenants and customers — most landlords and businesses embrace the idea. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/18/19

Homeless  

Protests over Fremont’s proposed homeless plan sets off a firestorm of debate online -- The bucolic bedroom community of Fremont seems like an unlikely backdrop for California’s latest skirmish over what to do with its burgeoning homeless population. But the city of 237,000 residents, wedged between bustling Silicon Valley and the green open spaces of the Sunol Regional Wilderness, has taken center-stage for a deafening civic debate. Patrick May in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/18/19

Sacramento mayor says California must require cities to provide shelter space for homeless -- Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg is calling for an enforceable statewide “right to shelter” mandate that would require communities to have enough shelter space or other housing to accommodate their homeless populations, a strategy modeled after a decades-long program in New York City. Theresa Clift in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/18/19

Housing  

Google, development ally ready huge Bay Area housing effort -- Google has reached an agreement with a real estate ally to help the search giant realize its wide-ranging ambitions to create several mixed-used neighborhoods — including more housing — in three Bay Area communities: downtown San Jose, Sunnyvale, and Mountain View, the companies said Wednesday. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/18/19

U.S. government sues to evict couple from $15 million Presidio Heights mansion -- In one of the more unusual eviction cases in San Francisco, the U.S. government is seeking to eject a couple from the former Iranian consulate in Presidio Heights, a $15 million mansion that was the site of protests and a major bombing in the 1970s. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/18/19

Court tells California to use mortgage settlement money to help homeowners -- The state Supreme Court turned down arguments by two California governors Wednesday and left intact a ruling requiring the state to use $331 million, obtained from a nationwide bank settlement, to help homeowners who were victimized by foreclosures during the last recession. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/18/19

Stockton Might Turn City Hall Building Into Housing, Retail Shops -- They say you can’t fight City Hall — but apparently in Stockton you can buy it. Stockton City Council voted on Tuesday to give exclusive negotiating rights to Cort Companies, a group that wants to develop the 93-year-old historic City Hall building into market rate housing and retail on the ground floor. Rich Ibarra Capital Public Radio -- 7/18/19

Home prices continue to climb with San Bernardino County seeing largest annual increase -- The annual price growth among single-family homes sold across Southern California continued to grow in June, with San Bernardino County leading the gains. The county with the region’s most affordable homes saw a robust price increase last month, according to the California Association of Realtors, rising to $310,000, a 5.7% increase from June 2018. Jack Katzanek in the Riverside Press Enterprise$ -- 7/18/19

Education 

Law enforcement seizes records of closed L.A. charter school -- Federal law enforcement agents have seized records from the home of the former director of Community Preparatory Academy, a Los Angeles charter school that recently closed amid allegations of fiscal mismanagement. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/19

Audit finds weaknesses in UC admissions process, echoing national scandal -- University of California auditors found weaknesses in 11 admissions processes — including potential conflicts of interest among application readers and failing to verify whether students won the awards they said they did — in a report presented to the UC regents Wednesday that echoes problems exposed in a recent nationwide admissions scandal. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/18/19

City Of Fullerton Seeks Loan Repayment From Cal State Surplus -- Thirty years ago the City of Fullerton put up $7 million in bond funds to build athletic fields at Cal State Fullerton. The city was supposed to be paid back through income from a hotel built on campus. But it hasn’t and it’s now owed $14 million, including principal and interest. Adolfo Guzman-Lopez KPCC -- 7/18/19

Charter School Case Exposes Big Loopholes in How the State Funds Schools -- Last month, an explosive indictment filed in San Diego alleged a charter school scam that was both lucrative and audacious: Two men, along with a handful of close employees, managed to siphon $80 million of public education funds into “consulting” companies they controlled. Will Huntsberry Voiceofsandiego.org -- 7/18/19

Cannabis 

California pot regulators struggling with job, audit says -- The agency overseeing California’s legal marijuana market has been overmatched by the job and is struggling to hire sufficient staff and set an overall strategy for the nation’s largest cannabis economy, an audit found. Michael R. Blood Associated Press -- 7/18/19

Immigration / Border 

H-1B: Federal judge backs government’s narrower view of ‘specialty occupation’ in tossing Indian woman’s case -- A federal court judge has thrown out a lawsuit by an Indian technology worker who claimed she was illegally denied an H-1B visa, ruling in favor of the federal government and its claim that the woman’s planned job did not meet the definition of a “specialty occupation” required for the visa. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/18/19

Refugee mothers separated at border to sue Trump administration for $3 million each -- Like thousands of Central American parents seeking asylum in the United States, Patricia panicked when, after she and her son crossed the Rio Grande into Texas last year, U.S. border agents took the boy away. For weeks, she was crushed by fears that then-6-year-old Alessandro was lost forever. Anita Chabria in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/19

Videos start replacing interpreters at immigration court hearings -- The Trump administration began the process of eliminating in-person interpreters at immigrants’ initial court hearings Wednesday, replacing them with a video advising people of their rights. Tal Kopan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/18/19

Border agent in Clint accused of harassing mother of 12-year-old migrant who was in custody -- A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent allegedly sought out an undocumented Guatemalan woman living in California, sent her Facebook messages and asked her to watch a live video of him masturbating — all while her 12-year-old son was in custody at the Border Patrol station in Clint, Tex., where he worked, according to an April complaint filed with CBP and interviews with the mother. Abigail Hauslohner and Maria Sacchetti in the Washington Post$ -- 7/18/19

Environment 

Lead paint suppliers settle California lawsuit for $305M -- The nation’s former major suppliers of lead paint have agreed to pay California’s largest cities and counties $305 million to settle a nearly 20-year-old lawsuit, attorneys said Wednesday. The settlement comes after years of legal and legislative battling in California and other states. Former lead paint manufacturers tried to change California law last year with a ballot initiative that they later withdrew. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 7/18/19

Former president of Kiribati tells SF to step up fight as climate change threatens to swallow his island country -- Nestled in the middle of the Pacific Ocean is Kiribati — a country destined to be doomed, and eventually erased, by climate change. Scientists, the United Nations and even its former president, Anote Tong, all agree: The small island home to 116,000 people will be engulfed by rising sea levels. Eduardo Medina in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/18/19

Chevron Richmond refinery flaring under investigation -- An equipment issue at the Chevron refinery led to flaring, officials said Wednesday. In a post to the refinery’s Facebook account just before 10:40 a.m., a statement said any smoke seen nearby was a result of fire-brigade drills. But other reports of visible smoke plumes over the skies Wednesday evening led staff to issue a statement. George Kelly in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/18/19

Also . . . 

Sheriff’s chief says she quit over ‘highly unethical’ demand to rehire deputy fired for abuse -- A top official in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said she left the agency after 34 years rather than carry out what she said was a “highly unethical” and “unheard of” directive from Sheriff Alex Villanueva to reinstate a fired deputy and alter his disciplinary record, court papers reviewed by The Times show. Maya Lau in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/19

Banned words: Berkeley drops gendered language from city codes -- In an effort to be more inclusive, the Berkeley City Council adopted an ordinance Tuesday to replace gendered language in the city’s municipal code with neutral terms. Personal pronouns like “she,” “he,” “her” and “him” will change to “they” and “them.” “Fireman” or “firewoman” will become “firefighter.” Ashley McBride in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/18/19

POTUS 45  

A new poll shows why Trump attacked Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar — and why it could get even uglier -- The Economist and pollster YouGov are out with a survey testing the images of a bevy of politicians, including all the big-name 2020 presidential contenders, party leaders and the four freshmen Trump targeted Sunday. The poll was conducted beginning Sunday, the morning on which Trump sent those racist tweets, so it provides a good window into how people viewed the four congresswomen as they were thrust into the spotlight. Aaron Blake in the Washington Post$ -- 7/18/19

At rally, crowd responds to Trump’s criticism of Somali-born congresswoman Ilhan Omar with chants of ‘send her back’ -- President Trump held a campaign rally Wednesday night where the crowd responded to his attacks on a Somali-born Muslim congresswoman with chants of “Send her back! Send her back!” Ashley Parker and Colby Itkowitz in the Washington Post$ Jessica Taylor, Ayesha Rascoe NPR Matthew Choi Politico Noah Bierman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/18/19

Beltway 

Harris, Warren surge in new California poll -- Home-state Senator Kamala Harris has seized the top spot from Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Elizabeth Warren is fast gaining traction in delegate-rich California, according to a new Quinnipiac University Poll released Wednesday. Carla Marinucci Politico -- 7/18/19

 

-- Wednesday Updates 

Kamala Harris overtakes Joe Biden in new poll of California voters -- Following her performance in the first Democratic presidential debate, California Sen. Kamala Harris has overtaken former Vice President Joe Biden, according to a Quinnipiac University survey of California Democratic voters. Bryan Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/17/19

The Buttigieg bump: Mayor Pete challenges Kamala Harris for California cash -- Kamala Harris continues to lead all Democratic challengers so far among California donors of $200 or more, whose identities are revealed in campaign disclosures. However, her home-state advantage narrowed in recent months. Upstarts in the race like South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg out-raised her here by $500,000 in the most recent quarter, according to new filings released this week. Maloy Moore in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/17/19

Rising health insurance deductibles fuel middle-class anger and resentment -- Denise Wall, a Fresno area school teacher with more than $2,000 in medical bills, was outraged to hear she could get free care if she quit her job and enrolled her family in Medicaid. Noam N. Levey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/17/19

Competitive Orange County House races draw big money in second quarter fundraising -- Democratic House incumbents in Orange County are ramping up fundraising as they head into the 2020 election, according to financial reports posted this week with the Federal Election Commission. But a few Republican challengers raised nearly as much — or even more — in the second quarter of the year than the Congress members they’re trying to unseat. Brooke Staggs in the Orange County Register -- 7/17/19

Berkeley becomes first U.S. city to ban natural gas in new buildings -- Berkeley became the first city nationwide to ban the use of natural gas in new buildings in a unanimous vote Tuesday by the City Council. The ordinance, introduced by Councilwoman Kate Harrison, goes into effect Jan. 1, 2020 and phases out the use of natural gas by requiring all new buildings to have electric infrastructure. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/17/19

UC Academic Senate calls on Regents to divest from fossil fuels -- Faculty at the University of California called on the Board of Regents at a public meeting Wednesday to embrace fossil fuel divestment — submitting a formal recommendation endorsed by a vote of the full Academic Senate. It’s still unclear whether the university system’s governing body will take up the call to sell off millions of dollars of stocks and bonds in oil and gas companies. Joshua Emerson Smith in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/17/19

Even after huge earthquakes, much of Southern California still unprepared for The Big One -- A sizable crowd had already gathered outside the Surplus Store early July 6 when Victor Hernandez arrived at the West Los Angeles shop to unlock the doors. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/17/19

U.S. home sales to foreigners sink on strong dollar and Trump’s trade wars -- Foreign purchases of U.S. residential real estate fell 36% to the lowest annual rate since 2013, as slowing overseas economies, the strong dollar and the White House’s anti-immigrant rhetoric put a chill on demand. Prashant Gopal Bloomberg -- 7/17/19

SF Supervisor Mar to pull IPO tax from ballot, replace with similar measure -- Supervisor Gordon Mar plans to pull a proposed tax on stock-based compensation — dubbed the IPO tax — from the November ballot, and will instead put a similar business tax on the November 2020 ballot. Trisha Thadani and Emily Fancher in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/17/19

California union contracts targeted in new lawsuit challenging how workers quit paying dues -- Conservative groups are suing the union representing in-home caretakers, alleging that the union is violating workers’ First Amendment rights by restricting when members can leave the labor organization. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/17/19

Cracks emerge in SEIU Local 1000 leadership as bargaining season begins -- Three top officers at SEIU Local 1000 say union president Yvonne Walker’s tight grip on power is keeping them from carrying out the promise of change on which they were elected last year. The newly elected vice presidents of bargaining, organizing and finances at the state’s largest union said Walker has restricted their travel and withheld information they need to do their jobs. Wes Venteicher in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/17/19

LAPD officer charged with rape after ‘cold’ DNA match, prosecutors say -- An LAPD officer has been charged with rape following a sexual assault investigation, authorities said Wednesday. Officer William Rodriguez, 33, a 10-year veteran of the LAPD who most recently was assigned to the Valley Traffic Division, was taken into custody Tuesday and relieved of his police powers. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ Joshua Cain in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 7/17/19

Fearsome mountain lions high-tail it out of there when they hear human voices -- The presence of people in remote areas of the Santa Cruz Mountains turns mountain lions into veritable fraidy-cats and strikes so much fear in bobcats, skunks and opossums that they change their behavior to avoid detection, a new study has found. Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/17/19

Coyote enters house through doggie door, killing pet in ‘unprecedented’ attack -- Buena Park officials are warning residents to be prepared for coyote encounters after a bold predator recently entered a home through a doggie door and attacked two dogs, killing one in what officials called an “unprecedented” attack. Alexa Díaz in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/17/19

L.A. River planners float three design proposals for a major new park -- The three design schemes look totally distinct on paper and come with different names — “Island,” “Soft Edge,” “The Yards” — but they all have the same goal: restore wildlife habitat, plant people-friendly landscapes and develop flood-control strategies for a place that has been the subject of so much neglect, speculation, dreaming and debate: the L.A. River. Mimi Zeiger in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/17/19

Column: Steve Lopez goes to Italy and searches for his Sicilian roots -- If you’re trying to find long lost relatives, I hope you’re better at it than I am. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/17/19