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Should all teachers be credentialed? Charter school advocates say no -- More than 1,100 educators in California charter schools lack a teaching credential, the California Department of Education says. A lawmaker wants to change that. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/21/19

Fight to change California’s landmark consumer privacy law fizzles — for now -- As a consumer, Dirk Lorenz says he understands the anxiety many people feel about online ads that seem to stalk their search and social media visits. He, too, finds the mass collection of personal data invasive. But as the longtime owner of Fremont Flowers, Lorenz said California lawmakers’ antidote to those concerns could be toxic for small retailers like him. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/21/19

L.A. says it got 21,631 homeless people into housing. Is that really true? -- In the pervasive gloom that has surrounded the results of L.A. County’s annual homeless count, officials have repeatedly pointed to one bit of bright news: A record number of people got off the streets and into housing last year. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/21/19

Bed shortages at California mental health facilities leave inmates deemed incompetent in limbo -- Despite being found incompetent to stand trial, Samuel Eugene Johnson sits in the Butte County Jail, waiting for a bed to open at a California mental health facility. Johnson, a homeless man, was charged with the murder of 55-year-old Linda Blacksten in 2018 near the Chico State University campus. Jake Hutchison in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/21/19

Shelter directors feel pinch as more refugees languish in Tijuana -- Shelter directors in Tijuana say they are struggling to keep up with an overwhelming need after the Mexican federal government cut off funding for immigrants and the Trump administration implemented Monday a virtual ban on all foreigners filing for asylum in the United States. Wendy Fry in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/21/19

Did this student deserve admission to UCLA’s renowned gymnastics team? -- Even by the lofty standards of UCLA gymnastics, the team’s 2016 freshmen stood out. Nathan Fenno, Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/21/19

ICE used Oakland Airport to deport and transfer tens of thousands of immigration detainees -- Despite being located in one of the nation’s most prominent sanctuary cities, Oakland International Airport served as the staging ground for nearly 1,000 flights chartered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement between 2010 and 2018, carrying detainees on their way to deportation or transfer between detention centers. Cat Ferguson, Ali Tadayon and Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/21/19

These ‘ghost’ legal clients are shaking down mom-and-pop businesses under the guise of disability rights -- In a new twist on an old ruse that some call legal extortion, a Los Angeles attorney is suspected of creating “ghost” clients who file hundreds of lawsuits under the Americans with Disabilities Act to extract settlements from Southern California businesses. Scott Schwebke in the Orange County Register -- 7/21/19

It’s free. It’s fun. Why Silicon Valley loves swag — and how it’s changing -- Scan your closets and drawers. Chances are, you’ll find T-shirts, tote bags and baseball caps emblazoned with logos and slogans of conferences you attended, products you bought, nonprofits you supported, companies that wanted to sell you stuff. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/21/19

Idyllwild prized its isolation. Now, with the roads into town wrecked, it feels all alone -- Now, the town of 3,380, which calls itself “the home of adventure, music, art and harmony,” is bereft of many of the visitors who power the tourist economy. It’s also missing the easy access to the supplies, services and labor provided by the “flatlands” below. Locals, who seemingly had outwitted madding civilization, now fret over doctors’ visits delayed, commutes doubled or tripled and cash registers rendered mute. James Rainey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/21/19

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

U.S. housing officials withhold $80 million from Los Angeles, alleging discrimination -- In an unwelcome turn for a city suffering from a homelessness crisis, federal housing officials said they have denied Los Angeles $80 million in funds, citing long-standing failures by local leaders to ensure that properties built with government money are accessible to those who use wheelchairs or have other disabilities. Harriet Ryan, David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/21/19

Death penalty trials have continued despite Newsom’s moratorium. The California Supreme Court could stop them -- The attorneys were about two weeks into choosing a jury in an upcoming triple-murder trial when they had to toss out the work they’d done and send the potential jurors home. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/21/19

GOP candidates try out attack lines against Rep. Katie Hill — and each other -- Attacks are starting early in the race among Republicans hoping to deny re-election to Democrat Katie Hill in the Los Angeles County’s most closely watched congressional contest. Kevin Modesti in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 7/21/19

Not so lonely anymore: Barbara Lee no longer a team of one on war powers -- It was raining on Sept. 14, 2001, and Oakland Rep. Barbara Lee was running down the Capitol steps holding a can of ginger ale. In a few hours, she would cast one of the most consequential votes of her career, and she had been agonizing over what to do. Soon, though, she would have the clarity she needed. Tal Kopan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/21/19

LAPD investigates claims of secret recordings at Councilman Jose Huizar’s office -- An aide to Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar has been placed on leave amid a police investigation into possible illegal recordings made inside one of Huizar’s offices, authorities said Saturday. David Zahniser, James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/21/19

Willie Brown: Everyone assumes Trump will debate in 2020. What makes them so sure? -- Everyone’s wondering which Democratic candidate could destroy President Trump in the 2020 debates. Here’s one question Trump’s hard veer into naked racism raises: What makes anyone think he’s going to debate? Willie Brown in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/21/19

Who in California is donating to Trump’s campaign and why? -- This may come as surprise to the president, the national media and more than a few Californians, but there are plenty of Trump supporters in the “Resistance State,” too. And since the beginning of the year, they’ve been spending a lot of money to keep the president in the White House. Ben Christopher Calmatters via the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/21/19

Lopez: Where would you take a visitor to Los Angeles? -- Today, I’m offering you a job. The pay is no good, but the schedule is your own, and all you have to do is pretend you’re a tour guide. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/21/19

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

Bay Area job market rockets to fresh gains in June, region has nearly 4.1 million jobs -- The Bay Area’s resilient job market, despite the forbidding obstacles of a brutal housing shortage and monster commutes, powered to fresh highs in June, a surge that extended throughout the nine-county region, state labor officials reported Friday. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/21/19

Homeless  

Proposed SF ‘safe’ parking lot upsets some residents, pleases others -- A proposal to turn a parking lot near the Balboa Park BART Station into a facility for people living out of their cars drew about 200 people to a Saturday afternoon community meeting, where some expressed support for the idea, but others fumed at the possibility of the homeless service coming to their San Francisco neighborhood. Trisha Thadani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/21/19

Education 

It’s hard for homeless kids to prepare for school. Kindness as important as supplies -- Last Monday, the temperature was in the mid-90s and the sun was pounding down on the Modesto Outdoor Emergency Shelter. Eight children, ranging from a rowdy 10-year-old girl to a timid 14-year-old boy, were sitting in a circle in a shady spot under the Ninth Street Bridge, chatting about their favorite music. Their lives are hidden, yet overexposed. They know each others’ vulnerabilities and tease one another about them. But they defend each other like siblings. Chrisanna Mink in the Modesto Bee -- 7/21/19

Cannabis 

Abcarian: Enticed by promises they could start cannabis companies, people of color are still waiting -- Marcy Lyles, a single mother of three boys, has been trying to break into the cannabis business for a while now. Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/21/19

Also . . . 

You downloaded FaceApp. Here’s what you’ve just done to your privacy -- When an app goes viral, how can you know whether it’s all good fun — or covertly violating your privacy by, say, sending your face to the Russian government? Geoffrey A. Fowler in the Washington Post$ -- 7/21/19

POTUS 45  

White Anxiety, and a President Ready to Address It -- Two forces convulsing American politics found each other at President Trump’s rally in North Carolina this week: a sense of anxiety among white voters about their standing in a country that is growing more diverse, and a politician intent on stoking those worries. Surveys show fears among some white people that they are losing status in America, and those holding such views are increasingly aligned with the Republican Party. Emily Badger and Nate Cohn in the New York Times$ -- 7/21/19

‘He always doubles down’: Inside the political crisis caused by Trump’s racist tweets -- President Trump’s own top aides didn’t think he fully understood what he had done last Sunday, when he fired off a trio of racist tweets before a trip to his golf course. Michael Scherer, Josh Dawsey, Ashley Parker and Seung Min Kim in the Washington Post$ -- 7/21/19

Trump criticized the U.S. for years. Now he wants people who do that to leave -- On Friday, President Trump was asked again about his racist remarks aimed at four minority congresswomen. He again doubled down. JM Rieger in the Washington Post$ -- 7/21/19

Trump Employs an Old Tactic: Using Race for Gain -- For the fourth season of “The Apprentice,” Donald J. Trump searched for a gimmick to bolster ratings. His idea was simple if explosive — pit an all-white team against an all-black team. Peter Baker, Michael M. Grynbaum, Maggie Haberman, Annie Karni and Russ Buettner in the New York Times$ -- 7/21/19

 

-- Saturday Updates 

State insurance commissioner accepted contributions and intervened in cases affecting donor, records show -- California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara intervened in at least four proceedings involving a company with ties to insurance executives and their spouses who donated tens of thousands of dollars to his re-election campaign, records show. Jeff McDonald in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/20/19

Targeting Bay Area gridlock, groups floating $100 billion tax measure -- From BART trains packed to capacity during the commute to freeways that jam well before dawn, the strain on the Bay Area’s transportation backbone is intensifying. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/20/19

Bay Area chefs confront climate change, environmental impact -- Set on the first-floor of Salesforce Tower, Boutique Crenn will be a cafe and bakery, but the promise of zero waste means guests will need to bring their own coffee tumblers if they plan to take a drink off the premises, walk off with a croissant in hand instead of a paper bag and remember a tote bag if they want to bring a bunch of treats to co-workers. Janelle Bitker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/20/19

Bay Area unemployment rates stayed near rock bottom in June -- Bay Area counties posted eight of the 10 lowest unemployment rates in California in June, as employers continued to add jobs in most sectors except education, according to Employment Development Department reports issued Friday. Bay Area unemployment rates rose from May in most counties, but that was in part because schools shut down, Last month’s rates were still lower than June 2018. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/20/19

A Walgreens in Bayview could become a pot store, and concerns grow -- Hardly anything remains on the shelves of the Walgreens in the Bayview Plaza shopping center. It’s closing Monday after 30 years, its tenure as old as the complex itself. A Seattle cannabis company wants to open a store in the location, and if it does, it will be the first cannabis retailer in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood. Shwanika Narayan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/20/19

California leads the nation in naturalized citizens -- In 2017 in California, nearly twice as many people became naturalized citizens than in the state with the second most, New York. Of the more than 700,000 people that were naturalized that year, the median time spent as a lawful permanent resident was eight years. Kurt Snibbe in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/20/19