Updating . .
El Paso shooting: 20 people dead, 26 injured, suspect in custody, police say -- A gunman opened fire Saturday in a Walmart and around a nearby shopping mall in El Paso, Texas, leaving 20 people dead and 26 injured, and prompting calls for urgent blood donations for the wounded, law enforcement officials said. Andrew Blankstein and Minyvonne Burke NBC News -- 8/3/19
AP source: At least 15 dead in El Paso, Texas, shooting -- At least 15 people were killed in a shooting Saturday in a busy shopping area in the Texas border town of El Paso, and a 21-year-old man was taken into custody, law enforcement officials said. Two law enforcement officials identified the gunman as Patrick Crusius of the Dallas area. Cedar Attanasio, Michael Balsamo and Diana Heidgerd Associated Press -- 8/3/19
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Three judges nullify more search warrants in San Francisco police raid on journalist -- Three San Francisco Superior Court judges on Friday ordered warrants obtained in the search of a freelance videographer’s phone, home and office to be nullified and their contents unsealed due to the Police Department’s violation of California’s shield law that protects journalists. Evan Sernoffsky and Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Sonja Hutson KQED -- 8/3/19
Suicide, not police, killed California festival gunman -- The gunman who opened fire on a California food festival killed himself after officers shot him multiple times, officials said, correcting previous police accounts that the officers fired the fatal bullet. Stefanie Dazio Associated Press Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Leonardo Castañeda, Jason Green and Erin Woo in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/3/19
Online threat appears to refer to California festival attack -- Police arrested a man after he made threats online that apparently referenced the deadly shooting at a Northern California food festival, authorities said. Jose Pinon of Gilroy posted Wednesday on Facebook that “my goal is to kill 500, not three,” believed to be a reference to the shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival that killed three people Sunday, police said. Stefanie Dazio Associated Press Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/3/19
San Jose police union cancels raffle of semiautomatic rifle after receiving complaints -- A San Jose police officers’ union announced Friday it canceled its plan to raffle off a semiautomatic rifle amid community concerns that the raffle would take place soon after Sunday’s mass shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival. Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/3/19
Judge issues restraining order against Southern California congressional candidate Omar Navarro -- A judge this week issued a restraining order against Southern California Republican congressional candidate Omar Navarro, ordering him to stay away from a former girlfriend for five years. This is the second time in two years Navarro has had a restraining order issued against him. Nick Green in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/3/19
PG&E lowers profit increase request because of California wildfire bill -- Pacific Gas and Electric Co. wants to increase its shareholder profit because of the bankrupt company’s wildfire risks — but not as high as it was looking to go before. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/3/19
Time to impeach? For L.A. County House members, the idea isn’t radical anymore -- An idea considered fringe less than a year ago – launching a formal impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump – is now backed by more than half of all Democrats in the House of Representatives and by an overwhelming majority of Southern California’s congressional delegation. Andre Mouchard in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 8/3/19
John Wayne Airport cancels all flights after power outage -- Late Friday, the airport’s Twitter feed said all terminal power was slowly coming back on line. General aviation flights were not affected by the outage or ground stop, which will remain in effect until 7 a.m. Saturday. Those with flights in the morning were advised to check with their airline. Jack Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ Eric Licas in the Orange County Register -- 8/3/19
3 people killed in Encinitas beach bluff collapse -- Three people were killed Friday when an oceanfront bluff collapsed at Grandview Beach in the Leucadia area of Encinitas. A woman died at the scene, and two people taken to hospitals in critical condition later died, authorities said Friday night. Alex Riggins, Gary Warth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/3/19
Burglar freed after 16 years of a 50-year prison term under new resentencing law -- Kent Williams, 57, benefits as the San Diego district attorney’s office becomes the first in California to ask that a prisoner’s sentence be reduced because it was too harsh. Pauline Repard in the Los Angeles Times$ Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/3/19
Suspects held in killing of LAPD officer in Lincoln Heights -- Capping a six-day manhunt, three suspects were taken into custody Friday in connection with the fatal shooting of an off-duty Los Angeles police officer at a taco stand in Lincoln Heights. The suspects were arrested in Riverside, Murrieta and Temecula in connection with the slaying of Officer Juan Jose Diaz on Saturday. Mark Puente, Richard Winton, Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/3/19
Woman missing found 267 days after Camp Fire – police say she was avoiding them -- An Oroville woman who was reported missing following the Camp Fire in Paradise last November was found Thursday night, Butte County Sheriff’s deputies said, leaving only one person is still unaccounted for. A detective from the Butte County Sheriff’s Office spotted Wendy Carroll, 47, walking down Lincoln Boulevard in Oroville around 8:30 p.m., according to a news release from department. Meghan Bobrowsky in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/3/19
Cancer patients are being denied drugs, even with doctor prescriptions and good insurance -- As it attacked cells in Smith’s bone marrow, an important part of the immune system, the 62-year-old was eager to start treatments to stop it. What happened instead in the months that followed was Smith’s pharmacy denying and delaying chemotherapy treatments prescribed by Smith’s medical doctor over and over again. Carmen George in the Fesno Bee -- 8/3/19
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
In agriculture rich California, the state fair is facing an uncertain future -- With few exceptions, ticket sales have been on the decline for years, and what was once considered a central connection between the rural and urban communities sprawling across the state is now struggling to survive. Gabrielle Canon in the Palm Springs Desert Sun -- 8/3/19
Transit
Lyft bikes caught fire in Berkeley, San Jose before two reported in San Francisco -- Lyft’s Wednesday move to pull all its black and pink electric bikes from the East Bay, San Francisco and San Jose came after flammable battery packs or vandalism caused at least four bikes to catch fire, two more than the company earlier acknowledged. Erin Baldassari in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/3/19
Homeless
San Francisco curbs waste with public toilets, 'poop patrol' -- The sidewalks surrounding Ahmed Al Barak's corner market in one of San Francisco's roughest neighborhoods are filled with cardboard, used syringes and homeless people who have nowhere safe to go at night. But Al Barak says it's an improvement from a year ago, before the city posted a portable toilet across the street from his business in the city's Tenderloin district. Janie Har Associated Press -- 8/3/19
Housing
Huge rejected housing project may be revived due to pressure from state officials -- A massive housing project that San Bruno killed in a controversial vote last month could rise from the dead. Facing possible lawsuits and state fines over its recent rejection of the 425-unit project, the city council will meet privately in the coming weeks to consider its options for the proposed development. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/3/19
Environment
States sue Trump administration over fuel economy penalties -- The lawsuit came a week after four major automakers announced a deal with California to toughen standards for gas mileage and greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement involving Ford, BMW, Honda and Volkswagen bypasses the Trump administration’s push to relax mileage standards nationwide. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 8/3/19
POTUS 45
It’s not just Baltimore; Trump is running against America’s cities -- He was born in Queens and lives on Fifth Avenue. His skyscrapers dot city skylines on several continents. But President Trump is increasingly intent on disparaging urban areas, depicting them as blighted and overrun by criminals and homelessness — all part of a divisive reelection strategy heading into 2020. Eli Stokols in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/3/19
Beltway
Where do the 2020 Democrats raise the most money? -- Data released this week provide the most detailed look yet at who funds the Democratic contenders. We mapped more than 4.5 million donations. Here's what we found. Anthony Pesce, Maloy Moore, Iris Lee and Ryan Murphy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/3/19
-- Friday Updates
No fly zone: SFO bans sale of plastic water bottles -- The new rule — which exempts flavored water — will apply to restaurants, cafes and vending machines in the airport. Fliers needing plain water will have to buy refillable aluminum or glass bottles if they don’t bring their own. Gregory Thomas and Eduardo Medina in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/2/19
Radical Baptist church preaches LGBTQ hate just miles from California’s Capitol -- Pastor Roger Jimenez implored his congregation at Verity Baptist Church to separate themselves from the ways of a modern, wicked world. Burn your Harry Potter books. Trash your rock ‘n’ roll CDs. Don’t vaccinate your babies. Stay away from gay people. Hailey Branson-Potts in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/2/19
Feeling marginalized by the California Democratic Party, black women push for more clout -- State Sen. Holly Mitchell of Los Angeles looked out at more than a hundred black women gathered for an annual event at the California Democratic Party convention earlier this summer and marveled at the group’s progress. Christine Mai-Duc in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/2/19
Calif.’s new law requiring candidates’ tax returns appears unconstitutional — or does it? -- California’s new law requiring presidential primary candidates to release five years of tax returns might not survive long enough to keep President Trump off the state’s ballot in March. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/2/19
Southern California jails are trying to improve health care. But inmates are dying -- One night two weeks after being booked into jail for a probation violation, Patrick Russell started hyperventilating and throwing up. “I can’t breathe,” the 30-year-old told a nurse. “I’m having an anxiety attack.” He was wrong. So was the jail’s medical staff, who apparently didn’t recognize his intense and radiating chest pain, numbness, continued vomiting and pleas for help as signs of a life-threatening condition. Nikie Johnson in the Orange County Register -- 8/2/19
Orange County: Jail health care called inadequate, but some changes underway -- Critics of Orange County’s jails fear that not enough action is being taken to improve health care in the wake of a series of recent watchdog reports that raised serious concerns about inmates’ well-being. A spate of deaths in the past two months — three inmates and fetus of another inmate who was just entering her third trimester — has further raised advocates’ alarm. Nikie Johnson in the Orange County Register -- 8/2/19
Knight: Why doesn’t SF treat homelessness like the crisis it is? -- If a major earthquake struck San Francisco today and cast thousands of residents out onto the streets, would City Hall create endless task forces to study the problem? Call for hearings and reports? Create new positions to come up with plans — eventually? Let’s hope not. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/2/19
To house almost 600 homeless people, a Venice couple are working outside the system -- It started with a spreadsheet of income and expenses showing a modest profit could be made by housing homeless people. The profit hasn’t materialized yet. But Heidi Roberts and John Betz, a Venice couple who decided to make their mom-and-pop rental business part of the solution to homelessness, have shown that they can get people off the streets while operating outside the government-run system. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/2/19
Taylor: Even a home not always enough to save long-term homeless -- Marcus Emery called me every few weeks to update me on his life — and to give me his new phone number. I’ve got four numbers saved under his name in my cell phone. Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/2/19
Suspects arrested in fatal shooting of LAPD officer at taco stand -- The individuals, who have not been named, were taken into custody in Riverside, Murrieta and Temecula, said LAPD Assistant Chief Bea Girmala. A law enforcement source said at least one woman was among the three suspects. Girmala said the suspects are in their 20s but declined to provide additional details. Mark Puente, Richard Winton, Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/2/19
Hiltzik: How the hospital lobby derailed legislation to protect you from surprise hospital bills -- California hospitals want you to know that they’re fully on board with the idea that emergency room patients shouldn’t be hit with thousands of dollars in surprise billings because the ER isn’t in their insurance plan’s network. You should also know, however, that the hospitals just killed a measure in Sacramento that would have accomplished that goal, and that the reason they did so was to protect their own revenues. Michael Hiltzik in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/2/19
Electric scooters are good for the environment, right? Here’s why it’s not so simple -- While traveling a mile by scooter is better than driving the same distance by car, it’s worse than biking, walking or taking a bus — the modes of transportation that scooters most often replace. That’s primarily because of the energy-intensive materials that go into making the vehicles, and because of the driving required to collect, charge, and redistribute them. Julia Rosen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/2/19
Fox: Two Major California Problems are Linked -- Wildfires have become a major concern in California after a series of fires took lives and ripped up the landscape in Northern and Southern California over the last year. The danger of more devastating fires is increased in the coming fire season. Homelessness has also been a growing scourge on the Golden State and many of its residents. Homeless encampments in brush areas adds to the threat of more fires. Relieving the homelessness problem could lessen fire danger to a degree. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 8/2/19
Climate Could Be an Electoral Time Bomb, Republican Strategists Fear -- When election time comes next year, Will Galloway, a student and Republican youth leader at Clemson University, will look for candidates who are strong on the mainstream conservative causes he cares about most, including gun rights and opposing abortion. But there is another issue high on his list of urgent concerns that is not on his party’s agenda: climate change. Lisa Friedman in the New York Times$ -- 8/2/19