Updating . .
Fairmont Hotel in San Jose partially evacuated after reported suicide by gas -- A portion of the Fairmont Hotel in downtown San Jose was evacuated Saturday after a suspected suicide involving a poisonous gas sent several other people to the hospital, according to San Jose fire officials. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Nico Savidge in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/31/19
Earthquake fault long thought dormant could devastate Los Angeles, researchers say -- Scientists citing new research say an earthquake fault along the Los Angeles coast, previously believed to be dormant, is active and could cause a destructive 6.4 magnitude earthquake if it ruptured. And if it linked with other faults, it could trigger an earthquake in the magnitude 7 range, according to a team of researchers from Harvard, USC and the U.S. Geological Survey. Deborah Netburn in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/31/19
Woman dies in Death Valley National Park as temperatures approach 120 degrees -- A woman died in Death Valley National Park this week as temperatures soared to nearly 120 degrees. The extreme heat is expected to continue through this weekend, with highs forecast at 120 degrees for today and 122 for Sunday. Cindy Chang in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/31/19
‘Nothing we can do’: Dark prospects for businesses with PG&E shut-offs -- After 41 years as a business owner, Calistoga grocer Bill Shaw is getting ready to do something new. He is preparing to keep his store, Cal Mart, running if and when Pacific Gas and Electric Co. intentionally turns off his power because of weather that could fuel a dangerous wildfire — even if the shut-off lasts, as the utility has warned it might, more than 48 hours. Shwanika Narayan and J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/31/19
Details of Tyler Skaggs’ death could trigger legal battle with millions at stake -- How did Tyler Skaggs come to die with two opioids in his bloodstream, plus enough alcohol that he would have been considered legally impaired? Investigations into that question could determine whether the Angels and the family of one of their most popular players face off in legal proceedings that could take years and be worth tens of millions of dollars — or more. Bill Shaikin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/31/19
He was kicked out of a border militia. Then the FBI found a gun ‘factory’ in his San Diego home -- Joshua Pratchard was enthusiastic about joining Arizona Border Recon, an armed civilian group that patrols the U.S.-Mexico border looking for unauthorized migrants and drug smugglers. A little too enthusiastic, some people inside the group thought. Antonia Noori Farzan in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/31/19
Republicans face uphill battle in unseating newly Democratic Assemblyman Brian Maienschein -- Assemblyman Brian Maienschein incited the fury of local Republicans when he left that party and registered as a Democrat in January after the closest race of his political career. His Republican Assembly colleagues labeled him a “turncoat.” Charles T. Clark in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/31/19
Oakland says big pot grow in homeless encampment is illegal — but leaves it alone -- City officials say the grow is illegal because McKeel and his friends are trespassing on private property and running a pot farm for profit, but they haven’t done anything to shut it down. The episode highlights the complexities of managing two surging trends in Oakland and other Bay Area cities: homelessness and cannabis regulation. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/31/19
Electric bikes could soon be purring along the trails of national parks — not everyone happy -- Electric bicycle riders got the go-ahead from the Trump administration Friday to begin zipping around on trails in national parks, infuriating hiking, equestrian and outdoor user groups. Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/31/19
Sacramento’s Capitol Mall fountain could be demolished as part of building project -- A proposal by the California Department of General Services to remove the fountain at the center of Capitol Mall has distressed preservationists, who say it is a historic icon that should remain. Elaine Chen in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/31/19
Balboa Peninsula’s ‘Duffy’ house sells for more than $35 million, shattering record in Newport Harbor -- Remember the waterfront mansion on Newport Beach’s Balboa Peninsula that generated international buzz with a YouTube video that spoofed Cali Swag District’s viral dance hit “Teach Me How to Dougie?” The video for “Teach Me How to Duffy” helped sell the house for $35.008 million – about 22.2% less than the $44.995 million asking price when it hit the market in Oct. 2018. Even so, the house, which sold on Aug. 28, set a record. Sandra Barrera in the Orange County Register -- 8/31/19
California Policy & Politics This Morning
11th-hour deal paves way for bill to end rent gouging in state -- Californians would be protected against massive rent increases and unfair evictions under an agreement announced Friday evening by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Alexei Koseff and Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press Bryan Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/31/19
Judge denies plan to pay PG&E executives millions in bonuses -- U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Dennis Montali on Friday denied a motion by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. to pay top executives a targeted $11 million in bonuses, saying the utility had not shown how the executives’ work related to safety goals. The item is in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/31/19
A bill giving workplace protection to a million Californians moves one step closer to law -- A measure to curb the widespread use of independent contractors across the California economy moved closer to final passage in the Legislature on Friday even as Uber, Lyft and other gig economy companies mounted a fierce lobbying campaign to sidestep its reach. Margot Roosevelt, Liam Dillon, Johana Bhuiyan in the Los Angeles Times$ Katie Orr and Guy Marzorati KQED Bryan Anderson and Elaine Chen in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/31/19
Northern California man released after 28 years behind bars for wrongful murder conviction -- Bob Fenenbock cried into his 43-year-old daughter’s shoulder as he held her for the first time in nearly three decades. The pair hadn’t exchanged more than a prison-approved pat on the back since Fenenbock, 66, was locked up for a 1991 Trinity County murder he didn’t commit. Anna Bauman and Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/31/19
Hackers hijack Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s account and send racist tweets -- Twitter has struggled for years to balance a commitment to free speech with meaningful protections against bigotry, harassment and incitement. Twitter’s purveyors of extremist hate face no such dilemma: They just want to amplify their messages to as many people as possible. On Friday, they achieved that in spectacular fashion with a temporary hack of Chief Executive Jack Dorsey’s official Twitter account. Jeff Bercovici in the Los Angeles Times$ Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Allison Prang and Bowdeya Tweh in the Wall Street Journal$ Kate Conger in the New York Times$ Marie C. Baca in the Washington Post$ -- 8/31/19
Tyler Skaggs’ autopsy: Fentanyl, oxycodone and alcohol led to death -- Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs had the opioids fentanyl and oxycodone along with alcohol in his system when he was found dead in his Texas hotel room July 1, according to a toxicology report released Friday by the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office. Maria Torres, Mike Digiovanna in the Los Angeles Times$ Jeff Fletcher and Scott Schwebke in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 8/31/19
Court throws out gun conviction in Kate Steinle killing -- An appeals court on Friday threw out the gun possession conviction against the man acquitted of murder in the 2015 killing of Kate Steinle on the San Francisco waterfront. Nico Savidge in the San Jose Mercury$ Juliet Williams Associated Press Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/31/19
'Advocating for My Own Life:' Bay Area Woman Getting Lifesaving Care Faces Deportation -- Maria Isabel Bueso has overcome many challenges as a result of the debilitating genetic disease she was born with that eventually left her confined to a wheelchair, breathing through a device and reliant upon weekly treatments to survive. Farida Jhabvala Romero KQED -- 8/31/19
How Rick Singer tried to rope in USC legend Pat Haden amid admissions scandal -- William “Rick” Singer was already deep into running a college admissions scam at USC when he tried to smooth talk the university’s athletic director, Pat Haden, over coffee at the Los Angeles Country Club. Working under Haden’s nose, Singer had been bribing USC coaches and one of Haden’s top administrators for coveted admission slots that he sold to his wealthy clients, according to federal prosecutors. Joel Rubin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/31/19
Democrats, wary of backlash, won’t impose $25 tax on gun purchases in California -- A proposal to tax guns and bullets in California has bogged down in the Legislature and is not expected to advance this year, its author said Friday, as lawmakers wrestle with how to respond to a string of fatal mass shootings in recent weeks. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/31/19
Bill to ban most paper receipts in California fails -- Those body-length receipts from retail stores are here to stay. A bill before the California Legislature would have banned paper receipts unless requested by a customer. But a legislative committee voted Friday not to send the legislation to the Senate floor for a vote. Adam Beam Associated Press Melody Gutierrez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/31/19
LAPD Commissioner Sandra Figueroa-Villa failed to disclose income from city contracts -- Los Angeles Police Commissioner Sandra Figueroa-Villa failed to disclose income from a nonprofit she runs that received millions of dollars from the city to work with police on gang initiatives, records show. Mark Puente in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/31/19
Wadie Deddeh, longtime state legislator, dies at 98 -- Two terms in office, Wadie Deddeh thought. Maybe three. He was first and foremost a teacher, an Iraqi-American who understood the history, culture and government of his native country and his adopted one and relished sharing his insights. The classroom, he figured, is where he really belonged. But three terms as a moderate Democratic state legislator became four, and then five, and then ten, and when the South Bay resident finally stepped down in 1993, he had spent 16 years in the Assembly and 11 in the Senate, earning a reputation for bipartisanship that seems almost quaint in today’s polarized political climate. John Wilkens in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/31/19
Sirhan Sirhan is reportedly stabbed at prison in San Diego -- Sirhan Sirhan, who is serving a life sentence for the 1968 assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, was reportedly stabbed Friday in a San Diego-area prison. TMZ and NBC7, both citing unnamed sources, reported that the 75-year-old inmate had been stabbed at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in Otay Mesa. Teri Figueroa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/31/19
Hate crimes cataloged: Five years of malice and spite in San Diego County -- The project — pieced together over two months using records from the San Diego Association of Governments and law enforcement agencies — attempts to illustrate what kinds of hate crimes occur in the region and where, particularly in light of the hate-motivated shooting at Chabad of Poway in April that left one person dead and three others injured. Lyndsay Winkley, Lauryn Schroeder in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/31/19
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Community energy: More and more cities want in on the power-purchase game -- Judging by recent city council votes in places like La Mesa, Chula Vista, Carlsbad and Encinitas, the debate over community energy programs has become less about whether cities in the San Diego area will adopt the model but what form it will take in their respective jurisdictions. Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/31/19
Transit
Starting Saturday: BART platform signals will indicate if Fleet of the Future train is approaching -- Starting Saturday, BART riders waiting on platforms for a train will be able to know if an approaching train is a Fleet of the Future train with three doors or a train with two doors, transit officials said. Alejandro Serrano in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/31/19
Homeless
San Clemente clears homeless camp site and requires proof of ties to the city for reentry -- About 70 people were removed from a makeshift homeless campground along Avenida Pico in San Clemente for a clean-up of the site, Friday morning, Aug. 30, but only 23 were allowed to return. Erika I. Ritchie in the Orange County Register -- 8/31/19
Housing
New $15 million mansion sells in Hillsborough. Dream home? Nope, teardown -- When the 6,400-square-foot modern Tuscan villa in Hillsborough hit the market last year, it featured the design touches of no fewer than four architects. The floors were walnut, the custom mahogany doors imported from Italy and the kitchen fashioned with Scavolini cabinets and Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances. Outside, a pool beckoned along with tennis and bocce ball courts, two koi ponds and a croquet lawn. Matthias Gafni in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/31/19
Education
Charter school reform would address several, but not all, recent controversies -- The reform deal reached by the governor, legislators and charter school advocates still leaves some unresolved issues related to recent charter school controversies in San Diego County, including the A3 charter school scandal that resulted in 11 criminal indictments, experts say. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/31/19
Environment
San Onofre owners, contractor and regulators face new lawsuit over fuel storage plan -- An advocacy group is asking a federal judge to halt the on-site transfer of spent nuclear fuel at San Onofre until a full hearing on the project can be convened. Jeff McDonald in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/31/19
Also . . .
DA clears cops in five shootings and in-custody death incidents -- San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan concluded law enforcement was justified in each of the incidents, four of which resulted in death. Greg Moran in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/31/19
SF State Saves FogCam, Internet's Longest-Running Webcam, After it Almost Shuts Down -- Anyone wanting to evaluate the thickness of Karl the Fog, witness the view from the San Francisco State University campus, or simply see the live feed from the world’s longest-running webcam, will be able to continue visiting the San Francisco FogCam website for the foreseeable future. Caroline Smith KQED -- 8/31/19
POTUS 45
Trump says ousted personal assistant made ‘hurtful’ comments about his family to reporters -- President Trump said he dismissed his personal assistant, Madeleine Westerhout, after she divulged personal information about the Trump family during an off-the-record dinner with reporters. Toluse Olorunnipa in the Washington Post$ -- 8/31/19