Updating . .
A ‘Cat and Mouse Game’: PG&E’s Long Record of Run-Ins With Regulators and Courts -- The Wall Street Journal identified repeated instances over 25 years in which PG&E misled regulatory authorities, withheld required information, didn’t follow through on promised improvements, engaged in improper back-channel communications with regulators or obstructed an investigation. Rebecca Smith in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/5/19
EPA Wants to Revoke California Auto Regulation Powers -- The Trump administration is preparing a plan to strip California’s authority to set tougher auto efficiency regulations than the federal government, even while agencies continue finalizing a rollback of national standards, according to people familiar with the matter. Ryan Beene Bloomberg -- 9/5/19
Insurance commissioner charging rent for second residence to taxpayers -- California’s state insurance commissioner has stuck taxpayers with thousands of dollars in bills to cover the cost of renting an apartment in Sacramento while he maintains his primary residence in Los Angeles — a break from other statewide elected officials that is alarming ethics watchdogs. Carla Marinucci and Angela Hart Politico -- 9/5/19
Tenaja fire near Murrieta grows to 1,400 acres; crews prepare for daytime heat and winds -- A fast-moving brush fire that erupted in the hillsides near Murrieta and forced thousands of residents to evacuate grew to 1,400 acres overnight, state fire officials said early Thursday. More than 500 firefighters have been assigned to the Tenaja fire in Riverside County, which broke out about 4 p.m. Wednesday near Tenaja and Clinton Keith roads on a day marked by thunderstorms in the region. Hannah Fry, Jaclyn Cosgrove, Genaro Molina in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/5/19
How anti-vaxxers are helping polio make a comeback in Pakistan -- An anti-vaccination movement rooted in suspicions of modern medicine. Unsubstantiated rumors fueled by social media. Children infected with a disease that had been all but wiped out. Polio is making a troubling comeback in Pakistan, and it is being driven by some of the same forces spreading measles in the United States. Shashank Bengali in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/5/19
LeBron James asks 43.5M followers to support student athlete pay bill -- sketball superstar LeBron James appealed to millions of his fans on Twitter Thursday, asking them to lobby for a California bill that could fundamentally change college sports by allowing student athletes to reap the profits from endorsements and the use of their names and likenesses. Carla Marinucci Politico -- 9/5/19
Manhunt continues for suspect in shooting of deputy in Central Valley -- Authorities are continuing a statewide manhunt Thursday for a man suspected of wounding a sheriff’s deputy in a shooting in the Central Valley. Merced County sheriff’s officials identified the suspect as Guadalupe Lopez-Herrera, 51, of Dos Palos. Authorities allege Lopez-Herrera opened fire on deputies about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at a home near the intersection of Eucalyptus Road and Highway 33 in Dos Palos, about 60 miles northwest of Frenso. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/5/19
NTSB investigator in boat fire ‘taken aback’ by small escape route for passengers -- The lead investigator probing the Conception boat fire disaster expressed concerns about the ability of passengers to escape in an emergency after she and her team toured a similar vessel in Santa Barbara Harbor on Wednesday. Mark Puente in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/5/19
Surviving crew member thought phone charging station might have sparked boat fire -- One of the crew members aboard the dive boat Conception hadn’t been asleep long when a noise jolted him awake. He swung open the door of the wheelhouse — the top level of the 75-foot boat, located just above the galley — and was greeted by flames. Hannah Fry, Kim Christensen, Susanne Rust, Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/5/19
‘State of shock’: Stockton mourns five family members among 33 killed in dive boat blaze -- Angela Rose Quitasol was the cool teacher – and a good one. Middle school science teacher by day, roller derby queen by night, her passion was teaching. NicoleStorm Quitasol, whose love of fitness and adventure inspired others. Eldest daughter Evanmichael, the nurse who followed in father Michael Quitasol’s footsteps at Stockton’s St. Joseph’s Medical Center; their commitment to healing shared by Michael’s current wife, Fernisa Sison, a former nurse. Darrell Smith in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/5/19
‘The whole city is depressed’: Santa Barbara grieves after Conception boat fire -- Ever since a massive fire claimed 34 lives aboard the Conception, Celine Nasser has barely had a break. The 21-year-old has been fielding a flood of phone calls at Truth Aquatics, the company that operated the ill-fated diving boat. From its site in Santa Barbara Harbor, Nasser has been canceling boat trips and redirecting families of victims who call in to ask for information. As she does this, she mourns. Leila Miller in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/5/19
Homeless people were pushed from BART stations. Now they’re riding the trains -- Homeless ridership on BART trains has surged in recent months, even as the transit agency has tried to keep its stations from turning into de facto shelters. More than twice as many apparently homeless people are riding trains on weekends as in 2018, according to newly obtained agency records. The number of homeless people riding trains on weekdays is up nearly 50%. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/5/19
Trump’s tariffs made California’s housing crisis worse: A ‘perfect storm of the wrong kind’ -- The California Building Industry Association estimates tariffs have driven up the cost of an average-size new home by $20,000 to $30,000. That comes from tariffs on appliances, certain counter tops and other miscellaneous items that “at the end of the day, really add up,” according to Dennis Fitzpatrick, owner of Fitzpatrick Homes in Modesto. Kate Irby in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/5/19
Sacramento commutes are getting much worse, especially for state workers -- Many state workers living in the greater Sacramento area share Byers’ frustration. Bay Area transplants and other newcomers are growing the region’s population and housing prices are pushing people farther from the city as unemployment remains low. As a result, drive times are increasing for all commuters. Wes Venteicher and Phillip Reese in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/5/19
Fed up with lack of space, migrants build their own shelter in Tijuana -- There aren’t enough migrant shelters in Tijuana for the tens of thousands of asylum seekers waiting to enter the United States. So a group of Central American migrants is building their own. Gustavo Solis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/5/19
It’s crunch time for California’s plan to phase out single-use plastics by 2030 -- With pressure mounting to address the state’s recycling crisis, California lawmakers are close to deciding on three far-reaching pieces of plastics legislation, including one that would phase out non-recyclable single-use packaging containers by 2030. Piper McDaniel in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/5/19
This secret donor has given USC $400 million -- Billionaire B. Wayne Hughes Sr., a founder of self-storage behemoth Public Storage, has donated about $400 million to the university — nearly all of it anonymously, according to sources familiar with his philanthropy. Harriet Ryan, Matt Hamilton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/5/19
California Again Considers Making Abortion Pills Available at Public Colleges -- When Jessy Rosales was a sophomore at UC Riverside, she had a boyfriend and she was taking birth control pills. Then out of nowhere, she started feeling sick. "I just thought it was the stomach flu," she says. "It turns out I was pregnant." April Dembosky KQED -- 9/5/19
The Wine Train is Napa Valley -- Over three decades, Wine Country’s most recognizable tourist trap has told us an awful lot about the region’s shortcomings. Esther Mobley in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/5/19
More than 400M Facebook users’ phone numbers were possibly available online, report says -- Facebook on Thursday tried to downplay the scope and effect of a report that hundreds of millions of its users’ phone numbers were available for anyone to see online due to a lapse in security involving several databases around the world. Rex Crum in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/5/19
Fox: On SB 276, What Will Gavin Newsom Do? Maybe he should Consult Cotton Mather -- Now that SB 276, which tightened the law to prevent children from avoiding vaccinations, has passed the question is: What Will Gavin Do? Gov. Newsom seems to have been moved by arguments made by opponents of the bill, twice raising objections that would need to be alleviated, even though he indicated he would sign the bill after earlier changes were made. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 9/5/19
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Newsom’s California vaccine bill changes surprise backers -- Medical groups and a lawmaker behind California legislation to crack down on vaccine exemptions said Wednesday they were surprised by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s last-minute call for changes to the bill, a move that inserted fresh uncertainty into one of the year’s most contentious issues. Don Thompson and Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 9/5/19
Skelton: With California’s vaccine bill, children’s immunizations and Newsom’s word are at stake --Gov. Gavin Newsom is about to show the Legislature and all of us just how much his word is worth. In June, the governor promised to sign a highly contentious vaccine bill if it was changed to narrow its scope. The measure’s author, state Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), amended it the way Newsom wanted. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/5/19
Walters: Newsom wheels and deals -- Gavin Newsom wasn’t born when the TV game show “Let’s Make a Deal” began its run but he’s channeling its host, Monty Hall, during the final days of his first legislative session as governor. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 9/5/19
Rep. Susan Davis to retire, won’t run for reelection in 2020 -- Rep. Susan Davis, a 10-term Democratic congresswoman representing San Diego, announced on Tuesday that she is dropping out of the race for re-election in 2020 and will retire from Congress at the end of her term. Morgan Cook in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ Tal Axelrod The Hill Colby Itkowitz in the Washington Post$ -- 9/5/19
San Diego judge orders 11 separated parents can return to U.S. to pursue asylum -- The 11 parents represent a fraction of the 471 mothers and fathers who were separated from their children under the Trump administration’s zero tolerance policy last year and then deported. Kristina Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ Jeremy B. White Politico -- 9/5/19
Devin Nunes suing Glenn Simpson and ethics group, claiming conspiracy -- Republican Congressman Devin Nunes of California has filed a lawsuit claiming a left-leaning transparency nonprofit conspired with a research firm to damage his reputation. The lawsuit in federal court in Alexandria follows two that Nunes filed in state court against parody Twitter accounts, Twitter, a Republican strategist and the media company McClatchy for reporting on or mocking him. Rachel Weiner in the Washington Post$ -- 9/5/19
Devin Nunes’ campaign drops lawsuit against constituents who claimed he was a fake farmer -- The campaign for Devin Nunes on Tuesday dropped its lawsuit against the people who accused the Republican congressman of being a “fake farmer” and tried to get his ballot designation removed. Brianna Calix in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/5/19
California Loses Key Military Project And Gains Funding For Wall -- In California, the Air National Guard lost funding for an $8 million flight simulator scheduled to be built in the Channel Islands. Sen. Diane Feinstein said in a release that the simulator would have prepared C-130 pilots to respond to disasters. Steve Walsh KPBS -- 9/5/19
Politifact CA: A promise stalled: Eight months in, Gov. Gavin Newsom has yet to hire a homelessness czar -- Eight months into his term as California governor, Gavin Newsom has set aside $1 billion to address the state's homlessness crisis, formed a task force to get at its root cause and pushed for speeding up the construction of new shelters. Chris Nichols Politifact CA -- 9/5/19
Google and other tech firms seek to weaken landmark California data-privacy law -- Google and its industry allies are making a late bid to water down the first major data-privacy law in the U.S., seeking to carve out exemptions for digital advertising, according to documents obtained by Bloomberg and people familiar with the negotiations. Kartikay Mehrotra, Laura Mahoney, and Daniel Stoller Bloomberg -- 9/5/19
Federal judge OKs settlement abolishing cash bail in San Francisco -- A federal judge has approved San Francisco’s agreement to abolish cash-bail requirements for people who have just been arrested, a settlement that would allow most individuals accused of misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies to be released from jail without having to post bond. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/5/19
Family claims daughter held in SF juvenile hall for 11 days despite release order -- The complaint filed this week is the second since 2018 claiming that San Francisco has unlawfully locked up a minor, and it comes as the city plans to overhaul its juvenile justice system in the face of declining youth crime, rising costs and a push to incarcerate youths only as a last resort. Joaquin Palomino in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/5/19
Climate activists struggle to convince Dems that green isn’t just for whites -- One of activists’ problems is that they haven’t always done a good job showing how climate change affects every neighborhood — including low-income communities of color that vote reliably Democratic and bear a disproportionate share of the impacts. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/5/19
Conservative provocateur Jacob Wohl charged with financial crime in Riverside County -- Jacob Wohl, a conservative provocateur who once lobbed bogus claims of sexual assault against special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, appeared in court in Riverside County Wednesday after it was revealed that prosecutors had issued a warrant for his arrest on a felony financial crime, officials said. James Queally, Lauren Raab in the Los Angeles Times$ Edvard Pettersson Bloomberg -- 9/5/19
Welcome to San Diego. Don’t Mind the Scooters -- A year ago, electric rental scooters were hailed as the next big thing in transportation. But their troubles in San Diego show how the services have now hit growing pains. Erin Griffith in the New York Times$ -- 9/5/19
Cause of California boat fire could take up to two years to determine, officials say -- Coast Guard officials have recovered the bodies of 33 people who died in a massive fire aboard the Conception that started as the 75-foot vessel was anchored off the coast of Santa Cruz Island on Labor Day. One person is still missing, authorities said Wednesday. Mark Puente, Matthew Ormseth, Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/5/19
Three Bay Area residents among 34 dead in boat fire as officials continue to investigate cause -- Three Bay Area residents and five from Santa Cruz are among the 34 people who perished when they were trapped inside a dive boat as it was consumed by flames and sunk Monday in the Channel Islands near Santa Barbara. Michael Cabanatuan and Pete Grieve in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/5/19
Memorials show California community’s grief over boat fire -- Just hours after a fire raced through a scuba diving boat, a memorial started sprouting up to commemorate the lives of 34 people who died trapped below decks. Days later, it has all but enveloped the sprawling harbor boardwalk where the boat, the Conception, once docked in Santa Barbara. Stefanie Dazio and John Rogers Associated Press -- 9/5/19
Probe to find cause of boat fire could lead to criminal case -- The captain and crew who leapt from a burning dive boat off Southern California saved themselves as 34 people perished below deck. Whether their escape from the Conception before dawn Monday was the only viable option, an act of cowardice or even a crime has yet to be determined. Brian Melley Associated Press -- 9/5/19
California boat fire: stairs from sleeping quarters led to space filled with flames -- Passengers and crew on a scuba diving boat that caught fire off Santa Barbara over the Labor Day weekend may not have had any means of escape because the staircases leading up from the sleeping quarters below decks ended in the same enclosed space, not an open deck, investigators believe. Andrew Gumbel The Guardian -- 9/5/19
Apple confirms two employees among dead in dive boat fire -- Steve Salika, a senior manager at Apple, was on the Conception with his wife, Diana Adamic, and their daughter Tia. Salika met his wife at Apple, according to a statement from the company. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/5/19
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Some sectors warn that AB5 could hurt workers, raise prices -- As California moves forward with legislation that could turn many independent contractors into employees, some industries are vociferously protesting that the changes could hurt their workers and raise costs for consumers. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/5/19
SF tech firm ‘cafeteria ban’ on hold as union seeks to organize workers -- San Francisco tech companies will not see a ban on their beloved all-you-can-eat cafeterias anytime soon. Trisha Thadani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/5/19
Ferry Building to undergo two-year restoration -- Portions of the 1896 building’s facade, battered due to natural weathering, will be repaired and brought back to their original splendor. The entire exterior will also get a fresh coat of paint sporting a new color. Brock Keeling Curbed San Francisco -- 9/5/19
Wildfire
Tenaja fire chars nearly 1,000 acres near Murrieta and prompts evacuations -- A fast moving fire erupted in hillside terrain near Murrieta on Wednesday night, quickly scorching almost 1,000 acres and prompting mandatory evacuation orders for multiple residential enclaves as fire officials urged others nearby to voluntarily leave. Jaclyn Cosgrove, Genaro Molina in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/5/19
Education
Do California colleges favor applicants with donor ties? Law would require disclosure -- Months after the college scandal that exposed questionable admissions practices benefiting wealthy and well-connected families, a bill was sent Tuesday to Gov. Gavin Newsom to address concerns with the college admissions process. Sawsan Morrar and Bryan Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/5/19
Push for single rating of LA schools challenges state's multi-dimensional accountability system -- There is a deeply rooted impulse in American society — perhaps any society — to rank everything from restaurants and refrigerators to athletes and colleges. That may help explain why pressures in California to rank its schools based on a single score of some kind continue, despite a major thrust in the state to move in the opposite direction. Louis Freedberg EdSource -- 9/5/19
Immigration / Border
Sexual Assault Complaints at Otay Mesa Detention Center Have Surged -- The number of sexual assault complaints at the Otay Mesa Detention Facility surged by 158 percent last year, according to a report by CoreCivic, the private company that runs the facility. It’s not clear what’s behind the sharp increase in complaints. Maya Srikrishnan Voiceofsandiego.org -- 9/5/19
Environment
UCSD discovers surge in plastics pollution off Santa Barbara -- UC San Diego researchers say they have discovered an “explosion of plastics pollution” in the seafloor off Santa Barbara, in an area where little of the material appeared to exist before the end of World War II. Gary Robbins in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/5/19
Dana Point deploys more sand bags in emergency effort to save storm drain, water treatment facility in battle against erosion -- Save as much as we can, for as long as we can. That’s the new motto for Toni Nelson, who heads the community advocacy group Capo Cares, as the Dana Point resident pushes for the continual effort to save Capistrano Beach before it disappears into the sea – much of it has in recent years. Laylan Connelly in the Orange County Register -- 9/5/19
LA sued over plan to add denser housing near transit -- Fix the City has repeatedly taken Los Angeles to court over some of its more transformative planning proposals. Now it’s targeting a development incentive program. Bianca Barragan Curbed LA -- 9/5/19
Also . . .
A trove of art stolen in the ’90s has turned up. LAPD is looking for the original owners -- A quarter-century has passed since the Los Angeles Police Department began investigating a string of break-ins at expensive homes in Hollywood and across the city’s wealthy Westside. Dozens of artifacts — including paintings from Picasso and Spanish compatriot Joan Mirò, antique firearms and documents signed by former Presidents Ronald Reagan and Howard Taft — had vanished from their walls, pedestals and cases. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/5/19
It’s free and it’s red and it’s all yours — kids at SF school get free bikes -- It was more of a miracle than hot dog day in the cafeteria. On Wednesday, every first- and second-grader at McCoppin Elementary School in San Francisco got a brand new red bicycle, thanks to a big-hearted Colorado foundation that goes around the country giving away bicycles to little kids. Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/5/19
Farm animals join human passengers on Metrolink train to 2019 LA County Fair in Pomona -- Passengers on the San Bernardino line from Union Station to the LA County Fair in Pomona made room for a donkey foal, a lamb, a colt, a calf and baby goat (kid) who caught the train Wednesday, Sept. 4, after a morning spent mingling with kids (the human variety) at a makeshift petting farm at the downtown Los Angeles transit station where more than 100,000 commuters pass by daily. Steve Scauzillo in the Riverside Press Enterprise$ -- 9/5/19
CHP will be on school buses in San Bernardino to enforce ‘no pass’ law -- California Highway Patrol officers will be aboard school buses in San Bernardino Monday, Sept. 9, to focus enforcement on drivers who illegally pass buses when they are stopped and signalling with flashing red lights or a stop sign. Richard K. De Atley in the Riverside Press Enterprise$ -- 9/5/19
A squatter turned a secret Sacramento spot into a trip into his mind – invitation only -- The directions to this art show, in almost any context, are bizarre. When local artist No One contacts you about his floor-to-ceiling art gallery, put up on the sly in downtown Sacramento, this is what you get: Olivia Monahan in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/5/19
POTUS 45
An Oval Office mystery: Who doctored the hurricane map? -- Donald Trump’s affinity for Sharpies may finally leave a mark. A map that the president held up Wednesday indicating the possible paths of Hurricane Dorian carried an odd marking: Lumped onto the end of the “cone of uncertainty” — indicating areas the storm could hit — was a chunk of the state of Alabama. The only problem: Alabama was never expected to see any outsize effects of the storm, which has changed course numerous times over the past week, keeping a significant portion of the southeastern part of the country and the Caribbean on edge. Caitlin Oprysko Politico Philip Bump in the Washington Post$ -- 9/5/19
Trump admits his trade war is hurting the stock market -- The comment came in the same appearance in which Trump held up a doctored chart showing Hurricane Dorian’s potential path. And it represented a subtle but notable shift from what he’s been saying as signals of a potential economic slowdown have increased. The latest came Tuesday with a report that U.S. manufacturing contracted last month for the first time in three years. JM Rieger in the Washington Post$ -- 9/5/19
Beltway
Democrats seize on climate as 2020 primary weapon -- In seven hours on CNN, the leading Democratic candidates showed the first signs of weaponizing climate change in the primary campaign. David Siders and Zack Colman Politico -- 9/5/19
Ending sales of new gas-powered cars is part of Kamala Harris’ climate change plan -- In Harris’ proposal, the California senator promises to help the country reach an aggressive set of environmental benchmarks. Her plan calls for phasing out sales of gas-powered cars by 2035, mandating carbon-neutral building standards and steering utilities to renewable sources of energy. Emily Cadei McClatchy DC -- 9/5/19
Will concern about climate change affect the presidential race? -- Democrats roll out big plans, polls show increased worry, but guns, economy, other major issues loom. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/5/19
House panel subpoenas DHS over alleged Trump pardon offers -- The Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee on Wednesday subpoenaed the Department of Homeland Security for documents that could shed light on President Donald Trump’s alleged offer of pardons to officials implementing U.S. immigration policy. David Morgan Reuters -- 9/5/19
Small donors don’t cut it for many Democratic candidates. Back to the rich -- After all the promises that fundraising-as-usual was behind them and that charming the wealthy over canapes would take a backseat to chatting with regular human beings, Democratic presidential candidates spent a lot of time this summer in the Hamptons. Evan Halper in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/5/19
-- Wednesday Updates
California escapes brunt of Pentagon funding deferrals to pay for Trump’s border wall -- The Pentagon will defer spending about $8 million that had been earmarked for a flight simulator facility in Ventura County, a casualty of President Trump’s effort to fund construction of 175 miles of new wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Alexa Díaz in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/4/19
California vaccine bill with tougher school exemption rules heads to governor -- The state Senate gave final legislative approval to controversial vaccine legislation Wednesday, prompting a chaotic scene among protesters in the chamber as the bill heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom. The Senate’s 28-11 vote came less than 24 hours after the Assembly approved the measure on Tuesday. Melody Gutierrez in the Los Angeles Times$ Dustin Gardiner and Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Don Thompson and Kathleen Ronayne in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/4/19
California becomes first state to ban fur trapping after Gov. Newsom signs law -- California has enacted a new ban on fur trapping for animal pelts, making it the first state to outlaw a centuries-old livelihood that was intertwined with the rise of the Western frontier. The Wildlife Protection Act of 2019, signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, prohibits commercial or recreational trapping on both public and private lands. Louis Sahagun, Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/4/19
Search begins for last victim of California boat fire. 33 bodies recovered from the water -- Coast Guard officials have recovered the bodies of 33 people who died in a massive fire aboard Conception that started as the 75-foot vessel was anchored off the coast of Santa Cruz Island on Labor Day. One person is still missing, authorities said Wednesday. Mark Puente, Matthew Ormseth, Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/4/19
It’s seen as one of L.A.’s most successful housing programs. A lawsuit seeks to strike it down -- A nonprofit group focused on planning issues is seeking to strike down one of L.A.'s signature programs for building affordable housing and bringing taller, denser apartment buildings to the city’s public transit corridors. David Zahniser, Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/4/19
Lopez: He died Sunday on a West L.A. sidewalk. He was homeless. He is part of an epidemic -- The balding, middle-aged man was facedown on a flattened piece of cardboard, arms at his side, a small pool of blood near his mouth. He wore bluejeans, his feet were bare, and headset buds were still in his ears. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/4/19
SF counts 4,000 homeless, addicted and mentally ill, but timeline for help still unclear -- Public health officials will release a grim tally Wednesday identifying some of San Francisco’s most vulnerable residents: Those who struggle with homelessness, mental illness and addiction. The new data are intended to direct the city’s efforts to confront a worsening behavioral health crisis. Dominic Fracassa and Trisha Thadani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/4/19
San Francisco assessor sues over Giants’ tax win on Oracle Park -- San Francisco Assessor Carmen Chu is suing both the San Francisco Giants and the city’s own Assessment Appeals Board over a multimillion-dollar property tax assessment break granted to the team’s Oracle Park. Phil Matier in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/4/19
Stanford sex assault survivor ‘Emily Doe’ reveals name with new memoir -- Emily Doe, the woman who delivered a gripping courtroom statement that drew national attention after she was sexually assaulted in 2015 by a Stanford University swimmer, publicly stepped forward Wednesday after writing a memoir in which she reveals her identity. Anna Bauman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Nico Savidge in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/4/19
Bay Area restaurateurs want to charge diners for using credit cards. But they’re scared -- At Kiraku, a busy izakaya in Berkeley, dinner might come with a surcharge that you won’t see at many Bay Area restaurants. Notices can be found at the entrance, by the cash register, on the menu and on a little card that comes at the end of the meal. The culprit for a higher bill? Using a credit card. Janelle Bitker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/4/19