Updating . .   

San Francisco makes $2.5 billion offer for PG&E electric system -- Mayor London Breed and City Attorney Dennis Herrera included that price in a Friday letter to PG&E, reviewed by The Chronicle, which outlines the city’s offer for the embattled utility’s electric assets. San Francisco officials have been closely considering such a purchase since PG&E decided to file for bankruptcy protection in January, and the offer letter is their most significant step to date. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/8/19

Without state bond, PG&E needs money — and hedge funds await CA’s largest utility -- PG&E is back where it started — searching for a way forward amid tens of billions of dollars in damages from past wildfires. Wall Street awaits. Judy Lin Calmatters -- 9/8/19

California boat fire: Investigators serve search warrants on Conception owner -- Federal investigators served search warrants Sunday at the company that operated the Conception dive boat, on which 34 people were killed in a fire that swept through the vessel while it was anchored off Santa Cruz Island on Labor Day. Richard Winton, Matt Stiles in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/19

Walker Fire burning in Plumas National Forest makes ‘significant run,’ evacuations remain -- The Walker Fire, a large wildfire burning in the Plumas National Forest near Quincy in Northern California, grew to 38,049 acres, swelling overnight as strong winds whipped up the flames. The wildfire, now at 5 percent containment, started Wednesday about 11 miles east of Taylorsville and was reported at 2,000 acres by Friday morning, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Vincent Moleski in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/8/19

Grocery strike may be averted: Supermarkets and union reach tentative deal -- Two major Southern California supermarket operators reached a tentative deal on a new labor contract that could avert a strike at more than 500 grocery stores by the chains’ 47,000 workers. James F. Peltz, Lori Weisberg in the Los Angeles Times$ Jack Katzanek in the Orange County Register -- 9/8/19

Sweet deal: Some retired public employees’ pensions bigger than their salaries were -- When San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White retired after 15 years leading the department, she joined the ranks of a growing financial elite — the 139 former city workers collecting pensions of more than $200,000 a year. Phil Matier in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/8/19

Thousands of migrants taking free U.S.-government funded trips home may not be able to re-enter Mexico -- Asylum-seeking migrants who return to Central America under a controversial U.S. State Department-funded program may not be allowed to legally re-enter Mexico to return to the border for their U.S. immigration hearings, according to Mexican immigration officials. Wendy Fry in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/8/19

California GOP opens alternative pathway for 2020 delegates -- California Republicans have approved a rule change intended to ensure the party can send delegates to the GOP’s national convention next summer, even if President Donald Trump is kept off the state’s 2020 primary ballot. Michael R. Blood Associated Press -- 9/8/19

In Wine Country, the debate over pot farming rages on -- Currently, Napa County bans outdoor cultivation in unincorporated areas. But a moratorium on commercial marijuana growing expires in December — and what happens next has been the subject of a twist-and-turn saga. Shwanika Narayan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/8/19

Major shortcomings in organ transplant network flagged in UCSF, Columbia studies -- Patients with public insurance were far more likely than those with private insurance to die or get too sick for a transplant while waiting for an organ to become available. Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/8/19

An L.A. politician wants homeless housing on an Echo Park lot. His colleague calls it ‘Trumpian’ -- Battles over where to build housing or shelters for homeless people are nothing new at Los Angeles City Hall, which has witnessed an uproar over such plans from Koreatown to Venice. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/19

Can Mission Valley handle 50,000 more residents? -- City planners are making room for 28,000 additional housing units in a new community plan that also refocuses the region around walking, biking and the San Diego River. Jennifer Van Grove in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/8/19

‘Just saying hola isn’t enough.’ How do Latino voters feel when candidates speak Spanish? -- Latino voters could be a major force in 2020, when they are expected to surpass African Americans to become the largest minority voting bloc, according to the Pew Research Center; an estimated 32 million Hispanic voters, a Pew category that includes Latinos and some non-Latinos, will account for more than 13% of all Americans eligible to cast a ballot. Melissa Gomez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/19

As Rep. Susan Davis departs, San Diego loses its longest serving member and ‘true public servant’ -- On Saturday Rep. Susan Davis, D-San Diego, hosted her first public event since announcing she intended to end her congressional career. Charles T. Clark in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/8/19

Ex-SC Gov. Sanford adds name to GOP long shots against Trump -- Sanford, the former South Carolina governor and congressman, joined the Republican race against President Donald Trump on Sunday, aiming to put his Appalachian trail travails behind him for good as he pursues an admittedly remote path to the presidency. Meg Kinnard Associated Press -- 9/8/19

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

‘The Trumps will be a dynasty that lasts for decades’ -- At the California GOP convention, the president’s campaign manager tells delegates they have an important role to play in 2020. Carla Marinucci Politico -- 9/8/19

Salvage efforts to recover Conception dive boat off Santa Cruz Island have been suspended -- Salvage efforts to recover the dive boat Conception that sank in the waters off Santa Cruz Island after a blaze that killed 34 people have been suspended because of weather and safety concerns, officials said Saturday. Carlos Lozano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/19

Boat where 34 died was a ‘fire trap’ despite passing inspections, experts say. It’s far from alone -- A day of diving off Santa Cruz Island ended like countless others aboard the Conception, with dozens of divers asleep in tightly arranged bunks that all but filled the belly of the 75-foot boat. Kim Christensen, Matt Hamilton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/19

Ghost Ship trial: Jurors deadlocked over landlord responsibility, legal standard -- One female juror was the primary holdout responsible for a hung jury that left the fate of Ghost Ship defendant Derick Almena in limbo, according to two jurors who spoke to The Chronicle Saturday. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/8/19

Walters: Tone-deaf Lara and his critics -- During his first months as the state’s elected insurance commissioner, Ricardo Lara was rocked by disclosures that he had accepted more than $50,000 in campaign contributions from insurance industry sources after pledging to shun such dealings during his campaign. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 9/8/19

Willie Brown: Time to help SF’s homeless — and time to get tough if they won’t take it -- If San Francisco really wants to do something about homeless, mentally ill and drug-impaired people on its streets, it need to start thinking outside the box — and outside of town as well. Willie Brown in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/8/19

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

Workers Are Fleeing Big Cities for Small Ones—and Taking Their Jobs With Them -- Kelly Swift grew tired of the Los Angeles area a few years ago so she decided to leave—and take her job with her. Ms. Swift kept her role in health-care information-technology consulting, and her California salary, when she and her family settled in a suburb of Boise, Idaho. Her employer didn’t mind that she started working from home. Ben Eisen in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/8/19

More people are traveling the world than ever. But the number coming to America is dropping -- Trade wars with China could cost the country 1.9 million inbound visitors and $11 billion in spending between 2018 and 2020, according to research from the consultancy Tourism Economics, part of Oxford Economics. Through July, travel from China is down 3.7 percent compared with last year, according to Commerce Department figures. That’s on top of a drop last year, the report says. Hannah Sampson in the Washington Post$ -- 9/8/19

China’s trade with U.S. shrinks as tariff war worsens -- China's trade with the United States is falling sharply as the two sides prepare for more negotiations with no sign of progress toward ending a worsening tariff war that threatens global economic growth. Imports of U.S. goods fell 22% in August from a year earlier to $10.3 billion following Chinese tariff hikes and orders to companies to cancel orders, customs data showed Sunday. Joe McDonald Associated Press -- 9/8/19

Coffee Snobs Are Shelling Out $3.25 for a Jolt of Instant -- Benji Walklet recently reviewed the instant java sold by Los Angeles startup Waka Coffee. Walklet, who runs the Coffee Concierge blog, liked it but got a second opinion from a trusted critic—his wife, who has been known to compare coffee she doesn’t like to gasoline. “It passed my wife’s taste test,” he says, “and that’s really saying something.” Leslie Patton Bloomberg -- 9/8/19

Wildfire  

There’s a silver lining to California’s wildfires: More snowpack and water storage, study finds -- Wildfires in California leave behind acres of scorched land that make snowpack formation easier and more water runoff downstream from the Sierra Nevada to basins in the Central Valley, increasing the amount of water stored underground. Michael Finch II in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/8/19

Education 

William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman tell their side of college admissions scandal -- What Felicity Huffman now calls the worst decision of her life came to a head at 6 a.m. March 12, when six federal agents showed up at the door of her Hollywood Hills home, guns drawn, to march the actress, in handcuffs, out of the realm of the beloved and into the realm of the scorned. Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/19

How did four smiling teachers end up posing with a noose? Here’s what they told investigators -- Four elementary school teachers who were placed on leave after a photo of them smiling and holding a noose circulated on social media were not motivated by racism and were unaware of the pain and hurt it would cause the Palmdale School District community, an investigator concluded in a new report. Rosanna Xia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/19

Also . . . 

The mountain lion known as P-61 is struck and killed on 405 Freeway -- A mountain lion that in July became the first GPS-tracked cougar to successfully cross the 405 Freeway was struck and killed on the freeway in the Sepulveda Pass early Saturday, officials said. Colleen Shalby, Carlos Lozano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/19

POTUS 45  

Trump Says He’s Called Off Negotiations With Taliban After Afghanistan Bombing -- President Trump said on Saturday that he had canceled a secret meeting at Camp David with Taliban leaders and the president of Afghanistan and was calling off monthslong negotiations that had appeared to be nearing a peace agreement. Michael Crowley, Lara Jakes and Mujib Mashal in the New York Times$ -- 9/8/19

NOAA staff warned in Sept. 1 directive against contradicting Trump -- Nearly a week before the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration publicly backed President Trump over its own scientists, a top NOAA official warned its staff against contradicting the president. Andrew Freedman, Colby Itkowitz and Jason Samenow in the Washington Post$ -- 9/8/19

Beltway 

Judiciary panel to activate rare impeachment-time authorities, highlighting divide in chamber’s endgame Add to list -- A House panel eager to impeach President Trump will adopt rare investigative procedures next week to bolster its probe, tools used in previous impeachments of American presidents. But rather than signal a stronger focus on ousting Trump, the news highlights a division within the Democrats’ oversight strategy and endgame, as well as the party’s messaging to voters. Rachael Bade in the Washington Post$ -- 9/8/19

Kamala Harris’s Team Huddles to Plot Path Forward -- Top advisers to Sen. Kamala Harris made their case to major donors behind closed doors in two meetings in New York on Friday, telling them they were working on defining the California Democrat with a more refined core message. Tarini Parti and Emily Glazer in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/8/19

Democrats bite on burgers and straws — and Republicans feast -- Democrats’ verbal targeting of everything from plastic straws to cheeseburgers is stoking fears among anti-Trump forces that they’re unwittingly playing into Republican culture wars. Christopher Cadelago and Holly Otterbein Politico -- 9/8/19

We asked 100 New Hampshire insiders about the Democratic field. Here's who they favor -- Joe Biden found little mojo for his candidacy among Democratic Party insiders at their state convention here Saturday, despite leading the polls in the first-in-the-nation primary state. Trent Spiner and Holly Otterbein Politico -- 9/8/19

Does a billionaire have a place in the 2020 Democratic field? -- It would seem that San Francisco billionaire Tom Steyer belonged in America’s highest tax bracket in 2010. He and his wife Kat Taylor reported $149 million in taxable personal income, well beyond the $374,000 that required many other taxpayers to pay 35%. Michael Finnegan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/8/19

 

-- Saturday Updates 

Boat where 34 died was a ‘fire trap’ despite passing inspections, experts say. It’s far from alone -- A day of diving off Santa Cruz Island ended like countless others aboard the Conception, with dozens of divers asleep in tightly arranged bunks that all but filled the belly of the 75-foot boat. As always, there were two ways out in case of emergency — up a curved stairway at the front of the cabin, or through an escape hatch in the ceiling over bunks at the rear. Kim Christensen, Matt Hamilton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/7/19

Authorities are still searching for the final victim of the California boat fire that killed 34 -- As officials search for the final victim of the worst maritime disaster in modern California history, the U.S. Coast Guard hopes to soon raise the sunken Conception boat where 34 died from Santa Barbara Channel. Officials planned to begin the process Friday, but that was put off because of weather conditions and safety concerns. Richard Winton, Mark Puente, Leila Miller in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/7/19

Two wildfires keep growing in Northern California, causing evacuations -- A wildfire in Plumas County grew rapidly, expanding to more than 24,000 acres by early Saturday, while another fire in Tehama County also grew overnight, to nearly 8,000 acres, fire officials said. Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/7/19

A fierce battle over defining employees in California nears decisive vote -- Residents of California’s capital city might not have been following every development in the sweeping summertime effort to remake state employment law, but it was hard to ignore the sound of protests circling the historic statehouse this week. John Myers, Liam Dillon, Johana Bhuiyan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/7/19

Hospital giant Sutter Health faces legal reckoning over medical pricing -- Economists and researchers long have blamed the high cost of healthcare in Northern California on the giant medical systems that have gobbled up hospitals and physician practices — most notably Sutter Health, a nonprofit chain with 24 hospitals, 34 surgery centers and 5,000 physicians across the region. Jenny Gold Kaiser Health News via the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/7/19

Bay Area parents, schools mobilize against teen vaping: ‘We have quite a fight ahead of us’ -- His high school friends would inhale the sweet or minty vapor from their Juul and joke about how close society came to convincing kids to stay away from cigarettes, said one San Francisco teenager. No one smoked regular cigarettes anymore, said the now college student, who asked not to use his real name because using e-cigarettes is illegal for someone his age. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/7/19

$9 million restoration OK’d for historic Pigeon Point Lighthouse on San Mateo County coast -- The structure, which is tied with the Point Arena Lighthouse in Mendocino County for the tallest lighthouse on the West Coast, was built in 1871 to keep wooden ships from hitting the rocky shoreline. For years it was a popular attraction, with tours taking schoolchildren to the top of the lighthouse. But in 2001 the building was padlocked after large chunks of cast-iron metal bracing fell to the ground. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/7/19

Will Lake Tahoe’s invasive shrimp become the next mass-market health supplement? -- First it was development runoff. Then it was algae triggered by global warming. Now UC Davis researchers have seized on a new explanation for the continued dinginess of Lake Tahoe’s blue waters — tiny invasive shrimp. Louis Sahagun in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/7/19

We found quirky, beautiful and historic sights along 49 Mile Scenic Drive. And plenty of duds, too -- One minute, the gorgeous vistas, quirky characters and historic landmarks have you wondering how you became one of the lucky ones to call this city home. But then, just around the bend, the maddening traffic, heaps of trash and stomach-churning smells have you considering whether life in San Francisco is really worth the trouble. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/7/19

Lopez: Column: Nearly 3 homeless people die each day in L.A. County. Here’s the story of one of them -- L.A. County coroner investigator Adrian Munoz had one last duty to perform in the case of Alvin Robinson, a homeless man whose body was retrieved from a West L.A. sidewalk: making the call no one wants to receive. He dialed a Las Vegas phone number and a woman picked up. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/7/19

Judiciary panel to activate rare impeachment-time authorities, highlighting divide in chamber’s endgame -- A House panel eager to impeach President Trump will adopt rare investigative procedures next week to bolster its probe, tools used in previous impeachments of American presidents. But rather than signal a stronger focus on ousting Trump, the news highlights a division within the Democrats’ oversight strategy and endgame, as well as the party’s messaging to voters. Rachael Bade in the Washington Post$ -- 9/7/19

Trump says two Washington Post reporters shouldn't be allowed at the White House -- The tweet linked to an op-ed by White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham and Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley rebutting a Washington Post story published earlier this week that highlighted the president’s missteps amid the administration’s policy stumbles over the summer. But the White House op-ed inaccurately claimed the Washington Post didn’t report stories that it actually did cover. Craig Howie Politico -- 9/7/19