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Health insurance costs ‘wildly inflated’ for government workers, analysis finds -- Data shows California public agencies squander billions on overpriced insurance; one paid $80,665 to cover a single worker. Teri Sforza in the Orange County Register -- 9/15/19

Five things to know now about California’s new vaccine law -- Doctors will no longer be the final authority on medical exemptions and could be investigated if they write too many. Opponents say physicians may now be afraid to provide waivers, even for kids who need them. Elizabeth Aguilera Calmatters -- 9/15/19

California lawmaker trying to weaken privacy law is married to Ring executive -- Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin's husband, Jon Irwin, is chief operating officer for Santa Monica-based Ring, Inc., a home security and video doorbell startup that Amazon acquired last year for about $1 billion, state ethics disclosures show. Like other companies that collect vast amounts of consumer data, Ring — and its parent company, Amazon — has a financial stake in the details of California's groundbreaking data-privacy law. Katy Murphy Politico -- 9/15/19

'There really isn’t anything that can keep you safe': Women Uber and Lyft drivers speak out -- Laura Alicia Moreno, a Bay Area Uber driver, was driving late one night in Santa Clara County and picked up two unruly men from a bar. They were very drunk, and one immediately started making rape jokes and hitting on her. Madeline Wells in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/15/19

San Diego is fifth-most surveilled city in America, study says -- San Diego is among the top US cities for public surveillance cameras per 1,000 people, says Comparitech. San Diego Police officials says the study is misleading. Katy Stegall in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/15/19

County’s two largest law enforcement agencies responding differently to police transparency bill -- Assembly Bill 748, signed into law last year, requires departments statewide to release body-worn camera and other video and audio recordings of officer shootings and serious uses of force within 45 days. Lyndsay Winkley in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/15/19

‘Flight shaming’ could help unleash billions in airline cash to protect the Amazon and other tropical forests -- Under public pressure, the international aviation industry is poised to inject hundreds of millions and eventually billions of dollars into environmental projects under a United Nations’ deal to counteract the increasing amount of greenhouse-gas emissions expected from airplane travel in coming decades. Joshua Emerson Smith in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/15/19

Lopez: A homeless musician changed my life. I wish I could do more to change his -- When we met, in 2005, I wouldn’t have guessed we’d still be in each other’s lives this far down the road. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/15/19

Daycare center for asylum-seeking families in Tijuana lets kids be kids again -- Playtime in Tijuana shelters is a chaotic and dangerous affair. Toddlers play alongside boys three times their size. When one of the bigger kids wants a toy that the younger children have, they simply take it. If the toddlers refuse to give it up, they get beat up. Gustavo Solis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/15/19

Trump rallies to Kavanaugh’s defense after new sexual misconduct allegation surfaces -- President Trump vigorously defended Brett Kavanaugh on Sunday following a new allegation of sexual misconduct during the Supreme Court justice’s college years, as some leading Democrats raised fresh suspicions that Kavanaugh was untruthful during last year’s Senate hearings leading to his confirmation to the high court. Laura King in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/15/19

In call with Trump, Pelosi and Schumer say any gun bill that doesn’t include background checks ‘will not get the job done’ -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Sunday urged President Trump to endorse House-passed gun measures and pledged to join him for a “historic signing ceremony at the Rose Garden” if the legislation is passed. Felicia Sonmez in the Washington Post$ -- 9/15/19

Kamala Harris Was Ready to Brawl From the Beginning -- In her first race, she defied her old boss, a fund-raising pledge — and the implication that she owed her career to her ex-boyfriend. Matt Flegenheimer in the New York Times$ -- 9/15/19

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Newsom plans to veto bill that would have blocked Trump’s rollback of endangered species protections -- Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to veto a bill passed by California lawmakers that would have allowed the state to keep strict Obama-era endangered species protections and water pumping restrictions for the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ Adam Beam and Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Dan Morain Calmatters -- 9/15/19

Woman arrested after throwing liquid on California Senate -- The California Highway Patrol identified the woman as 43-year-old Rebecca Dalelio. She faces several charges, including assault, vandalism and disrupting “the orderly conduct of official business” at the state Capitol. Adam Beam Associated Press -- 9/15/19

California lawmakers tackled health care, wildfire costs -- In their first year with a new governor, California lawmakers passed legislation aimed at guarding against financial harm from wildfires, deterring fatal police shootings and expanding health care to young immigrants living in the country illegally. That’s on top of efforts related to employment law, housing and requiring presidential candidates to release their tax returns. Many of the bills are being closely watched across the nation and could prompt other states to follow suit. Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 9/15/19

California Lawmakers Have Piled A Giant Stack Of Bills On Gov. Gavin Newsom's Desk. Here Are Some Of Them -- Here are some of the other bills that Newsom will need to act on by Sunday, Oct. 13th: Ben Adler, Scott Rodd Capital Public Radio -- 9/15/19

Blood, sweat and cheers: California lawmakers recover from a night to remember -- Even by the last-minute, helter-skelter standards of the end of California’s legislative session, the past 24 hours were remarkable. It will go down in Capitol lore having culminated in the Senate’s emergency relocation, a woman’s arrest, and a senator’s morning-after visit to the doctor in accordance with “safety protocols for blood exposure.” Ben Christopher Calmatters -- 9/15/19

Willie Brown: Pundits laugh at Andrew Yang. Regular people don’t -- The Yang Thang is on a roll. Democratic presidential candidate and businessman Andrew Yang’s call to give every American a $1,000-a-month “freedom dividend” may be getting short shrift from pundits, but it has struck a chord with voters, who feel they rarely see a dime of their tax dollars coming back to them. Willie Brown in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/15/19

Walters: California still No. 1 in poverty -- As the California Legislature churned toward adjournment last week, its members received another reminder that the state’s most vexing — and shameful — socioeconomic malady persists. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 9/15/19

After rainbow flag, Costa Mesa councilman suggests flying Blue Lives Matter flag at City Hall -- About four months after voting to fly the rainbow flag outside City Hall, the Costa Mesa City Council on Tuesday will consider raising a couple of other flags: one for “Blue Lives Matter” and another for “In God We Trust.” Faith E. Pinho in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/15/19

San Diego Council President Georgette Gómez kicks off congressional campaign -- The announcement makes Gómez the fifth candidate officially vying to replace 10-term incumbent Rep. Susan Davis. Charles T. Clark in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/15/19

Lelyveld: What if I were homeless? An immersion course in empathy in San Francisco’s Tenderloin -- This is what a small group made up mostly of prosecutors and police officers was challenged to do this week in an extraordinary immersion course designed to expand empathy. I was invited to witness them doing it. And as I joined them in experiencing life on the streets of San Francisco’s Tenderloin, I did it too, because how could I not? Nita Lelyveld in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/15/19

Gen. Jim Mattis talks about his new book, ‘Call Sign Chaos,’ to capacity crowd at Nixon Library -- Many in the audience were Marines based at Camp Pendleton, where Mattis has a rich and revered history. He commanded the 1st Marine Division during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and later was the commanding general of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force based at Camp Pendleton. Erika I. Ritchie in the Orange County Register -- 9/15/19

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

What new federal action on e-cigarettes means for Juul -- Juul, a privately held San Francisco company, does not disclose its financial results. But tobacco analysts estimate that mint and menthol accounted for 58%, roughly $1.9 billion, of Juul’s $3.3 billion in U.S. retail sales for the 12 months that ended in August, according to a research note by Wells Fargo Securities, citing Nielsen data. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/15/19

San Jose Looks to Join Bay Area Cities in Banning E-Cigs, Flavored Tobacco -- The recommendations from San Jose city councilmember Magdalena Carrasco come shortly after the Trump administration and the Federal Drug Administration announced plans for an upcoming policy that would enable the removal of many flavored non-tobacco e-cigarettes from the market. Amy Mostafa KQED -- 9/15/19

One of the last music stores in San Francisco is closing -- Owner Massoud Badakhshan, 69, said the same things that have affected brick-and-mortar stores in other sectors — rising rents, slowing sales and online competition — prompted him to close the doors after 47 years. Shwanika Narayan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/15/19

ICE conducts raid at Oakland Raiders game on unlicensed NFL apparel -- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been cracking down on undocumented immigrants, but on Monday the agency’s operations at Oakland Coliseum focused on unauthorized and unlicensed NFL gear, according to a Friday news release. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/15/19

Education 

In First, California Would Require Public Universities to Provide Abortion Pills -- The bill, if signed by the governor, would mark a new way of giving women access to abortion as conservative states tighten restrictions. Pam Belluck in the New York Times$ -- 9/15/19

Plane built by Sutter County students has successful inaugural flight -- The LSA Teen Airplane Build is a program created by the Northern California Aerospace Initiative (NCAI) with help from the AeroSTEM Academy to give high school students in the Yuba-Sutter area hands-on experience using science, technology, engineering and mathematics – known as STEM education – in a real-world setting. Mack Ervin III in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/15/19

Immigration / Border 

Some immigrant parents fearful of using benefits as they parse fact and fiction about new public charge rule -- Lilia Ulloa of Riverside said she panicked when she first heard about the Trump Administration’s new public charge rule, which authorizes officials to consider immigrants' use of certain public benefits, including Medicaid, when deciding whether to grant them green cards. Rebecca Plevin in the Palm Springs Desert Sun -- 9/15/19

Beltway 

Democrats’ messy messaging on impeachment, explained -- This week, House Democrats took another step toward impeachment. But you won’t hear Democratic leaders acknowledging that reality. Amber Phillips in the Washington Post$ -- 9/15/19

 

-- Saturday Updates 

Bretón: Throwing a menstrual cup at legislators isn’t a form of anti-vaxx protest. It’s bloody terrorism -- There is civil protest and then there is terrorism. One is a the bedrock of our nation. The other is a sign of the times. Marcos Bretón in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/14/19

California lawmakers fail to pass sweeping plastic pollution plan -- In a setback for environmental groups, California lawmakers early Saturday morning ended the 2019 legislative session without passing two bills that would have been the most ambitious effort in the nation to reduce the massive amounts of plastic pollution that are washing into oceans, rivers and lakes around the world. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ Piper McDaniel in the Los Angeles Times$ Rachel Becker Calmatters -- 9/14/19

Measure clears way for tax hikes on ballot to address Bay Area housing crisis -- The idea was bold and controversial: Blanket the Bay Area with 35,000 new homes a year. Protect 300,000 low-income households that are on the verge of being displaced. Safeguard 30,000 units of existing affordable housing. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/14/19

Bill to let SF, Oakland bars stay open until 3 a.m. fails in Legislature -- SB58 by state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, would have allowed bars to remain open past 2 a.m. in San Francisco, Oakland and eight other cities across the state where officials have asked to extend hours. Dustin Gardiner and Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/14/19

California lawmakers vote for 8:30 a.m. starting time for high schools -- High schools could start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. and middle schools no sooner than 8 a.m. if the California Legislature gets its way. Alexei Koseff and Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Hannah Wiley in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/14/19

Should college athletes profit on their image? Mixed feelings in Bay Area -- Onetime quarterback Tim Tebow went on a curious rant Friday on ESPN’s “First Take.” Tebow was talking about California Senate Bill 206, the proposed legislation that would allow college athletes to earn compensation for their image and likeness. Ron Kroichick in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/14/19

Homeless shelters in L.A. could be harder to block if Gov. Newsom signs this bill -- Assembly Bill 1197 would exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act any Los Angeles shelter or homeless housing project that gets funding from several state and local sources, including a $1.2 billion bond measure passed by L.A. voters. The landmark environmental law has often been used to challenge such projects in court. Emily Alpert Reyes, Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/14/19

Sacramento State accidentally accepts 3,500 students on its waitlist -- Sacramento State accidentally accepted 3,500 waitlisted students for fall admission, resulting in 500 additional students who began classes this semester. Sawsan Morrar in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/14/19

Sea-level rise threatens Orange County’s coast from top to bottom -- From flooded neighborhoods and roads to disappearing beaches and crumbling bluffs, Orange County faces a range of drastic losses as a result of rising sea levels, according to a presentation to the state Coastal Commission on Friday. Early signs of those effects are already seen everywhere, from Seal Beach and Huntington Beach in the north through Doheny Beach and Capistrano Beach in the south. Martin Wisckol in the Orange County Register -- 9/14/19

California has trillions more wealth than any other state -- A study released by California’s Legislative Analyst’s Office this month looks at geographical distribution of wealth across the state. Californians’ net worth totals over $6 trillion or about $160,000 per resident. The state holds 17% of national net worth, while making up only 12% of the U.S. population. Kurt Snibbe in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/14/19

Rents in Los Angeles, Orange counties grow at nearly twice the inflation rate -- Last month's rent inflation rate was 5.5%, the highest for any August since 2007. Meanwhile, overall inflation was only 3.3% Jonathan Lansner in the Orange County Register -- 9/14/19

Hidden guns, bodyguards and a DA raid on the Santa Clara County sheriff -- Prosecutors in Santa Clara County have served at least three search warrants while investigating whether Sheriff Laurie Smith’s office gave out coveted concealed-gun permits in exchange for campaign money, sources familiar with the investigation told The Chronicle. Josh Koehn in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/14/19

Neighbors are using these smart cameras to track strangers’ cars — and yours -- On a quiet road south of Ventura Boulevard, two cameras on a pole watch over the road, facing opposite directions. A block away, another brace of cameras sit sentry. Together, they constantly film the two points of entry to a closed loop of public streets in Sherman Oaks. Sam Dean in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/14/19

13 years ago, the Nature Conservancy desperately wanted to protect groundfish. Now it wants you to eat them -- Environmental groups are usually in the business of protecting marine life, not suggesting that the public eat it. Yet, the Nature Conservancy is doing just that: trying to get California groundfish on the radar of home cooks, 13 years after the group took extreme measures to protect it. Tara Duggan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/14/19

Scared for her own safety, SF mother whose son was slain gets caught in housing nightmare -- “This is him,” she said. “This is my baby.” Those were Sha’ray Johnson’s first words when we met in a hotel lobby late last month, her hand resting gently on a brown wooden urn. Inside were the remains of her son, Day’Von Lorall Hann, who lived to just 15. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/14/19

‘No more traffic deaths,’ SF residents chant in demonstration for pedestrian safety -- Demanding safer crossings for pedestrians in San Francisco, activists took over a Tenderloin intersection Friday afternoon and sprawled out on the hot pavement, outlining their bodies in white chalk to call attention to those who have been hit by vehicles in the bustling San Francisco neighborhood. Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/14/19