Updating . .   

California drivers might soon pay $4 a gallon for gas -- California drivers may soon pay $4 a gallon at the pump after refinery upsets pushed up the wholesale market in San Francisco to the strongest level in almost seven years. Jeffrey Bair Bloomberg Gary Richards in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/25/19

Juul CEO Exits; Altria, Philip Morris End Talks in Vaping Fallout -- The leader of e-cigarette startup Juul Labs Inc. abruptly exited and two tobacco giants abandoned their blockbuster merger, as the regulatory pressure to combat underage vaping swept through the industry. Jennifer Maloney in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/25/19

Acting director of national intelligence threatened to resign if he couldn’t speak freely before Congress on whistleblower complaint -- The acting Director of National Intelligence threatened to resign over concerns that the White House might attempt to force him to stonewall Congress when he testifies Thursday about an explosive whistleblower complaint about the president, according to current and former U.S. officials familiar with the matter. Greg Miller, Shane Harris and Karoun Demirjian in the Washington Post$ -- 9/25/19

Trump asked Ukraine’s leader for a ‘favor’ — help investigating Joe Biden and Democrats -- President Trump directly asked Ukraine’s president for a “favor” while discussing U.S. military aid to the besieged country, according to a White House memo of the July 25 phone call, suggesting a link that could be crucial to the Democrats’ fast-moving impeachment inquiry. Noah Bierman, Chris Megerian in the Los Angeles Times$ Maggie Haberman, Michael D. Shear and Katie Benner in the New York Times$ Devlin Barrett, Matt Zapotosky, Carol D. Leonnig and Josh Dawsey in the Washington Post$ Rebecca Ballhaus, Sadie Gurman and Dustin Volz in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 9/25/19

Trump pressed Ukraine’s president to work with Barr for dirt on Biden -- President Donald Trump urged Ukraine's president to work with Attorney General William Barr on a potential investigation into Joe Biden, according to a White House readout of a July call, adding a damaging new dimension to the scandal that is engulfing Trump's presidency. Caitlin Oprysko Politico -- 9/25/19

How to read Trump’s wild phone call with Ukraine’s president -- It might be the most important phone call of Donald Trump’s presidency. The White House on Wednesday released a "memorandum" documenting the July 25 conversation between the president and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky. Natasha Bertrand Politico -- 9/25/19

Pelosi tells Trump: 'You have come into my wheelhouse' -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Donald Trump were discussing gun violence over the telephone Tuesday morning when the president abruptly changed the topic to an intelligence community whistleblower complaint that had Democrats talking about impeachment. Pelosi stopped him short. “Mr. President,” she declared, according to a person familiar with the conversation, “you have come into my wheelhouse.” Sheryl Gay Stolberg in the New York Times$ -- 9/25/19

Here’s how impeachment poses a danger — to Democrats -- Now that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has blessed an impeachment inquiry into President Trump — something that many in her party have wanted for two years — what could go wrong for Democrats? A lot. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/25/19

Kaiser strike averted as company and union reach tentative contract -- The tentative contract, which the represented workers will vote on in the next couple weeks and is expected to pass, will raise wages, stop certain jobs from being contracted out, protect retirement benefits, and pour millions of dollars into training to address a shortage in healthcare workers. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ James F. Peltz in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/25/19

Costco shooting: LAPD officer won’t face criminal charges in killing of intellectually disabled man -- Riverside County prosecutors on Wednesday announced they would not file criminal charges against an off-duty Los Angeles police officer who fatally shot an intellectually disabled man in June during an altercation in a Costco store in Corona. Richard Winton, Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/25/19

PG&E cuts power to 50,000 in scheduled blackout amid red-flag fire conditions -- Nearly 50,000 PG&E customers in seven Northern California counties woke up with no power Wednesday morning as part of a scheduled blackout aimed at preventing fires of the kind that devastated many of these same areas over the past two years. Matthias Gafni and Anna Bauman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/25/19

Homeless people could lose the right to sleep on sidewalks if Western cities have their way -- As California and other states in the West continue to wrestle with an explosion of homelessness, a growing number of local governments have set their sights on a court decision that has allowed people to legally bed down on sidewalks overnight. Benjamin Oreskes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/25/19

The oceans are taking a beating under climate change, U.N. report warns -- Over the next century, climate change will make the oceans warmer and more acidic. Melting ice sheets will drive up sea levels at an accelerating pace. Marine heat waves will become 20 to 50 times more frequent, harming sensitive ecosystems. And the total biomass of animals in the sea could drop by as much as 15%, according to the sobering assessment by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Julia Rosen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/25/19

Juul’s spending on proposition to overturn SF’s e-cigarette ban soars -- Juul has spent $11.5 million to promote Proposition C, the San Francisco ballot measure it is sponsoring that would overturn the city’s ban on e-cigarette sales — an amount so large that it rivals other big-money corporate fights in the city in recent years. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/25/19

San Francisco OK with boulders on small street to keep out camps, drug dealers -- England has Stonehenge, Easter Island has its giant carved heads and now San Francisco has the homeless boulders of Clinton Park. A line of 24 giant rocks has mysteriously landed along the sidewalk of the small, tree-lined street, effectively blocking the tent camps and open drug dealing that had been an ongoing problem. Phil Matier in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/25/19

AP Source: Darrell Issa to run for Duncan Hunter’s seat -- Former California Rep. Darrell Issa plans to run against indicted fellow GOP Congressman Duncan Hunter, The Associated Press has learned. Larry Wilske, a retired Navy SEAL also running for Hunter’s seat, told the AP on Wednesday that Issa told him he will enter the race. Issa scheduled a news conference in Hunter’s San Diego-area district on Thursday. Wilske said he plans to drop out as result and support Issa. Julie Watson Associated Press -- 9/25/19

Boy who was sucker punched at Moreno Valley school dies from injuries -- A boy who was critically injured last week after being sucker punched in an assault captured on video at the school died Tuesday night, authorities said. The child, identified by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department only as Diego, was 13. The attack took place Sept. 16 at Landmark Middle School and resulted in the arrest of two 13-year-old students. Authorities were investigating whether Diego had been the target of bullying before the interaction. Colleen Shalby, Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/25/19

White supremacy group’s fliers plastered across UC Davis campus -- Fliers linked to a white supremacy group were found at UC Davis earlier this week, prompting an investigation by campus police. The leaflets were stamped with the logo for the American Identity Movement, formerly known as Identity Evropa. The Anti-Defamation League has labeled the group as white supremacists. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/25/19

7 arrested during climate protest that blocks streets in SF’s Financial District -- More than a hundred climate activists closed a section of San Francisco’s Financial District with a rally Wednesday to demand financial institutions and government agencies in the region divest from fossil fuels and invest in green alternatives. Alejandro Serrano in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/25/19

BART delays won’t derail downtown San Jose momentum: experts -- The unsettling prospect that BART’s arrival at two crucial train stops in downtown San Jose are being delayed by as many as four years won’t derail the development momentum in the urban core of the Bay Area’s largest city, experts said Wednesday. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/25/19

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Proposed 2020 ballot measure would tighten California data privacy law -- Californians would have more control over the collection of their health and financial data and there would be stiff penalties for companies that wrongly share and sell data about children under a November 2020 statewide ballot measure that will be submitted on Wednesday. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ Dan Morain Calmatters Natasha Singer in the New York Times$ Tony Romm in the Washington Post$ -- 9/25/19

PG&E announces power shut-offs in Sonoma, Napa counties starting at 4:30 a.m. -- Exceedingly dry and windy weather prompted Pacific Gas and Electric Co. to announce Tuesday night that it was shutting off power to several Bay Area communities, a move intended to prevent power lines from sparking disastrous wildfires like those that killed more than 100 people and destroyed thousands of properties in Northern California in the past two years. Lauren Hernández, Anna Bauman and Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/25/19

For California wineries during harvest, PG&E power outages could be disastrous -- Jon Phillips, a Santa Rosa winemaker, walked into his local hardware store in search of a generator only to learn another customer had walked out with the last one. “I missed it by minutes,” said Phillips, who owns Inspiration Vineyards and Winery. Shwanika Narayan and Esther Mobley in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/25/19

‘This is not a chess game:’ Tension escalates in PG&E bankruptcy -- Attorneys involved in PG&E Corp.’s bankruptcy case clashed during a contentious court hearing Tuesday, trading barbs that included allegations of the company treating the proceedings like a game and claims that wildfire victims’ lawyers have a major “credibility problem.” J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/25/19

Walters: An ethical double standard -- A political scandal that erupted in San Diego 16 years ago indirectly established a peculiar — and unseemly — ethical double standard regarding local ballot measures. Simply put, while it may be legal for public officials to mislead the public in seeking approval of bond and tax measures — which they often do — it’s illegal to mislead bankers when those measures are implemented. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 9/25/19

California fires back at Trump for threatening to withhold highway funds -- California environmental regulators shot back at the Trump administration on Tuesday for accusing the state of not doing enough to improve its air quality, saying the problem was largely the federal government’s own doing. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/25/19

California Defiant as EPA Threatens to Pull Highway Funds Over Poor Air Quality -- Less than a week after the Trump administration revoked California's authority to set its own vehicle emissions standards for cars and trucks, the federal Environmental Protection Agency warned the state that it could lose federal highway funds if it doesn't clean up its air. Kevin Stark KQED -- 9/25/19

San Diego delegation, candidates, break along party lines about impeachment inquiry -- Democrats say the inquiry is necessary to uphold the rule of law and protect national security, while Republicans decry it as a waste of time. Charles T. Clark in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/25/19

Rep. Josh Harder is ready for Trump impeachment vote. Here’s what changed his mind -- Rep. Josh Harder of California is the latest freshman Democratic congressman from a purple district to join those calling for an impeachment vote against President Donald Trump. Harder, D-Turlock, said reports that Trump sought Ukraine’s help in discrediting Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden convinced him to support impeachment proceedings. Kate Irby McClatchy DC -- 9/25/19

Bay Area House Democrats unanimous on backing impeachment inquiry as Pelosi moves forward -- The growing chorus of congressional Democrats demanding an impeachment inquiry included four freshmen Democrats from California who flipped GOP districts last year in close races, Reps. Gil Cisneros (D-Yorba Linda), TJ Cox (D-Fresno), Josh Harder (D-Modesto) and Katie Hill (D-Agua Dulce). All four had previously stayed on the fence on the impeachment question. Casey Tolan in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/25/19

Mother Of Imperial Beach Navy Vet Held In Iran Says He Lost Appeal -- The mother of a U.S. Navy veteran from Imperial Beach sentenced to 10 years in prison by the government of Iran said Tuesday he has lost his appeal and she is worried that he is being forgotten by the U.S. government. Julie Watson Associated Press -- 9/25/19

Fatalities rise in California from people stepping in front of moving trains -- The number of people who step in the path of a moving train is ticking up each year in California, already the state with the highest number of trespasser deaths on railroads. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/25/19

SF officials blast federal proposal that could kick millions off food stamps -- San Francisco city officials have joined elected leaders across the country — including mayors, governors and congressional delegations from several states — in condemning a proposed policy shift by the Trump administration that could purge millions of people nationwide from the federal food-stamp program. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/25/19

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

Juul prepares to restructure with layoffs likely -- San Francisco vaping company Juul is preparing to restructure its global workforce and likely lay off some employees as the company faces an onslaught of regulatory, legal and political pressure in the United States and abroad. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/25/19

Google workers have formed a small union, overcoming tech’s long resistance -- A small group of contract technical workers for Google voted Tuesday in favor of forming a union, potentially gaining leverage to seek pay and other benefits on par with direct employees of the tech giant. The group of nearly 80 in a Google office in Pittsburgh voted to join the United Steelworkers, marking what could be a shift in employee relations with tech. Greg Bensinger and Nitasha Tiku in the Washington Post$ -- 9/25/19

Southern California Teamsters authorize strike against trash collector Republic Services -- Union workers at one of Southern California’s largest trash collection companies are threatening to walk off their jobs as a strike on the East Coast gathers national support. Jack Katzanek in the Orange County Register -- 9/25/19

Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds 

SDG&E Summertime Bill Reduction Proposal Won’t Help Customers Save -- It’s been a hot summer in San Diego, which means residents have probably seen higher electricity bills this summer. SDG&E has submitted a proposal to the California Public Utilities Commission that would eliminate seasonal price spikes by reducing customers' bills during these hotter months. But, there's a catch. Shalina Chatlani KPBS -- 9/25/19

Homeless  

LA council discusses, takes no action, on homeless-sleeping restrictions during raucous meeting -- Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino will introduce a motion Wednesday, Sept. 25, for a council resolution calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a State of Emergency for the homelessness crisis in California. The item is in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 9/25/19

Will L.A. impose new rules on sidewalk sleeping? Protests and debate erupt at City Hall -- Progressive activists have called to end the criminalization of homeless people and roll back rules that bar sleeping on sidewalks. Some community groups, in turn, want the city to ramp up enforcement of such rules to eliminate filth and blight. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/25/19

After outcries over its first two candidates, Huntington Beach floats a third homeless shelter site -- As has happened with other Orange County cities, Huntington Beach has struggled to find a homeless shelter location agreeable to nearby residents and business owners. Perhaps the third try could be a charm. Susan Christian Goulding in the Orange County Register -- 9/25/19

Housing  

Here’s how California’s rent control law would work -- Within the next few weeks, the governor is expected to enact rent control in California by signing Assembly Bill 1482. That means the state would begin to regulate how much your rent can increase every year, limiting it to 5 percent, plus the local rate of inflation. Once signed, the measure would take effect January 1 and expire in 2030 (unless lawmakers vote to extend it). Jenna Chandler Curbed LA -- 9/25/19

Wildfire  

California wildfires: Cell companies can’t promise indefinite service -- If a wildfire breaks out, your cell phone service may not work when you most need it. Most cell stations in California have backup options, like batteries and generators. However, some major cell phone carriers told the Federal Communications Commission in filings this week that if physical access to cell towers is cut off, they can’t guarantee service. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/25/19

Dry autumn winds bring fire threat — again -- California’s relatively mellow start to the 2019 fire season may be the calm before the firestorm, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Scott Soriano Capitol Weekly -- 9/25/19

Education 

Trump administration rule could end free school lunches for about 500,000 children -- About a half-million students could lose access to free school meals under a Trump administration proposal to limit the number of people who qualify for food stamps, drawing protests from congressional Democrats who say it could harm needy schoolchildren. Moriah Balingit in the Washington Post$ -- 9/25/19

Two Iranian students are barred from enrolling at UC San Diego after their visas were canceled -- UC San Diego confirmed on Tuesday that two Iranian students who were scheduled to enroll for the fall quarter have been barred from campus, possibly as part of a larger attempt by the U.S. to block foreigners from elite schools that specialize in engineering and computer science. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/25/19

In admissions scandal, L.A. parent who faked son’s water polo talents gets 4 months in prison -- Over the protests of his attorneys, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani chose to incarcerate Sloane, the second parent sentenced in the college admissions scandal, for misrepresenting his son as a member of Italy’s youth national water polo team, a charade Sloane achieved with gear purchased online, a graphic designer and $250,000. Sloane’s son didn’t play the sport. Matthew Ormseth, Joel Rubin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/25/19

CSU proposal to require a 4th year of high school math would exempt some students -- Seeking to ease concerns that a proposal to require four years of high school math for freshman admissions would make it harder for certain students to attend California State University, senior administrators of the 23-campus system are proposing to exempt some students from the requirement and help schools expand their course offerings. Michael Burke EdSource -- 9/25/19

Health 

Stop vaping immediately, state of California says -- Ninety Californians with a history of vaping have been hospitalized for breathing problems and lung damage, according to the department. Two have died. Sophia Bollag in the Sacramento Bee$ Soumya Karlamangla in the Los Angeles Times$ Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/25/19

If E-Cigs Were Romaine Lettuce, They'd Be Off The Shelf, Vaper's Mom Tells Congress -- A top official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned federal lawmakers Tuesday that a new generation of e-cigarettes now on the market is "even more addictive," than early versions of vapes, and the number of vaping-related lung diseases is continuing to rise. Allison Aubrey NPR -- 9/25/19

Environment 

California, environmental groups sue EPA over protection of SF Bay salt ponds -- California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Bay Area conservation groups sued the Environmental Protection Agency Tuesday for failing to protect Redwood City’s salt ponds under the Clean Water Act, a decision they say will harm the San Francisco Bay ecosystem. Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/25/19

Plans to phase out natural gas in all new SF buildings gain traction -- Two San Francisco supervisors announced legislation Tuesday that will eventually phase out natural gas in all new buildings constructed in San Francisco. Trisha Thadani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/25/19

Does California really have the country’s worst air quality? -- Amid the political spat between California and the Trump administration over environmental policy came a startling assertion this week from the U.S. EPA administrator: California, ground zero for clean tech and the green revolution, has the nation’s worst air quality. John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/25/19

Also . . . 

Longtime inmate who felt safer behind bars was killed in jail -- Russell Hartsaw should have been in protective custody but was moved to general population -- Kelly Davis, Jeff MCDonald in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/25/19

Oakland police officer charged with drug possession, obstructing police investigation -- The Alameda County district attorney’s office has filed misdemeanor charges of obstructing a police investigation and possessing drug paraphernalia against an Oakland police officer who accidentally shot himself while off duty in December. Alejandro Serrano in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/25/19

District Attorney Blasts SDPD Over Rape Kit Policies -- District Attorney Summer Stephen said the San Diego Police Department was wrong to implement less rigorous testing procedures for dozens of rape kits, and she said she was never informed about the change. Andrew Keatts Voiceofsandiego.org -- 9/25/19

Queen Mary inspection reports show ‘significant doubt’ about the ship’s upkeep -- Portions of Long Beach’s crown waterfront jewel are falling further into disrepair. Four years after a marine survey warned that the Queen Mary’s state of decay was “approaching the point of no return,” new inspection reports revealed some areas of the ship are still suffering from deterioration. Hayley Munguia in the Long Beach Press Telegram$ -- 9/25/19

Greta Thunberg, After Pointed U.N. Speech, Faces Attacks From the Right -- The young climate activist was widely celebrated after her speech at the United Nations. But critics have said she is being used, and a conservative commentator compared her likeness to Nazi imagery. Karen Zraick in the New York Times$ -- 9/25/19

POTUS 45  

Trump team brushes off impeachment inquiry, raises cash -- Trump’s re-election campaign raised a quarter of a million dollars in just 15 minutes on Tuesday in the immediate aftermath of House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s announcement about the probe. Jeff Mason Reuters -- 9/25/19

White House Seeks Deal for Whistle-Blower to Speak to Congress -- White House and intelligence officials were working out a plan on Tuesday to release a redacted version of the whistle-blower complaint that helped ignite the impeachment drive against President Trump and to allow the whistle-blower to speak with congressional investigators, people briefed on the matter said. Michael S. Schmidt, Julian E. Barnes and Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ -- 9/25/19

Giuliani pursued shadow Ukraine agenda as key foreign policy officials were sidelined -- President Trump’s attempt to pressure the leader of Ukraine followed a months-long fight inside the administration that sidelined national security officials and empowered political loyalists — including the president’s personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani — to exploit the U.S. relationship with Kiev, current and former U.S. officials said. Greg Miller, Josh Dawsey, Paul Sonne and Ellen Nakashima in the Washington Post$ -- 9/25/19

Why an Impeachment Inquiry Now? Democrats Cite the Clarity of the Case -- The sudden embrace of an impeachment inquiry by previously reluctant House Democrats — most notably Speaker Nancy Pelosi — is attributable to one fundamental fact: They believe the new accusations against Mr. Trump are simple and serious enough to be grasped by a public overwhelmed by the constant din of complex charges and countercharges that has become the norm in today’s Washington. Carl Hulse in the New York Times$ JM Rieger, Kate Rabinowitz, Chris Alcantara and Kevin Uhrmacher in the Washington Post$ -- 9/25/19

Inside Trumpworld, public defiance vs. private anxiety over impeachment -- In public, Trumpworld is casting the Democratic impeachment inquiry as more white noise. In private, White House aides and allies say the impeachment momentum now presents a serious threat to the rest of President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda, to his negotiating strength with world leaders and to his concentration. Nancy Cook Politico -- 9/25/19

Trump’s Pinocchio-laden claims about Joe Biden, Ukraine and polls -- Before giving his annual speech to the United Nations General Assembly, President Trump paused to speak to reporters about the growing controversy over his dealings with Ukraine. In doing so, he provided a string of false and misleading statements designed to obscure his actions and confuse Americans. Glenn Kessler in the Washington Post$ -- 9/25/19

Beltway 

Trump nemesis Adam Schiff holds the keys to his impeachment -- The House Intelligence Committee chairman's inquiry into a secret whistleblower has fueled a rapid shift toward impeachment in the Democratic caucus. Andrew Desiderio and Kyle Cheney Politico -- 9/25/19

What you need to know about the impeachment inquiry into Trump -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has announced a formal impeachment inquiry of President Trump. Here’s what you need to know about what impeachment is and how it works, starting with the basics. Amber Phillips in the Washington Post$ -- 9/25/19

 

-- Tuesday Updates 

Nancy Pelosi Announces Formal Impeachment Inquiry of Trump -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced on Tuesday that the House would begin a formal impeachment inquiry of President Trump, taking decisive action in response to startling allegations that the president sought to enlist a foreign power for his own political gain. Nicholas Fandos in the New York Times$ Rachael Bade and Mike DeBonis in the Washington Post$ -- 9/24/19

House Speaker Pelosi to announce formal impeachment inquiry of Trump -- The announcement later Tuesday from Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) comes amid reports that President Trump may have pressured a foreign leader to investigate former vice president and potential 2020 campaign rival Joe Biden and his family. Rachael Bade and Mike DeBonis in the Washington Post$ Jennifer Haberkorn in the Los Angeles Times$ Trapper Byrne in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Kyle Cheney, Heather Caygle and John Bresnahan Politico Rebecca Ballhaus and Catherine Lucey in the Wall Street Journal$ Michael Crowley and Peter Baker in the New York Times$ -- 9/24/19

Why Trump releasing the transcript of his call with Ukraine’s president isn’t enough -- But Trump’s conversation with Zelensky fit with other actions that the staffer had observed. It was part of a pattern, in other words, prompting the staffer to file a whistleblower complaint with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. When the DNI’s office declined to provide the whistleblower’s complaint to congressional committees, the entire incident exploded into public view. Philip Bump in the Washington Post$ -- 9/24/19

Freshman California Democrats say they’re ready for an inquiry -- Of California’s seven freshmen Democrats who defeated Republican incumbents in 2018, only one has not publicly backed impeaching President Donald Trump: Rep. TJ Cox. Cox, D-Fresno, has remained publicly mum on the topic even as three others in purple districts, Reps. Josh Harder, D-Turlock, Katie Hill, D-Santa Clarita, and Gil Cisneros, D-Phelan, all announced their support for an impeachment vote or investigation Monday and Tuesday. Kate Irby in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/24/19

Here’s where some 2020 presidential candidates stand on impeachment of Trump -- Leading Democratic presidential candidates have renewed their calls for the House to open impeachment proceedings against President Trump after he tried to get Ukraine to investigate his political rival Joe Biden. Michael Finnegan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/24/19

Executive gets 4 months for bribing son’s way into USC -- A Los Angeles business executive was sentenced Tuesday to four months imprisonment for paying $250,000 to get his son admitted to the University of Southern California as a fake water polo recruit. Devin Sloane, 53, pleaded guilty in May to a single count of fraud and conspiracy in a deal with prosecutors. He is the second parent to be sentenced in a sweeping college admissions scandal that has ensnared dozens of wealthy parents. Collin Binkley Associated Press -- 9/24/19

Will ‘moving’ to Iowa hurt Kamala Harris with California voters? -- It started as an offhand comment Sen. Kamala Harris made to Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono last week to describe the plan to refocus her flagging campaign on the Iowa caucuses. Then it turned into a T-shirt that her husband, Douglas Emhoff, touted on Twitter: “I’m f—ing moving to Iowa.” Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 9/24/19

Jail deaths are routinely investigated, but public findings are hard to come by -- The continuing deaths inside San Diego County jails — at a rate that exceeds one case a month over the past 10 years — are drawing calls for stricter oversight of the Sheriff’s Department and the way it operates behind bars. Civil-rights advocates, relatives of those who died and attorneys who sued the county say Sheriff Bill Gore and his command staff have not done enough to stop inmates from dying. Jeff MCDonald, Kelly Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 9/24/19

San Francisco Bay: California and environmental groups sue Trump administration to block Cargill development -- A major legal battle is looming over a Silicon Valley site where a developer had proposed building the largest housing development on San Francisco Bay’s shoreline in half a century, the Cargill Salt property in Redwood City. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 9/24/19

Drugged man who escaped Democratic donor Ed Buck’s house says he’s homeless, trying to rebuild life -- He said he met Ed Buck through the dating website Adam4Adam. Months later, he found himself drugged inside Buck’s apartment. Authorities said the man was able to escape, and that was key in arresting the Democratic donor and West Hollywood activist last week. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/24/19

These fish-killing gas plants were set to close. California may throw them a lifeline -- It’s been nearly a decade since California ordered coastal power plants to stop using seawater for cooling, a process that kills fish and other marine life. But now state officials may extend the life of several facilities that still suck billions of gallons from the ocean each day. Sammy Roth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/24/19

California may postpone shutdown of power plants that kill fish and sea lions -- California has been pushing for years to drive fossil fuels out of its electricity grid. Now it thinks it might have tap the brakes — and keep a fleet of natural gas-fired plants operating past their scheduled expiration dates — to make sure the state has enough power. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 9/24/19

EPA threatens to cut California’s highway funding over Clean Air Act ‘failure’ -- The Trump administration’s political feud with California intensified Monday with a letter from the Environmental Protection Agency threatening to cut federal transportation funding from the state as punishment for not submitting timely pollution-control plans. Alexa Díaz, Anna M. Phillips, Tony Barboza in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 9/24/19

Former Rep. Denham files to lobby on trade – and he’s open to lobbying on marijuana -- Former Rep. Jeff Denham has officially registered to start lobbying on trade issues. Denham, a Republican from Turlock, was hired by D.C. lobbying firm K&L Gates in May following his defeat by Democrat Josh Harder last November. Kate Irby McClatchy DC -- 9/24/19

‘Right to Be Forgotten’ Privacy Rule Is Limited by Europe’s Top Court -- The European Court of Justice said the landmark privacy law cannot be enforced beyond the European Union. Adam Satariano in the New York Times$ -- 9/24/19

Tech workers have been reluctant to unionize, but Google contractors may change that -- A group of Google contractors who hold college degrees, get paid as little as $40,000 a year, and don’t receive sick days are voting to unionize on Tuesday. Shirin Ghaffary Vox Recode -- 9/24/19

Fox: Meetings of Rivals the Solution to Complex Problems? Gov. Thinks So -- Governor Newsom’s plan for solving major complex issues is to bring all sides of an issue together to hammer out solutions. It might prove more difficult than he can imagine. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 9/24/19