Updating . .   

This Trump rule change will mean lower wages for farmworkers -- Growers would benefit from the proposed changes to the H-2A visa program, which allows agricultural employers to temporarily employ guest workers from other countries. Kate Cimini Calmatters -- 10/16/19

Most Republicans and Democrats agree: Immigrants make the U.S. a better place to live -- In California, a majority of Democratic and Republican voters have found something to agree on: Immigrants make the United States a better place to live. More than 80% of registered voters in the state concur with that opinion, according to the latest UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll conducted for the Los Angeles Times. About 92% of Democrats and 60% of Republicans are in agreement. Sarah Parvini in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/16/19

California prison agency spent $12,000 on retiring manager’s farewell party, records show -- The Prison Industry Authority paid for food, equipment, supplies and luxury portable restrooms for a Jan. 25 luncheon for Chuck Pattillo, who retired from the agency the following week, according to a review of emails and spending records The Sacramento Bee obtained through a Public Records Act request. Wes Venteicher in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/16/19

New California law bans ‘no-rehire’ clauses after worker lawsuits -- California workers who sue their employer and then settle their case no longer may be barred from future work with the employer as part of the settlement, according to a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Wes Venteicher in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/16/19

How a handful of vetoes disappointed Gavin Newsom’s liberal California backers -- From fighting President Donald Trump’s agenda to signing first-in-the nation laws that expand access to health care and regulate the gig economy, California Gov. Gavin Newsom earned no small amount of praise from liberals since he took office in January. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/16/19

Should Uber and Lyft drivers earn $30 per hour? Los Angeles will study a minimum wage -- Los Angeles lawmakers on Tuesday took the first step toward a minimum wage for tens of thousands of Uber and Lyft drivers, approving a study of how the law would work and how it would be enforced. Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/16/19

PG&E: First Say It Did Wrong—Then Investigate -- My initial inclination was to question Gov. Gavin Newsom’s rush to judgment in writing a letter that called for an inquiry and review of PG&E for the extensive Northern California power shut off while at the same time pronouncing the company guilty of wrong doing. It seemed another example in this day and age of discarding due process. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 10/16/19

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Investigators look at whether Pleasant Hill quake triggered fuel tank explosion in Crockett -- An explosion at an oil storage facility in Crockett on Tuesday afternoon sent a huge fireball into the air in west Contra Costa County, shaking buildings and rattling windows for miles around and igniting a fire that burned for hours. Officials were investigating whether the explosion was triggered by a 4.5 quake that struck Pleasant Hill in the central part of the county 15 hours earlier. Megan Cassidy, Mallory Moench and Matthias Gafni in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/16/19

Contra Costa fire: What we know about the NuStar facility -- Fuel tanks caught on fire just before 2 p.m. Tuesday following an explosion at a tank farm at a NuStar facility at 90 San Pablo Avenue in Crockett. Contra Costa County Fire Protection District spokesman Steve Hill said the tanks were holding a combined 250,000 gallons of ethanol when they erupted in flames and one collapsed. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/16/19

I-80 reopens after 7-hour closure that left commuters stuck for hours in gridlock around Pinole -- The California Highway Patrol closed the freeway after an explosion and fire erupted at an oil storage facility in Crockett. There was fear another explosion could occur as other fuel tanks were threatened by the fire, which was burning for hours. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/16/19

In California, hidden earthquake faults lie beneath us — some very dangerous -- The earthquakes that shook Northern California over the past two days were a surprise to geologists in only one way — one of them ruptured an area in Contra Costa County where no faults had been detected before. Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/16/19

Pender: California’s master of disaster talks quake-rate hike, new wildfire fund -- This has been a busy month for Glenn Pomeroy, chief executive of the California Earthquake Authority. On July 1, the quake-insurance provider revised rates for the first time in three years, raising them for some policyholders and lowering them for others. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/16/19

Towers in earthquake country — designers say the new ones are safe to their core -- For the people who design tall buildings — and the people who review those designs for seismic safety — there are two ways to measure the perceived safety of the towers that have transformed San Francisco’s skyline over the past decade. John King in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/16/19

California prison whistleblower says state tried to create phony data on inmate care -- The whistleblower who accused California prison leaders last year of providing false and misleading data to a federal court on how the state handles inmate psychiatric care made his first public appearance Tuesday, standing behind his claims and saying corrections officials concocted “utter statistical rubbish” in some cases. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/16/19

Gavin Newsom vetoes bill to allow ranked-choice voting throughout California -- To paraphrase Mel Brooks, it’s good to be the governor. More than 17 years after San Francisco approved ranked-choice voting over the objections of then-Supervisor Gavin Newsom, California’s first-year governor got a chance for some payback, vetoing a bill that would have allowed more cities, counties and school districts across the state to switch to the voting system. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/16/19

Gov. Newsom vetoes bill prohibiting fines defendants couldn’t afford -- Legislation prohibiting criminal fines that a defendant can’t afford to pay — which followed a state appeals court ruling that said defendants can’t be punished for being poor — has been vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/16/19

Veto means county leaders can keep drawing districts in Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino counties -- SB 139, also known as the People’s Maps Act, would have required counties with more than 400,000 residents to use independent commissions to redraw county supervisors’ districts, similar to what’s already done in Los Angeles County. Jeff Horseman in the Riverside Press Enterprise$ -- 10/16/19

Newsom vetoed two bills aimed at reforming child support payback system -- Two bills would have sent more child support money to families receiving public benefits and eliminated interest on overdue payments owed to the government. But on Sunday Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed both bills, saying that the changes would be too costly for the state. Erica Hellerstein Calmatters -- 10/16/19

Update, Capitol Weekly tracking poll: the Warren surge -- Capitol Weekly’s October Democratic primary tracking survey shows Elizabeth Warren continuing to storm the field with another 7-point gain, putting her at 35% and a healthy 14-points ahead of her nearest rival, Vice President Joe Biden. John Howard Capitol Weekly -- 10/16/19

CA120: A deep dive into voter registration -- Last week the Sacramento Bee ran a story of voter registration and how the type of registration, and timing of it, can provide a hint about if a voter will participate in an upcoming election. And, if a voter does turnout, if it will be a one-time exercise, or they will be a more permanent voter. The finding was a good overview of something we have also seen in the data: Voters who register right before an election are more likely to vote in that contest, but they are also less likely to vote in subsequent elections. Paul Mitchell Capitol Weekly -- 10/16/19

Jerry Brown touted California’s ‘own damn satellite.’ It may be named for him -- California plans “to launch its own damn satellite,” and Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to name it after Jerry Brown. Newsom said Tuesday that he intended to honor his predecessor by attaching his name to a satellite that would gather information on climate change, one of Brown’s overriding interests during his second stint as governor from 2011-19. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/16/19

Rep. Duncan Hunter, avid user of vaping products, says anti-vape crackdown ‘massively overblown’ -- The Alpine Republican, awaiting trial for alleged campaign finance fraud, gained notoriety by hitting his vape during a committee hearing in 2016. Andrew Dyer in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/16/19

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

Sacramento expected to be announced as 29th Major League Soccer team Monday -- Major League Soccer is expected to announce on Monday that it is awarding an expansion team to a Sacramento investor group, making the California capital city the 29th franchise in the fast-growing league, sources with direct knowledge of the deal told The Sacramento Bee on Tuesday. Tony Bizjak and Marcos Breton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/16/19

SpaceX seeks permission to launch 30,000 more satellites -- SpaceX has bet its future on a network of small satellites that could beam the internet down to Earth. This month, the company’s plans got a whole lot bigger. Hawthorne-based SpaceX has requested permission from an international regulatory group to operate as many as 30,000 satellites at a specific frequency, power level and location in space. Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/16/19

Janitors vs. coders: SF created as many low-wage jobs as high-paying tech gigs -- While the recent tech-fed boom has made San Francisco famous for its $200,000-a-year coding jobs, less attention has been paid to the low-wage jobs that have grown almost as fast as the lucrative ones. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/16/19

PG&E gas executive involved in ill-timed winery retreat out of job -- The executive who was in charge of Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s natural gas division when employees there wined and dined top customers just before the utility’s mass power outage last week is no longer with the company. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/16/19

Transit  

Banning cars on SF’s Market Street, once a radical idea, approved unanimously -- Banning cars on San Francisco’s Market Street may have once been a radical idea. But on Tuesday, the Municipal Transportation Agency board voted unanimously to do it, with undiluted support from just about everyone: bicycle activists, politicians, city bureaucrats, parents, health care workers, business owners, ride-hail companies and Mayor London Breed. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/16/19

Homeless  

New housing for homeless people could rise in Chatsworth after vote at L.A. City Hall -- Dozens of new apartments for homeless people could rise in Chatsworth after the Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to fund a rare proposal to build such housing in the northwestern stretches of the San Fernando Valley. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/16/19

Housing  

Los Angeles City Council moves forward with eviction, rent increase moratoriums -- The Los Angeles City Council took a stopgap step Tuesday to stop no-fault evictions and rent increases, following fears that landlords are hiking rent and removing tenants before new state rental rules take effect in January. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ Elizabeth Chou in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 10/16/19

Wildfire  

As the Santa Ana winds touch down this fall, wildfire season may begin to shift to winter in San Diego -- A combination of drier weather conditions and a shorter Santa Ana wind season may change the window of wildfire season in Southern California. Celina Tebor in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/16/19

Education 

Unwanted sexual contact widespread at Stanford, other universities, survey finds -- Nearly 40% of undergraduate women at Stanford University say they’ve been forced into unwanted sex or sexual touching by their senior year — and an alarming new national survey of 33 university campuses shows that high rates of sexual assault are not unusual. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/16/19

U.S. government on hook for millions in case of woman wrongly on no-fly list -- The U.S. Supreme Court refused to let the government off the hook Tuesday for millions of dollars in legal costs to a Stanford graduate student who was prevented from returning from her native Malaysia to San Francisco more than 14 years ago because the FBI mistakenly put her on the “no-fly” list of suspected terrorists. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/16/19

Newsom vetoes bill that would have created a state-tax deduction for college savings -- Californians’ best hopes of getting a state-tax incentive for investing in the state’s college savings plan were dashed Sunday after Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have created one. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/16/19

California community colleges need money to meet new state law to help dreamers -- The California Community Colleges system does not have the money needed to implement newly signed legislation requiring its colleges to expand resources for undocumented students, the system’s vice chancellor said. Michael Burke EdSource -- 10/16/19

Cannabis 

Indicted Ukrainian gained solid foothold in Sacramento pot world. Mayor wants new audit -- A pot storefront and a marijuana delivery business. A cannabis cultivation facility and a pair of consulting firms. Andrey Kukushkin, the Ukrainian-born businessman who was arrested in the campaign-finance scandal tied to President Donald Trump’s attorney, has established a significant foothold in Sacramento’s legal cannabis industry, new records reviewed by The Sacramento Bee show. Dale Kasler, Theresa Clift, and Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/16/19

Guns 

Gun Show Promoters Vow To Challenge New Law Banning Gun, Ammo Sales At Fairgrounds -- Lawyers representing gun show promoters Crossroads of the West said they will launch a legal challenge to a new state law that bans the sale of guns and ammo at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Matt Hoffman KPBS -- 10/16/19

Health 

St. Louis encephalitis resurfaces in Orange County -- Mosquitoes collected in Anaheim and Westminster have tested positive for St. Louis encephalitis — the first occurrence in those cities in three decades, Orange County officials announced Tuesday. The item is in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/16/19

Also . . . 

LAPD changing controversial program that uses data to predict where crimes will occur -- The changes come seven months after an inspector general couldn’t determine whether the department’s predictive-policing program, called PredPol, helped reduce crime. Critics contend the program leads to heavier policing of minority neighborhoods. Mark Puente, Cindy Chang in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/16/19

POTUS 45  

Trump’s moves in Ukraine and Syria have a common denominator: Both help Russia -- Whether by chance or by design, the foreign policy crises involving Syria and Ukraine that have enveloped the White House have a common element. In each case, President Trump has taken action that has had the effect of helping the authoritarian leader of Russia. Anne Gearan in the Washington Post$ -- 10/16/19

Beltway 

Giuliani pressed Trump to eject Muslim cleric from U.S., a top priority of Turkish president, former officials say -- Rudolph W. Giuliani privately urged President Trump in 2017 to extradite a Turkish cleric living in exile in the United States, a top priority of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to multiple former administration officials familiar with the discussions. Carol D. Leonnig, Ellen Nakashima, Josh Dawsey and Tom Hamburger in the Washington Post$ -- 10/16/19

Pelosi considers, then rejects holding a House vote on impeachment inquiry — for now -- Amid growing political pressure from Republicans, House leaders on Tuesday began seriously gauging support among Democrats for holding a vote to formally establish the impeachment investigation of President Trump — even through the inquiry is already underway. Jennifer Haberkorn, Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/16/19

To talk impeachment, Nancy Pelosi embraces a Revolutionary --House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has read her Thomas Paine. The Revolutionary War-era author has been a frequent presence in the San Francisco Democrat’s public appearances of late. She has quoted Paine multiple times over the past year as saying, “The times have found us,” a phrase she turned to again as she announced a historic impeachment inquiry into President Trump. Tal Kopan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/16/19

6 Takeaways From the October Democratic Debate -- Warren was called out by rivals for a change while Biden failed to stand out, and Sanders calmed concerns about his health. Buttigieg had his biggest night yet. But no game-changing moments for other candidates. Shane Goldmacher and Reid J. Epstein in the New York Times$ -- 10/16/19

Elizabeth Warren looks like the front-runner to other Democratic candidates -- If there was ever a doubt that Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is viewed as the Democratic front-runner, it disappeared Tuesday night when she turned into the top target for the other 11 presidential hopefuls at the party’s nationally televised debate. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/16/19

Democratic debate: Candidates unify briefly over Trump impeachment, but rivalries sharpen -- The most pointed broadsides were aimed at Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, reflecting her ascendance in the polls, while she and fellow septuagenarian rivals, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and former Vice President Joe Biden, sought to assure voters they are hardy enough to occupy the Oval Office. Melanie Mason, Noah Bierman, Evan Halper in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/16/19

 

-- Tuesday Updates 

Edison reports it experienced ‘impact’ to system at start of Saddleridge fire -- Southern California Edison’s electrical system was “impacted” around the time that investigators suspect the Saddleridge fire ignited beneath a high-voltage transmission tower in Sylmar, according to the utility. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/19

Criticism hounds Gov. Gavin Newsom over his plans for California gas tax dollars -- As Gov. Gavin Newsom ratchets up California’s response to climate change, Republicans and even some in his own party are lashing out at his plans to tap into billions of dollars in gas taxes and vehicle fees earmarked for transportation projects. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/19

1 in 4 female undergrads said they were sexually assaulted on campus. At USC, it’s nearly 1 in 3 -- One in four female undergraduates at leading campuses across the country say they have been sexually assaulted by force or because they were passed out, asleep or incapacitated by alcohol or drugs and unable to consent, according to a national survey released Tuesday. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/19

Climate change may imperil Joshua trees; group seeks tougher California protections -- Brendan Cummings doesn’t need to go far to find a dying signature of Southern California’s desert landscape: He stands on his porch and eyes whole forests of Joshua trees that haven’t produced seedlings in decades. Louis Sahagun in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/19

Felicity Huffman reports to prison to serve 14-day sentence in college admissions scandal -- Actress Felicity Huffman on Tuesday reported to a federal prison in northern California, where she will spend two weeks behind bars for conspiring to rig her daughter’s college entrance exams. Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/19

Fox: Prioritize Spending Newsom Warns with Vetoes -- Gavin Newsom likes to use the power of government to manage life in California but when it comes to paying for the way government directs those changes he offered a dose of reality when he rejected a number of legislative bills that required money. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds-- 10/15/19