Updating . .

California suffered widespread cellphone outages during fires. A big earthquake would be much worse -- When Ted Atz, a 75-year-old retiree in Marin County, learned that his power would go out during the Kincade fire, he texted his loved ones that he might lose cell service. He was right. Leila Miller, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/5/19

Apple, Google and Facebook committed $4.5 billion for housing. Now comes the hard part -- The iPhone maker could have an impact on the region’s housing crisis, particularly alongside $1 billion commitments each from Google and Facebook this year, experts say. But money isn’t the only obstacle: As Vallco demonstrates, some Silicon Valley residents strongly oppose major new projects and some question if tech giants’ money will do much to change that. Roland Li and J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/5/19

Historic $93 million deal reached to preserve San Jose’s Coyote Valley -- Ending more than 35 years of development battles on one of Silicon Valley’s most sought-after landscapes, the San Jose City Council on Wednesday is expected to approve a $93 million deal to purchase 937 acres in Coyote Valley, a rural expanse of farmland and open space on the city’s southern edges. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/5/19

Restoring a San Mateo County creek to keep new generations of fish thriving -- The heavy construction equipment had been removed, so Kellyx Nelson walked out on a breezy bluff to take stock of the stunning panorama of newly channeled waterways and marsh that she helped design near Pescadero State Beach. Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/5/19

PG&E agrees to extend deadline for wildfire damage claims -- Lawyers for the victims asked to extend the original Oct. 21 deadline, arguing that tens of thousands of people eligible to receive payments from PG&E have not sought compensation. They said many wildfire survivors — still traumatized and struggling to get back on their feet — weren’t aware of their right to file a claim. Daisy Nguyen Associated Press -- 11/5/19

PG&E outages prompt clean energy programs to focus on solar, batteries -- Facing the prospect of a decade of PG&E power shut-offs, Bay Area programs that buy energy for local communities are pushing for more solar-powered backup batteries to survive blackouts before next fire season hits. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/5/19

Diamond ring found in Getty fire debris is woman’s only heirloom to survive two fires in 58 years -- A small jewelry box lay soaking wet in the gutter. Inside, a diamond wedding ring was tucked safely in the velvet-lined base, unscathed amid the lingering smoke and flames from the Getty fire. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/5/19

SF DA’s Race Foreshadows Coming LA DA’s Fight and Continuing Battle Over the Criminal Justice System -- Today’s vote in San Francisco will not merely fill the District Attorney position but provide insight on where California stands in the national movement to change the criminal justice system. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 11/5/19

Yelp-like ratings for L.A. public schools look like a no-go. But what’s next? -- Students receive grades on their report cards, but should schools also be graded on their performance? In this era of at-a-glance five-star ratings and numeric rankings, the Los Angeles school board is wrestling with how to fairly assess campuses and present data in an easy-to-understand way. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/5/19

LAUSD guide: How to get into a magnet school or specialized programs in Los Angeles -- It’s enrollment season for specialized Los Angeles public schools — including magnets and programs for gifted students — and the options and application process can be complicated. Sonali Kohli in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/5/19

How green are dockless e-scooters? -- Study finds dockless e-scooters more eco-friendly than driving, but buses, biking and walking remain the greenest travel options. Joshua Emerson Smith in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/5/19

She feeds Bel-Air’s mega-mansion boom. But lunch is a battlefield -- Twenty-thousand-dollar date palms fluttered in the breeze and cranes glinted against the sapphire sky as Jennifer Ramirez pulled her lunch truck to a stop outside the half-finished mansion on Bel Air Road. Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/5/19

I’ve covered California’s housing crisis for years. Living it is a different story -- My move from Sacramento to Los Angeles began with acceptance. My rent was going to go up — and it was going to go up a lot. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/5/19

California’s presidential primary is up for grabs. How to win it is the question -- Kamala Harris has left for Iowa. Joe Biden decided to skip a third major California event. Visits from Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have been few and far between. Bryan Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/5/19

‘Deep fake’ videos could upend an election — but Silicon Valley may have a way to combat them -- Election officials and social media firms already flummoxed by hackers, trolls and bots are bracing for a potentially more potent weapon of disinformation as the 2020 election approaches — doctored videos, known as “deep fakes,” that can be nearly impossible to detect as inauthentic. Evan Halper in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/5/19

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

How an abortion rights law ended up bankrolling anti-abortion forces in CA -- California lawmakers knew the reproductive FACT Act had constitutional issues, but passed it anyway. Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned it, legal penalties have been a windfall for attorneys fighting abortion here and nationally. Dan Morain Calmatters -- 11/5/19

Judge orders PG&E to answer questions about Kincade Fire, blackouts -- The federal judge overseeing Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s probation is demanding more information about the kind of equipment problem the utility has reported around the time and place the Kincade Fire ignited last month in Sonoma County. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/5/19

PG&E’s spending on lobbying climbed amid bankruptcy, rate hike requests -- As Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s bankruptcy unfolded, the embattled utility increased its lobbying at the California Capitol, expense records filed with the Secretary of State show. Sophia Bollag in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/5/19

Trump Threatens To Cut Federal Fire Assistance To California, Local Fire Chief Says Aid Is Critical -- "There’s nothing you can do to prevent those fires when they get started," said Alpine Fire Protection District Chief Bill Paskle. He said federal money is key for helping tackle wildfires. "We need federal dollars to help that happen because none of our small communities can afford to pay for these," Paskle said. Matt Hoffman KPBS -- 11/5/19

California’s plastic pollution fight may be headed to voters -- California environmentalists battling to stop plastic from polluting the ocean and piling up in landfills say they can’t wait for state lawmakers to act — they’re hoping to take the fight to the ballot box. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/5/19

California appeals court says more languages must be offered in election materials -- California election officials are not fully complying with a law that requires them to post ballot materials in languages other than English at polling places where surveys show voters need them, a state appeals court ruled Monday. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/5/19

California special election held amid fire, blackout fears -- Republican Megan Dahle and Democrat Elizabeth Betancourt are each trying to succeed Brian Dahle, who represented Assembly District 1 until he won a special Senate election in June. They are the top two vote-getters from a special primary election in August. Associated Press -- 11/5/19

CA120: California’s Voters Choice Act and the 2020 elections -- One constant in California elections is change. In the past 20 years, we’ve seen changes to when the primary is held, then changed back, then back again. We’ve seen an open primary, then another version of the open primary. We shook up the Legislature with term limits, then imposed different term limits. We have moved increasingly to vote by mail, shifting the timeline of our elections, and now there is a move in some counties to vote completely by mail. Paul Mitchell Capitol Weekly -- 11/5/19

Katie Hill’s office receives white powder in envelope, but it tests negative for harmful toxins -- Following Democratic Rep. Katie Hill’s resignation over allegations of a sexual relationship with a staffer and a campaign aide, the freshman lawmaker’s Palmdale office received a suspicious envelope Monday containing a white powder that was determined to be harmless. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/5/19

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Mike Levin talk government reform, ethics in Oceanside -- They avoided talking about President Trump or the impeachment inquiry, in stark contrast to protesters outside the event. Charles T. Clark in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/5/19

California’s strict vaccination law will have only ‘modest’ impact, study says -- laws in 2016, public health officials across the country have been closely watching for signs of success in bolstering vaccination rates. A study published Monday offers an answer. Soumya Karlamangla in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/5/19

Taylor: Another thing for Californians to worry about: The Big One we’ve been dreading might not be an earthquake -- Dino Torres, an Oakland Fire Department battalion chief, was telling me how Station No. 17 on High Street, a block from Interstate 580, specialized in fighting wildfires. Then, two bells rang. It was an emergency. Someone called about sagging power lines. Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/5/19

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

Stonestown Galleria’s next makeover: housing on its sprawling SF site -- The transformation under way at San Francisco’s Stonestown Galleria is obvious these days. Gone are the bookend department store anchors, Macy’s and Nordstrom. A new Whole Foods is under construction, along with a Sports Basement, an expanded Target and an 11-screen Regal movie theater. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/5/19

Transit  

LAX’s new system for Uber, Lyft and taxi pickups is plagued with long waits -- Los Angeles International Airport debuted its new system for Uber, Lyft and taxi pickups last week. Then: chaos. Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/5/19

Homeless  

L.A. voided millions of old tickets and warrants. Here’s why it won’t help homeless people -- When Los Angeles officials decided to toss out millions of citations and warrants in early October, they hailed it as a boon for homeless people. Gale Holland in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/5/19

Wildfire  

Kincade Fire: Rush of memories as residents return, see destroyed homes -- Page walked through the property Monday to survey the damage in the aftermath of the devastating Kincade Fire, and a rush of memories returned. The long table was gone. The trees were scorched. And the rows of vineyards surrounding their property burned before Page’s family had planned to harvest. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/5/19

Education 

A novel idea for California: requiring students to fill out financial aid forms -- Beyond all the debate about the types and sizes of financial aid for college, one fact matters most for students and parents: You can’t get grants and loans unless you apply for them. Larry Gordon EdSource -- 11/5/19

Cannabis 

California cannabis group wants tighter vaping-safety rules -- An alliance of major legal marijuana businesses in California urged the state Monday to adopt tougher safety rules for ingredients and devices used in vaping and get tougher with illegal shops, amid an outbreak of a mysterious illness apparently linked to vaping. Michael R. Blood Associated Press -- 11/5/19

Water 

Does a rain-free October signal a return to drought in California? -- “There are 200 different definitions of drought,” said climatologist Bill Patzert. “If you’re a firefighter with no rain in the month of October, and there are strong Diablo and Santa Ana winds, it’s a drought.” Paul Duginski in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/5/19

Environment 

Cities, states and companies vow to meet U.S. climate goals without Trump. Can they? -- Despite President Trump‘s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord, the United States hasn’t completely abandoned the landmark international agreement. Julia Rosen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/5/19

Also . . . 

Was the Orinda Halloween shooting linked to a quadruple slaying in San Francisco? Police are investigating -- Police are looking into whether a shooting at an Orinda house party that left five people dead on Halloween night is connected to a quadruple murder in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley more than four years ago, The Chronicle has learned. Evan Sernoffsky and Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/5/19

Mother loses third son to gun violence — the latest in Orinda Halloween shooting -- Cynthia Taylor was pumping gas Thursday night at a West Oakland station when the calls started coming. One frantic call after another from her children who had attended a Halloween party in Orinda. Matthias Gafni and Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/5/19

Can Airbnb carry out ban on ‘party houses’? Are Airbnb rules part of the problem? -- Airbnb hosts expressed doubt about the company’s plan to ban “party houses” after a Halloween shooting at an Orinda Airbnb rental left five people dead. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/5/19

POTUS 45  

Trump’s latest legal strategy on impeachment: Run out the clock -- The goal of the run-out-the-clock approach is to tie up in courts the fight over whether top officials from the National Security Council, Office of Management and Budget and White House chief of staff’s office can appear before Congress — all while asserting expansive powers for the office of the president. Nancy Cook Politico -- 11/5/19

Giuliani associate Lev Parnas is willing to comply with House impeachment inquiry, his attorney says -- An attorney for Lev Parnas, an associate of Rudolph W. Giuliani who was charged last month with campaign finance violations, said Monday that his client is willing to comply with the House impeachment inquiry — and challenged the notion that President Trump does not know Parnas. Deanna Paul, Rosalind S. Helderman, Tom Hamburger and Josh Dawsey in the Washington Post$ -- 11/5/19

 

-- Monday Updates 

Why cell phones failed in PG&E outages, and how to prevent a repeat -- As the lights flickered out and wildfires flared, PG&E’s blackouts also cut off thousands of Californians from cell phone service, leaving them unable to get emergency alerts or call 911. It exposed a troubling gap in the state’s readiness for mass outages that could, according to PG&E, keep happening for a decade. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/4/19

Kincade Fire nearly under control as Trump sparks new fight with Newsom -- Firefighters continue to gain control of the sprawling Kincade Fire, which nearly raged out of control across northern Sonoma County a historic windstorm. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/4/19

Law enforcement ‘vigilant’ against looters during Kincade Fire -- While firefighters worked this week to tame the raging Kincade Fire in Sonoma County, which forced 185,000 people to evacuate their homes, no fewer than 13 people were arrested for entering a closed disaster area, while looters successfully raided two abandoned homes and a school. Alejandro Serrano, Steve Rubenstein and Josh Koehn in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/4/19

L.A. suspends Uber’s permit to rent out electric scooters and bikes -- Following months of conflict over a controversial data-sharing policy, Los Angeles has temporarily suspended Uber’s permit to rent electric scooters and bicycles on city streets and sidewalks. Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/4/19

Apple pledges $2.5 billion to help with housing crisis -- Apple’s move, by far the largest such commitment by a tech company to date, follows similar announcements by Google and Facebook. Both companies recently released separate $1 billion plans to build affordable housing and otherwise ease the strained housing market in the region they call home. Shwanika Narayan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/4/19

10 million pot plants worth $1 billion destroyed in Kern County -- Investigators with the Kern County Sheriff’s Office seized the plants, which they estimate to have a street value of more than $1 billion, from 11 fields in the Arvin area on Oct. 25, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office. The seizure was first reported by the Bakersfield Californian. Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/4/19

Trump team has a plan for national parks: Amazon, food trucks and no senior discounts -- At the urging of a controversial team of advisors, the Trump administration is mulling proposals to privatize national park campgrounds and further commercialize the parks with expanded Wi-Fi service, food trucks and even Amazon deliveries at tourist camp sites. Louis Sahagun in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/4/19

California conservatives leaving the state for ‘redder pastures’ -- Like many other Republican and conservative voters in California, the retired couple have decided to leave the state. A major reason, Stark and her spouse say, is their disenchantment with deep-blue California’s liberal political culture. Sarah Parvini in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/4/19

Quinn: A Few Good Questions for the Next Democratic Debate -- The Democratic National Committee has announced that UCLA will host the sixth Democratic debate in California in December. Given California’s outsized role in the Democratic Party, the candidates should be asked questions unique to our state. Tony Quinn Fox & Hounds -- 11/4/19

White California teacher wears blackface, raps like Common in class, on Halloween -- The staff member at Milpitas High School, just north of San Jose, was placed on leave after video of his actions was shared widely on Twitter, prompting outrage from students and parents. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ Mike Moffitt in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/4/19

This California firefighter nearly died. Then voters laid him off — in fight for lower taxes -- After leaving the hospital, Wager learned a tax assessment to raise money for his rural fire department had failed. Layoffs were coming. Wagner’s own neighbors had voted it down; the votes were counted even as he was risking his life. Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/4/19

For Kamala Harris’ presidential hopes, Iowa is do or die -- In better times, Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign was full of flash: a launch rally that drew more than 20,000 people to Oakland, a five-day summer tour of Iowa on a luxury bus with her name blazing from the side in colorful capital letters, a robust multi-state operation headquartered in Baltimore. Now, the bus has been swapped for a nondescript black SUV. Melanie Mason in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/4/19

The Fisherman’s Secret -- This is something big so we should talk about it at the dock. Tara Duggan and Jason Fagone Photos by in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/4/19