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California justices skeptical of law requiring Trump to release tax returns for primary -- California’s top court appeared skeptical Wednesday that the Legislature may require presidential primary candidates to disclose not only their tax returns but also their birth certificates and psychiatric records. Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ Bryan Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/6/19

Democrats pull presidential primary debate from UCLA over union dispute at school -- The Democratic National Committee has yanked its Dec. 19 presidential primary debate from UCLA in solidarity with labor unions that are engaged in disputes with the university. Michael Finnegan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/6/19

Extreme storm could overwhelm Southern California dam and flood thousands -- Federal engineers have found that a dam protecting the high desert communities of Victorville, Hesperia, Apple Valley and Barstow falls short of national safety standards and could erode and collapse in an extreme flood, inundating thousands of people. Louis Sahagun in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/6/19

A Camp fire survivor lost everything. Then someone stole their insurance payout, police say -- A woman suspected of embezzling more than $63,000 in insurance money from a 75-year-old Californian whose home burned in last year’s deadly Camp fire was arrested this week, authorities said. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/6/19

Nail-biter San Francisco races hinge on 70,000 uncounted ballots -- The ultra-tight, undecided races to determine San Francisco’s next district attorney and District Five supervisor will hinge on the roughly 70,000 ballots that the city’s Elections Department still needs to count. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/6/19

San Francisco keeps e-cigarette ban as voters reject repeal measure once backed by Juul -- San Francisco’s upcoming ban on the sale of e-cigarettes will move forward after voters overwhelmingly rejected a ballot measure Tuesday that aimed to overturn the prohibition. Hannah Fry in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/6/19

Airbnb to verify all 7 million rental listings in wake of Orinda shooting -- Airbnb Chief Executive Brian Chesky said Wednesday the home-sharing company will implement a sweeping verification system of all 7 million of its listings following the Halloween night shooting at a rental house in Orinda that left five people dead. Rex Crum in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/6/19

Judge orders state takeover of insurer at heart of Lara political controversy -- A Superior Court judge in Northern California has ordered the insurance company at the heart of a political controversy enveloping the state insurance commissioner to be taken into immediate conservatorship by government regulators. Jeff McDonald in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/6/19

250 tons of debris pulled from Oakland homeless camp — that’s just for starters -- Oakland city crews have pulled 75 truckloads — about 250 tons — of debris out of the sprawling homeless encampment that surrounds the Fruitvale Home Depot in the past two weeks. Phil Matier in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/6/19

New park to be built on top of highway tunnels near Golden Gate Bridge -- In the latest step toward the rebirth of San Francisco’s Presidio from an aging former Army base to a bright light of America’s national park system, crews are set to break ground Thursday on a project to build a new 14-acre public park on top of two freeway tunnels near the Golden Gate Bridge. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/6/19

Fox: Senator Warren’s Wealth Tax Example Hit Home in CA 40 years Ago -- While Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren is gaining attention and objections on how she proposes to pay for her Medicare-for-All plan, let’s focus on the initial defense of her wealth tax proposal which proves to be a succinct explanation for why middle class Californians embraced Proposition 13’s property tax protections. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 11/6/19

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

California DMV data breach exposes thousands of drivers’ Social Security information -- Already besieged by problems including long wait times, the California Department of Motor Vehicles on Tuesday said it suffered a data breach in which federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, had improper access to the Social Security information of 3,200 people issued driver’s licenses. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ Bryan Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/6/19

Facebook Unknowingly Shared Private Group Data With Partners -- Facebook Inc. said it unknowingly gave outside developers access to private user information shared within some groups on its main social network, including the names and profile photos of people who were part of those groups. Kurt Wagner Bloomberg -- 11/6/19

As Newsom Meets With PG&E, Nearly A Dozen Mayors Propose To Make The Utility A Customer-Owned Co-Op -- California's governor called the chief executive of a troubled utility to his office on Tuesday for a closed-door meeting as the company struggles to emerge from a high-profile bankruptcy while facing criticism for its practice of shutting off power for millions of people to prevent wildfires. Adam Beam and Michael Liedtke Associated Press J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/6/19

Walters: How should PG&E be overhauled? -- Having declared “I own it,” Gov. Gavin Newsom is stepping up his personal involvement and political investment in the disaster-tinged bankruptcy of Pacific Gas and Electric Co., wagering his still-new governorship on reforming — or dissolving — the nation’s largest investor-owned utility. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 11/6/19

Breed coasts into first full term as SF mayor -- San Francisco Mayor London Breed won her first full, four-year term Tuesday in an election that closed an era of uncertainty that’s hung over City Hall since the death of Ed Lee in December 2017. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Guy Marzorati KQED -- 11/6/19

SF district attorney’s race: Chesa Boudin, Suzy Loftus locked in tight battle -- Interim District Attorney Suzy Loftus and Chesa Boudin, an attorney in the public defender’s office, were locked in a close race Tuesday night to become San Francisco’s top prosecutor in an election that offered dueling visions for the city’s criminal justice system. Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/6/19

SF voters pass Prop. F, the ‘Sunlight on Dark Money’ measure -- The measure’s passage means campaigns will be forced to more prominently disclose who donates big chunks of money to a cause. The point is to give voters a better idea of who is behind the campaign ads that inundate their mailboxes, social media feeds and TVs in the run-up to an election. Trisha Thadani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/6/19

Silicon Valley lawmakers propose federal privacy agency -- Two congresswomen from Silicon Valley are proposing a new federal agency to help protect Americans’ privacy in the age of the internet. Democratic Reps. Anna Eshoo and Zoe Lofgren on Tuesday proposed the Digital Privacy Agency as part of a new federal privacy bill they introduced. Levi Sumagaysay in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/6/19

A sane, innocent woman went on suicide watch at a California jail. It nearly broke her -- Shackled at the wrists and ankles, Christine Taylor followed a red line on the basement floor directing her to the elevator at Kern County’s central jail. She heard groans and cries from among the hundred people locked above, a wail echoing through the shaft. Jason Pohl and Ryan Gabrielson in the Fresno Bee -- 11/6/19

Top California Dem rips Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren for ‘disrespect’ to state -- The leader of the California Democratic Party slammed former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Tuesday for skipping an upcoming presidential candidates forum in Long Beach, calling it “a misguided decision to publicly snub California’s Democrats and Latino voters across the nation.” Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/6/19

Fake cow account must go, Devin Nunes demands in letter to Democrat over Twitter taunts -- Rep. Devin Nunes’ attorney last month demanded that his 2018 Democratic political opponent pressure an anonymous social media writer to delete comments on Twitter that mock Republican Nunes “day and night.” Andrew Janz, the Fresno County prosecutor who ran against Nunes in 2018, interpreted the Oct. 11 letter from Nunes’ attorney Steven Biss as a threat to sue him. Kate Irby in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/6/19

Measure to overhaul police oversight continues to advance toward 2020 ballot -- The City Council on Tuesday advanced a potential ballot measure that would overhaul San Diego’s police oversight board, giving the group the ability to conduct independent investigations into alleged officer misconduct, among other powers. Lyndsay Winkley in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/6/19

Bel-Air mega-mansion should be torn down, city officials say -- Los Angeles city prosecutors are calling for an unfinished megamansion in Bel-Air to be torn down to its foundation, the latest twist in the saga over a colossal building at the center of criminal charges, court battles and an FBI investigation. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/6/19

Politifact CA: Candidate for California governor employs fake ads to protest Facebook policy -- San Francisco progressive activist Adriel Hampton wanted to tell the truth about a controversial Facebook policy — one that allows political candidates to lie in advertisements without a penalty. Chris Nichols Politifact CA -- 11/6/19

Argument over light bulbs sends California to court against Donald Trump -- California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and New York Attorney General Letitia James are leading a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Energy, challenging the department’s decision to roll back efficiency standards for light bulbs. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/6/19

Lopez: Sorry, L.A., LAX’s Uber, Lyft and taxi chaos is our own creation. Are we too good for the bus? -- In a well-run city, getting to and from one of the world’s busiest airports would not be a nightmare. The rail line to the airport would extend all the way to — oh, I don’t know, the airport? But in Los Angeles, after three decades of planning improvements, we’re not there yet. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/6/19

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

San Francisco Voters Uphold Ban on E-Cigarette Sales, Rejecting Juul-Funded Proposition C -- San Franciscans on Tuesday voted down Proposition C, a ballot measure backed by e-cigarette maker Juul Labs that would have overturned a ban on the sale and distribution of e-cigarettes in the city. Laura Klivans KQED Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/6/19

Oakland to negotiate with A’s to sell Coliseum ownership -- Oakland will negotiate with the A’s to sell the team its half-ownership share of the Oakland coliseum weeks after the team proposed to buy it for $85 million. Ali Tadayon in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/6/19

From tikka masala to Mexican BBQ, new law lets home kitchens expand across state -- Riverside County is the first to take advantage of new state law that aims to create an entry point into the food industry for amateur chefs — especially immigrants, women and people of color. Scott Rodd Calmatters -- 11/6/19

Uber IPO stock lockup expires Wednesday, but no gold rush in sight -- Uber’s six-month lockup period expires on Wednesday, allowing early investors and employees to sell their shares. But expectations are muted because the company’s shares have tanked. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/6/19

Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds 

SF measure to tax Uber and Lyft rides trailing by slimmest of margins -- A measure to tax Uber and Lyft rides to help pay for transportation improvements as the city continues to struggle with rising congestion was trailing by the slimmest of margins Tuesday evening. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/6/19

Transit  

Yes, it’s true, a horse rode BART today — it’s a service animal -- A small horse clomped aboard a BART train Tuesday during the evening commute in San Francisco, creating a bit of a scene as station agents tried to figure out what to do. Turns out the equine was a service horse, so BART officials allowed it to ride the train with its owner. Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Nico Savidge in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/6/19

Sacramento’s streetcar plan is dead. Should a light rail line over Tower Bridge replace it? -- After years of effort and millions of dollars spent, Sacramento and West Sacramento officials have halted their plan to build a four-mile streetcar loop that would have connected the two cities via tracks over the Tower Bridge, saying the project turned out to be too expensive. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/6/19

Homeless  

San Diego’s fourth large tented homeless shelter expected to open this week -- The newly-erected bridge shelter in the East Village is expected to serve 128 homeless people. Gary Warth in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/6/19

Los Angeles sued over homeless housing money by AIDS nonprofit -- An AIDS foundation that has tangled with the city over real estate development and lambasted its handling of the homelessness crisis is now suing Los Angeles, arguing that it was improperly turned down for funding to house homeless people. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/6/19

Housing  

Largest affordable housing bond in San Francisco history has narrow lead -- Results showed 69% of voters supported it while 31% opposed it. Results from nearly all precincts were in, but a number of mail-in ballots will be counted in the next few days. The measure needs a two-thirds majority to pass. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/6/19

Long Beach will likely soon move forward with proposed eviction freeze as new state law looms -- The Long Beach City Council on Tuesday night, Nov. 5, voted unanimously to direct staff to create an urgency ordinance prohibiting no-fault evictions through Dec. 31. The ban, which will be up for final adoption on Nov. 12, will be designed to cover a gap before a new state law takes effect Jan. 1. Donna Littlejohn in the Long Beach Press Telegram$ -- 11/6/19

Sacramento County votes down emergency temporary ban on no-fault evictions -- The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors failed to pass a temporary ban on “no fault” evictions during its Tuesday meeting, as county residents face the possibility of being homeless or impoverished by the year’s end. Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/6/19

Wildfire  

California fire season likely to last through December, with no rain in sight -- A report from the National Interagency Fire Center, released Friday, predicts a higher-than-normal chance for other large fires in Southern California through December, with a late start to the rainy season looking increasingly likely. Hannah Fry, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/6/19

Satellite image shows Kincade fire burn scar -- An image taken by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer aboard NASA’s Terra satellite on Sunday shows a checkerboard of charred land. The dark gray splotches are burned areas, and the yellow dots are hot spots where the fire is still smoldering. Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/6/19

Southern California fires have cost $125 million already and the forecast looks grim -- Firefighting efforts across Southern California have already cost local, state and federal agencies more than $125 million and a reprieve is not expected anytime soon, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Jason Henry in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 11/6/19

Education 

Voters Say Yes to Educator Housing in San Francisco. $600 Million Affordable Housing Bond Likely to Pass -- San Francisco voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly gave the city permission to build housing projects for teachers and educators on publicly owned land, while a $600 million affordable housing bond, the largest in the city’s history, leads with a narrow margin. Erika Aguila KQED -- 11/6/19

In wake of scandals, USC radically cuts number of trustees, imposes age limits, pledges more diversity -- USC trustees approved far-reaching changes to their governing board Tuesday aimed at reforming leadership weaknesses that prevented the private university from effectively handling a series of scandals over the last few years. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/6/19

As California spends billions on high-needs students, calls grow for more oversight -- Auditors say it's impossible to tell whether the 2013 school funding overhaul is working. The findings points to a likely effort to fine-tune the formula next year. Ricardo Cano Calmatters -- 11/6/19

State audit finds education money not serving high-needs students, calls for changes in funding law -- In its first detailed examination of former Gov. Jerry Brown’s landmark school funding law, the California State Auditor sharply criticized the Legislature and State Board of Education for failing to ensure that billions of dollars have been spent on low-income children and other students targeted for additional state money. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 11/6/19

California schools closed for unprecedented number of days due to fire, power outages -- Multiple years of destructive wildfires and planned power outages have closed California schools for an unprecedented number of days, leaving school districts and the state struggling to adjust to what many call the “new normal.” Diana Lambert EdSource -- 11/6/19

Immigration / Border 

Silicon Valley woman to pay $50 million for allegedly misappropriating $45 million from green card seekers -- San Mateo County businesswoman Bethany Liou has agreed to pay $50 million in a settlement with federal regulators who accused her of misappropriating at least $45 million from foreign citizens who were seeking U.S. green cards through investments in a Cupertino real estate development. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/6/19

ACLU Files Suit Over Access To Lawyers For Asylum-Seekers Being Sent Back To Mexico -- The American Civil Liberties Union filed a class-action lawsuit against Customs and Border Protection on Tuesday, condemning the treatment of asylum-seekers in the "Remain In Mexico" program. The suit was filed in the Southern District of California. The ACLU says that the migrants are not being allowed to see their lawyers. Max Rivlin-Nadler KPBS -- 11/6/19

Environment 

Californians Turn to Low-Cost Sensors for Highly Local Air Quality Data -- Last November, while the Camp Fire ripped through the town of Paradise, in Butte County, Bay Area residents 150 miles away choked on a thick layer of smoke carried southwest by the wind. Kevin Stark, Peter Arcuni and Jon Brooks KQED -- 11/6/19

A new solution to California’s sea urchin problem: Ranch them and eat them -- Purple sea urchins have laid waste to Northern California coastal zones in recent years, decimating the kelp forest and ruining the habitat of other sea creatures that depend on it. Tara Duggan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/6/19

Also . . . 

Murder suspects cut hole in jail’s bathroom ceiling to escape, sheriff’s official says -- Two murder suspects who escaped from a Monterey County jail over the weekend shimmied through a 22-inch hole cut in a bathroom ceiling in a spot out of sight from deputies, authorities said. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/6/19

App connects restaurants with leftover food to service that feeds people in need -- A new phone app offered by Feeding San Diego will allow restaurants and businesses to occasionally donate surplus food to local nonprofits rather than throwing it away. Gary Warth in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/6/19

Watch Placer County deputies help a massive bear escape from a dumpster -- Placer County deputies came to the rescue of an old friend early Monday after he got himself in a jam after a long night out on the town. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/6/19

POTUS 45  

Sondland reverses himself on Ukraine, confirming quid pro quo -- Gordon Sondland, a key witness in the impeachment inquiry, revealed that he told a top Ukrainian official that hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid would “likely” be held up unless the country’s government announced investigations into President Donald Trump’s political rivals — a major reversal from his previous closed-door testimony. Andrew Desiderio and Kyle Cheney Politico -- 11/6/19

Beltway 

Kentucky outcome embarrasses Trump and worries many Republicans ahead of 2020 -- Democrats’ claim of victory Tuesday in Kentucky’s gubernatorial race, as well as the Democratic takeover of the Virginia state legislature, left Republicans stumbling and increasingly uncertain about their own political fates next year tied to an embattled and unpopular president. Robert Costa in the Washington Post$ -- 11/6/19

 

-- Tuesday Updates 

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