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Toxin identified in vaping illnesses, deaths. What is vitamin E acetate? -- Federal public health investigators on Friday announced a breakthrough in identifying the cause of an outbreak of lung disease associated with vaping that has sickened more than 2,000 people and killed 39 in the United States this year. Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/8/19

A year after deadly fire, Paradise pauses to remember -- One year after the most devastating wildfire in California history mostly destroyed the town, local officials asked people to pause for 85 seconds beginning at 11:08 a.m. — one second for every person who was killed. Hundreds of people packed the parking lot of a former bank building on Friday to stop and remember. Adam Beam Associated Press -- 11/8/19

A Name Lost in Flames -- Did the last remaining unidentified victim of last year’s Camp Fire die a hero? Lizzie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/8/19

A year after Paradise fire, California lawmakers hope to keep history from repeating -- A year ago, Billie and Scott Salsbury were stuck in their car, unable to move on a road surrounded by flames. “All we could hear is explosions around us,” Scott Salsbury said, describing the panic and anxiety his family experienced as they evacuated the town of Paradise during the Camp fire last November. Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/8/19

Berkeley may remove criminal checks in housing applications, angering landlords -- Lee “Taqwaa” Bonner spent 35 years in California state prison. When he was paroled three years ago, Bonner had few options for a place to live. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/8/19

Will Paradise be rebuilt without its largest low-income housing complex? -- An obscure federal rule could keep more than 80 low-income residents from moving back to the town destroyed by the deadliest wildfire in state history. Matt Levin Calmatters -- 11/8/19

H-1B spouses’ H-4 work authorization means more job competition for U.S. workers: judges -- A group of technology workers, allegedly laid off and replaced by foreign citizens on the controversial H-1B visa, scored a major victory Friday in a lawsuit that seeks to scrap a rule granting employment to spouses of H-1B workers. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/8/19

Prop. 187 flopped, but it taught the nation’s top immigration-control group how to win -- On Oct. 1, 1981, just a week after becoming deputy commissioner for the Immigration and Naturalization Service, Alan C. Nelson had lunch with the intellectual godfather and fundraiser for America’s modern-day anti-immigration movement. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/8/19

California’s housing market is in crisis. Will Apple’s $2.5 billion help? -- Over the past year, Apple has faced criticism over its apparent refusal to take a stand against the Bay Area’s crippling housing crisis. But all the while, the iPhone maker held a closely-guarded secret: Behind closed doors, Apple was, in fact, talking about housing — first internally and then with the governor’s office and local organizations. Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/8/19

Former LAPD Chief Charlie Beck named interim top cop in Chicago -- Beck, who retired from the LAPD last year after a career that spanned four decades, will oversee the Chicago Police Department as the city continues searching for a permanent leader. Beck, 66, will oversee about 4,000 more officers in Chicago than he led in Los Angeles. Hannah Fry, Mark Puente in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/8/19

Quinn: How The 2019 Elections Help Pelosi And Schiff With Impeachment -- An obscure race for governor of Kentucky has Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff breathing a lot easier. Tony Quinn Fox & Hounds -- 11/8/19

Fox: UCLA and Presidential Debates: Win Some, Lose Some -- I find it ironic that UCLA lost a major presidential debate because of a labor controversy when UCLA was once the beneficiary of hosting a presidential debate after a different kind of dispute moved the second 1988 presidential debate to UCLA from its original venue. In the 1988, Vice-President George H. W. Bush, the Republican nominee squared off against Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis, the Democratic nominee at UCLA’s basketball arena, Pauley Pavilion. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 11/8/19

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Interior proposes coveted deal to ex-client of agency head -- The Interior Department is proposing to award one of the first contracts for federal water in perpetuity to a powerful rural water district that had employed Secretary David Bernhardt as a lawyer and lobbyist. Environmental groups and a California Democratic lawmaker oppose giving the contract to the California’s Westlands Water District, the nation’s largest agricultural water supplier. Ellen Knickmeyer Associated Press -- 11/8/19

PG&E reports $1.6 billion third-quarter loss amid high fire costs -- PG&E Corp. reported a $1.6 billion loss for the third quarter as the company grappled with costs stemming from wildfires its power lines caused and its related bankruptcy case. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/8/19

PG&E Shares Tumble as Utility Estimates New Round of Liabilities -- Shares of PG&E tumbled as much as 15% Thursday after the utility revealed that it expects wildfire costs to top $6 billion for the year. Lily Jamali KQED -- 11/8/19

PG&E Says Power Outage Credits Cost The Utility $65 Million -- Pacific Gas & Electric reported another huge loss on Thursday as the fallout from catastrophic wildfires blamed on its outdated transmission lines drive the bankrupt utility into a deeper hole. Capital Public Radio -- 11/8/19

Former Mitek CEO Jim DeBello announces bid to unseat Rep. Scott Peters in 2020 -- DeBello is the first Republican to challenge Peters and likely faces an uphill battle trying to oust the popular four-term incumbent. Charles T. Clark in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/8/19

SF election thriller: 35-vote lead in supes race, DA contest nearly as tight -- Two days after the polls closed, a pair of pivotal elections in San Francisco remained too close to call Thursday afternoon, following the latest release of vote tallies. Both races pitted candidates backed by Mayor London Breed against more progressive competitors. Dominic Fracassa and Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/8/19

Criticism of Newsom, sanctuary laws at indictment for 4 tied to El Dorado deputy’s slaying -- A federal grand jury in Sacramento on Thursday indicted four men who authorities blame for the death of El Dorado Sheriff’s Deputy Brian Ishmael two weeks ago, part of a concerted effort by federal and local prosecutors to bring maximum penalties against the suspects. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/8/19

Devin Nunes is mostly silent at closed impeachment hearings, transcripts show -- Congressional rules put Rep. Devin Nunes in a seat to be one of President Donald Trump’s top defenders against impeachment, but newly released transcripts show the California Republican has been turning that power over to other GOP lawmakers. Kate Irby McClatchy DC -- 11/8/19

California’s presidential primary is up for grabs. How to win it is the question -- But the campaign trail in the Golden State is largely empty three months before mail balloting begins on Feb. 3. Political experts suggest the lack of attention is a sign that crafting a strategy just for California is nearly impossible. Bryan Anderson McClatchy DC -- 11/8/19

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

Orinda shooting: Following criticism, Airbnb says it will pay for funerals and counseling of victims -- Airbnb said Thursday it will pay funeral expenses for the five victims of the Orinda shooting and will cover counseling bills for their families after a victim’s lawyer blasted the company’s response to the Halloween massacre at one of its rental properties. Anna Bauman and Alejandro Serrano in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/8/19

Orinda shooting: Parents say Airbnb allowed dangerous party conditions that led to son’s death -- The parents of a victim killed in the Orinda shooting say in a lawsuit that Airbnb failed to properly vet the people who rented the house and allowed a large drug-and-alcohol fueled party to be held. Anna Bauman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/8/19

Federal government sues Gilead Sciences, alleging patent infringement on HIV drugs -- The U.S. government has sued Gilead Sciences, accusing the Foster City biotech company of infringing on patents that allegedly belonged to the Department of Health and Human Services and using them to develop industry-leading HIV prevention drugs without paying royalties to the federal government. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/8/19

California’s new “predatory lending” law, explained -- Starting next year, Californians who take out consumer loans of between $2,500 and $10,000 can be charged an interest rate no higher than 35%. With annual fees, the maximum cost can pencil out to as high as 46%. That’s still significantly lower that the 100%-plus interest rates lenders have been charging — legally. Byrhonda Lyons Calmatters -- 11/8/19

Juul halts sales of mint-flavored e-cigarettes, its most popular product -- The move came amid expectations the Trump administration is close to imposing a ban on all flavored e-cigarettes, except for menthol and tobacco. Laurie McGinley in the Washington Post$ -- 11/8/19

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes wins courtroom skirmish -- Disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes won a courtroom skirmish this week in a months-long battle over access to government documents in the federal criminal fraud and conspiracy case against her. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/8/19

Sacramento City Council to vote on $27.2 million loan to Major League Soccer investor group -- Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg will ask the City Council on Tuesday to agree in principle to loan the city’s Major League Soccer investment group up to $27.2 million to pay for infrastructure around a planned stadium in the downtown Railyard. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/8/19

Housing  

Bay Area homes are getting more affordable, closing gap with rest of state -- This may sound hard to believe if you’re house hunting, but Bay Area homes got significantly more affordable in the third quarter, thanks to a big drop in mortgage rates, rising incomes and lower home prices, according to a report issued Thursday by the California Association of Realtors. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Louis Hansen in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/8/19

Coastal cities give in to growth. Southern California favors less housing in Inland Empire -- In a dramatic shift to how Southern California cities plan to grow over the next decade, a regional agency decided Thursday to push for more housing in coastal rather than inland communities. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/8/19

State Officials Praise SANDAG’s Housing Plan -- State housing officials have given high marks to the San Diego Association of Governments for the planning agency's proposal to require more housing in communities with a lot of jobs and access to transit. Andrew Bowen KPBS -- 11/8/19

Wildfire  

Edison offers new details about power circuit problems before the Saddleridge fire -- Southern California Edison officials, who have said the utility’s electrical system was “impacted” minutes before the Saddleridge fire broke out on Oct. 10 near Sylmar, provided new details Thursday about the events that transpired. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/8/19

A year after deadly fire, Paradise pauses to remember -- Paradise will pause on Friday. One year after the most devastating wildfire in California history mostly destroyed the town, local officials are asking people to pause for 85 seconds beginning at 11:08 a.m. — one second for every person who was killed. Adam Beam Associated Press -- 11/8/19

‘A city within a city’: Chico’s ongoing response to the Camp Fire focuses on housing -- Response and comfort. These were the guiding principles of Chico in the immediate days following the Camp Fire, said City Manager Mark Orme, as “a city within a city” grew and pushed the boundaries of what Chico could contain. “The entirety of what Chico was used to went out the window,” Orme said. Robin Epley in the Chico Enterprise-Record -- 11/8/19

California’s worst wildfire transforms city that didn’t burn -- Amber Blood got to Chico on Nov. 8, 2018, wearing pink slacks and her favorite white peacoat. It was all she had left. Blood was among tens of thousands forced to flee as a wildfire roared through Paradise and nearby communities in Northern California, killing 85 people and destroying roughly 19,000 buildings. Adam Beam Associated Press -- 11/8/19

Education 

University of California heads to Supreme Court to defend protections for undocumented immigrants -- The court hearing is the final match over Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, which currently provides temporary protection from deportation and permission to work for about 660,000 people who came to the U.S. as children, according to the most recent data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Just over 200,000 DACA recipients live in California, by far the largest number of any state, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Zaidee Stavely EdSource -- 11/8/19

California spending over $13 billion annually on special education -- California’s spending on special education students has increased by nearly 30 percent over the past decade — from $10.8 billion to $13 billion in inflation-adjusted figures, according to a new report. Louis Freedberg EdSource -- 11/8/19

Guns 

NRA drops lawsuit over San Francisco’s ‘terrorist’ label -- The notice filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court of Northern California was heralded by City Attorney Dennis Herrera, who has called it a “frivolous lawsuit” based on a deliberate misinterpretation by the NRA. Janie Har Associated Press -- 11/8/19

Homicides more common in childhood gun deaths in California than rest of nation, data show -- Homicides are more common in childhood gun deaths in California than in the rest of the U.S., according to new data published by Everytown, a nonprofit that advocates for reducing gun violence. Wes Venteicher in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/8/19

Environment 

Sudden oak death spreading fast, California’s coastal forests facing devastation -- It is the forgotten killer when compared to our increasingly frequent climate calamities, but the virulent pathogen known as sudden oak death remains active and is spreading death so fast it could destroy California’s coastal forest ecosystem, UC Berkeley scientists reported Thursday. Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/8/19

Also . . . 

Bretón: You live in a better Sacramento because of him. Rest in peace, Mayor Joe Serna -- Serna, with his beaming smile, straight-shooter persona, world view as a farm worker kid and self-made man who rolled up his sleeves and solved problems, was ahead of his time as much as he was right on time. Marcos Bretón in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/8/19

Police find 2 adults and a dog dead after investigating bomb threat in Wood Ranch -- Simi Valley police found a man, woman and dog dead after investigating a possible bomb threat at a residence in Wood Ranch on Thursday night. Authorities were first contacted around 6:54 p.m. from a resident in the 500 block of Fairfield Road. Jeremy Childs in the Ventura County Star -- 11/8/19

POTUS 45  

Book by ‘Anonymous’ describes Trump as cruel, inept and a danger to the nation -- Senior Trump administration officials considered resigning en masse last year in a “midnight self-massacre” to sound a public alarm about President Trump’s conduct, but rejected the idea because they believed it would further destabilize an already teetering government, according to a new book by an unnamed author. Philip Rucker in the Washington Post$ Jennifer Szalai in the New York Times$ -- 11/8/19

Trump ordered to pay $2 million to charities over misuse of foundation, court documents say -- A New York judge on Thursday ordered President Trump to pay $2 million in damages for misusing funds from a tax-exempt charity — taking the charity’s money to pay debts for his for-profit businesses, to boost his 2016 campaign and to buy a painting of himself, according to court documents. David A. Fahrenthold and Joshua Partlow in the Washington Post$ -- 11/8/19

Trump Is Fighting So Many Legal Battles, It’s Hard to Keep Track -- Another day, another legal battle. Or two. Or three. In one court, a longtime political ally just went on trial. In another, judges ordered his accounting firm to turn over his tax returns. In still another, a writer who claims he raped her filed a defamation lawsuit against him. In a fourth, a judge overturned an anti-abortion policy. And that was all in the space of barely 48 hours. Peter Baker in the New York Times$ -- 11/8/19

Beltway 

Congressional Democrats to Revive Equal Rights Amendment Push -- Democrats aim to repeal an expired deadline on the measure to ensure equality of the sexes, clearing the way for Virginia — where they just won legislative control — to be the last state to ratify it. Sheryl Gay Stolberg in the New York Times$ -- 11/8/19

Michael Bloomberg Actively Prepares to Enter 2020 Presidential Race -- Mr. Bloomberg is expected to file paperwork this week in at least one state with an early deadline, although an adviser said the former New York mayor had not made a final decision to run. Alexander Burns in the New York Times$ -- 11/8/19

House GOP looks to protect Trump by raising doubts about motives of his deputies -- House Republicans’ latest plan to shield President Trump from impeachment is to focus on at least three deputies — U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, Trump’s lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani, and possibly acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney — who they say could have acted on their own to influence Ukraine policy. Karoun Demirjian and Rachael Bade in the Washington Post$ -- 11/8/19

 

-- Thursday Updates 

PG&E reports $1.6 billion third-quarter loss amid high fire costs -- PG&E Corp. on Thursday reported a $1.6 billion loss for the third quarter this year as the company grappled with costs stemming from wildfires its power lines caused and its related bankruptcy case. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Michael McGough and Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/7/19

‘The Heart Is Still Pumping’ -- A year after the Camp Fire, only 14 of the 14,000 ruined homes have been rebuilt. Residents struggle with grief and financial hardship. But many are committed to restoring their community, making it stronger along the way. Lizzie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/7/19

Half their community burned in the Woolsey fire. Recovery is wreaking its own misery -- Every day for a year, Marsha Maus has trekked up Mulholland Highway to tend to her garden. Her yard overflows with towering sunflowers and creeping vines, so green it looks neon. Her plot looks down on the 1960s-era section of Seminole Springs Mobile Home Park, a tidy subdivision tucked high in the Santa Monica Mountains. Above it lies a wasteland. Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/7/19

Annette Bening’s movie portrayal of Feinstein gets senator’s thumbs up -- “The Report,” a forthcoming film from Amazon, traces the story of a Feinstein staffer who led a years-long investigation into the CIA’s torture of overseas terrorism suspects in the years after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The movie premiered in Washington on Tuesday night to a crowd that included some of the staff and senators who were central players in the investigation. Tal Kopan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/7/19

Taylor: Longtime Oakland residents — now homeless — get pushed out of Wood Street encampment -- Willie Johnson has a job, but for five months he’s lived in a homeless encampment on a private lot on Wood Street in West Oakland. “I can’t afford to live in the city I was born in,” Johnson, 60, told me one afternoon last month. Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/7/19

Seattle’s already doing what California’s about to do to limit police use of force. How’s it working out? -- Seattle police have cut their use of moderate and lethal force 60%. But controversial police shootings still happen, and no officer has been prosecuted since the change took effect. Laurel Rosenhall Calmatters -- 11/7/19

LAPD will inspect random body-worn camera videos for training lapses, biased policing -- With body-worn cameras recording 14,000 interactions each day, the Los Angeles Police Department will soon start reviewing random recordings to make sure officers are following guidelines when dealing with the public. Mark Puente in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/7/19

As L.A. ports automate, some workers are cheering on the robots -- Day after day, Walter Diaz, an immigrant truck driver from El Salvador, steers his 18-wheeler toward the giant ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Will it take him half an hour to pick up his cargo? Or will it be as long as seven hours? He never knows. Margot Roosevelt in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/7/19

In a sign of changing economy, an iconic flower company closes its doors -- Each morning, just after the sun lights up the shores of Half Moon Bay, Rosa Manrriquez steps out her door, walks past the neatly manicured flowers lining her walkway, and drives to the Bay City Flower Company, a place she has called a second home since 1979, when she began working there. Erica Hellerstein Calmatters -- 11/7/19

California’s vaccine laws aren’t likely to have a dramatic effect, study says -- California’s legal efforts to increase vaccination rates among school children could have a weaker impact than lawmakers hoped for, according to a new study that analyzed the state’s two laws that restrict when families can skip vaccines. Hannah Wiley in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/7/19

John Bolton declines to appear for impeachment inquiry -- Former national security adviser John Bolton failed to show up for an interview with impeachment investigators Thursday, making it unlikely that he will provide any testimony to the House about President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine. Mary Clare Jalonick Associated Press -- 11/7/19

Fox: A Holmes and Watson Approach to the Homeless Crisis -- I’m not sure who plays which role but Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas are attacking the California crisis of homelessness like the team of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson using what Steinberg called a “deductive” approach to the problem. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 11/7/19