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Olson Hagel
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Boat fire: Coast Guard repeatedly rejected calls for tougher boat safety rules -- The Conception dive boat accident that killed 34 people on Labor Day was one of the worst maritime disasters in California history, but the safety lapses that led to it were hardly unprecedented. Richard Winton, Mark Puente in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/12/19

9 student deaths at USC this semester raise alarms on campus -- A series of student deaths at USC this semester has prompted concern and a demand for answers among the campus community. Colleen Shalby, Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/12/19

Breed, supes reach deal on SF mental health reform to fix ‘crisis on our streets’ -- After months of sometimes bitter political bickering, Mayor London Breed and two supervisors have reconciled their dueling plans to overhaul San Francisco’s fractured mental health care system. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/12/19

Berkeley company makes meat out of thin air -- First, there was animal meat. Then, there was plant-based meat. Now, a Berkeley company plans to sell air-based meat. That’s right. A meat alternative, conjured out of thin air. The company, Air Protein, created what its CEO Lisa Dyson believes is the first air-based meat in the world last month. Janelle Bitker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/12/19

More than 1,000 California police accessed background check database for personal use -- On June 5, 2013, San Francisco police Sgt. John Haggett was working the 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. shift in a third-floor office at the city’s Hall of Justice. At 11:48 that morning, someone logged into the department’s secure database inside that office and used Haggett’s sign-on and password to run a criminal background check on a San Francisco woman through the department’s local records. Sam Stanton, Darrell Smith, and Elliot Wailoo in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/12/19

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

PG&E Is Offering $13.5 Billion in Compensation to Wildfire Victims -- Bankrupt utility giant PG&E Corp. is offering $13.5 billion in compensation to the victims of wildfires sparked by its power lines as part of a restructuring plan, according to people with knowledge of the situation. Mark Chediak and Scott Deveau Bloomberg -- 11/12/19

PG&E bankruptcy: Newsom tells judge California may propose its own plan -- Gov. Gavin Newsom is pushing back on an $11 billion settlement agreement PG&E Corp. reached with a group of insurance companies as part of its bankruptcy and redoubling his threat to intervene in the case. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Peg Brickley in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 11/12/19

Blackouts, Wildfires Test California Gov. Newsom in His First Crisis -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently ended weeks of traversing burned down, blacked out and evacuated parts of this state with a dramatic promise: If PG&E Corp couldn’t fix its own problems, he would consider a government takeover. Alejandro Lazo in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 11/12/19

PG&E helped fund the careers of Calif. governor and his wife. Now he accuses the utility of ‘corporate greed’ -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom has accused his state’s largest utility company of mismanaging funds he said it should have used to upgrade an aging electrical grid prone to deadly wildfires. Douglas MacMillan and Neena Satija in the Washington Post$ -- 11/12/19

California says San Diego County could undermine state’s greenhouse gas plan -- The stakes are rising in a legal battle over whether San Diego County will be able to approve thousands of new housing units in wildfire-prone areas far from urban job centers using carbon offsets. Joshua Emerson Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/12/19

California might not require solar panels on new homes, after all -- California became the first state in the nation last year to require solar panels on newly built homes. But it’s starting to look like the mandate wasn’t quite a mandate. Sammy Roth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/12/19

Knight: How Chesa Boudin, a public defender who never prosecuted a case, won SF D.A. race -- Late last year, a little-known deputy in the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office asked for a meeting with one of the city’s top political consultants for progressive candidates and campaigns. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/12/19

Breed seeks bond for SF mental health reform: ‘We have no time to waste’ -- Mayor London Breed is pushing for a November 2020 bond measure that could help fund some of the major reforms proposed for San Francisco’s mental health care system. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/12/19

Widow sues boat owner in fire off California that killed 34 -- The widow of a passenger who died in a fiery dive boat disaster that killed 34 people in the waters off California sued the vessel’s owners Monday. Christine Dignam, whose husband, Justin Dignam, died when the Conception caught fire Sept. 2 off the Santa Barbara coast, claimed that the boat was unsafe. Brian Melley and Stefanie Dazio Associated Press -- 11/12/19

Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting victims to file lawsuit -- Attorneys on Tuesday plan to file a lawsuit against the Gilroy Garlic Festival Association on behalf of five victims of a mass shooting at the annual event in late July. In a media advisory late Monday night, the San Francisco-based Scarlett Law Group said “negligent security measures” led to the shooting that killed three people and injured 14 others. Jason Green in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/12/19

Charity backed by Gaspar to run $2 million county shelter sued for fraud -- The charity that San Diego County Supervisor Kristin Gaspar recommended to operate a $2 million shelter for sex-trafficking victims — before county officials reversed course and put the project out to bid — is being sued for fraud by someone claiming to represent one of its main donors. Jeff McDonald in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/12/19

Fox: Two Anniversaries and a Shrinking CA GOP -- Two historical events anniversaries recognized the last few days both played a large role in neutering the California Republican Party. While many media outlets highlighted the political ramifications of Republican support for Proposition 187 twenty-five years ago, which was designed to limit benefits for many immigrants, the fall of the Berlin Wall 30 years ago also cut into Republican strength in the Golden State. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 11/12/19

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

How Airbnb Plans to Verify Rentals After a California Shooting -- For Brian Chesky, the chief executive of Airbnb, the deaths of five people in a Halloween night shooting at an Airbnb rental in Northern California cut to the heart of the trust on which his business — and many internet companies — is based. David Yaffe-Bellany in the New York Times$ -- 11/12/19

Transit  

Lyft’s Bay Wheels to resume e-bike rentals in SF -- Lyft, which operates rental company Bay Wheels (formerly called Ford GoBike), had pulled its e-bikes off San Francisco’s streets in July after brake and battery problems. It had also sparred with the city over whether other rental companies’ e-bikes would be allowed. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/12/19

Wildfire  

Rebirth, angst and the ‘new normal’ of California wildfires -- Tina Chandler walks outside her home and sniffs the air. “Do you smell smoke?” she asks. Even when the scent is no longer there, it haunts her. Martha Irvine Associated Press -- 11/12/19

Education 

San Diego State University freshman hurt in fraternity-related incident dies -- Dylan Hernandez, the 19-year-old San Diego State University freshman who required medical attention last week after leaving an event at one of the school’s fraternities, has died, campus officials said Monday. Gary Robbins, Andrea Lopez-VillafaÑa, Hafsa Fathima in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/12/19

Cannabis 

How Much Cannabis Do Californians Use? Researchers Want To Ask In Order To Set Safe Pesticide Limits -- Starting this January, California cannabis users can get a $20 gift card by anonymously sharing their consumption habits with a state-funded survey team. Sammy Caiola Capital Public Radio -- 11/12/19

Immigration / Border 

Cartel violence drives surge of Mexican asylum-seekers to border towns -- The situation threatens to unravel the fragile relations forged between the presidents of the United States and Mexico. Wendy Fry in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/12/19

Water 

Feds set to lock in huge water contract for well-connected Westlands Water District -- Westlands Water District, a sprawling San Joaquin Valley farm district with ties to the Trump administration, is poised to get a permanent entitlement to a massive quantity of cheap federal irrigation supplies. Bettina Boxall in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/12/19

Environment 

Bay Area rainfall: When’s it coming and when should we start to worry? -- Normally between Oct. 1 and mid-November, if historical averages are any guide, the Bay Area has received nearly 2 inches of rain, and Los Angeles and Fresno each have received about an inch. But so far this year? None. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/12/19

Also . . . 

Donald Trump Jr. went to UCLA to decry ‘triggered’ liberals. He was heckled off the stage by the far right -- Donald Trump Jr. and Trump campaign senior adviser Kimberly Guilfoyle came prepared with snappy rejoinders for liberal protesters who might taunt them on Sunday at the University of California at Los Angeles, where they promoted Trump Jr.'s new book, “Triggered: How the Left Thrives on Hate and Wants to Silence Us.” Katie Shepherd in the Washington Post$ -- 11/12/19

Jimmy Carter hospitalized to relieve pressure on his brain due to recent falls -- The pressure was triggered by bleeding in the brain caused by recent falls, and the procedure is scheduled for Tuesday morning, the center said. He was admitted to Emory University Hospital on Monday evening and was resting comfortably with his wife, Rosalynn Carter, the center said. Michael Brice-Saddler in the Washington Post$ -- 11/12/19

POTUS 45  

With cheers and catcalls, Trump’s public appearances become a referendum on impeachment -- President Trump had just begun to speak on an outdoor stage here at Madison Square Park in front of a couple hundred military veterans when the whistles and catcalls could be heard from beyond the security perimeter where crowds had gathered, along with a chant: “Lock him up!” David Nakamura in the Washington Post$ -- 11/12/19

White House infighting flares amid impeachment inquiry -- The White House’s bifurcated and disjointed response to Democrats’ impeachment inquiry has been fueled by a fierce West Wing battle between two of President Trump’s top advisers, and the outcome of the messy skirmish could be on full display this week, according to White House and congressional officials. Erica Werner, Josh Dawsey, Carol D. Leonnig and Rachael Bade in the Washington Post$ -- 11/12/19

Beltway 

Kamala Harris is now polling at just 1 percent in New Hampshire -- A new Quinnipiac poll of New Hampshire shows Kamala Harris is now polling at her all-time worst: just 1 percent. This comes on the coattails of the California senator closing three of her four presidential offices in New Hampshire and firing her campaign staff in the state to focus her efforts on Iowa. Madeline Wells in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/12/19

 

-- Monday Updates 

How did this California police department hire so many officers with troubling pasts? -- They hired a cop investigated in an FBI child porn probe, and another caught up in an LAPD burglary ring. They gave a job to an officer who filed a bogus insurance claim for a car his friends dumped in Mexico. And they brought in a cop with a conviction for pulling a gun on his stepdaughter’s friends. Katey Rusch and Laurence Du Sault in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/11/19

Off-duty Richmond cop who fatally shot Vallejo man identified -- The off-duty Richmond officer who shot and killed a Vallejo man during an altercation outside of a popular restaurant here has been identified as Sgt. Virgil Thomas, a 27-year veteran of the force. Nate Gartrell in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/11/19

Pending review of San Diego County jail deaths criticized as shallow, praised as road to improvement -- San Diego County expects to spend up to $150,000 on a new study of its jail system, the latest effort to defeat a mortality rate that has exceeded most major California county jail systems for years. Jeff McDonald and Kelly Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/11/19

San Diego officials say they won’t sell private data from smart street lights -- City attorney candidate Cory Briggs is alleging at campaign appearances and on his website that City Attorney Mara Elliott was negligent for approving the 2016 contract between the city and General Electric to provide thousands of the street lights, which have video and audio sensors. Katy Stegall in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/11/19

Push to end veteran homelessness in Santa Clara County reaches key milestone -- Amid a fight against homelessness that often seems like an uphill battle, there is a spot of good news this Veterans Day. For the first time since it launched four years ago, the All the Way Home campaign to provide shelter for homeless veterans is placing more people into housing than it’s receiving. Emily DeRuy in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/11/19

Caltrans grapples with spread of homeless camps along highways -- Sarah Teague has a system when workers for Caltrans come to clean up the homeless encampment where she lives, under the University Avenue overpass of Interstate 580 in Berkeley. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/11/19

First engine broke down en route to Woolsey fire, sources say. Blaze grew at a terrifying rate -- When the Woolsey fire broke out a year ago at Boeing’s shuttered nuclear and rocket engine testing site near Simi Valley, a private fire crew working for the aerospace giant was the closest to the flames. A firetruck headed to the scene. But it didn’t get far. Jaclyn Cosgrove in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/11/19

Taylor: BART police saving lives on trains with Narcan -- A man, drenched in sweat with his eyes closed, slumped in his seat on an Antioch-bound BART train a little before 8 p.m. on Nov. 2. In his hands, he held a piece of crinkled aluminum foil stained by burned drug residue. Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/11/19

BART general manager apologizes to man cited for eating sandwich on platform -- The general manager of BART on Monday apologized to a man who was cited for eating a sandwich on a Pleasant Hill train platform last week, an incident that was captured on video and quickly ricocheted through the internet. Alejandro Serrano in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/11/19

5,600 homes, a Sac State campus: Major Placer County development in final planning stages -- A plan to transform more than 13 square miles of farmland sandwiched between Lincoln, Rocklin and Roseville into a vast development has inched closer to reality. Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/11/19