California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Survivors fear smaller payouts from PG&E with each fire -- Attorneys believe as many as 100,000 people are eligible to receive payments for damages they suffered during the devastating wildfires of recent years. But wildfire victims of previous years must wait for PG&E to exit bankruptcy to get any payout from the utility. Cathy Bussewitz Associated Press -- 11/24/19

Former PG&E employee says he was fired after wildfire safety complaints -- Managers at Pacific Gas and Electric Co. failed to address concerns from front-line workers who felt electrical equipment the utility was installing to boost efficiency made power lines more vulnerable to starting dangerous fires, a former employee alleged in recently filed court papers. J.D. Morris and Matthias Gafni in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/24/19

Despite wildfires, some homeowners resist efforts to cut vegetation -- Research shows that one of the best ways to protect your home from igniting in a wind-driven wildfire is to remove all combustible materials, including wood bark and almost all plants, from within 5 feet of any structures. But when the Mill Valley City Council tried this year to require property owners in severe fire-hazard areas to create a 3-foot noncombustible zone around their structures, the resistance was so intense it retreated. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/24/19

For 2020 candidates, eating tacos is the kissing babies of stumping for Latino votes -- There he was, another candidate with White House dreams, shaking hands and exchanging hugs in a gaudy Mexican restaurant, careful not to stain his suit with salsa. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/24/19

Secretary of Navy says Trump’s tweet is not a formal order -- The secretary of the U.S. Navy said Saturday he doesn’t consider a tweet by President Donald Trump an order and would need a formal order to stop a review of a sailor who could lose his status as a Navy SEAL. Rob Gillies Associated Press -- 11/24/19

Navy Is Said to Proceed With Disciplinary Plans Against Edward Gallagher -- Top military officials threatened to resign or be fired if their plans to remove Chief Gallagher from the SEALs were halted by President Trump, administration officials said. Maggie Haberman, Helene Cooper and Dave Philipps in the New York Times$ -- 11/24/19

Willie Brown: The regular-guy Republican millionaire who could take down Trump -- After getting off to a slow start, Democrats finally delivered the drama and made the case against President Trump in the impeachment hearings — and their best witness was a millionaire hotel owner who laid out what happened between Trump and Ukraine in simple English. Willie Brown in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/24/19

Oakland to use technology that can flag potentially bad police officers -- Technology that can flag potentially bad police officers is scheduled to go live in Oakland on Monday as one of the key tasks ordered by a federal judge overseeing reforms in a nearly two-decade-old police corruption case. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/24/19

Muni’s next chief imagines a city where cars are no longer king -- Those who get around San Francisco mostly on foot, bike or bus are already enamored with Jeffrey Tumlin. Those who do a lot of driving? He’ll probably drive them crazy. And that’s a good thing. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/24/19

Top House Democrat says ethics probe of Nunes is likely over alleged meeting with Ukrainian about Bidens -- A high-ranking House Democrat said Saturday it’s “quite likely” Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) will face an ethics investigation over allegations that he met with an ex-Ukrainian official to obtain information about former vice president Joe Biden and his son. Rosalind S. Helderman and Colby Itkowitz in the Washington Post$ -- 11/24/19

Devin Nunes’ impeachment defense marks a breakthrough — for his opponents -- Rep. Devin Nunes’ week at the forefront of President Donald Trump’s impeachment hearings highlighted the catch-22 facing the congressman as he prepares for a 2020 re-election campaign: The more visible he is, the more power his opponents have to run against him. Kate Irby in the Fresno Bee -- 11/24/19

Lopez: I met a cabbie who built a great life and family. Then a passenger killed him downtown -- In mid-September I hailed a Yellow Cab at Union Station for a ride to LAX, and my driver was an affable chap. Traffic was light and the ride was quick, but we covered a lot of ground. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/24/19

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

A disease that could devastate citrus growers has reached San Bernardino County -- An economically devastating citrus disease has been detected for the first time in San Bernardino County, expanding an already large quarantine area aimed at keeping the malady from hitting the commercial groves centered in the southern San Joaquin Valley, according to California agricultural authorities. Geoffrey Mohan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/24/19

Juul Says Its Focus Was Smokers, but It Targeted Young Nonsmokers -- In the face of mounting investigations, subpoenas and lawsuits, Juul Labs has insisted that it never marketed or knowingly sold its trendy e-cigarettes and flavored nicotine pods to teenagers. Julie Creswell and Sheila Kaplan in the New York Times$ -- 11/24/19

Transit  

LAX offers free bus rides and expanded FlyAway service over Thanksgiving -- Los Angeles International Airport will expand FlyAway service and offer free rides beginning Sunday on some municipal transit systems during the week of Thanksgiving, which is expected to be the busiest of the year. Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/24/19

Homeless  

Worried about homeless, Californians say they’d support a law mandating more shelters -- Most Californians are concerned about homelessness in their community, and a majority supports the concept of a law that would require cities to build more shelters, according to a new statewide survey. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/24/19

Housing  

Median San Fernando Valley home price hits record $755,000 amid stagnant supply -- The median sticker price was $20,000 higher than the record set in July. Condominium prices, meanwhile, were down 1.1% to $425,000 but not far below record highs reported over the summer. Ariella Plachta in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 11/24/19

Education 

Drop the SAT and ACT as a requirement for admission, top UC officials say -- The chancellors of UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz, along with the University of California’s chief academic officer, said they support dropping the SAT and ACT as an admission requirement — stances certain to fuel the growing national movement against the tests as an unfair barrier to college entry for underserved students. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/24/19

Guns 

‘Ghost guns’: Could a teenager mail-order kit parts and build a pistol? -- After every mass shooting, policymakers, law enforcement officials and both sides of America’s gun debate zero in on a few key questions: What kind of gun did the killer use, how did he get it and could any laws have prevented the tragedy? John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/24/19

Environment 

SeaWorld team frees whale tangled in 900 feet of fishing line -- It took four hours on Friday to cut and pull the line away from the 35-foot whale as it swam about a mile from Scripps Pier, officials said. They said the whale was not able to swim freely and forage for food because of the line, and would have died if it had remained entangled. Pauline Repard in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/24/19

POTUS 45  

A Split Decision From Congress Will Leave Voters With Final Say on Trump -- But if the outcome of the showdown on Capitol Hill at the moment appears foreordained, the ultimate verdict still is not. Unlike Presidents Richard M. Nixon or Bill Clinton, Mr. Trump faces an election after his impeachment battle, meaning that the voters will serve as the court of appeals rendering their own final judgment on whether he has committed high crimes and misdemeanors. Peter Baker in the New York Times$ -- 11/24/19

Beltway 

Politifact CA: Mostly True: Nancy Pelosi’s claim President Trump ‘hasn’t built any new wall’ -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently claimed President Donald Trump isn’t serious about building his promised Southern border wall and that his comments on the topic "are really an applause line at a rally." "The President hasn’t built any new wall in the whole term of office," Pelosi added, speaking on "Face the Nation" this week. Chris Nichols Politifact CA -- 11/24/19

New Documents Reveal Details of Pompeo’s Role in Ukraine Affair -- Internal State Department emails and documents released late Friday further implicate Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a campaign orchestrated this year by President Trump and his personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani to pressure Ukraine for political favors. Edward Wong and Kenneth P. Vogel in the New York Times$ -- 11/24/19