Aaron Read
Edsource.org
Olson Hagel
Capitol Weekly
CA Leg Analyst
Cal FPPC
Maplight.org
 
 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Judges Quietly Disrupt Trump Immigration Policy in San Diego -- Immigration judges in this city are presenting a challenge to the Trump administration’s policy of sending asylum-seeking migrants back to Mexico, terminating such cases at a significantly higher rate than in any other court, according to federal data. Alicia A. Caldwell in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 11/29/19

Cox gubernatorial campaign ordered to pay more than $97,000 in debts -- John Cox, the Rancho Santa Fe businessman who won more than 4.5 million votes as the Republican Party nominee for California governor in 2018, is on the losing end of an arbitration award over debts incurred by his former campaign committee. Jeff McDonald in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/29/19

The secret Richmond lab where Bay Area crab season annually learns its fate -- Each year, the fate of Northern California’s Dungeness crab season is in the hands of a few scientists in a quiet East Bay lab examining a small container of tan goo. Justin Phillips in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/29/19

Riding BART while black: Does our transit system play a part in continuing racial stereotypes? -- In a now-viral Facebook video, one second was all that separated the moment a police officer asked Steve Foster what was going on from the moment he told Foster to put his hands behind his back. The 10-minute video was shot on the platform of the Pleasant Hill BART station by Foster’s girlfriend on Nov. 4. Justin Phillips in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/29/19

Advocates: Unregulated independent living homes often poorly operated, put vulnerable populations at risk -- For some of San Diego’s most vulnerable populations — including senior citizens and people with mental or physical health impediments — the final stop before homelessness may be at the steps of a single-family home. Bella Ross in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/29/19

Evicted for having cancer, disabled house painter lands in a place of his own -- First came cancer. Then came an eviction notice — because of the diagnosis. Homelessness was up next for Jack Hendrix. Which for Hendrix, a 60-year-old disabled house painter with no savings, would probably be a death sentence, since a shelter isn’t stable enough to allow the type of chemotherapy and surgery needed for the aggressive form of esophagus cancer he had. Kevin Fagan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/29/19

Immigrant bond fund helped free migrants from ICE detention this year -- An immigrant bond fund has helped free 34 people from Immigration and Customs Enforcement Centers this year. The Borderlands Get Free fund was conceived by The San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium, a project of Alliance San Diego about two years ago, driven by the idea of providing financial aid to families who had relatives in ICE custody. Hafsa Fathima in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/29/19

Taylor: ‘I couldn’t help halfway’: Oakland businessman helps single mom out of homelessness -- Tashawna Harris couldn’t get her car to start. So the 27-year-old Oakland native, who was working as a security guard at an Alameda County building on Capwell Drive in East Oakland, started knocking on the doors of businesses for help. Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/29/19

Animal rights activists hold overnight hunger strike outside Oakland Whole Foods -- Through hail and 40-degree weather, animal rights activists held an overnight hunger strike outside of an Oakland Whole Foods on Thanksgiving to denounce what they say is mistreatment of animals by the company. Ali Tadayon in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/29/19

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

Silicon Valley-Backed App Lenders Use Phone Data to Hassle Borrowers -- Silicon Valley venture capital is funding a wave of fintech startups in India that use data from borrowers’ cellphones to collect on debts in ways that are illegal in both India and the U.S. Newley Purnell and Justin Scheck in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 11/29/19

This California junkman became an auto auction billionaire -- The 2019 Ferrari 812 Superfast is a beast by any measure. With 789 horsepower and a top speed of 211 miles per hour, it retails new for about $363,000. It could be yours for a fraction of the price, if you act quickly and don’t mind a few dents and scrapes. Emma Vickers Bloomberg -- 11/29/19

Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds 

A 40-year sales tax to tackle climate change is likely headed to Sacramento’s November ballot -- Sacramento County voters may get a chance next year to improve their commute and combat climate change on a local level. But it will cost them. A group of city and county leaders is assembling a November 2020 ballot measure that would hike the local sales tax a half cent to improve transportation – with an emphasis on offering alternatives to more roads for more cars. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/29/19

Wildfire  

Winter brings rising hardships to Camp Fire survivors in temporary housing -- The first big winter storm of the season exposed the vulnerabilities of hundreds of people living in temporary, precarious housing like trailers on their properties after losing homes in the Camp Fire more than a year ago. A winter storm with freezing temperatures and winds hit Butte County hard on Tuesday, dropping inches of snow in the mountains and at elevations as low as lower Paradise. Camille von Kaenel in the Chico Enterprise-Record -- 11/29/19

Environment 

4 million gallons of raw sewage spilled in Laguna Beach prompts closure of South O.C. ocean and bay areas -- A sanitary sewer leak at the Ben Brown Golf Course in Laguna Beach has spilled about 4 million gallons of raw sewage, prompting the Orange County Healthcare Agency to close the ocean and bay areas from Pelican Point at Crystal Cove in Newport Beach to the Poche Beach interface in Dana Point and San Clemente. Hayley Munguia in the Orange County Register -- 11/29/19

POTUS 45  

Trump spends Thanksgiving in Afghanistan, visits with troops -- President Donald Trump paid a surprise Thanksgiving visit to Afghanistan, where he announced the U.S. and Taliban have been engaged in ongoing peace talks and said he believes the Taliban want a cease-fire. Jill Colvin Associated Press -- 11/29/19

Beltway 

Harris faces uphill climb amid questions about who she is -- Sen. Kamala D. Harris had everything she needed to make her pitch. Big yellow cutout letters spelled “Justice for the People” on the stage behind her. White folding chairs splayed out ahead of her, most of them filled, and their occupants seemed happy to see her. Nothing smelled of a flailing campaign. Chelsea Janes in the Washington Post$ -- 11/29/19

Elizabeth Warren Wants to Revoke Medals of Honor for Wounded Knee Massacre -- A new Senate bill would rescind medals from 20 U.S. soldiers who slaughtered hundreds of Native Americans. “The horrifying acts of violence against hundreds of Lakota men, women and children at Wounded Knee should be condemned,” Ms. Warren said. Reid J. Epstein in the New York Times$ -- 11/29/19