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Kamala Harris quits presidential race: ‘One of the hardest decisions of my life’ -- California Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris ended her 11-month run for president Tuesday, a victim of failing finances, skidding poll numbers and growing concerns about her ability to manage her campaign. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Melanie Mason, Michael Finnegan in the Los Angeles Times$ Casey Tolan in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/3/19

Calbuzz: Why Kamala Dropped and What She Can Do Now -- California Sen. Kamala Harris quit the presidential race Tuesday not because, as she put it, “My campaign for president simply doesn’t have the financial resources we need to continue.” She dropped out because Democratic primary voters had come to see her as an empty pantsuit. Jerry Roberts and Phil Trounstine CalBuzz -- 12/3/19

Prosecutors expect to seek at least a year in prison for Rep. Duncan Hunter after guilty plea -- Rep. Duncan Hunter pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to misuse campaign funds on Tuesday and is expected to resign from Congress before facing a prison sentence. Sarah D. Wire, Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/19

Can California save higher education? -- While Congress bickers over long-delayed reforms and other states cut spending, California is trying to confront the stubborn problems that are plaguing higher education nationwide, but seem seldom to be solved. Jon Marcus, Felicia Mello Calmatters -- 12/3/19

Off-duty CHP officer attacked by mob at crowded Bay Area mall on Black Friday -- A California Highway Patrol officer is recovering after being attacked by a mob of teenagers at a busy San Francisco Bay Area mall on Black Friday after he tried helping a woman whose phone had been stolen, police said. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/19

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Man who died in deputy’s carotid hold wasn’t driving stolen vehicle -- A Petaluma man who died after a Sonoma County sheriff’s deputy placed him in a carotid restraint was not the stolen-vehicle suspect officers thought he was when they pursued him, officials said Monday. Anna Bauman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/3/19

Camp Fire failure part of PG&E’s ‘pattern’ of poor maintenance, regulators say -- Pacific Gas and Electric Co. failed to properly inspect and maintain the high-voltage power line that started the Camp Fire amid systemic problems at the utility that caused it to miss a chance to avert the historic disaster, state regulatory officials have determined. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Hailey Branson-Potts in the Los Angeles Times$ Russell Gold and Katherine Blunt in the Wall Street Journal -- 12/3/19

PG&E Withheld Information About Medically At-Risk Customers Ahead Of Major Power Shutoff -- PG&E refused to give numerous counties access to a database of medically vulnerable customers ahead of a power shutoff that impacted millions of Californians. The utility insisted local governments needed a non-disclosure agreement in place in order to receive the information before the October 9 shutoff, despite the California Public Utilities Commission’s directions to release it. Capital Public Radio -- 12/3/19

Do PG&E and Edison need higher profits? California regulators seem inclined to say no -- California’s monopoly electric utilities asked state officials to sign off on higher profits earlier this year, saying larger shareholder returns were needed to attract investors who might be scared off by the wildfire liabilities that prompted Pacific Gas & Electric to file for bankruptcy. Now regulators are poised to reject those pleas. Sammy Roth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/19

California Legislature Won't Disclose Latest Sexual Harassment Complaint Data -- The California Legislature spent nearly $2 million last year investigating sexual harassment accusations involving lawmakers, staffers and lobbyists, and received 15 new allegations — including four against state senators and two separate complaints against an Assembly member. Ben Adler Capital Public Radio -- 12/3/19

Hunter’s seat could be subject to two elections next year -- The timing of Rep. Duncan Hunter’s departure from office has not been set yet, but voters could face a confusing series of elections to replace him. Lauryn Schroeder in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 12/3/19

Duncan Hunter’s guilty plea will widen an already open race for the 50th District -- Former Rep. Darrell Issa, former San Diego Councilman Carl DeMaio and state Sen. Brian Jones all announced they would run against Hunter, who barely survived his 2018 re-election campaign against Democratic challenger Ammar Campa-Najjar. Jeff McDonald, Morgan Cook in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 12/3/19

California GOP signs onto recall campaigns against Gavin Newsom to boost its fundraising -- The California Republican Party is endorsing two long-shot efforts to force Gov. Gavin Newsom out of office, but won’t throw its money behind the proposals. Bryan Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ Carla Marinucci Politico -- 12/3/19

LA City Council poised to elect its first Latina president -- San Fernando Valley area Councilwoman Nury Martinez is expected to take on the role of president of the 15-member Los Angeles City Council, following a vote by her colleagues set to take place Tuesday, Dec. 2. Elizabeth Chou in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 12/3/19

How California is rewriting the law on online privacy -- Our actions online have created a vast trove of information worth billions of dollars. Every time we search, click, shop, watch, send, receive, delete or download, we create a trail of data that companies can use to figure out our tastes and interests. We also hand over information when we use social media or loyalty programs at our favorite stores. Laurel Rosenhall Calmatters -- 12/3/19

Senate Republicans Push New Privacy Initiative -- Senate Republicans are prepared to support tough new protections for consumer data in hopes of salvaging efforts to adopt a national privacy law, Commerce Committee chairman Sen. Roger Wicker (R., Miss.) said Monday. Mr. Wicker said he would propose draft legislation to address concerns from Democrats, while also pre-empting California and other states from enforcing their own privacy laws. John D. McKinnon and Ryan Tracy in the Wall Street Journal -- 12/3/19

California says Neptune Society bilked cremation customers -- California’s attorney general sued the Neptune Society on Monday, claiming the well-known company pocketed $100 million that it should have kept in reserve for those who signed up for its prepaid cremation service plans. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 12/3/19

‘It’s a basic human need’: In a first, SF gives out diapers to people on food stamps -- Monse Delgado grabbed the hefty cardboard box of diapers and hugged it close to her chest while her toddler played at her feet. The box held 108 diapers, but it actually contained much more than that. That box held freedom — from hunger, from fear of infection and from being tied down at home. Kevin Fagan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/3/19

Chicago mayor fires police superintendent; former L.A. Chief Charlie Beck to take over -- Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot fired the city’s retiring police superintendent Monday, citing “ethical lapses” that included telling lies about a recent incident in which Supt. Eddie Johnson was found asleep at the wheel of his car after having drinks. Former Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck, who had already been announced as the interim superintendent in Chicago, was to take over immediately, Lightfoot said. Johnson had been set to leave at the end of the year. Sophia Tareen Associated Press -- 12/3/19

Car burglaries in some California cities are at crisis levels. Prosecutors say their hands are tied -- An epidemic of car burglaries in San Francisco over the last few years has led one Democratic lawmaker to propose plugging a loophole in state law that allows some break-ins to go unpunished, but the Legislature has balked at prosecutors’ requests to make obtaining convictions easier. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/19

‘It never ends:’ Three years later, tragedy of Ghost Ship warehouse fire still affects many lives -- It’s been three years since 36 people — artists, students, parents, and sons and daughters — stepped inside the Ghost Ship warehouse for a party and never came back out of what has been described as a fire trap. Angela Ruggiero in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/3/19

Memorial in San Bernardino marks four years since terrorist attack -- The more than 1,400 days since Yvette Velasco died at the hands of two terrorists in the San Bernardino attack hasn’t buffered the grief for the family she left behind. They said it’s actually worse. Every time there’s another mass tragedy, Velasco’s mother and sister say they live through the pain again. Emmanuel Morgan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/19

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

Judges tosses $71-million verdict against NBC Universal over ‘Columbo’ profits -- Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Richard Burdge Jr. granted the studio’s motion for a new trial, overturning a March finding in favor of the creators Richard Levinson and William Link. Anousha Sakoui in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/19

Protesters at Amazon’s San Bernardino center demand better pay, air quality -- A coalition of community groups protested Monday at Amazon’s San Bernardino distribution center on one of its busiest fulfillment days, decrying the company’s “poor labor practices and negative affects on local air quality.” Jack Katzanek in the San Bernardino Sun$ -- 12/3/19

Housing  

City, sheriff targeted black and Latino renters for illegal evictions, feds allege -- The U.S. Department of Justice sued the city of Hesperia and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department on Monday, charging they discriminated against African Americans and Latinos through wrongful evictions. Maura Dolan, Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/19

SF advances eviction protection measure, closing loopholes in new state law -- Tens of thousands of San Francisco renters could soon find it easier to fend off evictions under legislation poised to be passed by the Board of Supervisors. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/3/19

Education 

Report: Stanford received nearly 300 sexual harassment complaints in past year; removed several employees, expelled one student -- Despite Stanford’s stated commitment to minimize sexual harassment and assault, campus incidents are still on the rise, according to a report released Monday. Maggie Angst in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/3/19

LAUSD teacher arrested in caught-on-video hit-and-run that put bicyclist in hospital -- A Los Angeles Unified School District teacher has been arrested in connection with a hit-and-run in Silver Lake that left a bicyclist severely injured in October, Los Angeles police said. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/19

Multiple school transfers contribute to high absenteeism among foster students -- As many California foster students struggle to succeed academically, they face multiple obstacles just getting to school. Ashley A. Smith EdSource -- 12/3/19

U.S. math scores remain flat on international test of 15-year-olds -- Despite recent instructional reforms, American students continue to struggle with math, according to the latest results of one of the most watched international assessments. Sydney Johnson EdSource -- 12/3/19

Immigration / Border 

Border Patrol threw away migrants’ belongings. A janitor saved and photographed them -- From a distance, it’s hard to make out the details of a bright yellow photograph that seems like a piece of Pop art. But up close, the carefully arranged assortment of objects — colorful pills, wrappers and ointments for treating ailments like heartburn, diarrhea, and headaches — come into full view. There’s even insulin among the ordered chaos. Makeda Easter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/3/19

Federal panel appears skeptical of Trump’s Central American asylum policy -- A federal appeals court panel questioned the Trump administration’s rationale Monday for barring virtually all people fleeing Central America from seeking asylum in the United States. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/3/19

Also . . . 

Three years after Ghost Ship fire, unease still in the air -- While music filled the room on a late afternoon at Oakland’s Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, there was also a feeling of unease as more than 40 people gathered on Sunday, Dec. 1, for a memorial concert. They came from all over the Bay Area, of various creeds and backgrounds, to honor the lives of the 36 people who died in the Ghost Ship fire, which broke out during an electronic music event at the warehouse in East Oakland on Dec. 2, 2016. Annie Vainshtein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/3/19

POTUS 45  

Trump Misquotes Ukrainian President in Latest Impeachment Defense -- Mr. Trump was most likely referring to — and distorting — comments President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine made in an interview with Time magazine and other publications published early Monday morning. Nowhere in the interview did Mr. Zelensky say that his American counterpart did “nothing wrong.” In fact, he criticized Mr. Trump’s comments about corruption in Ukraine and his decision to suspend military aid to Kyiv. Linda Qiu in the New York Times$ -- 12/3/19

Beltway 

Senate panel look into Ukraine interference comes up short -- Some Republican senators recently questioned whether Kyiv tried to sabotage Donald Trump’s campaign in 2016. But the GOP-led Intelligence Committee looked into the theory, and found scant evidence to support it. Natasha Bertrand Politico -- 12/3/19

 

-- Monday Updates 

Rep. Duncan Hunter says he will plead guilty in campaign finance scandal -- U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter says he will plead guilty on Tuesday to a charge of misusing campaign funds. The California Republican is facing charges he looted campaign cash to finance vacations, golf outings and other personal expenses, a judge said Monday. Hunter tells KUSI television in San Diego he is changing his plea to protect his children. Morgan Cook, Jeff McDonald in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ Melanie Zanona and John Bresnahan Politico -- 12/2/19

Leader of L.A.'s top homeless agency quits after a ‘long five years,’ rising public anger -- In a major change for the team tasked with addressing rising homelessness in the region, Peter Lynn announced Monday that he is stepping down as head of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/2/19

California Gov. Newsom to campaign in Iowa for Kamala Harris -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom will travel to Iowa to campaign for Sen. Kamala Harris as she tries to rebound amid a critical stretch in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press Sophia Bollag in the Sacramento Bee$ Carla Marinucci Politico -- 12/2/19

One of California’s most powerful labor unions is feuding with Gov. Gavin Newsom -- A young girl dressed as a newsie walked up to Gov. Gavin Newsom at the California Democratic Party convention in Long Beach last month, handing him a copy of a paper with his image splashed across the front page. Alongside an unflattering photo of the Democratic governor, a headline on the Building Trades News read: “Gov. Newsom Vetoes Fair Wages for Construction Workers.” Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/2/19

Bay Area super-commuters take to the skies in planes, helicopters -- Every Sunday evening for eight months, Paul Spence drove his 16-year-old daughter, Hayley, to a private air terminal in Sacramento 15 minutes before her flight left. He’d walk her out to the plane, meet the pilot, and watch the preflight security briefing. Then she’d take off alone for the 45-minute ride to her specialized school in Palo Alto, where she spent the week with a family member before flying back Thursday. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/2/19

More than 400 UCLA medical school students get a free education thanks to major donation -- Medical school had put Allen Rodriguez in debt before he was even accepted. Sonali Kohli in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/2/19

Surviving a shut-off -- Thousands of people in California use electric medical devices and rely on electricity for their health. Pacific Gas and Electric Co. customers across the state — including some of this vulnerable population — lost power this fall in outages designed to prevent wildfires. Eric Blom in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/2/19

Wait times are dropping at the California DMV. How you can avoid getting stuck in line -- Newly released data from the California Department of Motor Vehicles show the state making a huge dent in the wait times  ustomers are experiencing across the state. Bryan Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/2/19

Statewide police reporting project wins First Amendment Coalition award -- A statewide reporting collaboration that includes the Bay Area News Group and KQED News has won a 2019 First Amendment Coalition’s Free Speech and Open Government Award obtaining and digging through thousands of police disciplinary and use of force records released under an accountability law that went into effect this year. The item is in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/2/19

Steyer buys 'Keep America Great' domain name -- Tom Steyer's presidential campaign says the Democratic billionaire candidate landed a special Cyber Monday deal — nabbing the www.keepamericagreat.com domain name under his campaign's own branding. Carla Marinucci Politico -- 12/2/19

Borenstein: The rotting of Contra Costa’s political moral fabric -- After the cases of the district attorney, elections chief, assessor and two judges, it’s time to raise the bar. Daniel Borenstein in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/2/19