Updating . .   

California cuts electric-car rebates, drops luxury models -- California’s rebate program to coax more drivers to buy electric vehicles just got less generous, especially for those looking to spend on a luxury model. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/4/19

At $28.50 a flush, San Francisco leaders say public toilets worth it -- San Francisco officials have declared the recent test run of keeping the city’s Pit Stop public toilets open all night a success — and at about $28.50 per flush, it ought to be. Phil Matier in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/4/19

U.S. allies, tired of flattering Trump, now mock him -- President Trump, who views norms like a teenager does curfews, shattered another tradition Wednesday when he became the first U.S. president to be laughed at by some of America’s closest allies at a NATO summit, a sign of his increasing isolation on the world stage. Noah Bierman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/4/19

California to send millions of dollars to cities to combat homelessness -- Cities across California will soon have access to millions of dollars in emergency aid to fight homelessness despite what Gov. Gavin Newsom called “bureaucratic roadblocks” by the Trump administration. Emily DeRuy in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/4/19

He wanted to ban feeding homeless people. Now he’s about to lead a federal homeless agency -- A consultant known for urging cities to stop “enabling” homeless people, in part by blocking charities from handing out food, has been tapped to lead the agency that coordinates the federal government’s response to homelessness. Benjamin Oreskes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/4/19

668,000 will lose food stamp benefits under new work rules -- Hundreds of thousands of Americans who rely on the federal food stamp program will lose their benefits under a new Trump administration rule that will tighten work requirements for recipients. The move by the administration is the latest in its attempt to scale back the social safety net for low-income Americans. Juliet Linderman Associated Press -- 12/4/19

Walters: Court must fix tax vote ambiguity -- Sooner or later, the state Supreme Court must clear up a legal ambiguity it created over how many votes are needed to enact local tax increases. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 12/4/19

Residents increasingly unhappy with Bay Area life, new poll finds -- A growing percentage of Bay Area residents are worried about the future of the region, citing housing and traffic woes among their main concerns. Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/4/19

Lopez: We should be ashamed, but when it comes to Amazon, we just can’t help ourselves -- Amazon hasn’t divulged exactly how much it hauled in on Cyber Monday, but the company did say it had its biggest sales day ever. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/4/19

Capitol Weekly Podcast: Kamala, what happened?.. and what now? -- Paul Mitchell, veteran political data expert and the founder of the CA120 column column in Capitol Weekly, joined John Howard and Tim Foster on our podcast to discuss what happened and what Harris’ exit means for a race that remains very much in flux. Link Here -- 12/4/19

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Report Detailing PG&E’s Failures Raises New Hurdles for Utility -- A California commission’s findings in the state’s deadliest fire could make a path out of bankruptcy and probation much harder. Ivan Penn and Peter Eavis in the New York Times$ J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ Dan Brekke KQED -- 12/4/19

Where Kamala Harris’ campaign went wrong -- California Sen. Kamala Harris had trouble making it clear what she stood for as a presidential candidate — and ultimately, that helped to sink her campaign two months before voters in Iowa start casting their first-in-the-nation ballots. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/4/19

Why Kamala Harris — and California — haven’t lived up to expectations in 2020 race for president -- When Kamala Harris launched her White House bid before an enthusiastic crowd of 20,000 people crammed into the streets of downtown Oakland in January, her supporters pointed to her home state as a big advantage, imagining a strong showing in California’s newly important primary launching her on the path to a history-making victory. Casey Tolan in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/4/19

The spectacular collapse of Kamala Harris -- Kamala Harris’ pummeling of Joe Biden in the first Democratic debate was a career highlight-reel moment that no candidate has matched in the campaign. Christopher Cadelago Politico -- 12/4/19

Kamala Harris quits presidential race — what it means for California -- After a promising start, California’s junior senator is out of the running. Where will her voters, backers and endorsers go — and what does this all say about the California primary? Ben Christopher Calmatters -- 12/4/19

California up for grabs as Harris exits race -- Kamala Harris could never personally lock down California as a presidential contender. But the senator’s supporters are warning that her former rivals would be foolish to underestimate Harris’ clout in her home state. Carla Marinucci and Jeremy B. White Politico -- 12/4/19

Skelton: Kamala Harris should have never run for president -- California Sen. Kamala Harris should never have run for president in the first place. Her ambition far exceeded her ability. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/4/19

Why California GOP congressman’s guilty plea is good for California GOP -- For Republicans, San Diego-area Rep. Duncan Hunter’s guilty plea Tuesday to a single felony count of misusing campaign funds is a rare bit of light in an otherwise dreary week of impeachment headlines. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/4/19

Former prosecutor says corrupt congressman got ‘great’ deal -- California Rep. Duncan Hunter pleaded guilty Tuesday to a single charge of conspiring with his wife to use at least $150,000 in campaign funds for personal expenses under a plea deal that a former federal prosecutor called “great” for the congressman who had faced 60 counts. Julie Watson Associated Press -- 12/4/19

L.A. is planning to limit campaign money from developers. But first, more fundraising -- L.A.'s elected leaders are on the brink of passing a law that would deprive them of one of their biggest sources of political money — real estate companies with projects pending at City Hall. David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/4/19

California voters strongly support impeaching Trump, poll shows -- As House Democrats move forward in their effort to remove President Trump from office, a new poll finds California voters deeply split along party lines, with a majority supporting impeachment. David Lauter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/4/19

Impeachment’s next phase will put these Northern Californians front and center -- House Democrats will turn over the job of building the impeachment case against President Trump to the Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, putting three Northern California lawmakers at the center of the historic fight over whether to unseat the president. Tal Kopan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/4/19

Calling a stranger ‘pedo guy’ was just swapping Twitter insults, Musk testifies -- Dressed in a black suit and wearing a somber expression, Elon Musk testified in a Los Angeles federal court Tuesday that he was merely trading insults with a British cave rescue diver when he called him a “pedo guy” on Twitter. Sam Dean, Russ Mitchell in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/4/19

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

Tech workers are becoming activists. For ‘don’t be evil’ Google, it’s a struggle -- Four former Google employees said Tuesday they would file a federal labor complaint over their firing last week, as worker unrest about political issues boils over in Silicon Valley. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/4/19

Google founders step down as execs of Alphabet -- The co-founders of Google are stepping down as executives of its parent company, Alphabet, ending a remarkable two decades during which Larry Page and Sergey Brin shaped a startup born in a Silicon Valley garage into one of the world’s largest, most powerful — and, increasingly, most feared — firms in the world. Rachel Lerman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Samantha Masunaga, Lauren Raab in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/4/19

Transit  

With homelessness surging, BART and Salvation Army ask riders for change -- As drenching December rains send more homeless people into BART stations, the transit agency is settling into its role as a social service provider — most recently by partnering with the Salvation Army. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/4/19

Homeless  

Residents, community leaders honor 2 homeless women who died in Chatsworth -- Activists and homeless people who knew the women are still trying to learn their last names and whether they had families. Olga Grigoryants in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 12/4/19

Housing  

California could lose housing leverage over cities under court ruling -- The judge said the city of San Mateo was not obligated to follow a state law on housing approvals because it is a charter city — a system that gives local governments greater control over their own affairs. There are more than 120 charter cities in California and housing is tight in many of them, including San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/4/19

Education 

Stanford review: 7 coaches were offered bribes by consultant in admissions scandal -- The notorious college consultant behind this year’s widespread college admissions scandal approached seven Stanford coaches over the past decade to dangle cash in exchange for favorable admissions considerations for his clients, Stanford University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne revealed Tuesday in a letter to the campus. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/4/19

Blue Shield of California funds mental health workers in schools -- Amid growing concern about mental health among teens, Oakland health insurer Blue Shield of California has committed $10 million to improve access to mental health services in the state’s public schools. It marks one of the company’s first major investments in Oakland since moving its corporate headquarters there from San Francisco this year, and comes amid a rise in rates of suicide, depression and anxiety among adolescents and teenagers. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/4/19

How California measures academic success is changing at some of the state’s largest districts -- Los Angeles Unified on Wednesday is expected to become the latest California school district to publicly share data showing how its students improve year to year, a move the district expects will provide deeper insights into how individual schools are helping students progress academically. Michael Burke EdSource -- 12/4/19

Cannabis 

San Francisco is one of three major cities in the U.S. that loves pot more than nicotine -- All jokes aside about the Salesforce Tower or the Space Needle looking like big fat spliffs, it seems San Francisco, along with Seattle and Portland, really enjoy cannabis. According to a survey by the market-research gurus at Nielsen, people in these three liberal and marijuana-friendly cities are smoking more pot than cigarettes. Patrick May in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/4/19

Immigration / Border 

Camp Pendleton Marine arrested at border on suspicion of illegally bringing immigrants into U.S. -- The unnamed Marine is assigned to the 1st Marine Division Headquarters Battalion, the statement says, and was arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection about 1:30 a.m. Monday. He is being held in civilian custody, the statement says. Andrew Dyer in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/4/19

Environment 

As Bay Area natural gas bans spread, lawsuits mount -- With bans on natural gas in new buildings poised to take effect starting in January, lawsuits are mounting from restaurants and developers who argue that they create safety risks or violate the law. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/4/19

Fishing groups sue federal agencies over latest water plan for California -- The fracas over California’s scarce water supplies will tumble into a San Francisco courtroom after a lawsuit was filed this week claiming the federal government’s plan to loosen previous restrictions on water deliveries to farmers is a blueprint for wiping out fish. Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/4/19

Also . . . 

Video: Teens arrested after shopping mall beating of off-duty CHP officer in Emeryville -- Two teens were arrested and six more are being sought for the assault of a girl and an off-duty California Highway Patrol officer after a disturbing attack at a shopping mall in Emeryville, authorities said. Alejandro Serrano in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/4/19

Petaluma man who died after sheriff’s deputy’s carotid choke-hold had just retrieved his stolen car -- A 52-year-old man who was mistaken for a stolen car suspect and died after a Sonoma County sheriff’s deputy used a neck-hold to cut off blood to his brain, had difficulty walking, talking and breathing due to multiple health problems, friends and family told The Chronicle on Tuesday. Steve Rubenstein, Anna Bauman and Alejandro Serrano in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Olga R. Rodriguez Associated Press -- 12/4/19

Opioid death rate in Orange County eclipses other Southern California counties -- Years after opioid-blocking drugs were hailed as the gold standard for combating opioid addiction, less than half of Orange County’s addiction treatment centers currently offer it, according to a new study by the county that details the results of — and some possible solutions to — the opioid epidemic. Teri Sforza in the Orange County Register -- 12/4/19

POTUS 45  

House Democrats release report charging that Trump abused his office as impeachment inquiry enters new phase -- House Democrats accused President Trump on Tuesday of systematically abusing the powers of his office by pressuring Ukraine to launch politically motivated investigations, as their inquiry shifts to a new phase that will almost certainly lead to a vote this month on whether to impeach the president. Karoun Demirjian, Rachael Bade and Seung Min Kim in the Washington Post$ -- 12/4/19

Adam Schiff: Trump’s Ukraine actions constitute bribery. ‘That’s exactly what’s gone on here.’ -- House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam B. Schiff said in an interview Tuesday that President Trump’s actions vis-a-vis Ukraine meet the constitutional definition of bribery — but that it’s the Judiciary Committee that must decide whether to recommend impeaching him on those grounds. Karoun Demirjian in the Washington Post$ -- 12/4/19

A Mysterious ‘-1’ and Other Call Records Show How Giuliani Pressured Ukraine -- In the two days before President Trump forced out the American ambassador to Ukraine in April, his personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani was on the phone with the White House more than a dozen times. Sharon LaFraniere and Julian E. Barnes in the New York Times$ -- 12/4/19

Trump Loses Appeal on Deutsche Bank Subpoenas -- A federal appeals court said Tuesday that Deutsche Bank must turn over detailed documents about President Trump’s finances to two congressional committees, a ruling that will most likely be appealed to the Supreme Court. David Enrich in the New York Times$ -- 12/4/19

Beltway 

Democrats value diversity, but the presidential field is increasingly white -- Kamala Harris’ abrupt exit from the presidential race Tuesday underscored how in this election cycle, where Democrats have placed a particularly high value on diversity and inclusion, they are left with a slate of presidential candidates dominated by white men. Evan Halper, Janet Hook in the Los Angeles Times$ Alex Roarty in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/4/19

 

-- Tuesday Updates 

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