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California could lose a congressional district following 2020 census count -- California is poised to lose a congressional seat for the first time in its history as a state, based on U.S. Census Bureau population estimates released Monday that showed the nation’s growth continued to slow in 2019. Sarah Parvini, John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/31/19

Prison company sues California over law banning private immigration detention centers -- The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in San Diego, challenges Gov. Gavin Newsom and Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra. It alleges that the purpose of Assembly Bill 32 is to “undermine and eliminate the congressionally funded and approved enforcement of federal criminal and immigration law.” Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ Tatiana Sanchez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/31/19

Uber sues California over the gig-worker law. Now what? -- The lawsuit, filed late Monday, is just one way Uber and Postmates are trying to fight AB 5. The two companies, along with Lyft, Instacart and DoorDash, have also put more than $100 million into a campaign to try to bring the issue before California voters in November 2020. Levi Sumagaysay in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/31/19

San Diego’s biggest minimum wage hike in years goes into effect New Year’s Day -- San Diego’s minimum wage is going up $1 per hour — from $12 to $13 — on Jan. 1, making it the biggest annual bump the city has seen in three years. Brittany Meiling in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 12/31/19

Newsom offers rewards to solve Sacramento, Fresno cold cases -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom is offering two $50,000 rewards for information leading to arrests and convictions in two unsolved murders in Sacramento and Fresno. Newsom’s office announced the rewards Monday in the 2015 shooting of Anthony Barajas, 20, who was shot while sitting in his car in the parking lot of a Home Depot in Sacramento and the killing of Sarah Roberts, 26, who was shot in 2011 outside a party in Fresno. Associated Press -- 12/31/19

Unsheltered, Part 2: Once reluctant, these Orange County cities are opening homeless shelters -- As a senior code enforcement officer, Brumbaugh’s job is to respond to complaints or concerns by residents and businesses regarding homelessness. He says his goal isn’t to hassle the homeless people he finds, but to talk to them, get to know them and, hopefully, find a way to help them. Luke Money, Faith E. Pinho, Hillary Davis, Priscella Vega in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/31/19

$500 million from Newsom could keep L.A.'s most vulnerable from becoming homeless -- In an effort to keep thousands of people with mental illness from becoming homeless, a coalition of L.A. County officials and homeless advocates is urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to put $500 million into his January budget proposal to shore up financially struggling board and care homes. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/31/19

Consumer privacy, rent control and gig work: 20 new laws that will reshape California -- In his first year in office, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed nearly 900 bills into law. Most of them take effect Jan. 1, which means a lot of changes, big and small, are coming to California in the new year. Here are 20 that could transform people’s lives and the state in 2020 and beyond. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/31/19

What should schools do when a second-grader makes a threat? -- Earlier this month, Parkview Elementary mom Amber Dunevant was told that one of her 7-year-old daughter’s classmates had put her daughter on a “kill list.” Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 12/31/19

Driving a Tesla in the carpool lane: No longer just a perk for the rich -- A new state law will enable low-income motorists who purchase secondhand electric vehicles with expired “clean air” stickers — passports into the diamond lanes — to trade them for new stickers that are valid until 2024. Social justice advocates champion the idea, saying it will expand what was traditionally a rich person’s market, enticing more motorists to choose zero-emission vehicles. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/31/19

Police arrest suspects in Fresno shooting that killed four, injured 10 -- Fresno police announced Tuesday that they have arrested multiple murder suspects in connection with the Nov. 17 shooting at a football viewing party that left four people dead and 10 more wounded. Matthias Gafni in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/31/19

After terrorist attacks using vehicles, barriers will bring more security to Rose Bowl game and parade -- The four-door sedan, weighing more than 3,000 pounds, is traveling 30 mph when it hits a line of metal barriers. The car lifts off the ground, debris flies everywhere and when it’s over the front side of the car is smashed in. The minute-long video clip is part of a test for anti-vehicle barriers meant to keep hundreds of people safe at the Rose Bowl game and Rose Parade. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/31/19

San Diego public companies appoint female board members ahead of state mandate -- Thanks to a flurry of last-minute appointments, most of San Diego County’s publicly traded companies have complied with a California law requiring at least one woman on their boards of directors by the end of 2019. Mike Freeman in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 12/31/19

Tesla Turns to China With U.S. Tax Credit Ending -- Starting this week, Tesla loses a U.S. tax credit that effectively lowered the price of its vehicles and helped build interest in fledgling electric cars. Growth for the Silicon Valley auto maker increasingly looks tied to China, where this week it delivered the first of its locally made Model 3 compact cars. Tim Higgins in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 12/31/19

San Jose family that survives fire, flood, robbery gets eye-popping gift -- Less than two weeks after her family fled their burning rental home and then were robbed of their last belongings left in their car, Frankie Gomez stood at the gate of her grandmother’s house and peeked inside the white banker’s envelope. She burst into tears, then tried to compose herself. Julia Prodis Sulek in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/31/19

Trump administration issues rule to further restrict asylum eligibility -- A proposed rule from the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security would add to a list of criminal convictions that would bar someone from asylum. Kate Morrissey in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 12/31/19

SoCal leaders call on feds to do more to stop anti-Semitism after wave of December attacks on Jews -- Rabbi Marvin Hier, of the Simon Wiesenthal Center at the Museum of Tolerance on L.A.’s Westside, said he wanted to see the FBI create a task force dedicated “24/7” to rooting out anti-Semitism and studying what’s behind the recent rise in attacks on Jews. Josh Cain in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 12/31/19

EPA’s scientific advisers warn its regulatory rollbacks clash with established science -- The Environmental Protection Agency is pressing ahead with sweeping changes to roll back environmental regulations despite sharp criticism from a panel of scientific advisers, most of whom were appointed by President Trump. Juliet Eilperin in the Washington Post$ -- 12/31/19

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Judge blocks California law on dialysis clinics -- A federal judge on Monday blocked enforceent of a California law aimed at preventing increased billing costs at dialysis clinics. There is “a dire public interest” in granting a preliminary injunction that would bar enforcement for months while a lawsuit against it proceeds through the courts, Judge David O. Carter said. Associated Press -- 12/31/19

Uber, Postmates sue California in federal court over state gig-work law AB5 -- Uber and Postmates have mounted a legal challenge seeking to block AB5, California’s landmark gig-work law scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, that could turn the companies’ drivers and couriers into employees rather than independent contractors. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Don Thompson Associated Press Johana Bhuiyan, Suhauna Hussain in the Los Angeles Times$ Tina Bellon Reuters Noam Scheiber in the New York Times$ Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/31/19

Judge halts California law banning forced arbitration at the workplace -- A California law that would bar job applicants and workers from having to submit to mandatory arbitration as a condition of employment was put on hold Monday by a federal judge in Sacramento little more than a day before it was set to take effect Jan. 1. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/31/19

Did OC Sheriff Don Barnes sit on evidence audit to further his 2018 election campaign? -- He calls the charge by an assistant public defender 'scandalous conjecture,' insisting he did not hide findings from the damaging audit. Tony Saavedra in the Orange County Register -- 12/31/19

‘Diet’ soft drinks do not falsely advertise weight loss, appeals court in SF says -- A soft drink label that includes the word “diet” — Diet Dr Pepper or Diet Coke, for example — isn’t a promise to help you lose weight or keep it under control. Not according to a federal appeals court, anyway. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/31/19

Getting Police Records Is Still a Slog, One Year Into New Transparency Law -- One year after SB 1421, a landmark police transparency law, went into effect, the public still doesn’t have a complete picture of how police agencies investigated instances of force and misconduct. Jesse Marx Voiceofsandiego.org -- 12/31/19

New California Laws Help Animals, Fire Victims, Immigrants -- Hundreds of new California laws take effect with the start of the new year, including measures stemming from the devastating wildfires that have swept the state. Others address animal rights, criminal justice, businesses and health care. Associated Press -- 12/31/19

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

Controversial San Bernardino airport cargo expansion approved -- As many as 26 new cargo flights per day could come to San Bernardino International Airport after a controversial vote Monday gave final approval to a new $200-million air cargo facility Boosters say the expansion, could eventually generate 3,800 jobs and $5 million in annual revenue for the publicly owned airport. Priscella Vega, Sam Dean in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/31/19

'Do Not Sell My Info': U.S. retailers rush to comply with California privacy law -- U.S. retailers including Walmart Inc will add “Do Not Sell My Info” links to their websites and signage in stores starting Jan. 1, allowing California shoppers to understand for the first time what personal and other data the retailers collect, sources said. Nandita Bose Reuters -- 12/31/19

Rancho Cucamonga jerky manufacturer shuts down, laying off 371 -- Golden Island Jerky Co. announced the closure Dec. 13 in a letter to the California Employment Development Department. That date also was the last day of operations for the company in Rancho Cucamonga, according to the letter. Employees will continue to be paid until Feb. 10. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, or WARN, requires employees to either be notified 60 days before a layoff takes effect or be paid for that period. Jack Katzanek in the San Bernardino Sun$ -- 12/31/19

Transit  

Muni, Caltrain and AC Transit offer free rides on New Year’s Eve -- Muni, Caltrain and AC Transit will offer free rides on New Year’s Eve, a perk for revelers who pop too much bubbly. SamTrans buses will also provide complimentary service. In Santa Clara, Valley Transportation Authority will cap off four days of free bus and rail rides, meant to celebrate improved routes and a new light-rail line that rolled out this week. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/31/19

Housing  

Mothers who took over vacant Oakland home plead case in court -- More than 100 people gathered Monday outside a Hayward courthouse to support a group of homeless mothers who have taken up residence in a vacant West Oakland home. The property owner, a Southern California real estate investment company that says it plans to renovate and resell the property, has issued an eviction notice arguing that the women are trespassing and must leave immediately. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/31/19

New analysis shows San Diego housing construction remains weak despite incentives -- A comprehensive new analysis of San Diego’s housing inventory shows production of new units continues to fall despite the city expanding incentives for developers and streamlining regulations in recent years. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 12/31/19

Education 

SF saves art, music, writing classes for older adults -- City Hall will step in to save art, nutrition, music appreciation and other classes for older adults in San Francisco, taking on the financial responsibility for the former City College courses, Mayor London Breed and several supervisors said Monday. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/31/19

Sweetwater is getting the bill for financial adviser sent by the state amid budget crisis -- A county-appointed consultant has been paid more than $135,000 in the past year to help Sweetwater Union High School District fix its finances, an ongoing expense that will now fall increasingly on the district as it grapples with a budget crisis. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 12/31/19

Immigration / Border 

Mexican migrants protest in Tijuana -- A group of mostly Mexican migrants demonstrated Monday at the Tijuana offices of the National Commission of Human Rights, asking for more resources for those fleeing cartel violence across the country. They also asked Mexico to stop the U.S. from possibly deporting Mexican asylum-seekers to Guatemala. Wendy Fry in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 12/31/19

Unauthorized immigrant arrested at International Friendship Park, letter claims -- The man claims Border Patrol agents questioned his legal status while visiting his elderly mother and put him in detention for 13 months. Gustavo Solis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 12/31/19

Also . . . 

Lawsuit: Famed Jesuit abused boy 1,000 times around world -- But today, Goldberg says he has finally broken the hold McGuire once had on him. And he has begun to tell his story, in interviews with The Associated Press and in a lawsuit he filed Monday in California state court in San Francisco. Michael Rezendes Associated Press -- 12/31/19

POTUS 45  

Nearly a third of the days he’s been president, Trump has visited a Trump-branded property -- President Trump’s day began Monday the same way each day had begun for more than a week: He woke up at Mar-a-Lago, the property he owns in Florida that he has dubbed the “winter White House.” That’s fitting so far this winter: Trump has not been to the actual White House once since before the season began on Dec. 21. Philip Bump in the Washington Post$ -- 12/31/19

Giuliani associate asks court to allow handing over documents sought in Trump impeachment -- Lev Parnas, an indicted associate of U.S. President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, has asked a court for permission to turn over the contents of Parnas’ phone and other documents to a House of Representatives panel for use in the Trump impeachment inquiry, his lawyer said on Monday. Mohammad Zargham Reuters -- 12/31/19

Beltway 

Schumer seizes on new reporting in calls for trial witnesses -- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer renewed his call Monday for White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security adviser John Bolton to testify in the Senate impeachment trial after The New York Times published new details about the effort to withhold aid to Ukraine. Marianne LeVine Politico -- 12/31/19

What’s Mitch McConnell’s endgame in shaping the Senate impeachment trial to benefit Trump? -- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has said he will run the Senate impeachment trial “in total coordination” with the White House, which means he’ll probably frame it in a way that benefits President Trump. When asked why, he says the answer is obvious: because everyone knows Trump’s going to be acquitted anyway by the Republican-controlled Senate, so why bother? Amber Phillips in the Washington Post$ -- 12/31/19

Democratic contender Biden says he would consider a Republican running mate -- Former Vice President Joe Biden, a leading contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, said on Monday he would consider choosing a Republican running mate if he is the party’s nominee next year. James Oliphant Reuters -- 12/31/19

To recognize Black History Month, GOP lawmaker proposes a list of mostly white people -- In Wisconsin this February, one lawmaker wants to mark Black History Month by celebrating 10 Americans — including a Civil War colonel, a newspaper editor and a church deacon. All are heralded for their bravery, but most on the list are white. Reis Thebault in the Washington Post$ -- 12/31/19

 

-- Monday Updates 

Repeated attacks on Jewish community heighten fears -- First, a gunman targeted a kosher grocery store in Jersey City in early December. Then, just days later, a Beverly Hills synagogue was vandalized. That’s when Natalie and her husband started assessing the danger of practicing their religion: Should he go to synagogue? Are their kids’ schools safe? In the end, they decided to keep their four children away from any public celebration of their Orthodox Jewish faith. Maria L. La Ganga, Laura King in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/30/19

California’s Gov. Newsom had ‘baptism by fire’ in 1st year -- During his inaugural address last January, California Gov. Gavin Newsom made only a passing reference to wildfires and never mentioned the state’s largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric. Both soon became inescapable topics. Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 12/30/19

A free-for-all in the 25th CD -- It’s been a wild year for politics in 2019, from the national to the state scene, and one of the wilder spots is California’s 25th Congressional District. The year started off with Democrats cheering as millennial Katie Hill took the seat, flipping it blue after a 25-year run in Republican hands. Lisa Renner Capitol Weekly -- 12/30/19

This is California’s best, maybe only, chance for presidential primary relevance -- Home to more Americans than any other state, California has seen its elected officials try six times to move the primary election into the early part of the campaign season and force the leading candidates to show up and talk about the issues that matter to Golden State voters. It hasn’t worked in years past, but it might in 2020. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/30/19

Minimum-wage workers will see pay boosts on Jan. 1 -- Beginning Jan. 1, statewide rates will increase by $1 per hour. But many Bay Area cities are raising minimum wages even higher in an effort to grapple with a high cost of living. Erica Hellerstein Calmatters -- 12/30/19

Beleaguered SF Housing Authority clawing back from financial abyss -- Kate Hartley was in the back of a cab when she got the call. It was October 2018, and Hartley, then the director of San Francisco’s Office of Housing and Community Development, was en route to a city event to celebrate an affordable housing program. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/30/19

You can buy ‘cheap’ in L.A. But you won’t own your home and may oust a renter -- In Los Angeles, a controversial form of co-ownership — called tenancy in common, or TIC — is taking root amid a shortage of affordable housing for everyone from low-income households to those higher up the income scale. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/30/19

Taylor: We need to float radical ideas to ease Bay Area’s homeless crisis -- This month, Oakland City Council President Rebecca Kaplan floated the idea of getting a cruise ship to the city’s port to house up to 1,000 homeless people. I know, I know — it sounds ridiculous. But is it any more outlandish than housing people, many of whom have been criminalized for being poor, in a former jail? Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/30/19

“We’ve lost our compass.” For California’s most visible mentally ill, is a return to forced treatment a solution — or a false promise? -- Why do people as sick as James Mark Rippee sleep on our streets? Some blame laws that prioritize civil rights over forced treatment; others point to an under-resourced and uneven mental health system that has failed to provide people like Rippee with long-promised care. Everyone struggles with the same underlying question: What should be done? Jocelyn Wiener Calmatters -- 12/30/19

Why does Orange County have a homeless problem and how can it be solved? -- “There’s no one reason for homelessness, and there’s no one solution,” said John Begin, homelessness initiative director for Trellis, a Costa Mesa faith-based consortium that seeks to address significant local issues. A lost job or a rent increase can be enough to push someone onto the street. Others might end up homeless as a result of health issues or struggles with drug and alcohol addiction, or because they’ve recently been released from jail or had to flee an unstable or unsafe living situation. Luke Money, Faith E. Pinho, Hillary Davis and Priscella Vega in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/30/19

Lead paint, banned for decades, still makes thousands of L.A. County kids sick -- During his pediatrics residency training at a hospital in Hollywood, Dr. David Bolour rarely gave a second thought to lead poisoning. Lead paint had been banned since before the 36-year-old doctor was born. Children being harmed by the once-ubiquitous metal was a thing of the past, he thoughut. Soumya Karlamangla in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/30/19

This Italian restaurant in rural California serves up second chances -- At an Italian restaurant in this rural town — where deer are known to use the crosswalk because they’ve apparently learned cars will stop for painted lines — Stan Yagi pointed to three employees: one tossing, one saucing and one delivering pizzas. “Felon. Felon. Felon,” he said. Diana Marcum in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/30/19

Embracing failures and successes, Asian American business network aims to reach 1 million members -- But Huang’s risky move earned her entrance to the newly founded Asian Hustle Network, a California-based support group and social hub for young Asian American professionals and serial entrepreneurs across the globe, many of whom are children of immigrants who toiled at multiple, more conventional jobs to give their kids a shot at stable lives. Anh Do in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/30/19

In disaster-prone California, emergency sirens get high-tech makeover -- It was blustery on the first Saturday in December. Wind and rain drove most residents of a quiet neighborhood in Mill Valley’s hills into their homes, except for a few brave dog-walkers. Then suddenly, at noon sharp, a siren pierced through the canyon on Vasco Court. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/30/19

San Franciscans are getting older fast. NEXT Village helps them do it with dignity -- Adults older than age 60 will make up 23% of San Francisco’s population next year, and 27% of all residents a decade from now, according to the city’s Department of Disability and Aging Services. Anna Bauman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/30/19

Waves up to 25 feet high to hit coast on New Year’s -- Strong, breaking waves — referred to as sneaker waves — will wash higher up the beaches than normal starting Tuesday afternoon, rushing over rocks and posing a risk of snagging beachgoers. Maggie Angst in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/30/19

Planning on eating roadkill because of a California law? Drop that possum -- The recipe for a “highway hash” includes onions, potatoes, stalks of celery and, oh deer ... your choice of roadkill. But before you go preparing this literal street food dish, there are some things you should know. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/30/19