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California Policy & Politics This Morning
Camp Pendleton Marines sent to provide security at U.S. embassy in Baghdad -- The Marines are part of Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Forces Crisis Response and are doing the operation to support the U.S. Central Command. They were dispatched after Iraqi protesters — supportive of an Iran-backed Shiite militia — attempted to storm the embassy compound late Monday. Erika I. Ritchie in the Orange County Register -- 1/1/20
Judge stalls California labor law as it relates to truckers -- A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked a new California labor law from impacting more than 70,000 independent truckers. The law makes it harder for companies to classify workers as independent contractors instead of employees, who are entitled to minimum wage and benefits such as workers compensation. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 1/1/20
Judge allows California’s shift to energy saving light bulbs -- U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller of Sacramento rejected a petition from the National Electrical Manufacturers Association and the American Lighting Association to temporarily block new minimum efficiency standards for light bulbs that the California Energy Commission adopted in November. The judge said the associations are unlikely to succeed in their lawsuit, which argues that the state rules conflict with federal law. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 1/1/20
Crime in L.A. dropped again in 2019. Police credit community outreach and gang intervention -- Violent crime in Los Angeles declined for the second consecutive year in 2019, which was the 10th consecutive year the city saw fewer than 300 homicides. Emmanuel Morgan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/1/20
Palo Alto’s oldest black church vandalized; pastor says congregation ‘won’t be bullied’ -- Messages cursing God and ” Why Jesus, why” were found inside the courtyard of the church. Aldo Toledo in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/1/20
Walters: New year, old issues -- California has always been a basket of contradictions, and as we begin a new year and a new decade, they seem destined to become even more confounding. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 1/1/20
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Two tribes aren’t recognized federally. Yet members won $500 million in minority contracts -- Companies set up by members of a self-described and state-recognized Creek Indian tribe in Alabama have received more than $240 million in federal minority-business contracts, despite a determination by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs that there is no credible evidence the group has Native American ancestry, a Los Angeles Times investigation has found. Adam Elmahrek, Paul Pringle in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/1/20
Transit
Going Up: Higher Fares on BART, AC Transit Take Effect New Year's Day --Maybe someday all transit will work like Emeryville’s Emery Go-Round, which whisks riders around the diminutive East Bay city and does it for free. Maybe. Someday. But we're not there yet, and on New Year's Day, we'll be reminded of that when patrons of some of the Bay Area's busiest, most popular public transportation services will be paying more to ride. Dan Brekke KQED -- 1/1/20
Homeless
California’s homelessness crisis — and possible solutions — explained -- California’s most vexing issue is also its most shameful: the large and rising number of residents who lack a safe place to call home. In a state with vast amounts of wealth, more than 150,000 of its residents sleep in shelters, cars, or on the street. Matt Levin, Jackie Botts Calmatters -- 1/1/20
Housing
Moms 4 Housing in Oakland Vow to Fight Potential Eviction -- Supporters for two mothers who moved into a vacant house in West Oakland without permission say they plan to protest any effort to evict them as they wait for a judge to decide whether they can stay or must go. Molly Solomon, Kate Wolffe KQED -- 1/1/20
Cannabis
Sacramento Fined Homeowners $94 Million For Illegal Cannabis Grows — But Many Claim They’re Innocent -- Zuhu Wang started saving to buy a home in the United States as soon as he immigrated from China in 1997. After nearly 20 years, he had enough for a down payment. But he couldn’t afford a home in San Francisco, where he drives a bus for a living, so he looked elsewhere. Scott Rodd KPBS -- 1/1/20
Environment
How the hottest decade in recorded history unfolded around the globe -- Once all of the data have been tabulated, 2019 will almost certainly join each of the past five years as one of the hottest in recorded history. This 10-year span, from 2010 through 2019, will have been the hottest decade on record, a mark that will by definition stand until the end of 2029 but, trends suggest, not much past that point. Philip Bump in the Washington Post$ -- 1/1/20
Also . . .
An officer said his McDonald’s coffee came with a vulgar ‘pig’ message. He made it up -- Herington Police Chief Brian Hornaday, enraged by what he described as an insult to one of his newly minted officers, wanted a viral moment. Alex Horton in the Washington Post$ -- 1/1/20
POTUS 45
Trump says happy to have a trial in the Senate, but he does not really care -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would be happy to have a trial in the U.S. Senate following his impeachment by the Democratic-led House of Representatives, but that he did not really care. Jeff Mason Reuters -- 1/1/20
Frum: A Gangster in the White House -- The president tweeted the name of the presumed whistle-blower in the Ukraine scandal—demonstrating that he is unrepentant and determined to break the law again. David Frum The Atlantic -- 1/1/20
Beltway
Impeachment Trial Looming, Chief Justice Reflects on Judicial Independence -- Chief Justice John Roberts’s year-end report on the judiciary praised civics education, but it was not hard to detect a timely subtext that appeared to be addressed to President Trump. Adam Liptak in the New York Times$ Greg Stohr Bloomberg -- 1/1/20
From the Brig to Mar-a-Lago, Former Navy SEAL Capitalizes on Newfound Fame -- A year ago, Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher was wearing drab prison scrubs at a brig near San Diego, facing murder charges that could have sent him to prison for the rest of his life. Now he is modeling his own lifestyle clothing brand, endorsing nutrition supplements and positioning himself as a conservative influencer with close ties to the man who helped clear him — President Trump. Dave Philipps in the New York Times$ -- 1/1/20
-- Tuesday Updates
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