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Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget envisions an activist agenda but limits on higher spending -- For the seventh time in eight years, California’s government is poised to collect a sizable cash surplus under projections in the $222.2-billion state budget Gov. Gavin Newsom submitted to the Legislature on Friday — a remarkable streak even in the face of steadily higher spending, most notably on K-12 education and healthcare for low-income residents. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/10/20

Gavin Newsom seeks more money for schools, health care for undocumented seniors -- Gov. Gavin Newsom introduced a $222 billion state budget Friday that he said represents a snapshot of his priorities for California. “This is not a what, not a why, but a how document,” he said. Alexei Koseff and John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/10/20

California state budget breaks record, tops $220 billion -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a $222.2 billion budget proposal Friday with plans to spend part of a projected $5.6 billion surplus on green technology and homeless aid. Sophia Bollag in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/10/20

Newsom Zeroes in on Education Gaps, Homelessness and Climate Change in State Budget -- Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a $222 billion state budget this morning, saying it attempts to confront two of California's persistent problems: risks caused by climate change and homelessness. Marisa Lagos KQED -- 1/10/20

California budget plan aids teachers, those in US illegally -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to give $20,000 stipends to teachers at high needs schools and extend health care to older low-income immigrants who are in the country illegally. He outlined the plans during an announcement Friday of his $222 billion budget proposal. Adam Beam and Don Thompson Associated Press -- 1/10/20

Gov. Gavin Newsom unveils new housing funding in 2020 budget -- Reiterating that housing affordability remains one of his top priorities in the new year, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday unveiled a budget proposal that builds upon last year’s historic housing investments. Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/10/20

Newsom proposes Medicaid benefits for undocumented senior citizens -- Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing that California provide Medicaid benefits to undocumented senior citizens, setting up another high-stakes standoff with President Donald Trump over health and immigration. Angela Hart Politico -- 1/10/20

Anti-vaccine protester accused of throwing blood at California lawmakers is charged with two felonies -- Rebecca Dalelio, 43, has been charged with one felony count of assault on a public official and one felony count of vandalism. If convicted, she could face up to three years in county jail. Anita Chabria in the Los Angeles Times$ Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/10/20

Huntington Beach must observe state’s sanctuary law, SB 54, appeals court rules -- California’s 4th District Court of Appeals announced Friday, Jan. 10, that its panel of three judges has unanimously overturned a lower court’s ruling that allowed Huntington Beach to ignore California’s contentious “sanctuary state” law. Susan Christian Goulding in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/10/20

Uber won’t share sex assault details with California regulators, citing privacy -- Uber told regulators Friday it would not provide names and contact information for sexual assault victims, arguing that an order filed last year violates the privacy and agency of victims who haven’t given their consent. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/10/20

Trump’s homeless czar went undercover in Fresno. Now he’s making plans for California -- In Fresno, Marbut left a lasting impression when he “embedded” in camps and recommended policies that some worried downplayed the importance of providing shelter to homeless people. Fresno rejected his major recommendations. Kate Irby and Manuela Tobias in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/10/20

Lawsuit aims to halt construction of homeless shelter in Griffith Park -- The Los Angeles City Council voted in December to push forward with the planned shelter and begin awarding funding for the nearly $6.6-million project, which is slated to include a 10,800-square-foot structure with approximately 100 beds and trailers for showers, restrooms and administrative offices. It is expected to break ground in late February or early March. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/10/20

BMW driver arrested after allegedly running down man panhandling in Palmdale, police say -- A 47-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon Thursday after authorities say he intentionally rammed his BMW into a man who was panhandling in Palmdale. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/10/20

The rape crisis among California’s farm workers -- Farm worker survivors of sexual assault and those who are there to help them, California’s rape crisis centers, face many obstacles: Survivors’ lack of English proficiency, immigration status, nature of employment, fear of employer retaliation, and distrust of authorities. Scott Soriano Capitol Weekly -- 1/10/20

Nearly 150-year-old Western Appliance retailer closing -- In an emotional post on its website, San Jose-based Western Appliance said that both family health problems and larger changes to the appliance retail industry have made the business “untenable.” Fiona Kelliher in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/10/20

Banks: They signed a contract on a Papa John’s franchise. Then came the founder’s racist remarks -- It seemed like a good idea three years ago, when Jarvis and Josslyn Young first considered opening a Papa John’s pizza franchise in South Los Angeles. Sandy Banks in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/10/20

Dilapidated SF piers near Oracle Park could become offices, retail -- The Port of San Francisco is seeking proposals to redevelop historic maritime structures at piers 38 and 40 as part of a larger plan to transform and renovate up to 13 aging piers. The piers are close to Oracle Park and just north of bustling South Beach Harbor and hundreds of docked ships. Pier 38 is vacant, and much of Pier 40 is used for storage and parking. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/10/20

'History has proven her right': Barbara Lee's anti-war push succeeds on Iran -- Longtime anti-war dissident Barbara Lee’s name wasn’t on the resolution the House overwhelmingly approved on Thursday to halt hostilities with Iran. That distinction went to Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a freshman Democrat who served multiple tours in Iraq as a top-level CIA analyst. Sarah Ferris Politico -- 1/10/20

Fox: Hot CA Democratic Primary Could Burn State Republicans -- Traditionally, Republican voters turn out in higher percentages relative to their registration numbers compared to Democrats in primary elections. That may not hold true when California voters go to the polls on March 3. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 1/10/20

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Independents could decide California’s Democratic primary -- In the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination, no prize is bigger than California, which offers more delegates than any other state. And as candidates plot their strategies here, there’s an overlooked group of voters who could be key to victory: independents. Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 1/10/20

California has protections against Trump rollback of environmental rules -- The Trump administration’s sweeping plan to ease environmental review of highways, power plants and other big projects may be less consequential in California, where state law puts checks on new development. By no means, however, would California go unaffected. Logging, drilling and mining in the Golden State, as well as building a wall at the nation’s southern border, could be much easier to do if the president has his way. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/10/20

Trump and Garcetti, enemies in public, are quietly working out a deal on homelessness -- Senior Trump administration officials have made quiet but significant progress toward a potential deal with Los Angeles officials that would provide federal funds and land to help shelter the city‘s and county’s growing homeless population. Noah Bierman, Benjamin Oreskes, Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/10/20

Trump administration asks 9th Circuit to lift court order limiting asylum ban -- The Trump administration is pushing back on a San Diego judge’s preliminary injunction that prohibits immigration authorities from applying a so-called asylum ban to a subset of potentially tens of thousands of migrants at the border. Kristina Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/10/20

Attorney Feared for His Life During Traffic Stop. Now He's Suing Oakland -- At first, he assumed the quickly approaching Oakland police SUV was rushing to an emergency, so Pointer quickly pulled over to let them pass. Instead, officers pulled up right behind him and, according to Pointer's complaint, got out of the car and began shouting at him with their weapons drawn. Michelle Wiley KQED -- 1/10/20

California governor to announce budget expanding benefits -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom will announce his state spending plan on Friday, flush with a multi-billion surplus that state lawmakers expect he will use to give full health benefits to more low-income adults living in the country illegally. Adam Beam and Don Thompson Associated Press -- 1/10/20

Q&A: What you need to know about Gov. Newsom’s drug plan for California -- In his state budget set to be released Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to unveil a plan to make California the first state to sell its own brand of generic prescription drugs in an effort to drive down rising healthcare costs. Soumya Karlamangla in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/10/20

Gov. Newsom to propose more spending on wildfire efforts in new California budget -- Much of the governor’s proposal focuses on efforts to reduce and respond to wildfires, including funding 677 new CalFire positions over five years and allocating $90 million for new technology and a forecast center to better predict, track and battle blazes. Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ Don Thompson Associated Press -- 1/10/20

California climate budget to include $1 billion green loan fund -- Gov. Gavin Newsom will include a proposal to launch a four-year $1 billion revolving loan program to seed recycling, low-carbon transportation and climate-smart agriculture projects as part of his new budget Friday, according to a document obtained by CalMatters. Judy Lin, Rachel Becker Calmatters -- 1/10/20

First Partner Siebel Newsom to focus on women's leadership, tech influence on kids -- Signaling a more activist role in policy issues, California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom has launched a nonprofit initiative aiming to "ensure women have seats at the tables of power," while also tackling issues like the impacts of tech on chlldren, she told Politico. Carla Marinucci Politico -- 1/10/20

KQED Political Breakdown: The Political Mind of Jerry Brown: The Novice -- Scott spent more than 40 hours interviewing the former governor at his ranch in Colusa County, covering a life and career unmatched in California politics. In this episode, hear about Brown's early years as a Jesuit (and political) novice, when he discovered that the world of ideas was very different from the world of politics. Scott Shafer KQED -- 1/10/20

Fact check: Are California Republicans having voter registration changed without consent? -- Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez, R-Lake Elsinore, is echoing inaccurate sentiments spread within conservative circles across the state that California elected officials are purposefully disenfranchising Republican voters by switching them to no party preference without consent. Bryan Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/10/20

Feinstein backtracks on impeachment dig at Pelosi: ‘I did not mean to say that’ -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made clear Thursday that she’s in no hurry to send articles of impeachment against President Trump to the Senate, as her longtime colleague Sen. Dianne Feinstein backtracked on earlier criticism that it was time for the Senate to get the case. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/10/20

The suspect next door: Who really killed Leola Shreves? -- Officer Nicholas Morawcznski was taking photographs of a chaotic murder scene, looking for clues, when he heard a scream from next door. Matthias Gafni in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/10/20

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

SF scooter company Lime to lay off 14% of its workforce -- A Lime representative said the company would be reducing its workforce in 12 markets worldwide with the goal of becoming profitable in 2020. The company is profitable in most of its markets and wants to become profitable overall, the representative said. Chase DiFeliciantonio in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/10/20

In Silicon Valley, some men say cosmetic procedures are essential to a career -- Lounging at an outdoor cafe just outside downtown San Francisco, his athletic frame filling out a slim-fit button-up, a talkative tech worker named Daniel detailed the many ways he’s optimizing his existence. Peter Holley in the Washington Post$ -- 1/10/20

Owners of former Warner Center Rocketdyne site have a plan for cleanup, but activists push back -- A sprawling Warner Center parcel that formerly housed a manufacturer of rocket engines that launched astronauts into space has been long marketed as a potential high-rise urban district. But decades of pollution left the soil and groundwater laced with cancer-causing toxins and chemicals. Olga Grigoryants in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 1/10/20

Airbnb and similar sites hide fees from customers. People are mad about it -- Juan Herrera, a graduate student from San Diego, was searching the Airbnb booking site for a place to rent in Los Angeles for New Year’s Eve when he was surprised to see that several extra fees were added to the nightly rate, pushing the total cost of the trip out of his price range. Hugo Martín in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/10/20

Housing  

Laguna Beach resolution opposes the number of housing units called for in latest needs assessment -- The Laguna Beach City Council adopted a resolution this week opposing the methods the Southern California Assn. of Governments used recently in determining that the city needs to plan for 390 new housing units and called for the state Housing and Community Development Department to intervene. Lilly Nguyen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/10/20

San Jose officials seek to calm mobile home park residents -- The Bay Area’s highest-in-the-nation housing costs and short supply of homes has brought tremendous pressure to bring lucrative redevelopment to mobile home parks. Several large Bay Area communities, some built nearly 50 years ago, have been threatened or closed in recent years. Louis Hansen in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/10/20

Neighbors push back on San Jose housing project with no affordable units, limited parking -- More than three dozen community members came out to a meeting Thursday night to offer their input on a plan to build two seven-story mixed-use buildings with a total of 173 condominium units, more than 20,000 square feet of retail and office space and 189 parking spots at 1530 West San Carlos St. Maggie Angst in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/10/20

Wildfire  

As wildfires get worse, smoke spreads, stokes health worries -- The immediate toll of lives and property lost when a fire tore through the Sierra Nevada foothills town of Paradise, California in November 2018 is well documented. Still unknown is the long-term impact of the intense smoke exposure suffered by the tragedy’s survivors and the hundreds of thousands of people living in communities downwind of the blaze. Matthew Brown Associated Press -- 1/10/20

Education 

Amid shortages, schools settle for underprepared special education teachers -- Due to statewide teacher shortages, many of California’s approximately 800,000 special education students are being taught by teachers who haven’t completed teacher preparation programs or have received only partial training. Diana Lambert EdSource -- 1/10/20

Questions swirl about origins of $40 million deficit -- Residents of one San Francisco Bay Area school district are struggling to understand how a budget deficit nearly quadrupled in a matter of months — and are questioning why the district board and public weren’t alerted sooner about the magnitude of the problem. Theresa Harrington EdSource -- 1/10/20

Immigration / Border 

U.S. side of a binational garden at Mexico border bulldozed -- The U.S. side of a binational garden that was planted more than 10 years ago on the border between Tijuana and San Diego was bulldozed this week by federal authorities, activists said. The so-called Binational Friendship Garden, which covers territory in both countries, was planted in March 2007 as a place to “bring people with the common interest of promoting native flora in order to make friends across the border fence,” said its founder, Daniel Watman. Alexandra Mendoza in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/10/20

Environment 

San Diego Coastkeeper launches social media campaign to clean up region’s beaches -- Coastkeeper and Surfrider Foundation San Diego County released their annual Beach Cleanup Report for 2019. Joshua Emerson Smith in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/10/20

Also . . . 

A deputy died dodging a stove on the freeway. The man found responsible may soon go free -- A man who was driving a truckload of stolen appliances when a stove tumbled from the vehicle, causing a crash that killed a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy, may be released from prison after an appellate court reduced his conviction. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/10/20

A Bald Eagle Laid An Egg In Big Bear, Live On Camera -- The eagle, known to the world as Jackie, dwells in a nest with her mate, Shadow, that overlooks Big Bear Lake. Friends of Big Bear Valley, a nonprofit organization whose stated mission is to preserve the area's habitat through education and advocacy, installed a camera to monitor the pair. Jessica P. Ogilvie LAist -- 1/10/20

Beltway 

Eric Garcetti endorses Joe Biden for president; former vice president on two-day visit to Southern California -- Garcetti will be one of Biden’s highest-profile supporters in California’s March 3 primary, but the endorsement is unlikely to have any practical impact on the highly competitive race. Dianne Feinstein, the state’s senior U.S. senator, is also supporting Biden. Michael Finnegan, Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ David Siders Politico -- 1/10/20

Joe Biden visits Irvine home, critiques Trump’s moves in Iran -- Former Vice President Joe Biden blasted Donald Trump during a speech at a private fundraiser Thursday night in Irvine, saying the president’s recent actions in the Middle East have made America “more vulnerable.” But the leading Democratic presidential candidate was also optimistic, telling the crowd of some 130 elected officials, company CEOs, actors and other supporters that he can “restore the soul of this country” if elected president. Brooke Staggs in the Orange County Register -- 1/10/20

Tom Steyer Qualifies for Democratic Debate With Two Surprising Polls -- Mere hours earlier on Thursday, the chances of that seemed almost nonexistent: Mr. Steyer needed two more polls showing him with 5 percent support, or two polls of early-voting states showing him at 7 percent, and the qualification deadline was only a day away. Enter Fox News, which polled voters in Nevada and South Carolina and found Mr. Steyer at 12 percent and 15 percent. Maggie Astor and Nick Corasaniti in the New York Times$ -- 1/10/20

 

-- Thursday Updates 

Gov. Gavin Newsom to propose that California manufacture its own generic drugs -- Taking a play from Elizabeth Warren, California could become the first state to establish its own generic drug label, the better to cut health care costs. Judy Lin, Elizabeth Aguilera Calmatters Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Melody Gutierrez in the Los Angeles Times$ Sophia Bollag in the Sacramento Bee$ Adam Beam Associated Press Christine Mai-Duc and Jared S. Hopkins in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 1/9/20

Lazarus: Trump slashed consumer protections. So California is stepping up -- After years of the Trump administration steadily rolling back federal consumer financial protections, California has decided enough is enough. Gov. Gavin Newsom will unveil a California Consumer Financial Protection Law as part of his proposed 2020-21 state budget, to be introduced Friday. David Lazarus in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/9/20

Californians’ home mortgage deduction would be capped under new bill -- California homeowners with big home loans and vacation properties would owe higher taxes under new legislation to raise money for programs to get the state’s homelessness crisis under control. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/9/20

Alleged gang members federally indicted in deadly shootout at SF’s Fillmore Heritage Center -- Federal authorities in San Francisco announced charges Thursday against two alleged gang members in a March shootout at the city’s Fillmore Heritage Center that left one man dead and five others injured. Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/9/20

Bay Area’s largest planned housing project could die due to union fight -- A high-stakes dispute between unions and the developer of the Concord Naval Weapons Station is threatening to derail the Bay Area’s biggest housing project, a 13,000-unit redevelopment of the former military base in Contra Costa County. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/9/20

Taylor: 2 Oakland moms take radical stand in battle for housing -- After a long search, Dominique Walker found a one-bedroom cottage for $2,000 a month in San Leandro, but the landlord wanted her to pay $8,000 to move in. “If I had $8,000 laying around, I probably wouldn’t need a place to stay,” she said. Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/9/20

Gig law doesn’t apply to independent truck drivers, California judge rules -- The state law, known as Assembly Bill 5, or AB 5, was intended to curb businesses’ use of independent contractors by establishing a test that effectively makes it harder for companies to claim that workers are independent contractors instead of employees who are entitled to legal minimum-wage rates and benefits such as workers’ compensation. James F. Peltz in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/9/20

BART board signs off on train-patrolling ambassadors. Here’s when you could start seeing them -- BART riders will start seeing new uniformed “ambassadors” aboard late-night trains next month after the agency’s board approved a six-month trial run meant to reassure passengers anxious about the system’s safety after dark. Nico Savidge in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/9/20

Facebook says politicians can still tell lies in their online ads -- Facebook said Thursday that it intends to make no major changes in its policies toward political ads, a decision that will still allow candidates to include lies about their rivals in such advertisements during the current election cycle. Rex Crum in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/9/20

Why your phone service is getting worse -- A single downed Internet cable was to blame for the massive holiday havoc at the Sacramento International Airport in the hectic days before Christmas, canceling flights, stranding passengers and forcing airline employees to check luggage and write out boarding passes by hand. But the real culprit, said state Office of Emergency Services director Mark Ghilarducci, is telecom’s failure to create a more resilient communications network. Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/9/20

California’s ‘hydrogen highway’ never happened. Could 2020 change that? -- Hydrogen-powered cars haven't taken off. But with successful pilot projects using hydrogen buses and trucks, and with carmakers poised to expand consumers' options, proponents say this may be the year when the climate-friendly “fuel of the future” finally arrives. Julie Cart Calmatters -- 1/9/20

Defense contractor from California whose death sparked U.S.-Iran conflict is mourned -- They washed the man’s body with care, wrapping him in a plain white cloth before bringing him to the prayer hall where community members waited. Most of the men and women gathered Saturday afternoon at the Greater Sacramento Muslim Cemetery to honor Nawres Waleed Hamid hadn’t known him, but they felt compelled to pay him respect. Anita Chabria, Leila Miller, Sarah Parvini in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/9/20

Plenty’s vertically farmed produce hits Safeway, Whole Foods -- South San Francisco vertical farm company Plenty unveiled a huge new facility last summer with the promise that its produce would be more widely available. The expansion is now happening. Janelle Bitker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/9/20

Contra Costa DA to clear marijuana convictions for 2,399 people, thanks to Prop. 64 -- The move, which will overturn a total of 3,264 convictions, comes as a result of a partnership between the district attorney and a nonprofit called Code for America, which employs programmers, designers and data aggregators to “improve government services,” according to its website. Nate Gartrell in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/9/20

Fox: Use State Land for Housing Homeless, Gov. Says, But Will the Homeless Go -- Among the proposals Governor Gavin Newsom is pursuing in dealing with the homelessness crisis is to open state owned land to be used for temporary homeless shelters. While temporary sites close to city centers may appeal to the homeless as a temporary residence, it is a question whether lands away from locations the homeless currently occupy will be rejected. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 1/9/20