Updating . .   

Moms 4 Housing: Deal reached to negotiate sale of West Oakland house to nonprofit -- A “good faith” agreement has been reached to sell the vacant Oakland house that several homeless mothers used as a residence for nearly two months before being evicted last week in a contentious dispute with law enforcement, the mayor’s office said Monday. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/20/20

Volunteers create unapproved tiny home development on Oakland median -- Alejandro Hernandez and his girlfriend, Lendsey Walker, have lived in a tent on a dirt median between a Burger King and Interstate 880 in Oakland for a year, ever since he lost his construction job. Five days ago, Walker gave birth to a baby boy, Alex. Matthias Gafni in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/20/20

How global companies drive the home insurance crisis in California wildfire zones -- California enjoyed a comparatively mild wildfire season in 2019, but it wasn’t enough to save Bobbi Pimentel’s homeowners’ insurance policy. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/20/20

Related California builds on public service to create SF real estate juggernaut -- A half mile south of San Francisco City Hall, developer Related California’s latest project charges up the sky. The nearly 400-foot tower at 1500 Mission St. is the first in a new district of planned high-rises, with dizzying views of Sutro Tower and most of downtown. It has 550 apartments, 20% of them affordable, and leasing will start this spring. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/20/20

ICE, judges deny protections for disabled immigrants in custody, attorneys say -- Lawyers representing undocumented immigrants detained by ICE allege that courts and government authorities under the Trump administration are not complying with a federal court order that protects mentally disabled immigrants in California, Arizona and Washington. Tatiana Sanchez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/20/20

Two more Navy aircraft carriers to bring economic boost of almost $2 billion to San Diego in 2020 -- San Diego is poised to become the home port of three Nimitz-class nuclear aircraft carriers in 2020, tripling the carrier footprint in the region and bringing a $1.6 billion per year boost to the local economy. Andrew Dyer in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/20/20

San Clemente embraces its Marines and neighboring Camp Pendleton -- Courtney Ledgard came to work at Zebra House Coffee in San Clemente a day after 100 U.S. Marines were sent to provide security at the American embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, and her co-workers swarmed her with questions. Erika I. Ritchie in the Orange County Register -- 1/20/20

Former engineer on Ash Street project files $25 million asbestos claim against San Diego -- Days before San Diego officials ordered hundreds of its employees to vacate a leased high rise on Ash Street, a contractor overseeing its remodeling filed a legal claim accusing the city of lying about asbestos in the building and knowingly exposing workers to the known carcinogen. Jeff McDonald in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/20/20

Taylor: Database on public’s interactions with police seeks to cut use of force -- This is Linda Grant’s side of the story: She was hog-tied by Oakland police officers in 1996 for simply walking down the street in East Oakland. Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/20/20

Avalanche danger rated ‘considerable’ in Tahoe back country -- Winter’s ultimate force was unleashed in the high Sierra on Friday when an avalanche thundered down from the rim of the mountain bowl at Alpine Meadows. One skier was killed, another seriously injured. On Sunday across the Tahoe back country, the Sierra Avalanche Center rated the danger as “considerable.” Tom Stienstra in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/20/20

Nearly 500,000 Sacramento-area residents will be safer because of this Folsom Dam upgrade -- Federal crews have begun a five-year effort to raise the height of the dam by 3.5 feet to increase flood protection for 440,000 downstream residents in metropolitan Sacramento, including areas of Arden-Arcade, Rosemont and many areas in the city of Sacramento as far south as the Pocket area and north to upper Natomas. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/20/20

UC San Diego professor: Recent closing of US coal power plants has saved 26,610 lives -- The number of coal-fired power plants in operation across the country has plummeted in recent years, quickly changing the power mix — especially in states such as California. But what has that change meant in terms of health? Or even in the number of crops produced? Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/20/20

Llamas and ostriches were taken from an exotic meat farm. Was it theft or rescue? -- The burglary was weeks in the making, coming after controversy over the 14-acre farm, which animal rights activists allege is keeping livestock in inhumane conditions. Pathak has denied this, and he has the backing of animal control officers who said they visited every day for weeks; each inspection revealed no sign of neglect. Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/20/20

Former UC San Diego historian to become first black president of Rutgers University -- Jonathan Holloway, a renowned historian who began his career at UC San Diego in the 1990s, is expected to be named the first black president of Rutgers University in New Jersey on Tuesday. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/20/20

Oakland Tech High School Honors Its Own Role in MLK Day — 40 Years On -- "The Apollos," written, produced and performed by Oakland Tech students, is based on the real-life story of an earlier generation of students who campaigned to get MLK Day recognized as a California holiday. Chloe Veltman KQED -- 1/20/20

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

In SF, Pelosi calls on supporters for unity amid impeachment controversy -- Pelosi held her annual new year event in the Presidio to thank local supporters, focusing her 20-minute speech on the future of Democrats in the White House, the importance of moving forward as a united country and the impeachment of President Trump. Tatiana Sanchez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/20/20

California voters may not see Michael Bloomberg’s financial disclosure until after 2020 primary -- Billionaire Michael R. Bloomberg won’t have to publicly disclose his finances until late March, well after voters in more than a dozen states — including California — take to the polls on Super Tuesday. Associated Press -- 1/20/20

Skelton: Free tuition at California public colleges helped the state prosper. There’s no reason it can’t again -- wouldn’t be “free college” for all — no one anywhere is proposing that — but a state university diploma could become more affordable for many California students. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/20/20

Smolens: Faulconer seeks statewide platform, again -- In his last year at City Hall, mayor’s effort to roll back criminal justice initiatives in 2022 could serve as political launching pad. Michael Smolens in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/20/20

Walters: The man who changed the Capitol -- As strange as it may seem now, California’s state Senate was once a bastion of bipartisan — almost nonpartisan — comity. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 1/20/20

Time's Up on Groundwater Plans: One of the Most Important New California Water Laws in 50 Years Explained -- Much of California’s water supply is a hidden asset: Deep below the surface, rocks, gravel and sand store water like a sponge, in an underground zone called an aquifer. In dry years, this groundwater has been tapped to save farms, keep grass green and provide drinking water to millions of Californians. But over time, people have taken more water out than nature has put back in. Molly Peterson KQED -- 1/20/20

Public service, celebrations mark Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in L.A. -- For those who want to serve or celebrate on Monday’s King holiday, there are options across Los Angeles, including school and park cleanups and a parade. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/20/20

San Diegans remember Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in 40th annual parade -- The parade, in its 40th year in San Diego and held a day before the national holiday in his name, is coordinated by the Zeta Sigma Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., the oldest African American fraternity in America. It was founded in1906 at Cornell University in New York, and eventually included King himself, the organization stated. Deborah Sullivan Brennan in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/20/20

Long Beach continues the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. with 32nd annual parade -- This year’s theme was “Continuing the Legacy,” which celebrates the ongoing efforts to keep King’s values alive. Local high school bands and youth dance teams entertained crowds lining Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. Hunter Lee in the Long Beach Press Telegram$ -- 1/20/20

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

For Tech Companies, Election-Year Politics May Limit New Regulation -- The industry can expect plenty of criticism, but the two parties don’t share all the same grievances or agree on what kind of regulatory role the government should play. Sarah E. Needleman in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 1/20/20

Homeless  

Tired of waiting, homeless advocates build unsanctioned East Bay village of tiny homes -- For many of Oakland’s at least 4,000 homeless people, the promise of housing has been elusive. But on Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, advocates and volunteers took matters into their own hands, constructing an unsanctioned village of 8-by-12-foot wooden homes on a public street median behind a Burger King on East 12th Street at 16th Avenue, their guerilla solution to the city’s epidemic of homelessness. Thy Vo in the East Bay Times -- 1/20/20

Education 

California high school students who lobbied for state MLK holiday honored in Oakland Tech play -- As California celebrates the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, some may not know that it was a tenacious group of Oakland high schoolers that led to his birthday becoming a state holiday. Ali Tadayon EdSource -- 1/20/20

Also . . . 

Kardashian West pursues criminal justice reform in TV show -- Kim Kardashian West is a step closer to becoming a lawyer, having finished her first year of study as an apprentice. She told The Associated Press on Saturday that her next step is taking the “baby bar,” so-called because it’s a one-day exam. If she passes, she plans to study for another three years and then take the California bar exam. Beth Harris Associated Press -- 1/20/20

POTUS 45  

When McConnell speaks, Trump listens. Impeachment trial will test the unlikely bond -- President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell huddled privately in the Oval Office this month to discuss a judicial nominee. But the president, seething over the stain of impeachment, had something else on his mind: He wanted to know how the GOP could short-circuit his trial. Rachael Bade and Seung Min Kim in the Washington Post$ -- 1/20/20

President Trump made 16,241 false or misleading claims in his first three years -- Three years after taking the oath of office, President Trump has made more than 16,200 false or misleading claims — a milestone that would have been unthinkable when we first created the Fact Checker’s database that analyzes, categorizes and tracks every suspect statement he has uttered. Glenn Kessler, Salvador Rizzo and Meg Kelly in the Washington Post$ -- 1/20/20

 

-- Sunday Updates 

California braces for slowdown: What state budget, new regulations could mean -- Lenny Mendonca is chief economic and business adviser to Gov. Gavin Newsom and director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, or GO-Biz. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/19/20

Moms 4 Housing eviction: Just how many flips, vacant homes are there in Bay Area? -- Thydour Coleman shook her head as she spoke about the four mothers evicted from a West Oakland house bought by a real estate investment company planning to flip it. The McClymonds High School graduate was born and raised in the community, leaving for four decades before returning two years ago. It was unrecognizable, she said. Matthias Gafni and J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/19/20

US border authorities see spike in unaccompanied minors from Mexico -- Human rights advocates and social workers in Tijuana worry about sexual exploitation and trafficking of migrant children after policy changes. Wendy Fry in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/19/20

Owners of electric cars get a break on the gas tax. It’s costing California $32 million -- As most Californians reach deeper into their pockets to pay higher gas taxes for road repairs, electric vehicle owners have been getting a free pass. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/19/20

Injuries at Fresno’s Amazon warehouse are triple industry average -- The warehouse has brought thousands of jobs to Fresno. But workers say the work can be crippling in more ways than one. Manuela Tobias Calmatters -- 1/19/20

Family raises concerns about integrity of SDSU investigation into student’s death -- San Diego State University freshman Dylan Hernandez was determined to do well on a midterm exam in early November, telling one of his sisters he planned to stay sober at a fraternity party the night before the test. It did not turn out that way. Gary Robbins, Lyndsay Winkley in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/19/20

Levin prioritized environmental and veterans issues in Year One, will it earn him another term? -- Rep. Mike Levin, the newest member of San Diego’s congressional delegation, is competing in one of the most closely watched races. Charles T. Clark in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/19/20

Activists question Elliott’s stake in “smart streetlights,” seek moratorium on surveillance -- A coalition of community activists is demanding the city of San Diego seek an independent lawyer to advise officials on its “smart streetlights” program because City Attorney Mara Elliott owns stock in the contractor’s parent company. Jeff McDonald in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/19/20

Wick: A female mayor denounces the harassment she receives. Hours later, a man is arrested at her office -- If you are a woman who is so bold as to inhabit a vaguely public stage, chances are high that you will be called a lot of things that can’t be printed in a family newspaper. And then some. Julia Wick in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/19/20

Elizabeth Holmes’ financial jeopardy: Will court cases leave Theranos founder ruined? -- No matter what the jury’s decision in Elizabeth Holmes’ federal criminal trial this year, the fall of Theranos has become a massively expensive proposition for the Stanford University dropout. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/19/20