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McConnell abruptly eases impeachment limits -- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell abruptly eased his restrictive proposed rules for President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial , backing off the condensed two-day schedule to add a third for opening arguments after protests from senators, including Republicans. Lisa Mascaro, Eric Tucker and Zeke Miller Associated Press Burgess Everett and Marianne Levine Politico -- 1/21/20

President Bernie Sanders: Here’s what it would mean for California -- California is already one of the nation’s most liberal states, but a Bernie Sanders presidency would kick the state’s progressive tilt into overdrive. Still, in many policy areas, Californians would feel far less of an impact than residents of more conservative states. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/21/20

Quinn: Can Bloomberg Win California? -- Many other billionaires have failed at buying elections; the more money Meg Whitman spent trying to buy the governorship in 2010, the worst she did. But this time it could be different. Tony Quinn Fox & Hounds -- 1/21/20

Facebook, Twitter hold evidence that could save people from prison. And they’re not giving it up -- By the time the FBI raided Omar Ameen’s Sacramento apartment in August 2018, his extradition back to Iraq seemed all but inevitable. Megan Cassidy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/21/20

L.A. City Council votes to ask MLB to award 2017, 2018 World Series titles to Dodgers -- The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to ask the commissioner of baseball to award the Dodgers the 2017 and 2018 World Series titles after Major League Baseball punished the Houston Astros for cheating and continues to investigate the Boston Red Sox for possible misconduct. Emmanuel Morgan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/21/20

L.A. repeals requirements for would-be contractors to reveal NRA ties -- Los Angeles is rolling back a law that required companies seeking city contracts to reveal any ties with the National Rifle Assn., weeks after a federal judge blocked the city from enforcing those rules. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/21/20

UC enrolls record number of California students in the fall -- UC’s nine undergraduate campuses enrolled a total 185,559 California residents during the current academic year — a 10.3% increase of 17,369 since 2015. All campuses but Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz increased their in-state students. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/21/20

L.A. teachers’ strike fueled a labor movement. But did it really help schools? -- Arnoldo Vargas’ life hasn’t changed much since last January when he joined thousands of Los Angeles teachers in a momentous six-day strike. He drives the same 2006 Camry, has no more than 41 students in his art classes compared to an average of 42 last year, and would love to see his own eighth-grade son and first-grade daughter in smaller classes. Howard Blume, Sonali Kohli in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/21/20

Knight: Meet Mano Raju, under-the-radar S.F. public defender, who wants to pay you for jury service -- The San Francisco public defender’s office has made the news a lot lately, but the actual San Francisco public defender? He’s gone mostly unnoticed. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/21/20

Banks: In scandal over LAPD officers falsely tagging people as gang members, video confirms an old suspicion -- I wish that I were shocked, or even surprised, by the news that almost two dozen LAPD officers are being investigated for allegedly falsifying reports to arbitrarily label people as gang members. Sandy Banks in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/21/20

Meet the California firefighters helping Australia battle epic bush fires -- Beneath a green eucalyptus canopy in the country’s Australian Alps, the continent’s tallest mountain range dividing New South Wales and Victoria, some of America’s most versatile firefighters, mostly from Southern California, are laboring to help the Australians gain the upper hand against their worst fire season ever. Joseph Serna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/21/20

3-year-old recovering after mountain lion attack while park remains closed -- A 3-year-old boy is recovering at home after a mountain lion grabbed him by the neck in an attack Monday afternoon at a wilderness park in Orange County’s Lake Forest. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/21/20

California considers declaring Tylenol’s key ingredient a carcinogen -- A fight is coming to California over whether to list one of the world’s most common over-the-counter drugs as a carcinogen, echoing recent high-profile battles over things like alcohol and coffee. Adam Beam Associated Press -- 1/21/20

Grandmother separated from 2-year-old when released into U.S. after being in"Remain in Mexico” program -- Border officials separated a Guatemalan grandmother from her 2-year-old granddaughter before releasing both into the United States after they waited in Tijuana together for months under the Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” policy. Kate Morrissey in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/21/20

5th body found buried at house where Garden Grove couple was discovered -- A spokesman for the attorney general’s office for the state of Baja California, just south of San Diego, confirmed late Monday that a fifth body was discovered by a canine search team earlier in the afternoon. Wendy Fry in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/21/20

Under pressure from activists, L.A. billionaire’s prison telecom announces reforms -- A prison telephone company owned by Los Angeles billionaire Tom Gores has brought in a new chief executive and pledged to implement a series of reforms under pressure from criminal justice activists who have targeted the firm and its owner. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/21/20

San Diego foreclosures near 14-year low -- It is the lowest number of foreclosure filings for San Diego County in more than a decade, and a sharp contrast to the 49,125 foreclosure filings in 2009. Phillip Molnar in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/21/20

Could Sacramento Flood Like New Orleans? It's Possible, But Water Managers Are Trying To Make It Less Likely -- Three years ago, water began seeping out of yards and pooling in roadways in the Sacramento Pocket neighborhood. But the water wasn’t from a recent storm. Ezra David Romero Capital Public Radio -- 1/21/20

Mike Bloomberg shifts presidential ad campaign to focus on impeachment -- Former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg plans to shift his television ad message this week to directly call for President Trump’s removal from office, with a new spot that will run in states with Republican senators who face competitive reelection fights this year. Michael Scherer in the Washington Post$ -- 1/21/20

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

3 Horses Die in 3 Days at Santa Anita, Prompting Fresh Criticism of Racetrack -- It was a grim trifecta and a familiar result for Santa Anita Park: Three horses died in three days this past weekend at California’s best known and most scrutinized racetrack. Neil Vigdor in the New York Times$ -- 1/21/20

Another Tahoe fatality: Heavenly Mountain ski patrol team member dies in remote canyon -- A member of the ski patrol at Heavenly Mountain Resort near South Lake Tahoe died Saturday in an apparent accident, one day after a fatal avalanche at another nearby resort. John King in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/20/20

L.A. councilman corrects city website about college degree -- Until recently, the city website for Los Angeles City Councilman John Lee described him as a graduate of Cal State Northridge, one of several schools he attended in the San Fernando Valley. But Lee stopped short of getting his degree, according to a CSUN spokeswoman. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 1/21/20

Controlled burns prevent California wildfires, study says. Why aren’t there more? -- Experts from Stanford University are calling for more prescribed burns to prevent devastating wildfires in California, pointing to new research that asks why the approach hasn’t been pursued more aggressively in the fire-plagued state. Jared Gilmour in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/21/20

Hugs, smiles and tears as carrier Abraham Lincoln arrives in San Diego from 10-month deployment -- The arrival marked the end of a grueling 10-month deployment for the Lincoln, which left Norfolk, Va., on a planned deployment and home-port swap on April 1. Originally scheduled to arrive in San Diego in October, many Lincoln families moved to the area without their sailors over the summer, only to have the ship’s deployment extended in October through the holidays and into January. Andrew Dyer in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/21/20

Annual MLK Day march in San Francisco brings out festive, determined crowd -- Tyree Leslie had lived just half of his 50 years when he took part in the Million Man March nearly a quarter-century ago at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The San Francisco resident, flanked by men as far as the eye could see, was in awe of the momentous gathering, which inspired Leslie to advocate for social justice and education. Alejandro Serrano in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/21/20

12th annual MLK Day of Interfaith Service draws hundreds to Balboa Park for cleanup, celebration event -- People of Muslim, Jewish and Christian faith gathered in the northwest corner of Balboa Park on Monday morning for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Interfaith Service. The event, now in its 12th year, drew more than 550 volunteers for a cleanup and celebration, which featured everything from bulldozers to free food and live music. Joshua Emerson Smith in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 1/21/20

Thousands take to the streets of Sacramento for annual MLK Day March for the Dream -- The legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was alive in the streets of Sacramento on Monday morning, with thousands of marchers enduring the brisk weather to commemorate the life and work of the civil rights icon. Vincent Moleski in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/21/20

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai says it’s ‘no question’ artificial intelligence needs regulation -- With several Bay Area cities moving to stop the use of facial recognition technology, the chief executive of Google parent company Alphabet has come out in favor of stricter, and more widespread regulation of artificial intelligence technologies. Rex Crum in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 1/21/20

Education 

California governor joins those wanting to hold school districts more accountable for spending -- In an audit last fall of three districts’ spending, State Auditor Elaine Howle called on the State Board of Education and the Legislature to hold districts more accountable for how they spend money they receive from the Local Control Funding Formula. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 1/21/20

Immigration / Border 

U.S.-bound migrants clash with Mexican forces at Guatemala border -- Central American migrants, traveling in a caravan from Honduras, tried to force their way through the Mexico-Guatemala border Monday after the Mexican government rejected their request to transit toward the United States. Kevin Sieff in the Washington Post$ -- 1/21/20

Also . . . 

Who will head SF’s police union? A run-off election will determine winner -- San Francisco Police Officer’s Association president Tony Montoya led by a scant 15 votes in last week’s election to be the new head of the police union, sending the race into a runoff in the coming weeks. Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 1/21/20

Stolen 1950s Cadillac once belonging to Rita Hayworth is found, Sacramento police say -- The Sacramento Police Department has found the classic car that once belonged to Hollywood icon Rita Hayworth after it was stolen from a 106-year-old military veteran Friday. Vincent Moleski and Mack Ervin III in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 1/21/20

POTUS 45  

Trump’s lawyers, Senate GOP allies work privately to ensure Bolton does not testify publicly -- President Trump’s legal defense team and Senate GOP allies are quietly gaming out contingency plans should Democrats win enough votes to force witnesses to testify in the impeachment trial, including an effort to keep former national security adviser John Bolton from the spotlight, according to multiple officials familiar with the discussions. Robert Costa and Rachael Bade in the Washington Post$ -- 1/21/20

How Trump fused his business empire to the presidency -- As Trump kicks off his fourth year as president with an impeachment trial tied to his actions involving Ukraine, critics say the president has yet to face accountability for blatant conflicts of interest tied to his private businesses. Anita Kumar Politico -- 1/21/20

Poll: Most Americans want Trump removed from office by Senate -- A majority of Americans want the Senate to convict and remove President Donald Trump from office, according to a new poll conducted by CNN. Fifty-one percent of respondents to the poll want the Senate to convict Trump on the impeachment charges brought by the House, which would lead to his immediate expulsion from office. Meanwhile, 45 percent of respondents said they don't want to see the president removed. Matthew Choi Politico -- 1/21/20

 

-- Monday Updates 

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

Fox: Martin Luther King, Jr. and His Supporters as the Second Founders—or Were They the Third? -- Two years ago, I attended a talk at Washington D.C.’s National Museum of African American History and Culture delivered by my friend Connie Rice, the respected Los Angeles Civil Rights attorney, in which she called Martin Luther King, Jr. and his contemporaries in the civil rights movement the Second Founders of the United States. She was arguing that the civil rights movement leaders were carrying through on the principles of equality expressed in the country’s founding documents. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 1/21/20