Updating . .   

Ousted EPA official in California says he was pushed out for being too bipartisan -- Abruptly dismissed from office Wednesday, the Environmental Protection Agency’s top official for California and the Pacific Southwest speculated he was terminated because of his congenial relationship with Democratic politicians. In a statement released Thursday, and provided to The Times, former Trump administration appointee Mike Stoker said, “last time I checked, the EPA’s mission to protect the public health and environment is not a partisan issue … at least it never has been for me.” Susanne Rust in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/6/20

Nancy Pelosi on ripping up Trump’s speech: ‘I feel very liberated’ -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi laced into President Trump on Thursday, saying she has no regrets and feels “liberated” after she ripped a printed copy of his State of the Union speech on live television. “He has shredded the truth in his speech,” the San Francisco Democrat said during a news conference at the Capitol. “He’s shredding the Constitution in his conduct. I shredded his state of his mind address.” Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/6/20

Suspicious substance investigated outside of Schiff’s office -- A suspicious substance was found outside lead House impeachment manager Adam B. Schiff’s congressional office Thursday morning but was ultimately deemed not hazardous and cleared by the Capitol Police, casting a cloud of grim reality over Schiff’s earlier comments expressing grave concern for his staffers. Chris Marquette Roll Call -- 2/6/20

2nd child under coronavirus quarantine in Riverside is hospitalized -- A second child was transported to Riverside University Health System-Medical Center after developing a fever Wednesday while under quarantine at March Air Reserve Base, authorities said. The child was tested for novel coronavirus and is awaiting results, Riverside County Department of Public Health spokesman Jose Arballo Jr. said. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/6/20

Coronavirus: SF hotels, restaurants see slowdown as Chinese tourists dwindle -- More than 500,000 people visit San Francisco from China each year, and China was the second-largest source of international visitors in 2018, after Mexico, according to SF Travel. Chase DiFeliciantonio in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/6/20

SF Public Health Officials, Chinese-Language Media Try to Ease Coronavirus Fears -- Public health officials say people in the Bay Area run a low risk of falling ill from the novel coronavirus. Fewer than five people in the nine-county region are being treated for the flu-like disease. The San Francisco Department of Public Health is working to spread that message to Cantonese and Mandarin speakers. Peter Arcuni KQED -- 2/6/20

Life under virus quarantine: Boxing, chalk art and waiting -- There’s Zumba and boxing classes, lectures on business and taxes, and chalk art outside for the children. While it might sound like a local recreation center’s offerings, it’s actually part of daily life for 195 American citizens quarantined on a military base after being evacuated from the heart of a new virus outbreak in China. Amy Taxin and Elliot Spagat Associated Press -- 2/6/20

The toxic legacy of old oil wells: California’s multibillion-dollar problem -- Across much of California, fossil fuel companies are leaving thousands of oil and gas wells unplugged and idle, potentially threatening the health of people living nearby and handing taxpayers a multibillion-dollar bill for the environmental cleanup. Mark Olalde and Ryan Menezes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/6/20

California Senate settles retaliation lawsuit by former employee of Sen. Tony Mendoza -- The California Senate agreed to pay $310,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a former employee who alleged that the upper house and former Sen. Tony Mendoza fired and retaliated against her for reporting an allegation that the lawmaker sexually harassed her co-worker. Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/6/20

Do endorsements for president even matter? -- In the race to gobble up as many big name endorsements in California before the March 3 primary, few presidential contenders are quite as hungry as Mike Bloomberg. Ben Christopher Calmatters -- 2/6/20

Last-minute California bill could boost independent votes in Democratic primary -- CA SB207 (19R) by Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) would allow voters to submit a written request to county election officials changing their party registration or address within 14 days of an election until the close of polls on Election Day. Alexander Nieves Politico -- 2/6/20

With one California recycling bill already dead, will this be the year the state tackles its waste crisis? -- Even the special interests that helped kill a California Senate bill aimed at reforming beverage bottle recycling say the state needs to fix its broken system. And one lawmaker who voted no on the bill says he might just introduce his own. Rachel Becker Calmatters -- 2/6/20

Key questions unanswered in Kobe Bryant crash as NTSB prepares preliminary report -- The National Transportation Safety Board is moving closer to releasing preliminary findings in the Jan. 26 helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others. In the 11 days since the Calabasas crash, some details have been revealed. But many questions remain unanswered. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/6/20

Fire victims’ committee flags ‘considerably rusted’ hooks on PG&E power line -- A group of fire victims and their attorneys say they have unearthed problems on a Pacific Gas and Electric Co. power line in Butte County that are similar to the faulty part blamed for causing the 2018 Camp Fire in the same area. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ Michael Liedtke Associated Press -- 2/6/20

Trump wants California cops to evict homeless people. They don’t want that ‘dirty’ job -- No one looked happy to be on the Joe Rodota Trail in Sonoma County last week — not the homeless people who had built a miles-long encampment, not the park rangers tasked with making sure they left and not the police officers sent as backup. Anita Chabria in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/6/20

Mental illness cases up in California jails -- California Health Policy Strategies, a Sacramento-based consulting group, gathered administrative data from the Board of State and Community Corrections and discovered a 42 % increase in mental health cases reported and an 80 % increase in inmate medication prescriptions over the last 10 years. Jessica Hice Capitol Weekly -- 2/6/20

Sacramento officials say private port-a-potties left for homeless could cause ‘chaos’ -- Sacramento officials are objecting to the placement of two port-a-potties on city property for use by a camp of about 30 homeless residents, saying that allowing the toilets to remain without a permit could “create chaos” and allow anyone to place personal property on city land. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/6/20

SF public corruption case: Meet the FBI informants who targeted Mohammed Nuru -- Two Detroit businessmen acted as FBI informants and secretly recorded San Francisco Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru and restaurateur Nick Bovis, helping the government build a sweeping public corruption case that jolted City Hall last week, The Chronicle has learned. Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/6/20

Buffing up San Francisco’s historic piers to survive sea level rise -- When the now-historic finger piers along San Francisco’s Embarcadero were built, you can bet the builders never expected that a century later, there would be engineering studies on how to prepare the gaunt sheds for seas that could rise nearly 7 feet. John King in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/6/20

Tartine Bakery workers plan to unionize, complain of corporatization of SF favorite -- Employees at San Francisco’s world-renowned Tartine Bakery announced their intent to unionize Thursday morning, a move that is extremely rare in the restaurant industry. Janelle Bitker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/6/20

Musk’s SpaceX Plans a Spinoff, IPO for Starlink Business -- Elon Musk’s SpaceX plans to spin out and pursue a public offering of its budding space-internet business Starlink, giving investors a chance to buy into one of the most promising operations within the closely held company. Ashlee Vance and Dana Hull Bloomberg -- 2/6/20

Juul still marketing to minors overseas, Congressional probe finds -- Juul has not taken key steps to stop appealing to minors overseas, and may be continuing to make claims that its products are safer than cigarettes, despite instructions by federal regulators not to make such claims, according to findings released Wednesday as part of an ongoing congressional investigation. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/6/20

Knight: Sobering center for meth users to land in Tenderloin as epidemic devastates SF streets -- When it comes to the scary behavior San Franciscans see on our streets — people ranting at no one, stripping off their clothes or threatening strangers — there’s often a clear culprit: methamphetamines. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/6/20

Trump unleashes impeachment fury in acquittal ‘celebration’ -- Exulting in his impeachment acquittal, a defiant President Donald Trump took a scorched-earth victory lap Thursday, unleashing his fury against those who tried to remove him from office and pointing ahead to his reelection campaign. Jill Colvin, Jonathan Lemire and Zeke Miller Associated Press -- 2/6/20

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Four hospitalized as coronavirus quarantine starts in San Diego -- Shortly after touching down in San Diego, four of 167 passengers on a quarantine flight that landed Wednesday morning at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar were transported to local hospitals after showing signs and symptoms of coronavirus infection, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement Wednesday night. Paul Sisson in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/6/20

Evacuated from coronavirus hot zone, 178 land in California to applause, are ‘glad to be home’ -- Applause greeted 178 Americans as they exited a plane from China that arrived at Fairfield’s Travis Air Force Base in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, said Dr. Henry Walke, an official with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Darrell Smith and Cathie Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/6/20

Fears of the coronavirus translate to discrimination, xenophobia -- Lilian Wang returned from a bachelorette trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, this week and encountered a Lyft driver at San Francisco International Airport who refused to unlock the door until her white friend, who ordered the ride, approached. Anna Bauman and Tatiana Sanchez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/6/20

International visitor with measles infects 4 L.A. County residents -- This is the second measles exposure in 2020 after a bad year in 2019 in which there were 20 cases among L.A. County residents as well as 14 cases involving travelers to the county, according to public health officials. Priscella Vega in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/6/20

An ‘urgent’ bill could change California voter rules just 4 weeks before election -- California lawmakers are speeding a bill through the Legislature that could affect the way Californians vote as soon as next month’s presidential primary. The proposal would allow voters to change their party preference or residence address within two weeks of election day without having to re-register to vote. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/6/20

What happens if California takes over PG&E? -- Calling the bankruptcy of California’s largest investor-owned utility a “godsend,” Gov. Gavin Newsom has threatened a public takeover of Pacific Gas & Electric unless it can transform into a provider of affordable, reliable, clean and — above all — safe energy. That means no more ferocious wildfires sparked by PG&E equipment. That means no more fire-season blackouts that drag on for days or weeks, disrupting the state’s $3 trillion economy. Judy Lin Calmatters -- 2/6/20

Free speech or dark money disclosure: Political operatives seek to gut SF campaign ad measure -- A handful of prominent San Francisco political operatives are seeking to gut a ballot measure voters overwhelmingly passed last year that pulls back the curtain on who’s paying for campaign advertisements. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/6/20

Detroit business partners acted as FBI informants in Nuru corruption investigation -- Two Detroit businessmen acted as FBI informants and secretly recorded San Francisco Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru and restaurateur Nick Bovis, helping the government build a sweeping public corruption case that jolted City Hall last week, The Chronicle has learned. Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/6/20

Skelton: Californians will soon have to decide: Do they care more about ousting Trump or the issues? -- President Trump’s highly partisan State of the Union address was a political rallying cry — for Democrats. And it was especially timely for California Democrats because their presidential primary is rapidly approaching. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/6/20

With California Voters Focused on Climate, Biden Touts Obama-Era Energy Investments -- With early voting underway in California, the Democratic candidates for president are facing a Golden State electorate more concerned than ever before with how the next commander in chief will confront the globe's changing climate. Guy Marzorati KQED -- 2/6/20

Controversial head of EPA’s San Francisco headquarters is dismissed -- The controversial head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s San Francisco headquarters was abruptly dismissed without explanation Wednesday after less than two years on the job. Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Susanne Rust in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/6/20

Walters: California’s stubborn ‘achievement gap’ -- Sooner or later, reality rears its ugly head and that seems to be happening with the state’s very expensive — but apparently failing — efforts to close a yawning “achievement gap” among the state’s nearly 6 million elementary and secondary school students. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 2/6/20

Kirk Douglas gave millions for Hollywood’s Alzheimer’s patients -- Beloved actor Kirk Douglas was known for his iconic roles on the big screen, but behind the scenes he played a major role in supporting one of Hollywood’s oldest charities: the Motion Picture & Television Fund. Stacy Perman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/6/20

Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca is now a prison inmate in Texas -- Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, once a respected law enforcement leader who was convicted of thwarting a federal investigation into his department’s violent, scandal-plagued jail system, has reported to a Texas prison to begin a three-year term behind bars. Matt Hamilton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/6/20

Two men jailed under controversial gang law getting $1.5M payout from San Diego -- San Diego officials have agreed to a nearly $1.5 million payout for two local men who spent several months in jail six years ago under a controversial gang conspiracy law. The settlement, scheduled for City Council approval Tuesday, would compensate Rapper Brandon “Tiny Doo” Duncan and Aaron Harvey for emotional damages they allegedly suffered spending about seven months each in jail. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/6/20

Protesters Say Trump's Acquittal in Impeachment Trial Is a 'Coverup' -- After the Senate voted to acquit President Trump on both articles of impeachment, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, protesters took to the streets around the Bay Area early Wednesday evening. Beth LaBerge, Monica Lam KQED -- 2/6/20

Protesters rally in San Francisco against Senate’s acquittal of Trump -- Dozens of protesters rallied at Market and Powell streets in San Francisco Wednesday afternoon to protest the acquittal of President Trump, accusing the GOP of a cover-up. Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/6/20

San Diego’s delegation criticizes Trump’s acquittal; local Republicans celebrate --Three members of San Diego County’s congressional delegation who voted to impeach President Donald Trump criticized the Senate’s vote to acquit him Wednesday, saying it will enable inappropriate presidential conduct in the future. Charles T. Clark in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/6/20

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

Gondola to connect two Tahoe ski resorts moves ahead -- Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows, which are under the same ownership, announced Wednesday that they had reached an agreement to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Granite Chief Wilderness Protection League to allow the construction of a 2.2-mile-long gondola, connecting the bases of the two resorts. Hugo Martín in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/6/20

Uber gets DMV’s OK to test autonomous cars on these California streets -- Uber officials said they intend to conduct autonomous vehicle tests in San Francisco, the headquarters city for the 11-year-old company that sparked a transportation revolution with introduction of app-based ride hailing. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ Rex Crum in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/6/20

Education 

California’s schools chief states his position as his department revises ethnic studies curriculum -- In a preview of what it will recommend this spring, the California Department of Education is siding with ethnic studies advocates who argue that courses should focus on four ethnic and racial groups whose histories have been largely overlooked in the high school curriculum: African Americans, Asian Americans, Chicanos and Latinos, and Native Americans. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 2/6/20

Environment 

If Bumble Bees Become Endangered In California, Farmers Say It Sets A ‘Dangerous Precedent’ -- Last June, the California Fish and Game Commission decided to list the bees as candidates to be endangered species, writing that there was a “substantial possibility” that the bees would end up protected by the act. Their candidacy provides temporary protection. But many agricultural interests are upset over the listing, and are suing to stop the insects from joining the more than 250 species protected by the act. Ezra David Romero Capital Public Radio -- 2/6/20

After Setbacks, Calif. Governments Press Their Climate Suit Against Fossil Fuel Companies -- Three federal judges heard arguments in Pasadena Wednesday about whether major oil and gas companies are financially responsible for the damages caused by climate change. In lively back-to-back hearings, the judges, from the 9th District Circuit Court, pushed with skepticism at both sides’ arguments. Kevin Stark KQED -- 2/6/20

Also . . . 

Ex-LAPD officer convicted of off-duty murder in Pomona -- An ex-LAPD officer who fled to Mexico for two months after shooting and killing a man in downtown Pomona was found guilty Wednesday of murder. A jury deliberated for more than two days before finding Henry Solis, 32, guilty of one count of second-degree murder for the 2015 killing of Salome Rodriguez Jr., according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. Jaclyn Cosgrove in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/6/20

POTUS 45  

In historic vote, Trump acquitted of impeachment charges -- President Trump was acquitted Wednesday by the Republican-controlled Senate of charges that he abused the powers of his office and obstructed Congress as it probed his attempts to pressure Ukraine into political investigations — capping a tumultuous, three-week impeachment trial that leaves his fate in the hands of voters in November. Seung Min Kim in the Washington Post$ Nicholas Fandos in the New York Times$ -- 2/6/20

Beltway 

Mitt Romney knew the storm was coming over his impeachment vote. How long it lasts will be up to Trump -- Hours before he cast the lone Republican vote Wednesday to remove President Trump from office on the charge of abusing his power, Sen. Mitt Romney said he fully expected the decision would make him a target of derision for the president and his allies. He didn’t have to wait long to be proved right. Josh Dawsey in the Washington Post$ -- 2/6/20

Was Mitt Romney’s vote the fulfillment of a Mormon prophecy? -- Utahans reacted to Sen. Mitt Romney’s decision to break Republican ranks with a mixture of pride and dismay Wednesday, with some in this majority-Mormon state even suggesting that his vote to remove President Trump from office recalled a prophecy attributed to the church founder Joseph Smith. Rone Tempest in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/6/20

San Diegans protest Trump acquittal -- Local activists took to San Diego-area streets Wednesday afternoon to protest President Donald Trump’s acquittal in his impeachment trial in the Senate. They were among many liberal or Democratic activists nationwide who responded to the acquittal with protests Wednesday. Andrew Dyer in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/6/20

Bretón: Sympathy for Rush Limbaugh doesn’t mean he deserves the Medal of Freedom. That’s a joke -- Remember when I wrote that we shouldn’t celebrate the news that Rush Limbaugh says he has advanced lung cancer? I meant it. It should go without saying that we shouldn’t celebrate a dreaded disease suffered by anyone, even someone as objectionable as Limbaugh. Marcos Bretón in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/6/20

 

-- Wednesday Updates 

2 jets with Americans escaping coronavirus land in California -- Two jets carrying about 350 Americans have arrived in California at Travis Air Force Base after fleeing the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ Alejandro Serrano in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/5/20

What happens if the coronavirus outbreak becomes a pandemic? -- Roughly 50 million people are under quarantine in China. Thousands of travelers are being screened at airports every day. Armies of disease detectives are knocking on doors around the world in hopes of halting the new coronavirus in its tracks. Despite all the colossal efforts to contain the virus, scientists are quietly preparing for a grim — and increasingly likely — outcome: A full-blown global pandemic. Emily Baumgaertner in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/5/20

Here’s where coronavirus evacuees will stay during 2-week quarantine at Travis AFB -- Those who are quarantined will be accommodated at Travis’s on-base hotel, the Westwind Inn, Travis officials told base personnel in a Facebook post. A safety cordon was set to be established, to separate the quarantined community at the inn from on-base residences. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/5/20

Feds were likely fishing for bigger catch, but Nuru put a stop to that -- Federal prosecutors offered San Francisco Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru a deal on his corruption charges if he would help with further investigations, potentially involving colleagues at his level of city government — or even higher. Phil Matier in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/5/20

California firefighters return from battling Australia fires -- As the wildland firefighters, fresh off a long flight from Australia, strode into a Los Angeles fire station Wednesday morning, Marvin Schober got his GoPro camera ready. Schober wanted to capture his 41-year-old brother’s face as he realized his family was there to surprise him after nearly a month battling unprecedented fires half a world away. Stefanie Dazio Associated Press -- 2/5/20

Registered to vote? You’d be required to cast a ballot under California bill -- Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-San Rafael, introduced a bill Tuesday that would require all registered voters to return their ballots, either by mail or to a vote center, even if left blank. The measure, AB2070, would leave it up to the secretary of state, California’s chief elections official, to decide how to enforce the law. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/5/20

Newsom pardons civil rights leader Bayard Rustin, convicted of gay sex in ’50s -- Gov. Gavin Newsom has launched an initiative to pardon gay and lesbian Californians prosecuted for having sex with someone of the same gender, starting with a civil rights leader convicted nearly 70 years ago. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/5/20

SF Mayor Breed wants to take battle for housing to voters, amping up fight with supes -- It takes an average of nearly four years to shepherd a housing project with more than 10 units through the city’s permitting process, a 2018 study from UC Berkeley’s Terner Center for Housing Innovation found. If voters pass Breed’s measure, it would require the Planning Department to cut that time down to six months. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/5/20

Lopez: Does it have to be so hard to pass a housing bill? Not really, and here’s a bold path forward -- Rents, up. Homelessness, up. Housing bill, down. Senate Bill 50, which could have produced a massive amount of desperately needed new housing in California, didn’t even die a humane death last week in Sacramento. It was clubbed, kicked to the ground and pecked to death. So now what? Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/5/20

UC freshmen applications dip for a second straight year -- Experts said the decline in first-year applicants may signal a reality check among high school students who are daunted by the growing competition and cost of a UC freshman seat and are instead opting for a more affordable community college pathway. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/5/20

To study atmospheric rivers, scientists need to get close. So they fly to them -- The Air Force research crew on the WC-130J Super Hercules airplane was cruising at 28,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean, preparing to deploy 25 weather-sensing devices over a long band of water vapor known as an “atmospheric river” when the hazards of air travel got in the way of science. Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/5/20

This ‘Census’ form in your mailbox isn’t from the government. Here’s who sent it out and why -- Some Northern California voters are receiving documents that resemble U.S. Census forms, but they are in fact fundraising appeals from the Republican National Committee. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/5/20

Democratic Rep. Ami Bera is running again. Have Republicans given up trying to unseat him? -- California’s 7th Congressional District was once a key battleground seat for Republicans. Just a few years ago, the seat held by Democratic Rep. Ami Bera was actively targeted by the National Republican Congressional Committee. The district was home to the country’s most expensive congressional race in 2014. Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/5/20

Iowa caucuses disaster is a cautionary tale for the California primary -- After years of national heckling for holding elections that last longer than the time it takes to binge-watch several seasons of a TV show, it’s no wonder that California political insiders are breathing of sigh of relief: At least we’re not Iowa. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/5/20

Newsom administration trying again for a river flow deal -- The Newsom administration Tuesday floated a proposal to avert a protracted legal battle over new state standards that would make some of California’s biggest water users cut their river diversions to help struggling fish populations. Bettina Boxall in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/5/20

Newsom seeks peace with Trump in California water wars. Enviros are ready to fight -- Two months ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom seemed poised to file yet another suit against President Donald Trump — this time, over a federal plan to pump more water to Trump’s farming allies in the San Joaquin Valley. Ryan Sabalow, Dale Kasler, and Sophia Bollag in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/5/20

California scientists create bionic jellyfish to explore oceans -- California scientists looking for new ways to explore the world’s oceans have created something that seems right out of a Hollywood movie — a cyborg jellyfish, half animal, half robot, that can swim nearly three times faster than a regular jellyfish — and which one day might be remotely steered to collect information from deep ocean waters. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/5/20

Newport Beach doctor, girlfriend were branded sexual predators. Was it a political game? -- When the case broke in 2018, it immediately became fodder for tabloid headlines around the world. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/5/20

As L.A. traffic deaths stay high, officials plead with drivers to stop texting -- In the fourth full year of a program designed to eliminate traffic fatalities on Los Angeles streets, the number of people killed in car crashes stayed stubbornly high, early data show. Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/5/20

Want a do-over on that California driver’s license photo? You could soon get your chance -- Not happy with that driver’s license photo? You might soon be able to pay for another. A California lawmaker has introduced a bill that would allow for up to three photographs to be taken on-site at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/5/20

Mitt Romney dismantles the GOP’s strained defenses of Trump -- Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) announced Wednesday that he will vote to convict President Trump of abuse of power, becoming the first — and likely only — Republican to vote to remove him from office. Aaron Blake in the Washington Post$ -- 2/5/20