Updating . .
Five California evacuees test negative for coronavirus, return to Travis quarantine -- All five evacuees hospitalized with possible coronavirus symptoms after landing at Travis Air Force Base last week have tested negative for the deadly illness, Solano County health officials said Wednesday. Darrell Smith in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/12/20
All travelers from mainland China being monitored for coronavirus in L.A. County -- Los Angeles County public health nurses are closely monitoring all residents who have recently traveled to mainland China, regardless of whether they have any symptoms of the new strain of coronavirus, according to the county’s top health official. The item is in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/12/20
BART has lost nearly 10 million riders on nights and weekends. Can it lure them back? -- BART has lost nearly 10 million night and weekend riders in just four years, at a time when the region is enthusiastically promoting a “Transit First” philosophy. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/12/20
Lopez: The hellish experience of getting your Real ID at the DMV: Long lines are just the beginning -- The line stretched out the door, across the front of the building and around the corner, like a snake entering one of the circles of hell. I arrived at the Glendale DMV office at 12:54 p.m. to get my Real ID, a document we’ve all gotta have because apparently we’ve been carrying Fake ID. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/12/20
Young immigrants face fee increase for DACA renewal -- A group of US senators says the fee hike is part of the Trump administration’s “unabashed and poorly-disguised anti-immigrant agenda.” Jacqueline Garcia Calmatters -- 2/12/20
Sex bias ban: California lawmaker’s bill could put women’s rights in Constitution -- Nearly four decades after opponents of the Equal Rights Amendment declared the effort dead, House Democrats led by San Mateo Rep. Jackie Speier will vote Thursday to revive the fight to write women’s rights into the Constitution. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/12/20
Will service members and veterans impact race for 53rd Congressional District? -- National defense and military issues have featured prominently in the race to replace retiring Rep. Susan Davis, D-San Diego, in the heavily Democratic 53rd Congressional District, and for good reason — the district is home to one of the highest concentrations of veterans in the country. Andrew Dyer, Charles T. Clark in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/12/20
All-new Election Day(s): The way LA County votes gets mammoth shakeup -- This won’t be your grandma’s polling place. In fact, the run-up to the March 3 Presidential Primary Election in LA County this year will be like none before in the region. Ryan Carter in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 2/12/20
SF auto burglary epidemic: DA Chesa Boudin wants to reimburse victims for shattered windows -- San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin plans to seek $1.5 million from the mayor’s office to pay for a proposed auto burglary assistance fund that would reimburse city residents for the cost of their shattered windows. Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/12/20
San Francisco bans most cars from Market Street. Will other California cities follow? -- As California cities move to reclaim their streets from automobile domination, Market Street in San Francisco is the most ambitious effort so far. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/12/20
Judge drops some charges in Elizabeth Holmes Theranos case -- Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes successfully had several charges dismissed in the criminal case against the former Silicon Valley CEO. Katie Dowd in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/12/20
A Danville Ballot Measure Sparks Debate Over Open Space -- Just south of the entrance to Mount Diablo State Park, in the East Bay town of Danville, horses and livestock roam more than 400 acres of emerald-green hillsides, a rare vestige of the Bay Area's agricultural past. Guy Marzorati KQED -- 2/12/20
Can You Pick Or Eat Any Of The Thousands Of Oranges At California’s State Capitol? Great Question! -- In the middle of downtown Sacramento there is a 40-acre bonanza of vegetation that showcases 215 varieties of plants, bushes and trees that are found in California. Bob Moffitt Capital Public Radio -- 2/12/20
Fox: Attacking the California Travel Ban -- It was inevitable that other states would push back against California’s moralizing by legislation. California passed legislation to ban official travel to states that, in the view of legislators and the attorney general in one way or another discriminate against the LGBTQ community. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 2/12/20
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Why fallout from coronavirus hits Bay Area so hard -- Ties to China are stronger in the Bay Area than anywhere else in the United States, with flights shuttling more than half a million Chinese tourists to and from the region each year, local tech giants building their goods there, and 1 in 5 residents of San Francisco claiming Chinese heritage. Tatiana Sanchez and Anna Bauman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/12/20
Labeling mix-up and other issues led to coronavirus snafu in San Diego -- A long chain of missed opportunities led to an infected coronavirus patient mistakenly being discharged from a local hospital Sunday and then hastily returned on Monday. Though they insisted that quarantine was never broken, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and UC San Diego Health on Tuesday provided additional information on how the snafu happened. Paul Sisson, Andrew Dyer in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/12/20
Coronavirus cancellations leave cruise industry scrambling -- The coronavirus has hurt all travel-related companies, but cruise ship operators have been especially hard-hit, thanks to news and images of passengers quarantined in the Port of Yokohama, Japan, or stranded at sea, looking for a port to accept them. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/12/20
This California goggle maker is helping China fight coronavirus. Here’s how -- The email from Chinese hospital officials last month got straight to the point, said Roy Paulson, chief executive of an Inland Empire company that makes protective eyewear and other gear for clients as diverse as welders, firefighters, bomb squads and medical personnel. “They wanted all we had,” Paulson said, “and they wanted it right now.” Ronald D. White in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/12/20
Tarzana man on cruise hospitalized, tested for coronavirus in Japan -- When San Fernando Valley resident Farah Toutounchian first heard about the coronavirus threat aboard her cruise ship, the Diamond Princess, violinists were playing music. She turned to her husband and said: “This reminds me of the Titanic.” Roxana Kopetman in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 2/12/20
Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna were buried in a private family service last week -- Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, were buried in a private family service near the family’s Orange County home last week, according to death certificates. A death certificate for Bryant, 41, states that his disposition occurred on Feb. 7 at Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona del Mar. It had been originally planned for Westwood Village Memorial Park but was changed. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/12/20
Legislative analyst criticizes California’s homeless plan -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal likely won’t have a meaningful impact on the nation’s largest homeless population, according to a new analysis from the state’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office. Adam Beam Associated Press -- 2/12/20
Walters: Wakeup call: Housing construction drops -- Gavin Newsom came into the governorship a year ago having made many promises to accomplish great things, or as he put it, “big hairy, audacious goals.” Perhaps the most audacious was to solve California’s ever-growing shortage of housing by building 3.5 million more units by 2025. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 2/12/20
PolitiFact California: There’s A Lot Of Misinformation About California’s March Primary Election. Here Are The Facts -- Some on Twitter have falsely claimed that millions of voters won’t be able to choose their favorite presidential candidate because they’re registered as No Party Preference. Others have suggested that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ name was intentionally placed last among presidential candidates on the ballot, fueling mistrust over the election process. Chris Nichols PolitiFact California -- 2/12/20
Self-styled California 'refugees' moving to Idaho to avoid vaccinating their kids -- Some California parents who moved to Idaho to avoid vaccinating their children are calling themselves "refugees," according to an Idaho Statesman investigation. The story discusses how Idaho became a hot spot for anti-vax Californians. Katie Dowd in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/12/20
NTSB releases details in 2 crashes involving Tesla Autopilot -- An Apple engineer who died when his Tesla Model X slammed into a concrete barrier had previously complained about the SUV malfunctioning on that same stretch of Silicon Valley freeway. Tom Krisher and Olga R. Rodriguez Associated Press Rex Crum in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/12/20
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Judge orders thousands of DoorDash cases to arbitration, costing delivery company millions -- A federal judge ordered San Francisco food-delivery company DoorDash to arbitrate over 5,000 actions brought by its delivery drivers in a move that could cost the company millions of dollars. U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered DoorDash to comply with the arbitration agreements it made workers accept with a tap on their smartphones. Chase DiFeliciantonio in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/12/20
Regulators demand info on past deals by Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft -- The Federal Trade Commission is demanding information from Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Microsoft on their mergers over the past nine years — significantly increasing the pressure on the tech industry's biggest players amid growing antitrust scrutiny. Leah Nylen Politico -- 2/12/20
Court to decide if property owners may sign away rights to jury trial in contract tiffs -- The state Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to review a Berkeley tobacco shop case and decide whether property owners in California can sign away their right to a jury trial in contract disputes. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/12/20
Union-backed law reaps payments for California employees — state gets a cut, too -- A 2004 California law that allows workers to sue their employers in the name of the state for wage and labor violations netted the state more than $88 million from businesses last year and has increased their compliance with workplace laws, according to a report released Tuesday by advocacy groups. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/12/20
L.A. wins appeal in fight with Uber over scooter and bike data -- Los Angeles officials were right to suspend Uber’s permit to rent out scooters and electric bicycles in the city because the company refused to share real-time data on its riders’ trips, a hearing officer found Tuesday. Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/12/20
Court to decide if property owners may sign away rights to jury trial in contract tiffs -- The state Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to review a Berkeley tobacco shop case and decide whether property owners in California can sign away their right to a jury trial in contract disputes. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/12/20
Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds
San Diego Poll shows support for hotel tax Measure C -- A poll released Tuesday showed a ballot measure that would raise taxes on hotel rooms to expand the Convention Center, fund homeless programs and pay for road improvements has some promise of passing in March, although it could be close. Gary Warth in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/12/20
Transit
Metro secures $1.3 billion to finish the Purple Line subway to West L.A. -- The long-awaited Los Angeles County subway line that will whisk commuters between downtown and the Westside has secured the last major piece of funding needed to finish the project, officials said Tuesday. Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/12/20
Housing
Oakland tenants refuse to pay rent, demand landlord sell building -- A group of tenants living in a Fruitvale apartment building haven’t paid their rent since October, and they don’t plan to until their landlord gives them what they want — a chance to buy the building. Marisa Kendall in the East Bay Times -- 2/12/20
Long Beach closes ‘substantial remodel’ loophole in Tenant Protection Act -- Long Beach landlords can no longer use planned renovations to kick out tenants — at least, not until they’ve pulled a permit for the work. Hayley Munguia in the Long Beach Press Telegram$ -- 2/12/20
Wildfire
Families mourn indirect, ‘forgotten’ deaths from Camp Fire -- Doctors and other experts say at least 50 more people, many of them elderly or ill, probably died as a result of the 2018 wildfire that devastated the town of Paradise, Calif., but were not counted in the official death toll, an investigation by the Chico Enterprise-Record found. Associated Press -- 2/12/20
Education
College admissions scandal: Prosecutors urge longest sentence for Atherton mom who ‘gloated’ over cheating -- Prosecutors are urging the longest sentence yet in the nationwide college admissions scandal for an Atherton mother who pleaded guilty to fraud charges and was said to have gloated over entrance exam cheating with a test fixer and her older teen daughter. John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/12/20
How Gov. Newsom's ambitious budget proposals for teacher recruitment and preparation will be spent -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s bold plans for recruiting and preparing teachers, revealed in his budget proposal last month for the coming fiscal year, were widely acclaimed by teachers and other education advocates. Diana Lambert EdSource -- 2/12/20
Immigration / Border
Customs chief says agents erred in detaining Iranian Americans at U.S.-Canada border -- The Customs and Border Protection agency’s top official, in a rare admission of misconduct, said Tuesday that agents should not have detained Iranian Americans at the U.S.-Canada border last month. Richard Read in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/12/20
Water
California is dry with no rain in sight. Should we start worrying about drought and wildfire? -- California’s alarmingly dry winter continues, with no meaningful snow or rain in sight. Although it’s far too soon to predict a drought, experts said wildfire risks could worsen this summer as a result of the shortage of precipitation. Dale Kasler in the Merced Sun Star -- 2/12/20
Also . . .
A firefighting first: LAFD orders an electric fire engine -- A century ago, the Los Angeles Fire Department made a historic switch from horse-drawn fire engines to motorized vehicles. This week, the department took the first step in a new phase of firefighting when it ordered an electric hybrid fire engine. The vehicle will be the first of its kind in the country, officials said. Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/12/20
L.A. Black Lives Matter leader sues city, ex-LAPD Chief Beck, alleging wrongful arrest -- One of Los Angeles’ most well-known Black Lives Matter activists has filed a federal lawsuit alleging police and the city attorney’s office unfairly targeted her for arrest and prosecution because of her activism, according to documents filed in federal court Monday. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/12/20
Should L.A. park rangers carry guns? A city councilman says yes -- Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino wants to change city rules to allow park rangers to carry guns, arguing that it would better protect both rangers and parkgoers. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/12/20
Before harvesting body parts, procurement firm must preserve evidence, coroner says -- A company that procures body parts from the Los Angeles County morgue will begin to preserve evidence in death investigations by taking photos of bodies, the coroner told the county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. Melody Petersen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/12/20
San Jose launches new plan, puts $7 million toward preventing rising pedestrian deaths -- Eight months after her husband was struck and killed while riding his bike in San Jose, Nani Lavin went before the city council — with tears in her eyes — begging for a change. Maggie Angst in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/12/20
POTUS 45
Trump’s War Against ‘the Deep State’ Enters a New Stage -- As far as President Trump is concerned, banishing Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman from the White House and exiling him back to the Pentagon was not enough. If he had his way, the commander in chief made clear on Tuesday, the Defense Department would now take action against the colonel, too. Peter Baker in the New York Times$ -- 2/12/20
Trump Takes On Bloomberg and Once Again Hijacks a News Cycle -- Tuesday was shaping up to be the kind of news day that makes President Trump unhappy: one in which he saw himself losing control of the narrative in the face of wall-to-wall coverage of his Democratic rivals in the presidential primary in New Hampshire. Mr. Trump had other ideas. Michael D. Shear and Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ -- 2/12/20
Beltway
Democrats now face a fractured and divisive contest for the nomination -- Democrats braced themselves Tuesday night for a long and divisive contest for their party's presidential nomination after New Hampshire voters added new uncertainty to a race already scrambled by last week's caucuses in Iowa. Dan Balz in the Washington Post$ -- 2/12/20
Who Are the 4 Prosecutors to Quit the Roger Stone Case? -- On Tuesday, the four main federal prosecutors working on the obstruction and perjury case of Roger J. Stone Jr. shared another distinction: they quit the case. The abrupt withdrawals came after the Justice Department overruled their recommendation for a stiffer sentence for Mr. Stone, a longtime friend and informal adviser of President Trump. One of the prosecutors resigned outright. Neil Vigdor in the New York Times$ -- 2/12/20
Harris asks Graham to bring in Barr over Stone sentencing -- Sen. Kamala Harris demanded Tuesday that Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) bring in Attorney General William Barr to testify about the Justice Department’s handling of the sentencing of former Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone. Marianne Levine Politico -- 2/12/20
Trump escalates campaign of retribution as Republican senators shrug -- President Trump escalated his campaign of retribution against his perceived impeachment enemies Tuesday, railing in the Oval Office about a decorated combat veteran who testified about the president’s conduct with Ukraine and suggesting the Defense Department should consider disciplining him. Philip Rucker and Paul Kane in the Washington Post$ -- 2/12/20
-- Tuesday Updates
Evacuees celebrate as coronavirus quarantine ends at Riverside military base -- After flying cross-country to flee a deadly viral outbreak and then spending two weeks quarantined at a California military base, a group of American evacuees from China couldn’t help but celebrate Tuesday morning. Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/20
Presidential candidates to California’s small donors: Give us our daily bread crumbs -- Meet the people who've sent the 2020 presidential candidates small campaign contributions — hundreds of times. These add up. Just ask Bernie Sanders. Elizabeth Castillo Calmatters -- 2/11/20
Five ways California Democrats will be affected by the New Hampshire primary -- New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation Democratic primary of the 2020 election season happens 3,000 miles from California, but the outcome will have a major influence on the shape of the campaign heading into California’s March 3 primary election. Here are some of the things California voters should look for when the returns come in Tuesday night. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/11/20
L.A. is radically altering the way we vote. Get ready for big changes, possible problems -- Voters are about to get their first peek at the future of balloting in Los Angeles County, where officials have spent years building a new voting system. Matt Stiles in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/20
Kevin de León moves campaign event following complaints from homeless activists -- Los Angeles City Council candidate Kevin de León dropped plans on Monday for an upcoming campaign event after activists complained that it had been scheduled at the family home of a man accused of torching a homeless encampment. David Zahniser, Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/20
This 26-year-old became a small-town California mayor. Then a jet dumped fuel on her snakebit city -- Elizabeth Alcantar was at work when she began receiving a swarm of Twitter and Google alerts about a jet dumping fuel on her city. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/20
EPA names former PG&E attorney to head West Coast office -- The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday named John W. Busterud, a former PG&E attorney, to head its West Coast office, replacing Mike Stoker who was ousted from the post last week. Kurtis Alexander and Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/11/20
Fox: Selling PG&E Reduces Property Taxes by Millions$ -- A government takeover of Pacific Gas & Electric Company could cost billions of dollars for the buyout and a big loss in property taxes for the governments that want to become the new utility proprietors. As a government owned utility, a state or local government run operation would no longer be required to pay property taxes. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 2/11/20
Rising seas already overwhelm the Bay Area. Time is running out for California to act -- When Jeff Moneda first started working for Foster City, where trails wind along the town’s scenic lagoons and the nicest homes perch along its picturesque canals, he received an email from federal emergency officials that jolted him into action. Rosanna Xia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/20
Largest school bond in California history would throw $15 billion at fixing schools -- The largest school bond in state history, at $15 billion, is going to voters in March as supporters try to put a dent in a $100 billion backlog of failing boiler rooms, leaky roofs and new construction projects needed at K-12 schools and universities. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/11/20
Eric Swalwell is writing a book about his dad, Donald Trump and corruption -- East Bay Rep. Eric Swalwell started off writing a book about his dad, a former police chief who refused to fix parking tickets. But his tribute quickly morphed to include a behind-the-scenes tale of the third ever impeachment of a U.S. president. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/11/20
Disneyland raises ticket prices, breaking the $200-a-day mark -- Months after Disneyland opened the biggest expansion in its history, the Anaheim theme park raised ticket prices Tuesday, pushing the cost of some one-day passes above $200 for the first time. Prices of annual passes and the digital MaxPass climbed too. Hugo Martín in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/20
What’s known, and unknown, about moments before Kobe Bryant helicopter crash -- One witness described the Calabasas hillside as being “surrounded by mist” on a quiet Sunday morning last month. Then he heard a sound from above, growing louder and louder. When he looked up, he saw a blue-and-white helicopter amid the thick fog, moving fast before rolling to the left. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/20
Raw sewage in creeks prompts lawsuits against Sunnyvale and Mountain View -- A Bay Area environmental group has sued the cities of Sunnyvale and Mountain View, saying they are in violation of the federal Clean Water Act for discharging raw sewage and polluted storm water into creeks, sending bacteria pollution to levels more than 50 times legal limits. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/11/20
Family’s pit bull kills 5-year-old boy in Victor Valley -- San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies responded just before 3 p.m. to the 15100 block of Portland Street in Oro Grande, an unincorporated community a few miles outside Victorville, after a family member called and said the dog was attacking the child and would not let him go. Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/20
Homeless man sues L.A. over Facebook pages used by police, alleging harassment -- Rex Schellenberg said he was appalled when he found out that a police officer had been sharing information about him and other homeless people on Facebook. “Telling them who we were and what we were doing. Our personal problems,” said Schellenberg, 81, who has lived on the streets of the San Fernando Valley for years. “It’s like putting a target on our back.” Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/11/20