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United extends pause on SFO-China flights for another month due to coronavirus -- United is extending its cancellation of flights from U.S. hubs, including San Francisco International Airport, to China until the end of April as coronavirus cases continue to spread around the world and the death toll rises. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/13/20

Coronavirus sparks culture clash in the San Gabriel Valley -- Marta Ayala and Chong Taing, both Rosemead residents, couldn’t see the threat of the coronavirus more differently. You can see it on their faces. Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/13/20

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$ -- 2/13/20

8th case of new coronavirus identified in California: U.S. total is now 15 -- A second case of new coronavirus has been identified in San Diego among evacuees from China, bringing the total number to eight in California and 15 in the United States. The person was aboard a flight from the city of Wuhan that arrived at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in Southern California last week, the CDC said. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/13/20

Phones, electronic devices of those on Kobe Bryant helicopter could hold clues to crash -- With no black box recorder aboard the helicopter that crashed last month in Calabasas, killing Kobe Bryant and eight others, investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board are turning to the travelers’ personal electronics for potential answers. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/13/20

L.A. County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey moves to wipe 66,000 marijuana convictions -- Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey on Thursday announced the dismissal of 66,000 marijuana convictions in L.A. County. The move, which comes years after California voters legalized weed, undoes decades of drug enforcement that disproportionately targeted people of color. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/13/20

Safeway workers cancel contract, may strike in Northern California -- The union representing 15,000 Safeway workers from Eureka to Monterey canceled its contract with the grocery chain after negotiating for a year and a half and is pushing to strike, although the company hopes to avert that outcome. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/13/20

PG&E resists judge’s tree-trimming, executive bonus proposals -- Forcing Pacific Gas and Electric Co. to hire its own tree-trimming workforce, instead of relying on contractors to keep vegetation away from power lines, would not have the fire-safety benefits envisioned by a federal judge or alleviate the need for fire-prevention blackouts, attorneys for the utility say. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/13/20

Bernie Sanders goes after PG&E in new California campaign video -- As Californians vote by mail and prepare to cast ballots in person during the state’s March 3 Democratic presidential primary, Sen. Bernie Sanders is sharpening his criticism of an often-controversial business: Pacific Gas and Electric Co. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/13/20

Drought conditions returning to California, new report shows -- Driven by weeks of unusually dry weather, the federal government on Thursday classified parts of California as back in a drought for the first time since last year. Altogether, 9.5% of the state’s land area is now in a moderate drought, with forecasts showing no rain in most of the state for at least the next 10 days. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/13/20

Deadly fires turn Australians into climate change converts, similar to California -- The turning point came in 2017, when wind-whipped blazes swept through the foothills, jumped a freeway and burned through thousands of homes and businesses, killing more than 40 people. Joseph Serna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/13/20

Newspaper chain McClatchy files Chapter 11 bankruptcy after pension woes, print declines -- Newspaper chain McClatchy, owner of publications such as The Miami Herald and Kansas City Star, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Thursday after grappling with a pension crisis and the news industry's financial challenges. The Sacramento, California-based company, whose 30 newsrooms also include the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and The Charlotte Observer, proposed a deal to transfer ownership to one of its lenders and its largest shareholder, hedge fund Chatham Asset Management, and other lenders. Nathan Bomey USA Today Kevin G. Hall McClatchy DC -- 2/13/20-- 2/13/20

Software maker VMware slashes executive, engineering jobs -- Palo Alto cloud computing and software company VMware laid off over 200 employees last month, including multiple people at the executive and director level. About three quarters of the employees who will lose their jobs are based in Palo Alto, with the rest working remotely, according to a notice the company filed with the California Employment Development Department late last month. Chase DiFeliciantonio in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/13/20

Many low-income Californians don’t use credit cards. Should stores be required to accept cash? -- Last May, Burger Patch first opened its doors in midtown Sacramento with a sign that said “No Cash Accepted.” The owners of the organic and vegan burger joint were worried that a cash register might invite theft. But customers kept showing up with only cash. Jackie Botts Calmatters -- 2/13/20

San Diego’s newest single-family homes can cost up to $1 million -- The traditional family home in San Diego County continues to be highly desired and the price reflects it. Phillip Molnar in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/13/20

Facing doctor shortage, will California give nurse practitioners more authority to treat patients? -- So far the doctors' lobby has blocked the idea, which promises to expand care options in rural and inner-city areas. They warn it would create two-tiered care. Elizabeth Aguilera Calmatters -- 2/13/20

Ricky Davis to be freed after 14 years in prison as El Dorado judge tosses murder charges -- An El Dorado Hills man who spent 14 years in prison following his 2005 conviction in a brutal 1985 murder case won his freedom Thursday after DNA evidence led to the arrest of a different suspect. Sam Stanton and Rosalio Ahumada in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/13/20

BART passenger beaten with chain in unprovoked attack aboard train in Oakland -- A man was beaten with a chain in an unprovoked attack aboard a BART train during Tuesday evening commuting hours, leaving him with injuries that required hospital treatment, officials said. Anna Bauman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/13/20

Two-thirds of California students didn’t meet science standards. Here’s why -- Adults who took high school biology might remember a lecture on cell structure, then a test asking to identify its parts, plus an assignment to build a cell, perhaps with papier mâché and dry macaroni. Today, California students are supposed to learn about science in a whole new way. Sonali Kohli in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/13/20

Banks: I only took three years of high school math, escaped with a ‘D’ and turned out OK -- I’ve never managed to master much beyond the nuts and bolts of math. I was an honor student who could ace almost every subject, but ninth grade geometry tripped me up. I slipped through with a C, but needed three tries to pass trigonometry, with a D. Sandy Banks in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/13/20

Inexperienced teachers are often sent to low-income schools in Sacramento -- Emily Whalen teaches fifth graders at Jefferson School in Natomas. But she wasn’t always a teacher of children. For three years, Whalen, 28, trained dolphins at SeaWorld. It was a job she loved, and it was through that job that Whalen realized her true passions: working with children and education. Sawsan Morrar and Phillip Reese in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/13/20

The LAPD branded them as gang associates. But they fought back and got removed from CalGang database -- Larry Sanders was chatting with friends in South L.A.’s Green Meadows Recreation Center in April when two police officers approached. They said they had received a call about people drinking in the park. Leila Miller in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/13/20

A California firefighter nearly burned to death. His chief is quitting to save his job -- An El Dorado County fire chief will step down to save the job of a firefighter who nearly died last summer on the same day local voters rejected a tax increase that would have kept him employed. Garden Valley Fire Protection District Chief Clive Savacool said Wednesday he’s planning to step down as soon as possible in order to keep firefighter Scott Wager employed. Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/13/20

Getting intimate at the Condor -- There’s a surprisingly humane magic within the walls of SF’s oldest topless bar. Annie Vainshtein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/13/20

Taylor: Oakland’s mopeds are here — and boy are they being noticed -- If you live, work or play in Oakland, the black mopeds with blue accents have been impossible to miss. Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/13/20

Fox: Tax Measures Everywhere—For What Purposes? -- The coming March 3 California primary election is not simply about the presidential contest and legislative races, it’s also about taxes—big time. Voters will decide on a record 231 local tax and bond measures (backed by taxes) across the state. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 2/13/20

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Second coronavirus case confirmed in San Diego -- One week removed from the first of two coronavirus quarantine planes landing in San Diego, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed San Diego’s second novel coronavirus case Wednesday afternoon. Paul Sisson in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ Alexander Nguyen KPBS -- 2/13/20

A coronavirus ward? How U.S. hospitals are preparing for this new threat -- U.S. hospitals are stocking up on gowns and goggles and holding refresher courses in infection control amid a growing outbreak of a novel strain of coronavirus that has already killed more than 1,360 people in China. Soumya Karlamangla in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/13/20

Coronavirus Vaccine at Least a Year Away: NIH Official -- No major pharmaceutical company has come forward to say it would manufacture a novel coronavirus vaccine, currently being developed by the National Institutes of Health, a top U.S. official acknowledged Tuesday, a reality that he called “very difficult and very frustrating.” Nicholas Florko STAT via KQED -- 2/13/20

Most coronavirus cases are mild, complicating the response -- But the virus’s destructive potential has overshadowed one encouraging aspect of this outbreak: So far, about 82 percent of the cases — including all 14 in the United States — have been mild, with symptoms that require little or no medical intervention. And that proportion may be an undercount. Lenny Bernstein and Carolyn Y. Johnson in the Washington Post$ -- 2/13/20

Coronavirus strands Chinese students studying at Inland colleges -- Long Chen just earned a certificate for music conducting from Riverside’s La Sierra University and he was getting ready to fly home. But he can’t return to his native China because of the travel restrictions triggered by the explosive spread of the novel coronavirus. David Downey in the Riverside Press Enterprise$ -- 2/13/20

Skelton: California won’t be a kingmaker on Super Tuesday. But it’s the gatekeeper to the final stretch -- California voters are about to discard and qualify some candidates for the sprint to the Democratic presidential nomination. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/13/20

'She is tired of waiting her turn': Costa stares down liberal challenger -- Rep. Jim Costa, an eight-term incumbent, is the latest moderate Democratic member of Congress to be targeted by a base-energizing opponent from the left. Jeremy B. White Politico -- 2/13/20

Cost of California’s high-speed rail rises, but trains to SF, LA still in the works -- The cost of running high-speed trains between San Francisco and Los Angeles has grown — again — to $80 billion, a sum the state is yet to muster for a project that continues to be mired in politics and doubt. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Don Thompson Associated Press -- 2/13/20

Morrison: One of California’s longest-serving political hands is retiring. Here’s his state of the state -- By the time the shortest month of the year is up, a man with one of the longest track records in Sacramento government is walking out of the Capitol building, retiring, and taking giga-knowledge of institutional memory with him. Patt Morrison in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/13/20

Walters: Vocational education is making a comeback in California -- Somewhere along the way, California’s public schools became enamored with the notion that all students will — or at least should — acquire degrees from four-year colleges. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 2/13/20

SF corruption probe: PG&E, major construction firms, nonprofits hit with subpoenas -- The San Francisco city attorney’s office issued subpoenas for eight companies and nonprofit organizations Wednesday as part of the ongoing government corruption scandal launched in the wake of former Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru’s arrest on fraud charges late last month. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/13/20

Who’s looking at your DNA data? California lawmaker introduces genetic privacy bill -- A proposed California law would prohibit DNA testing companies like Ancestry and 23andMe from sharing customer DNA information with outside parties without their consent. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/13/20

LA County Will Try Bail Reform, But Critics Say It's Going About It All Wrong -- Los Angeles County is moving ahead with a bail reform pilot program, despite warnings from criminal justice reform advocates that the program's reliance on computerized risk assessment tools will perpetuate racial discrimination against defendants. Sharon McNary LAist -- 2/13/20

Calbuzz: Why California’s Vote Might Matter (No, Really Folks) -- Which puts a premium on the wannabes’ performance in California’s primary on March 3. It’s a coup for Golden State pols who, hungry for political relevance, repeatedly moved the date of our primary around the calendar in recent decades. Eureka! Jerry Roberts and Phil Trounstine CalBuzz -- 2/13/20

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

United extends pause on SFO-China flights for another month due to coronavirus -- United originally canceled flights from SFO to mainland China and Hong Kong until the end of March, but on Wednesday the airline extended that discontinuation another month. United normally operates 12 flights per day from the U.S. to mainland China and Hong Kong. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/13/20

Juul bought ads on Cartoon Network, other youth sites, suit says -- Juul Labs, the San Francisco vaping company that has long insisted it never marketed its products to teenagers, purchased ad space in its early days on numerous youth-focused websites, including those of Nickelodeon, the Cartoon Network, Seventeen magazine and educational sites for middle school and high school students, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday by the Massachusetts attorney general. Sheila Kaplan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/13/20

Transit  

Bay Bridge bus lane would require one-fifth of drivers to ride bus instead — or face epic traffic jams -- When state Assemblyman Rob Bonta said in January that he might propose a bus-only lane on the Bay Bridge, transit activists roared with enthusiasm. Regional transportation officials frowned. Although they support mass transit, most worried that cutting a lane of traffic and reserving it for buses would cause more problems than it would solve. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/13/20

Man hospitalized after being beaten on BART train in Oakland -- The victim was punched and also struck with what may have been a bicycle lock, officials said. A witness told police the attack was unprovoked, Allison said. The suspect fled the train when it stopped at the Lake Merritt Station and the victim was taken to a hospital for treatment of his injuries. His age and condition were not available. Harry Harris in the East Bay Times -- 2/13/20

Homeless  

To ease its homeless crisis, Berkeley will open city-owned lots for 25 RVs -- To begin addressing its homeless crisis — and the human waste and complaints that go with it — Berkeley will soon allow 25 RVs to park overnight in six city-owned lots, the City Council voted this week. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/13/20

Homeless man sues LAPD over ‘Crimebuster’ Facebook pages, claims harassment -- A homeless man living on the streets of the San Fernando Valley is suing the Los Angeles Police Department, accusing an officer of illegally towing his van and harassing him on Facebook by posting his location and personal history. Josh Cain in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 2/13/20

Housing  

Meet the planning chief Mayor Breed tapped to shape SF development and build 50,000 homes -- Mayor London Breed has appointed a longtime ally and former planning commissioner to head the planning department, an agency charged with shaping San Francisco development as the city’s housing crisis persists. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/13/20

Housing dispute gears back up over key bill -- Moments after the state Senate failed to pass SB 50, a bill that would have relaxed zoning laws to combat the state’s housing crisis, Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins vowed to pass housing legislation this year. Andrea Esquetini Capitol Weekly -- 2/13/20

Rent hikes could be smaller for L.A. tenants under new plan at City Hall -- Alarmed about people being “squeezed out” of their homes, Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Bonin wants to clamp down on rent increases for hundreds of thousands of tenants, tightening the rules under a long-standing city ordinance. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/13/20

Deceit, Disrepair and Death Inside a Southern California Rental Empire -- The baby girl was in her crib when the fire broke out. Ten feet away, in the living room of the mobile home, her young parents slept on the couch, in front of the TV. The baby's father, Lorenzo Lozano, woke up first, minutes before midnight. Aaron Mendelson LAist -- 2/13/20

Education 

Cal State San Marcos executives leave university on eve of critical audit -- Cal State San Marcos announced Wednesday that two key executives have left the university, the interim provost has resigned his position, and the dean of graduate studies is on administrative leave. The changes come as the California State University system is preparing to release an audit that examines how and why top CSUSM officials used university funds for first-class flights and five-star hotels, exceeding spending limits. Gary Robbins, Deborah Sullivan Brennan in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/13/20

Students sue Delta after jet fuel dump over Whittier high school -- Three students from Pioneer High School in Whittier have filed a lawsuit against Delta Air Lines after one of its planes dumped jet fuel over their campus and other suburbs of Los Angeles County. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/13/20

It’s official: Richmond school renamed Michelle Obama Elementary -- The West Contra Costa Unified School District Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday night to rename Wilson Elementary School after former First Lady Michelle Obama, according to a news release from the school district. Jon Kawamoto in the East Bay Times -- 2/13/20

Newsom wants more dyslexia screenings, services for California students -- Anew plan by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who struggled with dyslexia as a child, would pay for more screenings and services for the thousands of California students with dyslexia — a condition that advocates say has not received enough attention in schools. Carolyn Jones EdSource -- 2/13/20

Immigration / Border 

Federal judge orders ICE to reinstate national immigration hotline for detainees -- A federal judge issued an order this week temporarily reinstating a national hotline for detained immigrants that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shut down in August, shortly after the popular Netflix series, “Orange is the New Black” aired a show about it. Tatiana Sanchez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/13/20

Environment 

A Trillion Trees: How One Idea Triumphed Over Trump’s Climate Denialism -- People warned Marc Benioff, the billionaire chief executive of Salesforce, not to bother talking to the White House about global warming. But Mr. Benioff, a tech mogul and environmental philanthropist, felt sure he had found a climate change solution that even President Trump could love: Planting trees. Lisa Friedman in the New York Times$ -- 2/13/20

State officials see merit in extra protections for Southern California mountain lions -- State officials on Wednesday concluded that several cougar clans in Central and Southern California may warrant listing as threatened under the state Endangered Species Act, a step that could limit highway construction and development on thousands of acres of real estate. Louis Sahagun in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/13/20

It’s words, not bullets, for the ‘bear whisperer’ of the Eastern Sierra -- Steve Searles is not really a cop, not really a civilian; he lives in limbo between those two worlds. And, man, does he live. Think of him as the Serpico of the Sierra, a little snarly and gruff and frayed around the edges — a ponytailed ex-surfer turned mountain man. Chris Erskine in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/13/20

Also . . . 

15 indicted for involvement in L.A. drug-trafficking ring -- Law enforcement officers arrested 11 people Wednesday that prosecutors allege were part of a long-running drug trafficking ring that sold heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine across Los Angeles County. Jaclyn Cosgrove in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/13/20

HUD Secretary Carson cites San Diego as good example of cutting regulations, helping homeless in local visit -- During a visit to San Diego on Wednesday morning, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson said the city’s efforts to cut some construction regulations could be a reason why homelessness has declined in the area while it has increased in other major West Coast cities. Gary Warth in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/13/20

PG&E equipment catches fire in San Francisco, power outage shuts down ballet performance -- More than 9,000 homes and businesses in San Francisco lost power on Wednesday night when equipment in an underground Pacific Gas & Electric Co. vault caught fire. San Francisco fire Battalion Chief Mark Hayes told The Chronicle a power surge in an underground vault prompted a “small fire,” which firefighters extinguished. Lizzie Johnson, Steve Rubenstein and Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/13/20

At 85, singer Pat Boone says he’s ready for the end, but will do one last concert in Southern California -- When singer Pat Boone walks off the stage at the Coach House on Saturday, that’s it, he says. That will be his last-ever show near his home of more than six decades in Southern California. Peter Larsen in the Orange County Register -- 2/13/20

POTUS 45  

Trump seeks to bend the executive branch as part of impeachment vendetta -- President Trump is testing the rule of law one week after his acquittal in his Senate impeachment trial, seeking to bend the executive branch into an instrument for his personal and political vendetta against perceived enemies. Philip Rucker, Robert Costa and Josh Dawsey in the Washington Post$ -- 2/13/20

Beltway 

As a Post-Impeachment Trump Pushes the Limits, Republicans Say Little -- On a day when President Trump congratulated the attorney general for overruling career prosecutors in favor of the lighter prison sentence he sought for a longtime friend, Senate Republicans agreed on one thing: Reining in a president emboldened by the impeachment acquittal they orchestrated is not on their to-do list. Nicholas Fandos and Catie Edmondson in the New York Times$ -- 2/13/20

 

-- Wednesday Updates 

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