Updating . .
California loosens its individual mandate for health insurance -- Concerned too many Californians were unaware they would face a hefty fine for not having health insurance, officials on Tuesday loosened a state law meant to push uninsured residents into buying medical coverage. Melody Gutierrez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/18/20
Trump pardons ex-49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. over Louisiana casino case -- President Trump has pardoned former San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. for a conviction related to an attempt to win a Louisiana casino license. DeBartolo pleaded guilty in federal court in 1998 to a felony charge of failing to report that Louisiana’s former governor allegedly extorted $400,000 from him to win the license. Trapper Byrne in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Myah Ward Politico -- 2/18/20
Trump’s California visit raises questions about Newsom’s water policy credibility -- During President Trump’s visit to California this week, the commander in chief who campaigned on a pledge of shipping more water to Central Valley farms plans to stop in Bakersfield to boast about a promise kept. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/18/20
The new thing for California politicians? Sweet charity -- The California Legislature’s Latino Caucus recently circulated a memo offering a potential perk for members: A trip to Cuba to learn about “culture, history and possibly government structure and policy making.” The caucus’ nonprofit foundation, the memo said, would help pick up the tab. Laurel Rosenhall Calmatters -- 2/18/20
Rural California's delegate gold mine suddenly matters in Democratic primary -- Vast farm regions once considered California flyover country have suddenly become stopover country for presidential campaigns two weeks before Super Tuesday. Carla Marinucci Politico -- 2/18/20
Nonprofit demands details on California insurance commissioner’s meetings with executives -- A California consumer advocacy group filed a lawsuit on Tuesday to force Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and his agency to hand over detailed calendar appointments with industry executives who contributed to his campaign. Hannah Wiley in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/18/20
PG&E jolted by billions in quarterly losses amid wildfire costs, is on track to end bankruptcy in June -- PG&E posted a $3.62 billion loss for its fourth quarter that ended in December, but the embattled utility said Tuesday it’s on track to emerge from a bankruptcy quagmire linked to the company’s liabilities for a string of lethal wildfires. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/18/20
SDG&E to spend up to $1.5 billion in next three years on wildfire prevention -- Since the Witch, Guejito and Rice wildfires blistered San Diego County in the fall of 2007, San Diego Gas & Electric has spent more than $1.5 billion in ratepayer funds to help prevent another round of catastrophic blazes. Now, the power company expects to spend a similar amount — from $1 billion to $1.5 billion — over the next three years. Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/18/20
Where is our homelessness funding going? New bill seeks to find out -- How much are we spending to help the homeless? Where is that money going? And, is it helping? Those are the questions Assemblymember David Chiu, D-San Francisco, hopes to answer with a new bill introduced Tuesday. Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/18/20
Kamala Harris endorses George Gascón in competitive Los Angeles County D.A.’s race -- Harris — who served as San Francisco district attorney for seven years before Gascón took over the office in 2011 — called Gascón a “proven leader” in the criminal justice reform movement. James Queally in the Los Angeles Times$ Larry Altman in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 2/18/20
A surprise big spender funds attack campaign mailers in key L.A. school board races -- The barrage of campaign mail flooding voters in a Los Angeles school board race includes images of a child holding what appears to be a gun, with the message that school board member Jackie Goldberg is responsible for putting children at risk from gun-related violence. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/18/20
First group of coronavirus evacuees leaves Miramar -- Two weeks after they boarded chartered planes in China, the first group of evacuees who served their 14-day coronavirus quarantines at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar prepared to board charter buses or be picked up by family members Tuesday, undergoing one final medical test before getting the final go-ahead from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Paul Sisson in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/18/20
Living at the intersection of rich and poor -- Carmen Preciado has always been able to identify the precise spot along Middlefield Road that marks the end of her world and the beginning of another. “When I go to the other side, it’s just like: ‘Oh, this is a rich people area,'” said Preciado, a 31-year-old single mother and life-long Redwood City resident. “You can see the difference.” Erica Hellerstein Calmatters -- 2/18/20
Mayor Breed’s fix for choked streets: congestion pricing and Sunday parking meters -- With Market Street purged of cars, San Francisco Mayor London Breed now seeks to unclog the surrounding arteries and curbs. Her solutions would require drivers to open their wallets. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/18/20
California takes a first step toward improving its failing county jails -- California’s county jails would face greater scrutiny and potentially tougher consequences for poor conditions inside their cells under a series of proposed changes unveiled by a state oversight agency last week. Jason Pohl and Ryan Gabrielson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/18/20
'It’s ruined my life': Academy of Art ex-student owes $431,000 and has no job -- A federal lawsuit by four ex-employees accuses the Academy of Art of using illegal schemes to bait students like Dunn. The former recruiters say the school illegally adjusted their pay up or down based on how many students they registered, dangled trips to Hawaii as an incentive, and lied to the government about it to collect millions in financial aid. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/18/20
City College asks voters for $845 million to upgrade decaying campuses with ‘rat problems,’ ‘freezing’ classrooms -- As City College of San Francisco slashes hundreds of classes and sheds instructors to try and balance its books, college leaders are asking the city’s taxpayers for help shoring up the school’s aged and decaying buildings — and even its newer ones. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/18/20
Long Beach Poly teacher placed on leave again after students allege verbal and physical abuse -- Although the Long Beach Unified School District declined to provide details about the ongoing investigation into Libby Huff, or the nature of the complaints that have been made against her, an online anonymous compilation attributed to students contains 31 statements regarding her alleged inappropriate actions in the classroom. Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/18/20
SF ballot measure ties office growth to housing — and opponents say that’s a bad idea -- San Francisco’s skyline is growing, and the economy is booming as developers prepare to build another wave of office projects. But a powerful, longtime South of Market activist wants to hit the brakes, and he’s asking voters to help. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/18/20
Central Americans have long migrated north. Today, their studies are getting their due -- It was a rare thing, a few decades ago, to hear anyone in academia talk about Central Americans. Esmeralda Bermudez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/18/20
SpaceX expands space tourism, offering flight in astronaut capsule -- SpaceX is teaming up with a space tourism company to offer a flight aboard its Crew Dragon capsule that could propel customers higher into space than private citizens have ever gone before. Space Adventures said Tuesday that the four-person mission would enable tourists to “see planet Earth the way no one has since the Gemini program.” Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/18/20
A’s broadcast plan includes no Bay Area radio station: It’s streaming only -- Oakland is moving all of its audio content to TuneIn, a free app available on mobile devices and PCs that also streamed the A’s games last year. But the broadcast plan announced Tuesday morning includes no terrestrial station in the Oakland/San Francisco region. Susan Slusser in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/18/20
Boyarsky: CA Primary Presents Big Test for L.A. County’s New Voting System -- After the fouled up Iowa caucuses gave vote-counting a bad name, there will be heavy pressure on Los Angeles County officials to make sure their brand new electronic voting system works for the March 3 primary election. Bill Boyarsky Fox & Hounds -- 2/18/20
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Boy Scouts seeks bankruptcy under wave of new sex abuse lawsuits -- The Scouts’ Chapter 11 petition, filed in Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, comes amid declining membership and a wave of new sex-abuse lawsuits after several states, including California, New York and New Jersey, recently expanded legal options for childhood victims to sue. Kim Christensen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/18/20
Sanders revs up Richmond crowd ahead of Super Tuesday vote -- Two weeks out from Super Tuesday, and with no state more powerfully positioned than California to name the Democratic nominee, Bernie Sanders told an enthusiastic crowd of thousands in Richmond on Monday that victory is riding on their shoulders. Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Casey Tolan in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/18/20
Bernie Sanders and Michael Bloomberg’s attacks turn sharper, online and at Bay Area rally -- Tensions between Bernie Sanders and Michael R. Bloomberg took on a nasty edge Monday as each sought to establish a dominant position in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Johana Bhuiyan, Michael Finnegan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/18/20
SF expects record number of cruise ships in 2020 despite coronavirus fears -- This year was supposed to be huge for the San Francisco cruise industry. More ships than ever before — 117, up from 85 last year — are calling at the port. But the pall cast by the coronavirus over the cruise industry may affect the city. Shwanika Narayan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/18/20
Coronavirus Quarantine Ending For 200-Plus At MCAS Miramar -- This week more than 200 people evacuated to MCAS Miramar from the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China, are going home. Around 160 people are scheduled to leave the base on Tuesday. Another 60 are set to leave on Thursday. Matt Hoffman KPBS -- 2/18/20
Coronavirus: Infected cruise ship passengers getting care in Nebraska, not California -- The American passengers diagnosed with coronavirus infection who were evacuated from a Japanese cruise ship are getting specialized care at a Nebraska hospital and are not part of the large quarantine at Fairfield’s Travis Air Force Base, military officials said Monday. Those 13 individuals — among the 328 U.S. passengers of the Diamond Princess cruise ship, docked in Yokohama, Japan – were flown to the 20-bed National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center Medicine. Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury$ Molly Sullivan and Benjy Egel in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/18/20
From toys to Teslas, China’s coronavirus disrupts flow of global business -- Like many other American staples and luxuries, L.O.L. Surprise! dolls are made in China. Chatsworth-based MGA Entertainment has them manufactured in Guangdong province, trucked to the port in Yantian Harbor, loaded on ships and brought to the United States, where the popular toys are distributed to retailers and scooped up by eager children. The process went smoothly for years. James F. Peltz, David Pierson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/18/20
Music industry professionals speak out against AB 5 -- Ari Herstand has become adept at navigating the music industry — so adept that he parlayed his knowledge into a book entitled “How to Make it in the New Music Business.” But the Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter and countless other music professionals in California are up against a legislative roadblock that threatens their ability to earn a living. Kevin Smith in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 2/18/20
Cash-strapped Central Valley city weighs plan to convert prisons into immigration detention centers -- A small, cash-strapped city in California's agricultural Central Valley is considering a plan to convert two state prison facilities into for-profit immigration detention centers. Rebecca Plevin in the Desert Sun -- 2/18/20
Orinda Halloween shooting: Glazer announces bill to stiffen penalties for short-term rental violations -- State Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, is proposing new legislation giving Orinda and other cities the power to fine short-term rental violators up to $5,000 — in direct response to the mass shooting that killed five people Halloween night and rocked this city. Jon Kawamoto in the East Bay Times -- 2/18/20
SF’s Boudin, other district attorneys condemn Barr’s criticism -- San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin joined nearly 40 top prosecutors from across the nation, including from Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties, in condemning Attorney General William Barr’s remarks criticizing criminal justice reform policies. Alejandro Serrano in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/18/20
Taxes, Fees, Rates, Tolls, Bonds
MTS to hold public online forums on tax proposal to beef up transit, connect trolley to airport -- The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System is scheduled to hold three live online public forums to lay out its plans to dramatically expand bus and rail service with a half-cent sales tax measure planned for the November ballot. Joshua Emerson Smith in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/18/20
Homeless
As leaders spar over homelessness in Austin, California becomes a punching bag -- Last June, Austin Mayor Steve Adler and fellow Democrats on the City Council passed a law effectively allowing homeless people to sleep, camp and panhandle on sidewalks and in other public spaces, as long as they didn’t threaten safety. Molly Hennessy-Fiske in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/18/20
New round of Trump budget cuts could force more Californians into homelessness, advocates say -- The Trump administration is proposing a cut in homeless assistance funding next year, frustrating advocates who say the crisis in Sacramento and other cities is worsening. David Lightman and Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks McClatchy DC -- 2/18/20
Housing
San Diego’s Affordable Housing Program Inspires Statewide Bill -- Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez on Monday unveiled two bills aimed at tackling different aspects of the state's housing crisis. One bill would take a program credited with boosting home building in the city of San Diego and make it apply statewide. Andrew Bowen KPBS -- 2/18/20
Education
Gov. Newsom’s big bets: community schools, competitive grants and new teacher incentives -- Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to entice thousands of new teachers into the classroom, concentrate school improvement in the most impoverished neighborhoods and use competitive grants to challenge districts to form partnerships and develop best practices to raise achievement. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 2/18/20
Environment
Will electric planes take flight and help cool a warming planet? -- The global surge has scientists and activists asking: “Can we overcome daunting technological challenges and develop and deploy environmentally friendly electric-powered jets for short-haul trips between cities? The question is getting a deep look from David Victor, a UC San Diego professor who has joined a Europe-based study on the promise of electric aircraft. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/18/20
Also . . .
Jeff Bezos commits $10 billion to fight climate change -- Jeff Bezos announced the formation of the Bezos Earth Fund on Monday, saying it will provide $10 billion in grants to scientists and activists to fund their efforts to fight climate change. Kimberly Kindy in the Washington Post$ -- 2/18/20
POTUS 45
Bolton indicates more Ukraine details if book prevails WH "censorship" -- Former National Security Adviser John Bolton said during a talk at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina he hopes his new book is "not suppressed" by the White House, according to journalists present in the room. Rebecca Falconer Axios David A. Graham The Atlantic -- 2/18/20
Beltway
Over 2,000 Former Department of Justice Officials Want Attorney General William Barr to Resign -- Attorney General William Barr is facing significant criticism following a report last week that he personally intervened to ease prosecutors’ sentencing recommendation for Trump surrogate and witness tamperer Roger Stone — a situation that Trump then confirmed on Twitter. Matt Stieb New York Magazine -- 2/18/20
-- Monday Updates
Cruise ship evacuee arrivals in California, Texas include 14 with coronavirus -- Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield is the new, temporary home to another group of evacuees from the coronavirus outbreak in Asia. A plane carrying American residents evacuated from a cruise ship in Japan arrived at the base late Sunday night. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/17/20
Amid coronavirus threat, study abroad programs in China canceled -- Last summer, Andie Yu arrived in Beijing for a yearlong program at Peking University. The UC Irvine computer science student from Las Vegas was eager to improve her Mandarin and gain experience to be a more competitive job candidate in China. Nina Agrawal, Anh Do in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/17/20
Money pours into crowded race for Bay Area Senate seat -- Big money from labor unions, real estate agents, tech executives — and even one candidate’s mother — is pouring into an open state Senate race on the Peninsula ahead of a fiercely contested March primary. A crowded field is vying to replace Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, who is termed out after eight years representing the 13th Senate District, a wealthy suburban stretch from Brisbane to Sunnyvale. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/17/20
Jim Beall’s open Senate seat draws heavyweight contenders -- Four prominent South Bay politicians are jockeying to succeed termed-out state Sen. Jim Beall and they’re armed with hundreds of thousands in campaign funds donated by influential special interest groups ranging from labor unions to the oil industry. Thy Vo in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/17/20
Bloomberg Endorses Measure to Revise Prop. 13, Raise Commercial Property Taxes -- Stepping up his presence in California ahead of the March 3 presidential primary, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg threw his weight behind a proposed ballot measure to remove tax protections on commercial property currently enjoyed under voter-approved Proposition 13, the landmark anti-tax measure approved by voters in 1978. Scott Shafer KQED -- 2/17/20
Lorena Gonzalez introduces anti-'poor door’ housing legislation, density bonuses -- An attempt last year to separate low-income renters from market-rate renters in an East Village apartment building elicited a lot of anger. Now, one lawmaker is trying to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Phillip Molnar in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/17/20
Slain Hollywood therapist had twice sought restraining order against ex-boyfriend -- The well-known therapist and author fatally attacked at her Hollywood Hills home this weekend had twice sought restraining orders against the former boyfriend arrested on suspicion of her murder. Harriet Ryan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/17/20
At Oakland’s airport, optimism reigns despite loss of JetBlue and Norwegian -- Oakland International Airport has hit some bumps. There are no more cheap flights to Rome. JetBlue, which flew to Boston, New York and Long Beach, will leave in April. Southwest, which accounts for a majority of the airport’s traffic and has been hurt by the grounding of Boeing’s 737 Max aircraft, is operating fewer flights. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/17/20
Bay Area: Living at the intersection of rich and poor -- Carmen Preciado has always been able to identify the precise spot along Middlefield Road that marks the end of her world and the beginning of another. “When I go to the other side, it’s just like: ‘Oh, this is a rich people area,'” said Preciado, a 31-year-old single mother and life-long Redwood City resident. “You can see the difference.” Erica Hellerstein in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/17/20
Pier 1 files for bankruptcy protection amid online challenge -- Home goods retailer Pier 1 Imports Inc. said Monday that it has filed for bankruptcy protection. The Fort Worth, Texas-based company, which was founded in 1962, has been struggling with increased competition from budget-friendly online retailers such as Wayfair. Dee-Ann Durbin Associated Press -- 2/17/20
U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions in California doubled in two years. But trend is slowing -- The U.S. Border Patrol last year apprehended the highest number of immigrants trying to cross from Mexico into California in nearly a decade, though the trend is already shifting following Trump administration policy changes meant to discourage asylum seekers from entering the United States, the latest federal statistics show. Phillip Reese in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/17/20
Local attorney seeks justice for Marine confined more than two years without trial or charges -- A Marine recruit arrested for allegedly striking a drill instructor at the service’s San Diego boot camp has spent most of the last two years in the brig and is now confined to a federal prison hospital. He has not had a trial, nor has he been charged with a crime, according to the Marine Corps and the man’s attorney. Andrew Dyer in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/17/20
So many languages, so few books: Libraries struggle to reflect places they serve -- Jennifer Songster roved the crowded aisles of the small mom-and-pop shop, riffling through books in Khmer, the official language of Cambodia. Outside, the streets of Phnom Penh bustled. The air was thick and humid. Beads of sweat trickled down her face. Dorany Pineda, Maria L. La Ganga -- 2/17/20
Taylor: Student, after taking lesson on homelessness to heart, learns about heartache -- I met Olivia Wynkoop, a sophomore at San Francisco State University, on Feb. 3 in a journalism class. I’d been invited to share reporting techniques, and I talked about covering homeless and underprivileged communities in the East Bay. Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/17/20