Updating . .
California tells 7K people to stay home because of new virus -- California health officials said Friday that 7,600 people who returned to the state after visiting China during the outbreak of the new virus have been asked to quarantine themselves at home this month as health officials try to stop the spread of the virus. Olga R. Rodriguez Associated Press -- 2/21/20
California’s coronavirus cases now at 15, with new diagnoses in Humboldt, Sacramento areas -- Health officials in Humboldt and Sacramento counties each confirmed a case of the coronavirus in residents who had recently traveled to China. In addition, five people who were evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan and transported to Travis Air Force Base in Solano County have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, the CDC said, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in California to 15. Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ John Woolfolk, Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury$ Alejandro Serrano, Erin Allday and Chase DiFeliciantonio in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Cathie Anderson and Theodora Yu in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/21/20
‘Such a debacle’: Bay Area cruise evacuee questions coronavirus procedures -- When Kathy Wright got the news that her husband Rick tested positive for the coronavirus days after leaving the quarantined Diamond Princess Cruise ship in Tokyo, she just started crying. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/21/20
Bernie Sanders backers’ Medicare for All fury at powerful union jolts campaign -- The struggle in Nevada has ramifications in next-door California, where many unions have yet to line up behind a candidate with the March 3 primary barely a week away. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/21/20
KQED Political Breakdown -- Then, it's off to Las Vegas, where Democratic presidential candidates have gathered in advance of Saturday's caucus. Culinary Workers Union, Local 226 Secretary-Treasurer Geoconda Argüello-Kline joins to talk about her journey to the U.S., her concerns with single-payer health care, attacks from Bernie Sanders' supporters, and organizing in a right-to-work state Marisa Lagos, Scott Shafer KQED -- 2/21/20
Democrats try to blunt strong California showing for Sanders -- California is the largest prize in the calculations of any Democratic presidential candidate, and Bernie Sanders has been working the state for months, worrying his rivals. Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 2/21/20
Following the money — in cash -- When Steve Swanson decided to stop accepting cash at his longtime chain of Sacramento area dry cleaning stores, it seemed to make all the sense in the world. “Cash was such a small portion of our operation,” he says. “Some days we might have only a few dollars for a whole day.” But soon he might not have a choice. Rich Ehisen Capitol Weekly -- 2/21/20
Teachers notice rise in homelessness among kids -- Every time Salinas third-grade teacher Maria Castellanoz gets a whiff of kerosene, it takes her right back to her childhood in a migrant labor camp. Her parents used to heat the house with the stuff, in a kerosene lamp. When it was cold, her father moved the lamp from room to room to keep his family warm. Kate Cimini Calmatters -- 2/21/20
72 former clerks confirm harassment by influential U.S. appeals court judge -- The former law clerk who told Congress she had been sexually harassed by Judge Stephen Reinhardt in the last year of his life has gained support from 72 former Reinhardt clerks, more than half the total who worked for the liberal icon during his 37½ on the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/21/20
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf tells new police officers ‘leaders will come and go’ after chief’s firing -- Less than a day after the shocking dismissal of Oakland Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick, Mayor Libby Schaaf addressed the department’s newest officers Friday morning in a graduation ceremony for the force’s 183rd academy of recruits. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/21/20
A look behind California’s mixed record on lung cancer -- It was a bewildering moment for Zach Jump, the American Lung Assn.’s national director of epidemiology and statistics. The numbers leaped off the computer screen and prompted an immediate question: How could California, a leader in reducing lung cancer cases, fall so short on early diagnosis and treatment of the disease? Mark Kriedler in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/21/20
Almost every Californian would get $1,000 a month under universal basic income proposal -- It’s been tried in Stockton. Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang pitched a national version of it. Now California lawmakers are considering whether to adopt a Universal Basic Income. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/21/20
Fox: Is Confusion Over the Label “Proposition 13” Affecting the Chances of the School Bond? -- While the Proposition 13 property tax cut measure of four decades ago still enjoys a two-to-one advantage in polls, the Proposition 13 on the March 3 ballot for a $15 billion school bond is barely hanging on according to the new Public Policy Institute of California poll. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 2/21/20
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Oakland police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick ousted by commission -- The city’s police commission fired Chief Anne Kirkpatrick, who became the city’s first female chief of police three years ago, in a special meeting Thursday night. The decision was made unanimously by the police commission and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf during a closed session. David DeBolt, Annie Sciacca in the East Bay Times Megan Cassidy and Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/21/20
Coronavirus: 22 more cruise evacuees, including 16 in Bay Area, sent to hospitals -- At least 22 more people evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan to two U.S. air bases have either tested positive or shown symptoms of the coronavirus, including 16 who arrived at Travis Air Force Base but have now been transported to local hospitals, a spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told The Chronicle. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/21/20
Inside the U.S. Coronavirus Quarantine: a Hankering for Home Comforts -- David Huang couldn’t be more grateful to be back in the United States, after landing a seat on an evacuation flight out of Wuhan, China, during the coronavirus lockdown. But the 30-year-old postal worker from Seattle wasn’t expecting the two-week quarantine that followed to be an alcohol-free zone. Stephanie Yang, Shan Li in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 2/21/20
U.S. citizens evacuated from China depart Travis. Cruise ship evacuees now quarantined there -- The staff of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lifted the quarantine Thursday on all evacuees who flew into Solano County’s Travis Air Force Base two weeks ago from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the new coronavirus outbreak that has left more than 2,000 dead in that nation. Cathie Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/21/20
Democrats try to blunt strong California showing for Sanders -- California is the largest prize in the calculations of any Democratic presidential candidate, but it rarely seems that way. But no one is underselling California this time. Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 2/21/20
California’s solar mandate to allow homes without solar -- At a passionate hearing, the California Energy Commission unanimously approved the Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s plan to build its own large-scale solar site that homeowners can tap into, forgoing the need for solar on each new home. Cuneyt Dil Associated Press Ezra David Romero Capital Public Radio Sammy Roth in the Los Angeles Times$ Carlyn Kranking Calmatters Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/21/20
California approves natural gas limits on new buildings in nine Bay Area cities -- On Thursday, the California Energy Commission unanimously approved new municipal building codes — which include strict policies for natural gas use in new homes — in Berkeley, Santa Rosa, Healdsburg, Windsor, Palo Alto, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Mountain View and Brisbane. The policies take effect immediately. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/21/20
Brace for the deluge: Special interests are spending millions to get the California legislators they want -- With two weeks to go before election day in California, businesses, labor unions, mega-wealthy political donors and other coalitions of deep-pocketed interests seeking a say in state lawmaking have opened the spigots. Ben Christopher Calmatters -- 2/21/20
Trump administration reverses itself, will pay California for Oroville Dam fixes -- In a rare reversal, the Trump administration has agreed to reimburse California for hundreds of millions of dollars in repair costs stemming from the 2017 emergency at Oroville Dam. The state Department of Water Resources said Thursday the Federal Emergency Management Agency agreed to cover approximately $300 million in repair costs the agency had previously denied. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/21/20
Real ID application documents can be submitted online, DHS says -- The Department of Homeland Security will allow states to accept documents for Real ID applications electronically, streamlining the process for millions of Americans to obtain the credential that come fall will be needed to pass through airport security checkpoints. Luz Lazo in the Washington Post$ -- 2/21/20
Supreme Court decision not to review felony murder law ruling clears way for inmates seeking new sentences -- The state high court let stand a ruling from the appeals court in San Diego upholding the new law, which offers thousands of inmates a chance at a lesser sentnece, or even freeedom. Greg Moran in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/21/20
Girlfriend in Nuru corruption complaint identified as SF official: ‘Don’t run your mouth’ -- A woman identified by federal officials as “Girlfriend 1,” an apparent romantic partner and confidante of former Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru, is city official Sandra Zuniga, according to people familiar with the matter. She traveled with him when he allegedly accepted improper gifts, according to federal documents. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/21/20
Taylor: Widow of Black Panther founder Huey Newton fights for monument in West Oakland -- Every week or so, Fredrika Newton receives a flyer with an offer to buy her home. Newton, widow of Huey P. Newton, a co-founder of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, lives in West Oakland. Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle$
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Some Oracle Employees Stop Work in Protest of Larry Ellison’s Politics -- While a wave of employee activism marked by walk-outs and protests has rippled through Silicon Valley the past few years, Oracle Corp. glided along unscathed. Now, a symbol of tech’s old guard is facing the stirrings of a worker uprising as well. Nico Grant Bloomberg -- 2/21/20
Homeless
Here’s where California is offering land for homeless housing -- Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration has set aside nearly 300 state-owned properties that may be turned into emergency housing for homeless people, half of which are in the Bay Area. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/21/20
Kaiser Permanente donates $32 million for Sacramento homeless, low-income people -- Kaiser Permanente is donating $32 million to help homeless and low-income Sacramento residents, including $5 million for two large upcoming Sacramento shelters. Theresa Clift in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/21/20
New law would allow Sacramento to clear homeless camps from levees, some downtown streets -- Sacramento may soon begin clearing homeless camps from sections of riverfront levees, several downtown streets and outside public facilities in what top city officials describe as an effort to protect critical infrastructure and prevent wildfires and catastrophic floods. Theresa Clift in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/21/20
Sacramento homeless advocates vow more port-a-potties are coming to city, county land -- Sacramento civil rights attorney Mark Merin has dropped his port-a-potty lawsuit against the city, but says he expects more of the portable toilets to begin popping up on city and county land as advocates heed California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s call for action on the state’s homelessness crisis. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/21/20
Housing
Why Does It Cost $750,000 to Build Affordable Housing in San Francisco? -- The average home in the United States costs around $240,000. But in San Francisco, the world’s most expensive place for construction, a two-bedroom apartment of what passes for affordable housing costs around $750,000 just to build. California’s staggering housing costs have become the most significant driver of inequality in the state. Thomas Fuller in the New York Times$ -- 2/21/20
Berkeley tenants rights plan would give renters first right to buy their home -- Berkeley’s mayor proposed an ordinance Thursday that would give tenants the first right of refusal to purchase the home they live in if it goes up for sale. The legislation is the third such proposal introduced in the East Bay and statewide in recent weeks. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Jocelyn Gecker Associated Press -- 2/21/20
Education
In College and Homeless -- On a sunny day last April, Anthony White, a 29-year-old Marine Corps veteran, told a room of California state legislators how he had survived a semester as a cash-strapped student at MiraCosta College: he’d slept in his car. Kyle Spencer in the New York Times$ -- 2/21/20
SDSU condemns anti-Semitic and racial remarks made during campus demonstration -- San Diego State University on Thursday condemned anti-Semitic and racial remarks purportedly made by political activists outside the student center but upheld their First Amendment right to free speech. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/21/20
Lawsuit settlement results in $50 million for reading programs in California schools -- Seventy-five California elementary schools where students have the lowest average reading scores will share $50 million in state grants to improve reading and writing instruction, according to a legal settlement announced Thursday. Carolyn Jones EdSource -- 2/21/20
Immigration / Border
SD Sheriff To Comply With Federal Order To Release Migrant-Arrest Data -- The San Diego County Sheriff's Department announced Thursday it will comply with federal court orders seeking migrant-arrest data that California's sanctuary state legislation seeks to shield. KPBS -- 2/21/20
An ICE Detention Center? You Picked the Wrong Town, Residents Say -- A private prison company wants to operate an immigration detention center in McFarland, Calif., a town that is home to thousands of undocumented farm workers. Miriam Jordan in the New York Times$ -- 2/21/20
Water
California drought ‘pretty likely’ by summer as new report shows state growing more dry -- Following another week without rain — and none forecast through the end of this month across Northern California — the federal government on Thursday announced that unusually dry conditions are expanding across a wider swath of California’s landscape, increasing concerns about summer fire risk and the possible return of at least a modest drought this year. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/21/20
Environment
Warmest January Ever Puts 2020 on Track to Be One of Top 10 Hottest Years -- It may only be February, but 2020 is already “virtually certain” to be among the 10 warmest years on record, and has nearly a 50 percent chance of being the warmest ever, scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday. Henry Fountain in the New York Times$ -- 2/21/20
POTUS 45
Lawmakers Are Warned That Russia Is Meddling to Re-elect Trump -- Intelligence officials warned House lawmakers last week that Russia was interfering in the 2020 campaign to try to get President Trump re-elected, five people familiar with the matter said, a disclosure to Congress that angered Mr. Trump, who complained that Democrats would use it against him. Adam Goldman, Julian E. Barnes, Maggie Haberman and Nicholas Fandos in the New York Times$ -- 2/21/20
Beltway
White House transfers top national security aide after whisper campaign -- Victoria Coates, who was the subject of a whisper campaign that she is the anonymous author of a tell-all book about the Trump administration, is moving from the National Security Council to the Energy Department. Meridith McGraw Politico -- 2/21/20
Bloomberg quietly plotting brokered convention strategy -- The effort is designed as a potential backstop to block Bernie Sanders by poaching supporters from Joe Biden and other moderates. David Siders Politico -- 2/21/20
-- Thursday Updates
Slain therapist Amie Harwick was strangled before fall from balcony, coroner says -- Amie Harwick, the prominent family and marriage therapist slain at her Hollywood Hills residence, was strangled before falling to her death from a balcony, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office said Thursday. Harriet Ryan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/20/20
Coronavirus: 22 more cruise evacuees sent to hospitals, including 16 in Bay Area -- At least 22 more people evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan to two U.S. air bases have either tested positive or showed symptoms of the coronavirus, including 16 who arrived at Travis Air Force Base but have now been transported to local hospitals, according to Scott Pauley, a spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/20/20
Santa Clara County declares first coronavirus case fully recovered -- Santa Clara County’s Public Health Department said Thursday that the man who became the first confirmed local person infected with the deadly novel coronavirus has fully recovered and has been released from his self-isolation at home. John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/20/20
Oakland high school shut due to cancer-causing chemical found in groundwater -- A cancer-causing chemical found in groundwater has forced an Oakland school to abruptly cancel classes and close through at least next Wednesday, district officials said Thursday. The chemical trichloroethylene was found under the campus of McClymonds High School and was not in the drinking water, said spokesman John Sasaki. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/20/20
Steak dinners, secret donors: How the Tech Caucus is courting Silicon Valley with charity -- The Foundation for California's Technology and Innovation Economy — overseen by a board with close ties to Assemblyman Evan Low of Campbell — asks for thousands of dollars for admission to its annual policy summit with lawmakers. Who's paying? It won't say. Laurel Rosenhall Calmatters -- 2/20/20
California will pay millions to settle suit claiming it violated childrens’ rights by not teaching them to read -- The state's $50 million payout to needy schools, announced today, resolves a sweeping lawsuit that put California on trial for failing to give low-income students equal access to literacy instruction. Ricardo Cano Calmatters Sonali Kohli, Iris Lee in the Los Angeles Times$-- 2/20/20
USC offers free tuition to families making under $80,000 and a break for homeowners -- In a “high-octane” drive to widen access for more middle- and low-income students, USC will eliminate tuition for families earning $80,000 or less annually and will no longer consider home equity in financial aid calculations. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/20/20
Coronavirus: As Wuhan evacuees released from Bay Area base, one traveler recounts his experience -- Jeffrey Ho looked like a typical traveler at San Francisco International Airport, wheeling a suitcase and shouldering a green cargo backpack — except for a blue plastic wrist band marked with the date of his release from what federal officials describe as the first U.S. quarantine in more than 50 years. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/20/20
Second group of quarantined Americans released from Miramar -- Sixty-three American citizens held in quarantine at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar were released from the base for good Thursday morning after passing a final round of health checks. They are the second group of evacuees to leave the Miramar quarantine after the first and larger group left Tuesday. Andrew Dyer, Paul Sisson in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/20/20
Joe Biden is trailing Bernie Sanders by less than you might think, new California poll says -- A new poll released by Monmouth University Thursday morning found 24 percent of likely California Democratic primary voters supporting Sanders, compared to 17 percent for former Vice President Joe Biden. The 7-point gap is far narrower than the 18-point lead the Public Policy Institute of California recorded Sanders having on Tuesday. Bryan Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/20/20
Jones fails to file financial disclosure form in 50th District race; other campaign finance issues raised -- State Sen. Brian Jones failed to file a federal personal financial disclosure form and was recently accused of misusing state campaign funds in his bid to become the next congressman representing California’s 50th District. Jones on Wednesday apologized for the lack of financial disclosures, calling it a mixup. He also scoffed at the allegations of misused campaign funds calling them “desperate.” Charles T. Clark in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/20/20
Hiltzik: Trump gives politically connected farmers more water, at expense of everyone else -- Let’s give credit where credit is due: President Trump and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt put in a full day’s work Wednesday. Of course, the work they were doing served only a small cadre of rich farmers, not you and me. Michael Hiltzik in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/20/20
He resisted Obama’s war on coal. Now a Trump official, he’s excited for clean energy -- The American power grid is getting cleaner. And Neil Chatterjee is feeling optimistic. Sammy Roth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/20/20
See when Bay Area landmarks go underwater due to sea level rise if precautions not taken -- Scientific research has repeatedly shown that amid a changing climate, rising ocean waters would inundate coastal lands in the future — and that includes the San Francisco Bay shoreline. Exactly when areas around the bay's edge will go underwater is uncertain, but studies suggest that by 2050, the region could experience 12 to 36 inches of sea level rise. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/20/20
The days of fast growth are ending for L.A. and California, report says -- It wasn’t so long ago that economic growth in California and Los Angeles far surpassed that of the nation. Those days are coming to an end, according to the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., a nonprofit group that works with local businesses. Margot Roosevelt in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/20/20
California’s Phil Ting tilts at windmills — ban gas-powered cars! — hoping to start a conversation -- Ting may sometimes be the California Assembly’s Don Quixote, chasing seemingly impossible ideas. But he’s playing the long game. It’s a win, the lawmaker says, if he simply gets people talking. Julie Cart Calmatters -- 2/20/20
A sanctuary country: 2020 Democrats want the U.S. to be more like immigrant-friendly California -- Democrats competing for the White House have introduced plans that could offer citizenship for the 2 million undocumented immigrants who call the Golden State home. Hannah Wiley in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/20/20
SpaceX wants to build its Mars Starship at Port of L.A. — again -- SpaceX created excitement in 2018 when it said it would build its Mars spaceship and rocket at the Port of Los Angeles, striking a deal to lease a swath of Terminal Island for the purpose. Early last year, it changed its mind and moved the work to Texas. Now it wants back in — and officials are poised to grant its wish. Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/20/20
Time Warner Cable customers duped by misleading ads to get nearly $17 million in credits -- The county had sued on behalf of more than 170,000 California customers who subscribed to Time Warner Cable broadband service and paid for internet speeds that the company failed to deliver. Meg James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/20/20
For LA people living in cars, secured parking lot is nightly haven -- Each morning, Jeanene Barnett wakes up at 4:30 a.m., heads to the gym and then drives to her job as a referral specialist at HealthNet. In the evening, she winds down, watches a movie on her cellphone and puts on her pajamas. Finally, she climbs into the backseat of her Kia Soul to sleep. Her 20-year-old son sleeps in the front seat. “It’s not comfortable,” she said, “and it hurts my back.” Olga Grigoryants in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 2/20/20
Fox: State Economy Strong, But the Forecast is Not as Bright -- In the State Capital, Governor Gavin Newsom gave his State of the State speech yesterday boasting about California as an economic powerhouse. While at the same time down south, the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) revealed its annual economic forecast predicting that the rosy picture will likely pale. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 2/20/20