Updating . .
Trump has flipped the 9th Circuit — and some new judges are causing a ‘shock wave’ -- When President Trump ticks off his accomplishments since taking office, he frequently mentions his aggressive makeover of a key sector of the federal judiciary — the circuit courts of appeal, where he has appointed 51 judges to lifetime jobs in three years. Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/22/20
Most California insurers don’t incentivize fire prevention. A bill would change that -- A group of state lawmakers, regulators and consumer advocates hope the insurance industry can encourage homeowners and communities to harden their homes and neighborhoods against wildfires. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/22/20
Bay Area boosts Biden and Buttigieg Super PACs; Sanders leads California fundraising -- Sen. Bernie Sanders continued to lead his presidential rivals in donations from Californians last month as he raked in more than $25 million in contributions from around the country, according to campaign finance reports released late Thursday. Casey Tolan in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/22/20
Game-changing LA County voting centers are open — despite some early glitches -- Years in the making, vote centers opened throughout Los Angeles County on Saturday morning, ushering in a major change in the way and where many of the county’s voters cast their ballots. Ryan Carter in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 2/22/20
Missing Palo Alto couple found alive in Marin County -- In a Tweet Saturday morning, the Marin County Sheriff’s Office said Marin County Search and Rescue and the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office were “working to extract them from the area.” The couple was transported to “a local hospital,” around noon, the Marin County Sheriff's Office said on Twitter. Carol Kiparsky, 77, and Ian Irwin, 72, were last seen on Feb. 14 walking near their rented cottage on Via de la Vista in the Seahaven-Inverness area. Justin Phillips in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/22/20
Judge blocks transfer of suspected coronavirus patients from Travis to Orange County -- A federal judge has granted a request to block temporarily the transfer of several dozen people who likely are infected with the new coronavirus from Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, where they have been under quarantine, to a closed facility in Orange County. Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/22/20
250,000 fans visited L.A. Live in days after Kobe Bryant’s death. Monday will be different -- In the days after Kobe Bryant’s death last month, Los Angeles was in mourning. Mayor Eric Garcetti said “this city is broken” as he talked about a memorial for the NBA great who died in a helicopter crash along with his daughter and seven mothers. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/22/20
Oakland mayor says police chief’s firing was ‘personally difficult’ but in ‘the best interest’ of the city -- A day after she agreed to the citizen police commission’s firing of Chief Anne Kirkpatrick, Mayor Libby Schaaf welcomed nearly 30 police academy graduates with an explanation of why she terminated an ally she had recruited to turnaround Oakland’s troubled police department. David DeBolt in the East Bay Times -- 2/22/20
A look at Proposition 13, the $15-billion school bond on the March 3 ballot -- California voters will see only one statewihttps://www.dailynews.com/2020/02/21/instead-of-another-gated-community-porter-ranch-and-chatsworth-get-257-acres-of-lovely-preserved-open-space/de proposition on the March 3 primary ballot, a proposal to borrow money for the state’s schools. And in an election season dominated by a fiercely contested Democratic presidential race, this single ballot measure has received little attention. John Myers in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/22/20
Coronavirus: Masked medics asked her to step outside. Then they started singing “Happy Birthday” -- Sarah Arana’s birthday party this year was going to be an elegant and intimate affair. Instead, she was given a surprise serenade by a joyful quartet of medics from the National Disaster Medical System of the Department of Health and Human Services — dressed in protective masks, face shields and surgical gloves — who sang, laughed, strummed guitar and delivered a box of decorated cupcakes. Lisa M. Krieger and John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/22/20
Lelyveld: Theo Henderson, 46, calls a park in Chinatown home and records “We the Unhoused” on his cellphone every week — no small feat as he also tries to survive on our streets. His parents, his only real safety net, died when he was a young man. And even though he graduated from college and used to teach elementary school, in a series of calamities starting with a diabetic coma during the recession, he lost his job and his housing and his economic stability. He now sleeps outdoors, on concrete. Nita Lelyveld in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/22/20
Still need a Real ID? Here’s how you can save time on your next trip to the DMV -- The clock is ticking for the roughly 16 million California drivers who are expected to come the Department of Motor Vehicles by the end of the year for a Real ID. Bryan Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/22/20
Instead of another gated community, Porter Ranch and Chatsworth get 257 acres of lovely, preserved open space -- The housing development once planned to be built here was to be called Hidden Creeks Estates. Now the name Hidden Creeks is being used to refer to the newly established, and fully protected, parkland. Elizabeth Chou in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 2/22/20
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Across California, tech, ports and tourism take hits from coronavirus -- Another tech conference pullout. Fewer cargo ships calling at ports. Chinese tourists staying away. The economic impacts of the coronavirus are starting to be felt across California, though right now they aren’t slowing the economy at large. That could change, experts say, if the virus continues to spread. Chase DiFeliciantonio in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/22/20
Coronavirus updates: How virus traveled from China to Northern California, Sacramento -- It’s been a month since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the first case of novel coronavirus in the United States, a potentially deadly virus that causes the COVID-19 disease that broke out in China in December. Rosalio Ahumada in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/22/20
Judge halts plan to house coronavirus patients in Costa Mesa — for now -- A federal judge late Friday temporarily blocked the U.S. government from quarantining coronavirus patients in Costa Mesa after city officials argued that the surprise proposal came with no information about how surrounding neighborhoods would be protected from the deadly virus. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/22/20
Bernie Sanders criticizes California’s voting system: ‘We risk locking out millions’ -- Bernie Sanders is increasingly concerned about the lack of turnout so far among California independents, and his campaign is pinning blame on state leaders for enacting what they believe is a confusing process for no party preference voters. Bryan Anderson in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/22/20
Bernie Sanders Was Warned Russia Is Trying to Boost His Presidential Campaign -- U.S. officials have informed Sen. Bernie Sanders that Russia is actively trying to support his campaign for the Democratic nomination as part of Moscow’s broader efforts to interfere in the 2020 election, according to two people familiar with the matter. President Trump and a small number of lawmakers have been briefed on the same intelligence, the people said. Dustin Volz in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 2/22/20
Twitter is suspending 70 pro-Bloomberg accounts, citing ‘platform manipulation’ -- Michael R. Bloomberg’s presidential campaign has been experimenting with novel tactics to cultivate an online following, or at least the appearance of one. But one of the strategies — deploying a large number of Twitter accounts to push out identical messages — has backfired. On Friday, Twitter began suspending 70 accounts posting pro-Bloomberg content in a pattern that violates company rules. Suhauna Hussain, Jeff Bercovici in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/22/20
Court dumps Nunes' suit against Trump dossier firm --A federal judge has tossed out a racketeering lawsuit House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes filed last year against the private investigation firm at the heart of the Trump-Russia saga. Josh Gerstein Politico -- 2/22/20
California denies Trump administration claim on abortion coverage -- The state of California told the Trump administration Friday that it would continue to require health plans in the state to cover abortion services and accused the administration of illegally threatening to withhold federal aid to California to try to force a change. Noam N. Levey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/22/20
Kobe Bryant’s pilot had been disciplined by FAA over weather-related flight violation -- The pilot of the helicopter that crashed into a Calabasas hillside last month, killing NBA star Kobe Bryant and eight others, violated federal flight rules in 2015 when he flew into busy airspace near Los Angeles International Airport despite being ordered not to by air traffic control, according to records from the Federal Aviation Administration obtained by The Times. Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/22/20
A timeline of chaos: Oakland police chief’s firing the latest embarrassment two decades after ‘Riders’ scandal -- The surprise firing Thursday of Oakland Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick — the city’s 11th chief in the past 21 years — was just the latest trouble for a department that has struggled to reform itself nearly two decades after The Riders scandal, in which a group of officers allegedly assaulted and falsely arrested residents in the city’s poorest neighborhoods. Alejandro Serrano and Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/22/20
Trump lawyers drop appeal — separated immigrant families to get mental health care -- The Trump administration dropped its appeal of a federal judge’s order Friday and agreed to provide mental health care to thousands of immigrant parents and children who were separated at the Mexican border by the administration’s “zero tolerance” policy. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/22/20
In wake of scandal, SF supervisors seek faster subpoena power -- With San Francisco City Hall reeling from a widening government corruption scandal touched off by the arrest of ex-Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru last month, Supervisor Aaron Peskin wants to beef up the board’s investigatory powers. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/22/20
Man tied to ex-congresswoman campaign arrested in hack spree -- The FBI on Friday arrested a man linked to former U.S. Rep. Katie Hill’s 2018 House campaign for allegedly orchestrating a series of cyberattacks on a rival candidate that shut down the campaign’s website for 21 hours. Michael R. Blood Associated Press -- 2/22/20
Some lawmakers upset about Valentine condoms, candy sent by Planned Parenthood -- Some California lawmakers are upset that Planned Parenthood delivered condoms to their offices in Valentine’s Day gift packages that used a profane word in their message. Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/22/20
Six Republicans are challenging Rep. Katie Porter in 45th Congressional District -- The 45th District is the only congressional seat in Orange County facing a significant and unpredictable primary race March 3, with no clear favorite among six GOP candidates competing to take on Democratic Rep. Katie Porter in the general election. That uncertainty has made CA-45 the priciest primary battle in the county. Brooke Staggs in the Orange County Register -- 2/22/20
In 46th District, four candidates challenge incumbent Rep. Lou Correa on March 3 ballot -- In the solidly blue 46th congressional district, four challengers are battling it out to see who makes it through the March 3 primary. But given his experience, name recognition and fundraising advantage, the November election isn’t expected to be competitive for two-term Democratic incumbent Rep. Lou Correa. Brooke Staggs in the Orange County Register -- 2/22/20
Predictable primary expected in 48th Congressional District; November will be more heated -- Think of the race to represent the 48th congressional district as a two-act play. Brooke Staggs in the Orange County Register -- 2/22/20
In the 49th District, the primary will preview a potentially tough November final -- There are just two candidates running to represent the 49th congressional district, meaning both freshmen Democratic incumbent Rep. Mike Levin and his Republican challenger, Brian Maryott, will advance to the general election in November. Still, while the outcome of the March 3 primary is a lock, it figures to provide an early look at how voters feel about the two candidates before they make a final decision. Brooke Staggs in the Orange County Register -- 2/22/20
Both candidates in 69th Assembly District primary will advance to November -- California’s staunchly blue 69th Assembly District won’t have a competitive primary, with just two candidates on the ballot. But the March 3 results could offer a glimpse of what will happen in November, when the general election will come down to four-term Democratic incumbent Assemblyman Tom Daly vs. Jon Paul White, a Republican business consultant from Santa Ana. Brooke Staggs in the Orange County Register -- 2/22/20
Two candidates in California’s 55th Assembly District primary will meet again in November -- Both candidates — two-term incumbent Assemblyman Phillip Chen, R-Brea, and Walnut Mayor Andrew Rodriguez, a Democrat — will advance to the general election. The district includes part of northeast Orange County, from Yorba Linda to La Habra, plus cities in south Los Angeles County and east San Bernardino County. Brooke Staggs in the Orange County Register -- 2/22/20
Shifting politics adds doubt to primary battle in 68th Assembly District -- Two-term GOP incumbent Assemblyman Steven Choi, who represents the 68th Assembly District, has unexpectedly found himself with a target on his back during the March 3 primary, facing challenges from two Democrats and another viable Republican. Brooke Staggs in the Orange County Register -- 2/22/20
In 73rd Assembly District, the embattled GOP incumbent faces four challengers -- In theory, the most GOP-centric political district in Orange County should be a Republican cakewalk. But it’s unclear if that will be the case on March 3 in the 73rd Assembly District, where four challengers — two Democrats and two Republicans — are hoping to unseat embattled incumbent GOP Assemblyman Bill Brough. Brooke Staggs in the Orange County Register -- 2/22/20
Prosecutors decline to charge deputies in alleged East L.A. Station hazing linked to Banditos -- Prosecutors declined to file charges against a Los Angeles County sheriff’s sergeant and three deputies who were investigated for allegedly beating four other deputies at an off-duty East L.A. station party in September 2018, records show. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/22/20
Judge orders Sacramento sheriff to ‘unban’ 2 black activists from his Facebook page -- A federal judge on Friday ordered Sacramento Sheriff Scott Jones to lift the ban he had placed on two black community activists that prevented them from posting comments on his Facebook page. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/22/20
Judge finds Sacramento Sheriff still fails to comply with law on disclosing deputy files -- A judge has again ruled against the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office over its failure to comply with a new law that requires release of records of misconduct by deputies, and has awarded more than $63,000 in legal fees and costs to lawyers for The Sacramento Bee who sued over the issue last year. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/22/20
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
Wells Fargo to pay $3B to resolve probes into fake accounts -- Wells Fargo agreed Friday to pay $3 billion to settle criminal and civil investigations into a long-running practice whereby company employees opened millions of unauthorized bank accounts in order to meet unrealistic sales goals. Ken Sweet and Stefanie Dazio Associated Press -- 2/22/20
Sacramento’s planned new bridge has style ... and attitude. Check out these renderings -- Sacramento and West Sacramento unveiled the final design Friday for a proposed new — and quite modern — bridge over the Sacramento River. It’s called “The Spring.” Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/22/20
Get a $43 raise? That’s the average in Southern California -- Southern California pay raises and job growth slightly exceeded the national pace in the third quarter, a new government report shows. Jonathan Lansner in the Orange County Register -- 2/22/20
Transit
Sacramento County paid $1.5 million to build a bus-only lane. Now, no bus uses it -- A dedicated bus lane along one of Sacramento County’s most congested corridors and cost $1.5 million to build has not been used since fall. Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/22/20
Homeless
Caltrans identifies sites, many near freeways, for emergency homeless shelters -- Small, undeveloped pieces of Caltrans property near freeway ramps and interchanges account for all but one of nine state-owned sites in Orange County identified Friday as spots where emergency shelters could be placed. Theresa Walker in the Orange County Register -- 2/22/20
Education
Memo to San Francisco schools: Get ready for budget cuts and layoffs -- Superintendent Vincent Matthews notified staff this week that the district’s budget has reached a breaking point, requiring $26 million in cuts next school year, including $10 million at school sites, and that staff cuts at this point appear inevitable. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/22/20
More teacher layoffs approved in Sacramento school district -- The decision by the district board marks the beginning of layoff procedures for certificated employees. The layoffs could potentially include core subject teachers, parent participation preschool teachers and special education instructors. Sawsan Morrar in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/22/20
Native American elders call on SF school board to keep controversial mural on view -- Native American elders and author Alice Walker called on San Francisco school officials Friday to rethink their decision to cover up a controversial mural featuring white settlers stepping over a dead American Indian, saying the art is important testimony to historic atrocities. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/22/20
Immigration / Border
Hours-long march protesting femicide ends peacefully in Tijuana -- A mostly peaceful, four-hour long march protesting gender-based violence in Mexico ended Friday evening with no arrests or injuries. About 100 women gathered in Tijuana’s Plaza Santa Cecilia around 2:30 p.m. Friday afternoon, protesting what they described as government inaction against skyrocketing levels of violence against women because of their gender. Wendy Fry in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 2/22/20
Water
It's Finally On: California Files Lawsuit to Block Trump Administration Water Rules -- California sued the Trump administration on Thursday to block new rules that would let farmers take more water from the state’s largest river systems, arguing it would push endangered populations of delta smelt, chinook salmon and steelhead trout to extinction. Adam Beam Associated Press -- 2/22/20
Environment
California Fish and Game ends striped bass population mandate, allowing decline -- The California Fish and Game Commission on Friday voted unanimously to amend its decades-old policy regarding striped bass, beginning a process that could allow the population decline. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/22/20
Also . . .
Ex-inmate charged with sending poison to California prison -- An Eastern European man who authorities say sent a Christmas card to the Unabomber has been indicted on charges of mailing packages of a potentially deadly poison to a California state prison, officials said Friday. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 2/22/20
If accidental fire damages someone else’s trees, owner escapes responsibility -- A 19th century California law providing double or triple damages for destroying trees or timber on someone else’s property does not apply to fires started by accident, the state Supreme Court has ruled. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 2/22/20
POTUS 45
A buoyant Trump out West, cheerful about his acquittal and eager to mock his Democratic opponents -- Since the Republican-controlled Senate voted to acquit him on impeachment charges, President Trump has been on something of a perpetual victory lap. He has tweeted, he has crowed, he has purged. Then, this week, he took his triumphant show to the West Coast. Ashley Parker in the Washington Post$ -- 2/22/20
White House fears coronavirus could shape Trump's 2020 fortunes -- The Trump administration is bracing for a possible coronavirus outbreak in the United States that could sicken thousands — straining the government's public health response and threatening an economic slowdown in the heat of President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign. Dan Diamond and Adam Cancryn Politico -- 2/22/20
Beltway
‘It’s going to take a rich guy to beat Trump’: Why some Democrats back Bloomberg -- Mike Bloomberg's rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination clamor that the White House is not for sale — not even for a buyer worth $60 billion. On the debate stage as well as the campaign trail, they castigate him as an out-of-touch plutocrat unfairly injecting hundreds of millions of dollars into the political system to manipulate democracy. Philip Rucker in the Washington Post$ -- 2/22/20
-- Friday Updates
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