Updating . .   

Can Prop. 16 boost California’s Latino-, Black-, Asian- and women-owned companies? -- Twenty-five years ago, Gene Hale, president of a Gardena construction company, was selling more than $8 million a year in cranes, forklifts and concrete to help build freeways from San Diego to Sacramento. Margot Roosevelt in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/17/20

Proposition 16 would bring affirmative action back to California. Here’s how it works -- Proposition 16, placed on the ballot by the Legislature after a wave of protests against police brutality last summer, seeks to provide opportunities for minorities and women. Kim Bojórquez in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/17/20

Proposition 20: Will California go back to its ‘tough on crime’ past? -- California has spent much of the past decade working to reverse its tough-on-crime past. Voters and lawmakers who spent decades embracing strict criminal penalties and long prison sentences have moved to shrink the prison population, ease punishments for property and drug crimes, and expand access to parole. Nico Savidge in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/17/20

California disputed ballot boxes removed, arguing continues -- The state Republican Party has removed their unstaffed, unofficial ballot drop boxes that state officials deemed illegal, California’s secretary of state said Friday, and subpoenas are being issued to get more information about them as the state attorney general looks into possible election law violations. Amy Taxin Associated Press -- 10/17/20

Northern California faith-healing megachurch leader apologizes, but still questions masks -- A leader at a megachurch that dominates civic and religious life in Redding apologized Friday for “making light of this pandemic” at a time when nearly 300 people at her church’s school have contracted the virus and some are blaming the church for pending shutdowns. Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/17/20

Landlords in Sacramento are offered thousands of dollars to rent to low-income families -- On any given day, there are about 700 families in Sacramento County who have a voucher for subsidized housing but cannot find a landlord who will accept it. Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/17/20

Many California wineries will make no wine this year because of wildfire smoke -- California’s 2020 wildfire season will be remembered not only for its destruction of wineries, homes and vineyards but also for another lasting impact: the unprecedented number of California wineries that have decided, due to wildfire smoke, to make far less wine than usual — or in some cases, to make no wine at all. Esther Mobley in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/17/20

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

In ballot box battle, Dems and GOP both claim victory. Why this fight fizzled -- In a press conference seemingly designed to deescalate a week-long legal standoff, declare victory and profoundly confuse the California press corps, Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Secretary of State Alex Padilla said they would not be taking legal action against the California Republican Party for its makeshift ballot box program. Ben Christopher CalMatters -- 10/17/20

California Republicans defend ballot boxes as subpoenas are issued -- California officials on Friday said that the state Republican Party has agreed to no longer deploy “unstaffed, unsecured, unofficial and unauthorized” private ballot boxes and that subpoenas have been issued in an investigation into how the containers have been used in at least three counties. Sarah Parvini, John Myers, Stephanie Lai in the Los Angeles Times$ Barbara Sprunt, Scott Rodd, Sam Gringlas Capital Public Radio Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/17/20

Trump Administration Approves California Fire Assistance — One Day After Rejecting It -- One day after the Trump administration rejected California’s request for federal assistance for several September wildfires, citing damage that wasn’t “severe” enough, the administration reversed course and approved the relief. Chris Nichols Capital Public Radio Joseph Serna, Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ David Lightman and Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ Debra Kahn Politico -- 10/17/20

How would Prop. 15 impact California’s housing crisis? -- When Californians approved Proposition 13 in 1978, critics of the landmark ballot measure say voters did not foresee many of the unintended consequences of capping property taxes on both residential and commercial land: lower school funding, cash-strapped cities, major corporate tax benefits. Matt Levin CalMatters -- 10/17/20

Court allows Exide to abandon a toxic site in Vernon. Taxpayers will fund the cleanup -- A bankruptcy court ruled Friday that Exide Technologies may abandon its shuttered battery recycling plant in Vernon, leaving a massive cleanup of lead and other toxic pollutants at the site and in surrounding neighborhoods to California taxpayers. Tony Barboza in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/17/20

California is slowly gaining jobs, but unemployment remains grim -- September joblessness was 11%, down from 11.2% in August, state officials reported Friday. That compares with just 3.9% in September of last year. Margot Roosevelt in the Los Angeles Times$ Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/17/20

As jobs vanished, immigrants left California. The question is how many -- The elderly couple could no longer hold on, so they picked up and left Los Angeles in July — returning to Mexico, a country they had not visited for years. The husband, Dante, did landscaping and gardening, but work had dried up since the start of the pandemic. Typically, he earned about $120 a week, while his wife, beset with health problems, had been too ill to hold a job. Laurence Darmiento in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/17/20

BART eyes layoffs and service cuts while juggling safety concerns amid a budget crisis -- BART is rolling out a money-saving plan that includes employee retirement incentives and contemplates modifying train service. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/17/20

Coronavirus again hits Roosevelt carrier as sailors test positive two days after new deployment -- Just two days after leaving San Diego to embark on its first deployment since a massive coronavirus outbreak swept through the ship, the Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier identified a “small number of sailors” testing positive for the virus, a Navy official told The Chronicle on Friday. Matthias Gafni in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/17/20

Lodwrick Cook, epitome of L.A.’s bygone era of corporate engagement, dies -- From his office on the 51st floor of the gleaming black building at Flower and 5th streets, Lodwrick M. “Lod” Cook watched below as smoke enveloped the iconic pyramid crowning the Los Angeles Central Library. For the chairman and chief executive of Arco, the April 29, 1986, arsonist’s fire that heavily damaged the quirky and beloved architectural landmark was not just a tragedy. It was a call to action that would engage Cook for years. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/17/20

Policy & Politics 

Supreme Court to consider Trump effort to exclude from census any immigrants not legally in the U.S. -- The Supreme Court said Friday it would give President Trump another chance to exclude immigrants in the U.S. illegally from the 2020 census, in a case that targets the political power of California and other states with large immigrant populations. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/17/20

Why do conspiracy theories about pedophilia hold such sway with some conservatives? -- In modern presidential campaigns, unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about pedophilia are now almost as routine as stump speeches, poll results and televised debates. Melissa Healy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/17/20

Commercial Metals to shutter Rancho Cucamonga steel mill, citing high costs in California -- Commercial Metals Co. plans to close its steel mill in Rancho Cucamonga by year’s end, a company official said Friday. The Irving, Texas-based company initially announced the closure in a March 19 earnings call with investors, although a date for the shutdown of CMC Steel California was not given at the time. Kevin Smith in the Orange County Register -- 10/17/20

San Diego unemployment drops to lowest level since pandemic began -- San Diego County’s unemployment rate in September dropped to its lowest level — 9 percent— since the start of the pandemic. Phillip Molnar in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/17/20

Former Rep. Duncan Hunter to serve sentence at West Texas prison camp -- Hunter is due to report to Federal Correctional Institute La Tuna on Jan. 4. The prison is in the El Paso suburb of Anthony, on the Texas-New Mexico state line. He will serve in its adjacent minimum-security satellite camp, according to CQ Roll Call. Andrew Dyer in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/17/20

S.F. archbishop to hold exorcism at site of toppled Junípero Serra statue in San Rafael -- The exorcism — a ritual ceremony in which Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone will pray against the power of evil — will take place 9 a.m. Saturday at Saint Raphael Catholic Church in San Rafael, near the spot where a statue of Junípero Serra once stood. Michael Willliams in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/17/20

Kanye West is VP pick in California for party of George Wallace -- Kanye West is the conservative American Independent Party’s candidate for vice president. And party leaders will let the rapper know as soon as they can find him. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/17/20

Elections  

Issa bolsters campaign with self-funding, outraises Campa-Najjar by $1 million -- Republican Darrell Issa lent or gave his campaign $950,000 from July 1 to Sept. 30 in the fight for 50th Congressional District. Charles T. Clark in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/17/20

Virus 

One Oakland neighborhood has seen a surge in positivity rates among Latino and Indigenous populations. Why? -- A coronavirus testing blitz in Oakland’s Fruitvale district revealed high antibody positivity rates among the neighborhood’s Latino and Indigenous residents, indicating many were likely infected with the coronavirus in the past. Tatiana Sanchez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/17/20

County sounds alarm that COVID-19 case rate headed toward purple tier -- San Diego County officials came to the podium during a surprise press conference Friday with a warning: the region’s COVID-19 case rate is headed in the wrong direction, and residents need to be especially vigilant if they want to stay out of the state’s most-restrictive purple tier. Lyndsay Winkley in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/17/20

California readies its COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan -- California has prepared an unprecedented vaccination campaign against the COVID-19 virus, according to a plan submitted to federal authorities on Friday, a major step along the Golden State’s roadmap to protect 40 million residents from the deadly disease. Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/17/20

How will California distribute coronavirus vaccines? Bay Area planning for multiple scenarios -- Federal and state agencies have yet to publicly share plans for how they will distribute those vaccines, if and when the Federal Drug Administration authorizes them. But some groups key to shaping vaccine policy are signaling that health care workers may be the first Americans to gain access to vaccinations, with some possibly getting vaccinated early next year. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/17/20

L.A. County urges flu shots to reduce hospital demand during coronavirus pandemic -- On Friday, the county reported a seemingly lower 1,072 new cases, but officials said that figure is an “undercount due to a technical issue with the state’s data reporting system.” The item is in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 10/17/20

Street  

Black man is killed during encounter with sheriff’s deputies in Willowbrook -- A Black man was shot and killed Friday during an encounter with one or more Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies. The shooting took place around 5:30 p.m. on the 2200 block of East 121 Street in Willowbrook, an unincorporated area of the county near Compton, the department said in a statement. Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/17/20

L.A. County sheriff’s deputy charged with arranging to meet an underage girl for sex -- Miguel Cabrera, 38, pleaded not guilty Friday to felony charges of meeting a minor for lewd purposes and distributing pornography to a minor. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/17/20

Sex, threats and retaliation: Fired California deputy files lawsuit against Yolo, sheriff -- A former Yolo County sheriff’s sergeant who claims he was fired for refusing to cover up sexual harassment and discrimination sued in federal court Friday, alleging his supervisor threatened to shoot him and drove a county vehicle while intoxicated, while another deputy allegedly had sex in a patrol car while on duty. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/17/20

Back to School 

San Diego Unified asks Gov. Newsom for 10,000 daily COVID tests -- San Diego Unified and Mayor Kevin Faulconer are asking Gov. Gavin Newsom for 10,000 daily COVID-19 tests for school district students and staff for when it opens for in-person instruction — which has not been decided yet. Kristen Taketa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 10/17/20

Education 

S.F. might dump school assignment lottery in favor of a plan meant to integrate classrooms -- San Francisco’s intricate student assignment system is set for yet another makeover, as district officials balance choice and predictability with a desire for more equity. The idea is to make schools more racially and economically integrated while simplifying a complicated process. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/17/20

Mayor Breed slams ‘offensive’ school renaming plan as a waste of energy amid pandemic -- Mayor London Breed blasted a proposal Friday to force 44 San Francisco public schools to change their names, calling it an “offensive” waste of time, energy and resources from a district that still has no date to bring kids back to the classroom. Trisha Thadani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/17/20

Also . . .   

Is someone really flying around LAX in a jet pack? Trying to solve an aviation mystery -- It was an otherwise quiet Sunday night at the Los Angeles International Airport control tower when an American Airlines pilot radioed in with an unbelievable report. “Tower, American 1997. We just passed a guy in a jet pack,” the pilot said. Richard Winton, Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/17/20

Nuke Bizzle rapped about getting rich from unemployment claims; feds charge him with doing just that -- Nuke Bizzle’s rap career may be about to fizzle after the hip-hop artist who bragged on a track about getting rich by committing unemployment fraud was arrested Friday on federal charges that he ripped off more than $1.2 million in pandemic unemployment assistance. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/17/20

POTUS 45  

In final sprint, Trump makes stops his team never expected to need -- He pitched rural voters in Iowa on Wednesday, visited North Carolina and Florida on Thursday — states his campaign once insisted were a lock — and is spending Friday evening here in Georgia, which Democrats last carried in 1992. Gabby Orr Politico -- 10/17/20

Beltway   

Biden town hall draws more viewers than Trump's -- Biden's town hall, which was hosted by ABC, attracted more than 14 million viewers, according to estimates from Nielsen released by ABC News. Trump's town hall, which was shown on NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC, garnered about 13.5 million viewers. Matthew Choi Politico -- 10/17/20

 

-- Friday Updates   

How Scott Peterson’s murder convictions were suddenly thrown into doubt -- The unraveling of such a high-profile murder case stems from legal errors made by the trial judge and a woman who allegedly lied to get picked for the jury and became obsessed with the death of the fetus, whom Laci and Scott were going to name Conner. Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/16/20

Climate  

California just had the hottest August and September on record. October might break records, too -- Some Bay Area cities are breaking daily temperature records as a heat wave scorches the region, after the hottest August and September on record in California. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/16/20

School  

California teacher unions fight calls to reopen schools -- As parents express widespread dissatisfaction with distance learning, two influential California teachers unions are pushing against growing momentum to reopen schools in many communities, saying that campuses are not yet safe enough amid the pandemic. Howard Blume, Laura Newberry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/16/20

Laguna Beach Unified School District rolls out COVID-19 online ‘dashboard’ -- The Laguna Beach Unified School District rolled out an online COVID-19 “dashboard” this week, a measure intended to provide transparency as it relates to the number of confirmed cases among staff and students at its schools. Andrew Turner in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/16/20

Unrest Fear   

Fear of election chaos and civil unrest stokes stockpiling of food, guns and ammunition -- At the Katadyn North America foods plant in Rocklin, where freeze-dried and canned foods are processed and packaged for sale around the West, the rush to meet demand is becoming increasingly intense. A big reason is the most volatile election season in decades. Dale Kasler and Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/16/20

Elections  

Prop. 20 sparks debate over effects of criminal justice reform in California -- As much of the country weighs changes to the criminal justice system, California has had a head start, adopting a series of laws in the last decade that, among other things, helped reduce the state’s prison population by more than one-third, or 50,000 people. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/16/20

Election of a board majority will shape the nation’s largest community college district -- With a dizzying 33 candidates, the election of four seats on the seven-member Los Angeles Community College District board has brought into focus the basic needs of some of the poorest college students in California amid the pandemic, as well as issues of declining enrollment, budget oversight and accountability over the chancellor. Nina Agrawal in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/16/20

Still undecided about California’s gig economy law? Five things to know about Prop. 22 -- Should gig workers for companies such as Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and Instacart be paid as independent contractors or employees of the tech giants? Jeong Park in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/16/20

Virus 

Coronavirus: California’s cases stay flat despite nationwide surge -- In the past month, cases have gone down about 5% in California, while they have risen about 42% nationally. Evan Webeck in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/16/20

S.F. is doing much better than Europe right now in COVID-19 pandemic -- In S.F., the public school system has yet to open campuses and the largest university, San Francisco State, is also conducting classes online. Restaurants are expanding outdoor eating areas into parking lots and onto streets and some are welcoming back diners indoors at very limited capacities. Bars remain closed. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/16/20

Kaiser cited for failing to treat COVID-19 as airborne -- California workplace safety officials cite Kaiser Permanente for failing to treat COVID-19 as an airborne disease. Kaiser says it will appeal the citation against its psychiatric facility in Santa Clara. Jackie Botts and Ana B. Ibarra CalMatters -- 10/16/20

Virus Farmworkers  

Lawsuit accuses Trump administration of hurting California farmworkers during coronavirus -- A new federal lawsuit filed in Fresno seeks to stop the Trump Administration from making changes to a longstanding program critics say could ultimately lead to pay cuts for migrant farmworkers and undercut domestic workers already struggling during the coronavirus pandemic. Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado in the Fresno Bee -- 10/16/20

Workplace  

Make remote work permanent? No way, say Bay Area leaders -- Imagine, in the post-pandemic future, Bay Area workers ordered to toil from home at least three days a week. Permanently. No way, say Bay Area leaders. Louis Hansen in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/16/20

H1B  

H-1B visa pay boost: Historic win for foreign workers or ‘mess’ doomed to fail? -- Critics of the controversial H-1B foreign-worker program are applauding a new Trump Administration rule significantly boosting required pay, but a Bay Area member of Congress says the change is an unworkable mess and won’t survive a legal challenge. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/16/20

Obamacare California  

‘Death spiral’: What happens in California if the Supreme Court invalidates Obamacare? -- Nearly 17 million Californians with pre-existing conditions could face higher health costs or loss of benefits. Five million Californians could lose health insurance coverage completely. California would lose $27 billion to cover health care costs for low-income families. Kate Irby in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/16/20

Street  

Deputies killed Dijon Kizzee after a bike stop. We found 15 similar law enforcement shootings, many fatal -- Noel Aguilar was riding his bicycle on a sidewalk when he stole a glance at a couple of Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies and quickly pedaled away. Within minutes of what began as a routine encounter, the 23-year-old was dead with three rounds in his back. Nicole Santa Cruz, Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/16/20

Drought  

With dry La Niña conditions, persistent Western drought looms large in winter outlook -- The forecast looks warm and continued dry this winter in California and the Southwest, which raises the disturbing prospect of a perpetual fire season. Paul Duginski in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/16/20

Homeless  

Oakland weighs banning homeless camps near homes, businesses, schools -- The City Council is expected to vote Tuesday on the new policy, which will designate where people can set up encampments. The city would provide garbage service and sanitation and require makeshift structures to comply with fire and building codes. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/16/20

Are Sacramento homeless finding housing, only to be replaced on the street by someone else? -- During the first six months of this year, 3,790 people in Sacramento County escaped homelessness, but another 3,736 became homeless, a new database released last month estimates. Theresa Clift in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/16/20

Blackouts 

PG&E plans to restore power to 10,000 customers Friday -- Pacific Gas & Electric Co. said Friday that it expects to restore power to 10,000 customers Friday who had their electricity cut in recent days as a safety precaution ahead of gusty winds and the heightened fire risk that came with them. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/16/20

Also . . .   

Fox: San Francisco’s Not So Universal Basic Income for Artists -- San Francisco proposes to pay artists $1,000 a month as part of the movement for a Universal Basic Income, this while the city sees many markers of decline due to the coronavirus, a hole in the city budget and multiple tax increases facing city voters on the coming ballot. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 10/16/20

Now-terminated charter school sues San Jose Unified for the third time. They want $2 million -- The district allegedly failed to negotiate with the charter in good faith and give it classroom space. Maggie Angst in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/16/20

It’s already time to reserve Thanksgiving turkeys, with sellouts expected for small birds -- There are several theories about how the holiday will play out, turkey wise. Coronavirus-related shutdowns probably spurred many San Francisco residents to leave the city, making some retailers think demand will be down for turkeys this year; they’ve ordered fewer of them. Janelle Bitker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/16/20

L.A. office leasing feels the COVID effect -- The impact of COVID-19 reverberated through the Los Angeles County office market in the third quarter as many businesses kept employees at home and managers put off decisions about their future space needs. Roger Vincent in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/16/20

S.F. parklets a lifeline for restaurants, but raise concerns for disability advocates -- Anyone strolling up Grant Avenue on a recent weeknight might have been tempted to ask, “What pandemic?” The narrow North Beach street was packed with revelers dining and drinking in curbside parklets — outdoor dining structures that have become an enduring feature of San Francisco streets in the time of the coronavirus. Nora Mishanec in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/16/20

Mexico stunned by ex-defense chief’s arrest in Los Angeles -- In a Twitter message Friday morning, Marcelo Ebrard, the Mexican foreign minister, said Cienfuegos faced five charges related to narcotics trafficking and would be transferred to New York. Patrick J. McDonnell in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/16/20