Updating . .   

Karen Bass elected mayor, becoming first woman to lead L.A. -- Rep. Karen Bass has defeated businessman Rick Caruso in the Los Angeles mayor’s race, according to an Associated Press projection Wednesday, making her the first woman and second Black Angeleno elected to lead the city in its 241-year history. Julia Wick in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/22

‘Threat of a recession’: California will see a $25 billion budget deficit in 2023, forecast predicts -- California will see a $25 billion deficit next year, the California Legislature’s top fiscal analyst announced Wednesday, a dramatic change after the state budgeted for a nearly $100 billion surplus this year. Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/16/22

Democrat Malia Cohen wins California state controller race -- Democrat Malia Cohen has won the race for California controller, beating out a Republican who gave his party its best shot in years to end its losing streak in statewide elections. Sophie Austin Associated Press -- 11/16/22

Chavez concedes San Jose mayor’s race to Mahan -- Cindy Chavez conceded San Jose’s race for mayor to opponent Matt Mahan on Wednesday after just over a week of vote counting left her a few thousand votes short and with a dwindling number of uncounted ballots left for her to catch up. John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/16/22

How did Gascón end up launching a criminal probe sparked by far-right election conspiracy theories? -- Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón won unexpected praise from former President Trump after he charged the head of a Michigan company with embezzlement in relation to poll worker data. The charges were dropped last week. James Queally, Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/22

Hydee Feldstein Soto claims victory in L.A. city attorney’s race -- Finance law attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto declared victory Wednesday in the Los Angeles city attorney’s race and will become the first woman to hold the office. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/22

Smith: No matter who wins the L.A. mayor’s race, here’s the perfect job for the loser -- Karen Bass keeps expanding her lead over Rick Caruso. But lots of voters liked both candidates. Why not use that to meet some of L.A.'s biggest needs? Erika D. Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/22

Mahan’s lead grows in San Jose mayor race as ballot count reaches 90% -- Still, tens of thousands of ballots may remain to be counted in the race and it’s unclear where they are from. Batches processed over the weekend favored Chavez and chipped away at Mahan’s lead before additional ballots counted Monday and Tuesday tilted back toward Mahan. John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/16/22

Inside lawmakers’ climate trips to Egypt, Japan -- A few days after the Nov. 8 election, bipartisan groups of more than a dozen state legislators — including some who have hit term limits and won’t be returning to the Legislature — embarked on international trips with a heavy climate focus. Emily Hoeven CalMatters -- 11/16/22

A Calif. law that takes wage-setting power from fast-food bosses sparks fight -- A first-of-its-kind California law that gives an unelected council unprecedented power over wages and working conditions at fast-food restaurants is sparking a furious backlash, with wealthy business and restaurant groups taking on the state’s powerful labor unions in an effort to overturn it. Erica Werner in the Washington Post$ -- 11/16/22

Anaheim and its ex-mayor won’t disclose his emails and texts, so we took them to court -- The Los Angeles Times has asked a judge to compel Anaheim and former Mayor Harry Sidhu to disclose records related to an FBI political corruption investigation into a self-described “cabal” that allegedly ran the city. Gabriel San Román in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/22

New Trump campaign, same old falsehoods -- With few exceptions, many of the factual claims made in his announcement speech could have been plucked from a campaign-rally speech in the waning days of the 2020 election campaign — or even from his announcement speech in 2015. Here’s a guide to 19 claims he made on Tuesday night, in the order in which he made them. Glenn Kessler in the Washington Post$ -- 11/16/22

Trump’s 2024 candidacy won’t stop Justice Dept. criminal probes -- Officials have discussed whether a special counsel should be appointed as Trump runs. But some legal experts think it’s too late for that. Devlin Barrett and Perry Stein in the Washington Post$ -- 11/16/22

Education Workplace   

UC workers say they are struggling to survive in California, and fighting unfair system -- The work stoppage aims to challenge long-held labor practices at the UC and other universities across the country, which have come under growing scrutiny for how graduate workers and academic employees are paid in an era of rising inflation and growing union activism. Grace Toohey, Summer Lin, Anh Do in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/22

Education   

Stanford plans to expand its Bay Area footprint — by buying another college campus -- Stanford University, which has struggled to expand its footprint for academic programs and housing in the ultra-pricey Bay Area Peninsula, plans to purchase and renovate the property of a nearby university that has scaled down its programs significantly amid financial difficulties. Jessica Flores in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/16/22

Twitter Workplace   

Musk issues ultimatum to staff: Commit to ‘hardcore’ Twitter or take severance -- Employees were told they had to a sign a pledge to stay on with the company. “If you are sure that you want to be part of the new Twitter, please click yes on the link below,” read the email to all staff, which linked to an online form. Anyone who did not sign the pledge by 5 p.m. Eastern time Thursday would receive three months of severance pay, the message said. Faiz Siddiqui and Jeremy B. Merrill in the Washington Post$ Kate Conger in the New York Times$ -- 11/16/22

Housing 

Lawsuit seeks to speed housing on the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs campus -- Fourteen veterans filed a lawsuit in federal court Tuesday demanding that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provide permanent housing for thousands of homeless veterans on and around its West Los Angeles campus and take steps to ensure that portions of property leased to outside organizations are used primarily for veterans. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/22

Street  

Here’s what new research on Mayor Breed’s Tenderloin Center found about its impact -- The city paid $500,000 for the analysis, exclusively shared with the Chronicle, part of the $22 million cost to run the center since it opened in January. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/16/22

Knight: Someone is severely injured in S.F. traffic every 14 hours. This time, it was a famous local artist -- Every 14 hours, someone is taken to San Francisco General Hospital with major injuries suffered in a traffic collision on the city’s dangerous streets. On Nov. 6, that person was treasured artist Paul Madonna. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/16/22

Wrong-way car critically injures 5 sheriff’s recruits on training run in Whittier -- Twenty-two recruits were injured on a training run when the crash occurred, and five were in critical condition, authorities said. Richard Winton, Alexandra E. Petri, Brittny Mejia, Nathan Solis in the Los Angeles Times$ Hunter Lee in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 11/16/22

Healthcare  

Nurse practitioner requirements are changing, allowing them to practice without physician supervision -- The new rules will improve access to health care in many communities where it is lacking, supporters say. Some physicians are concerned the rules will expand the scope of services nurse practitioners provide. Ana B. Ibarra CalMatters -- 11/16/22

Also . . .   

UC Irvine med school professor spent $400,000 of state funds on cameras used for Instagram posts -- An audit found that Frank P.K. Hsu, who makes $1.2 million a year, bought the equipment with university funds, often using ‘suspicious’ or ‘unauthorized’ means. Melody Petersen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/22

California Policy and Politics Wednesday  

The California Republican Party isn’t endorsing Trump. But many loyalists remain -- More than an hour before former President Donald Trump took the stage at his Mar-a-Lago country club to announce his next presidential run, the California GOP made clear: It’s not ready to embrace the former president. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/16/22

Garofoli: Trump’s return is ominous for California Republicans — and anyone touched by his racism -- Donald Trump’s newly minted 2024 presidential campaign isn’t going to win California — if the ex-president survives the GOP primary — but his presence on the ballot has a lot of Californians concerned about the damage he could inspire on the way there. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/16/22

Bass now leads Caruso by 36,000 votes in L.A. mayor’s race as margin widens -- U.S. Rep. Karen Bass’ already substantial lead in the Los Angeles mayor’s race got even larger Tuesday, with the longtime Washington lawmaker pulling more than 5% ahead of businessman Rick Caruso, one week after election day. James Rainey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/22

Robert Luna to become L.A. County sheriff as Alex Villanueva concedes -- Robert Luna, a little-known retired police chief from Long Beach, will be the next sheriff of Los Angeles County after he soundly beat the incumbent, Alex Villanueva, who leaves office in the wake of a single term marred by the upheaval and discord he sowed. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ Corina Knoll and Jill Cowan in the New York Times$ -- 11/16/22

Arellano: A eulogy for Sheriff Alex Villanueva — you could have been so much more -- Instead of draining the swamp, Sheriff Alex Villanueva rewarded the swamp — then became the swamp itself. A eulogy for the reformer he could’ve been. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/22

Democratic Rep. Josh Harder defeats GOP challenger in Central Valley district -- Democratic Rep. Josh Harder won election to a Stockton-centered congressional district, beating Republican Tom Patti, a San Joaquin County supervisor and businessman. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ Gillian Brassil in the Sacramento Bee$ Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/22

Loren Taylor maintains lead as Oakland mayor’s race tightens -- Ten candidates were vying to replace Mayor Libby Schaaf, who was termed out of office. The two frontrunners were both City Council members. Sarah Ravani and Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/16/22

Long-time Fresno congressman wins California midterm election, a success for Democrats -- Rep. Jim Costa secured his 10th term in the U.S. House of Representatives, defeating a Republican challenger in a race that was called a week after election night. Gillian Brassil in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/16/22

Mahan’s lead grows in San Jose mayor race as ballot count reaches 90% -- The tight race to become San Jose’s next mayor remained close Tuesday, but Matt Mahan saw his lead over Cindy Chavez stretch for a second day in a row with now 90% of estimated ballots counted countywide. John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/16/22

Democrat Christy Smith knows she’s going to lose her congressional race. She blames her own party -- As Republican Rep. Mike Garcia nears reelection in a heavily Democratic L.A. County district, second-guessing begins. Democrat Christy Smith says she got ‘next-to-zero’ help. Seema Mehta, Melanie Mason in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/22

‘Beacon of hope’: California elects largest group of LGBTQ state lawmakers ever -- No state legislature in American history has ever been as openly queer, at least proportionately speaking, as California’s incoming class of state lawmakers. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/16/22

Long Beach to elect first Black mayor, Rex Richardson, after opponent concedes -- Rex Richardson will become the first Black mayor of Long Beach after his opponent, Suzie Price, conceded on Tuesday. Alexandra E. Petri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/22

Competing measures to speed up S.F. housing construction both fail -- Two housing-construction streamlining measures have both failed in San Francisco. Mayor London Breed backed Prop. D, while progressive on the Board of Supervisors backed Prop. E, which would have required more of developers. Noah Arroyo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/16/22

S.F. supes rip into state, Newsom over requirement to build more housing -- Members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors used a public hearing Tuesday night to bash state housing officials for what they said were unrealistic expectations on housing production and to rebuke the administration of Gov. Gavin Newsom, saying the state failed to fund the 46,000 affordable units the city is expected to produce over the next eight years. J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/16/22

Trump seeks White House again amid GOP losses, legal probes -- Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday launched his third campaign for the White House just one week after a disappointing midterm showing for Republicans, forcing the party to again decide whether to embrace a candidate whose refusal to accept defeat in 2020 sparked an insurrection and pushed American democracy to the brink. Jill Colvin Associated Press -- 11/16/22

We Fact-Checked Trump’s Speech -- During the speech, he spoke about U.S. energy policies, the border wall and tax cuts. We checked the speech for accuracy, and this is what we found. Linda Qiu in the New York Times$ -- 11/16/22

News Analysis: Trump, at a weak point, pitches a comeback -- In announcing his candidacy Tuesday night, former President Trump has reverted to a familiar tactic: hubris and volume. Noah Bierman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/22

Barabak: Trump announces presidential bid with more lies and bombast. As always, he puts himself first -- Amid signs Trump is losing his grip on the Republican Party, a familiar appeal to grievance. Will his GOP rivals be as deferential as they were before? Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/22

Kevin McCarthy wins GOP nomination for House speaker -- Rep. Kevin McCarthy is one step closer to becoming House speaker, but that vote won’t come until the new Congress convenes in January. Nolan D. McCaskill in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/22

Water  

Walters: Another step toward agreement on California’s water -- California water officials are seeking “voluntary agreements” to enhance water flows through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and have achieved a new breakthrough. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 11/16/22

Wildfire  

Back-to-back Santa Ana winds will raise fire risk in Southern California -- The National Weather Service office in Oxnard expects the first round of high winds and low humidity to hit Los Angeles and Ventura counties overnight Tuesday and into Wednesday. A second round is possible Saturday. Gregory Yee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/22

Economy  

San Francisco tourism could see a major shift in numbers — here’s why -- Tourism from Asia is finally started coming back to San Francisco. In the last several months, arrivals at San Francisco International Airport from most Asian countries are close to where they were before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to international non-stop air passenger traffic data from International Trade Administration (ITA). Yuri Avila in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/16/22

Education Workplace   

Low pay, rising costs push 48,000 University of California academic workers to the picket line -- About 48,000 academic workers across the University of California system remain on strike asking for better pay, childcare support and commuting subsidies. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ Soumya Karlamangla in the New York Times$ -- 11/16/22

Twitter Workplace   

Elon Musk Fires Twitter Employees Who Criticized Him -- Early on Tuesday, Mr. Musk’s team ordered nearly two dozen Twitter employees who had pushed back publicly and privately against him to be fired, three people with knowledge of the matter said. The billionaire, who completed a $44 billion acquisition of Twitter last month, later confirmed the exits on the platform and mocked the former employees. Kate Conger, Ryan Mac and Mike Isaac in the New York Times$ -- 11/16/22

Workplace   

Layoffs at Amazon, Asana hit the Bay Area -- The day after news broke that tech giant Amazon planned to lay off 10,000 employees, the Bay Area felt the effects, with the company telling state regulators it planned to cut 263 jobs at its Sunnyvale locations. In a separate filing, San Francisco-based software company Asana said in a filing with the state and the city that it planned to lay off 97 employees. Chase DiFeliciantonio in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/16/22

Amazon eyes hundreds of Bay Area job cuts that will jolt Silicon Valley -- At least 200 Amazon tech jobs are being lost in the region. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/16/22

Workers protest Stop AB 257 at Chipotle, Del Taco and El Pollo Loco HQs -- Workers in Los Angeles and Orange counties rallied Tuesday, Nov. 15 at corporate fast-food headquarters in a statewide protest of a proposed referendum that would nullify a newly-approved measure aimed at boosting wages in the industry. Mindy Schauer, Kevin Smith in the Orange County Register -- 11/16/22

These state workers risked their lives on the job. Gavin Newsom recognized them this week -- Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday presented 33 state workers with the Governor’s State Employee Medal of Valor Award, recognizing those who risked their lives to protect members of the public in 2020 and 2021. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/16/22

Wage boost for Inglewood hospital workers expected to pass; Duarte measure failing -- Workers at private hospitals and dialysis clinics in Inglewood are poised to get a wage increase, with a measure to boost their minimum wage to $25 an hour remaining ahead as election results continued to be tallied this week. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/22

Supply Chain  

Imports Into Southern California’s Ports Plunged 26% in October -- Imports into the nation’s busiest container port complex in Southern California are plummeting as U.S. trade sputters and retailers and manufacturers shift their supply chains amid increasingly contentious West Coast port labor negotiations. Paul Berger in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 11/16/22

Street  

Man suspected in Paul Pelosi attack pleads not guilty to federal charges -- The man accused of breaking into U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s home and bludgeoning her husband with a hammer pleaded not guilty to federal charges of attempted kidnapping and assault on Tuesday morning, crimes for which he could face up to 50 years in prison. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/16/22

Harvey Weinstein defense challenges Jennifer Siebel Newsom on rape allegation -- A day after her emotionally charged testimony that Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein raped her in 2005, Jennifer Siebel Newsom faced an aggressive interrogation Tuesday over dozens of friendly emails she exchanged with him in the years afterward. Michael Finnegan in the Los Angeles Times$ Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/16/22

Top FBI official in L.A. silent about his and mom’s connection to Tom Girardi -- The FBI field office in Los Angeles is leading the investigation into Tom Girardi’s former law firm. Its top official won’t talk about his and his mother’s relationship with the disgraced lawyer. Matt Hamilton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/22

S.F. abortion rights protester accuses city’s paramedics of kidnapping in lawsuit -- Kareim McKnight remembered being handcuffed and strapped into a gurney on June 13 when the Vallejo resident saw a San Francisco paramedic approach with a syringe. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/16/22

S.F. leaders to clamp down on Union Square retail theft after last year’s viral crime spree -- The specter of last year’s retail crime spree in San Francisco’s Union Square loomed large in the downtown hub Tuesday as Mayor London Breed and the city’s top law enforcement officials urged shoppers to return to the storied shopping district ahead of the holidays. Nora Mishanec in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/16/22

Anne Heche’s estate sued for millions by woman displaced from her home by fiery crash -- Lynne Mishele, who lived in the Mar Vista home damaged by fire after Anne Heche drove her car into it, is suing Heche’s estate for at least $2 million. Christie D’Zurilla in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/22

Border  

Controversial Title 42 border policy vacated by federal judge -- A federal judge in Washington on Tuesday vacated a controversial border policy known as Title 42, a public health law invoked by the Trump administration during the pandemic that had allowed border agents to quickly turn back migrants. Hamed Aleaziz, Cindy Carcamo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/16/22

Education  

UC undergraduate students divided in reaction to strike -- As the strike of nearly 48,000 University of California graduate student academic workers enters its third day Wednesday and many classes remain canceled, undergraduates appear divided in their reaction. Betty Márquez Rosales EdSource -- 11/16/22

CSU will abandon proposal to create fourth year math requirement for admission -- After years of debate, the California State University Board of Trustees Tuesday signaled its plan to abandon a proposal to require a fourth year of math for admission to the 23-campus system. Ashley A. Smith EdSource -- 11/16/22

Also . . .   

Orphaned bear cub found in South Lake Tahoe gets treatment at Oakland Zoo -- After the cub had an initial veterinary assessment, state officials contacted the Oakland Zoo to provide further treatment on the bear, which suffering from a severe skin infection pneumonia, a viral infection, internal parasites and an infected bone in his left foot which has hampered his walking, the zoo added. Joel Umanzor in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/16/22