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L.A. city voters sent conflicting messages, giving wins to both the left and the center -- Voters were unhappy with City Hall this year, ousting two incumbents. But their broader political message was more complicated. David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/22/22

Oil tax likely won’t be considered until January -- The specifics of the proposal aren’t likely to surface until the start of the special session, the same day legislators will be sworn into office, Newsom’s office told CalMatters political reporter Alexei Koseff and me on Monday. Emily Hoeven CalMatters -- 11/22/22

L.A. voters approved more money to fight homelessness. Now they want to see results -- L.A. voters passed measure that will give Karen Bass estimated $600 million annually to fight homelessness. Survey finds they expect results within two years. Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/22/22

In California, 10% of Legislature now identifies as LGBTQ -- While LGBTQ candidates and their supporters celebrated several milestone victories around the nation in this year’s midterm elections, California quietly reached its own: At least 10% of its state lawmakers identify publicly as LGBTQ, believed to be a first for any U.S. legislature. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 11/22/22

Barabak: Liars lose and deniers are denied. In the midterms, democracy comes out ahead -- Voters rejected candidates who parroted the ‘Big Lie’ about the 2020 election or set out to hijack balloting machinery so they could manipulate future elections. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/22/22

Workplace   

More than 6,000 tech and biotech job cuts roil Bay Area economy -- As recessionary pressures continue to mount around the region and across the country, tech and biotech companies have now revealed plans for enough job cuts to erase more than 6,000 jobs in the Bay Area, cutbacks that could weigh on the region’s economy in the weeks and months to come. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/22/22

Twitter Workplace   

Musk’s ‘free speech’ agenda dismantles safety work at Twitter, insiders say -- Interviews with more than a dozen current and former employees and people close to Musk who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, as well as documents obtained by The Washington Post, detail the clash of cultures as Musk and his allies have fired or alienated Trust and Safety team leaders and reversed their decisions. Cat Zakrzewski, Faiz Siddiqui and Joseph Menn in the Washington Post$ -- 11/22/22

RSV    

OC hospitals preparing to handle young patients as pediatric beds are in demand -- Cases of respiratory illnesses in children are still on the rise and may not peak until at least December, so Orange County hospitals are looking at plans to handle the surge as pediatric beds remain largely filled. Alicia Robinson in the Orange County Register -- 11/22/22

Basic Income   

Nearly 2,000 Californians will get up to $1,200 a month through new basic income program -- Nearly 2,000 Californians could receive monthly cash payments of $600 to $1,200 as part of the nation’s first state-funded guaranteed basic income program, the state’s social services department announced Monday. Maya Miller in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/22/22

California Policy and Politics Tuesday  

Rep. David Valadao wins reelection in endangered Central Valley congressional seat -- Central Valley Republican Rep. David Valadao, whose vote to impeach President Trump nearly sank his campaign in the primary, will return to Congress next year, after defeating Democratic state Assemblyman Rudy Salas. Melanie Mason in the Los Angeles Times$ Stephanie Lai in the New York Times$ David Cohen Politico Lindsay Wise and Eliza Collins in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 11/22/22

Walters: Democrats fail to gain in California House races -- Democrats hoped to make some big gains in California’s congressional elections this year, but the outcome was a virtual draw – and an indirect win for Republicans. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 11/22/22

Sheng Thao is Oakland’s next mayor -- Progressive City Council member Sheng Thao was elected Oakland’s next mayor on Monday, edging out moderate City Council member Loren Taylor by 682 votes in a nail-biting ranked-choice voting race that stretched out for nearly two weeks. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/22/22

Who is Sheng Thao? -- The daughter of refugees who fled Laos during a genocide, Thao is the seventh of 10 children. She was born and raised in Stockton, where her family lived in public housing. She left home at 17, found herself in an abusive relationship in her early 20s and lived in a car with her son for a period. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/22/22

Why S.F. elections’ boss might lose his job after two decades and four elections this year -- With San Francisco’s fourth election of the year still to be certified, the man who oversaw it all and scores of other vote-counts over the past 20 years could lose his job next year. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/22/22

Pelosi had ‘a career to be proud of,’ former GOP speaker says -- Former House Speaker Paul Ryan praised outgoing Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday, even as he acknowledged his policy differences with her. “Obviously, she and I usually disagree on things, but first woman speaker — a career to be proud of,” Ryan said on ABC’s “This Week.” Olivia Olander Politico -- 11/22/22

Sala Burton, on deathbed, sought Nancy Pelosi to succeed her -- As Sala Burton lay dying in a hospital bed in 1987, she picked her successor to represent San Francisco in the U.S. House of Representatives. “I saw her gritting her teeth, you know, in pain,” her brother-in law, John Burton, recalled in an Open California oral history. “And she says… I want you, talking to us, to support Nancy for my seat.” Rob Gunnison Capitol Weekly -- 11/22/22

How the Pelosi Attack Suspect Plunged Into Online Hatred -- Bitter over the end of a long relationship, estranged from his children and working carpentry jobs to keep a roof over his head after a time living on the streets, David DePape retreated into isolation, spending hours each day in the online worlds of gaming and chat rooms. Tim Arango, Livia Albeck-Ripka, Soumya Karlamangla and Holly Secon in the New York Times$ -- 11/22/22

Did you get a refund? California inflation rebates top $5 billion, so far -- It takes a long time to distribute 18 million payments, says the state’s Tax Franchise Board. Samantha Gowen in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/22/22

Workplace   

Twitter Lays Off Some Sales Employees After They Committed to Twitter 2.0 -- Elon Musk extended his job-cutting at Twitter Inc., laying off some employees in sales after they had signed on to the billionaire’s vision for the social-media platform, people familiar with the matter said. Alexa Corse and Jessica Toonkel in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 11/22/22

What Elon Musk Is Doing to Twitter Is What He Did at Tesla and SpaceX -- Firing people. Talking of bankruptcy. Telling workers to be “hard core.” Mr. Musk has repeatedly used those tactics at many of his companies. Ryan Mac and Jack Ewing in the New York Times$ -- 11/22/22

Is Elon Musk Your Boss’s Anger Translator? -- Many leaders who think the working world has gone soft in recent years envy the new Twitter chief’s unfiltered style and push for maximum effort from employees. Callum Borchers in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 11/22/22

Four reasons why so many tech companies are doing mass layoffs -- The wave of tech layoffs at Bay Area-based companies in the past month have affected over 24,000 workers globally, levels of downsizing not seen since the early part of the pandemic. The once booming job market has cooled and there are fewer opportunities as companies like Meta, Twitter and Oracle seek to cut costs. Roland Li in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/22/22

California law will provide health insurance subsidies for workers during labor disputes -- This spring, Chevron workers testified that the company revoked health coverage for hundreds of members of the United Steelworkers Local 5 at the Richmond refinery during a strike that ultimately lasted two months. Annie Sciacca Kaiser Health Newsin the Orange County Register -- 11/22/22

Housing 

Yolo County considering ban on smoking in apartments and other multiunit housing -- The county’s board of supervisors directed its staff to get feedback from residents who live in apartment buildings, condos and duplexes about the potential ordinance and the prevalence of indoor smoking earlier this month. Steve Milne Capital Public Radio -- 11/22/22

Chinese Developer Sells L.A. Luxury Tower at Steep Discount -- A major Chinese developer on Tuesday disposed of the tallest rental apartment tower in downtown Los Angeles at a steep loss, the latest in a recent wave of Chinese investors unloading prized U.S. real-estate assets. Will Parker in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 11/22/22

Street  

Growing fentanyl crisis is leaving ‘trail of death’ in its wake, federal officials warn -- In the last two months, agents with Homeland Security Investigations have seized as much fentanyl as they did in all of 2019, federal officials said. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/22/22

This Bay Area police department is giving away free kits to protect catalytic converters -- The kits purchased by the San Mateo Police Department are CatGuard self-install marking kits, which include two ultra-destruct labels with an identification number. This unique serial number will be entered into the CatGuard database, allowing law enforcement to trace the converter to a specific vehicle if it’s stolen. Annie Vainshtein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/22/22

Education  

Racial bias plays role in hiring leaders at UC, CSU and California Community Colleges, report says -- Racial bias plays a role in hiring for executive-level posts at all three of California’s higher education systems, according to a recent report commissioned by education advocacy group College Futures Foundation — though one of those systems defended its record of diversity. Christina Merino in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/22/22

California's only winner of national award for principals talks school culture, enrichment -- Earlier this month, Miguel Marco went to Washington, D.C., to receive the annual Terrel H. Bell Award, given by the U.S. Department of Education to outstanding principals. Marco, the principal of Helen Wittmann Elementary in Cerritos, is one of nine recipients and the only one from California this year. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 11/22/22

Journalism  

Building on success: David Lesher sets out to define the future of investigative journalism -- Seven years ago David Lesher helped found CalMatters with the belief that good state government journalism is essential to the health of our democracy and community. And now he is stepping forward from his role as editor-in-chief to lead a new, equally bold venture: Building the future of investigative journalism that holds government officials accountable. Sonya Quick CalMatters -- 11/22/22

Also . . .   

S.F.’s St. Ignatius installed 90-foot-tall stadium lights. Court now requires environmental review -- Court requires environmental review for already-installed 90-foot light towers at the football stadium of St. Ignatius high school in S.F.’s Outer Sunset district. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/22/22

Federal regulator issues warning for Santa Cruz-based Onewheel -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission “evaluated the Onewheel products and found that they can cause the rider to be ejected from the product, which can result in serious injury or death to the rider,” the regulatory agency wrote in a news statement distributed Wednesday. Jessica York in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/22/22

‘Stealth predator’: L.A.'s famous mountain lion, P-22, killed Hollywood Hills Chihuahua -- A mountain lion that killed a Chihuahua on its leash after quietly stalking a dog walker in the Hollywood Hills earlier this month is the famed big cat P-22, the National Park Service confirmed Monday. Nathan Solis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/22/22

Orphaned bear cub found in South Lake Tahoe last week dies at Oakland Zoo -- He suffered from a significant immunosuppressive disorder with symptoms that included severe pneumonia and a fungal infection that covered his body, Oakland Zoo wrote in a tweet. Sabrina Pascua in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/22/22