Updating . .   

Policy and Politics  

Sheriff-elect Robert Luna picks department’s first female interim undersheriff -- Incoming Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said on Wednesday, Nov. 30, that April Tardy, a 28-year department veteran, will serve as his interim undersheriff, becoming the first woman to hold the position in the history of the sheriff’s department. The item is in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 12/1/22

Assemblyman Ken Cooley was an incumbent Democrat in liberal California. So how did he lose? -- “Redistricting happened. That district became much more conservative,” said Susan McEntire of the Assembly Democrats, which worked to get Democrats elected. “It is a much more purple district than it was for Ken Cooley’s last 10 years.” Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/1/22

California Panel Sizes Up Reparations for Black Citizens -- The state is undertaking the nation’s most ambitious effort so far to compensate for the economic legacy of slavery and racism. Kurtis Lee in the New York Times$ -- 12/1/22

Contractor: Golden Gate Bridge suicide net will cost $400M -- A suicide prevention net on San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge that is already years behind schedule will cost about $400 million, more than double its original price, because of problems sparked by the government agency that manages the span, the lead contractors allege. Olga R. Rodriguez Associated Press -- 12/1/22

Education Workplace   

University of California Strike Continues for Third Week as Finals Near -- Nearly 50,000 academic workers picketed 10 University of California campuses for a third week, generating uncertainty around final exams which are scheduled to begin next week, even as a quarter of the strikers reached a tentative deal this week. Douglas Belkin and Alicia A. Caldwell in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 12/1/22

Covina-Valley school district teachers strike is averted with tentative agreement -- Teachers union leaders called off a strike set for today at the Covina-Valley Unified School District after reaching a tentative agreement late Wednesday night with officials of the 13,400-student school system. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/1/22

Twitter Workplace   

From quitting to blocking: How to protect yourself on Musk’s Twitter -- Whether they stay or go, Twitter users are wondering what a Musk-owned platform will mean for online harassment, misinformation and democracy. More immediately, they are worried about the their own data on the service, backing up or deleting their accounts, or staying safe while sticking around. Heather Kelly in the Washington Post$ -- 12/1/22

Water  

Officials fear ‘complete doomsday scenario’ for drought-stricken Colorado River -- A once-unfathomable scenario — Lake Powell dropping to historic lows and shutting down power generators that serve millions — could start as soon as July. Joshua Partlow in the Washington Post$ -- 12/1/22

Guns  

Personal data from 190,000 concealed weapon permits exposed by California DOJ, probe finds -- Personal information from concealed weapon permits was downloaded from a California Department of Justice “Firearms Dashboard” more than 2,700 times before it was removed this summer, according to an investigation commissioned by the agency. Stephen Hobbs in the Sacramento Bee$ Adam Beam Associated Press -- 12/1/22

Wildfire  

By the numbers: California’s mild 2022 wildfire season -- As California emerges from its “peak” wildfire season, the state has managed to avoid its recent plague of catastrophic wildfires. So far in 2022, the fewest acres have burned since 2019. Julie Cart CalMatters -- 12/1/22

COVID+  

Pandemic stress prematurely aged teens’ brains, Stanford study finds -- By comparing MRI scans from children taken before the pandemic with scans from other kids taken during the pandemic, the study found that changes in brain structure that occur naturally with age sped up in adolescents as they experienced the COVID-19 lockdowns. John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury$ Katherine Reynolds Lewis in the Washington Post$ -- 12/1/22

Concern grows over winter coronavirus spike in Los Angeles County -- Hospitals are seeing significantly larger numbers of patients with COVID-19, as Los Angeles County reports 4,353 new cases on Wednesday, Nov. 30., a surge in daily infections from Tuesday, when 2,370 new cases were found. Steve Scauzillo, Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 12/1/22

Healthcare  

Stanford partnered with a major Bay Area hospital to treat critically ill kids. Four of them died -- The deaths of four children at John Muir Health in Walnut Creek raise questions about whether it traded on the Stanford brand to woo patients and boost profits without being able to provide top-notch care. Cynthia Dizikes, Matthias Gafni and Dan Kopf in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/1/22

No Strings  

$1,000 a month, no strings attached: Anti-poverty experiment comes to Silicon Valley -- For many struggling South Bay families, getting an extra $1,000 a month with no strings attached would seem too good to be true. But for 150 households lucky enough to be chosen for a new guaranteed income experiment in Santa Clara County, that’s exactly what’s happening. Marisa Kendall in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/1/22

Street  

Corrections officers shoot, kill two inmates during fight at Northern California prison -- Two prisoners who were said to be attacking a third inmate were killed by prison guards at the High Desert State Prison near Susanville. Nathan Solis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/1/22

A catfishing cop came to California and killed their family. They have an urgent message for parents -- Family members of three slain Riverside residents -- two grandparents and a single mom -- implored parents to protect their children after a Virginia cop catfished and “groomed” a 15-year-old daughter of one of the victims, killed her family and set fire to their home. Summer Lin, Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/1/22

Fentanyl poisoning confirmed in death of Northern California jail inmate, sheriff says -- A Northern California jail inmate died last month of fentanyl poisoning, sheriff’s officials announced following the completion of a toxicology report. The inmate, identified as Matthew D. Perez, suffered a medical emergency at the Yuba County Jail in Marysville on Nov. 2, the Yuba County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/1/22

The 3-minute heist wreaking havoc on the Bay Area is only getting worse -- An average of 1,600 times a month, thieves use handheld power saws to cut catalytic converters from the undersides of cars and trucks across California, including ones parked everywhere from private driveways to secured parking lots. Amy Graff in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/1/22

Education  

Stanford investigated for bias against men -- The complaint, filed by Kursat Pekgoz, a men’s rights activist and CEO of a Turkish real estate company and James Moore, a Stanford alumnus and emeritus professor at USC, said the university offers several programs that cater to women, but no equivalents for men, according to Forbes. Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/1/22

Also . . .   

Amazon Go opens in Woodland Hills with ‘Just Walk Out’ technology -- The store will offer a wide selection of grab-and-go food and beverage items, as well as everyday essentials. Kevin Smith in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 12/1/22

California Policy and Politics Thursday  

Is Oakland more progressive than San Francisco? Here’s what political experts say -- The election earlier this month sparked the question: Why did San Francisco seem to elect more moderate leaders while Oakland turned to progressives? Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/1/22

Judge says Devin Nunes can sue MSNBC. Where all of the former congressman’s lawsuits stand -- A federal judge has ruled that former Congressman Devin Nunes can sue the parent company of MSNBC over a statement that Rachel Maddow made on her namesake show. Gillian Brassil in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/1/22

Paul Pelosi attack: Feds ask for more time to process ‘substantial discovery’ in case against DePape -- Prosecutors in the federal criminal case against David DePape, the man accused of attacking U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, on Wednesday asked a judge to give them until February to evaluate a mountain of evidence in the case. Annie Vainshtein in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/1/22

Gas  

U.S. fuel prices takes major dip. Use this interactive map to check California costs -- U.S. fuel prices, according to a new gas report, have taken one of their biggest dips since August. Brianna Taylor in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/1/22

Oil  

Empty chairs: Major oil refineries ditch California hearing on gasoline price spikes -- California energy regulators held a marathon hearing Tuesday about the state’s soaring prices at the gas pump. But the hearing was overshadowed, from the start by who refused to come and testify. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/30/2

Workplace   

Mass Bay Area Tech Layoffs Thrust Thousands of H-1B Visa Holders Into Frantic Job Hunt -- Mass layoffs have pitched thousands of Bay Area workers into a desperate search to find another employer before they’re required to self-deport. Rachael Myrow KQED -- 12/1/22

Twitter Workplace   

Elon Musk Says Apple and Twitter Have ‘Resolved’ Differences After Meeting -- A potential battle between Apple Inc. and Twitter Inc. appears to have been averted after a meeting between Elon Musk and Tim Cook. Mr. Musk, the new owner of Twitter, said in a set of tweets Wednesday that he had met with the Apple chief executive. Tim Higgins in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 12/1/22

Wildfire  

Real costs of California wildfires obscured by emergency spending, new report finds -- Californians are well aware of destructive wildfires after the last difficult few years. But they may be less familiar with how government pays to fight them as costs have ballooned. Ari Plachta in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/1/22

COVID+  

Time to wear a mask again? Here’s what Bay Area health experts say amid rising COVID cases -- As the holidays arrive and COVID numbers show signs of climbing again — albeit not to previous surge levels so far — what are currently the best practices to stay healthy? How much caution is needed? Matt Kawahara in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/1/22

Hiltzik: COVID boosted anti-vaccine propaganda. Now measles and other childhood diseases are on the march -- In the modern world and our modern society, there can be no excuse for an outbreak of measles. The disease can be lethal for young children, but they can be protected by a vaccination administered to 1-year-olds that is more than 93% effective. Michael Hiltzik in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/1/22

Street  

Dad reveals horrific details of baby’s reported fentanyl overdose at S.F. playground -- A 10-month-old baby suffered an accidental fentanyl overdose Tuesday at a Marina district playground, the boy’s father told The Chronicle in an interview, a medical emergency that required paramedics to administer overdose-reversing medication Narcan. Mallory Moench in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/1/22

S.F. police officer out of job after admitting to ‘misleading’ statements in poaching of deer in Napa County -- A San Francisco police officer has separated from the department after allegedly lying to a California Department of Fish and Wildlife officer who questioned him over the illegal poaching of a deer on private property near Lake Berryessa in 2018. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 12/1/22

Correctional officers shoot, kill two inmates during California prison attack -- Two correctional officers shot to death two inmates who were trying to kill another prisoner during a stabbing attack at a Northern California prison, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Mathew Miranda in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/1/22

ICE  

ICE accidentally released the identities of 6,252 immigrants who sought protection in the U.S. -- Immigration and Customs Enforcement accidentally posted the names, birthdates, nationalities and detention locations of more than 6,000 immigrants who claimed to be fleeing torture and persecution to its website on Monday. Hamed Aleaziz in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/1/22

Education  

UC Davis joins top law schools in boycott against U.S. News college rankings -- UC Davis School of Law will no longer participate in the influential U.S. News & World Report rankings, a move that follows similar announcements by other top law schools that have criticized the magazine’s methodology as misleading and flawed. Sawsan Morrar in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/1/22

Ojai boarding school counselor with abuse history sexually abused student, suit alleges -- A former student at the Thacher School is suing the prestigious Ojai boarding school, alleging she was repeatedly sexually abused by a counselor and soccer coach who was hired despite the headmaster knowing the man left an East Coast school because of an inappropriate relationship with a female student. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/1/22

LA schools grapple with ban on nearby homeless encampments -- New rule against adjacent camps is controversial and unevenly enforced. Kate Sequeira EdSource -- 12/1/22

Environment  

President Biden announces new national monument near Nevada-California border -- 450,000-acre Avi Kwa Ame National Monument will protect sacred Native American sites, wildlife. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 12/1/222

Also . . .   

Chinese in Southern California are sympathetic, worried for protesters back home -- Some Chinese immigrants expressed solidarity with the protesters. But as videos of police making arrests leak, they worried for the protesters’ safety. Andrew J. Campa, Anh Do, Helen Li in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/1/22