California Policy and Politics Wednesday

Updating . . .

S.F. police officers’ average pay could hit $500,000 under proposal. Here’s why critics call it ‘insulting’ -- San Francisco police officers are among the highest paid public employees in the city, but a proposal for the November ballot could bump the average officer pay even higher — to nearly $500,000 a year. Aldo Toledo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/24/24

Why this small affordable housing project in S.F. is costing $1 million per unit -- Six years after a fire gutted a small apartment building at 29th and Mission streets, San Francisco is planning to rebuild the project as affordable housing. The price tag? An eye-popping $1 million a unit. Aldo Toledo in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/24/24

California’s news industry is in steep decline. Here’s what is at stake -- Economic forces and new technology have dramatically reduced local reporting power. This series examines the crisis and California’s novel efforts to save local news. The stories are in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/24/24

This California city lost its daily newspapers — and is living what comes next -- Years after the death of its newspaper, Richmond’s primary source of local news is a website funded by Chevron, the oil giant whose refinery looms over the city’s horizon. Jessica Garrison in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/24/24

‘We must be proactive’: Local and state leaders push for same-sex marriage ballot measure -- Proposition 3 would repeal outdated language in the state constitution and officially declare marriage a 'fundamental right'. Maura Fox in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/24/24

Hollywood power brokers pushed for Biden to step down. Now they’re stepping up for Harris -- George Clooney, Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings and other Hollywood heavyweights, who pressured President Joe Biden to not seek reelection, have rallied behind the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris. Stacy Perman, Seema Mehta and Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/24/24

Road map of Kamala Harris’ early life in the Bay Area -- Her origin story revolves around the unlikely meeting of two parents from different countries — India, for her mother, and Jamaica, for her father — in the East Bay, where Harris was born. Eli Rosenberg in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/24/24

Walters: As Newsom finishes his governorship, would-be successors are multiplying -- There never was much of a chance that California Gov. Gavin Newsom would be running for president this year, even if President Joe Biden were to step aside. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 7/24/24

Workplace

Disneyland employees avert strike with tentative contract deal, union says -- Disneyland employees said they reached a tentative contract deal with the company, averting what could have been the first major work stoppage at the Anaheim theme park in 40 years. Ryan Faughnder and Christi Carras in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/24/24

Huge Silicon Valley tech campus is foreclosed as office market staggers -- A lender has seized through foreclosure a South Bay tech campus once touted as an “exquisite” property in a fresh sign that an economic whirlpool menaces the Bay Area office market. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/24/24

California took vacation time from a prison doctor. Now it has to pay him $1.8 million -- A California prison doctor accumulated more than 1,000 hours of personal time off and used some of it to work a second job. He claimed he faced retaliation when officials began scrutinizing his time and then clawed back much of his leave bank. Nigel Duara CalMatters -- 7/24/24

Bay Area tech layoffs: Major Japanese online retailer cuts U.S. workforce by half -- Mercari, the Japanese online retail giant, confirmed it cut nearly half its employees at its American subsidiary, headquartered in Palo Alto, last month in response to falling sales and intensifying competition from eBay and China’s Temu. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/24/24

The Hottest Job Market in a Generation Is Over -- Pandemic-induced hiring spree wanes, leaving U.S. workers with more ordinary prospects. Jeanne Whalen in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/24/24

Homeless

Oakland begins sweep of homeless from pristine beach in first high-profile eviction since SCOTUS ruling -- The much-anticipated sweep of a bayfront homeless encampment near the Bay Bridge began Tuesday morning with doughnuts, a few flat tires being fixed, and a handful of police officers and city cleanup workers nonchalantly watching. Kevin Fagan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/24/24

This Bay Area county made it a crime for homeless to refuse shelter. What happened next? -- Five months after San Mateo County made it a crime for homeless individuals to refuse available shelter beds, officials have not issued a single citation or arrested anyone. Maggie Angst in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/24/24

Top of the Ticket

Nephew Says Trump Suggested Some Disabled People ‘Should Just Die’ -- In a new memoir, Fred C. Trump III claims his uncle, Donald J. Trump, made cruel and racist comments. Shawn McCreesh in the New York Times$ -- 7/24/24

Harris neck-and-neck with Trump after campaign launch, new poll finds -- Vice President Kamala Harris is neck-and-neck with former President Donald Trump in one of the first polls conducted since she became the likely Democratic nominee — a jolt to the race that has led to a spike in undecided independent voters, according to a NPR/PBS News/Marist College poll released Tuesday. Jared Mitovich Politico -- 7/24/24

Trump is back to insulting his opponents despite reported transformation -- The attempted assassination may not have changed him after all. Adam Wren Politico -- 7/24/24

Harris Casts Trump as ‘Focused on the Past’ in Energetic Campaign Debut -- Vice president’s rally was bigger than any during Biden re-election campaign, as Democrats go after Trump’s age. Vivian Salama and John McCormick in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/24/24

Harris Rallies Exuberant Democrats in Wisconsin: ‘The Baton Is in Our Hands’ -- Vice President Kamala Harris gave her first speech as the de facto Democratic nominee to a deafening crowd, keeping up her offensive against Donald Trump. Reid J. Epstein and Simon J. Levien in the New York Times$ -- 7/24/24

Trump Demands Equal Airtime in Light of Biden’s Planned Address -- President Biden is set to address the nation on Wednesday night from the Oval Office to discuss the end of his re-election bid. Michael Gold and Jim Rutenberg in the New York Times$ -- 7/24/24

Trump’s 2024 Convention Speech Had More Falsehoods Than His 2016 One -- A comparison of former President Donald J. Trump’s addresses before the Republican National Convention in 2016 and 2024 demonstrates how his relationship to the truth has changed. Linda Qiu in the New York Times$ -- 7/24/24

Biden Returns to a Vastly Different Presidency With Six Months to Go -- Now a lame duck, the president plans to address the nation on Wednesday night to discuss “what lies ahead.” But it could be a frustrating period. Peter Baker in the New York Times$ -- 7/24/24

Historic flood of cash pours into Harris campaign and allied groups -- Democrats reported raising more than $250 million since Biden announced he was leaving the presidential race and endorsed Harris. Michael Scherer, Gerrit De Vynck and Maeve Reston in the Washington Post$ -- 7/24/24

House GOP leaders urge members: Stop making race comments about Harris -- House Republican leaders told lawmakers to focus on criticizing Vice President Kamala Harris’ record without reference to her race and gender, following caustic remarks from some Republicans attacking her on the basis of identity. Olivia Beavers and Jordain Carney Politico -- 7/24/24

What Would a Harris Presidency Mean for the Economy? -- Vice president puts focus on workers, middle class as she launches White House bid. Jon Kamp, Richard Rubin and Justin Lahart in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 7/24/24

Harris’s Views on Israel Are in the Spotlight as Netanyahu Visits Washington -- The vice president will be closely watched this week for signs of her approach to the war in Gaza should she win the White House in November. Erica L. Green and Michael Crowley in the New York Times$ -- 7/24/24

Vance Adjusts to His New Role, Aboard a Plane With His Name on It -- As Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance has his own jet to fly him across the country. On Monday, he was still getting comfortable, both on the ground and in the air. Michael C. Bender in the New York Times$ -- 7/24/24

Here are the world leaders Harris has on speed dial -- The next president will have to jump into issues ranging from a tense relationship with China, to the war in Ukraine, to a powder keg in the Middle East. Eric Bazail-Eimil Politico -- 7/24/24

Trump says he’ll debate Harris -- Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday committed to debating Vice President Kamala Harris — and said he would be “willing” to face off against her more than once. Alex Isenstadt Politico -- 7/24/24

Education

LAUSD test scores rise in math and English, positive marks after pandemic setbacks -- In a step forward from pandemic-era learning setbacks, standardized test scores in the Los Angeles school system showed gains in all tested grade levels in math and English, Supt. Alberto Carvalho announced on Tuesday, although a majority of students remain below the state’s grade level standards. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/24/24

UC Davis, Sacramento State being investigated for alleged civil rights violations --The OCR is investigating two alleged violations of the Civil Rights Act on the UC Davis campus amid student tension surrounding the Israel-Hamas war, according to letters obtained by The Sacramento Bee dated last month. Chris Biderman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/24/24

Climate

Sunday was the hottest day ever recorded on Earth, scientists say -- The historic day comes on the heels of 13 straight months of unprecedented temperatures and the hottest year scientists have ever seen. Sarah Kaplan in the Washington Post$ -- 7/24/24

Street

Anger, confusion swirl after twin boys die of suspected fentanyl exposure -- Two days before Jestina James watched paramedics rush her nephews to the hospital, the twin boys were celebrating their third birthday at Chuck E. Cheese. Grace Toohey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/24/24

Also

The spinning of Earth’s inner core is slowing down. Is this how it all ends? -- The very center of the planet, a solid ball of iron and nickel floating in a sea of molten rock, appears to be slowing down in relation to the movement of Earth itself. The inner core has slowed so much that it has essentially kicked into reverse. Tyrone Beason in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/24/24

An infestation of ‘aggressive’ red fire ants hits Santa Barbara County -- The venom from an ant’s sting can “cause painful pustules on the skin, and can be particularly dangerous, even fatal, to sensitive groups or those with an allergy to the venom.” Jireh Deng in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/24/24

What is ‘surveillance pricing,’ and is it forcing some consumers to pay more? FTC investigates -- It’s no secret that Californians pay more than the rest of the country for many goods and services — gas, housing, food, you name it. That’s part of the high cost of living in this state. What’s less well known, though, is that consumers may be paying higher prices than their neighbors pay. Jon Healey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/24/24

How the Biden Campaign Transformed Into the Harris Campaign -- Staff members inside and outside the room have described the past handful of hours as hectic, overwhelming and emotional. Katie Rogers in the New York Times$ -- 7/24/24

When It Comes to Food and Politics, Kamala Harris Is Riffing on the Recipe -- In the way Donald Trump uses the golf course as both a source of relaxation and a political backdrop, Ms. Harris uses the kitchen. Kim Severson in the New York Times$ -- 7/24/24