Monster earthquake could sink swath of California, dramatically heightening flood risk, study says
LAT, RONG-GONG LIN II: "A long-feared monster earthquake off California, Oregon and Washington could cause some coastal areas to sink by more than 6 feet, dramatically heightening the risk of flooding and radically reshaping the region with little to no warning.
Those are the findings of a new study that examined the repercussions of a massive earthquake on the Cascadia subduction zone, which stretches from Northern California up to Canada’s Vancouver Island."
A Trump-appointed Californian shakes up civil rights unit at the Justice Department
LAT, KEVIN RECTOR: "California’s two U.S. senators have joined with Democratic colleagues to demand answers from the Trump loyalist and Californian now heading the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, amid reports that she and other officials have pushed out senior leaders and imposed hard-right policies at odds with the department’s mission.
In a letter sent Friday to Assistant Atty. Gen. Harmeet Dhillon, seven senators — including Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff of California — cited reports that Dhillon had emailed directives changing long-standing enforcement goals to employees, including in sections that are “meant to protect voting rights, prevent discrimination by federal funding recipients, investigate illegal bias in housing, prohibit discrimination in education, and defend the rights of those with disabilities.”"
Bill to suspend marijuana tax advances
Capitol Weekly, BRIAN JOSEPH: "When voters approved Proposition 64 in 2016 to legalize the personal use of marijuana, it almost seemed like a foregone conclusion that someday California would emerge as an economic power within the burgeoning cannabis industry.
The state, after all has been synonymous with weed since the 1960s."
Capitol Spotlight: Erica Costa, Senate Fellowship Program
Capitol Weekly, LEAH LENTZ: "The Capitol’s Fellowship programs are considered some of the toughest to break into, and Erica Costa is no stranger to that challenge. A graduate of the Assembly Fellowship Program, followed by with over 15 years of public service experience, she was recently named director of the Senate Fellowship Program at the Center for California Studies at Sacramento State University.
“It is really an incredible honor to be able to do this. I’m thrilled to be able to circle back to the program that gave me my start in public service, and the Capitol Fellows programs are just a wonderful way for folks who are interested and passionate about public service to get their start,” Costa said."
Southern California Edison likely to incur ‘material losses’ related to Eaton fire, executive says
LAT, CAROLINE PETROW-COHEN: "The chief executive of Southern California Edison’s parent company said on Tuesday that the company was likely to suffer “material losses” related to the deadly Eaton fire, which ignited on Jan. 7 and burned more than 14,000 acres.
Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing and have not concluded that Edison’s equipment sparked the blaze, Edison International Chief Executive Pedro Pizarro said during the company’s first-quarter earnings call."
Judge restricts Border Patrol in California: ‘You just can’t walk up to people with brown skin’
CALMatters, SERGIO OLMOS/WENDY FRY: "A federal court on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction forbidding the Border Patrol from conducting warrantless immigration stops throughout a wide swath of California.
The ruling came in response to an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit filed after the El Centro Border Patrol traveled to Kern County to conduct a three-day sweep in January, detaining day laborers, farm workers and others in a Home Depot parking lot, outside a convenience store and along a highway between orchards."
A pioneering S.F. program seeks to keep rapidly aging immigrant population out of nursing homes
The Chronicle, KO LYN CHEANG: "When Jennifer Lai’s mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2021, she scrambled to find a residential care facility where the Cantonese-speaking 88-year-old could live. Lai retired early to care for her mom, but she knew she’d eventually need around-the-clock help. Her mom had lost her English-speaking ability by then, a common effect of dementia. The pair visited one facility after another that only had English- or Spanish-speaking staff.
“How could I put her there?” Lai said she thought to herself. “Without language, she cannot communicate. How could people help her?”"
Kids should avoid AI companion bots—under force of law, assessment says
CALMatters, KHARI JOHNSON: "Children shouldn’t speak with companion chatbots because such interactions risk self harm and could exacerbate mental health problems and addiction. That’s according to a risk assessment by children’s advocacy group Common Sense Media conducted with input from a lab at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Companion bots, artificial intelligence agents designed to engage in conversation, are increasingly available in video games and on social media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat. They can take on just about any role you like, standing in for friends in a group chat, a romantic partner, or even a dead friend. Companies design the bots to keep people engaged and help turn a profit."
Trump order seeks to end in-state tuition for undocumented college students
The Chronicle, NANETTE ASIMOV: "An executive order by President Donald Trump, aimed at forcing local governments to turn people over to federal immigration officials when asked, also contains a single line that could have a seismic impact in California by promising to make it illegal for undocumented students to pay in-state college tuition.
Trump’s order, issued Monday, vows to stop states from enforcing laws that “provide in-state higher education tuition to aliens but not to out-of-state American citizens.”"
Numerous districts don’t heed federal advice to bar police from enforcing school rules
EdSource, THOMAS PEELE/DANIEL J. WILLIS: "Policing experts say that discipline is the responsibility of school administrators, not law enforcement.
Many California school districts’ contracts for policing services do not prohibit officers from involvement in routine student disciplinary matters, despite the federal government’s guidance that administrators are responsible for handling those issues, an EdSource investigation found."
The ‘science of reading’ won’t be required in California schools, at least for now
CALMatters, CAROLYN JONES: "A bill that could reshape literacy education in California elementary schools cleared a major hurdle in the Legislature this week after dueling sides reached a compromise that provides funding for phonics-based instruction but stops short of requiring it.
The compromise between English learner advocates and those who back the so-called “science of reading” or “evidence-based” approach provides funding and support for phonics-focused instruction, but doesn’t require schools or teachers to participate."
Mark Zuckerberg is worth billions. Why is his nonprofit school closing due to lack of funding?
The Chronicle, JILL TUCKER/ANNA BAUMAN/JESSICA FLORES: "Two of the richest people in the world made a slew of promises to low-income families when they opened a nonprofit school in East Palo Alto in 2016.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his pediatrician wife, Priscilla Chan, vowed that the Primary School would give their children a free education, with a long list of extras on top to overcome the odds the families faced."
Active California weather pattern to bring rain, wind, thunderstorms. Here’s when
The Chronicle, ANTHONY EDWARDS: "Another spring week, another California storm looms.
Tranquil weather is expected to continue in the Bay Area through Thursday, but increasing clouds Friday afternoon will signal changes to come for the weekend."
State will deliver more water to Southern California this year via State Water Project
LAT, IAN JAMES: "Southern California cities can expect to receive 50% of their full water allotments this year from the aqueducts of the State Water Project, up from 40% last month, as runoff from this year’s ample snowpack continues to fill reservoirs in Northern California.
“Our full reservoirs will allow us to help meet the needs of the State Water Project contractors and their customers this year as well as provide some water supply next year in the event that dry conditions return,” Karla Nemeth, director of the state Department of Water Resources, said in a statement Tuesday."
These iconic S.F. products will be more expensive thanks to Trump’s tariffs
The Chronicle, NAMI SUMIDA: "Your favorite Bay Area products might not have been affected by President Donald Trump’s burgeoning trade war yet, but it’s going to happen to your burritos and strollers sooner than you think.
The Chronicle is keeping tabs on when and how prices change. From burritos to Allbirds and iPhones, we’re tracking how tariffs on foreign countries could impact the cost of some classically “San Francisco” items."
Paramount inches toward settling Trump’s $20-billion ’60 Minutes’ lawsuit
LAT, MEG JAMES: "As CBS-owner Paramount Global enters mediation this week to resolve President Trump’s $20-billion “60 Minutes” lawsuit, one question looms: How much should the company pay to settle a dispute that 1st Amendment experts have deemed frivolous?
Paramount’s board during an April 18 meeting agreed on parameters for a possible settlement with Trump, according to two people familiar with the discussions who were not authorized to comment."
S.F. office values may not recover for another decade as tax appeals hit new high
The Chronicle, ROLAND LI: "It could take more than a decade for office values in San Francisco to recover to their pre-pandemic levels, hitting the city budget amid a record-high deficit, according to a city analysis.
With many buildings vacant, San Francisco saw property tax appeals explode from 1,400 in the 2020 fiscal year to 9,000 in the current fiscal year. As owners seek lower tax bills, the city’s tax revenue is expected to suffer."
California must strengthen tenant protections (OP-ED)
Capitol Weekly, JESUS FIGUEROA CACHO: "I never thought I would be living in my car or on my friend’s couch at this stage in my life. For decades, I worked as a nursing care professional and an active member and steward of SEIU 2015, dedicating my life to helping others heal and recover.
Today, I’m legally blind, unemployed, and homeless – not because I didn’t work hard, but because California’s housing system failed me. For seven years, I rented a single-family home from a corporate landlord who increased my rent by over $100 every year, while also charging me more than $300 monthly for water, garbage, and renter’s insurance. When I was severely injured on the job, affecting my eyesight and reducing my work hours, I began depleting my savings to pay rent. I dipped into my 401(k), skipped meals, and sacrificed everything to keep a roof over my head. My entire retirement is now gone."
Welcome to the first fire-resistant neighborhood. Now what about the rest of California?
CALMatters, BEN CHRISTOPHER: "The homes in the half-built subdivision look a lot like all the others nestled up against the parched, shrubby hills of Escondido, north San Diego County.
But look a little closer. The gutters and vents are enclosed in a thin, wire mesh. Each window is double-paned, the glass tempered to withstand the heat of a wildfire, the stucco around the shutters resistant to flame. The privacy fences, a suburban staple, look like wood, but are actually brown-tinted steel. Every foundation sits behind a moat of gravel."
A Times investigation: LAFD union head made $540,000 in a year, with huge overtime payouts
LAT, ALENE TCHEKMEDYIAN/PAUL PRINGLE: "Long before the devastating fire in Pacific Palisades, leaders of the Los Angeles Fire Department’s labor union complained that the agency did not have enough money to keep the city safe.
“It’s a damn shame, and excuse my language, that it took this incident, the Pacific Palisades, to finally bring attention to our grossly understaffed, underfunded Fire Department,” Freddy Escobar, president of the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, said at a city Fire Commission meeting in February."
