STAFF with Sacramento Bee: "The punch of a storm heavier than anything in the region since 2005 is predicted to land on Sacramento and Northern California beginning Friday. Experts offer warnings about what could result and suggestions for staying safe."
READ MORE related to California Megastorm: Water spilling from Friant Dam; Yosemite closure a possibility -- BARBARA ANDERSON with Fresno Bee; California's megastorm: Rain, snow, flooding -- and maybe drought relief -- RYAN SABALOW, DALE KASLER, PHILLIP REESE and BILL LINDELOF with Sacramento Bee; California braces for 'once-in-10-year' storm amid fears of flooding, avalanches, blizzards -- PAIGE ST. JOHN and JOSEPH SERNA with LA Times; State braces for floods, mudslides, chaos as giant storm rolls in -- EVAN SERNOFFSKY, JENNA LYONS and STEVE RUBENSTEIN with The Chronicle
A proposed bill to up California's presidential primary in California to March could provide a boon to one of the state's highest ranking Dems: Kamala Harris.
CHRISTOPHER CADELAGO with Sacramento Bee: "California Assemblyman Kevin Mullin’s bill to give the state more political relevance by moving up the presidential primary to March is being pitched as a way to ensure candidates pay more attention to voters rather than just wealthy donors."
“We are largely a political ATM,” Mullin, D-South San Francisco, said Thursday."
"Mullin said he was compelled to revive debate over an earlier presidential primary when it became clear California was largely “an afterthought” last year. California’s electorate is more reflective of the nation’s diversity than many of the other early voting states, Mullin said. A March primary would mean many voters here would actually be filing out their ballots in February."
We've already had the Terminator as a governor, so why not an ex-football icon from the arcane L.A. Rams?
PHIL WILLON with LA Times: "California's 2018 race for governor just might get a little more fearsome."
"Former Los Angeles Rams football player Rosey Grier, who was a member of the famous “Fearsome Foursome” defensive line in the 1960s, says he plans to run for governor."
"Grier, a Republican who lives in west Los Angeles and endorsed Donald Trump in the presidential election, said he expects to jump into the race in the near future though he hasn't launched a campaign."
An apparent suicide of a 10-year-old child has forced both experts and laypersons alike to struggle with the hot-button issue of gun control, after 2016 saw a staggering spike in unintentional death/injury by firearms for people under the age of 17.
KATIE METTLER with WaPo: "Fifth-grader Ian Sevostjanov was getting ready for school Thursday morning when he got himself in trouble."
"The 10-year-old boy was sent to a room by his mom, Olga Grusetskaja, 49, in the apartment where their family lives in Clearwater, Fla., authorities said. Grusetskaja was “addressing a behavioral issue,” according to police."
"In the room, Ian found a gun, authorities said, which he used to fire a “lone shot” at himself."
With Trump's Agriculture Secretary cabinet seat still vacant, advocates urge the president-elect to appoint former Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado to the position.
MELANIE MASON with LA Times: "On the heels of Abel Maldonado's visit with President-elect Donald Trump last week, major farm groups in California are urging the incoming president to pick the former lieutenant governor to lead the federal Agriculture Department."
"Eight trade groups representing some of the state's most prominent agriculture interests, including strawberry growers, dairies and pistachio farmers, sent a letter Thursday to the Trump transition team, touting Maldonado's bona fides."
"California is the number one agriculture state in the nation producing over 400 commodities with worldwide distribution," the letter reads. "Abel is one of the 78,000 California farmers that makes this happen every day."
An unexpected 'anemic' tax season has put Gov. Brown's 2016 budget in a place of uncertainty.
JOHN MYERS with LA Times: "In the six years since Gov. Jerry Brown returned to the state Capitol, his relatively parsimonious approach to state budgets has been consistent enough to leave few watchers expecting major surprises."
"But recent events in California and the nation suggest the fiscal proposal Brown unveils next week could be his most circumspect to date, even after voters in November approved billions of dollars in additional taxes."
“We have a number of significant fiscal pressures that are looming,” said H.D. Palmer, the governor’s budget spokesman.
CHRISTOPHER CADELAGO with Sacramento Bee: "House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy has written to Gov. Jerry Brown and the leaders of other states soliciting their input for replacing Obamacare."
"Dismantling President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare legislation has been central to debate in Washington since voters in November handed Republicans control of the White House and Congress."
"As Obamacare continues to saddle patients with less choice, higher costs, and mountains of mandates, it is clear that major health care reforms must be made to strengthen and improve health care for all Americans,” McCarthy wrote in the letter last month, which was signed by five other House Republicans, including Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady of Texas."
READ MORE related to Affordable Care Act: Americans don't want to scrap Obamacare without something to replace it, new poll shows -- NOAM N. LEVEY with LA Times
The science employed in climate change modeling is constantly changing, and some winemakers around the state are figuring out ways to incorporate the scientific progress to better their businesses.
DAVID GELLES with NY Times: "On a misty autumn morning in Sonoma County, Calif., Katie Jackson headed into the vineyards to assess the harvest. It was late in the season, and an army of field workers was rushing to pick the grapes before the first rains, however faint, began falling."
"But on this day, Ms. Jackson, the vice president of sustainability and external affairs at Jackson Family Wines, was not just minding the usual haul of cabernet, chardonnay and merlot grapes. She also checked on the sophisticated network of systems she had put in place to help crops adapt to a changing climate."
"Ms. Jackson, along with her siblings and mother, owns and operates Jackson Family Wines, one of the largest family-owned winemakers in the country. Best known for its Kendall-Jackson chardonnay, a supermarket staple, the family also produces dozens of other wines on five continents. After decades in the business, the Jacksons are sensitive to slight variations in the weather, and they are convinced of one thing: It is getting hotter and drier, and that could be a problem."
Trump's Secretary of Education pick is believed to have set a precedent for being the first SOE on record without a strong belief in the efficacy of public education.
LOUIS FREEDBERG with EdSource: "Betsy DeVos may well be the first U.S. secretary of education to come to office without expressing a strong belief in the importance of traditional public schools as a core democratic institution, and without any detailed ideas on the record for improving them other than prodding them to compete with charter schools and private schools."
"If approved by the U.S. Senate after hearings scheduled for next week, the multibillionaire DeVos would be the 11th secretary of education. Her single-minded focus on finding alternatives to public education – largely in the form of taxpayer-supported vouchers and other ways to underwrite tuition for private schools – is unmatched by any other previous occupant of the post."
"A review of DeVos’ public statements has not surfaced one where she indicates that public schools can be reformed to better serve children, or any set of strategies covering central challenges such as classroom instruction, teaching methods, or testing and accountability to accomplish that. Most of her statements are about “failing schools” and giving children a way to escape them."
READ MORE related to Education: In challenge to Trump, California lawmaker seeks expansion of in-state tuition for immigrants in the U.S. illegally -- PATRICK MCGREEVY with LA Times
VP Biden gave an admonishment to Donald Trump in a PBS NewsHour interview on Thursday: "Grow Up."
AP with Sacramento Bee: "Vice President Joe Biden told President-elect Donald Trump Thursday to "grow up."
"Biden dismissed Trump's complaint on Twitter about how the Obama administration has handled the transition. The vice president told "PBS NewsHour" in an interview that it's time for Trump "to be an adult."
Biden said to Trump: "You're president. You've got to do something. Show us what you have."
READ MORE related to Beltway: Final jobs report for Obama presidency expected to be solid -- CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER with Sacramento Bee; As an angry China watches, Taiwan president takes a risky trip to the Americas -- RALPH JENNINGS with LA Times
Los Angeles is mulling over proposed legislation that would bar unaccompanied adults from playgrounds.
MIKE MCPHATE with NY Times: "There is no shortage of wonderful outdoor things to do in Los Angeles. But one thing is in decidedly short supply, particularly in the denser part of the cities: public parks."
"So a recent proposal by a Los Angeles City Council member to bar unaccompanied adults from children’s playgrounds has struck a nerve. The proposal was put forward by Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, who said he was simply trying to add public playgrounds to the list of places — such as schoolyards — that, under state law, are already off limits to adults who are not there with children."
"As city leaders, we owe this to our youngest Angelenos to create safe spaces for them,” he said in a letter to constituents. “Our park facilities should be a safe haven, and we must do our part to provide the proper shelter for our kids."
A recent audit done on the newly minted FI$Cal, the Financial Information System for California, shows the system still requires millions of dollars and hours of manpower before being anywhere near complete.
ADAM ASHTON with Sacramento Bee: "A massive overhaul of the state’s accounting system launched in 2005 will take another two years and an extra $237 million to finish, according to a report released Thursday by state Auditor Elaine Howle."
"That estimate may be optimistic."
"The new audit includes warnings that the implementation of the Financial Information System for California – commonly referred to as FI$Cal – could be delayed further when the state’s largest departments start using it."
A new battle over transparency in policing tactics and technology is brewing in the Legislature.
JAZMINE ULLOA with LA Times: "In what will likely become another battle over the balance between privacy and public safety, new legislation at the state Capitol would expand the list of electronic surveillance devices that California law enforcement agencies must disclose to the public."
"The bill, introduced last month by state Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo), would require any local law enforcement agency in California that uses surveillance technology to submit a plan to local officials on how it uses the equipment and the information collected. Surveillance plans would have to be presented at an open hearing and would be required to include any facial recognition software, drones or even social media monitoring used by officers."
"Law enforcement officials say the list of surveillance methods is so broad that producing policies for each device could be impractical and would hinder criminal investigations. But privacy advocates argue it doesn’t do enough to shed light on police use of spying equipment, technology that they say is quickly evolving and whose reach could be expanded under the administration of President-elect Donald Trump."
The aftermath of Wednesday's brutal, racially charged hate crime streamed over Facebook live in Chicago paints a portrait of racial tensions in post-election America.
JAWEED KALEEM with LA Times: "It was a gruesome incident by any measure."
"A group of Chicago teens bound and attacked a mentally disabled teen and broadcast the violence on Facebook for the public to see."
"But then six words the black attackers said as they assaulted their white victim changed the nature of things, sending what would normally be a local crime investigation in one of the country’s most violence-plagued cities into the national fray over a combustible mix of race, social media and the presidential election."
Accommodating transgender inmates in county jail is proving to be a slow and arduous task for San Francisco.
VIVIAN HO with The Chronicle: "More than a year after the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department announced efforts to house female transgender inmates based on their gender identity, officials say the department is moving in the right direction — but some critics insist it’s not moving fast enough."
"Sheriff Vicki Hennessy said the department has been making steady, if slow, progress when it comes to transgender-rights issues, requiring deputies to undergo gender-awareness training and working with advocates to develop a department policy for handling inmates whose gender identity differs from what’s on their birth certificates."