San Francisco's federal appellate court has handed Trump his third major defeat on his travel ban.
The Chronicle's BOB EGELKO: "The second federal appeals court to consider President Trump’s travel ban against selected mostly Muslim nations reached the same result as the first — that the ban cannot take effect — but for reasons that struck at the heart of Trump’s national-security argument and could lessen his chances of prevailing in the U.S. Supreme Court."
"In a 3-0 ruling Monday, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said the president had offered no evidence that temporarily barring immigrants and visitors from the targeted nations, as well as all would-be refugees, would protect the United States from terrorism."
A sweeping reform of the Board of Equilization has been announced by some of the state's top Democrats, vowing to shed 90% of its workforce.
Sacramento Bee's ADAM ASHTON: "A troubled California tax agency that has resisted almost 90 years of calls for its dissolution is on the brink of changes that would make it a sliver of itself."
"In a sweeping overhaul announced by top Democrats, the Board of Equalization would lose its high-profile mandate as California’s tax court and shed almost 90 percent of its 4,800 employees."
"The work would continue and the employees would keep their jobs, but most of them would move to a new revenue department that would report to the Governor’s Office. Tax disputes would be settled by civil service administrative law judges instead of elected members on the Board of Equalization."
READ MORE related to Economy: Want a state job but don't know where to start? California has a new website for that -- Sacramento Bee's ADAM ASHTON; Pot-sniffing dogs' jobs haven't gone up in smoke -- The Chronicle's BETH WINEGARNER; Trade, logistics industry supports 1.2M jobs in LA, Inland Empire. Will some of those be replaced by robots? San Gabriel Valley Tribune's KEVIN SMITH
Comey's testimony last week was just one in many scheduled hearings, with the next-in-line being AG Jeff Sessions today.
LA Times' JOSEPH TANFANI: "After weeks of political tumult, Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions will face some of his former Senate colleagues Tuesday to answer questions about his Russian contacts, his role in firing FBI Director James B. Comey and whether he has fully stepped aside from the Russia investigation."
"Whatever the answers, the latest Senate Intelligence Committee hearing will keep attention focused on the Trump administration’s mounting legal and political troubles amid a swirl of Russia-related inquiries, difficulties that the White House would much prefer to move beyond."
"Yet on the eve of Sessions’ appearance, a new question has come to the fore, and probably will be put to the attorney general: Is President Trump considering firing Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel who was named by the Justice Department to investigate the Russia matters in the wake of Comey’s firing?"
READ MORE relatd to Beltway: Dennis Rodman returns to North Korea, vowing to try to 'open a door' -- LA TIMES' JESSICA MYERS; Trump frioend says president might fire special counsel Robert Mueller -- LA Times' NOAH BIERMAN; AG Jeff Sessions faces Senate Tuesday -- in public -- AP
From Capitol Weekly's Chuck McFadden: "We Californians frequently make assumptions about the rest of the country, especially the part that lies east of the Sierra up to the shores of Washington, D. C. Not all of them are true, at least not always."
“You guys live in a little blue bubble out there on the coast,” says my son Patrick, an attorney in Washington whom we visited for a few days."
"Leaving from Chicago, the California Zephyr travels through Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and, finally, California — a total of 2,438 miles. It’s a combination of rolling green farmland and then spectacular scenery in the Rockies and the Sierra. Midwestern farms are huge, but they don’t seem to be as “industrialized” as those in California’s Central Valley."
The Trump administration is trying to take away protections for hospice patients and other care receivers by lifting a regulation allowing people to sue the state.
LA TIMES' David Lazarus: "Let’s say your elderly parent was neglected or abused in a nursing home. In the past, your only recourse might have been arbitration, rather than going to court."
"But thanks to a rule put in place last fall by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, nursing homes that receive federal funding — which is most of them — could no longer include so-called mandatory arbitration clauses in their contracts. In other words, residents and their family members were given back the right to sue."
"\Now the Trump administration is trying to get rid of that protection."
READ MORE related to Health: Yolo County declares end of norovirus -- Sacramento Bee's ELLEN GARRISON; Homeless people overuse ERs. Sacramento has a $64 million plan to fix the problem -- Sacramento Bee's ANITA CHABRIA; Medi-Cal patients flocking to ERs more than befoiire Obamacare -- California Healthline's KELLEN BROWNING
Uber is facing mounting scrutiny as time passes, with investors wondering where the $1 billion of their capital goes every summer.
LA TIMES' PARESH DAVE/DAVID PIERSON/MAKEDA EASTER: "When you're the hottest start-up in the world, investors will give you a pass for burning through as much as $1 billion a quarter. You're growing your business, after all."
"But when your company is consumed with complaints of pervasive harassment, mismanagement, executive firings and departures, a federal investigation for obstruction of justice and a lawsuit from a powerful rival alleging the theft of technology, such spending may face a bit more scrutiny."
"As Uber attempts to emerge from this litany of scandals — with the findings of an internal investigation into its corporate culture set to be released Tuesday — the ride-hailing company faces new concerns. Will its misconduct harm its reputation with passengers? Could its tarnished stature hinder hiring? And will investors retain their confidence, and their willingness to underwrite Uber’s losses, under the current leadership?"
READ MORE related to Transportation: Sacramento streetcar project efforts scores key local funding -- Sacramento Bee's TONY BIZJAK
An autistic boy left in a sweltering-hot bus subsequently died; the family has successfuly sued the school district.
Daily News' SANDRA T. MOLINA: "The family of an autistic teenager from Whittier who died when he was left on a sweltering school bus for hours in 2015 has received $23.5 million in a settlement with the company whose employee was convicted in January in the teen’s death."
"The parents of Hun Joon “Paul” Lee, 19, a student at Sierra Vista Adult School, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in December 2015 after their son was left unattended on a bus for seven hours on a day in which temperatures reached nearly 100 degrees."
"The teen was found unconscious and lying on the floor of the bus parked at Mulberry Drive and Greenleaf Avenue in Whittier. Police said he died at the scene."
Southern California is now under increased fire danger as temperatures begin to rise.
City News Service: "A heat wave will move into the Southland starting tomorrow, with forecasters saying triple-digit temperatures are on the horizon in the Antelope Valley and other inland areas."
The heat is expected to linger through the weekend and into early next week, bringing with it elevated fire danger."
“Weak offshore flow will bring a significant increase in temperatures across interior sections on Tuesday, with temperatures expected to increase gradually each day through Friday,” according to the National Weather Service. “While there may be some cooling near the coast over the weekend due to an increase in onshore flow, interior sections are expected to remain hot and dry.”
READ MORE related to Environment: LA, Long Beach 'climate mayors' roll out zero-emissionn goal for ports -- Daily News' DONNA LITTLEJOHN