Far-right rallies in California?

Aug 15, 2017

Right-wing rallies are now planned for San Francisco, Berkeley and Sacramento in the wake of the far-right movement in Charlottesville.

 

East Bay Times' JASON GREEN: "Just days after a woman was killed in a clash between white nationalists and counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, authorities in San Francisco and Berkeley are gearing up for potentially volatile right-wing rallies of their own."


"A group known as Patriot Prayer has received verbal approval for a First Amendment permit to gather Aug. 26 at Crissy Field in San Francisco, said National Park Service spokeswoman Sonja Hanson."

 

"Permits are required for gatherings of more than 25 people."

 

READ MORE related to White Supremacy Resurgence: After violence in Charlottesvile, cities rush to take down monuments as white supremacists gear up to fight -- LA Times' JAWEED KALEEM; Trump retweets alt-right media figure who pushed 'PizzaGate' and Seth Rich conspiracy theories -- LA Times' COLLEEN SHALBY; 'Doxxing' to shame targets as political tactic raises touchy questions -- The Chronicle's TRISHA THADANI; In wake of Charlottesville, Bay Area law enforcement girds for protests -- The Chronicle's PETER FIMRITE/JOE GAROFOLI; Protestors topple Confederate statue in North Carolina -- AP's JONATHAN DREW

 

Trump's response to the Charlottesville attack has angered top professionals on the president's manufacturing advisory panel, and they've begun departing.

 

LA Times' JIM PUZZANGHERA: "The chief executive of pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. publicly resigned from a White House manufacturing council on Monday, declaring he felt “a responsibility to take a stand against intolerance and extremism.”


"The move by Kenneth Frazier, one of corporate America’s leading African American executives, came after President Trump was criticized for not explicitly condemning white supremacists after violent clashes with counter-protestors turned deadly in Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday."


"Trump quickly lashed out at Frazier on Twitter."

 

Meanwhile, back in the Far East: Threat eases over North Korea's plan to surround Guam in a 'ring of fire.'

 

LA Times' WJ HENNIGAN/JONATHAN KAIMAN: "North Korea’s autocratic ruler has decided not to launch missiles toward Guam, Pyongyang’s state media reported Tuesday, easing the immediate threat of an attack on the U.S. territory in the western Pacific."


"The North Korean statement said Kim Jong Un could change his mind “if the Yankees persist in their extremely dangerous reckless actions,” in which case the country’s artillerymen would “wring the windpipes of the Yankees and point daggers at their necks."


"The announcement appeared shortly after Defense Secretary James N. Mattis warned that an attack could quickly escalate to war, although it’s unclear if the developments were linked."

 

READ MORE related to North Korean Crisis: Here's how Chinese companies are acting as shopping agencies to help North Korea violate sanctions -- LA Times' JONATHAN KAIMAN/BARBARA DEMICK

 

How will a $17 billion water project planned for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta affect Southern California?

 

LA Times' BETTINA BOXALL: "After years of planning for one of the biggest California water projects in decades, a key question remains unanswered: Who exactly will pay for it?"


"Decision time is approaching for the agencies that will have to pick up the nearly $17-billion tab for building two massive water tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the heart of the state’s water works."

 

"Whether the board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California commits to paying roughly a quarter of the bill could make or break the project."

 

READ MORE related to Environment: Warning to avocado lovers: a California shortfall may send prices soaring even higher -- LA Times' JAMES F. PELTZ

 

It appears that UC Berkeley has a new leader.

 

The Chronicle's NANETTE ASIMOV: "Selling beer at Cal football games. Shrinking the number of players on men’s teams. Offering naming rights for UC Berkeley’s gleaming Cal Memorial Stadium."


"Campus officials identified these ideas and more on Monday, not only as a way to extract the money-losing athletics department from its $22 million hole in three years, but also to help all of UC Berkeley close its larger, $110 million deficit by 2020."


"As students from all around the world poured back onto campus Monday, the famed university released budget proposals showing that undergraduate education expects to reduce expenses this year by 6 percent, or $1.2 million; athletics by 4 percent, or $3.5 million; and administration by 2 percent, or $7 million."

 

LAUSD is gearing up to welcome immigrant families with open arms.

 

Daily News' ANTONIE BOESSENKOOL: "The Los Angeles Unified School District is making visible what it’s so far said in words: that immigrant students and their families are welcome at Los Angeles schools."


"When students start the new school year today, they’ll walk through entrances decked with 6-foot-tall banners featuring the Statue of Liberty, long the symbol of new opportunity for immigrants. The banners will read “We Are One L.A. Unified/Standing With Immigrant Families,” and Lady Liberty will be wearing a graduation cap, a nod to the district’s goal of having every student graduate."


"Superintendent Michelle King previewed the We Are One effort for “immigrant students and others who feel marginalized,” with a brief mention in her annual State of the District speech last week."

 

The teeny-tiny town of Nipton, CA looked towards a possible 'Green Rush' by using cannabis to economically stimulate the sleepy hamlet. Now it appears that those plans may be in trouble.

 

Capitol Weekly's LISA RENNER: "It appears that a company’s plans to turn a remote San Bernardino County town into a marijuana tourism mecca may go up in smoke."


"Earlier this month, Arizona-based American Green announced it purchased the entire California town of Nipton for about $5 million to make it a hub of cannabis production mixed with bed-and-breakfast lodging and attractions like mineral baths."

 

"The problem is that a county ordinance for unincorporated areas, including Nipton, bars all sales, distribution and production of cannabis, overriding the state’s recent move to legalize recreational marijuana."

 

The state's stem cell agency, which will run out of funding unless it comes up with new revenue, is looking at the options for survival.

 

California Stem Cell Report's DAVID JENSEN in Capitol Weekly: "California’s $3 billion stem cell research agency, which is facing its financial demise in a few short years, has formed a team of its directors to tackle transition planning and examine possible alternatives, including ones that would extend its life."


"The first meeting of the group of directors is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 18. Jonathan Thomas, chairman of the governing board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine(CIRM), as the agency is formally known, said earlier this summer:"


"The legislature has asked that we put together and start thinking about a transition plan, which can contemplate a variety of factors.”In response to a question last week, a spokesman for the agency, Kevin McCormack, said that a notice with more details would be posted 10 days prior to the meeting."