A 'water grab'? SoCal water agency eyes possible control of Delta tunnels project
Sacramento Bee's DALE KASLER/RYAN SABALOW: "In a dramatic twist on the Delta tunnels saga, Southern California’s powerful water agency is exploring the feasibility of owning the majority stake in the controversial project, a move that raises fears of a “water grab."
"Under the plan floated Monday by three board members, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California would pour an extra $6 billion or more into the tunnels plan beyond what it has already pledged, enabling the twin tunnels to get built at the same time. Last week, facing a significant funding shortfall, the Brown administration announced it was scaling back the project to just one tunnel for now."
"One of the Metropolitan board members, Brett Barbre, said Tuesday the agency’s increased involvement could ensure both tunnels get built. Metropolitan could then sell some of its surplus water to San Joaquin Valley agricultural districts that, to this point, have refused to pledge any dollars to the tunnels project because of its staggering cost."
READ MORE related to Energy & Environment: Study commissioned by Brown administration says his Delta tunnels plan would pay off for farmers, cities -- Sacramento Bee's RYAN SABALOW; SpaceX could launch demonstration satellites for its constellation Saturday -- LA Times' SAMANTHA MASUNAGA; Fire aftermath: Sonoma County steps up effort to prevent next big disaster -- The Chronicle's KEVIN FAGAN; Oroville Dam: Locals in class action lawsuit explain their losses -- Chico ER's RISA JOHNSON; California drought: Water conservation slipping statewide as dry weather returns -- BANG's PAUL ROGERS/LEIGH POITINGER
SEIU endorsement of Kevin de Leon is a big boost in his bid to unseat Sen. Dianne Feinstein
LA Times' SEEMA MEHTA: "California Senate leader Kevin de León received a significant boost in his insurgent bid to defeat U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Tuesday, winning the endorsement of one of the state’s most politically powerful labor unions."
"The Service Employees International Union announced it was endorsing California’s Senate president pro tem because of his efforts on a $15 minimum wage, immigration and environmental justice."
"Kevin de León is a leader who speaks up for California values. His leadership on the most pressing challenges facing California stands in stark contrast with the dysfunctional political establishment in Washington, D.C.,” said David Huerta, an executive board member with the union’s California group. “… He’s stood up for us and our California values again and again, and now we are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder and endorse Kevin de León to be our next U.S. senator."
LA Times' PATRICK MCGREEVY: "Despite being on a leave of absence pending a sexual harassment investigation, state Sen. Tony Mendoza has introduced 15 pieces of legislation this week, including a measure that would remove the Legislature’s exemption from state audits."
"A representative of the Senate said the action does not violate the terms of Mendoza’s leave because his office is allowed to continue operating in his absence."
"Friday is the last day for bills to be introduced for this session and most of the bills introduced by Mendoza are measures known as “spot bills,” which state a general topic but are meant to be amended later to include specific law changes."
READ MORE related to Boy's Club/Me Too: Snowboarder Shaun White settled a sexual harassment lawsuit. Here's what you need to know -- Time's KATIE REILLY; Shaun White addresses sexual harassment suit, flag flap and rebounding from slump -- LA Times' DAVID WHARTON
Under fire for anti-military rant, Pico Rivera Councilman Gregory Salcido says he's not resigning
SGV Tribune's SANDRA T. MOLINA: "The Pico Rivera City Council on Tuesday asked for the resignation of one of its own, Gregory Salcido, after the public backlash to his anti-military remarks that went viral last month."
"Salcido, making his first public appearance at City Hall since the audio of his comments was posted on social media Jan. 26, said he would not resign."
"I’m not anti-military,” said Salcido, a teacher at El Rancho High School, where his comments were recorded. “I am pro-education."
READ MORE related to Local Politics: Oroville chamber executive leaving -- Chico ER's LAURA URSENY
SGV Tribune's SUSAN ABRAM: "Hoping to follow cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles County leaders on Tuesday unanimously approved an effort to develop a plan to decriminalize marijuana-related sentences that occurred before Proposition 64."
"The motion, authored by supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Hilda Solis, asks the county’s Office of Cannabis Management, as well as other departments and community activists, to find ways to streamline the process of resentencing procedures. The supervisors noted that there may be thousands of Los Angeles County residents with prior, minor marijuana convictions who may be held back from employment or housing because of their records."
"This would remove barriers to employment, housing, financial assistance, and deepening social and economic disparities,” Ridley-Thomas said. “For many, this is the second chance that was due to them, and has been a long time coming."
READ MORE related to Cannabis: Proposal would protect medical marijuana patients from losing their jobs -- The Cannifornian's BROOKE EDWARDS STAGGS; Fact-check: Don't expect to see big-brand cannabis on sale soon -- AP; Cannabis' 4/20 holiday tied to rise in fatal car crashes -- AP's LINDSEY TANNER
A Citizenship question on the Census may be bad for your health
NYT's EMILY BAUMGAERTNER: "As the Census Bureau finalizes the questions for the 2020 census, key voices in the Trump administration are pressing for surveyors to ask one critical question: Are you a United States citizen?"
"Advocates of the so-called citizenship question say it is merely clerical, an effort to ascertain how many noncitizens reside in the United States. But the question would have broad ramifications, not only for the politics of redistricting that will emerge from the census but for an issue that goes beyond partisanship: public health."
"The fear is that immigrants — even ones in the country legally — will not participate in any government-sponsored questionnaire that could expose them, their family members or friends to deportation. But low response rates from any demographic group would undermine the validity of the next decade of health statistics and programs, health experts warn. Scientists use census data to understand the distribution of health conditions across the United States population. In turn, officials use the data to target interventions and distribute federal funding."
READ MORE related to Immigration: Don't ask about citizenship on census, California tells Trump -- Sacramento Bee's CHRISTOPHER CADELAGO; For immigrants in Trump's America, the dystopian future has already arrived -- The Nation's MOUSTAFA BAYOUMI; California guides businesses on how to avoid 'aiding and abetting' immigration authorities -- Sacramento Bee's ANITA CHABRIA; Senate immigration debate dissolves into bickering as 'Dreamer' deadline nears -- The Chronicle's CAROLYN LOCHHEAD; San Jose: Woman arrested for alleged immigration fraud -- Mercury News' JASON GREEN
Why 5G may be both faster and slower than the previous wireless generation
The Economist's L.S.: "FASTER, higher, stronger,” goes the Olympic motto. So it is only appropriate that the next generation of wireless technology, “5G” for short, should get its first showcase at the Winter Olympics under way in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Once fully developed, it is supposed to offer download speeds of at least 20 gigabits per second (4G manages about half that at best) and response times (“latency”) of below 1 millisecond. So the new networks will be able to transfer a high-resolution movie in two seconds and respond to requests in less than a hundredth of the time it takes to blink an eye. But 5G is not just about faster and swifter wireless connections."
"The technology is meant to enable all sorts of new services. One such would offer virtual- or augmented-reality experiences. At the Olympics, for example, many contestants are being followed by 360-degree video cameras. At special venues sports fans can don virtual-reality goggles to put themselves right into the action. But 5G is also supposed to become the connective tissue for the internet of things, to link anything from smartphones to wireless sensors and industrial robots to self-driving cars. This will be made possible by a technique called “network slicing”, which allows operators quickly to create bespoke networks that give each set of devices exactly the connectivity they need."
READ MORE related to Economy & Development: Trump's 'Harvest Box' isn't viable in SNAP overhaul, officials say -- NYT's GLENN THRUSH; If you're under 40 you should be hoping for another stock plunge, says pundit Josh Brown -- LA Times' JAMES F. PELTZ; 'Black Panther,' already a cultural moment, is about to shatter movie business assumptions -- LA Times' DANIEL MILLER/RYAN FAUGHNDER; Chico projects: One building gone, another under remodel -- Chico ER's LAURA URSENY; Uber revenue rises, but it posts $4.5B loss -- Bloomberg's ERIC NEWCOMER
He earned $540K working at two California jails. Was that too much?
Sacramento Bee's ADAM ASHTON: "Prison psychiatrist Anthony Coppola earned a pretty good living splitting his workdays – and vacation days – between two California government agencies."
"In 2016, he pulled in $309,000 from his main job at a state prison in Tracy and another $233,000 from his part-time job at an Alameda County jail. He made even more money in 2015 and 2014."
"It was a conspicuous sum that caught the attention of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation leaders two years ago in the midst of a staffing shakeup at the Tracy prison. One regional prison health care executive remarked to a warden that Coppola must have been “double dipping,” a pejorative term that refers to public employees simultaneously earning income from multiple government employers."
READ MORE related to Public Safety: After mass search, Canadian skier who went missing at NY resort surfaces in Sacramento -- Sacramento Bee's NASHELLY CHAVEZ; He was a prison counselor in California before he turned to jihad, FBI says -- Sacramento Bee's BENJY EGEL; Lawsuit says a third man was involved in OC coroner's body mix up -- LA Times' GALE HOLLAND; Colorado man found slain on SF street may have owed big drug debt -- The Chronicle's STEVE RUBENSTEIN; Defendant in Chihuahua's death plunge: Many arrests, not much jail time -- The Chronicle's MATIER ROSS; Family of man killed by BART police call for murder charge, release of video -- The Chronicle's SARAH RAVANI; Neighbors still reeling a month after Perris torture case came to light -- SGV Tribune's SHANE NEWELL
Online college plan reimagines cyber learning but faces skeptics
CALmatters' FELICIA MELLO: "Laticia Middleton perches in front of a computer at the Greater Sacramento Urban League’s job center, scanning employment ads."
"At 30, with two children, a high school diploma and a job at a call center, Middleton is the kind of student Gov. Jerry Brown has in mind as he pushes for a new online community college."
"The thing is, Middleton has tried online education before — and the results were less than stellar. Two years ago, she signed up for virtual business classes through De Anza College, a community college in Cupertino. But when a question came up about her enrollment, Middleton said, she couldn’t find a real person to talk to."
READ MORE related to Education: Science education funding still in Trump's crosshairs, despite being saved by Congress -- EdSource's CAROLYN JONES; Understanding California's charter schools division: A quick guide -- EdSource's GEORGE WHITE; Shirley Ford, a California school choice champion, dies -- EdSource's GEORGE WHITE
Dumping patients at homeless shelters 'a systemic issue' in Sacramento, new survey says
Sacramento Bee's CYNTHIA HUBERT: "Days after her double mastectomy surgery late last month, Lara Woods still had drainage tubes dangling from her chest when a ride-share car delivered her from UC Davis Medical Center to the Salvation Army building near downtown Sacramento."
"Woods, fighting a second bout of potentially deadly breast cancer, had been told by a UC Davis social worker that a respite bed was awaiting her at the homeless shelter upon her discharge that day, she said. But when she arrived, staffers told her that no prior accommodations had been made for her, and the agency’s beds were all occupied."
"She ended up walking to a friend’s house nearby, she said. The friend helped her retrieve her car, and that’s where Woods slept that night. Weeks later, she continues to live out of her Kia."
READ MORE related to Housing & Homelessness: Frustrated judge demands OC find shelter for homeless being evicted from camps -- LA Times' HANNAH FRY/DOUG SMITH; Renters outnumber homeowners in some SoCal cities -- SGV Tribune's KEVIN SMITH; Buying a Bay Area home now a struggle even for Apple, Google engineers -- BANG's MARISA KENDALL; San Jose identifies three tiny homes site for the homeless -- BANG's EMILY DERUY
Black tar heroin may be linked to botulism case
Chico ER's STAFF: "The Butte County Public Health Department is warning that locally available black tar heroin may be contaminated, after a resident who injected the drug developed wound botulism."
"The resident remains hospitalized on a respirator, according to a press release from the Health Department."
"Black tar heroin has been linked to past outbreaks of the disease, in which a wound becomes infected with Clostridium botulinum — the cause of foodborne botulism — or a closely related Clostridium bacterium, according to the release from the Health Department."
READ MORE related to Health & Healthcare: Judge: 7-year-old boy can sue Alameda County over his toddler sister's meth overdose death -- Mercury News' MATTHIAS GAFNI/DAVID DEBOLT; Forecast shows deepening shortage of mental health professionals in California -- CHL's BRIAN RINKER; The training of Dr. Robot: Data wave hits medical care -- CHL's JOHN MCQUAID
BART's bid to catch fare evaders has yet to leave the station
The Chronicle's JILL TUCKER: "BART’s high-profile crackdown on fare evaders has been stymied by technical problems and other issues, officials said Tuesday, delaying efforts to deter cheaters who cost the agency an estimated $25 million a year."
"After months of planning, the transit agency sent teams of fare inspectors into stations and onto trains in early January. The idea was to sweep through crowds of riders, issuing warnings to scofflaws for a month before handing out civil citations — similar to parking tickets — starting Feb. 1."
"But the agency’s new handheld, proof-of-payment scanners had to be held back for repairs after tests showed a high error rate when scanning paper tickets. That left the fare inspectors empty-handed, forced to ask riders to flash their tickets or pre-paid Clipper cards and take it on faith that riders had actually used those tickets and cards at the gates."
READ MORE related to Transportation: Cal student sues Southwest -- he was booted off flight for phone call in Arabic -- The Chronicle's BOB EGELKO
Democrat wins legislative seat in Florida as once-sleepy state races heat up in Trump era
WaPo's DAVID WEIGEL: "Democrats continued a streak of special election wins with a victory along the Gulf Coast of Florida on Tuesday, the 36th red-to-blue switch in a state legislative race since the 2016 election."
"Democrat Margaret Good triumphed by seven points in the Sarasota-based 72nd District, defeating Republican candidate James Buchanan in an area that backed Donald Trump for president in 2016 by more than four points."
"The upset is likely to reverberate through the two major parties as they gear up for the midterm election cycle. Although Republicans have been buoyed in recent weeks by the sense that their tax legislation will be popular among voters, and by new polling showing that Trump’s popularity has ticked up, Tuesday’s outcome offers yet another data point that voter enthusiasm lies with Democrats."
READ MORE related to Flipping the House: Judges say throw out the map. Lawmakers say throw out the judges. -- NYT's MICHAEL WINES
OP-ED: Release the Democratic memo, Republicans, and prove you're really transparent
WaPo's EDITORIAL BOARD: "PRESIDENT TRUMP overruled his law enforcement team when he approved the release of the Nunes memo, a slanted hit piece on the Justice Department. But when faced with a Democratic response that would not help the president discredit the Russia investigation, Mr. Trump was suddenly swayed by law enforcement objections, demanding that the Democratic document be refashioned to protect sensitive information."
"The motives of Mr. Trump and his enablers, such as memo author Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), are clear enough: to seed doubt about federal law enforcement among enough Americans that Mr. Trump will be able to brush off any negative conclusions that emerge from the Russia probe. As the fate of the Democratic response is sorted out, the coming days will test whether that motive is shared — or at least tacitly encouraged — by House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and the rest of the House GOP caucus."
"We are not suggesting that the Democrats’ response should have been approved for release with the same cavalier disregard for the opinions of law enforcement that Mr. Trump showed in releasing the Nunes memo. Much longer than the Nunes memo, the Democratic document may contain material whose disclosure would raise national security concerns. Adam B. Schiff (Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Sunday that it includes details from a secret surveillance warrant application. Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher A. Wray, who have more credibility than most in the Trump administration, have identified specific passages that they want redacted."
READ MORE related to POTUS45/KremlinGate: Longtime Trump attorney says he made $130K payment to Stormy Daniels with his money -- WaPo's MARK BERMAN; White House reels as FBI director contradicts official claims about alleged abuser -- WaPo's ASHLEY PARKER/PHILIP RUCKER/JOSH DAWSEY; The US's top spies issue a challenge to Trump's agenda -- WaPo's ISHAAN THAROOR; Russia sees midterm elections as chance to sow fresh discord, intelligence chiefs warn -- NYT's MATTHEW ROSENBERG/CHARLIE SAVAGE/MICHAEL WINES; Why does the Pentagon always tell us the end is right around corner? What they should say is how many times they've been wrong about that. -- The Nation's TOM ENGELHARDT; How the Obama portraits cheerfully buck the trend of instantly forgettable presidential paintings -- LA Times' CHRISTOPHER KNIGHT; Bob Corker 'listening' to pleas to reconsider Senate race -- CQ-Roll Call's SIMONE PATHE