PG&E links executive departures to 'corrective actions' over safety charges
The Chronicle's J.D. MORRIS: "Facing scrutiny from regulators who accuse it of falsifying gas pipeline safety records, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. over the weekend disclosed a vague series of “critical corrective actions,” including the departure of unnamed company officials."
"PG&E said in a statement posted Sunday that it acknowledges the “serious concerns” raised by the California Public Utilities Commission and said the company “took and continues to take” several steps to fulfill regulatory requirements."
"But it’s not clear when the “corrective actions” referenced by the utility took place, and PG&E did not provide further details to The Chronicle after a request Monday."
READ MORE related to California Burnin': State utility regulators delayed implementing law aimed at preventing wildfires -- LA Times's JEFF MCDONALD
'Zero tolerance' immigration policy afffects court actions
AP's ELLIOT SPAGAT: "One by one, U.S. Magistrate Judge William Gallo called the names of 14 defendants who were charged with entering the country illegally. Defense attorneys told him the government had already deported them to Mexico, making it impossible for them to appear."
"In a rebuke to the government, the judge immediately dismissed all charges and ordered that their bond money be returned."
"The scene played out every day for several weeks in San Diego — another example of judges challenging President Donald Trump's moves on immigration in ways large and small. Last month, a different judge halted an administration policy to deny asylum to people who enter the country illegally."
READ MORE related to Immigration: A 2-year-old is on life support in Oakland. Trump's travel ban could keep his Yemeni mother from saying goodbye -- LA Times's SARAH PARVINI
Longtime DMV employee named as agency’s acting director
From the Associated Press: "California’s troubled Department of Motor Vehicles will get a new leader Dec. 31."
"Gov. Jerry Brown designated Bill Davidson as acting director on Monday to take over for Jean Shiomoto, who is leaving at the end of the year. Davidson is currently the chief deputy director and has worked at the DMV for 16 years, working in field operations and as the budget officer. Davidson also helped implement California’s program that allows non-citizens to get drivers licenses."
"Davidson will take over after a tumultuous year that saw hours-long wait times as the agency rolled out new federal ID requirements and a series of problems related to California’s “motor voter” program that automatically registers eligible people to vote."
What caused nearly 20,000 quakes at Oroville Dam? Scientists weigh in on mystery
The Chronicle's KURTIS ALEXANDER: "The earthquakes hit just days after last year’s near-catastrophe at Oroville Dam, when the spillway cracked amid heavy rains and 188,000 people fled in fear of flooding."
"The timing of the two small tremors about 75 miles north of Sacramento was curious, and frightening. Were the quakes part of a seismic hot spot that caused the giant concrete spillway to tear? Was the weight of the water behind the dam triggering the quakes? Could all of Lake Oroville be prone to slipping?"
"A group of seismologists, summoned from the U.S. Geological Survey’s research facility in Menlo Park, was put on the case. Their findings were published in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America on Monday."
A.G. BLOCK in Capitol Weekly: "The House of Whimsy and Mystery – otherwise known as the California Hall of Fame – conducted its annual whoop earlier this month. As in years past, it mostly produced nods but also a puzzle or two."
"The Hall is run by the California Museum, which compiles a master list of potential nominees gathered from a variety of sources, including the governor and first lady, Museum board of directors, historians, past inductees and the public. (If you’re so inclined, a nomination form is available on the Museum website.)"
"Each fall, the governor and first lady pluck the final selections off that master list, which is extensive. Some 120 people have been selected for the Hall of Fame since 2006. It appears current elected officials are ineligible."
California's homeless number drops a little as programs appear to pay off
The Chronicle's KEVIN FAGAN: "Investing billions of dollars in affordable housing and homeless programs in recent years has apparently put the brakes on what had been a surge in California’s homeless population, causing it to dip by 1 percent this year, a federal report released Monday showed."
"The decline was in sharp contrast to the 2017 statewide count, when California’s homeless population rose 14 percent as part of an increase along the West Coast, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development reported in its annual national homeless assessment."
"The report put California’s homeless population this year at 129,972, a drop of 1,560 in the number of people on the streets in 2017. The dip represents the largest decrease in absolute numbers for any state, but then again, California has the nation’s largest homeless population — and the largest overall population."
Federal labor panel rules against Kaiser. Health care giant says otherwise
Sacrasmento Bee's YESENIA AMARO: "Health care giant Kaiser Permanente has been dinged by federal labor regulators, the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions announced Monday."
"But Kaiser disputes the conclusion reached by the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, representing 85,000 employees, including some 1,300 in Fresno, who are seeking a new contract. The coalition also represents more than 2,000 workers based at Kaiser South Sacramento."
"A representative of the National Labor Relations Board wasn’t immediately available for comment Monday."
Brown appointees to comprise majority on California's board of education after Newsom takes office
EdSource's LOUIS FREEDBERG: "California’s governor appoints all the members of the State Board of Education, a powerful force in shaping education policy in the state. But when incoming governor Gavin Newsom is sworn in on Jan. 7, the majority of the 11-member board, all appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown, will remain."
"That’s because members are appointed to a four-year term and several board members’ terms have yet to expire."
"Currently seven of the 11 members of the board are slated to stay on. If they do, it could take several years before Newsom can put his stamp on the board. "
Teacher dismissed for seeking time off for cancer treatment can sue school
The Chronicle's BOB EGELKO: "Kristen Biel, a fifth-grade Catholic school teacher in California, was fired after she was diagnosed with breast cancer and needed time off for chemotherapy. A federal judge dismissed her discrimination suit, saying Biel, whose everyday curriculum included religious instruction, was effectively a minister who was constitutionally barred from suing the church."
"On Monday, a federal appeals court in San Francisco reinstated Biel’s suit and said teaching religion, among other subjects, in a religious school doesn’t necessarily make someone a minister."
"The Constitution’s guarantee of religious freedom allows religious organization to choose leaders and representatives of their faith, “but it does not provide carte blanche to disregard antidiscrimination laws when it comes to other employees who do not serve a leadership role in the faith,” the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in a 2-1 ruling."
Ride-hailing companies fly off with BART's airport riders
The Chronicle's MATIER & ROSS: "BART service to both San Francisco and Oakland international airports is taking a multimillion-dollar shellacking from ride-hailing companies."
"Compared with the high-water mark in 2013, BART estimates it has seen about a 10 percent drop in rides to and from SFO in the past year, resulting in a $4 million loss in fares."
"Oakland airport connector trips have dropped 6 percent in the past two years, resulting in a $619,109 loss."
Russians focused intensely on African Americans as they sought to deliver a victory for Trump
LA Times's EVAN HALPER: "Russian efforts to help elect President Trump focused intensely on exploiting racial tensions to suppress voter turnout among minorities, a campaign that proved more far-reaching and effective than previously understood, according to reports released Monday by the Senate Intelligence Committee."
"More than 30 million Facebook and Instagram users shared propaganda messages generated as part of a campaign by Russia’s Internet Research Agency to polarize and misinform voters, according to the reports commissioned by the committee. The activities of Russian operatives and their crafting of messages in which they often posed as minority activists have been known for some time, but the new reports reveal extensive additional detail about how that operation spread such threads of misinformation far and wide."
“The most prolific IRA efforts on Facebook and Instagram specifically targeted Black American communities and appear to have been focused on developed Black audiences and recruiting Black Americans as assets,” said one of the reports, commissioned by the committee from the research firm New Knowledge. “The IRA exploited the trust of their page audiences to develop human assets, at least some of whom were not aware of the role they played. The tactic was substantially more pronounced on Black-targeted accounts.”
READ MORE related to POTUS45/KremlinGate: Comey criticizes GOP over Trump's continued attacks on the FBI: 'Stand up and speak the truth' -- LA Times's KAROUN DEMIRJIAN
Former CBS CEO Leslie Moonves isn't entitled to $120M in severance, board finds
LA Times's MEG JAMES: "After an exhaustive four-month investigation that rattled CBS to its core, the company’s board of directors said Monday it was stripping former Chief Executive Leslie Moonves of his $120-million severance over allegations of sexual misconduct."
"The board said it had grounds to fire Moonves for cause after he committed “willful and material misfeasance” and failed to cooperate fully with the company’s investigation."
"The decision completes a spectacular fall from the pinnacle of power for a man who, just a few months ago, was widely considered the most successful executive in television. He becomes the highest-profile media executive to watch his career — and his once-sterling legacy — collapse under the weight of sexual harassment allegations unearthed in the #MeToo era."