California has new gun control laws for 2019. Here's what you should know
Sacramento Bee's ANDREW SHEELER: "California has a slew of new gun control laws heading into 2019, the result of legislation inspired by America’s growing gun violence epidemic, including high-profile mass shootings in Las Vegas and Parkland, Florida."
"Several of the bills passed in the 2017-18 legislative session went into effect immediately, while others will apply in 2019 or 2020:"
"AB 2103, by Assemblyman Todd Gloria, D-San Diego. This law mandates that applicants for concealed carry licenses undergo a minimum of eight hours of training, and that they demonstrate proficiency in both shooting and the safe handling of firearms. This law is already in effect."
Californians puzzled as sky lights up from SF to Lake Tahoe
Sacramento Bee's HANNAH DARDEN: "Shortly after a rocket launch was canceled in Southern California on Wednesday evening, social media exploded with photos and questions about a mysterious trail of light that appeared in the sky in Northern California."
"Twitter users from Lake Tahoe to Ventura reported seeing the trail, including many in Sacramento and the Bay Area."
Democrats' House takeover could mean big changes for California water policy
LA Times's SARAH D WIRE: "Among the changes ahead when Democrats take control of the House in January, add this one: The switch will upend the balance of power in California’s water wars."
"In the two years since Republicans’ 2016 election triumphs, party members from the Central Valley led by the current House majority leader, Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, have gotten several water bills for their area through Congress. Those included the first significant California-specific policy in decades, as part of the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act, also called the WIIN Act."
"Come January, however, two of those Central Valley Republicans won’t be in Congress any more, and — more crucially — McCarthy will lead a minority party, giving him little say over what legislation the House considers. And the Democrat expected to take the reins of the water-policy subcommittee at the House Natural Resources Committee is Rep. Jared Huffman of San Rafael, a fierce opponent of the WIIN Act."
State Supreme Court to take up public records cost case
The Chronicle's BOB EGELKO: "The California Supreme Court agreed Wednesday to decide an issue of importance to anyone seeking police body camera videos or other electronic records from government agencies: whether the fees for those records can include the sometimes sizable costs of removing confidential material before releasing the rest."
"A state appeals court ruled in September that the city of Hayward could charge the National Lawyers Guild $2,938.58 for the cost of copying and assembling body cam videos from Hayward police after a December 2014 protest march in Berkeley against police violence, in which some protesters were injured. Much of the cost was for identifying and redacting footage that the city determined did not have to be disclosed under the Public Records Act."
"After the lawyers guild paid the fees under protest, a state appeals court ruled in the city’s favor in September, saying the redaction costs were covered by a portion of the law that allows public agencies to recover costs of “extraction ... to produce the record.” But the state’s high court voted unanimously Wednesday to set the appellate ruling aside and grant a review of the guild’s appeal."
Judge blocks restrictions on who could apply for asylum
The Chronicle's BOB EGELKO: "People fleeing gangs or domestic violence in their homeland can seek political asylum in the United States, a federal judge ruled Wednesday, saying then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions “ignored the law” last spring when he revoked asylum eligibility for thousands of frightened immigrants."
Sessions’ June 11 decision that barred refuge for nearly all victims of privately inflicted violence, including domestic violence and gang terror, was “arbitrary, capricious, and in violation of the immigration laws,” said U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan of Washington, D.C. He said those laws, and the policies of previous administrations, were designed to protect migrants from being returned to countries where they would be in danger."
"In a separate case, a federal judge in San Francisco extended his month-old ruling allowing undocumented immigrants to seek asylum no matter where they entered the country."
READ MORE related to Immigration: Yemeni mom arrives in US to visit her dying son -- AP's JULIE WATSON
Senate approves bill to keep govt running into 2019
AP's LISA MASCARO/MATTHEW DALY/CATHERINE LUCE:"The Senate approved legislation Wednesday to temporarily fund the government, a key step toward averting a federal shutdown after President Donald Trump backed off his demand for money for a border wall with Mexico."
"Senators passed the measure, which would keep government running to Feb. 8, by voice vote without a roll call. The House is also expected to move before Friday's deadline, when funding for a portion of the government expires. Without resolution, more than 800,000 federal workers would face furloughs or be forced to work without pay, disrupting government operations days before Christmas."
"While the White House indicated Trump was open to reviewing whatever Congress could pass, the president did not immediately weigh in on the short-term plan."
Inside Kamala Harris's relationship with an Indian-American commnity eager to claim her
Sacramento Bee's KATIE GLUECK: "Indian-American publications write about her regularly. Her first name means “lotus” in Sanskrit. She takes pride in grinding her own Indian spices. And she has been known to reference slogans that were used by Indian independence fighters like her grandfather."
"If Kamala Devi Harris runs for president, the Democratic senator is poised to be championed by Indian-Americans, a constituency with significant representation in the donor community, growing numbers of political activists and candidates—and a sizable presence in states that will play key roles in the Democratic primary, from California to Texas."
"“She will change the game if she runs for president,” said Anurag Varma, a Democratic donor who frequently supports Indian-American candidates and “absolutely” would back Harris. “She will create a new game if she becomes president.”"
LA teachers set to strike Jan. 10. Union says it has no plans for more negotiating
LA Times's HOWARD BLUME: "A labor agreement is not the only thing dividing the Los Angeles Unified School District and its teachers. One missing element crucial to coming together on a contract deal — and averting a strike — is trust."
"On Wednesday, the union representing Los Angeles teachers announced that its 31,000 members will walk out Jan. 10 and that it has no plans to return to the negotiating table."
"What would be the point? said Alex Caputo-Pearl, president of United Teachers Los Angeles, during a news conference at the union’s Koreatown headquarters."
LA Times's KURTIS LEE: "Hemp — a close relative of marijuana that can be used to make textiles and other products — has long been classified as a Schedule I drug by the federal government. That’s set to change."
"President Trump is soon expected to sign a farm bill that includes a section that legalizes the commercial cultivation of hemp nationwide.""The bill, years in the making, comes as public support for cannabis legalization has increased over the years, offering a cover of sorts to politicians who see the potential for boosting state tax revenue."
LAPD commander charged with public intoxication should be fired, disciplinary board rules
LA Times's CINDY CHANG: "A Los Angeles police commander who was charged with public intoxication after an altercation with Glendale police in April should lose her job, a disciplinary board decided Tuesday."
"The ruling on the dismissal of Nicole Mehringer, made by a three-person LAPD Board of Rights panel, must be approved by Chief Michel Moore."
READ MORE related to Prisons & Publlc Safety: SF Mayor Breed defends effort to free brothber, stands by testimony at his murder trial -- The Chronicle's DOMINIC FRACASSA
New judge tro oversee Oakland Ghost Ship trial -- fifth assigned case
The Chronicle's KIMBERLY VEKLEROV: "A new judge has been assigned to the Ghost Ship trial next year in Oakland, defense attorneys said Wednesday.""Alameda County Superior Court Judge Trina Thompson is now expected to oversee the case against defendants Derick Almena and Max Harris, becoming the fifth judge to be assigned to the proceedings."
"The Ghost Ship warehouse fire killed 36 people at a music event Dec. 2, 2016, in the Fruitvale district of East Oakland. Almena and Harris each was charged with 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors said that Almena was the main tenant and founder of the art collective and that Harris was his second-in-command. The pair allegedly created the dangerous conditions inside the warehouse that led to the fatal fire."
Judge to rule on fate of Harvey Weinstein's assault case
AP's MICHAEL R SISAK: "Harvey Weinstein didn't speak as he arrived at court Thursday morning as a New York judge is set to decide on the future of his sexual assault case, which has been clouded by allegations that police acted improperly in the investigation that led to his arrest."
"Judge James Burke is expected to rule after a flurry of court papers in which Weinstein's lawyers say the case has devolved into chaos and prosecutors say there's ample evidence to move forward to trial."
"The 66-year-old disgraced Hollywood film producer donned a gray suit with a black tie as he was escorted into court Thursday by his lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, and several court officers. Weinstein is putting on his fiercest campaign yet to get the case thrown out, seizing on the alleged police misconduct and putting forth a witness who says his rape accuser pressured her to corroborate her story."
Golden Gate Bridge toll may climb to $10 by 2023
The Chronicle's RACHEL SWAN: "The cost to cross the Golden Gate Bridge could rise to nearly $10 in the next five years, a more than 20 percent increase that officials say is vital to keep buses and ferries running, paint suspension cables and otherwise maintain the aging Art Deco span.
Board directors at the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District are contemplating five proposals to increase tolls over the next five years, in hopes of filling a $75 million budget deficit. Bridge tolls pay for three-quarters of the district’s operating costs; and with the price of goods and services rising by about 4 percent each year, they say, revenue hasn’t kept up."
“So we’re under some pressures,” said Denis Mulligan, general manager of the district. He pointed to other budget-straining factors, like rising demand for transit service and decaying infrastructure, which have required the board to set aside more money for capital projects."
Trump pulling out of Syria. Might Afghanistan be next?
AP's ROBERT BURNS: "Against the advice of many in his own administration, President Donald Trump is pulling U.S. troops out of Syria. Could a withdrawal from Afghanistan be far behind?"
"Trump has said his instinct is to quit Afghanistan as a lost cause, but more recently he's suggested a willingness to stay in search of peace with the Taliban. However, the abruptness with which he turned the page on Syria raises questions about whether combat partners like Iraq and Afghanistan should feel confident that he will not pull the plug on them, too."
READ MORE about Military Games: Pelso draws link between Flynn, Turmp decision on Syria -- The Hill's BRETT SAMUELS; Where do the investigations related to Trump stand? -- AP
North Korea says it won't denuclearize unless US removes threat
AP's KIM TONG-HYUNG: "North Korea said Thursday that it will never unilaterally give up its nuclear weapons unless the United States first removes what Pyongyang called a nuclear threat. The surprisingly blunt statement jars with Seoul's more rosy presentation of the North Korean position and could rattle the already fragile diplomacy between Washington, Seoul and Pyongyang to defuse a nuclear crisis that last year had many fearing war."
"The latest from North Korea comes as the United States and North Korea struggle over the sequencing of the denuclearization that Washington wants and the removal of international sanctions desired by Pyongyang. The statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency also raises credibility problems for the liberal South Korean government, which has continuously claimed that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is genuinely interested in negotiating away his nuclear weapons as Seoul tries to keep alive a positive atmosphere for dialogue."
"The North's comments may also be taken up as proof of what many outside skeptics have long said: that Kim will never voluntarily relinquish an arsenal he sees as a stronger guarantee of survival than whatever security assurances the United States might provide. The statement suggests that North Korea will demand that the United States withdraw or significantly reduce the 28,500 American troops stationed in South Korea, which would be a major sticking point to a potential disarmament deal."
Ryan uses farewell address to assail politics of 'outrage'
AP's ALAN FRAM: "Retiring House Speaker Paul Ryan decried the outrage and bitterness that he said now color American politics in a farewell speech that also acknowledged his inability to achieve two top goals: controlling surging federal debt and reining in Medicare and other mammoth benefit programs."
"Our complex problems are absolutely solvable," Ryan said at the Library of Congress, across the street from the U.S. Capitol, where he's ending two decades in the House. "That is to say our problems are solvable if our politics will allow it."
"The Wisconsin Republican's half-hour address, which touted achievements and admits shortcomings, came as he ends his three-year run as speaker. Despite GOP control of the White House and Congress the past two years, it's been a remarkably tumultuous period dominated by the erratic decision-making and verbal outbursts of President Donald Trump and Republican divisions over top issues like health care and immigration."