Former USC dean admits to arranging bribery payment for Mark Ridley-Thomas
LA Times, MICHAEL FINNEGAN/MATT HAMILTON: “A former USC dean agreed Thursday to plead guilty to bribery, admitting that she arranged an illicit $100,000 payment for Mark Ridley-Thomas when he was on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in return for a USC contract with the county.
Marilyn Flynn, 83, who was dean of USC’s School of Social Work from 1997 to 2018, struck a plea agreement with federal prosecutors that was signed Thursday and filed in court the same day.
Her admission of guilt strikes a major blow to Ridley-Thomas, now a Los Angeles city councilman who has been suspended while he defends against federal charges of bribery, fraud and conspiracy.”
Water treatment systems not up to snuff, auditor says
Capitol Weekly, LOLA WATTS: “Already battered by drought, dwindling supplies and climate change, California’s water treatment systems also suffer from problems that raise the specter of long-term health issues, according to a state report.
Those findings – and others – were contained in an audit by Michael Tilden, California’s acting state auditor. The audit, released in July, focused on the State Water Resources Control Board (better known as the Water Board), which regulates the condition of water across California.
Despite the State Water Board’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, the legislation that protects clean state water, Tilden’s audit found that the state of clean water across California needs improvement.”
Rain in Bay Area and snow near Tahoe? California faces hodgepodge of weekend weather
The Chronicle, GERRY DIAZ: “The storm set to bring snow and rain to California is currently bringing 40-foot waves, strong winds and downpours to Alaska, and it’s just a few days away from making landfall in the Bay Area.
The timeline for the storm hasn’t changed much since our previous forecast, but newer model runs—including some from higher-resolution weather models—are providing some insights into where some of the more hazardous conditions will form over the course of the weekend.
Here comes the rain!”
Big change for big rigs: California unveils mandate to phase out diesel trucks
CALMatters, NADIA LOPEZ: “New big rigs and other trucks will have to be zero-emissions in 2040 — ending their decades-long reliance on high-polluting diesel — under a proposed regulation unveiled by the California Air Resources Board.
Under the proposal, manufacturers couldn’t sell new medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks fueled by diesel or gasoline that operate in California, instead turning to electric models. In addition, large trucking companies would have to gradually convert their existing fleets to zero-emission vehicles, buying more over time until all are zero emissions by 2042.
In another worldwide first, California aims to amp up its efforts to end the use of fossil fuels by setting requirements for clean-burning big rigs, garbage trucks, delivery trucks and other large trucks. Transportation is California’s largest contributor to climate-warming greenhouse gases as well as smog and other air pollutants.”
Newsom challenges Abbott, DeSantis over shipping migrants out of state. Here’s what legal experts say
The Chronicle, BOB EGELKO: "Are Govs. Greg Abbott of Texas and Ron DeSantis of Florida stepping over legal boundaries by sending busloads and planeloads of undocumented immigrants to northern cities in a swipe at the Biden administration’s immigration policies?
California’s governor thinks they are. On Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate whether DeSantis committed fraud or kidnapping by sending 50 Venezuelans, some of them children, to the island community of Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., after allegedly assuring them they were headed for Boston where the adults could obtain work permits.
“I’m formally requesting the DOJ begin an immediate investigation into these inhumane efforts to use kids as political pawns,” Newsom said on Twitter."
L.A. conserving water at record levels, but it’s not enough as drought worsens
LA Times, HAYLEY SMITH: “During a summer of soaring heat, shrinking supplies and mandatory drought restrictions, Los Angeles residents conserved water at an impressive pace in August, with that month’s usage dropping below a record low set during the previous drought.
But it’s becoming clear that this alone is not going to be enough. The crisis on the Colorado River, a key source of water for Southern California, is expected to bring painful cuts to supplies in the coming months. And hopes of a wet winter are looking more unlikely with another year of dry La Niña in the forecast.
Now, the pressure is on to not only increase savings, but also double-down on efforts to reduce reliance on imported supplies and to invest in long-term water solutions.”
California school organizations urge veto of latest bill to remove lead in school water
EdSource, JOHN FENSTERWALD:“ A 2017 state law led schools across California to have their faucets tested for lead in a program to reduce lead in school drinking water.
A new bill that proposes to remove lead from schools and state buildings, awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature, now faces opposition from school groups.
Public employee unions and organizations representing school districts, school boards and school business officers are pitted against each other on legislation spelling out how to protect students and school adults from lead in water.”
Dozens of Sheriff Villanueva’s donors received permits to carry guns in public
LA Times, ALENE TCHEKMEDYIAN/BEN POSTON: “There are few things Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has boasted about more during his first term in office than his success in dramatically increasing the number of people who are permitted to carry guns in public.
But Villanueva’s decision to supercharge the issuing of weapons permits has brought problems.
A Times investigation found that among the thousands of people who have received permits under Villanueva are dozens of donors to his election campaigns and others with special links to the sheriff. These people often gave questionable reasons for needing to be armed, received their permits more quickly than the average wait or were assisted by two deputies who worked directly for Villanueva.”
These six projects could kick off S.F.’s work to protect the Embarcadero from earthquakes and sea level rise
The Chronicle, JOHN KING: “There are worlds of difference between a rotting structure at Fisherman’s Wharf, the iconic drama of the Ferry Building and the shadowed concrete underneath the Bay Bridge where two piers meet the aged Embarcadero seawall.
What they share is a vulnerability to earthquakes and sea level rise along an artificial shoreline that’s more than a century old. They also have a common owner — the Port of San Francisco, which has the costly job of preparing that shoreline for a host of 21st Century challenges where the learning curve seems to get steeper each year.
Now, nearly four years after voters approved a $425 million bond to prepare the seawall and the structures along it for what the future might bring, the port has selected the first six projects to pursue. Construction on the most straightforward could start in 2024, officials say. But the six are only a start of a much larger effort — one that likely will extend for decades, and at costs exceeding $5 billion.”
L.A. County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl’s home searched by sheriff’s investigators
LA Times, ALENE TCHEKMEDYIAN: “Los Angeles County sheriff’s investigators searched the house of county Supervisor Sheila Kuehl on Wednesday as part of a criminal investigation into a county contract awarded to a nonprofit organization.
A few minutes after 7 a.m., a deputy pounded on the front door of the supervisor’s Santa Monica property, with several other deputies lined up behind him.
“Sheriff’s Department. We have a warrant. We demand entry,” he shouted. Kuehl appeared shortly after and was handed some paperwork. Several deputies went inside.”
‘Rainbow fentanyl’ was just found in the Bay Area. What is it and why are experts alarmed?
The Chronicle, SARAH RAVANI: ““Rainbow fentanyl,” a brightly color version of the super powerful opioid largely driving the overdose epidemic, has hit the Bay Area, worrying public health and law enforcement experts.
While the drug is just as powerful and deadly as other fentanyl on the streets, the so-called rainbow version is marketing ploy to make the drugs look appealing, sometimes resembling the popular cereal Fruit Loops or Skittles candy, experts say.”
Not just YIMBYs vs. NIMBYs: Chronicle poll breaks down S.F. housing attitudes by class, race and age
The Chroniclel LAUREN HEPLER: “In an era of stark social divides, there’s one thing the vast majority of San Franciscans can agree on: Something has to be done about unaffordable housing.
But just how urgent is the problem? And where should hypothetical new homes go? According to the SFNext poll, an in-depth survey of San Francisco residents and the issues most important to them, the details vary based on age, race, income and whether someone already owns a home here.
The poll, conducted both online and by phone, surveyed more than 1,650 people representative of the city’s demographics.
Woman files suit alleging Instagram addiction caused depression, eating disorder
The Chronicle, JOEL UMANZOR: “A Virginia woman filed a lawsuit against Meta — the parent company of Instagram and Facebook — alleging the company knowingly unleashed a defectively designed product which is “addictive, harmful, and at times fatal to children,” according to court records.
In the civil complaint filed on Sept. 4 in San Mateo County, Laura Ashman, 21, of Fredricksburg, Va. said she became addicted to Instagram at age 12, scrolling through the site up to 10 hours per day. That usage, she added, caused her to develop a severe eating disorder and depression.
When Ashman was in 8th grade, according to court documents, she began a pattern of self-harm which resulted in multiple hospitalizations over her teenage years including a three-month residential treatment and various partial-hospitalization treatment programs.”
Brink’s heist mystery: Questions arise about a timeline that ‘doesn’t make any sense’
LA Times, DANIEL MILLER/RICHARD WINTON: “It has been more than two months since the multimillion-dollar heist of jewelry from a Brink’s big rig at a Grapevine truck stop, yet key facts about the high-profile crime remain in dispute.
There’s debate about the value of the pilfered goods, for example, with estimates ranging from less than $10 million to more than $100 million. And questions are now swirling around the timeline laid out in a Brink’s legal filing and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department documents, which suggest an almost impossibly swift journey for the tractor-trailer.
This much is known: a Brink’s big rig loaded with the wares of jewelers participating in the International Gem and Jewelry Show departed the San Mateo County Event Center on July 11 for a storage yard about 370 miles south in downtown L.A.”