National party leaders descend on California, where voters could determine control of Congress
LAT's LAURA J., NELSON, ANGIE ORELLANA HERNANDEZ: "On a crisp, clear Sunday morning in Palmdale, dozens of volunteers holding signs, buttons and doughnuts packed into a local union hall to greet House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Jeffries, the top Democrat in the House of Representatives, arrived in Southern California on Saturday for a weekend of campaigning and fundraising for Democrats fighting to flip the Republican-controlled House. Among them was George Whitesides, a former aerospace executive challenging incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Garcia in the Antelope Valley."
Tech titans pour millions into San Francisco mayor’s race, hoping to set city on a new course
LAT's HANNAH WILEY: "Camilo Acosta couldn’t imagine finding the kind of success he’s had as a tech entrepreneur anywhere besides San Francisco.
Acosta moved to San Francisco from Washington, D.C., 13 years ago and never looked back. He’s founded two start-ups here, including one that was acquired by Meta in 2020, and he runs a $30-million fund that invests in early-stage artificial intelligence companies. When it comes to the tech industry, he said, the City by the Bay is “the center of the universe.”"
Here's how scary California's Loma Prieta earthquake was. And it's not even the Big One
The Chronicle's KEVIN FAGAN: "When the rumbling started, I was standing with our city editor, John Raess, in the middle of the old Oakland Tribune tower newsroom chatting about a Sunday story I was editing. For about three seconds we were in that what-the-heck-is-this phase that always happens with earthquakes.
Then came the screaming and the crashing and the scrambling."
Labor advocates say Newsom’s gas prices bill risks safety. The state disagrees.
CALMatters's MALENA CAROLLO: "As a bill attempting to remedy California’s ongoing gas price spikes nears a final vote, questions about whether it could jeopardize worker safety have risen to the forefront.
The bill – Assembly Bill X2-1 – would require refineries to keep a to-be-determined minimum amount of gas supply on hand to help smooth out price spikes the state said happen when refineries go down for routine maintenance. The measure cleared the state Assembly earlier this month and the state Senate in a special legislative session last week, passing 23-9. A final vote on the bill, signing off on Senate changes, is expected in the Assembly today."
‘Notoriously slow:’ Lengthy investigations into California politicians leave voters in the dark
CALMatters's YUE STELKLA YU, JEREMIA KIMELMAN: "A $1,044 outing at a glitzy Hollywood nightclub. A $1,316 meal at a Los Angeles steak and seafood restaurant. A $4,500 experience to see the L.A. Dodgers. Isaac Galvan paid for them all — with campaign cash, a state probe found.
In his nine years on the Compton City Council, Galvan frequently spent campaign donations for personal purposes, kept shoddy financial records and repeatedly failed to disclose donors and expenditures accurately and on time, if at all, the California Fair Political Practices Commission concluded in its investigation."
The Micheli Minute, October 14, 2024
Capitol Weekly's STAFF: "Lobbyist and author Chris Micheli offers a quick look at what’s coming up under the capitol dome this week."
Do I need an ID to vote in California? Here are state requirements for presidential election
Sacramento Bee's ANGELA RODRIGUEZ: "The 2024 general election is rapidly approaching.
This election includes candidates for president, U.S. senators and representatives and ballot propositions."
Nearly 10 years after California oil spill, plan to reactivate pipeline sparks anger
LAT's TONY BRISCOE: "Nine years ago, when an aging oil pipeline ruptured near the coast of Santa Barbara County, an inky darkness spread over the waters. The massive slick of oil engulfed and killed hundreds of marine animals, including, seals, dolphins and pelicans. And the acrid smell of petroleum polluted the coastline’s air.
On May 19, 2015, a corroded section of an oil pipeline burst and released more than 140,000 gallons of oil near Refugio State Beach. The incident — which revived memories of a massive 3-million-gallon spill almost 50 years earlier — sullied some of the state’s most pristine beaches and a rare stretch of undeveloped coastline. Oil migrated as far away as Orange County, closing fisheries and costing hundreds of millions of dollars to clean up."
As California bills soar, PG&E pushes costly wildfire projects over cheaper options. Here’s why
Sacramento Bee's ARI PLACHTA: "Burying power lines, often called undergrounding, is a popular way to reduce the risk of wildfires ignited by electrical equipment in California. It’s a powerful safety measure, but one that carries a hefty price tag.
Undergrounding efforts are a piece of the steady rise in electricity bills, one that’s expected to grow in upcoming years. As millions face mounting bills, Gov. Gavin Newsom has emphasized that he and state lawmakers are committed to bringing rates down."
The Chronicle's KURTIS ALEXANDER: "Everyone cheered. Except the cowboys.
On a balmy night in this rural northern Sierra town, a California wildlife official announced at a conservation forum that the state’s new population of wolves was growing “exponentially.” After years of uncertainty, he said, the animals were thriving."
White House announces first California marine sanctuary managed by Indigenous peoples
LAT's NOAH HAGGERTY: "The Biden administration, members of Congress and native tribes will commemorate the designation of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary on Monday — the first such preserve in California to be managed in cooperation with Indigenous peoples.
The 4,543-square-mile sanctuary, located off California’s rugged Central Coast, would prohibit oil drilling and offer other protections to an area that encompasses numerous cultural resources, including the suspected remains of ancient, submerged villages."
Ensuring affordability and climate resilience: The critical role of decoupling in California (OP-ED)
MARY ANN DICKINSON, TIA FLEMING in Capitol Weekly: "As a world leader in environmental stewardship and with aggressive climate goals, California stands at a pivotal moment in addressing its water supply challenges. The climate crisis, intensifying droughts, and a growing population are putting increasing pressure on our water resources. Our state has often turned to temporary conservation measures, but it’s clear that we need sustainable, long-term solutions to secure California’s water future and protect our most vulnerable communities from the rising costs of inaction.
Currently, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is considering a flawed proposal that threatens to dismantle a mechanism called decoupling, a proven method of incentivizing water conservation while keeping consumer costs affordable."
LAUSD’s Black student achievement program upended, targeted by conservative Virginia group
LAT's HOWARD BLUME: "Under pressure after a conservative group took legal action, the Los Angeles Unified School District will overhaul a $120-million academic program for struggling Black students by eliminating race as a factor in determining which children will be helped.
The decision has outraged supporters of the district’s Black Student Achievement Plan, who are demanding that officials stand by the original program, which had begun to yield some early, positive results."
Raw sewage and bursting pipes: Why California community colleges are asking voters for repairs
CALMatters's ADAM ECHELMAN: "The sewer systems at two Los Angeles community colleges are about to fail — “catastrophically.” Nearby, in Torrance, a community college shut down multiple buildings, some for weeks at a time, because the heating and cooling system is so old it broke.
Seismic engineers delivered a dire prediction to a Sacramento community college last year: a central building on campus might collapse."
Professor, community college reach $2.4 million settlement in free speech case
EdSource's EMMA GALLEGOS: "A long-running saga involving a Kern County community college professor — hailed as a defender of free speech by some but by others as a source of campus strife — has ended with a $2.4 million payment from the community college district and the professor’s resignation.
Matthew Garrett, who was a tenured professor of history at Bakersfield College, resigned from his position and agreed to drop all claims against the Kern Community College District, according to settlement terms reached in July."
This quiet S.F. neighborhood defies the ‘doom loop’ narrative. A new wine bar shows how
The Chronicle's ELENA KADVANY: "A new natural wine bar is the latest opening to bring new energy to a sleepy but tight-knit San Francisco neighborhood.
Rampant Bottle + Bar opened in September at 3516 Balboa St. in the Outer Richmond, the passion project of two friends, Charlie O’Leary and Jack Pain, who both live blocks away. It’s one of several recent openings breathing new life into this stretch of Balboa Street between 33rd and 39th avenues."
Less than 2% of Bay Area homes have changed owners this year. Here’s why
The Chronicle's CHRISTIAN LEONARD: "Fewer than 20 in 1,000 homes in the San Francisco metropolitan area have changed owners this year, a sign housing market activity remains below pre-pandemic levels — though there has been some recent improvement.
Homes in the San Francisco metro area sold at a rate of 16.6 per 1,000 “sellable” properties — single-family homes, condominiums, townhouses and co-ops — in the first eight months of this year, according to a recent report from real estate brokerage Redfin. That’s close to the rates of about 17 sales per 1,000 homes for the Oakland and San Jose metro areas, and one of the lowest among the most-populous U.S. metro areas."
A top detective alleges the LAPD is toxic toward women. Will her lawsuit bring change?
LAT's LIBOR JANY: "Even as a young street cop trying to work her way up the ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department in the mid-90s, Kristine Klotz says she was quick to call out sexism on the job. Right is right and wrong is wrong, she used to tell herself, knowing that she would ruffle some feathers in the process.
So she didn’t hesitate to speak up last summer when she learned that a male supervisor in the vaunted Robbery-Homicide Division where she worked had allegedly compared female detectives to sex workers on Figueroa Street."
California Sikhs embark on a 350-mile march to Sacramento. What do they hope to accomplish?
Sacramento Bee's JOE RUBIN: "California Sikhs have embarked on a journey from Bakersfield to Sacramento not only to commemorate a dark day in history 40 years ago, but also to spotlight the trauma they feel now.
About 50 joined the 350-mile “Fearless for Justice March” Oct. 9, mirroring the 1966 Cesar Chavez-led farmworker march from Delano. They want to draw attention to what many consider a genocide perpetuated against Sikhs in 1984, as well as to protest transnational repression directed against Sikhs by the government of India. Organizers expect hundreds, perhaps thousands, to join them along the way, arriving at the Capitol steps Nov. 1."