Newsom celebrates political victory on gas price spike bill, but concerns remain about policy
LAT's TARYN LUNA: "At a campaign rally in the Coachella Valley, former President Trump on Saturday called out California’s cost of living and nation-leading gas prices as an example of Vice President Kamala Harris and other “radical Democrats” destroying the state.
“Today California has the highest inflation, the highest taxes, the highest gas prices, the highest cost of living, the most regulations,” he said. “We’re not going to let Kamala Harris do to America what she did to California.”"
READ MORE -- Gavin Newsom signs bill aiming to prevent California gas price spikes, swipes at oil industry -- Sacramento Bee's STEPHEN HOBBS
A Look at California’s Competitive Congressional Districts, with Paul Mitchell (PODCAST)
Capitol Weekly's STAFF: "Political data expert and regular Capitol Weekly contributor Paul Mitchell joins us for a look at the most competitive congressional districts in California. The race for control of Congress is tight, and these districts could decide which party holds the House in 2025. And he tells us which polls to watch (and which to ignore) and makes his prediction in the Kamala Harris- Donald Trump race. Plus – Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics"
Donald Trump rallies supporters in deep-blue California: ‘Welcome to Trumpchella’
Sacramento Bee's NICOLE NIXON: "President Donald Trump stopped through deep-blue California on Saturday for a campaign appearance intended to link Vice President Kamala Harris to his described failures of the state, including the cost of living, crime and homelessness.
The rally took place in the arid California desert and between other Trump campaign events this weekend in Nevada and Arizona — both swing states crucial to a presidential victory."
Voter Guide 2024: California and S.F. Bay Area election
The Chronicle's STAFF: "As voters prepare to cast their ballots, the 2024 election already has seen historic convulsions with Vice President Kamala Harris, a Bay Area native and former California senator, now running against Donald Trump.
Beyond the headlining presidential race, however, are dozens of state and local races and ballot measures that will be equally important to your community."
A ballot measure would get rid of 70 S.F. commissions. Which would you eliminate?
The Chronicle's NAMI SUMIDA: "Did you know San Francisco has a whopping 135 commissions?
That includes committees, task forces and advisory boards that oversee and make recommendations on how city services should run."
New legislation would cut red tape for S.F. window replacements
The Chronicle's DANIELLE ECHEVERRIA: "In an effort to ease San Francisco’s stringent requirements, Supervisor Myrna Meglar will introduce legislation Tuesday that would remove restrictions on replacement windows outside of historic districts.
The legislation comes after the Chronicle published an article about one couple’s experience navigating the city’s window replacement rules as they sought to replace old, drafty wooden windows in their NoPa home for greater energy efficiency. In the weeks after the story ran, Melgar said she heard from dozens of her constituents who described similar challenges replacing their windows, prompting her to bring the legislation forward."
Rising Stars: Hannah-Orbach Mandel, California Budget and Policy Center
Capitol Weekly's MOLLY JACOBY: "Not every policy expert successfully identifies a gap within legislation and pioneers their way through our bureaucracy to solve it. 27-year-old Hannah-Orbach Mandel, policy analyst at the California Budget and Policy Center, has done just that.
Growing up in Tucson, a city known for its outdoor and active lifestyle, Orbach-Mandel juggled multiple sports and decided to pursue swimming, a sport in which she excelled."
This California middle school restricted cellphone use on campus. Was it successful?
Sacramento Bee's JENNAH PENDLETON: "One of the biggest issues administrators at Sutter Middle School in Folsom faced coming back to campus after COVID-19 shutdowns was the prevalence of cellphone use on campus. Online bullying was a daily challenge and tween students — who are in the primetime of their lives for play and relationship building — were glued to their screens during lunch periods, disengaged from their peers seated around them.
Something had to change."
Report: How dual enrollment in California compares with other states
EdSource's EMMA GALLEGOS: "A national report finds that dual enrollment can be a powerful strategy for addressing equity gaps in college enrollment and completion rates, but that the students who most need dual enrollment — Black, Latino and low-income students — still struggle to access it.
The problem of limited access to dual enrollment is true in California, as well as the rest of the nation, according to a report released Monday night by the Community College Research Center (CCRC) at Teachers College, Columbia University."
How a caring teacher can make or break school for young students
EdSource's KAREN D'SOUZA: "The pint-sized pupils in Paula Merrigan’s transitional kindergarten, or TK, class often call her mom, or sometimes even grandma. One reason there’s such a strong teacher-student bond boils down to warmth. Merrigan makes sure all the children are greeted with a big smile when they enter the classroom in the morning, she works with every single one of them one-on-one at some point during the day, and she is generous with praise, hugs and affection.
“When a small child tells you they love you, say it back to them!” said the veteran Castro Valley Unified teacher. “They need to know you care. Imagine telling someone, “I love you,” and all you hear back is, “Thank you,” or “OK.” How would that make you feel versus being told, “I love you, too?” If you don’t want to be that specific, you can also say, “I love all of you too.”"
SFUSD educators remain divided on definition of antisemitism, attend varying workshops
EdSource's MALLIKA SESHADRI: "Educators at San Francisco Unified remain split over whether anti-Zionism falls under the banner of antisemitism — and took various approaches to a district training last week, KQED reported.
Dozens refused to attend a training led by a pro-Israel group and decided to partake in an alternative workshop from an anti-racism institute."
California transplant has been a destroyer of agriculture and scourge of politicians for 50 years
LAT's PATT MORRISON: "In this business of ours, there are stories, and there are Stories.
Small-s stories come and go, usually as fast and forgettable as that family-sized bag of potato chips you ate all by yourself as you binge-watched the night away."
Plan to rebuild S.F. public housing where Mayor Breed grew up with 750 homes stalls out
The Chronicle's LAURA WAXMANN: "A sweeping plan to tear down dilapidated, public housing in San Francisco’s Western Addition and replace it with more than 750 new homes has quietly fizzled out.
For many years, residents of the Plaza East public housing complex, where Mayor London Breed grew up, have said they’ve endured terrible conditions and broken promises to fix the rampant problems."
Muni ridership in September was the highest since COVID began
The Chronicle's JORDAN PARKER: "Muni saw its highest ridership since before the COVID-19 pandemic began, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency officials said.
The transit agency said Muni saw an average of 521,000 weekday riders last month, an 8% increase compared with September 2023. It was the first time Muni recorded 500,000 average daily boardings since February 2020, officials said."