California Legislature starts 2024 session in big budget hole
CALMatters, LYNN LA: "After three-and-a-half months at home, California legislators return to Sacramento today for a seven-month session where a budget deficit and the election will be top of mind.
All 80 Assembly seats and half the 40 Senate seats are on the ballot, so many lawmakers will be pulling double duty between policy-making and campaigning. And they won’t have as much state money to bring home to their constituents."
Who would lend millions to Hunter Biden? Meet the Hollywood lawyer who has
LA Times, MATT HAMILTON, STACY PERMAN: "On a fall day in 2019, one of Hollywood’s top lawyers drove through the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains to see Hunter Biden.
Biden’s life had reached a critical point. His father was in a crowded primary field for the Democratic presidential nomination. The younger Biden had decamped to a poolside midcentury rental that looked out over the San Fernando Valley — newly sober, newly married and climbing out of the wreckage of years of crack and alcohol addiction with a daily ritual of painting."
Native tribes are getting a slice of their land back — under the condition that they preserve it
LA Times, JACK HERRERA: "In February 2020, Dave Herrero drove into the canyon country here in southeast Utah to visit a slice of land that was up for sale — a 320-acre ranch that stretched deep into the red-rock canyon near the small town of Bluff.
“Just hop the fence and walk down the drive,” a local rock climber had told him. “You’ll see some stuff."
Wealthier Asian American and Latino voters in Orange County may be pivotal in upcoming elections
LA Times, HANNAH FRY: "Robert Baca’s political compass has always pointed toward the Republican Party, but lately he hasn’t felt as at home in the GOP.
Though he voted for Donald Trump in the last two presidential elections, Baca distances himself from the culture wars that seem to fire up today’s die-hard Republicans. Instead, he wants Washington to tackle the turbulent economy and rising costs of daily life."
San Francisco's next election is in March. These are the ballot measures
The Chronicle, ALDO TOLEDO: "San Francisco voters are set to decide on seven measures that have qualified for the March ballot, including changes to the City Charter concerning police staffing, drug screenings for public assistance recipients and changes to local ethics laws.
To put that in perspective, in 2020 there were five measures on the ballot, but back in 2016 there were 24."
90 days in, California politicians keep trying to navigate the Israel-Hamas war
CALMatters, SAMEEA KAMAL: "As thewar in Gaza rages on, public opinion across America is slowly but steadily shifting: Nearly 60% of voters support a ceasefire, compared to 53% in November.
But in California — home to both the largest Arab-American population and the second-largest Jewish community in the U.S. — some politicians are still trying to find the right approach in their response to the conflict."
San Jose councilmember granted restraining order against owner of popular Instagram page
BANG*Mercury News, GABRIEL GRESCHLER: "The owner of a popular San Jose-themed social media account has been ordered to stay away from Councilmember Peter Ortiz over posts that the elected official says put him and his girlfriend in danger and fuel hateful messaging toward the LGBTQ community.
Ortiz filed the restraining order on Dec. 20 against Robert Saenz, who owns the Instagram page “ESSJ Times,” an account that has garnered nearly 70,000 followers and purports to be a news source for San Jose’s east side."
Sierra Nevada snowpack at lowest level in 10 years: What it means for California’s water supply
BANG*Mercury News, PAUL ROGERS: "California’s statewide Sierra Nevada snowpack — the source of nearly one-third of the state’s water supply — is at its lowest level in a decade, a major turnaround from last year when huge storms ended a three-year drought and buried ski resorts in massive amounts of snow.
On Tuesday, the snowpack was just 25% of its historical average for Jan. 2. A year ago on the same date, it was a staggering 185% of normal. The last time there was less snow at the beginning of a new year was 2014 when it stood at just 19%."
‘Snow drought’ grips California and western United States, despite recent storms
LA Times, HAYLEY SMITH: "Although recent storms have thrashed the California coastline and boosted reservoir levels, the downpours have so far failed to deposit significant snowpack in the Sierra Nevada, which experts say is in the grips of a severe, early season “snow drought.”
December’s powerful storms delivered super-sized waves and record-setting rainfall in California, but most of it fell in coastal areas, and almost none in the interior part of the state that is home to the Sierra, said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with UCLA."
‘Hazardous beach conditions’ expected on California's coast today
The Chronicle, KATE GALBRAITH: "A high surf warning is in effect from 4 a.m. Wednesday to 4 a.m. Thursday, as large waves are expected to batter the coasts of Northern and Central California.
The National Weather Service said the breaking waves will create “hazardous beach conditions” as they reach 19 to 23 feet along west and northwest-facing beaches."
New speed cameras near schools in 6 California cities
EdSource, BETTY MARQUEZ ROSALES: "A new law effective on Jan. 1 will lead to the installation of automated speed cameras near specific zones, including schools, in six California cities.
Supporters of the bill cited a 41-year high in pedestrian deaths. Some who opposed the bill pointed to surveillance and privacy issues, along with concerns that Black and Latino will be issued additional driving fines; they recommended alternatives to cameras such as speed bumps or roundabouts, according to reporting by the L.A. Times shortly after the bill was signed into law."
Community college students serve as basic needs support guides for peers
EdSource, BETTY MARQUEZ ROSALES: "Over 50 community college students in California currently serve as resource guides for peers in need of stable housing, food access and other basic needs.
The students are part of the California Community Colleges’ Student Ambassador Program, which trains students to share information on available resources, including CalFresh and housing stipends with their fellow students. The program uses peers to share such resources in an effort to reduce the stigma around accessing basic needs services."
California insurance giant to lay off 165 workers, primarily in Oakland
The Chronicle, AIDIN VAZIRI: "Blue https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2024-01-03/snow-drought-grips-california-despite-recent-stormsof California plans to lay off 165 workers by the end of this month, primarily targeting its Oakland office.
The insurance giant intends to make these job cuts permanent across various locations in the state by Jan. 31. According to a notice filed with the state’s Employment Development Department, 49 positions will be eliminated at its headquarters in Alameda County."?
Real estate giant poised to become S.F’s largest residential landlord after massive deal
The Chronicle, ROLAND LI: "Real estate giant Brookfield has purchased a massive portfolio of loans tied to 76 San Francisco apartment buildings following one of the biggest mortgage defaults of the pandemic.
The Canadian conglomerate bought troubled loans previously valued at $915 million after major landlord Veritas defaulted about a year ago on them, though it wasn’t clear how much Brookfield paid, according to property records filed on Dec. 29."
A judge urged S.F. jail to allow outdoor exercise. Instead, it opened a window
The Chronicle, BOB EGELKO: "In response to a ruling that said San Francisco violates the rights of people held in its San Bruno jail by keeping them indoors all day and must allow some of them at least 15 minutes of access to sunlight, the sheriff’s office has removed some of the covering from windows at the jail’s gym, but is still requiring most of those held in jail to remain indoors.
In her ruling in October, U.S. Magistrate Judge Sallie Kim said San Francisco has acted with “reckless indifference” to the health of hundreds of people in jail. She noted that jails in other counties have exercise yards, and said San Francisco “provides no real reason why it cannot build an exercise yard for outdoor exercise that would allow inmates access to direct sunlight.”"
Suspect identified in killing of Oakland police officer during brazen dispensary burglary
BANG*Mercury News, NATE GARTRELL, JAKOB RODGERS: "The 27-year-old man suspected in the Dec. 29 killing of Oakland police Officer Tuan Le during a cannabis business burglary has been identified in Santa Rita Jail records.
Mark Demetrious Sanders was arrested Tuesday in Livermore and booked into the jail on charges of murder, assault with a firearm, burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary, records show.
Hamas Leader Killed in Beirut Was Linchpin of Relations With Iran, Hezbollahc
WSJ, OMAR ABDEL-BAQUI, SUMMER SAID: "The killing on Tuesday night of a senior Hamas leader marked the biggest hit to the group’s top leadership in years, taking out a key player who was responsible for aligning the Palestinian militant group with Iran and its proxies.
Saleh al-Arouri’s killing in a suspected Israeli strike is likely to hinder the group’s diplomatic efforts with key partners like Iran but won’t substantially impact the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, military analysts say."
