The Electoral College has sealed the deal: Donald Trump is poised to be sworn in next month as our 45th POTUS.
MICHAEL FINNEGAN with LAT: "They convened amid unusual scrutiny, widespread protests and rafts of speculation about efforts to alter the outcome, but, in the end, the nation’s 538 presidential electors mostly stuck to the script Monday, formally sealing Donald Trump's victory with 304 votes in the electoral college, well above what he needed to capture the White House."
"After all the efforts to lobby Republican electors to desert Trump, only two did — a pair from Texas, one of whom voted for former Rep. Ron Paul and the other for Ohio Gov. John Kasich."
"Indeed, instead of an uprising against Trump, the day’s voting was punctuated more by small, but persistent, gestures of Democratic discontent with Hillary Clinton. A handful of electors deserted her and a few more tried to but were deterred by state “faithless elector” laws."
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And speaking of Trump, how will his campaign trail shape future runs in California?
CHUCK MCFADDEN with Capitol Weekly: "The fact is, he won. He tweeted and bragged and insulted his way into the White House while Democrats talked about 23-point plans and fumed."
"Politicians, despite the beliefs of many Americans, are not stupid. They saw what happened. So now the question that soon may be bandied about in offices in and around the Capitol is this: in the light of Donald Trump’s victory, will California campaigns now begin to look Trumpesque? Will cool, blue, coastal California, home of Silicon Valley, start hearing that we need to “Make California Great Again”?"
"It may not be likely, but it could happen."
California sees a drop in birth rates -- the lowest in modern state history.
JIM MILLER with The Bee: "California’s birth rate has fallen to the lowest levels in modern state history, according to new Department of Finance estimates, which peg the state population at 39.4 million after growing by 295,000 from July 1, 2015 to July 1, 2016."
"The birth rate of 12.42 live births per 1,000 people is down from a rate of 13.69 per 1,000 people at the time of the 2010 census, according to Monday’s report. The next-lowest birth rate was in 1933, one of the worst years of the Great Depression."
"California today bears little resemblance to what it was during the 1930’s meltdown, when unemployment soared, personal finances collapsed, and millions of people stood in food lines. Unemployment last month stood at 5.3 percent and the state, along with the country, is in the eighth year of an economic expansion."
The odds are daunting, but John Chiang could be the first Asian American to become governor in California -- and many donors are banking on his victory.
PHIL WILLON with LAT: "Former Monterey Park politician Lily Lee Chen, who in the 1980s became the first Chinese American woman in history to be elected mayor of a U.S. city, says she has plunked down $1,000 in the hopes that Democratic state Treasurer John Chiang will be California’s next governor."
"Chen’s donation to Chiang’s 2018 campaign may be relatively modest by today’s standards, but she’s confident that Asian Americans throughout California will start to crack open their wallets. And they have, many excited by the prospect of Chiang becoming the state’s first Asian American governor."
“It would be my dream,” said Chen, who is now 80 and lives in Glendale. “He would serve as a model for all the Chinese American young people who have political aspirations and want to be good public servants."
Kamala Harris has secured committee assignments that guarantee her a position on the frontlines of immigration and climate change reform.
CAROLYN LOCCHEAD with The Chronicle: "California’s Sen.-elect, Kamala Harris, won committee assignments Monday that place the Democrat on the front lines of immigration and climate change policy, two areas that likely will put the state into the sharpest conflict with the Trump administration."
"Harris is also poised to play a role in one of the only areas that so far shows potential for bipartisan cooperation: infrastructure policy, which deals with roads, bridges, dams, airports and other such projects."
"She did not, however, win a seat on the Judiciary Committee, the panel for which she is perhaps best suited as California’s soon-to-be former attorney general and a former San Francisco district attorney. Senate party leaders, who divvy up the committee assignments, avoid naming two members from the same state to any panel. California’s senior senator, Dianne Feinstein, has served on the Judiciary Committee for 24 years and will assume the top Democratic spot on the panel next year."
Pew Research Center polled citizens on the ACA and how they feel about changes under Trump's appointment, Rep. Tom Price.
JENNY GOLD with California Healthline: "With Donald Trump’s recent appointment of Republican Rep. Tom Price to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, President-elect Trump’s promise to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act seems likely to happen."
"Republican leaders recently have indicated they may repeal the law now and delay replacement for a few years."
"The American public appears divided on the law, which has resulted in coverage of more than 20 million people. A Pew Research Center poll conducted early this month found that Americans are evenly divided on whether to repeal or expand the law (39 percent each). Another 15 percent want lawmakers move forward with the law as it is. The percentage of Republicans who favor immediate repeal actually declined to 76 percent from 85 percent in October."
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L.A. has proposed a defense fund for immigrants facing the deportation hardline.
DAKOTA SMITH and CINDY CARCAMO with LAT: "Los Angeles city and county leaders on Monday unveiled a $10-million fund to provide legal assistance for residents facing deportation, the region’s boldest move yet as it prepares for an expected crackdown on illegal immigration by Donald Trump."
"If approved by lawmakers, Los Angeles’ two top government agencies could find themselves in the position of using public funds to challenge policies sought by the White House and Republican Congress."
Closing arguments took center stage at former LA Sheriff Lee Baca's obstruction of justice trial.
JOEL RUBIN and VICTORIA KIM with LAT: "Lee Baca spent 15 years as sheriff of Los Angeles County building a reputation as an ethical and transparent leader with creative, progressive ideas on law enforcement."
"But a federal prosecutor Monday took only 90 minutes to dismantle Baca’s glowing self-portrait and replace it with a far more sinister portrayal as the former sheriff’s obstruction of justice trial came to a close."
"Assistant U.S. Atty. Brandon Fox delivered an unsparing closing argument to jurors, recapping nearly two weeks of testimony and evidence that he said prove Baca willfully participated in a 2011 plan to interfere with an FBI probe into widespread inmate abuse by deputies in county jails."
Caltrans is now in the real estate business (temporarily).
LAURA J. NELSON with LAT: "Transportation officials have begun the painstaking process of selling hundreds of houses acquired decades ago for a Los Angeles County freeway project that was never built."
"In the 1950s and 1960s, Caltrans began buying empty lots, houses and apartments along the planned route of the 710 Freeway extension between Pasadena and Alhambra."
"But decades of litigation and legislation stalled the 6.2-mile project before construction could begin, leaving transportation officials as landlords for 460 structures. The properties, most of which are occupied, range from modest cottages in El Sereno to Craftsman mansions on stately streets in South Pasadena. "
CalPERS has decided to reverse its decision on lifting the tobacco stock ban.
DALE KASLER with Sacramento Bee: "CalPERS said no again to tobacco Monday."
"Amid a passionate debate on the wisdom and morality of investing in tobacco, the big California pension fund rejected a recommendation by its staff to end its 16-year-old ban on the practice. CalPERS’ investment committee, in a 9-3 vote, concluded that the tobacco industry is heading toward long-term decline and presents too much of a risk."
"Because the investment committee consists of every member of the governing board, the vote represents the final decision."
Despite the importance of the SF police Commission seat, less than a handful of applicants are vying to fill its vacancy.
EMILY GREEN and VIVIAN HO with The Chronicle: "The Board of Supervisors will soon pick a new member of the Police Commission, the panel that rules on the most severe discipline cases involving officers and is trying to improve a force criticized by federal officials for having “deficiencies in every operational area assessed."
"This is an important and powerful position, and we want to make sure we find the right person, because this person is going to be shaping policies, in particular on use-of-force policies,” said Supervisor Malia Cohen, who has pushed several police reform measures and sits on the Rules Committee, which will recommend a candidate to the full board Monday. “It’s an enormous responsibility that is going to have a national spotlight."
"Despite its importance, just five people applied. The position requires about 20 hours a week and pays only $100 a month."
A survivor of the Ghost Ship fire shares his testimony.
KIMBERLY VEKLEROV with The Chronicle: "Just before the Ghost Ship lost power, a makeshift staircase turned into a confused bottleneck. A few people ran up the narrow passageway from the ground floor to flee the flames downstairs, hampering a much larger group trying to crowd-surf down. Not far from the mass, Aaron Marin scanned the second floor of the warehouse."
"We all just looked at each other and knew we were trapped,” said Marin, 45, one of the last people to escape the Oakland building as it was consumed by flames."
"With just Christmas lights illuminating the room, he stumbled through thick smoke, clawed his way behind an inflatable projection screen, and jumped from a window to a patch of mud below."
As cyclical jobs hit their peak during the holidays, a dearth of seasonal workers has employers scrambling for quick solutions.
MICHAEL ROSEN with The Chronicle: "Five days a week, Isaac Gonzalez rises at 2 in the morning. He showers, eats breakfast, and by 3, he’s in the car. The mornings are nice — no traffic, he says, as he winds his way from Antioch down Route 24 and across the Bay Bridge to the San Francisco Costco at 10th and Harrison streets, where he starts his job as a temporary seasonal worker."
"By 4, Gonzalez is at work stocking shelves. He’s off at 12:30 and heads back into the traffic. Sometimes, when he gets home, he might even take a nap. He works six days a week; once a week, he gets to sleep in until 3."
"It is difficult, physically taxing work, the kind of job that employers are increasingly having a difficult time filling. Unemployment around the country and especially in the Bay Area is approaching prerecession lows; in the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward metro area, it was at 3.9 percentas of October. In a tight labor market, employers both large and small are saying that hiring for holiday demand — retail clerks, warehouse workers and other short-term help — has been tougher this year than any they can remember."
A judge has ruled that State Farm must reduce its homeowner insurance rates by an average of 7 percent.
BOB EGELKO with The Chronicle: "State Farm Insurance must reduce rates by an average of 7 percent for 1.7 million homeowners and renters in California while it challenges Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones’ findings that its rates were excessive, a judge ruled Monday."
"Jones said the decision would save Californians $84 million in the next year. The commissioner has also ordered State Farm to refund an additional $110 million it has collected from homeowners and renters since July 15, 2015, but San Diego County Superior Court Judge Katherine Bacal, in her ruling Monday, put the refunds on hold while the case continued."
"Consumer groups had brought the case to Jones after State Farm sought a 6.9 percent rate increase. The groups relied on Proposition 103, the 1988 voter initiative that required insurers to seek the state commissioner’s approval for new rates for property and casualty coverage. The proposition also authorized the commissioner to limit charges to the amounts needed to cover claims costs, expenses and a reasonable rate of return."
There are a lot of legal changes coming to the workplace in 2017.
KATHLEEN PENDER with The Chronicle: "Dozens of California workplace laws take effect next year, the most prominent being a 50-cent-per-hour increase in the statewide minimum wage. Other new laws will require employers to put a unisex sign on single-toilet bathrooms, notify stalking and domestic violence victims of their leave rights, and prohibit them from asking job applicants about juvenile offenses."
"Here’s a look at some of the more significant laws. All take effect Jan. 1, unless noted. For a full list, see the California Chamber of Commerce website at http://bit.ly/2gJqeYE."
Aaron Persky, the judge who outraged millions over his lax punitive stance on Brock Turner's rape case, has been cleared of bias by a state commission on Monday.
NANETTE ASIMOV with The Chronicle: "A state commission cleared Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky of misconduct Monday in his sentencing of a former Stanford student-athlete who sexually assaulted an unconscious woman outside a college party in 2015."
"The Commission on Judicial Performance received thousands of complaints and petitions — including one with more than 1 million signatures — claiming that Persky was biased on June 2 when he sentenced Brock Allen Turner, then 20, to six months in county jail, three years’ probation and lifetime registration as a sex offender. The district attorney’s office had asked for six years in state prison, while the defense had requested four months in county jail with up to five years’ probation."
"Turner was convicted in March of three counts of felony sexual assault and released from jail in September after serving half his sentence."
Tensions between Turkey and Russia have risen after the brazen assassination of a Russian ambassador near the U.S. embassy in Ankara.
SUZAN FRASER with The Chronicle: "Turkish police on Tuesday detained a man who fired shots in front of the U.S. embassy in Ankara, several hours after the Russian ambassador to Turkey was killed in an attack across the street."
"The man took out a pump-action shotgun he hid in his coat and fired around eight shots in the air before the embassy's security guards intervened and apparently overpowered him, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency."
