Here's everything you need to know to prepare for today's once-in-a-century mega 'shadow of shadows' eclipse.
LA Times: "The Great American Eclipse is nearly upon us! Around the country, people have been getting into position for the view of a lifetime. Follow along here to catch all the action."
If you're in the San Francisco area, you may have a problem seeing the eclipse: Cloudy weather is expected this morning.
From EVAN SEMOFFSKY in SFGATE: "Hopes that morning fog will burn off in San Francisco in time for Monday’s partial solar eclipse were dwindling as thick morning fog was expected to linger until the celestial event comes and goes."
"The blanket of clouds will obstruct views in the city and other nearby urban areas as the partial eclipse begins around 9:15 a.m. and reaches its point of greatest coverage around 10:15 a.m., forecasters said."
“Unfortunately, it looks like it is going to be a pretty typical summer day, where the low clouds are going to take a while to burn off,” said Roger Gass, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service."
Meanwhile, back to Earth: Here are the key issues to watch as the California Legislature reconvenes for its final month of this year's session.
From the Bee's TARYN LUNA: "tate lawmakers return from summer break today to a once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse and tens of thousands of people crowding into Capitol Mall for a free concert to urge passage of a trio of criminal justice bills."
"Monday also marks the beginning of the end of session. Legislators have one month to get their bills to the governor’s desk before the Senate and Assembly call it quits for the year. It’ll be a busy time with plenty of action. Here’s our take on issues to watch as the session resumes:"
"Housing: This tops the Legislature’s agenda this month, with Democrats hoping to reach a deal that includes long-term funding for affordable housing construction and regulatory changes to speed the development process. Democratic lawmakers say a housing package could be announced as soon as this week. At the core of the debate is financing: Can Democrats muster a two-thirds vote for a real estate fee and persuade Gov. Jerry Brown to sign off on a multibillion-dollar housing bond measure?"
Speaking of California's housing crisis, here's how it started.
The Bee's ANGELA HART: "Homelessness is on the rise. California is home to 12 percent of the U.S. population, but 22 percent of its homeless people. Cities that have seen dramatic rent increases, such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, attribute their spikes in homelessness directly to a state housing shortage that has led to an unprecedented affordability crisis."
"Housing experts trace the problem back to the 1970s. Backlash began to arise – in coastal communities, in particular – from neighbors who opposed new housing in their neighborhoods."
“It started then and it’s still true today – people, just as a matter of human nature, are anxious about change and accommodating new people in their communities,” said Brian Uhler, who leads housing research for the nonpartisan state Legislative Analyst’s Office, which tracks housing trends and identifies possible solutions for the Legislature.
The housing crunch isn't the only big-ticket issue facing the Legislature: The debate over drug pricing is on the table -- again.
The LAT's MELANIE MASON: "The debate conjures déjà vu. Much of the action centers on legislation that recalls a failed 2016 bill to require more disclosure around prescription prices, with lobbying efforts tracing familiar battle lines — labor unions, health plans and consumer groups facing off against drug manufacturers."
"But several new factors this year have made proponents bullish about their prospects. The price disclosure bill , SB 17 by state Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-Azusa), is now one of five measures that have been proposed to tackle prescription costs, forcing the drug industry to fend off multiple threats. Supporters have picked up new allies on the left, including deep-pocketed Democratic activist Tom Steyer, and on the right, with “aye” votes cast by a handful of GOP lawmakers."
"The issue remains fresh. Over the last few years, high-profile stories have captured the public’s attention, such as the legal saga of convicted pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli and the steep increase in the price of EpiPens, which are commonly used to ward off severe allergic reactions."
10 sailers are missing after a US warship collided with a merchant vessel, the second such incident in the span of three months.
AP's ANNABELLE LIANG: "Ten U.S. sailors are missing after a collision between the USS John S. McCain and a tanker early Monday east of Singapore, the second accident involving a ship from the Navy's 7th Fleet in the Pacific in two months."
"The Navy said five sailors were hurt in the collision between the guided-missile destroyer and the 183-meter (600-foot) Alnic MC, an oil and chemical tanker. Four of them were evacuated by a Singaporean navy helicopter to a hospital in the city-state for treatment of non-life threatening injuries, and one did not require further medical attention."
"The McCain had been heading to Singapore on a routine port visit after conducting a sensitive freedom of navigation operation last week by sailing near one of China's man-made islands in the South China Sea."
Counter-protesters swarm rally against illegal immigration in Laguna Beach.
LA Times' ANDREA CASTILLO/VICTORIA KIM: "With protesters and counter-protesters facing off in tense confrontations across the country this weekend in the wake of the deadly clash in Charlottesville, Va., activists in Orange County wanted to try something different."
"An “America First!” rally against illegal immigration was scheduled for Sunday evening. Counter-protesters, including the city’s mayor, staged their own protest but scheduled it a day earlier."
"As we’re constantly reminded to act and not react, we’re also reminded not to serve the racists’ purpose and provide them with a platform to spread their hatred,” organizers of the Saturday event wrote on Facebook."
Trump review puts 5 California monuments at risk.
The Chronicle's CAROLYN LOCHHEAD: "From the revered giant sequoias of the southern Sierra to the unbroken vistas of the Mojave Desert’s historic Route 66, five national monuments in California await a verdict by Thursday from President Trump’s interior secretary on whether they should be left alone, shrunk or eliminated altogether."
"The California monuments have been swept up in an unprecedented review — ordered by Trump in April — to determine whether their protected status inhibits potential commercial use. They are among more than two dozen monuments nationally being scrutinized by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke."
"Across the U.S., there are 129 national monuments designated by presidents dating to Theodore Roosevelt under the 1906 Antiquities Act to increase protection of existing federal land, and none has ever been abolished. Not since President John F. Kennedy has any president tried to shrink a monument."
The costs of dividing California into separate states is unknown, according to an opponent of the proposed idea.
Daily News' STEVEN HERBERT: "A co-chair of the effort to oppose a 2014 initiative to split California into six states said today a proposal to divide it into three states would have unknown costs."
"The state’s higher education system, park system, retirement system, prisons and many other functions of state government would have to be unwound at a cost of who knows what,” Steven Maviglio told City News Service."
"Billionaire venture capitalist Tim Draper, the author of both initiatives, said, “The established monopoly and all of those who are feeding off it will oppose this measure. Those of us who have to live under the thumb of this failed government are ready to start fresh."
Stephen Bannon's ouster could boost the powerful Koch network, which has surprising sway in Trump's White House.
LA Times' LISA MASCARO: "During the presidential campaign, about the only common ground between Donald Trump and billionaire conservative Charles Koch was a colorful disregard for each other."
"Koch called the choice between Trump and Hillary Clinton like opting for cancer or a heart attack. And Trump bashed big-money donors, deriding his Republican rivals as “puppets” who begged at Koch’s door."
"Not surprisingly, Koch and his allies largely sat out the presidential election, and Trump won without them. Normally such a high-profile snub would carry a steep political price."
Hip-hop legend Common recently lobbied the state Capitol in an effort for juvenile justice reformation.
The Chronicle's LAUREL ROSENHALL: "Inmates at the state prison in Lancaster in Los Angeles County got an unusual perk this spring: a private meeting with Gov. Jerry Brown’s top aide and a Grammy-award winning rapper."
"It was one stop in a larger effort that has recently brought Common — a musician who blends hip-hop beats with an activist message — close to key California decision-makers. After an artistic career that propelled him from the south side of Chicago to poetry nights in the Obama White House, the 45-year-old rapper is now working to influence state policy."
"Common is trying to change the criminal justice system in California. In addition to the meeting with Brown aide Nancy McFadden at the Lancaster prison in March, Common met with Democratic lawmakers at the Capitol in May to talk about bills that would change California’s bail system and juvenile justice procedures. He’ll be back in Sacramento on Monday, when legislators return from summer recess, holding a free concert outside the Capitol and lobbying politicians inside."
