"For a few hours, police maintained order at Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park in Berkeley. They used barriers and a single entry-checkpoint to control who and what got in. They confiscated sticks, water bottles and anything else from rally-goers that could be used as weapons. Inside the park, they broke up heated arguments between the left and the right before punches were thrown."
READ MORE related to Antifa Vs. Alt-Right in the Battle of Free Speech: After melees, Berkeley mayor asks Cal to cancel right-wing Free Speech Week -- The Chronicle's MATIER & ROSS; Free Speech under Siege -- The National Review's LOGAN BEIRNE; 'Antifa' violence in Berkeley becomes problem for left-wing activist community -- LA Times' PAIGE ST. JOHN/JAMES QUEALLY; Left-wing activists downplay ANTIFA violence at Berkeley rally, vow resistance to 'alt-right' -- East Bay Times' DAVID DEBOLT/TAMMERLIN DRUMMOND; Berkeley mayor on Sunday rally: 'It went as well as it could have' -- Daily Californian's ANI VAHRADYAN
Judge invalidates law that would have allowed public financing of political campaigns in California.
LA Time's PATRICK MCGREEVY: "A Superior Court judge has struck down a new law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown that would have allowed cities, counties and the state to provide public financing of political campaigns, ruling that it violates a ban on that use of taxpayer dollars established nearly 30 years ago, officials said Monday."
"Judge Timothy M. Frawley in Sacramento ruled that the financing law, which was signed last September, "directly contradicts" PRoposition 73, an initiative approved by voters in 1988 that bans use of public money for campaigns."
"The judge ruled the new law did not "further the purpose" of Proposition 73, which is the only means in which the Legislature can amend a law passed by the voters."
Speaking of the courts, the state's high court has made is easier for tax measures to reach the ballot.
The Chronicle's DOMINIC FRACASSA: "The California Supreme Court handed down a ruling on Monday that could make it slightly easier for citizens to levy new local taxes through voter-sponsored ballot initiatives.
"The ruling rested largely on how the court interpreted sections of the state Constitution impacted by Proposition 217. passed by voters in 1996, prop. 218 spells out how local governments may levy new taxes and fees, including the vote thresholds that have to be met to approve proposed taxes."
"At the heart of the court's ruling is the notion that ballot initiatives generated by citizens aren't subject to the same constraints as local governments."
Pension woes cloud small fire district.
Capitol Weekly's ED MENDEL: "A worried Herald Fire Protection District board discussed the possibility last week that the fee for leaving CalPERS may be around $400,000, an amount some members fear could push the small district in southern Sacramento County into bankruptcy."
"Earlier this month, Transparent California reported that the suburban Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District has 216 retirees receiving annual pensions of $100,000 or more, and a dozen of those are $200,000 or more."
"Sacramento Metropolitan was formed from 16 smaller fire districts, several in rural areas similar to Herald. How the large consolidated district and tiny Herald evolved in such drastically different ways might make a good case study of local government efficiency."
READ MORE in Capitol Weekly: OP-ED: Spending cap-and-trade funds: Give priority to most vulnerable -- ALVARO SANCHEZ/CHELSEA TU
North Korean missile flies over Japan
WaPo's ANNA FIFIELD: "North Korea launched a ballistic missile Tuesday morning that flew over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, the most brazen provocation of Kim Jong Un's five-year-long rule and one that elicited strong condemnation from U.S. allies Japan and South Korea."
"The launch poses a further challenge, in particular, to President Trump, who has made North Korea a favorite rhetorical target. Trump said earlier this month that he would make Kim "truly regret" harming the United States or its allies."
"In Japan, the prime minister was visibly agitated by North Korea's actions. "A missile launch across Japan is an outrageous act that poses an unprecedented, grave and serious threat, and significantly undermines the peace and security of the region," Shinzo Abe said after an emergency national security council meeting."
READ MORE related to WW3?: Trump says 'all options are on table' after North Korea flies missile over Japan -- AP
Harvey devastation: Evacuations expanded across Houston area as bayous, rivers swell
The Chronicle's SUSAN CARROLL/JOHN D HARDEN/ST JOHN BARNED-SMITH: "With the Houston area under water for the third straight day, emergency crews rescued thousands of people with boats and helicopters as suburban leaders ordered massive evacuations over fears that levies would give way under the force of flooded waterways."
"Much of Fort Bend and Brazoria counties were evacuated as the rain-swollen Brazos River was expected to approach historic flood levels Tuesday, and two subdivisions in northern Harris County were evacuated late Monday amid similar concerns over aging levies."
LA Times' CORINA KNOLL: "The camerawork is unsteady and it’s impossible to tell what prompted the fight."
"But the video posted to YouTube clearly shows Christian Frizzell, the owner of the Redwood Bar & Grill in downtown Los Angeles, wrestling with and yelling at another man — identified as Frank, a homeless panhandler who hangs around the area."
What happens when you're forced to change health plans when you're sick?
California Healthline's PAULINE BARTOLONE: "Joanna Joshua, 39, panicked when she opened a letter from her family’s insurer, Cigna, only to learn it was pulling out of California’s individual market next year."
"The Santa Clarita resident would have no choice but to change health plans."
"What am I going to do?” Joshua wondered. Her 2-year-old daughter, Jasmine Winning, needs heart surgery next year because of a rare disease she’s had since birth. The toddler has had two heart operations already because she was born with a malformed heart — a condition resulting from Heterotaxy syndrome, in which internal organs are not where they should be."
Dangerous triple-digit heat hits LA and SoCal, with more on the way
Daily News' SUSAN ABRAM/BRIAN ROKOS: "Dangerously high temperatures have prompted the National Weather Service to issue an excessive heat warning for much of Southern California, where heat-related illnesses are likely and the public is encouraged to limit outdoor activity."
"The warning, in place through at least 10 p.m. Wednesday, covers the entire region except for the coasts, the mountains and downtown Los Angeles; those areas are under a slightly less serious heat advisory."
"In the San Fernando Valley, temperatures soared to highs of 95-105 on Monday. It’s expected to get even hotter Tuesday with highs reaching 100-110 and on Wednesday with temperatures hitting 102-107."
READ MORE related to Environment: Can California get 100 percent of its electricity from renewables? -- San Gabriel Valley Tribune's STEVE SCAUZILLO
UC Berkeley chief legal counsel dead in hit-and-run near Guerneville
East Bay Times' RICK HURD/EMILY DERUY: "A member of UC Berkeley’s legal team died Sunday after being hit by a car in a hit-and-run crash near Guerneville, authorities said."
"The Sonoma County Coroner’s Office confirmed Monday that 59-year-old Christopher Patti, the campus’ chief legal counsel, died Sunday morning. He was stopped on his bike on the right shoulder of westbound Highway 116 around 8:45 a.m. when a BMW slid onto the shoulder and hit him, according to a statement by the California Highway Patrol."
"I speak for the Berkeley community in saying how grief-stricken we are at Chris Patti’s untimely death,” UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ said in a statement. “He was an extraordinary colleague. He loved the university, and he had a deep core of integrity that motivated everything he did. He was smart, he was compassionate. He was everything you wanted the counsel of the campus to be. We offer our sympathy to his family and his friends for this tragic loss."
READ MORE related to Education: Strong support and opposition to proposed state STEM school -- EdSource's JOHN FENSTERWALD; San Jose State University students stage sit-in to protest professor's return -- Mercury News' EMILY DERUY; With multiple challenges, rural schools warrant far more attention -- EdSource's CARL COHN
California's housing crisis -- it's even worse than you think.
CalMatters' MATT LEVIN: "Half the state’s households struggle to afford the roof over their heads. Homeownership-once a staple of the California dream – is at its lowest rate since World War II. Nearly 70 percent of poor Californians see the majority of their paychecks go immediately to escalating rents."
"This month, state lawmakers are debating a long-delayed housing package. Here’s what you need to know about the scope of one of California’s most vexing issues:"
"Just how hard is it to buy a home in California?"
Checking out the new prices at Whole Foods.
Mercury News' PATRICK MAY: "I traveled about 10 blocks this morning to go see the future of the grocery business."
"That, at least, is what Amazon’s hoping to prove with its purchase of Whole Foods. And today for the first time, those two worlds, online and brick-and-mortar, began to morph into one single experience as the Seattle-based digital-retail king’s official residence in the grocery sector began."
"Marking the occasion, of course, were the super-hyped lowering of some of the food prices that helped Whole Foods earn its moniker of Whole Paycheck."
Immigration officials in Vietnam deny mother visa to see her dying daughter in San Jose.
Mercury News' TATIANA SANCHEZ: "After 33-year-old Trinh Phan was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, she shared her final wish with family members: to see her mother again."
"But her mother, Nguyen Thi Hoa, lives in Vietnam — and the U.S. Embassy & Consulate there last month rejected her request for a temporary travel visa. Embassy officials, family members say, feared Hoa would stay in the U.S. for good."
"Phan — who immigrated to the U.S. from Vietnam in 2003 and lives in San Jose — last saw her mother in 2012. Aside from her husband and son, she has only one other family member in the U.S. — a cousin in Dallas. As her condition rapidly deteriorates, loved ones are trying desperately to reunite mother and daughter, calling on local politicians and community members to lend their voices."
