Deadly flooding on Santa Barbara coast as fire turns to mud
From the LAT's MICHAEL LIVINGSTON, HAILEY BRANSON-POTTS, MELISSA ETEHAD AND JOSEPH SERNA: "The predawn torrent of mud and debris carried away cars, swamped living rooms, and yanked homes from their foundations. Boulders crashed into homes, homes plunged into trees, and the muddy current swept at least one child a half-mile from home."
"By day's end, Santa Barbara County authorities said the mudslides had killed at least 13 people and injured dozens more."
"It looked like a World War I battlefield,” said Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown."
"Southern California was drenched Tuesday, but nowhere did the rainstorm inflict more pain than in Montecito, just weeks after the community dealt with the devastating Thomas fire."
READ MORE related to Environment: Monday's rain sets all-time downtown Sacramento record -- Sacramento Bee's BENJY EGEL/ANTHONY SORCI; Heavy rain turns homeless camp into island -- Sacramento Bee's BARBARA HARVEY; Two-day storm boosted Sacramento rainfall to 88 percent of average -- Sacramento Bee's CATHY LOCKE/BARBARA HARVEY/BENJY EGEL; California's new wildfire prevention map could be delayed -- again -- The Chronicle's DAVID R. BAKER;
Mudslides plague Southern California, but Wine Country stays firm
The Chronicle's SARAH RAVANI/KURTIS ALEXANDER: "As crushing mudslides buried homes and left more than a dozen dead in fire-ravaged Southern California on Tuesday, state and local officials were closely watching burned swaths of Wine Country to make sure the state’s biggest storm of the season didn’t bring similar devastation."
"Authorities reported minor rock slides along the Sonoma County coast, but inland areas stripped of vegetation by October’s firestorm and made vulnerable to slipping appeared to hold. Residents in hilly areas were told to prepare for evacuations, though none was initiated."
"Loose rock and debris was reported to have contributed to a fatal car wreck on Highway 121 in Napa County on Tuesday night, but it was not immediately clear what role the burn scar might have played."
Democrats on both coasts cry foul after Trump administration exempts Florida from offshore drilling plan
LA Times' GRAY ROHRER/MATT PEARCE: "Democratic officials in California and New York accused the Trump administration of unfair partisan treatment Tuesday after Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke exempted Florida from expanded offshore drilling — under pressure from the state’s Republican governor — without offering similar exemptions to other coastal states."
"The administration’s move comes after a bipartisan backlash from politicians on both coasts after it announced plans last week to consider allowing new leases off most of the U.S. coastline to explore offshore oil and natural gas reserves."
"We are not drilling off the coast of Florida,” Zinke said at a hastily called news conference in the Tallahassee airport after meeting with Republican Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who opposed the new drilling."
California, other states seek to sidestep key provision of GOP tax overhaul
LA Times' JIM PUZZANGHERA: "Scattered community efforts to help residents lessen the blow of the Republican tax overhaul’s limit on a popular deduction are turning into full-fledged rebellion in California and elsewhere across the country."
"Democratic politicians are pursuing creative — and some say legally suspect — maneuvers to help people circumvent a $10,000 cap on deductions for state and local taxes that took effect Jan. 1."
"In addition to considering a lawsuit to try to block the limit, elected officials are looking at ways to turn those state and local tax payments into charitable contributions that would be fully deductible or convert state income taxes into payroll taxes that would have the effect of giving people the benefit of the deduction."
Judge blocks Trump decision to end young immigrant program
AP's SUDHIN THANAWALA/ANDREW DALTON: "A federal judge on Tuesday night temporarily blocked the Trump administration's decision to end a program protecting young immigrants from deportation."
"U.S. District Judge William Alsup granted a request by California and other plaintiffs to prevent President Donald Trump from ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program while their lawsuits play out in court."
"Alsup said lawyers in favor of DACA clearly demonstrated that the young immigrants "were likely to suffer serious, irreparable harm" without court action. The judge also said the lawyers have a strong chance of succeeding at trial."
READ MORE related to Immigration: GOP negotiators say Trump aide Stephen Miller is standing in the way of an immigration deal -- McClatchy DC's ANITA KUMAR; SF judge blocks Trump on DACA -- The Chronicle's BOB EGELKO/CAROLYN LOCHHEAD; Federal judge in San Francisco temporarily blocks Trump's decision to end DACA program -- LA Times' JOEL RUBIN/JAZMINE ULLOA/LISA MASCARO
Sen. Harris joins Feinstein on Senate Judiciary Committee
The Chronicle's BOB EGELKO: "Sen. Kamala Harris was named to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, joining California’s other Democratic senator, Dianne Feinstein, on the panel that reviews President Trump’s judicial nominees."
"Democratic leaders chose Harris and Cory Booker of New Jersey to fill minority-party seats on the committee. They become the second and third African American members in the history of the Judiciary Committee, following Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun, D-Ill., who served in the 1990s."
"One vacancy on the panel was created by the resignation of Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., after several women accused him of groping or sexually harassing them. Democrats gained another committee position with the election last month of Doug Jones in Alabama, filling the Senate seat formerly held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions."
The toxic chemical 'whack-a-mole' game
LYNNE PEEPLES in Capitol Weekly: "When her black cat rapidly dropped from a healthy 14 pounds to a skeletal five pounds, it was natural for Arlene Blum to investigate whether a toxic chemical in her home might be to blame. The veterinarian’s diagnosis raised that possibility, and Blum had expertise in the harm that chemicals can cause. Her research as a chemist in the 1970s helped reveal the possible health hazards posed by flame retardants used in children’s sleepwear."
"What surprised Blum, executive director of the nonprofit Green Science Policy Institute in Berkeley, Calif., was the chemical she discovered in Midnight’s blood, in the foam of her couch and in dust throughout her house. It was a substance only slightly different than the one that, decades earlier, she encountered in kids’ pajamas, leading to a federal ban on the compound for that sort of use."
"While Blum can’t know for certain if flame retardant particles from the couch made her cat sick, the experience inspired her to take a fresh look at the problem of potentially hazardous chemicals in consumer products. She is among a growing number of scientists, advocates, parents and public officials who urge a fundamental shift in how society restricts toxic chemicals — moving away from a one-at-a-time whack-a-mole game to instead targeting whole classes of chemicals. The aim is to end the longstanding pattern of manufacturers simply swapping one toxic substance for another once a chemical, after years of research and advocacy, is phased out or banned."
READ MORE: California eyes federal 'Super PACs' -- FollowTheMoney's J.T. STEPLETON in Capitol Weekly; Stem cell: On Capitol Hill, bipartisan accord on funding -- DAVID JENSEN in Capitol Weekly.
Eight people tied to 'Shrimp Boy' Chow case sentenced to federal prison terms
The Chronicle's ANNIE MA: "Eight people connected to the racketeering and murder case of Raymond “Shrimp Boy” Chow were sentenced to prison terms by a federal judge on Monday in San Francisco, officials said."
"The defendants — Barry House, Elaine Liang, Tina Liang, Michael Mei, James Pau, Rinn Roeun, Kevin Siu and Leslie Yun — each pleaded guilty to their roles in a vast scheme that resulted in 230 separate charges in an indictment filed by a federal grand jury on Jan. 29, 2015."
"Chow and 28 others were charged in that indictment with crimes ranging from money laundering to drug and firearms trafficking, officials said. Seventeen of those defendants were also charged with conspiring to use a San Francisco Chinatown organization, the Chee Kung Tong, or CKT, for racketeering."
The Royce retirement from Congress started an Orange County edition of musical chairs
LA Times' CHRISTINE MAI-DUC: "Republican Rep. Ed Royce dropped a bombshell Monday, announcing that he would not seek reelection. His surprise retirement decision scrambles the field in an already competitive race for the 39th Congressional District."
"One of the first Republicans to jump in the race was former Assemblywoman Young Kim, whose candidacy came with Royce’s endorsement. Kim worked for Royce as a district staffer for nearly two decades before her election to the Legislature in 2014. She was unseated in 2016 by Democrat Sharon Quirk-Silva, losing by 7 percentage points in the swing district."
"About a quarter of Royce’s constituents reside in the district Kim represented, and the fact she is Korean-born could give her a boost in a district where 21% of voters are Asian American — 4% are Korean American. Kim ended her campaign for a seat on the Orange County Board of Supervisors to jump in. Her entry and early endorsement from Royce could make other GOP hopefuls think twice before mounting a run."
Jerry Brown's last budget: 19 billion reasons to smile and two big questions
Sacramento Bee's ADAM ASHTON: "Gov. Jerry Brown has 19 billion reasons to feel optimistic when he releases his last budget proposal this week."
"Eight years after he took office in the free fall of the Great Recession, the state is on pace to build a $19.3 billion surplus by July 1, 2019."
"But these are not necessarily flush times, warn the liberal policy advocates who normally would be urging Brown to put the surplus into new government services."
State government gets an upgrade: IT plan brings changes for 10,000 workers
Sacramento Bee's ADAM ASHTON: "Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration this week is unveiling a plan to bring its 10,000-strong state information technology workers into the 21st century."
"Those employees surely are living in modern times, but the civil services rules governing their hiring and promotions date back to the 1980s. Brown’s administration believes those outdated policies may be a factor in the chronically high vacancy rate for state tech workers, which today sits at 19 percent."
"It’s proposing to reduce the 36 different IT job titles on the books today to just nine, simplifying career tracks that had befuddled managers and rank-and-file workers alike."
Nonstop from Sacramento to Paris? Airport is aggressively pursuing first European airline
Sacramento Bee's TONY BIZJAK: "Buoyed by a record-setting 2017, Sacramento International Airport officials hope to up their game this year by finally landing a major European airline or two."
"Their offer: Bring us an international flight –nonstop across the Atlantic – and we’ll let you fly rent-free out of California’s capital for two years."
"A new county incentive package approved Tuesday in particular targets low-cost European carriers that recently have expanded their service to smaller U.S. airports, including Oakland and others in California."
Sheriff Scott Jones fires back at auditor for seeking charge against him
Sacramento Bee's NASHELLY CHAVEZ: "In an ongoing public quarrel between Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones and California State Auditor Elaine Howle, Jones fired back at the state’s top auditor on Tuesday for seeking the Sacramento County District Attorney’s help in filing misdemeanor charges against him."
"As the elected Sheriff charged with enforcing the laws, these accusations continue to defame my professional and personal reputation and adversely affect my family, and your continued course of attempted prosecution is clearly misguided and motivated by malice,” Jones wrote in the public statement to Howle."
"Their dispute stems from a Dec. 11 letter from Jones to Howle in which he criticized a state audit examining the county’s process for issuing concealed carry weapon permits ahead of its finished publication. His critique of the audit was posted onto the sheriff’s website, as well as accompanying social media pages like Facebook and Nextdoor."
Consultant behind dossier on Trump's Kremlin ties also worked for Russian firm
McClatchy's KEVIN G HALL/GREG GORDON/DAVID GOLDSTEIN: "The day before a Russian lawyer offering “dirt” about Hillary Clinton met in June, 2016, with Donald Trump’s son, son-in-law and campaign chairman, she was at a dinner with a Washington consultant who, presumably unbenownst to her, was investigating Trump’s ties to the Kremlin."
"Further, consultant Glenn Simpson joined a second dinner attended by the lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, on the day after the infamous June 9 Trump Tower meeting, Simpson said in testimony released on Tuesday. Simpson said he didn’t learn for months about her role in the intervening meeting with Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort."
"The confluence of events Simpson described in more than 10 hours of testimony last August before lawyers for the Senate Judiciary Committee reveals how his firm straddled seemingly competing interests as it played a key, below-the-radar role in the presidential campaign. The firm, Fusion GPS, hired former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele to help it do opposition research on Trump during the 2016 campaign on behalf of Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee."
READ MORE related to KremlinGate: Sen. Feinstein releases transcript of interview with dossier firm -- The Chronicle's NICHOLAS FANDOS; White House official floated withdrawing US forces to please Putin -- Daily Beast's SPENCER ACKERMAN; Democrats' report details Russian meddling in European elections and threats to US campaigns -- LA Times' TRACY WILKINSON
Bannon to exit Breitbart News Network after break with Trump
The Chronicle's ZEKE MILLER/HJONATHAN LEMIRE: "Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon is stepping down as chairman of Breitbart News Network after a public break with President Trump."
"Breitbart announced Tuesday that Bannon would step down as executive chairman of the conservative news site, less than a week after Bannon’s explosive criticisms of Trump and his family were published in a new book."
"A report on the Breitbart website quotes Bannon saying, “I’m proud of what the Breitbart team has accomplished in so short a period of time in building out a world-class news platform.”"
Homeowners association says residents can close their garage doors again
Sacramento Bee's HUDSON SANGREE: "An Auburn area homeowners association rescinded a requirement Tuesday that homeowners keep their garage doors open during the day, following national attention that had many calling it an example of HOA overreach."
"The requirement insisted homeowners keep their garage doors open during weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. or face a $200 fine. It was intended to keep people from taking up residence in garages, according to the Auburn Greens homeowners association."
"The rule angered residents, some of whom complied and others of whom didn’t. It also prompted a growing wave of attention from local and national media as word spread across the internet."
Device for brain helps researchers forecast epileptic seizures, study finds
The Chronicle's CATHERINE HO: "Monthly cycles of brain activity can help predict when seizures in patients with epilepsy will occur next — potentially enabling doctors to better forecast when patients are at highest risk for seizures, according to new findings from UCSF researchers."
"The study, published Monday in Nature Communications, analyzed brain activity of 37 patients who had a medical device implanted in their brain to help manage epilepsy. The device, called the NeuroPace responsive neurostimulator system, is like a pacemaker for the brain and is used for patients who do not respond to medication or are not eligible for surgery. It monitors brain activity, detects when a seizure is about to begin and stimulates the brain using an electrical pulse to halt the seizure. The device, approved by the FDA in 2013, is made by the Mountain View company NeuroPace Inc."
"Previous studies have tracked patients who use the neurostimulator system, but this study analyzed patients’ brain activity for significantly longer periods of time. One patient has had the implanted device for nearly 10 years. This allowed researchers to see long-term patterns of brain activity that had not been observed before, said the study’s senior author, Vikram Rao, assistant professor of clinical neurology at UCSF, who treats patients with epilepsy."
READ MORE related to Health & Health Care: How a 'Hippie Clinic' in San Francisco inspired a medical philosophy -- KQED's CARRIE FEIBEL
LAPD takes another step toward deploying drones in controversial yearlong test
LA Times' KATE MATHER: "The Los Angeles Police Department took another step toward using drones in some tactical situations after its civilian bosses Tuesday approved a $31,500 donation to purchase the controversial devices."
"The LAPD has yet to fly any drones. The yearlong pilot program, approved by the Police Commission last fall, won’t begin until the department buys the drones and teaches officers how to use them."
"The donation from the Los Angeles Police Foundation will go toward four drones, Assistant Chief Beatrice Girmala told police commissioners at their weekly meeting Tuesday. Each are from DJI, a tech company specializing in drones with offices worldwide."
Friends and neighbors mourn social advocate killed in South Land Park homicide
Sacramento Bee's ELLEN GARRISON/CASSIE DICKMAN: "As loved ones sought answers two days after police arrived to her South Land Park home, they remembered Susan Roberts as a devoted friend and a strong advocate for the disadvantaged."
"She was a very unusual person in that she probably has one of the longest lists of lifelong friends of anyone you would ever find,” said longtime friend Karen Sanders. “She was just a very funny, quick-witted, sharp-minded person."
"Roberts, 61, was identified Tuesday morning by the Sacramento County coroner as the victim in an alleged South Land Park murder that has prompted more questions than answers as police continue their tight-lipped investigation."
Magnitude 7.6 quake strikes in the Caribbean Sea
AP: "A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck in the Caribbean Sea between the coast of Honduras and the Cayman Islands on Tuesday night."
"There were no early reports of damage on land. Tsunami warning centers said no tsunami waves had been confirmed but emphasized that people in Puerto Rico, other Caribbean islands and the coast of Central America should be alert to the danger of a possible tsunami."
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The Roundup is compiled by Associate Editor Geoff Howard. Questions? Comments? Feedback? Email him at geoff@capitolweekly.net
