State now facing cascade of litigation over Oroville Dam
Sacramento Bee's DALE KASLER: "More than 40 farmers and business owners in the Oroville area sued the state Wednesday over the effects of the Oroville Dam crisis, seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in damages."
"The giant lawsuit against the California Department of Water Resources was filed by the same law firms representing the city of Oroville in a suit it filed in early January against DWR. It accuses DWR of harboring a “culture of corruption and harassment” that compromised dam safety and led to last February’s near-catastrophe."
"The suit says the failure of Oroville’s two flood-control spillways, which prompted the evacuation of 188,000 downstream residents, hurt a variety of businesses, landowners and others. For instance, grocery-bag manufacturer Roplast Industries lost $1.5 million because of lost production time during the evacuation. JEM Farms, a walnut orchard downstream of the dam, suffered $15 million in flooding damage because of dramatic surges of water pouring out of the dam during the crisis. Some of the plaintiffs are farmers as far south as Yolo County."
READ MORE related to Energy & Environment: New California legislation would make it easier to build projects that meet climate goals. But environmentalists don't like it -- LA Times' LIAM DILLON; Fertilizer on farm fields is a major source of California smog, researchers say -- Sacramento Bee's DALE KASLER/RYAN SABALOW; The future of nuclear power? Think small -- LA Times' KEITH SCHNEIDER; Battery storage begins to find a home at some water utilities -- Water Deeply's MATT WEISER; The marine scientists who study fish but won't eat them -- Ocean Deeply's ERICA CIRINO; European Parliament calls for a moratorium on deep-sea mining -- Ocean Deeply's TODD WOODY; Few eyes, ears on Happy Hollow Park and Zoo when dogs attacked animals -- Mercury News' JOHN WOOLFOLK
California candidates Newsom, Feinstein lead in polls -- and in fundraising
The Chronicle's JOHN WILDERMUTH: "The front-runners in California’s contests for governor and U.S. Senate are also the leaders in fundraising for the June 5 primary, according to state and federal financial reports released Wednesday."
"Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, leading in the polls to replace termed-out Gov. Jerry Brown, took in $10 million for his campaign in 2017 and has collected more than $20 million since he opened his campaign in February 2015, just months after being re-elected lieutenant governor."
"Newsom now has $19.5 million in the bank for his campaign, a figure that includes $2.9 million left from his 2014 re-election campaign."
READ MORE related to State Politics: In end game, Brown reverts to the conventional -- Capitol Weekly's CHUCK MCFADDEN; This 'safe' Republican congressman is losing the race for campaign cash -- McClatchy DC's EMILY CADEI; Newsom continues to dominate fundraising in California's governor's race -- LA Times' PHIL WILLON/SEEMA MEHTA; Kevin de Leon reports tiny sliver of rival Sen. Dianne Feinstein's campaign cash -- LA Times' SEEMA MEHTA; Interest groups spent record $339 million on lobbying California state government in 2017 -- LA Times' PATRICK MCGREEVY; Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra has big lead in campaign fundraising over challengers -- LA Times' PATRICK MCGREEVY; More than half of states have been governed by a woman -- why not California? -- CalMatters' BEN CHRISTOPHER
Mark Farrell says brief tenure as SF mayor will end his political career
The Chronicle's DOMINIC FRACASSA: "Serving as San Francisco’s mayor for the next few months will be the epilogue of Mark Farrell’s political career, as the former supervisor and venture capitalist pledged Wednesday to step away from elected office once his successor takes office in June."
"This is it,” Farrell told The Chronicle’s editorial board. “Ask my wife."
"After being elected to lead the city on a deeply controversial vote by the Board of Supervisors last week, Farrell said he now feels “the luxury of being unshackled” from political infighting and free to address some of San Francisco’s most pressing problems, including homelessness, dirty streets and public safety."
READ MORE related to Local Politics: Editorial: The city's newest supervisor comes with experience -- The Chronicle's EDITORIAL BOARD
SF will wipe thousands of marijuana convictions off the books
The Chronicle's EVAN SERNOFFSKY: "San Francisco will retroactively apply California’s marijuana-legalization laws to past criminal cases, District Attorney George Gascón said Wednesday — expunging or reducing misdemeanor and felony convictions going back decades."
"The unprecedented move will affect thousands of people whose marijuana convictions brand them with criminal histories that can hurt chances of finding jobs and obtaining some government benefits."
"Proposition 64, which state voters passed in November 2016, legalized the recreational use of marijuana in California for those 21 and older and permitted the possession up to 1 ounce of cannabis. The legislation also allows those with past marijuana convictions that would have been lesser crimes — or no crime at all — under Prop. 64 to petition a court to recall or dismiss their cases."
READ MORE related to Cannabis: As cannabis laws relax, doctors say pregnant women shouldn't partake -- California Healthline's SARAH VARNEY; California makes cannabis a wellness industry -- The New Yorker's DANA GOODYEAR/CHAD PITMAN; Cannabis companies compete for investments during Shark Tank-style forum in Santa Monica -- The Cannifornian's BROOKE EDWARDS STAGGS; New Oakland cannabis permits award in public drawing -- The Cannifornian's DAVID DEBOLT; Cannabis industry helps drive increase in security jobs, higher wages -- Bloomberg News' SHELLY HAGAN; Santa Cruz County puts forward rules for cannabis cultivators, manufacturers -- The Cannifornian's NICHOLAS IBARRA; As technology takes a bigger role in cannabis industry, women converge to learn more -- WaPo's TAUHID CHAPPELL
Trump's $1.5T infrastructure plan is light on federal funds, and details
NYT's JIM TANKERSLEY/JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS: "President Trump’s long-awaited plan for overhauling the nation’s crumbling infrastructure includes spending $200 billion in federal money over the next decade to spur an additional $1.3 trillion in spending from cities, states and private companies on major projects, White House officials said on Wednesday, a formula that faces long odds on Capitol Hill."
"The increased infrastructure spending would be offset by unspecified budget cuts. Officials would not detail where those cuts would come from, or how the proposal would effectively leverage at least $6.50 in additional infrastructure spending for every dollar spent by the federal government, a ratio many infrastructure experts consider far-fetched. The officials said Mr. Trump would leave it up to Congress — where there is little consensus about how to pay for such a plan — to figure out the details, giving lawmakers wide latitude in creating what would need to be a bipartisan bill against the backdrop of the midterm elections."
"Asking a polarized Congress to hash out a complex and contentious plan could complicate an already steep climb for a proposal that was a pillar of Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign. That difficulty was underscored by a cool reception for Mr. Trump’s proposal from Democrats and labor groups, longtime champions of boosting infrastructure spending, on Wednesday."
READ MORE related to Economy: Coffee may come with cancer warning label in California -- Mercury News' KAREN D'SOUZA; Dems vow to repeal parts of GOP tax law -- The Hill's MIKE LILLIS/NAOMI JAGODA; California is collecting so much of your money it can't save it all -- Sacramento Bee's ADAM ASHTON; 'We are a greedty world': Union head on making economics work for women -- Women's Advancement Deeply's LARA SETRAKIAN
San Jose could be this year's most insane housing market
The Chronicle's KATHLEEN PENDER: "The San Jose metro area could be the nation’s hottest housing market this year as buyers seek more affordable prices near high-paying jobs."
"Home prices in Santa Clara County hit a record $1 million in December, up 24.2 percent from December 2016, according to a CoreLogic report released Wednesday. That was the largest year-over-year increase of any Bay Area county."
"For the nine-county region as a whole, the median price paid for a new or existing home or condo in December was $750,000, down 4.5 percent from a record high of $785,000 in November but up 12.1 percent from December 2016."
READ MORE related to Housing & Homelessness: Final tally: Nearly 43,000 apply for Sacramento's subsidized housing waiting list -- Sacramento Bee's CYNTHIA HUBERT; LA's homelessness surged 75% in six years. Here's why the crisis has been decades in the making -- LA Times' GALE HOLLAND; Bel-Air's most expensive home sales last year begin with Jay-Z and Beyonce -- LA Times' JACK FLEMMING; Downtown San Jose's Google village takes major step forward with government property deals -- Mercury News' GEORGE AVALOS
System of positive rewards to reduce student discipline takes off in California
EdSource's LEE ROMNEY: "Ten-year-old Ja’Vonie Morris sat in her school principal’s office on a recent day — not for the misbehavior that got her in so much trouble back in 3rd grade, but to show off her accomplishments under a schoolwide strategy that used positive reinforcement to help her turn things around."
"Before Mission Elementary, a school in Antioch about 35 miles northeast of Oakland, put the rigorous system in place, Ja’Vonie explained, “I would yell. I would kick stuff. I would walk out of the classroom without teacher’s permission. I wouldn’t do my work. I wouldn’t follow directions. I would bother other people."
"Ja’Vonie is now in 5th grade and thriving. Every day, as she complies with the school’s three basic behavioral expectations — be safe, be kind, be responsible — teachers, staff and administrators reward her with tickets that she can spend at the virtual Mustang Market, named after the school mascot. A wall in the low-slung school’s hallway displays the prizes. This year, Ja’Vonie is saving up for the costliest reward of all: a chance to pelt her homeroom instructor with water balloons at the “teacher carwash.” She’ll need 2,500 tickets, and she’s confident she’ll get there."
READ MORE related to Education: High school juniors could get relief from test fatigue under bill to offer SAT for 11th-grade test -- EdSource's JOHN FENSTERWALD; Lawsuit alleges racist bullying ignored at Adams Middle School -- East Bay Times' AARON DAVIS
Editorial: Are FAA and NTSB protecting the public or airlines?
Mercury News & East Bay Times' EDITORIAL BOARDS: "U.S. government reaction to four serious airline mishaps within the past seven months raises a disturbing question: Are the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board protecting the public? Or are they looking out first for pilots and the airline industry?"
"Mounting evidence suggests at best two lackadaisical agencies, and, at worst, regulators kowtowing to the industries they’re supposed to oversee. It’s time for a congressional investigation to figure out what’s going on."
"In the latest near-disaster, a Horizon Air flight on Dec. 29 whizzed past four fuel tankers and ground crew at the Pullman, Wash., airport as it landed on a narrow taxiway rather than the runway where it should have been."
READ MORE related to Transportation: SFO saw record number of travelers in 2017 -- The Chronicle's KATE GALBRAITH/ANNIE MA
Man arrested after impersonating officer, forcing woman into sex, Milpitas police say
The Chronicle's ANNIE MA: "A man was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault after he impersonated a police officer to a woman he arranged on the Internet to meet and coerced her to have sex with him, police said."
"Stanley Troy Friesen, 54, of Tracy (San Joaquin County), contacted the woman through an Internet dating site and arranged to meet her at the Baymont Inn at 66 S. Main St. in Milpitas, police said. The two met at 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 16 in the woman’s motel roomand Friesen showed her a badge and gun and said he was a police officer, according to police."
"Friesen then told the woman he would not tell anyone about the encounter if she agreed to have sex with him, police said. Fearing for her safety, the woman complied with his demands, police said."
Thousands of stolen laptops, tablets recovered in massive Bay Area car burglary scheme
Mercury News' ROBERT SALONGA: "Bay Area authorities have broken up what they describe as a massive laptop computer theft ring responsible for hundreds of car burglaries in the region, built on an alliance between a notorious street gang and fencers who swiftly moved the contraband to Vietnam."
"The scheme was so pervasive that if someone broke into your car and stole a laptop, smartphone or tablet computer over the past month in the South Bay, East Bay, or Peninsula, there’s a decent chance it’s sitting in an evidence storage room."
"Law-enforcement officials announced charges Wednesday against nine residents from San Jose, Oakland and San Francisco alleging conspiracy and buying or receiving stolen property in connection with the theft of upward of 2,000 laptop computers and other high-end electronics valued at more than $2 million."
Janice Dulce passes along Filipino culture via arroz caldo
The Chronicle's LEENA TRIVEDI-GRENIER: "In the back of an intimate bar in the Mission District, in the last place you’d expect, Janice Dulce is quietly cooking some of the best Filipino food in the Bay Area."
"I’m at FOB Kitchen, her pop-up at Gashead Tavern since 2015, which will close Friday, Feb. 2; a brick-and-mortar location is in the works. We are nestled in a kitchen so small that more than two people feels like a crowd. Yet Dulce looks completely at home in front of a large pot of arroz caldo, stirring homemade chicken stock and ginger-scented rice with one hand while bouncing one of her twin baby daughters with the other."
"Arroz caldo has special meaning to Dulce. When she was growing up, her maternal grandma would make the dish for her on cold days or when someone was sick. Filipinos love rice, she tells me, so it’s a dish that’s perfect for any meal (she serves it at brunch). It represents the mix of foreign influences on Filipino cuisine: a Chinese-inspired dish with a Spanish name but Filipino flavors. It’s also the first Filipino food she fed her daughters, Sequoia and Phoenix."
Five Blue states could determine who controls The House in 2018
FiveThirtyEight's HARRY ENTEN: "New Jersey Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen’s retirement announcement this week wasn’t a game changer in the battle for control of the House of Representatives. Even before his announcement, Frelinghuysen, a Republican, was in danger of losing a re-election bid in the 11th Congressional District, which President Trump won by a mere 1 percentage point in 2016. With Frelinghuysen out of the race, Democrats and Republicans are expected to fight it out over the now-open seat."
"But even if the Frelinghuysen news isn’t earthshaking, it’s a reminder that whether Democrats manage to win the House in 2018 could come down to how many seats they pick up in the five most populous states that Hillary Clinton won in 2016: California, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Virginia."
"The vast majority of Republican House members don’t hail from these states, of course. In fact, of the 241 seats Republicans controlled after the 2016 elections, just 42 (17 percent) were from these five states. That’s not surprising — this isn’t GOP territory; Clinton carried all these states by at least 5 percentage points, and House and presidential voting are increasingly connected."
GOP lawmakers describe terrifying scene at train crash
The Hill's MELANIE ZANONA: "A train carrying Republican lawmakers to their annual retreat in West Virginia crashed with a garbage truck in a crossing grade on Wednesday, killing one person in the truck and leaving several members of Congress injured."
"Lawmakers were shaken by the incident but no major injuries were reported on the train, which crashed in Crozet, Va., about 15 miles outside Charlottesville."
"Witnesses described a terrifying scene in the small rural town, as both lawmakers and first responders scrambled to save the seriously injured people on the tracks."
With FBI statement on memo, Christopher Wray could now be in the president's crosshairs
WaPo's MATT ZAPOTOSKY: "The FBI thrust its low-key director squarely into the public eye and potentially into the crosshairs of the president Wednesday when it issued a statement declaring the bureau had "grave concerns" with a not-yet-public GOP memo that questions the basis to surveil a former Trump campaign adviser."
"FBI Director Christopher A. Wray had privately warned the White House against releasing the memo, but as it became clearer Wednesday that his entreaties were likely to be rejected, his agency issued a terse two-paragraph message laying bare its worries about the document."
"With regard to the House Intelligence Committee's memorandum, the FBI was provided a limited opportunity to review this memo the day before the committee voted to release it," the statement said. "As expressed during our initial review, we have grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo's accuracy."
READ MORE related to POTUS45/KremlinGate: Russian spy chiefs met in Washington with CIA director to discuss counterterrorism -- WaPo's SHANE HARRIS; Report: Trump asked Rosenstein if he was 'on my team' -- CNN's PAMELA BROWN/EVAN PEREZ/LAURA JARRETT; Trump's optimism faces reality check in divided Congress and GOP -- WaPo's SEAN SULLIVAN/ROBERT COSTA; Rep. Nune's memo crosses a dangerous line -- WaPo's ADAM B. SCHIFF; Trump-FBI feud over classified memo erupts into open conflict -- WaPo's JOSH DAWSEY/DEVLIN BARRETT/KAROUN DEMIRJIAN; OP-ED: Trump doesn't deserve the credit for the economy. Neither does Obama. -- WaPo's CHARLES LANE; $$ The SOTU is fractious -- The Economist's J.F.; Mueller zeroes in on story put together about Trump Tower meeting -- NYT's JO BECKER/MARK MAZZETTI/MATT APUZZO/MAGGIE HABERMAN; The Memo freakout -- NRO's EDITORS; Nunes claims only "minor edits" made to memo -- Axios' DAVE LAWLER; OP-ED: We may never find out what Bob Mueller discovers -- LA Times' ROSS GARBER
The surprising reason Mussolini's home town wants to build a fascism museum
WaPo's MICHAEL BIRNBAUM/STEFANO PITRELLI: "Thousands of admirers of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini visit his tiny home town every year. Now, as far-right parties expand their appeal ahead of March elections, the town's leftist mayor wants to open a museum of fascism on the main square, not as an homage to their cause but as a way to contain it."
"The effort has reignited a long-running debate about Italy's conflicted relationship with the jut-jawed Mussolini, who seized power in 1922 and held his nation in thrall for more than two decades, building it into an industrial behemoth even as he threw his opponents into prison camps. Many historians and politicians say that Italy has never fully reckoned with its fascist past — and that one result is the modern-day popularity of leaders who cite Mussolini as a model."
"The nostalgia has grown even thicker this year in the run-up to the March 4 general election, in which insurgent outsiders who say Mussolini is misunderstood are making up ground on traditional centrist candidates. One aspiring governor in a prosperous region recently said Italy must protect "the white race." Another politician said Mussolini did "great things" for the country."
