"When asked, Liberty acknowledged that her client worked for Sen. Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) previously and she said he wasn't named in the lawsuit "because this office does not know whether or not he has any information about her circumstances or what had occurred."
"Rick Arney, co-author of the proposed California Consumer Privacy Act, said support for the measure widened when federal officials opened an investigation into how a data firm, Cambridge Analytica, accessed the personal information of millions of Facebook users without their knowledge to help elect President Trump."
New voting process to make its mark in some Bay Area counties in June
The Chronicle's JOHN WILDERMUTH: "Sometime next week, every voter in San Mateo and Napa counties will get a June primary ballot in the mail, whether they asked for it or not."
"And don’t even think about going to your local polling place on election day. It won’t be there."
READ MORE related to State Politics: How a California Republican Party endorsement in the governor's race could help the GOP hang on to Congress -- LA Times's PHIL WILLON/SEEMA MEHTA
H-1B visa's tighter rules illegal, tech outsourcers claim in lawsuit
BANG's ETHAN BARON: "A group of outsourcing companies that use the H-1B visa to fill U.S. jobs with foreign workers have filed a lawsuit claiming recent U.S. government restrictions on the visa program are illegal."
"The legal action attacks a February policy change by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration that imposed tighter requirements on outsourcers seeking H-1B visas, which are intended for jobs requiring specialized skills and a bachelor’s degree or higher."
READ MORE related to Immigration: Costa Mesta becomes OC's latest city to oppose California's 'sanctuary state' law -- LA Times's LUKE MONEY
'Indivisible' makes political presence felt
Capitol Weekly's JOHN HOWARD: "It began with a married pair of Democratic staffers in Congress, outraged at the success of the hard-right Tea Party. That vocal GOP off-shoot showed that a disciplined minority could woo voters, leverage policy and bend the party leadership."
"So Ezra and Leah Greenberg, stunned by Donald Trump’s electoral victory, founded a group called Indivisible, which 17 months later has developed into a loose-knit national movement."
"There are an estimated 6,000 local Indivisible groups, with at least two in every congressional district in the country and more than 1,000 in California. The hash tag #indivisible has resonated across social media."
California's power grid is changing fast, and 'we don't have a plan'
The Chronicle's DAVID R BAKER: "The last time California tried to reshape its electricity market, it ended in disaster."
"The state’s bungled attempt at deregulation in the late 1990s led to market manipulation, soaring prices, blackouts, the bankruptcy of Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and the recall of Gov. Gray Davis."
READ MORE related to Energy & Environment: 2 sentenced for falsifying reports on soil samples at Hunters Point -- The Chronicle's JASON FAGONE/CYNTHIA DIZIKES; King salmon arrives for a short, expensive stint in Bay Area markets and restaurants -- The Chronicle's TARA DUGGAN; In oceans of DNA, biologists discover 'hidden' shark diversity -- Oceans Deeply's STEFANO MARIANI/JUDITH BAKKER
PG&E shares fall as earnings disappoint
The Chronicle's JENNA LYONS: "Shares of PG&E Corp., parent company of the Pacific Gas and Electric Co. utility, sank Thursday as it reported that first-quarter profit was lower than a year ago."
"PG&E’s net income for the quarter, which ended March 31, was $442 million (86 cents per share) compared with $576 million ($1.13) for the same quarter in 2017."
Stripe gives $1M to pro-development YIMBY group tackling Bay Area housing shortage
Mercury News's MARISA KENDALL: "Stripe on Thursday became the latest tech company to funnel money toward the Bay Area’s housing crunch, donating $1 million to pro-development political group California YIMBY."
"The San Francisco-based online payments company, valued at $9 billion, says the money will help YIMBY push policies with the ultimate goal of increasing California’s building rate from 80,000 homes a year to 500,000."
READ MORE related to Housing & Homelessness: UC Berkeley's plans for People's Park include five-story building plus memorial -- The Chronicle's NANETTE ASIMOV; On the grounds of People's Park, UC Berkeley proposes housing for students and the homeless -- LA Times's TERESA WATANABE; High housing costs are driving out lower-income Californians, reports say -- LA Times's ANDREW KHOURI; Surprises in the ground of future Pomona homeless shelter -- including really old sewage -- delay opening -- Inland Valley Daily Bulletin; Caltrans asked Baldwin Park to build affordable housing on lots the city bought; leaders opt for a warehouse -- SGV Tribune's CHRISTOPHER YEE
SF unmate in landmark battle over bail wins release
The Chronicle's EVAN SERNOFFSKY: "Months after a state appeals court found that his $350,000 bail was unconstitutionally excessive because he couldn’t come close to affording it, a San Francisco robbery defendant was told Thursday he will soon be sprung from jail before trial as a result of his landmark legal case."
"As part of his conditional release, 64-year-old Kenneth Humphrey must sign up for ankle monitoring through the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department and undergo drug and alcohol treatment at a live-in facility for senior citizens, Superior Court Judge Brendan Conroy ruled."
READ MORE related to Prisons & Public Safety: California could restart executions. These counties are most likely to condemn murderers. -- Sacramento Bee's PHILLIP REESE
Kaiser Permanente to open new medical offices in downtown Sacramento
Sacramento Bee's MOLLY SULLIVAN: "Kaiser Permanente is opening a new medical office building in downtown Sacramento on June 4, offering services in primary care, pediatrics, women's health, oncology and a pharmacy."
"The Downtown Commons Medical Offices, at 501 J St. near Golden 1 Center, will be open 8 a.m to 5 p.m. and offer some services such as immunizations and eye exams during lunch."
"The new medical offices will house dozens of doctors and add new physicians to the Kaiser Permanente network, a spokesman said."
READ MORE related to Health & Health Care: Why people are recording themselves waking their friends, and how it might save lives -- Sacramento Bee's NOEL HARRIS
NRATV's Colion Noir on black gun ownership, the Parkland students and why he finds the AR-15 'beautiful'
LA Times's MOLLY HENNESSY-FISKE: "With President Trump scheduled to speak at the National Rifle Assn. convention in Dallas on Friday, The Times sat down with Collins Idehen, a.k.a. Colion Noir, a 34-year-old NRATV host and lawyer whose controversial videos about guns, race and current events have earned him some 690,000 followers on YouTube."
"As a black NRA member, Noir takes issue with those who view him as a token, citing a history of black gun ownership dating back to the formation of the Buffalo Soldiers from a U.S. Army regiment in 1866. It had been five years since his last interviewwith the newspaper, and he had plenty to say about Trump, the role of the AR-15 rifle in mass shootings and the rise of a youth movement for gun control following the February massacre of 17 students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla."
READ MORE related to Gun Violence Pandemic: Trump to address NRA amid national gun control movement -- AP's CATHERINE LUCEY
Trump's new 'Stormy' story clashes with earlier statements
AP's CATHERINE LUCEY/JILL COLVIN/JONATHAN LEMIRE: "President Donald Trump insisted Thursday his reimbursement of a 2016 hush payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels had nothing to do with his election campaign. But the surprise revelation of the president's payment clashed with his past statements, created new legal headaches and stunned many in the West Wing."
"White House aides were blindsided when Trump's recently added attorney, Rudy Giuliani, said Wednesday night that the president had repaid Michael Cohen for $130,000 that was given to Daniels to keep her quiet before the 2016 election about her allegations of an affair with Trump. Giuliani's revelation, which seemed to contradict Trump's past statements, came as the president's newly configured outside legal team pursued his defense, apparently with zero coordination with the West Wing."
READ MORE related to POTUS45/KremlinGate: OP-ED: Robert Mueller has questions for Trump, and he deserves answers -- LA Times's EDITORIAL BOARD; Did Trump's new lawyer Giuliani make things worse for the president? Here's why some think so -- LA Times's NOAH BIERMAN/MICHAEL FINNEGAN/JOSEPH TANFANI; Were you lying? Sanders faces new credibility questions -- AP's JILL COLVIN; House chaplain regains job after challenging Ryan -- AP's ANDREW TAYLOR
Scandal-rocked Nobel board won't award literature prize this year
AP: "The Nobel Prize in literature will not be awarded this year following sex-abuse allegations and other issues that have affected the public image of the Swedish Academy that selects the winner."
"The academy said Friday the 2018 prize will be given in 2019. The decision was made at a weekly meeting in Stockholm a day earlier, on the grounds that the academy is in no shape to pick a winner after a string of sex abuse allegations and financial crimes scandals."
