Dems increase effort to avoid California catastrophe
McClatchy DC's ALEX ROARTY: "The political arm of House Democrats is undertaking a late push to drive up voter turnout in a handful of marquee California congressional districts where the party now faces the possibility of not even having a Democrat make it onto the November ballot."
"The operation from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee includes mailers and digital ads, aimed at registering and turning out the party’s voters in four battleground districts ahead of the June 5 primary."
"Each district — all suburbs around Orange County, California — is among the party’s best pickup opportunities this year, and failing to have a general election candidate in any of them would be a significant blow to Democrats’ hopes of winning the 23 seats necessary for a House majority."
Why a mailer on Dreamers from a 'nonpartisan' Latino group is worrying Democrats
McClatchy DC's KATE IRBY: "The pitch to voters in swing congressional districts is aimed at reminding Latino voters which vulnerable Republican and Democratic congressmen are supporting Dreamers."
"What the mailers don't say is that they come from a group with close ties to the conservative Koch brothers."
"The mailers prompt voters to thank each congressman for "supporting a permanent solution for Dreamers" and to ask them to "keep working for a permanent solution that provides certainty for Dreamers and security for our borders."
Brown signs bill protecting undocumented immigrants in California courts
The Chronicle's MELODY GUTIERREZ: "Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill Thursday to limit when a person’s immigration status can be disclosed in open court, a measure aimed at keeping crime victims and witnesses from exposing themselves to possible deportation when they take the stand."
"SB785 by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, requires that a judge hold a closed hearing to consider whether the immigration status of a victim, defendant or witness is relevant before allowing it to be raised in open court."
READ MORE related to Immigration: ICE arrests of noncriminals in California soar amid Trump crackdown -- The Chronicle's HAMED ALEAZIZ; California Republicans close to forcing vote on DACA bills in House -- The Chronicle's GAYLE PUTRICH
Groping allegation against Cristina Garcia not substantiated by Assembly
Sacramento Bee's ALEXEI KOSEFF: "An Assembly investigation did not corroborate allegations that Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia drunkenly groped a former legislative staff member."
"The Bell Gardens Democrat took an unpaid leave from the Assembly in February after Daniel Fierro, who now operates a political communications firm in Cerritos, said she cornered him at a legislative softball game in 2014, squeezed his butt and attempted to grab his crotch."
"I look forward to returning to work and getting back to the business of representing my constituents," Garcia said in a statement Thursday declaring that she had been "exonerated." Her spokeswoman said she has not yet decided on a return date to the Capitol."
READ MORE related to Sexual Misconduct: Reuben Foster case: Ex-girlfriend's testimony a setback for domestic violence victims -- The Chronicle's ANN KILLION; #MeToo California lawmaker cleared of groping allegation -- The Chronicle's MELODY GUTIERREZ
West Covina's Mike Spence says he will resign as mayor, effective June 1
SGV Tribune's CHRISTOPHER YEE: "After being named in a police drug investigation and facing the likelihood that he could be stripped of the title of West Covina mayor, Mike Spence abruptly announced that he would resign from that largely ceremonial role on Thursday."
"The City Council had just convened a special meeting to discuss Spence’s status. It was still possible that council members could vote Thursday to remove him from that role."
"Spence said his resignation as mayor would be effective as of June 1."
How much water should California cities use? New data could help
Water Deeply's ERIK PORSE: "THE RELATIVELY DRY 2017-18 winter in California resurfaced recent memories of drought conservation mandates. From 2013-16, urban water utilities complied with voluntary, then mandatory, water use limits as part of Executive Order B-37-16. Urban water utilities met a statewide 25 percent conservation target, helping the state weather severe drought. Winter rains in 2016-17 led to a reprieve from mandatory conservation. Freed from statewide requirements, urban water agencies ended mandatory cutbacks by meeting “stress tests” that included several years of secured water supplies."
"A useful outcome of the 2013-17 drought period was long-needed reporting data on monthly urban water use and conservation. This reporting has continued, creating a growing repository for measuring trends. The data helps understand how much water California cities actually use, including trends over time, across geography and seasonal differences."
"But importantly, can it help understand how much water California cities should use? Some analysis of the water conservation reporting data, coupled with recent research, lends a few clues to this more complex question."
READ MORE related to Energy & Environment: Hemp legalization poised to transform agriculture in arid west -- Water Deeply's MATT WEISER
Baby boomers would get a huge property tax break under this November initiative
Sacramento Bee's RYAN LILLIS: "Older California residents who move could save thousands of dollars in property taxes under an initiative that has qualified for the statewide November ballot."
"The initiative – backed by the California Association of Realtors – would change a key provision of Proposition 13, the state’s 40-year-old property tax law that ties a home’s assessed value to its sales price and caps the property tax rate at 1 percent of that value."
"Under the initiative, people over the age of 55 moving within the state could pay property taxes based on the sales price of the home they are leaving. The new tax structure would be determined by a complicated formula that takes into account the values of the home someone is selling and the home they are buying."
READ MORE related to Development & Economy: Brides left in limbo after wedding venues in Sacramento area get tangled in federal lawsuit -- Sacramento Bee's BENY EGEL; Bumble Bee CEO indicted on charge he fixed canned tuna price -- AP; SoCal house prices up 7.3 percent in April, Realtors report -- OC Register's JEFF COLLINS; Bay Area now has more billionaires than Moscow or London: report -- BANG's SEUNG LEE; Initiative to expand Prop 13 homeowner tax benefits eligible for November ballot -- BANG's KATY MURPHY
SF: Subway contractor knew it was using wrong rails
The Chronicle's MATIER & ROSS: "The Central Subway contractor that installed 3.2 miles of supposedly substandard track on the new line claims it acted “in full compliance” with its contract, despite being told by the city four years ago that it was using the wrong steel and needed to switch it out, city records show."
"Contractor Tutor Perini and its rail subcontractor, Con-Quest Contractors, claim that under the contract the high-strength rail is “not required for any of the ... track work” that is in dispute."
California birthrate plunges to lowest level in a century
The Chronicle's STEVE RUBENSTEIN: "The birthrate in California has plunged yet again, to its lowest level in a century, according to the latest U.S. statistics, as young adults continue to postpone having or not have families."
"Fewer than 12 children were born per 1,000 California residents in 2017, according to preliminary figures released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With a population of 39.5 million, there were 471,552 babies born in California last year, for a birthrate of 11.9 per 1,000 people. That’s about half what it was in 1990."
READ MORE related to Health & Healthcare: Covered California premiums projected to rise 11 percent in 2019 -- The Chronicle's CATHERINE HO
Two arrested in 2016 shooting that targeted Woodland police officers
Sacramento Bee's NASHELLY CHAVEZ: "The Woodland Police Department on Thursday announced the arrest of two men in connection with a 2016 shooting that police said nearly killed four of the department’s officers."
"One of the men arrested in that case, Christian Rizo, 20, was already in jail for the June 29, 2016, killing of Woodland resident Arnulfo Bermudez, 31, a previous department press release said. A jury found Rizo guilty in that case earlier this month."
"Rizo was taken into custody on Sept. 26 and was described by the Woodland Police Department as a validated Norteño gang member at the time."
READ MORE related to Prisons & Public Safety: SF Mayor Mark Farrell renominates 2 for police commission who Supes rejected -- The Chronicle's DOMINIC FRACASSA; Wife of retired Pasadena police chief tried to buy a gun through a lieutenant later indicted by federal authorities -- Pasadena Star News's JASON HENRY
Sacramento leaders vow to protect golf course, but some residents have other ideas
Sacramento bee's CASSIE DICKMAN: "Local officials seem determined to save the William Land Golf Course after the operator said the course may have to shut down after nearly a century due to financial losses."
"But when some residents found out the course was in trouble, they offered other possibilities, from a nature area to a major expansion of athletic fields."
"Golf course proponents include Councilman Steve Hansen, who represents the Land Park neighborhood, and Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg. The mayor, who plays at the course, said Wednesday on Twitter he's adamant about keeping it open."
