Dialysis and dough

Oct 16, 2018

Dialysis Industry Raises $99 Million To Defeat California’s Prop 8

From CHRIS NICHOLS at Capital Public Radio: "Tens of millions of dollars are flowing in to California’s ballot campaigns on rent control and the gas tax increase."

 

"But the one raising the most cash, at nearly $120 million, is the lesser known Proposition 8, a measure to regulate dialysis clinics. That’s according campaign finance totals on the California Secretary of State’s website."

"A cascade of No on 8 ads has hit the airwaves in recent weeks. They’re paid for by the dialysis industry and describe the proposition as “another attempt to bring more government bureaucracy into healthcare,” one that would increase “taxpayer costs by hundreds of millions of dollars.”

Voting already started for Nov. 6 election

 

Capitol Weekly's LISA RENNER: "California’s election is three weeks away, but voters already are casting ballots—via mailbox, not ballot box."

 

"Five counties—Madera, Napa, Nevada, Sacramento and San Mateo—have done away with traditional polling places and are instead asking voters to send their ballots in the mail or leave them in a drop box or at a vote center."

 

"California counties that have switched to all-mail voting system are reporting mostly positive responses from voters."

 

Nearly 60,000 without electricity in NorCal as PG&E cuts power due to fire risk

 

Sacramento Bee's MOLLY SULLIVAN: "Pacific Gas and Electric’s power shutoff remained in effect Monday morning, affecting nearly 42,000 people in the Sierra foothills east of Sacramento, and nearly 60,000 people across Northern California."

 

"Due to red flag weather warnings and high fire risk, the utility giant began de-energizing power lines Sunday at 8:48 p.m. in El Dorado, Amador and Calaveras counties."

 

"Communities affected include:"

What’s behind all those DMV voter-registration snafus? ‘Motor voter’ may have launched with makeshift computer system

 

From LAUREL ROSENHALL at CALmatters: "The DMV gave the public a series of piecemeal explanations as it acknowledged making more than 100,000 errors in recent months in registering Californians to vote. Software problems, it said in May. Human errors from toggling between computer windows, it said in September. Data entry mistakes that were corrected but never saved, it said this month."

 

"What DMV officials didn’t acknowledge—and still haven’t—was what may be the underlying problem: The agency rolled out a massive new voter-registration effort with a piecemeal computer system."

 

"Instead of the properly integrated computer program that was needed, the agency launched in April with disparate computer systems that didn’t automatically link together, according to advocates who have been working closely with the DMV on the new “motor voter” system. That meant DMV workers had to manually link information from various systems during transactions between April and September, when an integrated system was put in place, said Kathay Feng, executive director of California Common Cause."

 

'SCOTUS: Companies on hook for lead paint removal in California

 

The Chronicle's BOB EGELKO: "The U.S. Supreme Court turned down an appeal by paint companies Monday, leaving them on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars to remove potentially dangerous lead paint from older homes in 10 California counties and cities, including San Francisco and Oakland."

 

"The justices, without comment, denied review of a state appeals court ruling last November that held three companies — ConAgra, NL Industries and Sherwin-Williams — responsible for marketing lead paint for decades while knowing of its health dangers to children."

 

"The U.S. government banned lead paint in 1978. But in a 2014 ruling in the current case, Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge James Kleinberg said a study between 2007 and 2010 found that at least 50,000 children in the 10 cities and counties had elevated levels of lead in their blood."

 

Conservative, Central Valley Rep. Devin Nunes seeks money in Bay Area

 

The Chronicle's JOHN WILDERMUTH: "Bay Area Republicans have become part of a Central Valley congressional race, with GOP Rep. Devin Nunes of Tulare bombarding them with a fund-raising mailer, complete with his full-color picture on the envelope."

 

"For voters living in the nine counties where Assemblywoman Catharine Baker of San Ramon is the only Republican holding elective office, Nunes’ red-meat appeal is a continuing reminder that San Francisco and Berkeley don’t represent all of California."

 

"Nunes, who as head of the House Intelligence Committee has been a staunch ally of President Trump, opened his letter with the president’s endorsement, something not often seen even among Republican candidates in a state where Hillary Clinton received 62 percent of the vote in 2016."

An L.A. councilman held an $800-per-person fundraiser. The next day, he announced he was stepping down

 

From the LAT's EMILY ALPERT REYES and DAVID ZAHNISER: "When Los Angeles City Councilman Mitchell Englander announced he would soon step down to join a sports and entertainment firm, the news stunned many in and around City Hall."

 

 

Jurors urge judge not to overturn $289 million payout in Monsanto lawsuit

 

The Chronicle's BOB EGELKO: "Jurors who awarded $289 million to a former school groundskeeper who is dying of cancer are imploring a San Francisco judge to reconsider her tentative decision to overturnmost of the damages against Monsanto Co., manufacturer of the weed killer that they found to be the cause of the man’s illness."

 

"You may not have been convinced by the evidence but we were,” juror Gary Kitahata said in a letter to Superior Court Judge Suzanne Bolanos, who is considering Monsanto’s requests to reduce the damages or overturn the entire verdict. “I urge you to respect and honor our verdict and the six weeks of our lives that we dedicated to this trial."

 

"Another juror, Robert Howard, said in his letter to the judge that the jury had paid “studious attention” to the evidence, closely followed Bolanos’ instruction and deliberated for several days. The possibility that “our unanimous verdict could be summarily overturned demeans our system of justice and shakes my confidence in that system,” Howard wrote"

 

Candidates for congress trade charges on who's a security risk. One has been indicted.

 

The Tribune's ANDREW SHEELER: "Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, called his Democratic challenger a national security risk two weeks ago. Now Hunter is receiving the same criticism."

 

"In a Facebook post Monday, Ammar Campa-Najjar said that Hunter, who is under federal indictment for wire fraud and campaign finance allegations, “is an ideal target for foreign actors."

 

"While Ammar-Campa’s ad inaccurately states that House Speaker Paul Ryan removed Hunter from the House Armed Services Committee, Hunter did step down from that assignment after Ryan announced plans to have him stripped of the position, according to Politico."

 

John Cox wants teachers 'paid like rock stars and baseball players.' Why they back his opponent.

 

Sacramento Bee's ALEXEI KOSEFF: "It’s a position that might make an educator’s ears perk up."

 

"I want to see our teachers paid like rock stars and baseball players."

 

"Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox has offered up variations of the line throughout his campaign — during interviews, on a debate stage, in a tweet. He said it reflects his appreciation for the “heart, soul and love” his mother poured into teaching in the Chicago public school system."

 

Breed appoints Faauuga Moliga to SF school board three weeks before election

 

The Chronicle's JILL TUCKER: "Mayor London Breed filled a vacant seat on the San Francisco board of education on Monday just three weeks before election day — an unexpected appointment that surprised even the superintendent and the six current school board members."

 

"Faauuga Moliga, who attended San Francisco public schools, was sworn in Monday to fill the seat vacated by Hydra Mendoza."

 

"Moliga is a former social worker and trauma specialist at local schools who now works for the San Francisco Department of Public Health. He is the first Pacific Islander to serve in a citywide office."

 

READ MORE related to Education: Student-led effort advances potential military affairs minor at UC Berkeley -- Daily Californian's BOYCE BUCHANAN; New warnings about California students juggling college and jobs -- EdSource's LARRY GORDON

 

Scooters are back in SF, and already people are behaving badly

 

The Chronicle's MELIA RUSSELL: "Rental electric scooters, which were banned from San Francisco in June after complaints, returned to city streets Monday."

 

"First-day anecdotes indicate the companies still have work to do when it comes to getting riders to respect the rules and others to respect the transportation mode."

 

"During morning rush hour, a team from local startup Scoot handed out free helmets and answered questions from curious riders near Embarcadero Station."

 

Salesforce vs. Twitter in SF homeless tax fight

 

AP's JANIE HAR: "San Francisco has come to be known around the world as a place for aggressive panhandling, open-air drug use and sprawling tent camps, the dirt and despair all the more remarkable for the city's immense wealth."

 

"Some streets are so filthy that officials launched a special "poop patrol." A young tech worker created "Snapcrap" — an app to report the filth. Morning commuters walk briskly past homeless people huddled against subway walls. In the city's squalid downtown area, the frail and sick shuffle along in wheelchairs or stumble around, sometimes half-clothed."

 

"The situation has become so dire that a coalition of activists collected enough signatures to put a measure on the city's Nov. 6 ballot that would tax hundreds of San Francisco's wealthiest companies to help thousands of homeless and mentally ill residents, an effort that failed earlier this year in Seattle. Proposition C would raise $300 million a year, nearly doubling what the city already spends to combat homelessness."

 

READ MORE related to Housing & Homelessness: After outcry from Sacramento homeless advocates, benches to return to K street -- Sacramento Bee's CYNTHIA HUBERT; SF to cover Housing Authority deficit so poor families won't lose homes -- The Chronicle's JK DINEEN; Oakland to pay rent for low-income residents at risk of homelessness -- The Chronicle's GWENDOLYN WU; Affordable housing, homelessness to be addressed on November ballot -- Daily Californian's ALEXANDRA STASSINOPOULOS

 

Oakland judge denies release of alleged Charlottesville rioter, white supremacist

 

The Chronicle's ASHLEY MCBRIDE: "An East Bay man who allegedly traveled to Charlottesville, Va., last year to participate in the deadly “Unite the Right” rally will be detained until his trial, a federal judge ruled Monday."

 

"Cole Evan White, 24, of Clayton, was charged this month with inciting a riot and traveling across state lines to incite a riot more than a year after the August 2017 rally, which erupted into clashes between white supremacist groups and counterprotesters. One woman was killed after a known neo-Nazi sympathizer allegedly drove his car into a group of peaceful marchers."

 

"An FBI affidavit used to indict White, along with three other California men, included photos of the 24-year-old allegedly participating in a tiki torch march on Aug. 11, 2017, and a rally the next day. Prosecutors said the photos show White using a torch as a weapon and head-butting two counterprotesters, including a woman who was left with a bloodied face."

 

Extradition hearing ordered for ISIS terror suspect in Sacramento

 

Sacramento Bee's SAM STANTON: "A judge in Sacramento ordered an extradition hearing Monday for an Iraqi man suspected of being a terrorist and wanted in his homeland for allegedly shooting a police officer."

 

"U.S. Magistrate Judge Edmund F. Brennan ordered the hearing to begin Feb. 25 to determine whether Omar Ameen should be sent back to Iraq to face trial on murder charges there."

 

"The order is somewhat of a victory for both sides in the case. Prosecutors wanted an extradition hearing set to get the case moving forward, while Ameen’s attorneys argued that they need more time to investigate the case to try and show that Ameen was not in Iraq at the time of the slaying."

 

1 year after MeToo, survivors reflect on their disclosures

 

AP's DEEPTI HAJELA/JULIET LINDERMAN: "It was the tweet seen around the world."

 

"On Oct. 15, 2017, actress Alyssa Milano urged the Twittersphere to join her in sharing a personal story of sexual harassment in the wake of rape allegations against Harvey Weinstein."

 

"If you've been sexually harassed or assaulted write 'me too' as a reply to this tweet," she wrote."

 

Trump suggests 'rogue killers' murdered journalist Khashoggi

 

AP's JILL COLVIN: "In a comment that could give Saudi officials a route to climb down from outright denials, President Donald Trump suggested Monday that "rogue killers" could be responsible for the disappearance and presumed murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who hasn't been seen since entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul two weeks ago."

 

"Trump's comment came after a 20-minute phone call with Saudi Arabia's King Salman in which Trump said the king adamantly denied any knowledge of what happened to Khashoggi. Trump announced he'd dispatched Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to the kingdom — and anywhere else necessary — to get to the bottom of the apparent demise of Khashoggi, a Saudi who had been living and working in the United States."

"The king firmly denied any knowledge of it," Trump told reporters as he left the White House for a trip to survey hurricane damage in Florida and in Georgia. Trump said he didn't "want to get into (Salman's) mind," but told reporters: "it sounded to me like maybe these could have been rogue killers. I mean, who knows? We're going to try getting to the bottom of it very soon, but his was a flat denial."

 

READ MORE related to POTUS45: Judge dismisses Stormy Daniels' defamation suit against Trump, orders her to pay president's legal fees -- LA Times's MICHAEL FINNEGAN; "He is trying to make it right": As midterms approach, Michael Cohen is doubling down on his civic duty -- Vanity Fair's EMILY JANE FOX

 

Spate of fumbled spycraft may be laughing matter for ordinary Russians, but not for President Putin

 

LA Times's SABRA AYRES/LAURA KING: "For a secret service, Russia’s GRU spy agency has been in the public eye an awful lot lately."