California prison whistleblower says state tried to create phony data on inmate care
Sacramento Bee's SAM STANTON: "The whistleblower who accused California prison leaders last year of providing false and misleading data to a federal court on how the state handles inmate psychiatric care made his first public appearance Tuesday, standing behind his claims and saying corrections officials concocted “utter statistical rubbish” in some cases."
"Dr. Michael Golding, the chief psychiatrist at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation headquarters, testified in Sacramento federal court Tuesday about what he said were repeated instances to gin up phony data the state needed to present to U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller to prove they were making progress on improving psychiatric care in the prisons."
"Golding, who compiled and sent a scathing, 161-page report on psychiatric care in the prisons to the federally appointed receiver in October 2018, said there had never been anything secret about his views that corrections officials were trying to produce “extraordinarily misleading data” to come into compliance with court orders."
READ MORE related to Prisons & Public Safety: Millions spent at California prison with contaminated water 7 months after inmate's death -- Sacramento Bee's WES VENTEICHER
Did Pleasant Hill quake trigger fuel tank explosion in Crockett? It's one possibility
The Chronicle's MEGAN CASSIDY/MALLORY MOENCH/MATTHIAS GAFNI: "An explosion at an oil storage facility in Crockett on Tuesday afternoon sent a huge fireball into the air in west Contra Costa County, shaking buildings and rattling windows for miles around and igniting a fire that burned for hours."
"Officials were investigating whether the explosion was triggered by a 4.5 quake that struck Pleasant Hill in the central part of the county 15 hours earlier."
"It is one of many things we will be looking at as we work with officials to identify the cause of the fire,” said Mary Rose Brown, a spokeswoman with NuStar Energy, the fuel-storage facility where at least one tank exploded just before 2 p.m."
READ MORE related to Environment: In California, hidden earthquake faults lie beneath us -- some very dangerous -- The Chronicle's PETER FIMRITE
Most Republicans and Democrats agree: Immigrants make the US a better place to live
LA Times's SARAH PARVINI: "In California, a majority of Democratic and Republican voters have found something to agree on: Immigrants make the United States a better place to live."
"More than 80% of registered voters in the state concur with that opinion, according to the latest UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll conducted for the Los Angeles Times. About 92% of Democrats and 60% of Republicans are in agreement."
"Lots and lots of people here are transplants or descendants of immigrants,” said Cristina Mora, co-director of the Institute of Governmental Studies. “The idea of an immigrant in California is different. Here, we understand immigrants as part of Silicon Valley, as students, as entrepreneurs -- as part of a wide and varied landscape."
Indicted Ukrainian gained solid foothold in Sacramento pot world. Mayor wants new audit
Sacramento Bee's DALE KASLER/THERESA CLIFT/RYAN SABALOW: "A pot storefront and a marijuana delivery business."
"A cannabis cultivation facility and a pair of consulting firms."
"Andrey Kukushkin, the Ukrainian-born businessman who was arrested in the campaign-finance scandal tied to President Donald Trump’s attorney, has established a significant foothold in Sacramento’s legal cannabis industry, new records reviewed by The Sacramento Bee show."
Free cannabis for ill Californians and 7 other laws Newsom signed to regulate cannabis
Sacramento Bee's ANDREW SHEELER: "California Gov. Gavin Newsom handed a win to the cannabis industry over the weekend when he signed a law allowing marijuana businesses to claim state tax deductions."
"It’s one of eight laws he signed in the closing weeks of the legislative year aimed at fine-tuning the 2016 ballot initiative voters passed to legalize cannabis and at helping state-registered marijuana companies compete with black market dealers."
"California’s burgeoning legal cannabis industry has plenty of advantages in attracting customers with storefront locations and state-mandated health testing that provides buyers some insurance that products are safe."
To talk impeachment, Pelosi embraces a revolutionary
The Chronicle's TAL KOPAN: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has read her Thomas Paine."
"The Revolutionary War-era author has been a frequent presence in the San Francisco Democrat’s public appearances of late. She has quoted Paine multiple times over the past year as saying, “The times have found us,” a phrase she turned to again as she announced a historic impeachment inquiry into President Trump."
"In the darkest days of the American Revolution, Thomas Paine wrote: ‘The times have found us,’” Pelosi said. “The times found them to fight for and establish our democracy. The times have found us today, not to place ourselves in the same category of greatness as our founders, but to place us in the urgency of protecting and defending our Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic. In the words of Ben Franklin, to keep our republic."
Update, the Capitol Weekly tracking poll: the Warren surge
Capitol Weekly's JOHN HOWARD: "Capitol Weekly’s October Democratic primary tracking survey shows Elizabeth Warren continuing to storm the field with another 7-point gain, putting her at 35% and a healthy 14-points ahead of her nearest rival, Vice President Joe Biden. Biden has risen by 3 points since September, despite the massive national controversy around Ukraine and President Trump’s accusations regarding his son."
"This gain for Warren appears to have come at the expense of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, who faced a health setback last month. The Tableau Infographic with additional ways to slice the data provides a way to see just where any further movement of Sanders support would go, and the survey shows that over the life of the poll, 46% of his supporters would go to Warren, if they haven’t already."
"While Warren and Sanders have been seen to be drawing from the same well of progressive voters, there are sharp contrasts in where they are getting their support. As the full crosstabs (available here) show, Warren does well across age groups and income levels, with her weakest support among young people still at a relatively healthy 21%. At the same time, Sanders is very polarized based on age, ranging from 40% among 18-34 year-olds to just a fraction of that among Seniors."
Elizabeth Warren looks like the front-runner to other Dem candidates
The Chronicle's JOHN WILDERMUTH: "If there was ever a doubt that Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is viewed as the Democratic front-runner, it disappeared Tuesday night when she turned into the top target for the other 11 presidential hopefuls at the party’s nationally televised debate."
"From health care to taxes to jobs to Twitter, it was a three-hour pile-on, with struggling candidates looking to move up in the polls at Warren’s expense. Former Vice President Joe Biden, who until recently was the leader in virtually every survey of Democratic primary voters, was largely ignored."
"When Warren spoke out on her signature issue of income inequality, saying she and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders were the only ones on the debate stage in Westerville, Ohio, who didn’t think “it is more important to protect billionaires than it is to invest in an entire generation of Americans,” Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar took exception."
GOP wants to knock off Josh Harder, but the California Democrat has more cash than anyone else
Sacramento Bee's KATE IRBY: "In a California congressional district Republicans are hoping to reclaim, the latest campaign fundraising reports suggest the GOP is going to have a hard time unseating Democratic Rep. Josh Harder."
"Harder, D-Turlock, has consistently outraised Republicans in the race by huge margins. New reports for the third quarter of 2019 are no different."
"Harder raised about $757,000 in the third quarter, ending with about $2 million in cash on hand. He’s raised about $2.5 million total this cycle — making him one of the top fundraising incumbents among both Republicans and Democrats."
Political drama boosts interest in SF's heated district attorney race
The Chronicle's EVAN SERNOFFSKY: "It was supposed to be a historic San Francisco election: The first race for district attorney without an incumbent in 110 years and four accomplished candidates in the wide-open contest were closing in on the finish line."
"Then came the mayor’s appointment."
"With just one month to go before the Nov. 5 election, Mayor London Breed tapped Suzy Loftus, the candidate she endorsed, to serve as interim district attorney after George Gascón announced he was resigning early, likely to pursue a run for the same job in Los Angeles."
Jerry Brown touted California's 'own damn satellite.' It may be named for him
The Chronicle's JOHN WILDERMUTH: "California plans “to launch its own damn satellite,” and Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to name it after Jerry Brown."
"Newsom said Tuesday that he intended to honor his predecessor by attaching his name to a satellite that would gather information on climate change, one of Brown’s overriding interests during his second stint as governor from 2011-19."
"While Newsom didn’t set a date for the launch, he said it is just a start for the state’s venture into outer space."
Breed unveils $200M plan to fix mental illness crisis, calls for 'serious changes'
The Chronicle's DOMINIC FRACASSA/TRISHA THADANI: "San Francisco Mayor London Breed will unveil her vision Tuesday for tackling the city’s deepening mental health crisis with a $200 million initiative representing perhaps her most ambitious proposal since taking office last year."
"The plan, dubbed UrgentCareSF, is intended to chart the city’s course for treating and, eventually, housing the roughly 4,000 people in San Francisco suffering from homelessness, psychosis and substance abuse disorder — a population that Breed and health officials admit has been chronically underserved by the city’s existing offerings."
"The announcement, shared exclusively with The Chronicle, comes as public outcry over the crisis on the streets has intensified. The Chronicle has spent months reporting on the state of mental health care and addiction treatment in San Francisco."
Should Uber & Lyft drivers earn $30/hour? LA will study a minimum wage
LA Times's LAURA J NELSON: "Los Angeles lawmakers on Tuesday took the first step toward a minimum wage for tens of thousands of Uber and Lyft drivers, approving a study of how the law would work and how it would be enforced."
"The City Council also requested an independent study of how much Uber and Lyft drivers earn in L.A., and how much they spend on gas, insurance and other operating costs."
"The vote comes less than a week after City Council President Herb Wesson, who is running for a seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, introduced a motion asking for a draft law to mandate a $15 hourly wage for drivers and $15 per hour to cover their expenses."
Sacramento expected to be announced as 29th MLS team Monday
Sacramento Bee's TONY BIZJAK/MARCOS BRETON: "Major League Soccer is expected to announce on Monday that it is awarding an expansion team to a Sacramento investor group, making the California capital city the 29th franchise in the fast-growing league, sources with direct knowledge of the deal told The Sacramento Bee on Tuesday."
"League officials declined comment Tuesday. The league in past franchise additions has typically refrained from commenting until MLS Commissioner Don Garber announces the expansion with local officials during a public ceremony in the new city."
"Sources said league officials will hold a press conference in downtown Monday followed by a fan event in the afternoon, celebrating the franchise award."
Gloria Allred says her NYT critics 'don't understand the practice of law'
LA Times's AMY KAUFMAN: "On Sunday, Lionsgate held a “tastemaker” screening of its new film “Bombshell,” about the women who called out sexual harassment at Fox News. It was a typical awards season event, featuring a Q&A with the movie’s stars — Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie — and a guest list peppered with influencers whose endorsement might help give the film traction. There were rumors Taylor Swift was supposed to attend -- she did not -- but actress Cara Delevingne was there, as was Rodarte co-founder Laura Mulleavy and lawyer Gloria Allred."
"On the surface, Allred’s appearance at the Hollywood screening made sense. She has represented dozens of women who have sued powerful men for sexual harassment, though none who publicly spoke out against former Fox News chairman Roger Ailes or network host Bill O’Reilly."
"But in the past month, Allred’s reputation as a feminist crusader has come under scrutiny. In their new book “She Said” — and a subsequent podcast episode of The Daily — New York Times journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey have raised questions about whether the attorney truly has her clients’ best interest at heart. Through their reporting, the journalists argued that Allred was actually part of the problem instead of the solution, pressuring clients to accept secret settlements instead of publicly speaking out against their accusers in court."
As Ukraine waited for US assistance, death toll on eastern front line grew
LA Times's SABRA AYRES/SERGEI L LOIKO: "When President Trump froze hundreds of millions of dollars in security assistance to Ukraine in July, Oleksandr Markiv was in a trench defending his country’s eastern front line against Russia-backed separatist militias."
"Two months later, Markiv, 38, was dead, killed by shrapnel during a mortar attack on his battalion’s position in a notoriously dangerous defense point known as the Svitlodarsk Bulge."
"Markiv was one of 25 Ukrainian fatalities on the front line since July 18, the day Trump quietly put on hold a $391-million military aid package appropriated by Congress for Ukraine last year."
