Newsom announces commission looking into single-payer healthcare
The Chronicle's CATHERINE HO: ""Gov. Gavin Newsom has long touted a single-payer health system, and campaigned on it during his successful gubernatorial run."
"On Tuesday, he announced a step toward exploring a single-payer financing model and other policies that could get Californians closer to universal health coverage."
"Newsom announced the formation of the Healthy California For All Commission, a 17-person body that will begin meeting in January to look into ways to expand health coverage, including, but not limited to, a single-payer model. Members include the head of the Department of Health Care Services, which administers Medi-Cal, the chairmen of health committees in the state Senate and Assembly, the executive director of the health insurance exchange Covered California, as well as academics and health advocates."
California Dems cast 1 out of 5 impeachment votes. Here's how they came to power
Sac Bee's DAVID LIGHTMAN/KATE IRBY: "About one of every five votes for the impeachment of President Donald Trump Wednesday came from a California House member."
"The House voted 230 to 197 to charge Trump with abuse of power, and 229 to 198 to charge him with obstruction of Congress, stemming from Trump’s withholding of security aid to Ukraine as a condition of the European nation announcing investigations into former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a Democrat running for president, voted present both times."
"In each case, 45 of the yes votes came from California Democrats."
Pelosi sets up a battle with Mitch McConnell
The Chronicle's DUSTIN GARDINER: "Some House members gave somber speeches about the prayerful deliberation they had gone through as they decided whether to make Donald Trump only the third president ever to be impeached."
"Others voiced their anger, booed the other side and loudly cheered their own — a rare break from decorum, emblematic of the partisan fight over the Ukraine affair that has upended norms in American politics."
"Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, remained stoic throughout the House’s 12-hour proceedings Wednesday, silencing a few Democrats who applauded when it was clear Trump had been impeached. She largely avoided defections among her party. However, she failed to bring any Republicans along."
Newsom's threat to sue Trump upends peace talks on California water wars
Sac Bee's RYAN SABALOW/DALE KASLER: "Even before he was sworn into office, Gov. Gavin Newsom threw his weight behind a series of tentative deals, brokered by his predecessor, that were intended to bring lasting peace to California’s never-ending battles over water and endangered fish."
"The deals, designed to reallocate water from the state’s major rivers, have yet to be finalized a year later."
"Now, one of the nation’s most powerful farm irrigation districts says it will back out of the agreements completely if Newsom follows through with a pledge to sue President Donald Trump over a federal plan to pump more water to farmers from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the fragile estuary on Sacramento’s doorstep."
Eight new laws that could affect your life in 2020
Sac Bee's ANDREW SHEELER: "The new year is coming, and 2020 is bringing with it a plethora of new laws that will touch on the lives of many Californians."
"From a minimum wage increase to crackdown on vaccine exemptions, a major shake-up of California’s employment laws to a cap on rent hikes, here’s a rundown of some of the laws which could affect your life in the coming year."
"One of the biggest laws to come out of the Legislature this year, Assembly Bill 5 re-classifies many independent contractors, such as Uber and Lyft drivers, as employees, entitled to benefits and protections, such as sick leave and minimum wage."
Big changes coming to H-1B visa lottery
The Chronicle's CAROLYN SAID: "Immigration authorities next year will revamp the system of applying for H-1Bs, the skilled-worker visas that are particularly prized by Silicon Valley tech companies, with the stated aim of streamlining a cumbersome process."
"At a time when the Trump administration is clamping down on immigration — and when H-1B denial rates have hit historic highs — many immigration attorneys and tech groups said they were reserving judgment about the new system."
"Rather than submitting full applications by April 1, workers and companies will register online in March and pay $10 to enter a lottery for the 85,000 annual H-1B slots. Only those picked in the lottery will need to complete the lengthy petitions, which can require thousands of dollars worth of legal assistance. Generally about 200,000 people apply each year for the coveted visas, which consist of 65,000 regular H-1Bs and 20,000 for workers with advanced degrees from U.S. universities. (Nonprofits, including some hospitals and universities, are exempt from the 85,000-visa cap.)"
Federal judge backs whistleblower, blasts CA prisons on care of mentally ill inmates
Sac Bee's SAM STANTON: "In a sternly worded order, a federal judge has found California’s top prison officials intentionally filed misleading data to the court on how frequently mentally ill inmates receive psychiatric care, and she signaled that court oversight of mental health care inside prisons will continue until the state meets its constitutional obligations to prisoners."
"The order by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller in Sacramento federal court also validates claims by by Dr. Michael Golding, the state prison system’s chief psychiatrist, who compiled a secret whistleblower report last year accusing the state of providing false and misleading data to the court to cover up woefully inadequate psychiatric care."
"Mueller found that the state was so determined to get out from under years of court-ordered supervision of mental health care services that it fudged data on how frequently more than 32,000 mentally ill inmates were being seen by psychiatrists and the amount of care that was being provided."
Oakland city administrator steps down
The Chronicle's SARAH RAVANI: "Oakland City Administrator Sabrina Landreth — who has clashed with City Council members over the budget and other issues — announced Wednesday that she will step down from her position in March."
"Landreth’s last day is March 11. The city will hire a consultant during the transition period."
"It was always my expectation that once the organization achieved the muscle memory that would far outlast my tenure, it would be the right time to go, and because of your work, I feel we have reached that positive point,” Landreth said in an email sent to staff obtained by The Chronicle."
Michelle Obama is coming to Sacramento. Here's what you need to know
Sacramento Bee's ANDREW SHEELER: "Michelle Obama is coming to Sacramento next year, and you can see her."
"The former first lady is set to participate in a moderated question and answer session Wednesday, April 1, at the Golden 1 Center. The moderator is yet to be announced."
"She’s touring the country to promote her autobiography, “Becoming,” and she drew an audience of 12,000 at a recent stop in Detroit."
To speed up buses, SF cut parking on San Bruno Ave. Welcome to the city's future
The Chronicle's RACHEL SWAN: "For Terry Giannini, the breaking point came in early November, when work crews placed bags over the parking meters at San Bruno Avenue and Bacon Street."
"Giannini could see them through the plate-glass windows of his barbershop, with its yellowing 49ers posters on the walls and a striped pole out front. Within two days, workers had sawed off nine meters on San Bruno, the final batch for a project that would eliminate 37 parking spaces from a busy nine-block corridor."
"The San Bruno Avenue Multimodal Improvement Project will turn a scruffy neighborhood in San Francisco’s Portola district into a vision of the city’s future: wide sidewalks, short crosswalks, big “bulb-out” curbs and bus zones long enough to fit two coaches. Such street designs are proliferating throughout the city, pointing to a distinct political shift: cars no longer reign supreme in San Francisco. Instead, the mayor and transportation agency are prioritizing efficient transit and pedestrian safety."
Weather officials warn of travel hazards ahead of busy holiday weekend
The Chronicle's ALEJANDRO SERRANO: "A dry spell will settle over most of the Bay Area on Thursday, but that should last only until the weekend when a bigger storm arrives to potentially disrupt a fair amount of holiday travel plans, officials said."
"San Francisco International Airport and Oakland International Airport officials are bracing for delays as a storm is projected to start around midday Saturday in the North Bay and move south while dumping as much as 2 inches of rain in some areas, according to the National Weather Service."
"We are encouraging folks to stay up to date on the forecast, especially if they are going to hit the roads,” said Roger Gass, a meteorologist with the weather service."
