Lawmakers find little consensus on recall reforms
The Chronicle, ALEXEI KOSEFF: "Democratic lawmakers cast doubts on the fairness of California’s recall process Thursday as they push to overhaul the system, but experts cautioned against some of the most popular proposals that have been suggested, particularly making it harder to qualify for the ballot.
“You are pretty much putting the recall process out of business if you do those,” warned Bill Whalen, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution who served as chief speechwriter for former Gov. Pete Wilson.
The legislative hearing on potential changes, which took place at the State Capitol, was the first public step in what will almost certainly result in a measure on next year’s ballot asking voters to approve a new system. After Gov. Gavin Newsom handily defeated a recall effort last month, his Democratic allies immediately began talking about rewriting a law that they argue gives a vocal minority too much power to disrupt state government."
Is it too easy to hold a recall in California? Lawmakers raise changes after Newsom victory
Sacramento Bee, LARA KORTE: "Both Democrats and Republicans on Thursday said they are open to tweaking California’s 108-year-old recall laws, but they’re far from consensus on what those changes should look like.
Lawmakers gathered on Thursday for the first formal discussion of the state’s recall process following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s victory against a recall campaign last month.
Democrats are concerned it’s too easy to qualify a recall in California. Compared to the other 19 states that have recall processes, the Golden State has one of the lowest petition signature thresholds at 12% of ballots cast in the previous election and one of the longest signature gathering periods at 160 days."
New California redistricting maps would make tough elections for Devin Nunes, Josh Harder
Sacramento Bee, GILLIAN BRASSIL: "Preliminary visualizations for California’s new congressional districts would put Central Valley Reps. Devin Nunes and Josh Harder in tougher elections in 2022 for their seats in the United States House of Representatives, experts say.
The visualizations, released Wednesday, are the first time viewers could see the puzzle pieces of various legislative districts put together. Drafts will change multiple times over the next couple of months before the nonpartisan commission charged with making them sends a final one to California’s secretary of state for certification.
Redistricting, the process by which legislative boundaries are redrawn following population shifts revealed by the Census, can alter the makeup of voter preferences in an area. California lost one seat in the U.S. House because of sluggish population growth, dropping its legislative delegation to 52."
Illegal crossings at California border reach highest levels since 2008. See the numbers
Sacramento Bee, PHILLIP REESE: "The U.S. Border Patrol stopped more people trying to illegally cross from Mexico to California during the past 12 months than during any other year since 2008, new federal statistics show.
Border Patrol agents encountered almost 202,000 unauthorized immigrants at the Mexico-California border during the 2021 federal fiscal year, which ended on September 30. That’s more than double the number of encounters seen the prior year — and more than quadruple the number from 2017.
The trend was largely repeated across the southwest border. The Border Patrol encountered about 1.7 million people trying to cross into America illegally during the 2021 federal fiscal year, the highest number since at least 1960."
Black people far more likely to be killed and injured by police in California, report shows
The Chronicle, BOB EGELKO: "Black people in California are more than three times likelier than members of other racial groups to be seriously injured or killed in encounters with police, according to a review of data from a recent four-year period.
The report by the San Francisco-based Public Policy Institute of California found that African Americans, who comprised less than 6% of the state’s population during the study period, accounted for more than 18% of those seriously hurt or killed by police, based on records of the state’s 15 largest law enforcement agencies from 2016 through 2019.
During the same period, the report said, white people, who were 37% of the population, made up 31% to 34% of serious injuries and fatalities; Latinos were 39% of the population and the same percentage of those seriously hurt or killed, and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders accounted for 15% of the population and just 2% to 3% of serious injuries and deaths."
New California law requires use-of-force training for security guards, prompted by CapRadio investigation
SCOTT RODD, CapRadio: "Security guards in California will soon be required to complete training on when and how to use force before obtaining a license.
The legislation was inspired by an investigation CapRadio published last year. It found California’s regulations provide no clear definition or training requirements for appropriate use-of-force in the private security industry.
“I read the article and was like, ‘Oh my goodness,’” said Willie Armstrong, chief of staff to Assemblyman Chris Holden, a Democrat who introduced the legislation. “I took the idea to Mr. Holden, and he said, ‘Yeah, we have to do something about this.’”
Judiciary panel sends Lucy Koh appeals court nomination to Senate floor
The Chronicle, BOB EGELKO: "Despite Republican attacks on her court ruling that would have allowed California to restrict private indoor religious gatherings during the pandemic, the nomination of U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh of San Jose to a federal appeals court moved toward confirmation Thursday with bipartisan approval in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The panel voted 13-9 to send President Biden’s nomination of Koh to the Senate floor, with Republicans Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Chuck Grassley of Iowa joining 11 Democrats in support. The nine other Republicans voted against her.
Koh, 53, a former federal prosecutor and the child of Korean immigrants, was appointed to the Santa Clara County Superior Court by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2008 and appointed to the federal court by President Barack Obama in 2010, becoming the first Korean-American to serve a U.S. District Court. She would be the nation’s first female appellate judge of Korean descent if confirmed to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco."
Second state worker pleads guilty in California Office of AIDS fraud scandal
Sacramento Bee, SAM STANTON: "A second state worker has pleaded guilty in connection with a $2 million fraud case involving the California Office of AIDS and will cooperate with prosecutors, authorities said.
Christine Iwamoto, 47, a former manager inside the California Department of Public Health, was charged in federal court in Sacramento earlier this month with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, and a plea agreement filed in court Thursday says she agreed to plead guilty and pay restitution of up to $600,000.
Iwamoto’s plea follows a guilty plea in February by Schenelle Flores, another Office of AIDS worker accused of defrauding the state by having a Southern California company bill the office for personal expenses, including tickets to sporting events, concerts and restaurants."
UCD oks $5.5M, 15-year deals to name exhibits, partner with Sacramento science museum
Sacramento Bee, CATHIE ANDERSON: "The University of California, Davis, will work closely on exhibits and educational courses with the SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity in Sacramento as part of two naming rights deals worth $5.5 million over 15 years.
“This partnership with MOSAC is a natural extension of the work our faculty do every day in research, education and outreach,” said Gary S. May, chancellor of UC Davis. “We look forward to working with the museum to bring the sciences and arts to life for children and adults alike.”
In addition to assisting with development of content, UC Davis will name the museum’s Digital Dome Theater where families and teachers will be treated to shows on topics such as astronomy, chemistry, physics as well as feature films from such organizations as the National Geographic Society and the BBC. The university will pay $2.5 million over 15 years as part of its affiliation with the museum."
Oakland schools mandate older students get COVID-19 shots by Jan. 1 or return to online classes
The Chronicle, JILL TUCKER: "Oakland schools will require all students 12 and older to be vaccinated for COVID-19 by Jan. 1, joining several other California districts in mandating the shots despite a lack of full federal approval.
The city’s school board narrowly approved the most stringent mandate among three options presented Wednesday, rejecting mandated vaccines only for extracurricular activities and a do-nothing choice, which would mean waiting until the state’s mandate kicks in, likely sometime next year. The district serves 35,000 students.
District officials noted that the policy was likely to have a great impact on groups with lower vaccination rates, including African American, Latino or multiracial, with a greater proportion of those students likely excluded from in-person school."
State investigating SF's decision to reject turning parking lot into 500 housing units
The Chronicle, JK DINEEN: "The California Department of Housing and Community Development is investigating whether the San Francisco Board of Supervisors acted improperly when it rejected a 495-unit apartment complex near Sixth and Market streets.
On Tuesday, in an 8-3 vote, the board upheld an appeal of the apartment complex at 469 Stevenson St., essentially saying that the project’s 1,129-page environmental study was inadequate and directing city planning staff and the developer to redo it. The broader study could take a year or two, and the Board of Supervisors could still reject the project if they deem that inadequate.
State housing director Gustavo Velasquez said that attorneys in that agency are looking into whether, in siding with opponents of the development, the board violated one of two laws: the Housing Accountability Act, a state law that limits the ability of cities to reject housing that complies with local zoning; or the California Environmental Quality Act, known as CEQA, which studies how development impacts things like wind, shadow, traffic and air quality."
Donald Trump is out of office. Why is California still suing the former administration?
Sacramento Bee, GILLIAN BRASSIL: "California filed more than 100 lawsuits against the Trump administration over various policies that the former president introduced, rolled back or implemented in office.
Many of them are closed. But others continue nearly a year after President Joe Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 election. The state is keeping some cases active because some Trump-era regulations could resurface or have lingering effects on Californians.
In one lawsuit, the Biden administration is siding with the former president regarding the use of private prisons for immigrant detention. California sought to ban them with a 2019 law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The federal government is fighting to keep them open."
In-N-Out shuts all Contra Costa County outposts for indoor dining after vaccine mandate controversy
The Chronicle, ELENA KADVANY: "In-N-Out has decided to close its five Contra Costa County locations for indoor dining rather than comply with the county’s vaccine mandate.
The burger chain told the Contra Costa County health department on Wednesday that its Pleasant Hill, San Ramon, Brentwood, Pittsburg and Pinole restaurants would no longer let customers eat inside, but remain open for takeout and drive-thru orders. SFGATE reported the news first, which was confirmed by the Contra Costa County health department. (SFGATE and The San Francisco Chronicle are both owned by Hearst but operate independently.)
It’s the latest development in the fast food chain’s high-profile pushback against local vaccine requirements. In-N-Out recently violated both Contra Costa County and San Francisco’s requirement to check customers for proof of vaccination to eat inside. Health officials temporarily shut down the burger chain’s San Francisco and Pleasant Hill locations as a result."
