Gov. Gavin Newsom names first Latina to California Supreme Court
SOPHIA BOLLAG, SacBee: “Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday nominated the first Latina to serve on the California Supreme Court.
Newsom praised his pick, Fourth District Court of Appeal Justice Patricia Guerrero, as a “keen legal mind and well-regarded jurist.”
“Born and raised in the Imperial Valley by immigrant parents from Mexico, her extraordinary journey and nomination to serve as the first Latina Justice on the bench of our state’s highest court is an inspiration to all of us,” the Democratic governor wrote in a statement."
From heat and fires to hail and thunder, Southern California hit by wild weather swings
LA Times, HAYLEY SMITH/LILA SEIDMAN/GREGORY YEE: "Days after an unseasonable heat wave helped spark a pair of brush fires, a storm system brought chilly temperatures, hail and thunder to Southern California on Tuesday.
Light rain fell over low-lying areas of the Los Angeles Basin while residents from Brentwood to Pasadena reported small bits of hail falling, including around the Rose Bowl, where the blanket of white made some wonder whether it had snowed.
Snow fell at higher elevations such as Pearblossom and Frazier Park."
Longtime California congressman Radanovich running for state Senate
BRYANT-JON ANTEOLA, Fresno Bee: “Longtime Congressman George Radanovich is coming out of retirement to run for the California state Senate.
Radanovich announced his candidacy Tuesday for the California state Senate in the new 4th district, which stretches from Nevada County south to Inyo County and includes the Republican’s home county of Mariposa.
The 66-year-old previously served as a U.S Representative for 16 years before not seeking election in 2010.
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s approval ratings hit an all-time low, poll says
LA Times, MELANIE MASON: "Views of Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s job performance have tumbled to the lowest point in her three-decade Senate career, with just 30% of California voters giving her positive marks in a new UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times.
Respondents gave similarly unenthusiastic marks to Vice President Kamala Harris, whose popularity is underwater, with 38% approval and 46% disapproval, while they are evenly divided in their rating of President Biden. The assessments of both Biden and Harris dropped sharply from last summer, in line with their slumping poll numbers nationwide.
Amid the broadly pessimistic mood of Californian voters, two-thirds of whom believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, the lagging approval for Democrats Feinstein and Harris stands out, said Mark DiCamillo, director of the IGS poll."
Fiona Ma accepted ‘improper gifts’ as treasurer, woman who accused her of harassment alleges
SOPHIA BOLLAG, SacBee: “The woman suing California Treasurer Fiona Ma for sexual harassment is arguing in court that Ma harassed her in an attempt to obscure “unlawful conduct” and “improper gifts” from Sacramento-area businessmen.
The allegation comes from documents filed by the legal team for Judith Blackwell, who is suing Ma alleging the treasurer sexually harassed her while the two shared lodging on work trips. Blackwell’s lawyers made the claims in filings to compel Ma’s team to produce more documents related to the case.
Ma has denied the allegations in Blackwell’s lawsuit, and says she is confident the truth will come out in court. In response to the new claims in the most recent filings, Bob Magnuson, a spokesman for the Treasurer’s Office said simply: “These allegations are not related to the current litigation.”
Saved-up pollution credits may hamper California’s climate goals, report warns
AP, KATHLEEN RONAYNE: "Oil refineries, utilities and other companies that must pay to emit greenhouse gases in California have saved up so many credits allowing them to pollute that it may jeopardize the state’s ability to reach its ambitious climate goals, according to a report by a panel that advises state officials.
California runs one of the world’s largest carbon markets, known as “cap-and-trade,” which requires companies to buy, trade or receive pollution “allowances” equivalent to how much they plan to emit. The state makes fewer allowances available over time, with the goal of spurring the companies to pollute less as allowances become scarcer and more expensive.
California’s market has been closely watched by both advocates and critics of efforts to control emissions using market forces, not mandates. The state is required to reduce emissions 40% below 1990 levels by 2030, an ambitious target, and the state has previously said more than one-third of those reductions will come from cap-and-trade."
Lake Tahoe conservationists win crucial court battle to block construction of 760 new upscale homes
The Chronicle, Gregory Thomas: "Lake Tahoe conservationists seeking to block construction of a new subdivision of upscale homes near Truckee have won an important court battle against the nation’s largest private landowner.
On Monday, California’s Third District Court of Appeal in Sacramento ruled that a proposal to build a new gated community of 760 homes in the mountains along Highway 267 between Truckee and Kings Beach didn’t reasonably account for car traffic impacts that could sully Lake Tahoe’s famous water clarity and air quality.
“With today’s decision, we think we’re one step closer to getting that land protected so it’ll never be developed,” said Tom Mooers, executive director of Sierra Watch, a conservation group in Nevada City fighting the project."
Expect West Coast seas to rise 8 inches by 2050 — it’ll be even worse on the East Coast
The Chronicle, Julie Johnson: "Bigger storm surges, more flooding at high-tide, eroding shorelines and other damaging events will increase along the coastal United States at a faster pace than in the past century, according to new data on sea level rise released Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Sea levels will go up by as much as 8 inches in California and along the West Coast by 2050, and by as much as 1 foot on the East Coast, projections based on improved research, satellite data and a better understanding of melting ice in the Arctic and Antarctic show.
Areas along the Gulf of Mexico and the East Coast will be hit hardest as those shorelines are sinking because of geological factors and because melting ice in Greenland is already changing currents in the Atlantic Ocean. The increase for the Gulf Coast is projected to be between 14 and 18 inches. Northern Alaska could see increases of 8 to 10 inches and Hawaii 6 to 8 inches."
L.A. County lifts outdoor mask mandate
LA Times, LUKE MONEY/RONG-GONG LIN II: "As the number of hospitalized coronavirus-positive patients continues to fall, Los Angeles County relaxed its outdoor masking rules Wednesday.
The revised guidance will allow people to go without face coverings outdoors at K-12 (including transitional kindergarten) schools and child-care facilities, and will apply to exterior areas of “mega” events, such as those at the Hollywood Bowl, Dodger Stadium, SoFi Stadium and Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Mask rules at these settings were lifted at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. Masks continue to be required by the county in indoor public spaces."
Mask mandates are going away, but in many Bay Area businesses masks will remain
The Chronicle, Chase DiFeliciantonio: "With every Bay Area county, save one, lifting indoor masking mandates for the fully vaccinated on Wednesday, it’s easy to imagine people in shops, restaurants and offices dropping them in unison. But the reality is likely to be a bit more uneven, as many local businesses say they will approach masking differently for themselves, their employees and their customers.
Patricia Barlow owns the plant shop Tipu on Jackson Street just off Polk in San Francisco. She said she plans on continuing to don her mask, particularly in the storefront space where she chats up customers about plant care amidst the encroaching greenery.
“Because of that proximity I think I will continue to wear my mask,” Barlow said, adding she keeps a box of masks in her store in case a customer doesn’t have one."
Should Chesa Boudin be worried about the school board recall results?
The Chronicle, Joe Garofoli: "A new, parent-fueled coalition of voters powered the nationally watched recall of three San Francisco school board members Tuesday.
But that crew is unlikely to seamlessly transfer their recall fervor to San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, the subject of San Francisco’s next high-octane recall election, which is slated for June 7. That energy will have to come from elsewhere.
“I doubt it. I think (the school recall) is more of a temporary coalition — a coalition of the willing,” said Joshua Spivak, a senior fellow at the Hugh L. Carey Institute for Government Reform at Wagner College in New York, founder of the Recall Elections Blog. “Everyone has an ax to grind on (the school recall).”"
D.A. Chesa Boudin drops case against suspect allegedly linked to a property crime from rape exam DNA
The Chronicle, Megan Cassidy: "San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin has dismissed the property crime case against a woman whose DNA collected from a rape kit was used to link her to a recent property crime, officials said Tuesday.
Officials said the case amounted to “fruit of the poisonous tree,” meaning evidence that led to the arrest was gathered in a way that violated the defendant’s rights.
Boudin declined to comment on the case, citing privacy concerns."
Russia claims more troop withdrawals, but NATO remains skeptical
LA Times, NABIH BULOS: "Russia’s military said Wednesday that it was continuing the withdrawal of troops and materiel, a move meant to telegraph an easing of its standoff with Washington and NATO over a possible invasion of Ukraine.
But the transatlantic alliance remains skeptical of Moscow’s claims, saying it had not yet “seen any de-escalation on the ground.”
The Russian Defense Ministry released a video depicting a nighttime scene of a train pulling flatbed carriages loaded with armored vehicles as it crossed a bridge in Crimea to “the point of permanent deployment,” meaning their regular base. Russia seized the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014."
