The Supreme Court keeps creeping closer to an official ‘establishment of religion,’ legal observers say
The Chronicle, BOB EGELKO: “The Supreme Court recently required Maine to provide tuition funding for religious schools. It ordered Philadelphia to fund a Catholic agency that refused to place foster children with same-sex couples, and said Boston must allow a Christian flag to fly at City Hall. Last year, the court exempted church services from California’s restrictions on indoor gatherings during the pandemic. In 2019, the court allowed a Maryland town to keep a 40-foot cross on public land where it has stood since 1925, saying it was more of a historic monument than a religious symbol.
After ruling in the Hobby Lobby case in 2014 that many corporations could deny birth-control coverage to female employees for religious reasons, the court went further six years later by saying any employer had a right to withhold contraceptive coverage for religious or moral reasons. On the same day in 2020, the court ruled in a California case that religious schools could classify their teachers as ministers and fire them without regard to civil-rights laws.
So when the justices ruled 6-3 Monday that a high school football coach in Washington state had a constitutional right to engage in post-game prayers on the 50-yard line, where he was joined by students from both teams, it was only the latest in a series of decisions that appear to be shifting the First Amendment’s boundary lines between free exercise of religion and the prohibition on an official “establishment of religion.””
Eight bombshells from Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony at Tuesday’s Jan. 6 hearing
LAT, ARIT JOHN: “In testimony before a House panel Tuesday, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson outlined a stunning series of events surrounding the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, including an account that then-President Trump lunged at a Secret Service agent in a desperate bid to travel to the Capitol after his speech that day.
Hutchinson revealed that White House officials knew about the risk of violence on Jan. 6 in the days prior to the attack, and testified that Trump knew supporters at his rally were armed, wanted them to bypass security and was still determined to go to the Capitol with them after his speech, despite concerns raised by his advisors.
“Please make sure we don’t go up to the Capitol,” White House Counsel Pat Cipollone told Hutchinson on the morning of Jan. 6. “We’re going to get charged with every crime imaginable if we make that movement happen.””
California voters could add right to an abortion to the state constitution this November
NICOLE NIXON, CapRadio: "This November, California voters will have final say over whether to enshrine the right to abortion and contraception in the state constitution.
The California Assembly approved SCA 10 by a 58-16 vote Monday, just days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and 49 years of federal abortion protections.
The amendment says the state “shall not deny or interfere with an individual’s reproductive freedom in their most intimate decisions, which includes their fundamental right to choose to have an abortion and their fundamental right to choose or refuse contraceptives.”
California will see rush of people from out of state seeking abortion care, study says
LAT, NATHAN SOLIS: “California will play a key role in providing abortion services to people living in states where the medical procedure is banned or severely limited after the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, according to a recent report from UCLA.
Between 8,000 and 16,100 more people will make the journey to California each year for abortion care, and many will come to Los Angeles County, the UCLA School of Law’s Center on Reproductive Health, Law, and Policy said in a study released this month.
The U.S. Supreme Court last week reversed the landmark 1973 decision that guaranteed abortion rights under the Constitution. Thirteen states were ready to effectively ban abortion almost immediately after the decision was announced through “trigger laws,” and more states are following in the same direction, according to health care providers. In all, 26 states are expected to ban or severely restrict access to abortion.”
California budget won’t cover out-of-state abortion travel
ADAM BEAM, AP: "While Gov. Gavin Newsom has pledged to make California a sanctuary for women seeking abortions, his administration won’t spend public money to help people from other states travel to California for the procedure.
Newsom’s decision, included in a budget agreement reached over the weekend, surprised abortion advocates who have been working with the governor for nearly a year to prepare for a potential surge of patients from other states coming to California for abortions now that the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade.
California’s operating budget, which is scheduled for a vote in the state Legislature on Wednesday, includes $20 million for an “Abortion Practical Support Fund” to pay for things like airfare, lodging, gas and meals for people seeking abortions in California. But the money can only be used to help people who already live in California, not people traveling from other states. The fund will accept private donations, but it’s unclear if that money can cover out-of-state travel expenses."
LA County returns Bruce’s Beach to Black family 90-plus years after Manhattan Beach took it
KRISTY HUTCHINGS and TYLER SHAUN EVAINS, LA Daily News: "The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday, June 28, to return two parcels of oceanfront property to the Bruce family, more than 90 years after Manhattan Beach used eminent domain, for racially motivated reasons, to take the property away from their ancestors.
The vote marks the culmination of more than a year of legislative maneuvering to return the land to the Bruce family.
The land once housed Bruce’s Beach Lodge, a seaside resort owned by and operated for Black people as a recreational haven during the early 20th century, a time when African Americans lacked access to the coast."
Newsom has a plan to keep the lights on in California — using fossil fuels
SAMMY ROTH, LA Times: "A controversial plan from Gov. Gavin Newsom would reshape how business is done on the California power grid, potentially helping to extend the life of beachfront gas plants and the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant, making it easier for solar and wind farm developers to sidestep local government opposition, and limiting environmental reviews for all kinds of energy projects.
State lawmakers could vote as early as Wednesday night on the polarizing legislation, whose text was revealed late Sunday.
The bill would give the Department of Water Resources unprecedented authority to build or buy energy from any facility that can help keep the lights on during the next few summers — including polluting diesel generators and four gas-fired power plants along the Southern California coast that were originally supposed to close in 2020 but were rescued by state officials."
California to become first state to offer food benefits to some immigrants who live in U.S. illegally
LAT, MACKENZIE MAYS/ITZEL LUNA: “California is expected to be the first state to offer food benefits to immigrants residing in the U.S. illegally under a state budget plan revealed this week.
The unique policy fills in safety net gaps, as immigrants living in the U.S. without legal status are not eligible for federal benefits such as food stamps.
But the new program benefits only Californians older than 55, dismissing pleas by anti-poverty advocates to cover all ages.”
Sacramento mayor calls for inquiry into Councilman Loloee’s residence after Bee’s report
THERESA CLIFT, SacBee: "Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg is calling for an independent inquiry into Councilman Sean Loloee’s residence, and plans to schedule a special City Council meeting this week to consider his proposal.
The announcement follows reports in The Sacramento Bee that showed a man living at the home identified himself as its tenant; that Loloee’s family claims a homeowner tax exemption on a Granite Bay residence in his wife’s name; and that Loloee appeared to take his oath of office in 2020 at the Granite Bay home.
Loloee has maintained that he lives at the home on Nogales Street in Sacramento’s Hagginwood neighborhood. He has explained the Granite Bay residence differently in interviews with The Bee and CBS 13 (KOVR).
Chesa Boudin says he won’t rule out running for San Francisco D.A., in first interview since recall
The Chronicle, MEGAN CASSIDY: “San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin is staring down his last few days in office following a historic recall election.
But he may not be out of the public spotlight — or San Francisco politics — for long.
In his first interview since the June 7 election, Boudin told The Chronicle he has not ruled out running again for district attorney, either in the special election taking place this fall or in next year’s scheduled race.”
Bay Area can’t seem to move past COVID surge: ‘It’s like a slow burn’
The Chronicle, AIDIN VAZIRI: “COVID-19 cases remain stubbornly high across California despite some indicators earlier this week that the state had moved past the peak of its spring surge, with the Bay Area continuing to outpace other regions with its rate of infections.
“You have new transmissible variants and people being fed up,” said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist with UCSF. “If people were still being cautious and we had the same variant for a long time, you would have that quick downslope that we saw in the winter. But now all bets are off.”
The statewide number bounced back up on Tuesday with 42 new daily coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents after nearly a month hovering around 35 cases per 100,000.”
How much money makes you ‘wealthy’ in San Francisco? The number keeps rising —by over $1 million in a year
The Chronicle, KELLIE HWANG: “The amount of money it takes to be considered “wealthy” in the Bay Area remains millions of dollars higher than in other big metropolitan regions — and has increased substantially from last year, according to the latest edition of Charles Schwab’s survey on wealth.
Respondents to the 2022 Modern Wealth Survey said it will take an average net worth of $5.1 million to be considered wealthy in San Francisco in 2022, compared to $3.8 million in 2021 — that’s an increase of 34% in one year, and more than double the national average. In 2020, respondents said it took $4.5 million to feel wealthy in San Francisco. The nationwide average also increased from 2021 to 2022, but by only 15%.
To be “financially comfortable,” a San Francisco resident would need a net worth of $1.7 million, versus $1.3 million in 2021 and $1.5 million in 2020. Nationwide, respondents said it takes $774,000 to be financially comfortable.”
San Francisco plans to end single-family zoning. Here’s why housing advocates aren’t happy with the law
The Chronicle, JD MORRIS: ‘San Francisco plans to get rid of single-family zoning and instead allow fourplexes in every neighborhood and six-unit homes on all corner lots, a change long sought by housing development advocates.
But champions of greater housing density are worried that San Francisco’s legislation might result in very few new homes being built. They fear that restrictive provisions limiting who can take advantage of the new permissions and how fast property owners can get their projects approved will stymie new construction.
On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors narrowly approved the legislation, which is intended to alleviate the city’s notorious housing crunch. The vote marks the culmination of more than a year’s work by Supervisor Rafael Mandelman to pass legislation that would promote fourplexes in San Francisco. In early 2021, Mandelman announced a more modest plan that failed to advance. He returned last summer with a new proposal that the board passed in a 6-4 vote Tuesday, with Supervisors Ahsha Safaí, Catherine Stefani, Shamann Walton and Matt Dorsey dissenting. Supervisor Connie Chan was absent.”
CSU handling of sexual harassment allegations an ‘embarrassment,’ legislator says
ROBERT KUWADA, SacBee: "The state Joint Legislative Audit Committee on Monday approved an investigation into the handling of sexual harassment allegations by the California State University and three of its campuses including Fresno State.
Assemblymember Jim Patterson, a Republican from Fresno, supported the decision, calling the episodes an “embarrassment” to students, staff and alumni. Former CSU chancellor Joseph I. Castro resigned in February while under fire for his handling of sexual harassment allegations while president at Fresno State, sending a vice president who had been the subject of a Title IX investigation into retirement with a $260,000 settlement and a promise of a letter of recommendation.
San Jose State recently agreed to a $3.3 million settlement with 15 student-athletes who allegedly were sexually harassed by a longtime athletics trainer, and the CSU paid a $600,000 settlement to the former provost at Sonoma State after failing to investigate sexual harassment claims."
As ‘historic’ NATO summit opens, Biden commits to more U.S. forces in Europe
LAT, ELI STOKOLS: “President Biden announced Wednesday that the U.S. would increase its troop presence in Europe as part of a broader commitment among NATO allies to shore up their regional defenses in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Meeting with Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, on the first full day of a summit here in the Spanish capital, Biden emphasized that the alliance was committed to defending “every inch” of territory under its charter and hailed the “historic” nature of this year’s gathering as Finland and Sweden, after decades of strategic neutrality, are on the verge of accession.
“NATO is strong and united,” Biden said. “And the steps we’re taking during this summit, we’re going to further augment our collective strength.””
