California will let millions of past offenders seal criminal records
The Chronicle, DUSTIN GARDINER: “Millions of Californians whose lives have been haunted by a past criminal record will find relief after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Thursday that allows them to have their rap sheet shielded from public view.
The measure, SB731 , would not erase a person’s criminal record but will let people with previous arrests or convictions have their record electronically sealed, so that it doesn’t turn up in criminal background checks.
Prior offenders qualify only if they’ve completed all terms of their court sentence, including any prison or probation time, and kept clear of the justice system.”
Gov. Newsom vetoes bill to end indefinite solitary confinement in California, citing safety concerns
LAT, HANNAH WILEY: “Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill Thursday to limit solitary confinement in California’s jails, prisons and private detention centers, rejecting advocates’ hopes to restrict a practice that many experts have likened to torture.
In his Assembly Bill 2632 veto statement, Newsom said he supported “limiting the use of segregated confinement” but claimed the measure was too expansive.
“Segregated confinement is ripe for reform in the United States — and the same holds true in California. AB 2632, however, establishes standards that are overly broad and exclusions that could risk the safety of both the staff and incarcerated population within these facilities,” he said.”
Newsom signs bill protecting transgender youths and families fleeing red-state policies
LAT, MACKENZIE MAYS: “Again heralding California as a refuge from discriminatory policies in conservative states, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law on Thursday that aims to protect transgender youths and their families from bans against gender-affirming care.
Senate Bill 107 by state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) provides for a range of safeguards meant to block out-of-state attempts to penalize families that come to California seeking medical treatment for transgender children and teens or move to the state to avoid consequences for already seeking that treatment elsewhere.
In a signing message, Newsom said that state laws attempting to ban medical care for transgender people younger than 18 “demonize” the community and are an act of hate.”
What would Lance Christensen do as California schools superintendent?
EdSource, JOE HONG: “In the past two years, public education has been redefined by the COVID pandemic and the renewed fight for social justice. Lance Christensen’s candidacy for state superintendent of public instruction is very much a response to the state’s handling of both.
Christensen says he’s speaking up for parents whose children were shut out of in-person instruction because teachers’ unions, Gov. Gavin Newsom and top school officials kept schools closed for two years. He wants to take politics out of the classroom, where he says teachers too often indoctrinate students with radical ideologies. Some call him a “culture warrior,” but he sees himself as a problem solver.
“I would rather come in, fix a system and leave, and not feel like I have to be a career politician, and make sure we get education right again in California,” Christensen said during a nearly hour-long interview this week with CalMatters. “Because this is an incredible place to teach kids, and right now we’re screwing it all up.”
How should California address college student housing crisis?
EdSource, MICHAEL BURKE: “To tackle a housing shortage that has left tens of thousands of students without stable places to live, California college leaders must try some new and innovative solutions in design, construction and financing, experts and students told an EdSource roundtable on Thursday.
In addition to building many new traditional campus dorms, other solutions could include sharing construction and tenancy with community organizations, giving subsidies to students for off-campus rent and converting existing campus facilities such as administrative buildings into residences, panelists said Thursday during the virtual EdSource event on the topic.
When colleges build new housing, they should also consider sharing those facilities with nearby institutions in other systems, such as possible partnerships between community colleges and Cal State campuses, panelists added.
“I think what we have to really remember is that there’s no one strategy to address this housing issue,” said Rashida Crutchfield, assistant professor in the School of Social Work at California State University, Long Beach. “We have to have a myriad of options for students.””
YIMBY-backed S.F. housing ballot measure Prop. D is being bankrolled by these tech powerbrokers
The Chronicle, J.D. MORRIS: “Wealthy people with close ties to the technology industry have been pouring money into one of the most high-profile measures on San Francisco’s November ballot: a proposal to boost housing production championed by Mayor London Breed and her allies.
Housing advocates from the “yes in my backyard,” or YIMBY movement are fervently supporting Proposition D, framing the measure as a badly needed effort to help developers build new market-rate and affordable homes in the city. The Nor Cal Carpenters Union is another big backer of the proposition, which aims to speed up the approval process for certain kinds of housing projects.
But Prop. D also counts among its top contributors a range of leading tech executives, founders and investors, according to campaign finance records. The donors’ involvement is a sign of how San Francisco’s most prominent industry continues to play an influential role in the city’s most salient political debates, even as some tech firms have reduced their local office footprints or moved elsewhere in recent years.”
San Mateo County advises residents to protect themselves, pets from rising bird flu cases
The Chronicle, JOEL UMANZOR: “San Mateo County Health is advising residents with domestic birds to protect their pets from the risk of spreading bird flu due to an increase of cases in the region, according to the county health department.
Although there have been no human cases of bird flu, residents should keep their birds free “from contact with wild birds” and take precautions when handling dead birds , a county press release said.”
California won’t forgive parking tickets for homeless after Newsom veto
LAT, MACKENZIE MAYS: “Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill on Thursday that would have required cities to forgive parking tickets for homeless Californians.
The move was a disappointment for anti-poverty advocates across the state — who have warned that parking-ticket late fees can lead to more debt for already low-income people — and a win for cities that receive revenue from those tickets.
“I am sympathetic to the author’s intent to provide financial relief to extremely low-income Californians, but a statewide requirement for parking ticket forgiveness may not be the best approach,” Newsom said in his veto message Thursday night.”
Tech slowdown continues with Meta, Lyft hiring freezes
The Chronicle, ROLAND LI: “Facebook parent Meta and ride hailing company Lyft are the latest tech companies to implement hiring freezes as growth slows and executives seek to cut costs.
After almost two decades of unrelenting growth, Meta plans to cut its headcount by not backfilling positions and restructuring teams, along with a hiring freeze CEO Mark Zuckerberg told employees on Thursday, Bloomberg reported.”
Teen killed in law enforcement shootout was likely unarmed, state AG says
LAT, SALVADOR HERNANDEZSavannah Graziano, the 15-year-old girl killed in a shootout between her father and law enforcement Tuesday in Hesperia, was likely unarmed as she ran toward deputies, according to a preliminary investigation that’s been turned over to the California attorney general’s office.
The initial findings have prompted the California Department of Justice to take over the investigation, which was being handled by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, the state attorney general’s office told The Times in an email Thursday.
The Sheriff’s Department said it notified the Justice Department that the shooting could qualify under AB 1506 because of the girl’s death. Under that law, the Justice Department is required to investigate cases in which “the death to the unarmed civilian is caused by a California peace officer,” according to a bulletin sent last year by Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta to police chiefs, sheriffs, state law enforcement agencies and district attorneys.
Oakland school shooting: At least 2 gunmen fired 30-plus rounds, entered building, may have used banned weapons
The Chronicle, RACHEL SWAN/JILL TUCKER: “At least two gunmen who injured six people in a mass shooting at an Oakland public school fired more than 30 rounds, the city’s police chief said Thursday, while revealing that the assailants entered the school building to target specific people before fleeing in a vehicle.
“We thank God that many more students were not injured as a result of this action,” Chief LeRonne Armstrong told reporters during a video news conference.”
Given the number of rounds collected at the scene Wednesday, he said, one or more of the shooters probably used handguns with large-capacity ammunition magazines holding more than 10 bullets apiece — which are now banned in California."
Trevor Noah will depart ‘The Daily Show’ after seven years as host: ‘My time is up’
LAT, ALEXANDRA DEL ROSARIO: “Trevor Noah’s time on “The Daily Show” is coming to a close, The Times has confirmed.
While taping the series on Thursday, Noah revealed to his audience that he will be departing the late-night series. He started his statement reflecting on his time on the late-night program, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, and how he found himself “filled with gratitude for the journey” of hosting the series.
“It’s been absolutely amazing. It’s something that I never expected. And I found myself thinking throughout the time, you know, everything we’ve gone through, the Trump presidency, the pandemic, just the journey of, you know, the more pandemic,” he said. “And then, and I realized that after the seven years, my time is up.””
