Oakland civil rights attorney confirmed to California Supreme Court, becoming its second LGBT justice
The Chronicle, BOB EGELKO: "A state commission on Thursday confirmed Gov. Gavin Newsom’s nomination of Kelli Evans, an Alameda County Superior Court judge and former civil rights attorney, to the California Supreme Court, filling the vacancy that will be created when Patricia Guerrero becomes chief justice in January.
Evans had been a lawyer on Newsom’s staff since 2019 when the governor appointed her to the Superior Court in Oakland, her hometown, in July 2021. Before that, she had been a public defender in Sacramento County from 1995 to 1998 while also serving as an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, where she returned as associate director in 2010.
She also spent three years in the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and three years in a State Bar administrative office and was a member of court-appointed monitoring teams for the Oakland and Cleveland police departments.
Another election first: California sending first openly gay immigrant to Congress
LAT, GRACE TOOHEY: "Long Beach voters are on track to usher in two historic firsts for the region: sending the first LGBTQ immigrant to Congress and electing the city’s first Black mayor.
Robert Garcia, the current mayor of Long Beach, is set to become the first openly gay immigrant in the U.S. House of Representatives, after a decisive showing from voters in the 42nd Congressional District, which includes Long Beach and southeastern Los Angeles County.
Although official election results haven’t been certified, Garcia was projected to win in the heavily Democratic district and has declared victory."
Alex Padilla made history with his U.S. Senate win. What it means for Latinos
LAT, SEEMA MEHTA/RACHEL URANGA: "Alex Padilla grew up on the polluted northern edge of Los Angeles framed by brown hills and freeways in a working-class community long neglected by the city.
His win as the first Latino elected to the U.S. Senate from California solidifies the profound shift in point of view — both cultural and geographic — that came with his appointment by Gov. Newsom two years ago and cements a long-marginalized community’s seat in the highest echelon of political power.
For the last 30 years, the state has elected its senators from a largely white and moneyed political class in the Bay Area that has produced some of California’s most renowned Democratic figures."
California Asembly picks new Speaker after heated battle. But he won’t start for 6 months
Sac Bee, LINDSEY HOLDEN: "The California Assembly will finally get a new Speaker after a protracted battle that split the chamber’s Democratic caucus. But he won’t start the job for another six months.
After caucusing for more than six hours Thursday, Assembly Democrats voted unanimously to make Assemblyman Robert Rivas, D-Salinas, the next Speaker. First, however, they will re-elect current Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Lakewood, to open the legislative session next month.
He will serve as Speaker and facilitate the transition until June 30, when Rivas will take over. The agreement will be binding as part of the confirmation vote that will take place on Dec. 5."
Memo to Democrats: Beware of Kamala Harris, in 2024 or beyond (OP-ED)
Capitol Weekly, GARRY SOUTH: "Well, here we are, just milliseconds after the 2022 mid-term elections, and the inevitable speculation has already begun about who will run for president two years hence. Donald Trump has strongly hinted he will announce another run next week.
For Democrats, the conjecturing almost necessarily includes whether Kamala Harris will run if Pres. Joe Biden chooses to stand down. It might be a moot point, because Biden has sworn he is planning to run again in 2024 at the ripe old age of 81 — and has let drop that First Lady Jill Biden has given her assent.
But if Biden should change his mind, or — God forbid — be incapacitated in some way, the focus will instantly and understandably shift to Harris. After all, a sitting vice president is an obvious potential candidate to replace their boss, and recent history has seen plenty of them try — Al Gore in 2000, George H.W. Bush in 1988, Hubert Humphrey in 1968, Richard Nixon in 1960. And two former Number Twos, Joe Biden in 2020 and Walter Mondale in 1984, ran four years later to succeed the presidents with whom they served."
California regulators unveil new rooftop solar plan that cuts payments to homeowners
The Chronicle, JULIE CART: "The California Public Utilities Commission today released a long-awaited overhaul of its proposal to regulate rooftop solar installations, removing an unpopular new fee but reducing how much utilities would pay homeowners for supplying power to the grid.
The revised proposal comes after the CPUC earlier this year abandoned a controversial plan that solar advocates warned would undermine the state’s efforts to battle climate change."
California homeowners may receive less money for installing solar panels. Here’s why
Sac Bee, ARI PLACHTA: "California’s utility regulator released highly anticipated proposed changes to the state’s rooftop solar program Thursday, proposing a gradual reduction of longstanding subsidies that sparked immediate criticism from both monopoly utilities and solar leaders.
Coming in response to an early version of the reforms released last December that prompted widespread backlash from solar advocates, the plan marked the latest step in years of infighting between rival camps with different visions of how to reach the state’s ambitious clean energy goals.
Months after the commission went back to the drawing board, the newly released proposal avoids charging solar users a monthly fee but does gradually reduce payments solar owners receive for selling their excess power to the grid over five years."
‘Decades-long campaign of deception’: California AG Rob Bonta sues 3M, DuPont over toxic chemical exposure
The Chronicle, BOB EGELKO: "Attorney General Rob Bonta accused 3M, DuPont and other major manufacturers Thursday of polluting California’s environment and deceiving and endangering its people for decades by making and distributing chemicals now found in most of the state’s waterways — and in the blood of 98% of its residents — that can cause cancer, infertility and diabetes.
Thousands of substances called per- and polyfluoroalkyl, or PFAS, are contained in food packages, cookware, clothing, paints, cleaning products and foam used to fight fires.
The federal and state governments have regulated their use but have not banned them, though President Biden has discussed further regulation, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed classifying two of the chemicals, PFOS and PFOA, as hazardous substances. California health officials require those two chemicals to contain labels warning of possible cancer and reproductive harm."
California union alleges state illegally outsourced work in lawsuits against video game makers
Sac Bee, WES VENTEICHER: "The California state attorneys’ union filed a lawsuit Thursday objecting to a state department’s hiring of outside lawyers in high-profile cases against video game companies Riot Games and Activision Blizzard.
The state agency formerly known as the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which in July became the Civil Rights Department, claimed it needed to hire outside firms due to conflicts of interest in both cases over the last four years, according to documents filed with Thursday’s lawsuit.
California Attorneys, Administrative Law Judges and Hearing Officers in State Employment argued those claims were unsupported. Its president, Tim O’Connor, said the department’s actions could open the door to rampant outsourcing of union-covered state jobs if left unchallenged."
Daughter of Vietnamese refugees to become San Bernardino’s first Asian American mayor
LAT, GRACE TOOHEY: "In an election cycle full of historic firsts, San Bernardino voters overwhelmingly came out in support of Helen Tran, who is set to become the city’s first Asian American mayor.
The daughter of Vietnamese refugees, Tran, 40, is also poised to take office as San Bernardino’s third female mayor.
“For me to be able to become the first, that’s huge,” Tran said. “It’s going to amplify the diversity [in City Hall] even further. ... This entire council looks like all of us. It’s beautiful.”"
S.F. Election: Many results uncertain after only 10,000 additional votes counted in 2 days
The Chronicle, STAFF: "San Francisco released its latest batch of elections results Thursday at 4 p.m., as city residents await the outcome of several critical races and ballot measures, including the District Four supervisor race in San Francisco.
Follow the returns live with our San Francisco Election Results page, which not only tracks vote breakdown by neighborhood, but also shows how ranked-choice votes got distributed.
More than 100,000 ballots remained uncounted as of Wednesday.
Dead candidate holds narrow lead in city attorney race, California officials say
Sac Bee, DON SWEENEY: "Simon Silva holds a 149-vote lead in the race to become Chula Vista’s next city attorney, California vote tallies show as of Nov. 10. But he won’t be taking office if he ends up winning.
Silva died in September, after the deadline to revise ballots for the Tuesday, Nov. 8, election, KNSD reported.
While thousands of votes remain to be counted in the race, Chula Vista officials already have a plan if Silva wins."
San Francisco Election Results and Maps 2022
The Chronicle, STAFF: "Live election results for San Francisco school board, propositions, district attorney and other races, including vote breakdown by district.
Many races and ballot measures remain up in the air after San Francisco released less than 10,000 votes in two days.
The S.F. Department of Elections is currently reporting 167,798 votes out of a possible 497,561 registered voters (34%)."
Measure to lower voting age to 16 is on the ropes in Culver City in early returns
LAT, CONNOR SHEETS: "A youth-driven push for a ballot measure to lower the voting age will likely fall short in Culver City after months of advocacy on both sides.
The ballot initiative, known as Measure VY, would allow Culver City residents as young as 16 to vote in city and school board elections.
No other municipality in the country put such a proposition before voters this election cycle.
As of Thursday evening, the latest numbers from the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk show 4,918 votes against the measure compared with 4,264 votes for it, a ratio of about 54% to 46%."
COVID in California: Cases, hospitalizations rise sharply in state ahead of the holidays
The Chronicle, AIDIN VAZIRI: "It’s all a question of perspective. The World Health Organization noted Wednesday that COVID deaths have fallen by 90% this year.
But 9,400 people per week are still dying, which the global agency says is “too many for a disease that can be prevented and treated.” State officials anticipating a winter rise in cases have issued a public service video urging voluntary steps to minimize risk.
And CDC director Rochelle Walensky has reappeared in public after taking Paxlovid and suffering a rebound infection, raising questions about whether the agency’s five-day isolation guidelines for COVID patients are sufficient to protect others.
Jury finds L.A. skyscraper developer paid Jose Huizar more than $1 million in bribes
LAT, MICHAEL FINNEGAN: "Jose Huizar developed a curious habit as a Los Angeles city councilman: He would give stacks of $100 bills to his wife, mother or brother. They in turn would write him checks or pay his bills.
The three of them confirmed Huizar’s suspected money laundering in testimony before a federal jury over the last week. Salvador Huizar recalled asking his younger brother why he needed the checks, telling jurors the councilman told him that it was “better for me not to know.”
The poignant spectacle of three family members testifying against Jose Huizar came at the trial of development company Shen Zhen New World I. It was convicted Thursday of paying Huizar more than $1 million in bribes to win his support for a proposed skyscraper in downtown L.A."
Growing numbers of California high schoolers dual enroll in college courses, but access uneven statewide
EdSource, ASHLEY A SMITH/DANIEL J WILLIS/YUXUAN XIE: "Earning college credit in high school can be a powerful tool for exposing students to universities and helping them get a leg up on tuition and earning a degree. But access to those courses remains uneven across California.
In many areas of the state, Latino and Black students are disproportionately underrepresented in dual enrollment classes, an EdSource analysis shows.
The causes can vary between high schools and colleges but include misconceptions about who should take dual enrollment classes, few instructors, a lack of available courses, and a lack of awareness by students, families and high school counselors about the programs.
Aliha Vega, 18, of Long Beach, was a freshman when she experienced being shut out. She wanted to earn college credit but was denied the opportunity when a counselor concluded she wasn’t ready for college-level work."
Elon Musk orders Twitter employees back to office full time
The Chronicle, ROLNAD LI: "Elon Musk ordered Twitter employees back to the office for 40 hours a week effective Thursday, a sharp reversal for a company that was one of the first to embrace fully remote work after the onset of the pandemic.
“The road ahead is arduous and will require intense work to succeed. We are also changing Twitter policy such that remote work is no longer allowed, unless you have a specific exception,” Musk wrote in his first memo to Twitter staff, which was sent late Wednesday."
L.A. County Sheriff Villanueva still trails Luna as a new round of election results released
LAT, ALENE TCHEKMEDYIAN: "A new round of election results released Thursday show Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva continuing to trail badly against his opponent, Robert Luna, leaving his bid for reelection in jeopardy.
The new ballot count shows Villanueva trailing Luna 42% to 58% with more than 1.4 million ballots tallied.
It is unclear how many ballots are left to be counted and when the tally will be completed."
Deputies will no longer patrol in daylight hours in this Northern California county
Sac Bee, DON SWEENEY: "Daytime patrols by sheriff’s deputies are set to end Nov. 20 in Tehama County in Northern California as officials grapple with a “catastrophic” shortage of deputies.
Officials are negotiating with the California Highway Patrol to respond to daytime emergency calls, Sheriff Dave Hencratt said in a Monday, Nov. 7, news release.
Deputies will continue to patrol and respond to emergencies at night, and also will try to respond to any daytime non-emergency calls, the release said."
San Francisco and the U.S. were solving veteran homelessness until Trump. Can the promise be restored?
The Chronicle, KEVIN FAGAN: "Margie Talavera was a Navy corpsman at the tail end of the Vietnam War. Like many veterans of many wars, she doesn’t enjoy talking about what she experienced, the wounded sailors she patched up — or the alcohol addiction that pursued her into civilian life.
In the decades since her six-year hitch ended in 1979, Talavera became a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey clown, a postal carrier, and more. But the booze and the trauma it no longer masked pitched her into occasional periods of couch surfing until finally, a few years ago, she became someone she fervently did not want to be: a person without a home in San Francisco.
That’s when that time in the Navy as a healing corpsman paid off, and in a way, reached through the years to heal her."
Brittney Griner’s horrible Russian detainment just got worse
The Chronicle, ANN KILLION: "Terrifying.
That’s the only word to describe Brittney Griner’s situation.
On Wednesday, we learned that the American basketball player was transferred last week to a penal colony somewhere in Russia. Her lawyers don’t know exactly where she is. Russian authorities did not notify U.S. diplomats or respond to their queries. The process of relocation can take weeks."
