Tik Tok ban wouldn’t draw likes from many California pols
Capitol Weekly, BRIAN JOSEPH: "The Chinese-owned social media app TikTok is under fire from policymakers coast to coast, with legislatures in 30 states banning it from government-owned devices; the popular video-sharing app was also recently banned from devices managed by the U.S. House of Representatives.
California lawmakers could be among the next to ban app, after Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, and Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez, R-Temecula, both introduced bills in mid-January to block access to TikTok.
That would not sit well with some of the app’s most prolific users in California government."
Gunman dead after killing 3 and injuring 5 at Michigan State University
AP, JOEY CAPPELLETTI/KEN KUSMER: "A gunman opened fire Monday night at Michigan State University, killing three people and wounding five more, before fatally shooting himself miles away amid an hours-long manhunt that forced frightened students to hide in the dark.
Police announced the man’s death early Tuesday, four hours after shootings broke out, first at Berkey Hall, an academic building, and then nearby at the MSU Union, a popular hub to eat or study.
“This truly has been a nightmare we’re living tonight,” said Chris Rozman, interim deputy chief of the campus police department."
Police name gunman who killed 3 at Michigan State University
AP: "Police said Tuesday that the gunman who killed himself hours after fatally shooting three students at Michigan State University was 43-year-old Anthony McRae.
Police also say five people who are in critical condition Tuesday are also students.
The shooting began Monday night at an academic building and later moved to the nearby student union, a popular gathering spot for students to eat or study."
After mass shooting, new Bay Area task force to crack down on unpermitted farmworker housing
BANG*Mercury News, MARISA KENDALL: "San Mateo County has created a new task force to crack down on subpar farmworker housing, a response to a mass shooting at two Half Moon Bay mushroom farms that cast a national spotlight on workers living in leaky shacks and shipping containers without usable kitchens or bathrooms.
The county announced the new task force Monday, and said it would be dedicated to finding farms that operate workforce housing without the proper permits. Officials have admitted they don’t know how many such operations may exist, though a 2017 census counted 241 total farms in the county.
“We understand many farmers and ranchers in the county are doing things the right way, providing legally permitted farmworker housing,” County Supervisor Ray Mueller said in a news release. “But the goal must be 100% compliance, to find those living in the shadows, who need help. This work will ensure that every farmworker is living in a safe, healthy, and legally permitted home.”"
Former California official is a strong contender to become Biden’s next labor secretary
Sac Bee, DAVID LIGHTMAN: "Julie Su, the former California labor official who led the state’s embattled unemployment agency during the COVID-19 pandemic, is being pushed hard by Asian American activists to become the next U.S. Secretary of Labor.
Su is now deputy secretary. Current Secretary Marty Walsh is expected to leave the job soon.
“She is pre-eminently qualified,” said Gregg Orton, national director of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, told The Bee."
S.F. D.A. Jenkins seeks exceptions to sanctuary city law for two men accused of 'unspeakable crimes'
The Chronicle, RACHEL SWAN: "San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins is seeking permission from the Board of Supervisors to cooperate with federal immigration authorities in what she says is an extraordinary situation: She’s determined to bring two men accused of violent crimes to justice, after locating them abroad.
The two suspects, who have not been named, present a critical test for San Francisco’s sanctuary city law, which bars city officials from assisting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In both cases, Jenkins said the Department of Homeland Security refused to extradite the men unless San Francisco agrees to bypass its cornerstone immigration policy and notify the department if the men are released from jail."
The View from Los Angeles, with Robb Korinke
Capitol Weekly, STAFF: "Los Angeles is never short of political news, and between the mayor’s race and the fallout from the leaked recording of city council members, the past few months have been particularly newsworthy. We checked in with Robb Korinke, a principal, along with Mike Madrid, at GrassrootsLab, and the publisher of several newsletters on California local governments. He gave us an update on how the Bass administration is settling in, a look at the city council, and the ‘personalization’ of local politics.
Plus, we look at the “George Santos of Downey” for our Worst Week segment."
Will California gasoline prices top $5 soon? Here’s what you can expect, experts say
Sac Bee, DAVID LIGHTMAN: "Get ready for $5 a gallon gasoline in California, probably as soon as next month.
That’s what experts are forecasting, as refinery shutdowns, increased demand and a return to more expensive warm weather blend gasoline help push prices higher.
An average gallon of regular gasoline in California Monday was $4.65, up 23 cents from a month ago. The Sacramento area’s average Monday was $4.56, up 28 cents from a month ago."
‘A slap in the face’: Financial support for displaced California oil workers could expire
Sac Bee, MAGGIE ANGST: "A pair of pilot programs launched last year to financially support and retrain thousands of oil industry workers at risk of losing their jobs due to the state’s climate policies are not slated for any new investments in the coming fiscal year.
California’s 2022-23 budget established a $40 million workforce displacement fund and a $20 million pilot program for training displaced oil and gas workers in Kern and Los Angeles counties to help cap abandoned wells.
However, Newsom’s budget proposal for the fiscal year that begins July 1 does not provide any new funding for the programs, meaning that they could expire when the money dries up. The state can allocate the initial program funding through the 2024-25 fiscal year, and officials are in the process of releasing $6 million for the capping training program. The rest has not yet been allocated."
An asteroid will just miss us in 2029. Scientists are making the most of a rare opportunity
The Chronicle, CORINNE PURTILL: "To be clear: The asteroid is not going to hit us.
There was a while there when it seemed like it could. Suffice to say those were heady days in the asteroid-tracking community. But as of March 2021, NASA has confirmed that there is absolutely zero chance the space rock known as 99942 Apophis will strike this planet for at least 100 years. So, phew. Cross that particular doomsday scenario off the list.
What remains true, however, is that on Friday, April 13, 2029, an asteroid wider than three football fields will pass closer to Earth than anything its size has come in recorded history."
Will California see super blooms in 2023? Here’s everything to know about wildflower season
The Chronicle, JESSICA FLORES: "Wildflowers have already started to blossom this year in California, with state park officials “cautiously optimistic” about the prospects for lush super blooms across the state, including the Bay Area – thanks to the abundant rain the state has received so far this winter.
California is known for its super blooms, a rare phenomenon in which a burst of wild blossoms blanket a desert region in especially wet seasons after an extended dry spell, the California Department of Parks and Recreation officials said in a news release last week."
Don’t be fooled by warm Sacramento temps. Here’s when cold and rain will return
Sac Bee, HANH TRUONG: "You might call it “Fool’s Spring.”
Despite the brief bout of sun and 70-degree temperatures Sunday, similar to what you’d see in the springtime, cooler weather and rain are expected to return to Sacramento — a reminder that it’s still winter.
National Weather Service meteorologist Hannah Chandler-Cooley said that this is normal and is something that happens most years."
What a ban on a key abortion medication would mean for California
The Chronicle, BOB EGELKO: "If a federal judge in Texas grants conservative groups’ demand to ban a drug used in a majority of all U.S. abortions, his ruling would not prohibit all medication abortions in states like California. But they would become more arduous, and the state’s reproductive care system would face more duress.
Opponents of abortion contend the U.S. Food and Drug Administration failed to consider the dangers of mifepristone and acted too hastily in allowing its use in 2000, four years after its makers had applied for approval."
COVID in California: Virus seen spreading again in S.F. and statewide after 2-month drop
The Chronicle, AIDIN VAZIRI: "State health modeling sees the coronavirus spreading again in California after dropping for two months. House Republicans are looking back -- digging into the pandemic origins and actions by U.S. government officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci. And a sweeping CDC survey finds a troubling increase in sadness and thoughts of suicide among teenage American girls."
California tops 12 million coronavirus cases as XBB.1.5 becomes dominant
The Chronicle, LUKE MONEY: "The total number of coronavirus cases reported in California has topped 12 million.
That milestone — reached last week, according to data compiled by The Times — comes as California is seeing increased circulation of the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5, which has been described as perhaps the most infectious strain of the coronavirus.
But in many respects, the pandemic picture remains relatively rosy, with newly reported infections declining and stabilizing in recent weeks. Hospitalizations have also ticked down to levels not seen since mid-November, indicating less strain on the healthcare system."
Teen girls ‘engulfed’ in sadness, violence and trauma, federal report finds
The Chronicle, AIDIN VAZIRI: "Teenage girls in the United States are experiencing record levels of sadness, violence and suicidal thoughts, intensifying a decline that began before the COVID-19 pandemic and continued through its social upheaval, according to new federal data.
Nearly 3 in 5 girls — about 57% — said they felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2021, marking a 60% increase from a decade ago, according to the latest edition of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey, released Monday. Nearly 1 in 3 said they seriously contemplated attempting suicide. By comparison, 29% of teenage boys reported an increase in feelings of sadness and 14% had considered suicide."
After a year leading Los Angeles Unified, Carvalho faces challenges to improve learning
EdSource, KATE SEQUEIRA: "When Alberto Carvalho became superintendent of Los Angeles Unified last Feb. 14, he promised to close widening academic achievement gaps among students, build community relationships and address enrollment woes.
Now a year in, the leader of the nation’s second-largest public school district has launched a wide range of initiatives that his supporters say show a welcomed focus on student needs in the wake of the pandemic’s learning losses. It is too early to prove success — and some, like the two extra days of optional learning during the recent winter break, were disappointing. But others show promise such as steps the district has taken steps to prevent fentanyl overdoses and reduce absenteeism.
Meanwhile, some parents and local organizations say they wish the superintendent would engage them more as the district moves forward with these new efforts."
A housing shortage is forcing this California university to consider putting dorm rooms on a floating barge
The Chronicle, MICHAEL CABANATUAN: "In an effort to confront a serious student-housing shortage, Cal Poly Humboldt officials are considering creating rooms inside a floating barge anchored in Eureka, about 8 miles from the university’s Arcata campus.
The unusual proposal is in its early stages, but the student-housing shortage at the university is well established, with packed dorms and the university placing some students in hotels."
More than 12,000 Californians are getting cash from guaranteed income experiments
CALMatters, JEANNE KUANG: "Four years after Stockton conducted a nationally-watched experiment, giving 125 households $500 a month with no strings attached, dozens of programs throughout California are testing the idea of a guaranteed income.
CalMatters identified more than 40 similar pilot programs that have run, are operating or are planning to launch around the state. They are sending certain groups of low-income people regular, unrestricted cash payments ranging from $300 to $1,800 a month for periods of six months to three years, depending on the program.
In all, the programs represent the largest modern U.S. experiment in unrestricted cash payments, with more than 12,000 Californians expected to receive more than $180 million in public and private funds. Nowhere else have so many guaranteed income pilot programs launched at the same pace."
With a guaranteed income, you can buy precious time with your family, say California parents
CALMatters, JEANNE KUANG: "Before the pandemic, Claudia Gutierrez worked day shifts in one fast food drive-thru and night shifts in another, never making more than the minimum wage.
The coronavirus cut those hours in half.
Gutierrez, 51, lives with her two teenagers, an adult daughter, her daughter’s boyfriend and their 8-year-old child in an apartment in south Los Angeles. Her daughter and daughter’s boyfriend also worked in restaurants."
Google reassesses timeline for sweeping downtown San Jose transit village
BANG*Mercury News, GEORGE AVALOS: "On the heels of moves to cut jobs and slash office space, Google said Monday it is reassessing the timeline for its highly anticipated San Jose transit village, a shift that could have a major impact on the city’s beleaguered downtown.
The company offered no specifics about the future of Downtown West, a planned transit-oriented neighborhood surrounding Diridon Station and SAP Center that would consist of office buildings, homes, shops and restaurants and could employ up to 25,000 people. In recent weeks, Google had indicated it was pushing ahead with the development and would break ground by the end of the year, following significant demolition in recent months.
Now the company is saying only that it remains committed to the project. “We’re assessing how to best move forward with Downtown West,” Sheela Jivan, Google’s Downtown West Development Director, said Monday in comments the company emailed to this news organization."
Silicon Valley developer ends hunger strike after eight days
BANG*Mercury News, MARISA KENDALL: "After a dramatic eight-day hunger strike, developer Navneet Aron has started eating again and is hoping to resume construction this week on a Sunnyvale project that was stalled due to a permitting snafu.
Aron, founder and CEO of Aron Developers, camped out at City Hall earlier this month, vowing to refuse food “until death” unless the city let him resume work on 18 townhomes his crew is building on North Fair Oaks Avenue. He was protesting what he describe as an unnecessary bureaucratic delay that he said could cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars, force him to lay off workers and maybe even tank the project.
Though it’s unclear if the strike played a role, city and county officials appear to be moving forward on the paperwork that would allow Aron’s project to proceed. They haven’t promised he’ll be given the green-light to resume construction this week, but Aron is optimistic that he’ll be able to pay his workers and finish his project."
California law forces new housing in cities short of state goals. Will it be made permanent?
Sac Bee, LINDSEY HOLDEN: "For more than five years, a California law has allowed residential developers to circumvent local approval processes in cities that haven’t met state housing goals.
Senate Bill 35, authored by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2017, was part of a 15-bill housing package meant to stimulate construction in a state where it is sorely needed. On Monday, Weiner will introduce a measure making it permanent.
It requires local governments that haven’t met their state Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) goals to approve multifamily complexes that satisfy zoning and planning standards."
‘We are short millions of homes:’ New bill would extend controversial California homebuilding law
BANG*Mercury News, MARISA KENDALL: "Hoping to build on an effort to get much-needed affordable housing approved across California, Sen. Scott Wiener on Monday announced plans to expand a contentious state law that forces cities to approve certain projects.
Senate Bill 35 — one of Wiener’s signature achievements — shook up the state’s building process when it was passed in 2017, and sparked intense pushback from some city leaders and residents who contended it gave Sacramento too much control over what kind of housing is allowed in their neighborhoods.
But it also helped thousands of new homes make it through an approval and permitting process that can otherwise be so difficult that projects are stymied. Now, Wiener wants to make the changes permanent by removing the sunset provision on SB 35, which is set to expire in 2025. He’s also proposing changes that would expand the law’s reach."
S.F. could kill plan for tiny homes for homeless due to ‘overwhelming’ backlash, ‘absurd’ costs
The Chronicle, TRISHA THADANI: "Nearly everyone in City Hall agrees: San Francisco desperately needs more shelter and housing for the homeless. But familiar hurdles — a barrage of complaints from neighbors and eye-popping costs — are threatening to derail an innovative proposal to get more people off the streets in the Mission District.
Supervisor Hillary Ronen, who originally championed the idea of transforming a blighted parking lot at 1979 Mission St. into a village of 70 tiny cabins, said plans are now on hold after “overwhelming opposition” from some members of the community and her own skepticism about whether the village will improve the conditions in the neighborhood."
United jet plunges to 775 feet over ocean after Hawaii takeoff, flight data shows
Sac Bee, DON SWEENEY: "A United Airlines jet plunged hundreds of feet shortly after taking off from a Hawaii airport on Dec. 18, flight data shows.
The 777 fell from 2,200 feet to 775 feet above sea level after taking off from Kahului Airport in Maui at 2:49 p.m., Flight Radar reported. It regained the lost altitude in under a minute.
The rest of the flight to San Francisco was uneventful, the site reported."
Mystery aerial objects raise questions about national security threat
LA Times, TRACY WILKINSON/COURTNEY SUBRAMANIAN: "As U.S. Navy divers and salvage crews plucked pieces of downed aerial objects from the Arctic Sea to the kinder waters off South Carolina, the Biden administration on Monday was racing to learn what the latest mystery vessels were and who launched them.
U.S. fighter jets shot down three unmanned aircraft over the last few days: one near Alaska’s remote frigid northern coastline on Friday, another over Canada’s Yukon region on Saturday and a third over Lake Huron off Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on Sunday.
Pentagon and State Department officials say they are confident that the balloon downed on Feb. 4 off the Atlantic Ocean coast — after it traversed the U.S. for 96 hours and had Americans on high alert and looking skyward — was part of a vast Chinese spy project."
Nikki Haley announces presidential campaign, challenging Trump
AP, MEG KINNARD: "Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador, announced her candidacy for president Tuesday, becoming the first major challenger to former President Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination.
The announcement, delivered in a video, marks an about-face for the ex-Trump Cabinet official, who said two years ago that she wouldn’t challenge her former boss for the White House. But she changed her mind in recent months, citing, among other things, the country’s economic troubles and the need for “generational change,” a nod to the 76-year-old Trump’s age.
“You should know this about me: I don’t put up with bullies. And when you kick back, it hurts them more if you’re wearing heels,” Haley said. “I’m Nikki Haley, and I’m running for president.”"
