California law to keep guns from domestic abusers is under threat
The Chronicle, BOB EGELKO: "A 1993 California gun-control law, banning firearms ownership by anyone who has been found by a judge to pose a threat of violence to a domestic partner, is in jeopardy — along with similar prohibitions in other states — unless the U.S. Supreme Court acts to preserve those laws, says state Attorney General Rob Bonta.
The California law bars possession of guns or ammunition by anyone who has been ordered by a judge not to harm, harass or even contact a spouse, domestic partner, dating partner or household member."
Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s resignation wouldn’t fix the judges issue. Here’s why
The Chronicle, SHIRA STEIN: "Democratic lawmakers are feeling stuck when it comes to Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s extended absence, and experts say that even if she were to resign from the Senate, that probably wouldn’t solve the problem of her empty seat on the Judiciary Committee.
Feinstein’s nine-week absence since contracting the shingles virus has grown increasingly controversial, delaying the confirmation of judges, imperiling the fate of President Biden’s nominee to lead the Labor Department and leading members of her own party to call on her to step down."
Cracks in California labor coalition raise hopes for YIMBY breakthrough on housing bill
CALMatters, BEN CHRISTOPHER: "For nearly a decade, lawmakers hoping to tackle the state’s housing crisis have faced a choice: win the support of the coalition that represents California’s construction unions — or watch those legislative aspirations sputter and die.
The State Building and Construction Trades Council, an umbrella group representing hundreds of thousands of bricklaying, pipefitting, bulldozing and foundation-laying union members across the state, has stood as a formidable political force that even governors have been forced to contend with.
That’s not just because the trades are reliable campaign contributors to California’s ruling Democrats — though they are. It’s also because they turn out motivated members, rarely shy away from a bare-knuckle political fight and reliably present a unified front against bills they aim to quash."
Big changes proposed for state board that investigates doctors
LA Times, PAUL SISSON: "The Medical Board of California may soon get a significant boost to its enforcement powers, but some are already saying that proposed changes do not go far enough.
On a unanimous vote Monday, the state Senate Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development approved a “sunset review” bill that would allow the board to continue operating through 2028, simultaneously expanding its ability to pursue physician discipline statewide.
State Sen. Richard Roth (D-Riverside), the committee’s chair, said the changes were “aimed at ensuring that the medical board has the tools to do the job that we’ve tasked them with and do so efficiently and effectively.”"
CalSavers enforcement, enrollment deadlines fast approaching
Capitol Weekly, SARAH CHUNG: "For some California small businesses that have been procrastinating on getting signed up for the CalSavers Retirement Savings Program, the bill is about to become due.
CalSavers Executive Director Katie Selenski says small businesses not yet in compliance with a state deadline to sponsor retirement plans for their workers will start receiving enforcement notices by the end of this month.
The CalSavers program is an effort to confront projections from the State Treasurer’s office that show a startling number of Californians are financially unprepared for retirement. Under the CalSavers Trust Retirement Savings Act of 2016, that plan can come either via a traditional private sector retirement package (pension, 401k or IRA) or through an IRA through CalSavers."
‘Stay tuned’: California sees northern lights again, and experts say spectacle will repeat
LA Times, GRACE TOOHEY: "It had been only one month since Michael Steinberg had seen the northern lights for the first time — from Northern California, no less — before he heard there might be another opportunity for the rare sighting.
Warnings about another severe geomagnetic storm set off by eruptions on the sun meant that the aurora borealis — the scientific name for the dazzling lights typically seen only near the North Pole — was likely to be visible Sunday night, again from rare southern latitudes, including California.
So Steinberg, a 20-year-old student at Cal State Chico, drove west Sunday evening, away from Chico’s bright lights to try to capture the dazzling sight."
Cloned saltwater creatures hatched from decades-old eggs turn out to be new species
Sac Bee, ASPEN PFLUGHOEFT: "An extinct creature has risen from the dead, well, sort of. The creature — which once swam in salty water in Kazakhstan — was hatched from decades-old eggs, cloned and identified by scientists as a new species.
The discovery came from a group of researchers studying Asian species of Artemia, a type of saltwater crustacean, according to a study published in the Journal of Crustacean Biology.
Artemia, also known as brine shrimp, are a group of crustaceans found in “highly saline inland waters” worldwide, according to Britannica."
Bay Area heat on the way: Temperatures may hit 90 in some communities by mid-week
BANG*Mercury News, AUSTIN TURNER: "Off the heels of an intense winter storm season, the Bay Area’s rapidly-warming spring may offer a peek at summer weather beginning Wednesday, as inland temperatures could reach the 90s in parts of the region.
National Weather Service forecasts showed warm temperatures on Tuesday before the ramp-up toward the 90s Wednesday. On a day which was expected to see relatively low winds, Tuesday’s forecast highs included 81 degrees in San Jose, 67 in downtown San Francisco, 72 in Oakland and 82 in Walnut Creek.
“The main story will be heat (for the rest of the week),” said NWS meteorologist Brooke Bingaman. “Warm and dry weather for the rest of this week, into the weekend.”"
Fears grow as floodwaters threaten to drown this California city and prison complex
LA Times, JESSICA GARRISON, SUSANNE RUST, IAN JAMES: "Just west of this normally dusty prison town, a civic nightmare is unfolding: Tulare Lake, a body of water that did not exist just two months ago, now stretches to the horizon — a vast, murky sea in which the tops of telephone poles can be seen stretching eerily into the distance.
Anxious residents in this Central Valley city of 22,000 know all too well that the only thing keeping this growing lake from inundating their homes and businesses — as well as one of the state’s largest and most crowded prison complexes — is a 14.5-mile-long dirt levee that rises up from sodden earth to the west, south and east.
And that levee, according to city officials and local farmers, could be in big trouble."
Don Lemon says he was fired by CNN without warning. Network blasts ‘inaccurate’ statement
LA Times, MEG JAMES: "Prominent CNN host Don Lemon on Monday announced that he has been fired after 17 years at the cable news network.
“I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN,” Lemon wrote in a statement posted on Twitter. “I am stunned. After 17 years at CNN I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly.”
His departure was swift. Lemon had appeared on “CNN This Morning” earlier in the day."
Before Tucker Carlson was ousted from Fox, his father triggered an S.F. libel scandal
The Chronicle, PETER HARTLAUB: "Tucker Carlson made unexpected news today — ousted by Fox News, just days after the conservative cable station settled a defamation suit filed by Dominion Voting Systems for a reported $787.5 million.
If he’s looking for support, perhaps the former host of “Tucker Carlson Tonight” can lean on his father, a journalist who was enmeshed in his own politics-related libel nightmare more than 50 years ago, repeatedly making the front page of The San Francisco Chronicle."
Commentary: Cable news remains powerful. The reaction to Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon proves it
LA Times, LORRAINE ALI: "Two of the most recognizable faces in U.S. television news fell within minutes of each other, both unceremoniously dropped Monday by the cable networks that once championed them.
Before news of their unrelated dismissals rocked the mediasphere, Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon had little in common save for their positions as high-profile hosts in rival newsrooms. Now, they share the fact that their misogynistic behavior cost them those jobs.
Otherwise, it’s hard to imagine two men more diametrically opposed in their beliefs than the former Fox News star and the former CNN personality. There’s simply not enough room here to unpack the myriad differences — it’d be like trying to explain the Mideast conflict in three easy sentences. But in short, Carlson promoted racist ideology, bogus election-fraud conspiracy and anti-vax propaganda, and he sided with Vladimir Putin regarding Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Lemon did the opposite."
CNBC anchor alleged sexual harassment by NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell, who was ousted Sunday
LA Times, MEG JAMES: "NBCUniversal Chief Executive Jeff Shell’s sudden departure followed an investigation into a sexual harassment complaint made against him by a longtime CNBC correspondent.
The 41-year-old journalist, Hadley Gamble, has been a Middle East correspondent and anchor for the NBCUniversal-owned financial news network for about a decade. Her attorney confirmed Monday that Gamble had filed a harassment complaint against Shell.
In a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, NBCUniversal parent Comcast Corp. acknowledged that it hired outside counsel after the company received a complaint that Shell “engaged in inappropriate conduct with a female employee, including allegations of sexual harassment.”"
California is offering free immigration legal services for community college students
EdSource, ZAIDEE STAVELY: "If you’re a student, staff or faculty member at a California community college, you’re eligible for free legal immigration services.
Since 2019, California has been investing $10 million yearly in a program that provides legal services to help community college students renew their status under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, identify options to apply for permanent residency or for permanent residents to apply for naturalization, among other services.
Anyone affiliated with any community college campus can sign up online for a consultation with an attorney or paralegal. Most campuses offer either in-person or online consultations, while some more remote campuses only offer online appointments."
Newsom enlists CHP, National Guard to help San Francisco tackle fentanyl crisis
LA Times, SALVADOR HERNANDEZ: "Gov. Gavin Newsom is calling on the California National Guard and the California Highway Patrol to help San Francisco police and prosecutors fight the fentanyl crisis facing the city.
The new partnership is meant to target traffickers, dismantle the supply of fentanyl into the city and address drug-related crime, the governor’s office announced Friday.
“We are providing more law resources and personnel to crack down on crime linked to the fentanyl crisis, holding the poison peddlers accountable, and increasing law enforcement presence to improve public safety and public confidence in San Francisco,” Newsom said in a statement."
Leaked Memo Suggests Apple Is Working on Its Most Invasive Product Yet
The Street, MICHAEL TEDDER: "A reported software update might keep track of information you'd rather it didn't.
According to leaked reports, Apple is pushing further into the mental health world. But its most recent foray might end up making people anxious instead.
Apple is reportedly working on a journaling app, codenamed “Jurassic,” which reportedly will be part of this autumn’s upcoming iOS 17 software update."
Protests, lawsuits and a dead rat: A wealthy California city’s epic fight to block growth
LA Times, JACK FLEMMING: "The last group that tried to build multifamily housing in La Cañada Flintridge received a dead rat in the mail.
The package’s message couldn’t have been clearer, echoing the words that a former city planning commissioner said at a public hearing in 2013: “We like the way it is now.”
Tucked in a verdant crook of the Verdugo and San Gabriel mountains, the city is a peaceful refuge from the bustle of Los Angeles, an affluent bastion of beautiful single-family homes on large, leafy lots."
Bay Area home prices spike 17% as sellers pull back
BANG*Mercury News, ETHAN VARIAN: "The busy spring home-buying season has arrived in the Bay Area — but sellers aren’t cooperating.
As the weather warms and more buyers scour Zillow for new listings, they’re finding a shortage of homes for sale. That’s ramping up competition for well-kept properties in family-friendly neighborhoods, boosting the region’s median home price by 17% to $1.23 million between February and March.
“For the right house, there’s definitely a lot of buyers,” said William Wu, 36, who along with his wife and two young children were at a crowded open house for a white four-bedroom home in the Burlingame hills with panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay. It’s estimated value is $2.5 million."
Vehicle encampment stretching 2 miles long has come to symbolize Marin’s affordability crisis
The Chronicle, ANNIE VAINSHTEIN: "On a frontage road along Highway 101 in northern Marin County, a line of RVs, trucks and trailers stretches for nearly 2 miles — a critical mass of unhoused residents that ballooned during the pandemic.
A few RVs have always dotted Binford Road on the outskirts of Novato, but the number soared to at least 135 in recent years, fueled by acute housing insecurity and loss of income, officials say.
The county’s largest vehicle encampment is now the focus of a renewed effort to find permanent housing for the dozens of residents who call Binford Road home."
‘There are no people here’: S.F.’s $2.2 billion transit center remains an empty cavern
The Chronicle, CAROLYN SAID: "Two distinct realities — vibrant activity and eerie emptiness — are juxtaposed at Transbay transit center, the three-block-long behemoth cloaked in curvaceous white steel located south of Mission Street, running from Beale Street to just shy of Second Street."
California injects nearly $50M to complete San Jose transit project funding
BANG*Mercury News, GABRIEL GRESCHLER: "A long-awaited East San Jose transit extension is finally closer to happening after local and state officials announced Monday that the last slice of funding for the $530 million plan has been secured.
California’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program will inject $46 million into a project set to extend the Valley Transportation Agency’s orange line light rail service along a 2.4-mile stretch between Alum Rock and Eastridge Transit Centers — an underserved part of the wider South Bay transit infrastructure, and an area where many of the city’s working-class residents reside.
The extension will include an elevated guideway with a new station in between the two transit centers on Story Road running southeast above Capitol Expressway alongside Lake Cunningham and Reid-Hillview Airport."
Arrest warrant issued for Oakland police homicide detective
The Chronicle, STAFF: "An arrest warrant was issued Monday for an Oakland homicide detective who is wanted on charges of lying under oath, threatening witnesses and bribing witnesses, according to police and a copy of the warrant.
A copy of the warrant was posted by KTVU and shows multiple charges against OPD officer Phong Tran. According to Oaklandside, Tran was temporarily placed on leave last year following allegations that he paid a witness thousands of dollars to lie in the murder trial of two men. The Alameda County District Attorney's Office dropped charges against the two defendants after Tran admitted paying the woman, Oaklandside reported."
