The Chronicle, SOPHIA BOLLAG: "Gov. Gavin Newsom is pushing forward with his effort to organize a convention to add a gun control amendment to the U.S. Constitution, despite concerns raised by some fellow Democrats that such a move could have unintended consequences.
Newsom wants to raise the age to buy a gun in the U.S. to 21, mandate background checks for firearms buyers, impose a waiting period for gun purchases and ban assault weapons nationwide. To do it, Newsom wants to call the first constitutional convention since the Constitution was adopted in 1789, which would be triggered if two-thirds of state legislatures call for one."
BANG*Mercury News, JOHN WOOLFOLK: "Firearm deaths have fallen sharply in California over the last 30 years compared with the rest of the country, a new state Department of Justice study has found, but rates vary dramatically across counties in the Bay Area and throughout the state.
The Golden State had the third-highest firearm-homicide rate in the country 30 years ago, 50% above the national average, but now has a rate 33% below the rest of the country, according to the first report of DOJ’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention, released Tuesday."
CALMatters, KRISTREN HWANG: "In a major about-face, Gov. Gavin Newsom gave ground this week on his signature mental health plan, aiming to appease critics who have argued his overhaul would starve youth services and other county-run programs of millions of dollars of tax revenue.
The proposal is the second time in as many years that Newsom has advocated for significant changes to the state’s behavioral health system, following the passage of last year’s controversial CARE Court law. This year’s proposal aims to update the Mental Health Services Act, a 20-year-old ballot initiative that has raised billions of dollars per year for mental health programs through a tax on high incomes. The tax funds nearly one-third of the state’s mental health infrastructure and raised $4.8 billion last year."
The Chronicle, MATTHIAS GAFNI: "Dominga Advincula grabbed her keys and bag and was about to head to her resort job around 6:45 a.m. on Aug. 8 when she heard a loud boom.
She walked outside into the blustery wind that had already cut power to her neighborhood at the top of Lahainaluna Road, east of downtown Lahaina. That’s when, she said, she spotted the source of the explosion — a blown transformer now raining sparks onto the dry Lahaina hillside."
CALMatters, NICOLE FOY: "Undocumented Californians affected by winter storms and floods are slowly starting to receive money from a special relief program the state launched for them two months ago.
In June, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced it plans to spend $95 million from the state’s Rapid Response Fund to help thousands of flood victims recover from storm damage and financial setbacks. The beneficiaries would be immigrants who don’t qualify for federal emergency assistance or state unemployment insurance because they are undocumented."
Sac Bee, JOE RUBIN, ARI PLACHTA: "At first glance, a September 2019 meeting before the California Public Utilities Commission in Los Angeles looked like democracy in action. Speakers lined up before the state’s powerful utility regulator to debate the merits of natural gas.
One by one, climate activists supported powering buildings with zero-emission appliances running on clean electricity. Burning gas in homes and businesses currently emits a quarter of the state’s carbon pollution that is worsening climate change."
The Chronicle, ALDO TOLEDO: "Dean Preston, the most progressive member of the Board of Supervisors, is officially running for reelection to represent the recently redrawn District 5 in a bid to continue advocating for his top priorities: tena
nts’ rights, affordable housing and reining in the power of the city’s police department.
Preston plans to sign official campaign paperwork for the November 2024 election at City Hall Thursday after a noon rally where he’ll be joined by political allies including former mayor Art Agnos, several labor unions and the Democratic Socialists of America. But he’ll have to contend with an opposition campaign that’s apparently already raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to oust him and a potential opponent in the Tenderloin, the most troubled section of his district."
The Chronicle, CAROLYN SAID: "Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 90, alleges in a blockbuster lawsuit that trustees of her late husband’s estate are committing financial elder abuse by withholding disbursements to which she is entitled, a claim they deny.
While her case involves millions of dollars, a complex estate and a renowned individual — and it is a civil, not a criminal matter — it shares something in common with one of the fastest-growing crimes in America."
EdSource, KAREN D'SOUZA: "Against a backdrop of plummeting test scores and grim pandemic learning loss, the science of reading has been gaining traction, but literacy experts warn there are myriad challenges ahead. Solving the literacy crisis will require far more than just teaching more phonics.
Many states and cities are embracing the idea that reading should be taught in a way that reflects what we know about the brain, and how it connects letters with sounds when learning to read. This understanding is at the core of the science of reading, an approach backed by decades of exhaustive scientific research. New York City now mandates research-based curriculums. And while California has not adopted a statewide reading curriculum, its reading guidance to districts supports the science of reading, and the state will be adopting universal dyslexia screening by 2025."
Sac Bee, MATHEW MIRANDA: "Many of the Latin American migrants who arrived in Sacramento via Florida-chartered planes could soon be responsible for paying rent while they still cannot legally work.
A form given to 31 of the migrants on July 27 by Sacramento ACT, a faith-based community organization, was recently shared with The Sacramento Bee. The document states in Spanish that housing for the migrants can only be guaranteed until Sept. 30, noting that the organization will try to push for an additional two to three months."
The Chronicle, ADRIANA REZAL: "San Francisco’s population is already graying, and a new state forecast projects that the city could become the California county with the greatest share of very elderly residents by 2060.
The population forecast from the state’s Department of Finance shows that San Francisco’s population of seniors aged 80 or older is expected to triple in the next four decades, going from 48,000 in 2020 to nearly 137,000 by 2060. At the same time, the city's overall population is expected to decline from about 870,000 people in 2020 to 845,000 in 2060."
CALMatters, LYNN LA: "The California Chamber of Commerce has its annual “job killer” list, with a track record of spiking bills that is the envy of other industry groups. By its count, only 58 of the 824 bills labeled “job killers” between 1997 and 2022 made it into law without at least significant changes it wanted.
Similarly, California homebuilders have their own list of housing bills they oppose, though it’s lesser known and shorter-lived."
Sac Bee, ANDREW SHEELER: "California legislative Republicans and anti-tax activists came to the Capitol steps Wednesday morning to decry ACA 1, a proposed constitutional amendment that they argue is an end run around Proposition 13, the 1978 ballot measure that limits governments’ ability to raise property taxes.
Jon Coupal, of the conservative Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, called the amendment “a direct attack on Proposition 13.”
Will a long-delayed Whole Foods reenergize this S.F. neighborhood?
The Chronicle, DANIELLE ECHEVERRIA: "When April Sack opened up a natural wine shop and bar at Geary and Masonic in 2015, she thought she was getting in early in a San Francisco neighborhood about to come to life.
“When we moved into the space, there were a lot of plans for development in the neighborhood,” she said."
Big San Jose affordable housing development edges closer to reality
BANG*Mercury News, GEORGE AVALOS: "A big affordable housing development in San Jose has edged closer to reality with an environmental approval that clears the way for the city to land federal funds for the project.
The project, which would contain nearly 100 apartments, would replace fire-scarred homes and a former restaurant that’s now closed."
San Francisco asks California regulators to halt approval of expanded robotaxi service
The Chronicle, RICARDO CANO: "San Francisco asked California regulators to halt its approval of Cruise and Waymo’s unrestricted commercial expansion in the city Wednesday, arguing it “will suffer serious harm” as the companies extend driverless taxi service to daytime hours.
The administrative motions City Attorney David Chiu filed with the California Public Utilities Commission come less than a week since the commission voted to allow Cruise and Waymo to charge for driverless rides in San Francisco at all hours."
S.F.'s most troubled streets are getting transformed. Here's how
The Chronicle, CAROLYN SAID: "The wall bordering the Phoenix Hotel parking lot on San Francisco’s Larkin Street is a dismal sight: graffitied concrete topped by a rusty chain link fence. Throughout the day and night, people crouch on the concrete ledge while they sell or use drugs and stash contraband inside the chain link, said Isabel Manchester, managing partner of the Phoenix Hotel and attached Chambers restaurant.
Now, the wall is undergoing a transformation, brought about by a new project called Adopt-A-Block, which is an initiative of another new project, the nonprofit Civic Joy Fund."
San Jose came in where? U.S. News and World Report ranks top places to raise a family
BANG*Mercury News, ETHAN VARIAN: "Even as many Silicon Valley residents pack up and leave for more affordable places like Phoenix, Las Vegas and even Seattle, U.S. News and World Report has ranked San Jose the second best area of the country in which to raise a family.
The news publication, known for its voluminous rankings and lists, looked at factors including cost of living, average salary, quality of high school education and crime rates to determine the most desirable metro areas for families looking to relocate."
California police body camera footage can’t take the place of witness testimony, court rules
CALMatters, NIGEL DUARA: "When a woman refused to testify against a man accused of assaulting her, a Los Angeles County judge used the accusations she made the night of the incident that were recorded on a police officer’s body camera.
This week, the California Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the judge erred by using the body camera footage to stand in for the woman’s testimony. Doing so, the court ruled, denied the accused man a chance to confront his accuser in court."
San Jose mayor blasts Pink Poodle strip club firefighter probe
BANG*Mercury News, GABRIEL GRESCHLER: "In his first public remarks since the release of the investigative report on the infamous incident involving the San Jose firefighters who dropped off a bikini-clad woman at the Pink Poodle strip club in October, Mayor Matt Mahan said he was “disappointed” and “concerned” by the contents of the internal probe and how it was conducted.
Under court order after a lawsuit from this news organization, the city released 100 pages of documents about the Oct. 5 scandal last week, revealing that Fire Captain William Tognozzi was picking up a flash drive at the strip club that contained pictures of his colleagues taken by a Pink Poodle employee."
