Biden nominee confirmed by Senate to 9th Circuit is daughter of Mexican farmworkers
The Chronicle, BOB EGELKO: "Ana de Alba, the daughter of immigrant farmworkers who toiled in the fields as a teenager and then represented migrants in court before becoming a judge, was confirmed by the Senate on Monday to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.
The vote was 48-43, mostly along party lines, with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., joining Republicans who opposed de Alba. President Joe Biden nominated her to the court in April to succeed Judge Paul Watford, who resigned to return to private law practice. The 9th Circuit hears appeals from federal courts in nine Western states and has 16 Democratic appointees among its 29 judges."
Supreme Court’s ‘not new’ ethics code largely codifies existing judiciary rules
LA Times, DAVID G. SAVAGE: "The Supreme Court on Monday issued a code of conduct for itself for the first time, but it acknowledged the rules are “not new” and simply restate the principles it says its justices have long followed.
The announcement said the justices hoped the code would “dispel this misunderstanding” that they “regard themselves as unrestricted by any ethics rules.”"
Barbara Lee trails badly in California Senate race. Why she’s ruling out a return to the House
Sacramento Bee, LINDSEY HOLDEN: "U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee is losing her campaign to become California’s next senator, but she’s not willing to give up quite yet.
The Oakland congresswoman remains far behind Los Angeles Rep. Adam Schiff and Orange County Rep. Katie Porter in the lead-up to the March 5 primary, when voters will select two candidates to advance to the November general election."
The use of bill signing messages by California governors
Capitol Weekly, CHRIS MICHELI: "Governors use them? As readers may recall, Article IV, Section 10(a) requires that each bill that is passed by the Legislature “shall be presented to the Governor.” If the Governor signs the bill, then it becomes a statute.
However, if the Governor chooses to veto the bill, the Governor returns the unsigned bill along with objections to the bill (i.e., the explanation for the veto) to the house of origin. Despite no constitutional provision allowing them (or prohibiting them), many California Governors have used “signing messages” to accompany a Governor’s signature on a bill. U.S. Presidents also have long used signing messages."
Newsom veto plays into Hindu nationalist agenda
Capitol Weekly, ISHAQ SYED: "ION – Following decades of activist struggle, California was poised to be the first U.S. state to outlaw caste discrimination, an ancient form of ancestry-based social stratification endemic to South Asia but also unfortunately upheld by diasporic communities in California.
With state legislators voting 31-5 in favor of Senator Aisha Wahab’s SB403, California might have joined the City of Seattle, the City of Fresno, the California State University System, Harvard University, and a host of other institutions in updating existing civil rights legislation to address this oft-overlooked form of discrimination within America’s South Asian communities."
Paul Pelosi testifies that he knew he was in ‘serious danger’ before hammer attack
LA Times, HANNAH WILEY: "Paul Pelosi, husband of former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, offered chilling details in federal court on Monday of the night he was allegedly attacked and bludgeoned with a hammer by a man now on trial for attempted kidnapping and assault.
Paul Pelosi, 83, took the stand on the second day of the federal trial against David DePape, who faces federal charges for attempting to kidnap the Democratic congresswoman and assaulting her husband with the intent to interfere with the lawmaker’s official duties or retaliate against her."
S.F. mayoral candidate’s close friend was charged in corruption probe. Will it undermine his campaign?
The Chronicle, ST. JOHN BARNED-SMITH, J.D. MORRIS: "San Francisco Supervisor Ahsha Safaí surveyed the crowd before him one bright day in 2022 and praised his close friend and business associate, Siavash Tahbazof, the man responsible for the Excelsior’s newest housing development, a 116-unit complex with half of the residences slated for affordable housing.
“No private developer in the history of this city has done 50% affordable units,” Safaí said of the project at 1830 Alemany Blvd. “You will go down in the history of San Francisco for doing something special.”"
PG&E quietly lobbies regulators as state preps vote to raise bills
BANG*Mercury News, GEORGE AVALOS: "During a delay ahead of a state panel’s vote this week that will unleash higher monthly PG&E bills, the utility leviathan quietly lobbied regulators about plans that may enrich shareholders as customers endure higher rates.
The state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is scheduled to make a final decision on Nov. 16 regarding PG&E’s ability to make changes in customers’ bills."
Anderson Dam: Cost to rebuild major reservoir rises to $2.3 billion, tripling from two years ago
BANG*Mercury News, PAUL ROGERS: "The cost to bring Anderson Dam, which holds back the largest reservoir in Santa Clara County, up to modern earthquake standards has increased to $2.3 billion, water officials said Monday. That’s double what was estimated a year ago, triple the price tag from two years ago, and nearly certain to drive water rates higher next year across Silicon Valley.
“It’s very disturbing,” said John Varela, chairman of the Santa Clara Valley Water District, a government agency based in San Jose that owns the dam and is is overseeing the project."
‘Every bit matters’: Six key takeaways from the latest U.S. climate report
LA Times, HAYLEY SMITH, IAN JAMES: "The dire effects of human-caused climate change are worsening and they threaten to bring more extreme heat waves, droughts, floods and wildfires unless urgent actions are taken, scientists warned in a major national report.
The Fifth National Climate Change Assessment, released Tuesday by the White House, reveals the high stakes for Americans as the nation confronts global warming. Efforts to adapt to climate change and curb the burning of fossil fuels have expanded since the last assessment was issued in 2018, the report says, but “without deeper cuts in global net greenhouse gas emissions and accelerated adaptation efforts, severe climate risks to the United States will continue to grow.”"
‘We begged them’: Some Monterey Park shooting survivors feel left out of donations
LA Times, SUMMER LIN: "Lloyd Gock was attending a Lunar New Year celebration at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park in January when Huu Can Tran opened fire, killing 11 people and wounding nine others.
Gock survived by hiding under a table, but saw his friends shot and killed. When the gunfire stopped, blood and bodies littered the dance floor. Since the Jan. 21 massacre, the 67-year-old Alhambra resident has struggled with the psychological trauma, making it difficult for him to focus on work. After returning to his job, he said, his lack of focus made him lose out on “very big” sales contracts for his clothing company, Montana Jeans."
Feds begin arresting protesters who occupied Oakland federal building to demand Gaza cease-fire
The Chronicle, JORDAN PARKER, SARAH RAVANI: "Hundreds of people staged a sit-in Monday at the federal building in Oakland, calling for a cease-fire in Gaza — resulting in arrests nearly four hours after the building was occupied.
Jewish Voice for Peace, an anti-Zionist group that organized the protest, estimated that there were 700 participants and said it was the largest protest of Jewish people in solidarity with Palestinians in state history."
READ MORE -- Laser show lights up S.F.'s Market Street. Protest slogans light up Ferry Building -- The Chronicle, CLARE FONSTEIN
Minimum wage hike for California health workers will cost billions. Workers say they need it
CALMatters, SHREYA AGRAWAL: "Alvin Mauricio Medina works three jobs six days a week to support his family as the sole provider for their Los Angeles household. He’s a certified nursing assistant with a dream to move up to a higher-paying position in health care.
“I’m trying to better myself, I’m trying to move on to being a registered nurse. But here in California, with the low wages that we have, either you work or you’re going to school,” he said."
Rain, wind and snow in the forecast for Northern California ahead of ‘super El Niño’ winter
Sacramento Bee, BRIANNA TAYLOR: "Northern California is bracing for wet and gloomy conditions this week as the first in a series of storms rolls into the region.
Meteorologists are expecting rain, wind and snow to cover the region from early Tuesday morning to at least Saturday afternoon."
San Jose officials urge residents to prepare for incoming rainfall with possible flooding in the months ahead
BANG*Mercury News, GABRIEL GRESCHLER: "As the season’s first intense smattering of rain descends upon the Bay Area Tuesday, San Jose officials are advising residents to keep their curbs free of debris and to call 311 in the event of heavily backed-up storm drains.
The National Weather Service’s latest forecast predicts rain to start around midnight on Tuesday morning, with nearly an inch of water expected to fall on San Jose, a storm that is being described as a “typical winter” system as opposed to the atmospheric rivers that barreled through the region this past winter."
Flu season is hitting the Bay Area earlier than usual. Here’s what to know
The Chronicle, AIDIN VAZIRI: "While COVID-19 infections have stabilized in recent weeks, flu season in California is escalating earlier than anticipated. The state reported its first influenza-related deaths this month, part of a nationwide surge in flu activity.
According to the latest surveillance report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, published Monday, influenza activity — such as hospital visits for respiratory illness that includes fever plus a cough or sore throat — is rising across most parts of the United States, surpassing baseline levels in three regions, including the West Coast."
Community college enrollment plummeted during the pandemic. Here’s one reason why it’s now turning around
CALMatters, ADAM ECHELMAN: "When students started leaving college during the COVID-19 pandemic, California’s community colleges feared losing state funding, which is based partly on enrollment. But now, one group is offering hope: students over the age of 50.
Last year, the state’s 116 community colleges saw an 11% increase in students over the age of 50 compared to the previous year — the highest percentage increase of any age group and just above the rate for students under 20. In contrast, students 20 to 29 continued to leave."
Fight over future of Lowell High School intensifies after new plan circulated
The Chronicle, JILL TUCKER: "Supporters of keeping merit-based admissions at San Francisco’s academically competitive Lowell High School have already started organizing to defeat a proposed change to how students would be admitted there.
The plan is part of a larger potential district revamp of high schools and is likely to continue the controversy and community division that has dogged San Francisco Unified over the past few years."
One of California’s fastest-growing areas may become a city. Charts show how rare that is
The Chronicle, NAMI SUMIDA: "Mountain House, one of the fastest-growing places in California, may soon become a city. Residents are set to vote in March on whether to turn their nearly 30,000-person community in San Joaquin County into an incorporated city with its own local government and city-run services.
If Mountain House voters elect to incorporate, it would be the first time in over a decade that a new California city has formed, as new municipalities have become extremely rare across the state, largely due to the financial challenges of incorporating."
11 of the 25 most expensive U.S. ZIP codes are in the Bay Area. Here’s where
BANG*Mercury News, KATE TALERICO: "The Bay Area, with its million-dollar views and multimillion-dollar enclaves, has kept its status as the most expensive metropolitan area in the United States.
The region’s ZIP codes make up 37 of the top 100 most expensive ZIP codes in the country, according to a new 2023 ranking by real estate data company PropertyShark that examined median home sales prices."
Can California police search my phone during a traffic stop? Here’s what the law says
Sacramento Bee, ANGELA RODRIGUEZ: "The Fourth Amendment protects people from unreasonable searches by government officials.
“The Fourth Amendment, however, is not a guarantee against all searches and seizures, but only those that are deemed unreasonable under the law,” the U.S. Federal Courts website states."
Arson is behind the massive fire that shut down the 10 Freeway, officials say
LA Times, STAFF: "The massive fire that has shut down a crucial section of the 10 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles was caused by arson, officials said Monday as they raced to assess the extent of the damage and determine how long it would take to reopen.
More than 100 columns along the swath of the freeway were damaged — nine or 10 of them severely — Gov. Gavin Newsom said."
READ MORE -- The 1994 earthquake broke the 10 Freeway. How L.A. rebuilt it in record time -- LA Times, STAFF
