It’s now up to a judge whether Trump attorney John Eastman can keep his California law license
The Chronicle, BOB EGELKO: "The trial on whether to disbar Donald Trump’s attorney John Eastman as a lawyer in California has ended with accusations by a State Bar prosecutor that Eastman conspired with Trump “to illegally disrupt the peaceful transfer of power to President-elect Joseph Biden” in 2021. But Eastman’s lawyer argued that the only lawbreaking was by states’ election officials who ignored evidence that the 2020 election had been stolen.
Eastman “had a First Amendment right to speak out about election fraud,” and punishing him would have “a chilling effect on legal advocacy for decades to come,” attorney Randall A. Miller wrote in final arguments Friday to the State Bar Court’s judge, Yvette Roland, who presided over the 35-day trial."
The death of the American Dream? (PODCAST)
Capitol Weekly, STAFF: "A new survey from the Public Policy Institute of California finds that many Californians no longer believe the American Dream holds true, or believe that the dream is harder to achieve in California than in other states. We’re joined by Dean Bonner, associate survey director and research fellow at PPIC, to talk about the results of the survey, how they compare to earlier iterations, and about the survey process itself. And, as always, we tell you Who Had the Worst Week in California Politics."
Researching the legislative history of an enacted California statute
Capitol Weekly, CHRIS MICHELI: "For those who need to research the legislative history of a bill that was enacted into law in the State of California, there are a number of options to use. This article briefly describes some of those avenues for the reader to pursue.
Be sure you are generally familiar with how bills are enacted in California."
California EDD lets go of Bank of America for unemploy
The Chronicle, CAROLYN SAID: "California’s Employment Development Department has selected a new contractor to pay unemployment and other benefits starting Feb. 15. The new vendor, Money Network, replaces Bank of America, which drew criticism during the pandemic for sometimes blocking payments to legitimate recipients.
Money Network, owned by tech-finance giant Fiserv, will operate similarly to Bank of America, putting recipients’ benefits on prepaid debit cards. But in a long-sought change, starting this spring, it will also offer direct deposits to laid-off workers’ bank accounts — a feature that almost every other state already has."
Breed OKs midyear cuts and warns of much more budget pain to come
The Chronicle, J.D. MORRIS: "Mayor London Breed has approved $75 million in midyear budget cuts and other cost savings as she seeks to rein in San Francisco’s government spending while the city’s economic recovery from the pandemic continues to flounder.
Breed announced the figure in a letter to her department heads Friday, following up on her October directive for her administration to propose spending reductions of at least 3% from the city’s general fund. San Francisco has an annual budget of about $14.6 billion."
Ex-Santa Clara city manager Deanna Santana alleges city didn’t pay out full six-figure severance package
BANG*Mercury News, GRACE HASE: "Former city manager Deanna Santana, the once second-highest paid city manager in the state, has filed a claim against the city, accusing officials of not paying out her entire six-figure severance package and “clawing back” some of her owed benefits.
Santana was hired in 2017 and then fired in February 2022 by the Santa Clara City Council, with a majority of councilmembers expressing a “lack of confidence” in her ability to do her job. As part of her contract, Santana opted to receive her severance package — a year’s salary and benefits — over the span of 12 months instead of in one lump sum."
Cruise withheld damning details from state about October S.F. robotaxi crash, CPUC alleges
The Chronicle, RICARD CANO: "The California Public Utilities Commission alleges that Cruise withheld details of the Oct. 2 crash in San Francisco involving one of its robotaxis, then misled the public about its cooperation with regulators after news of its California suspension became public.
The CPUC, which regulates commercial robotaxi service in the state, included the allegations in a Dec. 1 ruling ordering Cruise to appear at a Feb. 6 evidentiary hearing to respond to the commission’s claims."
Supreme Court leans in favor of Purdue Pharma deal with $6 billion from Sacklers
LA Times, DAVID G. SAVAGE: "The Supreme Court justices sounded Monday as if they will uphold a huge bankruptcy deal that includes $6 billion from the Sackler family to help the nation and tens of thousands of victims recover from the opioid crisis.
Most of the justices said the deal looked to be the best possible outcome, even though it gave the Sacklers a shield from future lawsuits."
Cal State union stages first of one-day strikes over faculty salaries
CALMatters, MIKHAIL ZINSHTEYN: "As far back as May the faculty at the California State University threatened to strike if management wouldn’t meet their wage and benefit demands.
That prophecy is on full display today as the California Faculty Association has begun the first of four one-day strikes, starting at Cal Poly Pomona."
READ MORE -- Thousands of Cal State faculty walk out in rolling strike, demanding higher pay -- LAM Times, DEBBIE TRUONG
1 in 8 home sellers in this part of the Bay Area is taking a loss
Capitol Weekly, ETHAN VARIAN: "It might be hard to fathom in this real estate market, but one in eight home sellers in San Francisco and on the Peninsula is now taking a loss.
How can that be?"
S.F.’s crackdown on car break-ins has led to a staggering trend in the data. Will it last?
The Chronicle, RACHEL SWAN: "When San Francisco officials faced reporters outside the Palace of Fine Arts in August, promising to get tough on car break-ins, the moment seemed urgent.
Pressure was mounting on city leaders to alleviate property crime, yet, up to that point, progress had been slow. Around the corner from the Palace of Fine Arts, glass quilted the sidewalk — debris from a rental minivan burglarized minutes before the news conference began. The year’s worst week for auto burglaries — right around Thanksgiving — was on the horizon."
Maria Martin, the force behind ‘Latino USA,’ dies at 72
LA Times, ANDREA FLORES: "Radio trailblazer Maria Martin died Saturday at the age of 72 following a recent medical procedure.
Throughout her five decades as a journalist, Martin centered Latino voices both in the United States and Latin America. She covered politics and Indigenous communities in Central America, and mentored reporters."
