An atmospheric river storm is approaching California. Here's when rain could return
The Chronicle, ANTHONY EDWARDS: "Winter storms have taken aim at the West Coast this week, bringing rain to the North Coast and Bay Area, and heavy snow to the Sierra Nevada. After a break from wet weather, another storm is expected to arrive this weekend.
On Thursday, skies will clear, and a frost advisory is in effect until 10 a.m. for large swaths of the Bay Area, including the North Bay, East Bay interior valleys, Santa Cruz Mountains and Santa Clara Valley. Black ice is also possible in these areas, with temperatures near freezing. Highs will climb to the mid-50s throughout the Bay Area, with lows dropping back down in the lower to mid-30s inland and lower 40s at the coast."
READ MORE -- Palisades Tahoe avalanche: Witness video shows aftermath -- The Chronicle, CLARE FONSTEIN; Officials warned of ‘considerable’ avalanche danger before deadly slide at Palisades Tahoe -- LA Times, JEREMY CHILDS
Newsom unveils plan to cut California climate funding
The Chronicle, ALEJANDRO LAZO: "Three years ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom sensed an opportunity as California emerged from the pandemic with record budget surpluses after a series of calamitous wildfires and drought years.
The governor set aside a bigger chunk of the surplus billions for two consecutive years to combat climate change — an issue close to the heart of many Democratic voters — and then, facing deficits, had to cut it back last year, to $52.3 billion."
Newsom’s budget plan reflects his rosy view of the economy (COLUMN)
LA Times, GEORGE SKELTON: "How do you cut a colossal $68-billion state budget deficit nearly in half? Easy. With a pencil.
You simply erase the “68” and write in “38.”"
Tech is growing as a source of California tax revenue — that’s the good news and the bad news
CALMatters, LEVI SUMAGAYSAY: "If you’re a California resident, you use tax-funded roads, schools and other services, so you’re on the Silicon Valley financial roller coaster whether you know it or not.
The tech industry has contributed an increasing amount to the state budget, and even the way tech companies pay their employees has become a growing source of the state’s income tax revenue, a new analysis shows."
With her California dream broken, she found a political haven in Iowa
LA Times, FAITH E. PINHO: "The Barbies lived in California, of course.
On summer days, as Sara O’Neil pranced her dolls along the muddy stream that ran through her family’s 168-acre Iowa farm, she could almost see them frolicking along a gleaming, palm-lined Pacific beach."
Moderate S.F. lawmaker booted from powerful city committee, replaced by progressive
The Chronicle, ALDO TOLEDO: "Moderate Supervisor Matt Dorsey was booted from a powerful Board of Supervisors committee and stripped of his chairmanship in a highly unusual move he described as a political decision, despite Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin justifying it as part of an annual restructuring process.
The restructuring comes after Dorsey spent a year as chair of the Rules Committee in a tenure marked by deep divisions between him and fellow committee members Ahsha Safaí and Shamann Walton over contentious policy issues like police staffing, the makeup of certain commissions and a resolution for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. Though it is common for supervisors to be taken out of committees, no other chairmanships were changed this year."
Newsom OK’d a minimum wage increase for health care workers. Now he wants to delay it
CALMatters, ANA B. IBARRA: "California health care workers banking on a state-ordered minimum wage increase later this year might have to wait a little longer.
Because of the state’s $38 billion projected budget deficit, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday said he is seeking changes to a law he signed just three months ago that set the health care industry on a path to a $25 minimum wage."
Drugmaker can be held responsible for delaying HIV treatment rollout, court rules
The Chronicle, BOB EGELKO: "In a suit by 24,000 AIDS patients, a state appeals court says pharmaceutical giant Gilead Life Sciences can be held responsible for delaying release of a drug for years while it marketed another product that it knew had potentially harmful side effects.
Even though the drug it continued selling for nearly a decade was effective against AIDS and the HIV virus, the company can be held to account “if the reason was solely to maximize Gilead’s profits,” said the 1st District Court of Appeal in San Francisco. It was the first ruling by a California appellate court allowing a manufacturer to be held responsible for a medication that worked to prevent a disease but could cause other harms."
Rainy day fund would bail out schools, community colleges in Newsom’s 2024-25 state budget
EdSource, JOHN FENSTERWALD: "Gov. Gavin Newsom would protect schools and community colleges from the brunt of an $11.3 billion projected drop in state revenue for education, under a proposed 2024-25 state budget he released on Wednesday. The budget calls for covering all current levels of funding and existing commitments for new and expanded programs, plus a less than 1% cost-of-living increase for next year.
The three-year decline in revenue, both for schools and the overall $38.7 billion in the state general fund, is $30 billion less than the Legislative Analyst’s Office had projected a month ago, easing the burden of balancing the budget and avoiding the possibility of drastic budget cuts or late payments — at least for community colleges and TK-12."
Tesla boosts pay for US factory workers that the UAW wants to unionize
BLOOMBERG: "Tesla Inc. notified workers at its California car plant of pay increases across its U.S. factories, the latest bump by a nonunion automaker the United Auto Workers is trying to organize.
All U.S. production associates, material handlers and quality inspectors are getting a “market adjustment pay increase” to kick off the new year, according to a flyer posted at Tesla’s facility in Fremont, Calif. The document viewed by Bloomberg News doesn’t say how much of a raise workers will get. Tesla’s senior director of human resources didn’t respond to questions."
Google layoffs: Hundreds of jobs slashed across multiple divisions
The Chronicle, NORA MISHANEC: "Google laid off hundreds of employees in recent days, with some of the most recent cuts coming from the company’s core engineering and Google Assistant divisions.
A Google spokesperson confirmed the cuts Thursday morning, noting that “a number of our teams made changes to become more efficient and work better.”"
Newsom administration makes progress on tiny home promise
CALMatters, MARISSA KENDALL: "Nearly a year ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom promised to deploy 1,200 tiny homes to help shelter the state’s growing population of homeless residents. Now, the state has chosen who will build those tiny homes and what they will look like — but there’s still no word on when people will be able to move in.
Newsom unveiled his plans in March to deliver the tiny homes to Los Angeles, San Diego County, San Jose and Sacramento. The state has selected six companies to manufacture the dwellings:"
Pea Soup Andersen's suddenly closes 100-year-old original location
The Chronicle, MARIO CORTEZ: "An eye-catching landmark restaurant known by road trippers has closed without warning.
Pea Soup Andersen’s original location in the Central Coast town of Buellton (Santa Barbara County) is now closed after almost 100 years of serving its famous split pea soup and Danish-style pumpernickel. A second Pea Soup Andersen’s location is still open in the Merced County town of Santa Nella, just off Interstate 5. An employee at the Santa Nella location confirmed the closure of the Buellton restaurant."
The Stanley cup craze is real. What’s causing the merchandise mania
LA Times, ANTHONY DE LEON: "The craze has prompted long lines outside of Target stores in the dead of night. Ugly fights have broken out. Shouting matches have erupted. All this hubbub over Stanley cups.
No, not the Stanley Cup awarded to the National Hockey League champion. We are talking about the insulated steel tumblers sold in various colors at Target and Starbucks."
