Golden State loses luster: Half of Americans say California in decline
NOAH BIERMAN, LA Times: "California’s national reputation as a place of dreams and prosperity is in jeopardy, battered by Republicans who dislike almost all aspects of the state and many Democrats who see it as too costly and a poor place to raise a family.
Nationwide, 50% of U.S. adults believe the state is in decline, according to a new survey for the Los Angeles Times."
California Senate candidates grilled in second debate, asked if Biden and Trump are too old
BENJAMIN ORESKES and LAURA J. NELSON, LA Times: "With millions of ballots already mailed out across the Golden State, the four leading candidates for the U.S. Senate in California spent their second televised debate on the defensive at times and were pressed to say whether they thought President Biden and former President Trump were too old to run for reelection.
Reps. Katie Porter (D-Irvine) and Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) and Republican candidate Steve Garvey all faced sharp questions from moderators: Porter was asked if she waited too long to propose solutions to California’s housing crisis; Lee about her support for a $50 minimum wage and whether it would be sustainable for small businesses; and Garvey pressured to say if he would accept Trump’s endorsement, were it offered."
READ MORE: Fact check: California Senate candidates spar at second debate. Here’s what was true and false LINDSEY HOLDEN, SacBee.
Why the Heck Is Everyone Moving to Beverlywood?
JESSICA FLINT, Wall Street Journal: "In west Los Angeles County, just south of the city of Beverly Hills, is the Beverlywood neighborhood, which has winding roads anchored by parks that are the heart of the community. Originally developed into a middle-class enclave in the 1940s, Beverlywood has roughly 1,350 homes within a homes association that regulates house styles, sizes, colors and landscaping and provides 24-hour security patrol.
Some people also refer to the surrounding area near the homes association as Beverlywood. “Over the last 10 years, Beverlywood has blown up,” says Marc Noah, a real-estate agent with Sotheby’s International Realty – Beverly Hills Brokerage. “Ten to 15 years ago, you used to be able to buy a house in Beverlywood for $200,000 to $300,000. Today, you can’t buy just land on any of the prime streets for less than $3 million. That $3 million dirt buys you a 6,500 square foot lot.”
Train carrying over 100 tons of coal derails, spills into Northern California’s Feather River
ISHANI DESAI, SacBee: "A Union Pacific train carrying 118 tons of coal derailed Sunday due to a track defect and dumped its contents into and around Plumas County’s Feather River, according to railroad officials and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Fifteen rail cars chugging west on tracks parallel to the Middle Fork Feather River in Blairsden derailed, spilling the coal into the river. At least 14 rail cars tipped over or sustained damage, Fish and Wildlife officials said. At least one rail car fell into the water."
Tom Girardi left dozens of voicemails for The Times and a reporter investigating him. Was it a ploy?
MATT HAMILTON, LA Times: "In a brief voicemail left in The Times’ general mailbox, the once fearsome attorney said there were “slanderous statements” in an article I had co-written. A lawsuit, he said, was coming soon. At another moment, a voicemail like that from Girardi might have elicited caution, even alarm.
After all, for much of his career, Girardi was a formidable lawyer whose calling card was the “Erin Brockovich” case. He had won millions for scores of clients, and was on a first-name basis with judges, governors, senators. He was the type of opponent who knew his way around the corridors of power and how to leverage that for maximum gain."
Ninth Circuit says California Supreme Court, not SCOTUS, gets last word on state labor law
BOB EGELKO, Chronicle: "In a victory for workers in California, a federal appeals court ruled Monday that employees can use a unique state law, known as PAGA, to join and sue their employers for violations of labor laws, despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling limiting access to that law.
The Private Attorneys General Act, enacted in 2004, allows employees to sue their employers in the name of the state for violating laws such as those regulating minimum wages, overtime, meal and rest breaks and sick pay. If their suit succeeds, the employees collect 25% of the penalties provided by the labor law, with the rest going to the state. PAGA suits have bolstered labor laws in a state that lacks the resources to fully enforce the laws on its own."
Wet weather on tap: Three new storms are heading toward the Bay Area
PAUL ROGERS, Mercury News: "Just when the Bay Area was getting used to sunshine and dry days, another week of wet weather is on the horizon. Three separate storm systems will roll into Northern California starting Wednesday, bringing rain nearly every day until the following Wednesday, forecasters said Monday.
The storms won’t be as big or as rough as during the last system, which peaked Feb. 4, causing havoc in Southern California, dumping 5 feet of snow on the Sierra, triggering power outages across the state and prompting flood warnings on the Guadalupe River near downtown San Jose."
READ MORE: More rain is headed to Sacramento region this week. Here’s the latest forecast. HANNAH TRUONG, SacBee
A 30-Second Kennedy Ad Collides With a Decades-Long Family Legacy
ADAM NAGOURNEY, NY Times: "A Super Bowl advertisement promoting the presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — a remake of a 1960 spot that helped put his uncle John F. Kennedy in the White House — has struck a nerve with Kennedy family members and friends, who worry that it exploits and potentially tarnishes the legacy of a storied political family.
The 30-second advertisement is built on the foundation of one of the most famous political ads in American history, still memorable to many in politics 63 years after it was first shown. That historic ad presents John F. Kennedy — then a senator from Massachusetts — as a young, vibrant and experienced challenger to Richard M. Nixon, the Republican vice president under Dwight D. Eisenhower."
S.F. faces up to $190 million in surprise homeless hotel costs as feds renege on promises, officials say
ST. JOHN BARNED SMITH, Chronicle: "San Francisco may be on the hook for a surprise bill that could reach $190 million in COVID expenses that it had expected the federal government to pay. The potentially massive liability lands as the city’s deficit is projected to reach more than $1 billion in a few years.
In the midst of the pandemic, San Francisco and other cities across California housed thousands of homeless people in empty hotels to enable social distancing and cut down on transmission in crowded shelters and tents. During natural disasters and other emergencies, municipalities pay for unexpected expenses and then turn to FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to reimburse the money."
Return to office: State workers say looming mandate would cost more than money
MAYA MILLER, SacBee: "Matt Williams has never worked a hybrid schedule before — only 100% in person or 100% telework from his home. The latter, he said, benefits both state employees and California taxpayers....
But this spring, Williams would be just one of tens of thousands of employees called back to their offices twice a week as state agencies push return-to-office plans."
Pelosi, Jeffries wade into Bay Area House race after flyer includes their images
SHIRA STEIN, Chronicle: "Top Democratic leaders waded into a Bay Area House race after they said voters received flyers that wrongly imply they endorsed the Democratic incumbent’s challenger.
Charlene Nijmeh, chair of the Castro Valley-based Muwekma Ohlone tribe, is running against Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, who’s represented the district since 1995."
