According to economic experts, California's economy is growing exponentially -- but that could stall if the housing market does not improve.
NATALIE KITROEFF with L.A. Times: "The dearth of housing in California will put a drag on the state’s economic growth, according to two new studies."
"California will continue to pile on jobs in 2017, but its advantage over the rest of the country will shrink in the future, say a report from UC Riverside and another from UCLA."
"The state cannot continue to grow as fast as it has in recent years, said economists who wrote the reports, unless it funnels more people into the workplace. But there aren’t enough homes in the state to accommodate a wave of new workers."
READ MORE related to Economy: California eases restrictions on 'granny units' -- QUEENIE WONG with East Bay Times
Female voters react to the way Trump interacted with Clinton during the debate.
JULIE PACE with AP in The Chronicle: "When Donald Trump challenged Hillary Clinton's stamina on the debate stage, Pennsylvania voter Patricia Bennett said she heard a "dog whistle" that smacked of unmistakable sexism."
"Why doesn't he just say that she needs more testosterone?" said Bennett, a 69-year-old independent from the Philadelphia suburbs who plans to vote for Clinton in November."
"Across the country, Lisa Lowe, a Colorado Democrat who was lukewarm about Clinton before Monday's debate, said Trump behaved like a "negative bully." Kris Stotler, an undecided Virginia Republican, was disappointed by Trump's jarring criticism of a former beauty queen's weight, comments Clinton forcefully condemned during the faceoff."
READ MORE related to Trump: A Miss Universe insulted by Trump steps up for Clinton -- Ken Thomas with AP in The Chronicle
Legislation signed Monday aims to help sex-trafficked minors entangled with the law.
CHANTELLE LEE with Daily Californian: "Efforts by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office to address sex trafficking in the area were validated by the passage of a new state bill Monday that extends the DA’s program to help sexually exploited minors."
"The pilot program, developed by Alameda County DA Nancy O’Malley, exempts the county from state law — instead of trafficked minors being arrested and imprisoned for crimes of prostitution, they are given support services to help them recover and restart their lives. Originally set to expire in January 2017, the bill, SB-1064, extends the program indefinitely."
"In a letter to Gov. Jerry Brown sent at the end of August, O’Malley urged the governor to sign SB-1064, explaining that with the help of the pilot program, the DA’s office has been able to link 593 sexually exploited minors to safety services in the community as well as prosecute more than 509 perpetrators."
Protests and outrage abound in El Cajon tonight after the shooting of a black man who threatened police and began waving an unidentifiable object in his hands at officers.
DAVID HERNANDEZ and RICHARD WINTON with L.A. Times: "El Cajon police said Tuesday evening that officers shot and killed an African American man earlier in the day after he raised both hands clasping an object in a manner that looked as if he was holding a gun."
“The subject has passed away as a result of his injuries,” El Cajon police said in a statement."
"The man has not been formally identified."
Meanwhile, polling of Californians is showing Clinton maintaining a near 2-to-1 lead over Trump on the question of who won the debate.
PAUL MITCHELL and ALAN NIGEL YAN with Capitol Weekly: "How did Californians score the presidential debate?"
"Last night’s presidential debate may have been the most watched political event in U.S. history: A projected 100 million Americans were poised to watch Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton on the same stage for the first time this election season. A later estimate put the audience at 84 million, still the largest ever for a debate."
"And with polls tightening to a virtual tie, this single performance could be seen as the most important 90 minutes for each candidate thus far. They have two more encounters scheduled — on Oct. 9 in St. Louis and Oct. 19 in Las Vegas."
READ MORE related to Polls: Poll: Taxes, parole revamp draw support -- MARK DICAMILLO with Capitol Weekly; Bilingual education measureme has broad support from california voters -- ALEXEI KOSEFF with Sacramento Bee
North Carolina's recent LGBTQ-unfriendly law controversies have caused California to ban all government-related travel to the state.
ADAM ASHTON with Sacramento Bee: "North Carolina’s controversial law overturning local government protections for gays and lesbians could cost it some business with California state agencies."
"Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday signed a bill that prohibits state agencies from compelling their employees to travel to states with laws that allow discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity."
"The effect is to ban state-funded travel to North Carolina and other states that may adopt policies like its HB2, the law that struck down local measures protecting gays and lesbians from workplace discrimination and prohibited cities from passing new anti-discriminatory policies."
The California Nurses Association is backing Lt. Gov. Newsom's cannabis legalization effort.
CHRISTOPHER CADELAGO with Sacramento Bee: "The California Nurses Association, which last year offered an unusually early endorsement for Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2018 gubernatorial bid, on Tuesday announced support for Newsom’s high-stakes fall initiative to legalize recreational marijuana."
"California Nurses believe strongly that the prohibition and criminalization of marijuana has ruined generations of lives, wasted hundreds of millions of taxpayer of dollars and failed to protect the public health and safety,” Deborah Burger, the organization’s president said in a prepared statement."
"On balance, Proposition 64 is significantly better for public health and safety than the broken status quo, and we are pleased to endorse it,” she added."
Sean Thompson -- the Occupy activist who pied Kevin Johnson at a charity event last week -- isn't done with the mayor just yet.
NASHELLY CHAVEZ with Sacramento Bee: "The former Occupy protester accused of striking Mayor Kevin Johnson with a pie during a charity dinner last week did not enter a plea for a felony charge of assaulting a public official and a misdemeanor charge of battery on school property during his arraignment hearing Tuesday morning."
"On Tuesday night, Sean Thompson went to the Sacramento City Council meeting to address the mayor and his colleagues on the dais. Subject to a restraining order, Thompson had to keep his distance from Johnson. Supporters wore yellow T-shirts that said “coconut cream pie, the people’s pie.”
"In his brief remarks near the end of the meeting, Thompson lamented what he said was the council’s ignoring of the homeless, minorities and Sacramento’s struggling working class. He cited the shooting of a black mentally ill man, Joseph Mann, by police officers in July as an example of the city’s woes."
The Loma Fire has forced an exodus of hundreds of citizens and a doubling of fire fighters in the area to try and quell the blaze.
PATRICK MAY with E.B.T.: "With the aggressive and unpredictable Loma fire continuing to burn through 2,250 acres and at least seven buildings in Tuesday’s sweltering heat, officials more than doubled the ranks of firefighters on the front lines with a priority of saving the 300 homes that remain in harm’s way."
"Hundreds of residents fled their homes since the blaze broke out on a property near the Loma Prieta peak midafternoon Monday, sending a mushroom cloud into the sky that could be seen across the Bay Area. On Tuesday, an ashy fallout rained on a huge command post and tent city at Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy, best known for a garlic festival, where nearly 900 firefighters are now being stationed."
"In the first 24 to 48, even in the first 72 hours, you’re going to see a huge influx of resources come in and then we can really start with boots on the ground,” said Cal Fire spokesman Bud Englund. “That’s how we put out that fire, really, with those boots on the ground."
And now for a page from our "Sigourney Clinton" file ...
A hilarious slideshow compiled by the East Bay Times magnificently sums up the first presidential debate in ways that only satirical comic artists know how.
EAST BAY TIMES: "This cartoon slideshow takes a humorous look at the first presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump with Clinton getting the edge over Trump."
California still finds itself in a contest with the plastic bag industry over Proposition 67 -- a ballot measure aimed at protecting the ban on plastic bags.
RYAN MASTERS with East Bay Times: "The average American uses 555 single-use plastic bags over the course of a single year, according to Dan Jacobson, legislative director for Environment California."
"To illustrate the enormity of this waste and garner support for Prop. 67, the state’s plastic bag ban, Jacobson asked an aide to don 555 bags and stand with him on the steps of Santa Cruz County Superior Court Monday in 92-degree heat."
"They were joined by Prop. 67 supporters Assemblyman Mark Stone, D-Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz County Supervisor John Leopold, local environmental leaders and a 25-foot inflatable sea turtle."
An oakland cop involved in the sex scandal that plagued multiple departments in the Bay Area has just had his mugshot released.
DAVID DEBOLT with East Bay Times: "Authorities on Tuesday evening released the booking photo of an Oakland officer charged in a wide police sexual misconduct scandal."
"Officer Brian Bunton, 40, was booked into Santa Rita Jail on Tuesday, according to the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office. He was expected to post bail set at $12,500."
"Bunton pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges of felony obstruction of justice and misdemeanor engaging in an act of prostitution."
Speaking of police, a recent investigation by the Associated Press has revealed a startling fact: The abuse of confidential law enforcement databases by police officers is rampant throughout the country.
SADIE GURMAN and ERIC TUCKER with AP in The Chronicle: "Police officers across the country misuse confidential law enforcement databases to get information on romantic partners, business associates, neighbors, journalists and others for reasons that have nothing to do with daily police work, an Associated Press investigation has found."
"Criminal-history and driver databases give officers critical information about people they encounter on the job. But the AP's review shows how those systems also can be exploited by officers who, motivated by romantic quarrels, personal conflicts or voyeuristic curiosity, sidestep policies and sometimes the law by snooping. In the most egregious cases, officers have used information to stalk or harass, or have tampered with or sold records they obtained."
"No single agency tracks how often the abuse happens nationwide, and record-keeping inconsistencies make it impossible to know how many violations occur."
