Milo Yiannopoulos' speaking engagement at UC Berkeley, which prompted protests on and off campus, has drawn the attention of Donald Trump, who is now threatening to pull federal funding from the school.
The Chronicle's NANETTE ASIMOV/JOE GAROFOLI: "Milo Yiannopoulos, a professional provocateur, provoked not only protesters who shut down his speech at UC Berkeley but also President Trump, who suggested Thursday that federal funds be withheld from the campus as a result — and professors, politicians and students, who expressed disbelief about that possibility."
“If U.C. Berkeley does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view - NO FEDERAL FUNDS?” Trump tweeted."
OP-ED: Real-life internet troll Milo Yiannopoulos is intentionally irreverent, manipulating the partisan divide between conservatives and liberals with hateful rhetoric to hoodwink UC campuses--and they're falling for it hook, line and sinker.
Sacramento Bee's EDITORIAL BOARD: "Milo Yiannopoulos has a game that he has been playing for months. He’s really good at it, too."
"First, the alt-right cult hero accepts invitations to speak on college campuses. Then, as word spreads, he revels in the backlash from liberal students who condemn his hateful rhetoric. And when unruly protesters force him to cancel, he wins – the public relations war anyway."
"It worked in January at UC Davis, where angry students showed up in droves and made campus police nervous. It worked at UCLA, too, where administrators canceled his speaking engagement days in advance over security concerns."
READ MORE related to Yiannopoulos: At Berkeley Yiannopoulos protest, $100,000 in damage, 1 arrest -- The Chronicle's MICHAEL BODLEY; Yiannopoulos' speech unwelcome in Berkeley, but protected by Constitution -- The Chronicle's BOB EGELKO; At Yiannopoulos Berkeley protest, car through crowd not a crime -- The Chronicle's MICHAEL BODLEY; After night of violent protests, Berkeley cleans up damage -- The Chronicle's STEVE RUBENSTEIN/EVAN SERNOFFSKY; Here's why Yiannopoulos is such a big deal on college campuses -- Union-Tribune's ABBY HAMILTON
Nearly half a year ago, environmental experts were wrought with worry over California's drought-related water scarcity. Now those same experts have more aqua than they know what to do with thanks to continuous storms up and down the region.
Sacramento Bee's RYAN SABALOW/DALE KASLER/PHILLIP REESE: "After five years of drought, could California really have so much rain and snow there’s no room to store all the water?"
"The answer – as the state’s water picture careens from bust to boom – is yes."
"One month into an exceptionally stormy 2017, river flows though the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta have been so powerful that the massive pumps that ship north-state water to Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley have roared at full throttle for weeks. The federal and state pumping stations near Tracy delivered more water in January than in any month in the last 12 years, according to a Sacramento Bee review of data supplied by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation."
READ MORE related to Environment: Concerned about Trump, UC Davis expers spend day archiving climate change research -- Sacramento Bee's DIANA LAMBERT; California snowpack reaches %173 of average -- Union-Tribune's STAFF; Deciding on future of Russian Hill park is no picnic -- The Chronicle's LIZZIE JOHNSON; 5 dramas still playing out 5 years after San Onofre shutdown -- Union-Tribune's JEFF McDONALD; State hearing on Aliso Canyon wraps up with more calls to shut down gas field -- DANA BARTHOLOMEW o
San Francisco's famous Ward 86 inside General Hospital has added a 'remarkable new addition' to its facility: a geriatric clinic.
The Chronicle's ERIN ALLDAY: "When Ward 86 opened at San Francisco General Hospital, on the sixth floor of a faded red-brick building, the patients who came and went were mostly young gay men, and they were dying of AIDS."
"Nearly 35 years later, the ward has made a remarkable new addition: a geriatric clinic."
"As Ward 86’s patients grow older, and as AIDS no longer looms as an imminent death threat, their medical needs are changing. Instead of worrying primarily about HIV and its related infections, they are now facing heart disease, cognitive decline, bone weakness and hearing and vision problems."
READ MORE related to Health: 'Get off your phone!' rant strikes a nerve -- Union-Tribune's GARY ROBBINS
Recent polling suggests American's are suffering from buyer's remorse over their new president.
Sacramento Bee's GREG HADLEY: "Another poll has reaffirmed what most people already believed: Donald Trump is among the most polarizing presidents in modern political history."
"Public Policy Polling (PPP) released the results of a new survey Thursday that found that, less than two weeks into Trump’s presidency, 40 percent of Americans want him impeached."
"Meanwhile, 48 percent of voters oppose the idea, leaving just 12 percent of Americans who don’t have an opinion or aren’t sure on the matter."
READ MORE related to POTUS45: GOP's foreign policy elders worry Trump is causing permanent damage -- Sacramento Bee's KATIE GLUECK; Trump lost ground in Republican-leaning cities around California -- Sacramento Bee's JIM MILLER; President Trump uses National Prayer Breakfast to slam Arnold Schwarzenegger, Apprentice ratings -- Late Show's STEPHEN COLBERT
Speaking of the president, Trump's travel ban and subsequent enforcement of the controversial policy has earned him a couple 'contempt of court' citations.
Sacramento Bee's ANDY FURILLO: "At least one contempt of court citation has been filed against President Donald Trump and another is likely to be submitted on Friday, charging that the administration has defied court orders by denying entry to the United States by an untold number of immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries."
"The Commonwealth of Virginia filed its contempt motion late Wednesday night in Alexandria federal court. Meanwhile, an attorney who is trying to assist more than 200 Yemenis in gaining entry into this country said Thursday that her office will file a contempt motion of its own on Friday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles."
“The Trump administration is acting as if he is running a dictatorship,” attorney Julie Ann Goldberg said in a telephone interview from Djibouti, where her clients are being held in transit. “It’s as if he has forgotten there are three branches of government in this country and has totally disregarded any judicial order. He is ignoring them across the country."
READ MORE related to Immigration: Assemblyman Chiu to host forum on immigrants -- The Chronicle's STAFF; Comcast employees stage travel ban protest -- The Chronicle's WENDY LEE; It's time to hire immigration lawyers -- The Chronicle's HEATHER KNIGHT; Trump order dashes hopes of would-be entrepreneurs -- The Chronicle's TRISHA THADANI/DOMINIC FRACASSA; Immigration orders hit Berkeley community close to home -- Daily Californian's ALEXaNDER BARREIRA/GIBSON CHU; Campus recovers after violent protest against Milo Yiannopoulos -- Daily Californian's SAKURA CANNESTRA; Iranian man welcomed back to LA after being turned away under Trump travel ban -- Daily News' BRENDA GAZZAR
Sacramento's negotiations for a Major League Soccer team continue despite some rough PR.
Sacramento Bee's DALE KASLER: "Sacramento's soccer war may be nearing a peaceful resolution."
"Following months of behind-the-scenes feuding, Sacramento Republic FC president Warren Smith and lead investor Kevin Nagle made “tremendous progress” toward settling a dispute that has threatened to derail the city's bid for a Major League Soccer team, Mayor Darrell Steinberg reported late Thursday."
"Steinberg said the two men agreed to meet again Friday, following a four-hour negotiating session he mediated."
READ MORE related to Economy: California poverty: The high cost of just about everything -- Capitol Weekly's LISA RENNER; Jerry Brown, legislators headed for budget clash? -- Sacramento Bee's DAN WALTERS; Progressives, Democrats demand investigations, suspension of labor leader -- Union-Tribune's JOSHUA STEWART; Dropped NFL cities are among MLS bidders -- AP; A tour of Ken Fulk's midcentury house in San Francisco -- NY Times' STEVEN KURUTZ; Everything you ever wanted to know about manufacturing wine -- NY Times' ERIC ASIMOV; The collapse of organized farm labor -- NY Times' MIKE MCPHATE; Magic Johnson returns to Lakers to advise ownership -- Daily News' BILL ORAM
Firefighters are some of the hardest working individuals in the labor force after a recent audit revealed that many in the service toil more often than not.
Sacramento Bee's ANITA CHABRIA: "Sacramento firefighters worked more than a quarter-million overtime hours in 2015, with some firefighters working thousands of extra hours, according to a new city audit released Thursday."
"The Sacramento Fire Department spent more than $13 million on overtime pay in 2015, in addition to more than $44 million in regular pay, based on the report by City Auditor Jorge Oseguera."
"The audit found that more than 90 employees worked at least 1,000 extra hours beyond the regular 3,000 that year. Two employees each worked more than 6,000 hours, which amounted to “almost 70 percent of the time they are living and breathing,” Oseguera said."
READ MORE related to Public Safety: Woman in Trump Bridge incident pleads not guilty -- Sacramento Bee's DARRELL SMITH; Warship named after valient Marine ready for Navy -- Union-Tribune's CARL PRINE; Police Review Commission drafts letter to City Council about homeless encampment raids -- Daily Californian's GIBSON CHU; Koreatown assault on elderly woman not viewed as 'hate motivated' by LAPD -- Daily News' ELIZABETH CHOU
Imperial Beach has instituted a strict, but temporary, marijuana moratorium on all non-medical cannabis as the city tries to navigate the state's latest Sea of Green legislation.
Union-Tribune's ALLISON SAMPITE-MONTECALVO: "Imperial Beach council members on Wednesday voted unanimously to enact an emergency ordinance that temporarily suspends commercial non-medical marijuana activities in the city."
"The urgency ordinance is effective immediately and prohibits cultivation, possession, manufacturing, distribution and delivery and the sale of marijuana for recreational use."
"It also prohibits personal outdoor grows at private residences, unless its cultivation is for medical purposes and not prohibited by the city's code."
