Rep. Steve Knight has been slammed by his constituents and confronted outside his office after he pushed a 'yea' vote on the Obamacare repeal bill in the House yesterday. The complex bill now goes to the Senate, where the outcome is uncertain.
Daily News' RYAN FONSECA: "As President Donald Trump and House Republicans in Washington D.C. celebrated the passage of their bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, some Southern Californians gathered outside one of those GOP members’ offices in Santa Clarita in a different mood."
"Supporters of Planned Parenthood rallied outside the office of Rep. Steve Knight, R-Santa Clarita, Thursday afternoon, voicing their outrage after Knight voted in favor of the House bill, known as the American Healthcare Act."
“Today, Steve Knight kept his promise to the American people by voting to repeal and replace the disastrous, failed Obamacare law,” a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee said in a press release."
READ MORE related to Health: Valley Republicans praised, scorned over vote to repeal Obamacare -- Fresno Bee's BARBARA ANDERSON; California's Republicans all voted yes on the healthcare bill. Now Democrats have a campaign issue -- LA Times' SARAH D. WIRE; LA Mayor Garcetti slams 'Trumpcare' GOP bill as a 'nightmare' returned -- Daily News' RYAN CARTER; LA's LGBT healthcare community on edge after vote to repeal Obamacare -- Daily News' SUSAN ABRAM
A woman in San Diego has received three years in prison for her part in an underground railroad for immigrants.
LA Times' KRISTINA DAVIS: "Fog rolled into Otay Mesa in the early morning hours of Nov. 6, shrouding the hole someone had cut in the U.S.-Mexico border fence. The conditions were ripe to move a large group of immigrants through, and the smugglers took advantage."
"In the City Heights neighborhood, Dania Olivero had agreed to have her small rented house used as a temporary staging point for the border crossers. She said she thought only a handful of people would be brought to her, as had happened previous times. But wave after wave showed up. She protested at first, but took the extra money offered to her, she told investigators."
"When San Diego police arrived, after two neighbors had reported seeing suspicious activity, they found 44 people in her house, the backyard and a shed."
AG Becerra had a stern message for his colleagues on Thursday: The fight against Trump's multi-pronged hardline will require a serious war chest.
Sacramento Bee's JIM MILLER: "California Attorney General Xavier Becerra had a message for the state Senate’s budget writers Thursday: Carrying on the state’s legal fight against President Donald Trump doesn’t come cheap."
"The problem, Becerra told a Senate budget subcommittee, is the Department of Justice’s shrinking share of discretionary money from the state budget and increasing reliance on fees reserved for specific duties does not cover the thousands of hours spent to press the state’s legal case against a range Trump administration executive orders and other policies."
“No one anticipated the extent to which federal executive actions would impact the people of California and the Department of Justice,” Becerra told subcommittee members Thursday.
READ MORE related to Local: Veteran lawmaker Mark Leno announces he will run for mayor of San Francisco -- LA Times' SEEMA MEHTA; California Senate approves earlier presidential primary -- KQED's MARISA LAGOS; Palmdale mayor's former consulting job may have sparked investigation, search of City Hall -- LA Times' BENJAMIN ORESKES/JAMES QUEALLY/RICHARD WINTON
Speaking of war chests, Sacramento is contributing more than a quarter-million dollars to undocumented immigrant legal defense teams.
Sacramento Bee's ANITA CHABRIA: "Undocumented immigrants in Sacramento will have city-funded legal services as soon as next month to fight deportation and “prepare for the worst,” as fears continue to grow about federal immigration plans."
"Sacramento City Council members voted unanimously Tuesday to set aside up to $300,000 to fund a network of legal, educational and faith-based nonprofit groups that will help city residents with immediate immigration problems and advise on how to protect children and assets if parents are deported in the future."
"The network would also conduct rights trainings."
READ MORE related to Economy: Growing or selling pot? California has some new rules for you -- KQED's MARISA LAGOS; Nation's tallest public art to top Salesforce Tower -- The Chronicle's SAM WHITING; Bay Area tourism drives travel spending in state -- Bay Area News Group's GEORGE AVALOS; California tourism industry grows for 7th straight year, report says -- LA Times' MAKEDA EASTER; Bay Area's housing recovery isn't as universal as you think -- East Bay Times' RICHARD SCHEININ; Bill that would allow cities to mandate more low-income rental housing clears Assembly -- LA Times' LIAM DILLON; County opens first year-round homeless shelter in Anaheim, residents may start moving in Friday -- OC Register's THERESA WALKER
Sacramento Bee's CHRISTOPHER CADELAGO/JIM MILLER: "California’s new gas tax hike to pay for road improvements pushed by Gov. Jerry Brown and Democrats could go before voters for repeal."
"Travis Allen, a Republican assemblyman from Orange County, filed the proposed 2018 ballot measure to eliminate the $5.2 billion annual package to fund road improvements."
"On Thursday, Allen launched a website asking for contributions of $5 to help him gather the 365,880 signatures from registered voters to place the repeal before voters. Allen can begin to gather signatures once the state attorney general issues a title and summary for his repeal."
READ MORE related to Transportation: OP-ED: The regulatory landscape facing ride-share drivers -- Capitol Weekly's CARL SZABO; Justice Department opens criminal probe into Uber -- WaPo's ELIZABETH DWOSKIN/CRAIG TiMBERG; Driverless airport shuttle bus may be ride of the future -- The Press-Enterprise's DAVID DANELSKI
Another startling mass-beaching of sea life has occured again, this time in the Bay Area, where hundreds of sharks have mysteriously washed up on shore, dead.
The Chronicle's ALIX MARTICHOUX: "For seven weeks straight, hundreds of sharks have been washing up dead on the shores of the San Francisco Bay."
"Sean Van Sommeran, executive director and founder of the Pelagic Shark Research Foundation, says he's been getting calls daily since March of reported sharks washed up along the waterways of San Mateo County, Alameda and even Lake Merritt."
"We cant actually keep up with the volume of calls we get on a day-to-day basis," Van Sommeran said. "
READ MORE related to Environment: Snow melt puts Merced River above flood stage in Yosemite National Park -- Fresno Bee's MARC BENJAMIN
Students occupying UCSC's Kerr Hall have had their demands met after a 3-day sit-in to promote equitable treatment for students.
Santa Cruz Sentinel's RYAN MASTERS: "UC Santa Cruz has agreed to the demands of the Afrikan Black Student Alliance after a three-day occupation of Kerr Hall, the primary administration building on campus."
"To loud cheers of victory, UCSC director of News and Media Relations Scott Hernandez-Jason stood before hundreds of students at Kerr Hall about 5:30 p.m. Thursday and announced that the university was committed to better serving its African, black and Caribbean-identified students."
"To illustrate this, UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal agreed to the Alliance’s demands and made the following commitments:"
READ MORE related to Education: New partnership with Khan Academy designed to expand 'personalized learning' in the classroom -- EdSource's LOUIS FREEDBERG; State board inscribes 'California Way' on state plan for new federal law -- EdSource's JOHN FENSTERWALD; Students sue over suspensions for 'liking' racist posts -- AP's SUDHIN THANAWALA
