Record heat, lightning, fires, intense rain: California's extreme weather gets wilder
LA Times' JOSEPH SERNA: "The heat wave that has gripped California for a week took a dramatic turn Thursday as lightning storms sparked brush fires, knocked out power to thousands and caused downpours across the region."
"Forecasters said the extreme weather will continue through the weekend, with some parts of Northern California flirting with all-time record high temperatures."
"Lightning strikes were reported in many areas Thursday, with some sparking a series of brush fires near the 5 Freeway in the Santa Clarita Valley."
READ MORE related to Hurricane Harvey/Environment: 110 degrees in September? Northern California faces smoke and record heat -- Sacramento Bee's RYAN SABALOW; Houston crawls from crisis toward long, hard recovery -- The Chronicle's TONY FREEMANTLE/ST JOHN BARNED-SMITH/MIHIR ZAVERI; Harvey likely to be the second-most costly natural disaster in US history -- LA Times' DON LEE; Oppressive heat about to scorch Bay Area, Livermore hits 116 -- The Chronicle's STEVE RUBENSTEIN; Flooding, likely tornado damage as Harvey hits Deep South -- AP's ADRIAN SAINZ; Searing California heat to continue this weekend -- OC Register's ALMA FASTO/The Press-Enterprise's BRIAN ROKOS
California schools not prepared for campus gun violence, audit finds
Sacramento Bee's JIM MILLER: "Despite the risk posed to students and staff, many California schools fail to include active shooter scenarios in state-required safety plans, according to a new audit."
"Schools and colleges were the second-most common location for shooting incidents from 2000 to 2015. California law, though, does not mandate that school safety plans address the issue, such as by creating procedures for lockdowns or evacuations."
"Thursday’s report by the Bureau of State Audits highlighted lax oversight of plan preparation by state and local officials. In some cases, the audit found, schools repeatedly filed the same plans year after year while some submitted none at all."
Senator Feinstein called for 'patience' with Trump. Now she faces a liberal backlash as she ponders reelection.
LA Times' SEEMA MEHTA: "At a time when the Democratic base is more restive than it has been in decades, Sen. Dianne Feinstein ignited a firestorm earlier this week when she refused to back the impeachment of President Trump and instead called for “patience” over his presidency."
"The statements — provocative in Democratic circles and near-heretical in her hometown of San Francisco, where she made them — reflected a moderation and pragmatism that have been hallmarks of Feinstein’s career. But these qualities, after proving politically advantageous for decades, could become an albatross because of the state’s shifting demographics and political leanings as the 84-year-old decides whether to seek a sixth term."
'Dreamers' on edge as DACA's fate uncertain
The Chronicle's HAMED ALEAZIZ: "Joseline Gonzalez has spent most days this year running through what could happen if President Trump were to shut down a federal program protecting people like her who had entered the U.S. as children and were undocumented."
"On Thursday morning, as she walked through San Francisco, she confronted conflicting reports that Trump was likely to roll back the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program within days."
"Because of DACA, Gonzalez, a 23-year-old UC Berkeley graduate, has seen her future clearly. She has a job as an outreach coordinator at Catholic Charities of the East Bay, plans to go to law school, land internships and eventually become an attorney.
READ MORE related to Immigration: Trump making it tougher for immigrants to get permanent residency -- Sacramento Bee's STEPHEN MAGAGNINI; Undocumented dad keeps the faith after release from federal custody -- Daily News' BRENDA GAZZAR; ICE launches new Twitter feed -- to lukewarm response -- in push to hire 10k agents -- Daily News
Big Sur: A breathtaking, costly isolation awaits those visitors who are able to make the difficult trip in.
Capitol Weekly's LISA RENNER: "It takes a lot more effort these days to enjoy the magnificent scenery of the Big Sur coastline."
"The stunning region was slammed by storms last winter resulting in multiple landslides and a bridge failure that have largely isolated the region for six months."
"Now there are just two ways in south of where the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge was demolished — take a rugged half-mile trail in, then take a shuttle or rent an electric bike, or make a lengthy detour in from U.S Highway 101."
Elk Grove tribal casino gets OK from state Legislature
Sacramento Bee's HUDSON SANGREE: "The state Assembly gave final legislative approval Thursday to a compact between the state of California and Wilton Rancheria, which wants to build the first tribal casino in Sacramento County."
"Gov. Jerry Brown had agreed to the compact terms July 19, but it still needed to be ratified by the Senate and Assembly. Both approved Assembly Bill 1606 without any “no” votes. It now goes to the governor for his signature."
"I’m ecstatic,” said Raymond C. Hitchcock, chairman of Wilton Rancheria. He called the Legislature’s approval another milestone in the tribe’s effort to gain “economic sustainability and self sovereignty."
As car break-ins jump 28 percent in San Francisco, police shuffle response
The Chronicle's KURTIS ALEXANDER/MICHAEL CABANATUAN: "With car break-ins spiking again in San Francisco to the tune of about 85 a day, police Thursday unveiled a shakeup that eliminates a citywide task force focused on the epidemic in favor of assigning dozens more cops to walk neighborhood beats."
"The disbanding of the auto burglary task force, which the city created less than two years ago, comes even though the city’s civil grand jury recommended that San Francisco not only make the special unit permanent but beef it up with more officers and equipment."
"While the 18-person unit had netted more than 200 arrests, the problem continued, and Police Chief Bill Scott said at a news conference that trying to stop criminals before they act is a more effective strategy than seeking to catch them later. He is shifting staffing from the agency’s central office to its 10 stations."
Tesla workers allege sloppy chemical training at Fremont plant
The Chronicle's DAVID R. BAKER: "'As the United Automobile Workers union seeks to organize Tesla’s Fremont car factory, some employees say they never received proper training to handle hazardous chemicals they blame for causing rashes, dizziness, nosebleeds and, in one case, eye damage — an accusation the company calls “completely false.”
"An organizing committee of Tesla employees has spoken with 22 workers raising complaints about chemical training and handling within the bustling plant, which is revving up production of Tesla’s latest electric car, the Model 3.
“This is just one of many issues, but it’s one of the scarier ones,” said Jonathan Galescu, a repair technician at the factory and member of the organizing committee."
Phone industry turns to James Bond for answer to robocall villainy
LA Times' DAVID LAZARUS: "It’s hard to say what’s cooler here — that the phone industry thinks it finally has a partial solution to robocalls or that some inspired techie gave the system a winking James Bond reference by calling it SHAKEN/STIR."
"That was a geek moment,” admitted Jim McEachern, senior technology consultant with the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions, a trade group that spearheaded efforts to make SHAKEN/STIR a reality."
"McEachern briefed me this week on the latest developments in the battle to put a dent in the roughly 2.5 billion prerecorded robocalls received by U.S. consumers every month."
Los Cabos no longer a haven from Mexico's bloodshed
LA Times' KATE LINTHICUM: "On a recent balmy afternoon in Los Cabos, as tourists and locals frolicked in the sparkling blue sea, a group of men toting automatic weapons stormed onto a crowded beach."
"By the time the attackers fled, three men lay dead beneath a grove of palm trees — another sign that the violence roiling other parts of Mexico has arrived at one of the country’s most prized and protected tourist resorts."
"Los Cabos, a municipality that encompasses the cities of Cabo San Lucas, San Jose del Cabo and the 20 miles of beachfront resorts between them, has morphed into a battlefield since the arrest last year of drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman."
Investigators seek photos and videos of former USC medical school dean with drugs
LA Times' PAUL PRINGLE/HARRIET RYAN/MATT HAMILTON/ADAM ELMABREAK: "For Dr. Carmen Puliafito and a group of younger people he befriended, life was a photo-op.
Partying in Las Vegas or shopping at Target, pumping gas or playing cards, the dean of USC’s medical school and his younger companions captured their time together on camera. They snapped photos and filmed videos of wholesome activities — cuddling a litter of kittens, cheering on the Dodgers — with the same gusto that they recorded hotel room orgies and drug binges."
"In the wake of revelations about Puliafito’s double life, USC has taken a strong interest in these images. A private investigator working on behalf of the university last month repeatedly contacted a former member of the group, a recovering addict from Orange County, in an effort to obtain pictures and videos of the former dean."
Source: Grand jury hears from lobbyist in Trump Tower meeting
AP's CHAD DAY/ERIC TUCKER: "A grand jury used by Special Counsel Robert Mueller has heard secret testimony from a Russian-American lobbyist who attended a June 2016 meeting with President Donald Trump's eldest son, The Associated Press has learned."
"A person familiar with the matter confirmed to the AP that Rinat Akhmetshin had appeared before Mueller's grand jury in recent weeks. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the secret proceedings."
"The revelation is the clearest indication yet that Mueller and his team of investigators view the meeting, which came weeks after Trump had secured the Republican presidential nomination, as a relevant inquiry point in their broader probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election."
