Californians to vote on splitting state three ways
Sacramento Bee's TARYN LUNA: "A tech billionaire's proposal to split California into three states qualified for the November ballot on Tuesday, the Secretary of State's Office announced."
"The ballot initiative would designate three states."
"Northern California: 40 counties from Santa Cruz to the Oregon border, including the Bay Area, the Sacramento region and parts of the San Joaquin Valley."
READ MORE related to State Politics: Plan To Split California Into Three States Earns Spot On November Ballot -- BEN ADLER, Capitol Public Radio; Bad news comes in bunches for Kevin de Leon: Key lawmaker backs Feinstein -- The Chronicle's JOHN WILDERMUTH; Measure to split California into three states qualifies for November ballot -- Chronicle's JOHN WILDERMUTH
SF mayor's race: Breed widens lead; Leno faces difficult climb
The Chronicle's DOMINIC FRACASSA: "San Francisco Supervisor London Breed increased her lead over former state Sen. Mark Leno in the race for mayor Tuesday, and the updated vote totals show that Leno has little chance of catching her."
"Breed leads Leno by 1,861 votes — 111,446 to 109,585 or 50.42 to 49.58 percent. There are about 9,390 ballots still to be counted, according to the city’s Department of Elections."
"The outcome of the race hinges on the roughly 6,700 provisional ballots left to process, now that most of the vote-by-mail ballots have been accounted for. Provisional ballots are given to people who want to cast ballots but don’t appear on official voter registration lists."
READ MORE related to Local Politics: SF Supervisor Katy Tang says she's not running for re-election in November -- The Chronicle's DOMINIC FRACASSA
The art of the concession speech
CHUCK MCFADDEN in Capitol Weekly: "It’s an art form that no one wants to get really, really good at. Perhaps that’s because no one wants to practice it."
"It starts with “…a few minutes ago, I telephoned…"
"You guessed it. Concession speeches. And even though all the votes still aren’t counted from the June 5 elections, we’ve heard a lot of them."
Bank seizes California Rep. David Valadao's family dairy farm over unpaid loans
LA Times's SARAH D. WIRE: "A bank has seized a Tulare County dairy farm owned by Rep. David Valadao and his family to resolve more than $8 million in loans that have not been repaid, according to court documents."
"In November, agriculture lender Rabobank sued Triple V Dairy in Fresno County Superior Court alleging failure to repay loans for cattle and feed totaling about $8.3 million. The Republican congressman is named in the suit along with his wife, four other family members, two other farms and 50 unnamed defendants. Also listed in the suit is a separate farm owned by the family, Lone Star Dairy, in which the congressman has no stake."
"Both sides agreed March 28 to hand control of the farm over to the bank until it is sold. The bank appointed a local business owner to oversee the daily operations of the farm and begin to sell off livestock and farming equipment to settle the debt."
Republicans hatch immigration deal -- but only one option gives Dreamers citizenship
Sacramento Bee's KATE IRBY/ALEX DAUGHERTY: "The House will finally vote on immigration legislation — with one bill that includes a plan to allow 1.8 million young immigrants who came to the U.S. as young children to obtain a path to citizenship and another that doesn't, Republicans said Tuesday."
"The agreement to vote ends — at least for the moment — a war between House Republicans over how to tackle immigration reform."
"One group, consisting of GOP lawmakers facing tough re-election fights, will get a vote next week on legislation that would provide a potential pathway to citizenship called a "special visa" for the people brought into the country illegally as minors, known as Dreamers. It would not force them to return to their home countries to apply for the special status."
READ MORE related to Immigration: Kamala Harris bill would waive fees for immigration documents after disasters -- The Chronicle's HAMED ALEAZIZ
There's a new chief of UCD Health's neurosurgery department. Hint: his famous wife ran for governor
Sacramento Bee's CATHIE ANDERSON: "UC Davis Health announced Tuesday that respected neurosurgeon, scientist and educator Dr. Griffith Harsh IV is taking the reins of the system's neurological surgery department. Harsh has won awards for his outstanding teaching methodology. He's led the Stanford Brain Tumor Center since 2010."
"Harsh, though, is also the husband of the erstwhile California gubernatorial candidate and former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, and that is likely what will set tongues wagging here in the state capital."
"Dr. Harsh is recognized nationally and internationally as a leading surgeon and scholar,” said Lars Berglund, interim dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine. “He brings tremendous strengths in neurosurgery and a longstanding devotion to physician education to UC Davis. I am certain he will lead our neurological surgery team to the next stages of their strategic vision for improving patient care and ensuring excellence in the next generation of brain and spine surgeons."
READ MORE related to Education: Colleague known at UC as likable, honest guy -- and Air Force calls him most-wanted deserter -- The Chronicle's NANETTE ASIMOV/MEGAN CASSIDY
Cannabis clubs will have glut of cheap weed, followed by possible shortage
OC Register's BROOKE STAGGS: "Cannabis consumers soon should be able to shop at licensed stores in California without worrying about whether products on the shelves are laced with pesticides and other contaminants often found in black-market weed."
"Customers also will be able to see, on the package, how potent their products are, where they came from, and what other ingredients are used in any cannabis-infused edibles."
"But all that will be true once new state-mandated safety standards for marijuana kick in July 1. Until then, consumers can expect to see something of a cannabis roller coaster."
OP-ED: Cancer: Hold insurers accountable for denying patients care
MARIAM TARIQ in Capitol Weekly: "When I was diagnosed with breast cancer last year at the age of 22, I was terrified.Fortunately,I had excellent doctors who promptly developed a treatment plan that they felt would help me survive this horrible disease. I was optimistic we would be successful in beating the cancer, and I put my trust in them and my health insurer, whom I assumed would pay for the care my physician team recommended. But, I was wrong."
"My insurance company has entirely ignored my doctors’ medical expertise and flatly refused to pay for the physician-prescribed treatment. I’ve learned that my plight is not unique, that there is a systematic failure to hold insurers accountable for unfair delays and inappropriate denials of recommended cancer care. California’s insurance commissioner, Dave Jones, can fix this."
SF supervisors OK $425M ballot measure for Embarcadero seawall repairs
The Chronicle's KURTIS ALEXANDER: "San Francisco voters are all but certain to be asked in November whether to authorize nearly a half billion dollars in city borrowing to pay for upgrades to the aging Embarcadero seawall."
"The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a $425 million bond measure for the Nov. 6 ballot that city leaders say is vital to securing 3 miles of shoreline from the threat of earthquakes and sea-level rise. A second vote by the board is required before the measure becomes official."
"The century-old seawall, which engineers fear will slip 5 feet into the bay in a major earthquake, wraps the city’s northeastern waterfront from Fisherman’s Wharf to Mission Creek and supports an estimated $100 billion worth of property, including the Ferry Building, BART tunnels and part of the Financial District."
This Oregon tourist's visit to California is something special: She's a rare gray wolf
Tribune News's GABBY FERREIRA: "A gray wolf visited Nevada County last week, marking the first time a gray wolf has been seen in that area since the early 20th century, according to the Redding Record Searchlight."
"The wolf, a 2-year-old female, was spotted about a mile from Interstate 80 near Boreal Mountain, approximately 30 miles northwest of Lake Tahoe...."
"The wolf, known as OR-54, came to California on Jan. 3 from Oregon, then went back to Oregon and returned to California, the Record Searchlight reported."
Judge clears AT&T purchase of Time Warner, creating entertainment colossus
LA Times's JIM PUZZANGHERA/MEG JAMES: "A federal judge Tuesday cleared the way for AT&T Inc.’s $85.4-billion purchase of Time Warner Inc., creating an entertainment colossus that promises to reshape the media business."
"U.S. District Judge Richard Leon’s ruling in the biggest antitrust case of the century is expected to pave the way for more mega-mergers and was a stinging defeat for the Trump administration."
Prop. 47 is linked to increase in auto thefts, study says
The Chronicle's BOB EGELKO: "Proposition 47, the 2014 ballot measure that reduced sentences for some theft crimes and drug possession, has not increased the overall crime rate in California as opponents predicted but appears to be linked to a rise in auto break-ins and thefts, a new study says."
"Thefts from motor vehicles averaged 16,000 to 17,000 a month statewide before Prop. 47 passed in November 2014 and increased to 19,000 to 20,000 a month in the next two years, the Public Policy Institute of California reported Tuesday, citing state data."
"Other types of property crimes, including burglary and shoplifting, increased briefly after the measure passed but then dropped to pre-Prop. 47 levels, the study said. But it said thefts from vehicles did not decline at the same time and were the principal reason for an overall increase in thefts during the two-year period."
READ MORE related to Transportation: Tesla cut 9 percent of workforce but will spare factory -- The Chronicle's DAVID R. BAKER
Former FBI official Andrew McCabe sues Justice Department over documents related to his firing
AP: "The Justice Department has repeatedly refused to provide former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe with documents related to his firing, according to a lawsuit filed on his behalf Tuesday."
"The complaint says the Justice Department has publicly defended the firing yet failed to identify for McCabe the policies and procedures it followed before dismissing him. The department has withheld the information, McCabe's lawyers allege, for fear that the materials could be used against them in any additional lawsuits."
"We don't create or adjudicate under secret law or procedure," David Snyder, one of McCabe's lawyers, said in an email to the Associated Press."
