To our readers: Today is #GivingTuesday, a very special day. Each year on Nov. 27, charities, families, businesses and communities around the world come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give.
This has been the biggest-ever year for Open California, the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that provides The Roundup, Capitol Weekly, the Politics on Tap television show, the Capitol Weekly Podcast, quarterly policy conferences, the Top 100 list -- and more. Somehow, we manage to do all this with a staff of three people.
But, to continue, we need your help. Can you make a contribution today to support high quality nonpartisan public affairs journalism? If you like what we do, we hope you'll consider making a small donation today!
And now, on to The Roundup ...
Democrat TJ Cox grabs lead over GOP's David Valadao in nation's last remaining undecided House race
LA Times's MARK Z BARABAK/MAYA SWEEDLER: "Democrat TJ Cox slipped past Republican incumbent David Valadao on Monday to take the lead in the country’s sole remaining undecided congressional race, positioning Democrats to pick up their seventh House seat in California and 40th nationwide."
"Cox, who trailed by nearly 4,400 votes on election night, has steadily gained as ballot counting continues nearly three weeks after the Nov. 6 election, a pattern consistent with the state’s recent voting history."
Enter the programmer: Lobbying, money and data
From Capitol Weekly's JESSICA HICE: "A huge piece of political spending involves the payments by well-heeled interest groups to lobbyists – there are about 1,800 lobbyists registered in California — who represent their clients before the Legislature and state government. In 2017, these groups spent about $339 million."
"And that brings us to Dave Middleton, a local programmer and former political operative who recently created what he says will be a useful tool for both journalists and researchers — California State Lobbying Search, an open-source public records tool designed to help find the connections between specific bills and lobbying efforts."
"Middleton spent about 200 hours researching, planning and coding to create a data pool that includes information from the Secretary of State’s website, open-source resources like the California Civic Data Coalition and political search tools like Cal-Access."
Camp Fire: Death toll reaches 88, with 203 still missing
Sacramento Bee's HANNAH DARDEN/DALE KASLER: "The death toll in the Camp Fire rose to 88 Monday, although no additional human remains were found, said Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea. The current list of missing persons sits at 203."
"In some cases, investigators have not immediately been able to determine if remains belong to one or more people. That difficulty led to the death toll being erroneously reported by authorities earlier this week. The toll rose by three Monday because three cases of found remains, believed to be one individual each, were instead discovered by investigators to be two individuals, Honea said."
Rain is helping firefighters battling NorCal fires, but a new storm could bring dangers
LA Times's RUBEN VIVES: "Light rains in the area have assisted firefighters in achieving 100% containment of Northern California’s devastating Camp fire, but most evacuations and road closures remain in effect. More than 1,000 firefighters remain on site, assisting with search and recovery efforts."
"Full containment came as a big relief for fire officials, who noted that the rain sped up the process. Full containment was originally projected for Nov. 30."
"We didn't get mudslides, so that was good," said Brigitte Foster, fire prevention officer for the Lassen National Forest and spokeswoman for fire officials regarding the Camp fire. "We got enough to hamper down on the fire."
READ MORE related to Energy & Environment: California regions 'moving in the wrong direction' to meet climate goals, agency finds -- Sacramento Bee's SOPHIA BOLLAG; Bald eagles startle Bay Area community with unusual ritual in fire -- The Chronicle's KURTIS AELXANDER
State Dem party chair Eric Bauman goes on leave amid sexual misconduct allegations
The Chronicle's JOE GAROFOLI: "California Democratic Party chairman Eric Bauman went on leave Monday amid sexual misconduct accusations by another party leader."
"Bauman started his leave while an independent investigation into the allegations by Vice Chairman Daraka Larimore-Hall, the party’s third-in-command, got under way."
"Bauman made the decision “after taking the holiday weekend to consider the most constructive path forward for the work of the California Democratic Party,” party spokesman Mike Roth said. He could not immediately say whether it was a paid leave."
Manafort held secret talks with Assange in Ecuadorian embassy
From The Guardian's LUKE HARDING and DAN COLLYNS: "Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort held secret talks with Julian Assange inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London, and visited around the time he joined Trump’s campaign, the Guardian has been told."
"Sources have said Manafort went to see Assange in 2013, 2015 and in spring 2016 – during the period when he was made a key figure in Trump’s push for the White House."
"It is unclear why Manafort wanted to see Assange and what was discussed. But the last meeting is likely to come under scrutiny and could interest Robert Mueller, the special prosecutor who is investigating alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia."
Manafort lied to the FBI after his guilty plea, special counsel says
LA Times's CHRIS MEGERIAN: "Paul Manafort, President Trump’s former campaign chairman who was convicted of several felonies and cut a deal with prosecutors to avoid a second trial, has violated his plea agreement by lying to investigators, according to the special counsel’s office."
"“After signing the plea agreement , Manafort committed federal crimes by lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the special counsel’s office on a variety of subject matters,” according to a new court filing submitted Monday evening."
Wealthy GOP candidate for California lieutenant governor is sued by his campaign advisors
LA Times's PATRICK MCGREEVY: "A wealthy Republican businessman from San Marino who finished third in the California lieutenant governor’s race during the June primary is in a legal and financial dispute with a campaign consultant after his failure to make the general election."
"Cole Harris, who received attention for social media posts showing him posing on a yacht, in front of a private jet and with exotic cars and expensive French wine, received 17.5% of the vote in the 12-person June 5 primary. He was sued last month in Los Angeles County Superior Court by a Florida-based political consulting company, Majority Strategies, which alleges breach of contract and fraud by Harris and his campaign. The lawsuit accuses Cole of failing to pay $420,000."
"Harris consistently and deliberately misrepresented his ability to raise and provide Majority Strategies with the necessary funds to run a campaign that would result in success in the California Lt. Governor primary and Harris’ goal of increased name identification statewide,” the lawsuit says."
US officials: It's OK to eat some romaine, but look for labels
AP's CANDICE CHOI: "It's OK to eat some romaine lettuce again, U.S. health officials said. Just check the label."
"The Food and Drug Administration narrowed its blanket warning from last week, when it said people shouldn't eat any romaine because of an E. coli outbreak. The agency said Monday the romaine linked to the outbreak appears to be from the California's Central Coast region. It said romaine from elsewhere should soon be labeled with harvest dates and regions, so people know it's OK to eat."
"People shouldn't eat romaine that doesn't have the label information, the FDA said. For romaine that doesn't come in packaging, grocers and retailers are being asked to post the information by the register."
Thurmond names second in command at California Department of Education
EdSource's JOHN FENSTERWALD: "Tony Thurmond has named a veteran California education administrator as his chief deputy superintendent in his first act as state superintendent-elect of public instruction."
"In January, Lupita Cortez Alcalá, 45, will return to the California Department of Education, where she was an administrator for a dozen years, including deputy superintendent of instruction and learning support. For the past three years, she has served as executive director of the California Student Aid Commission, which provides $2 billion in Cal Grants and other forms of state college aid to 400,000 students. The commission is in the middle of a major effort to reorganize and streamline operations, which Alcalá has led."
"Like many of the students whom the commission helps, Alcalá and her siblings were English learners and the first in their family to attend college in the U.S. She moved from Mexico to the San Diego area when she was 3 and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from UC San Diego as well as a master’s degree in planning administration and social policy from the Harvard University School of Education."
Why geneticists say it's wrong to edit the DNA of embryos to protect them against HIV
LA Times's MELISSA HEALY: "On Monday, geneticists were just converging on Hong Kong for a long-planned meeting to discuss the future of gene editing. But before many had even collected their name tags, it seemed the future had already arrived."
"Chinese scientist He Jiankui of Shenzhen Harmonicare Women’s and Children’s Hospital revealed that he had edited the DNA in a pair of human embryos, disabling a gene required for HIV infection to take hold. Then his team transferred the embryos into their mother’s uterus."
"The experiment had resulted in the birth of twin girls, He said."
$26.8M donation biggest in SFSU history
The Chronicle's NANETTE ASIMOV:"Half a century after graduating from San Francisco State University, a pair of alumni are giving their old school $26.8 million — the largest gift in campus history."
"The bulk of the donation from George and Judy Marcus, $25 million, will support an area of academics that is often neglected in this technological era: the liberal arts. The remaining $1.8 million will establish an athletics scholarship fund."
"“We are extremely grateful for the Marcuses’ generosity,” said President Leslie Wong in a statement Monday. “Their steadfast support has had a profound impact on our students, faculty, staff and programs.”"
Thieves found a way to beat auto break-in charges. This California bill could stop them.
Sacramento Bee's ANDREW SAHEELER: "When is a vehicle break-in not a vehicle break-in? In California, it’s when the burglar smashes a window and then unlocks the door."
"State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, announced Monday that he intends to introduce a bill to close what his office described as a loophole in state law when the California Legislature convenes Dec. 3."
"Wiener introduced a similar bill, SB 916, in the last legislative session, but it died without a vote on the Senate floor."
Migrants plot next move as tensions in Tijuana heighten
LA Times's KATE LINTHICUM/CINDY CARCAMO/ALENE TCHEKMEDYIAN: "For thousands of Central Americans packed into a sports complex in Tijuana that’s crowded with tents and smells strongly of sewage, the journey has only gotten harder."
"After a clash at the border Sunday, United States authorities closed the San Ysidro Port of Entry for more than four hours and said 69 migrants who had managed to cross could face criminal charges. The U.S. Northern Command in recent days has redirected 300 troops to California to help with border security. On the Mexican side, authorities said they arrested 39 migrants and are deporting 98 others linked to the fracas."
"President Trump on Monday called on Mexico to send “flag waving Migrants, many of whom are stone cold criminals, back to their countries.”
