PG&E profit increase blocked; CEO projects five more years of blackouts
The Chronicle's ROLAND LI/OWEN THOMAS: "Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and other California utilities can’t raise their profit margins even as they face billions of dollars in wildfire liabilities, the California Public Utilities Commission ruled Thursday."
"PG&E, Southern California Edison, Southern California Gas and San Diego Gas & Electric had sought higher profits to help attract investors."
"But the commission said new state policies such as a law passed this year that creates a $21 billion wildfire fund would help the utilities. It unanimously rejected the profit increase."
Weekend storm to dump rain, snow across area, create travel delays
The Chronicle's ALEJANDRO SERRANO/ANNA BAUMAN: "A weekend storm is expect to dump several inches of rain on the Bay Area and a few feet of snow on the Sierra, making for messy travel heading into Christmas week."
"The region was dry Thursday and is expected to remain that way until late Saturday, after a slow-moving cold front moves into the North Bay and treks south of the Golden Gate Bridge."
"The heaviest rain is expected Saturday night and Sunday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Will Pi. The North Bay could receive 2 inches of rain, while coastal mountains are expected to be hit hardest with 3 inches. The rest of the Bay Area, including urban areas like San Francisco and Oakland, are expected to get half an inch to an inch."
Strange and unexpected ways California's primary could shape 2020 presidential election
Sac Bee's JACK OHMAN: "Now that the 2020 presidential election (start date: Nov. 9, 2016) is actually just around the corner, California is finally at the center of the primary action."
"Once the vermiform appendix of primaries, California’s primary date was usually June 4. California’s primary vote between Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and Sen. Eugene McCarthy was of rather high consequence in 1968, but mostly hasn’t been at the center of the action, because, you know, influential states like, um, Iowa (thanks for the food!) and New Hampshire (thanks for the snow!) have had much more effective positions in the calendar."
"You know, first and second."
Dem candidates vow to act on climate change during LA debate
Sac Bee's BRYAN ANDERSON: "Environmental issues took center stage at Thursday night’s Democratic presidential debate in Los Angeles, with 2020 candidates highlighting the toll of California’s wildfires and debating the federal government’s role in relocating victims after natural disasters."
"Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar cited the deadly Camp Fire that killed 85 people in the town of Paradise last year in arguing that the country should do more to prepare for climate change."
"Climate change is an existential crisis, and you are seeing it here with the fires that you just had,” Klobuchar said. “You saw it in Northern California, as was mentioned with Paradise. ... Great leaders make decisions not for this generation, but seven generations from now. This president doesn’t keep his decisions for seven minutes."
READ MORE related to Campaign Trail 2020: Warren, Buttigieg tangle over influence of money -- Sac Bee's BRYAN ANDERSON; Five things Californians need to know about Joe Biden -- Sac Bee's BRYAN ANDERSON; Five things Californians need to know about Bernie Sanders -- Sac Bee's BRYAN ANDERSON; On debate stage, Dems intensify focus on beating Trump as impeachment's glow fades -- LA Times's JANET HOOK
The stronger the joint, the higher the tax? Report weighs California cannabis tax change
Sac Bee's ANDREW SHEELER: "Should that marijuana joint cost more because it is higher in THC content? That’s the argument put forth in a new report by the California Legislative Analyst’s Office."
"Currently, the state taxes cannabis at two points in the production cycle; cannabis is taxed by weight after it is harvested, and then taxed again as an excise tax at the retail level. The state is set to increase cannabis taxes at both levels on Jan. 1, 2020."
"The analyst’s office proposes a novel change to that tax structure: Drop the cultivation tax entirely and tax cannabis by its THC potency instead. THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the compound responsible for inducing the “high” often association with using marijuana."
READ MORE related to Environment: Winter solstice will be immediately followed by wet weather in SoCal -- LA Times's PAUL DUGINSKI
See which counties saw the best economic growth over the past decade
Sac Bee's PHILLIP REESE: "California’s economy grew faster than the rest of the nation’s in 2018, expanding by about 4.3 percent."
"The state’s real gross domestic product — the total value of goods produced and services provided, adjusted for inflation — rose about 34 percent from 2009 to 2018. But the growth has not been uniform. New estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis show huge differences in economic growth between many counties."
READ MORE related to Economy: Porch piracy: Growing holiday scourge prompts anger, arrests and a glitter bomb -- The Chronicle's ALEJANDRO SERRANO/STEVE RUBENSTEIN; SoCal housing market heating up: median price rises 5.6% -- LA Times's ANDREW KHOURI
Terminated Christian Bros. principal filing lawsuit against school's board
Sac Bee's SAWSAN MORRAR: "Former Christian Brothers High School principal Chris Orr announced Thursday he is filing a federal civil lawsuit against the school’s board of directors for wrongful termination and retaliation."
"Orr made the announcement he was filing the lawsuit in federal court at a press conference outside the high school. He was accompanied by civil rights activist Cornel West, a native of Sacramento."
"Orr was removed from his position on Oct. 11 with little explanation."
READ MORE related to Education: Police clear bomb threat at SFSU -- The Chronicle's ALLEJANDRO SERRANO/LAUREN HERNANDEZ
Nearly half of BART citations go to black riders, but police say system prevents profiling
The Chronicle's RACHEL SWAN: "BART’s high-profile quest to cut down on its fare-evasion epidemic has produced dramatic racial disparities, newly released records show, with nearly half of proof-of-payment citations going to African American riders."
"Agency officials, however, said the effort to dissuade fare cheats has built-in guards to ensure enforcement is fair and that groups of riders are targeted in a particular place at the same time, without regard to their appearance."
"Of 12,207 citations doled out from July 18, 2018, to June 30, 2019, roughly 46% were given to people who identified themselves to BART proof-of-payment officers as African American, BART data show."
Activists focus impeachment heat on GOP senators in swing states
The Chronicle's JOE GAROFOLI: "Indivisible was one of the left-leaning groups that organized more than 600 pro-impeachment rallies nationwide this week before the House impeached President Trump."
"So now what for Indivisible, which has an estimated 2 million members nationally in roughly 5,000 chapters, including 200 in the Bay Area? Those groups aren’t slowing down, even though the GOP-led Senate is unlikely to remove Trump from office — if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi decides to send the case to the Senate for a trial."
"The Senate is what Indivisible is focusing on now: It’s going to target vulnerable Republican senators up for re-election in 2020."
Trump rips into Christian magazine that called for his removal
AP: "President Trump is blasting a prominent Christian magazine that published an editorial arguing that he should be removed from office."
"Trump tweeted Friday morning that the magazine, Christianity Today, an evangelical periodical founded by the late Rev. Billy Graham, is a “far left“ publication which “has been doing poorly and hasn’t been involved with the Billy Graham family for many years."
"He adds that it “knows nothing about reading a perfect transcript of a routine phone call,” a reference to his July call with the president of Ukraine that led to his impeachment. Trump claims the magazine would rather have “a Radical Left nonbeliever, who wants to take your religion & your guns, than Donald Trump as your President."
