California could lose a congressional district following 2020 census count
LA Times's SARAH PARVINI/JOHN MYERS: "California is poised to lose a congressional seat for the first time in its history as a state, based on U.S. Census Bureau population estimates released Monday that showed the nation’s growth continued to slow in 2019."
"Some 27 states and the District of Columbia lost residents through net domestic migration between 2018 and 2019, the new census data show."
"About 203,000 people left California in that period, a result of the state’s shifting migration patterns and economic strains that are making it harder to afford living here. New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Louisiana also saw large losses to other states."
State sued over AB5 law
Sac Bee's DALE KASLER: "Uber and Postmates sued California on Monday over Assembly Bill 5, the state’s effort to bring employment protections to workers in the so-called gig economy."
"The ride-sharing tech giant and food-delivery service became the latest to challenge AB 5, joining the trucking industry, organizations representing freelance journalists and others. The landmark legislation, signed in September by Gov. Gavin Newsom, is set to go into effect Jan. 1 and is already facing the prospect of a ballot fight launched by Uber and others."
"In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Uber Technologies Inc. and Postmates Inc., a delivery service based in San Francisco, said the law is unconstitutional and will “stifle workers and companies in the on-demand economy.” They argued that the gig economy gives its workers, who have been classified as independent contractors, “opportunities to earn money when and where they want, with unprecedented independence and flexibility.” The lawsuit seeks an injunction blocking implementation of AB 5."
Whistle-blowers can sue their govt employers for retaliation, SF fed appeals court rules
The Chronicle's BOB EGELKO: "Whistle-blowers in California have a right to sue their state or local government employer for retaliating against them, a federal appeals court ruled Monday."
"The right to file retaliation suits was first recognized by a California appellate court last year, and the new ruling by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco applied the same standard to employees who file their cases in federal court because they also include claims of free speech or civil rights violations. But lawyers for the former San Bernardino County employee in Monday’s case said it was an important victory for workers who accuse public employers of wrongdoing."
"This is a huge statement by the courts that whistle-blowers are going to be provided protection,” said attorney A. Cabral Bonner."
A free-for-all in the 25th CD
LISA RENNER in Capitol Weekly: "It’s been a wild year for politics in 2019, from the national to the state scene, and one of the wilder spots is California’s 25th Congressional District."
"The year started off with Democrats cheering as millennial Katie Hill took the seat, flipping it blue after a 25-year run in Republican hands."
"But less than 12 months later, she resigned amid a sex scandal. Now, about a dozen candidates have entered the race to claim the seat, with pundits saying both parties have a good shot to grab it. The race is getting national attention revolving around the choices, which include a convicted criminal (Republican George Papadopoulos) and a controversial YouTube star (Democrat Cenk Uygur)."
20 new laws that will reshape California
The Chronicle's ALEXEI KOSEFF: "In his first year in office, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed nearly 900 bills into law. Most of them take effect Jan. 1, which means a lot of changes, big and small, are coming to California in the new year. Here are 20 that could transform people’s lives and the state in 2020 and beyond."
"Consumer privacy: Personal information has become a valuable commodity, prompting a campaign by advocates to regain some of the privacy consumers have lost by shopping, banking and posting photos online. The long-awaited AB375 requires businesses to disclose the types of user data they are collecting on their websites and apps and gives customers the ability to opt out of having their information sold or demand that it be deleted."
"The law emerged from a deal in 2018 among legislators, privacy advocates and industry groups that wanted to head off a more sweeping proposal that San Francisco real estate developer Alastair Mactaggart had qualified for the ballot. But their compromise has not ended the fight over consumer privacy in California. While tech companies and other industries unsuccessfully lobbied this year for measures to fix what they said were serious flaws in the law before it took effect, supporters are already pushing another initiative to expand its safeguards and boost penalties for violations."
One day left to file wildfire loss claims for 2017-18
Sac Bee's MICHAEL MCGOUGH: "PG&E is reminding customers that the deadline to file insurance claims against the utility related to 2017 and 2018 Northern California fires, including the deadly 2018 Camp Fire, is 5 p.m. Tuesday."
"Claims related to the Northern California fires that arose prior to January 29, 2019, must be filed in PG&E’s Chapter 11 cases and received no later than the deadline of December 31, 2019, at 5:00 p.m,” Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said in a news release. “If any person or entity believes money is owed to them by PG&E for loss or injury resulting from the Northern California fires that arose before PG&E filed for Chapter 11 on January 29, 2019, then they must file a Proof of Claim before the Bar Date."
"Claims can be filed online at www.officialfireclaims.com, by mail to PG&E’s claims processing center, or in person at one of six PG&E claim service centers."
New law makes anti-HIV drugs easier to get
LESLIE HICKS/ADEOLA OGUNSANYA in Sac Bee: "A new California law that aims to ease barriers to medication that can reduce the risk of HIV has pharmacists around the state preparing to offer a pair of drugs that today are only available if a doctor prescribes them."
"The new law, Senate Bill 159, allows pharmacists to distribute the antiretroviral medications PrEP and PEP without a physician’s prescription. It also prohibits insurance companies from requiring people to obtain prior authorization before using insurance benefits to acquire the medication."
"Pre-exposure prophylaxis, known as PrEP, can reduce the risk of HIV from sex by about 99 percent if taken correctly according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
Biden says he would consider a Republican running mate in 2020 election
AP: "Former Vice President Joe Biden entertained the idea of choosing a Republican as a 2020 running mate as he campaigned Monday — though he conceded he didn’t have anyone specific in mind."
"A voter told Biden during an event Monday afternoon in Exeter, N.H., that her son had wondered if the Democratic presidential contender would consider choosing a Republican as a running mate."
"The answer is, I would, but I can’t think of one now,” Biden said as the crowd laughed."
How you'll know if Newsom's plan to turn around the DMV in 2020 is working
Sac Bee's BRYAN ANDERSON: "California’s Department of Motor Vehicles in 2020 is looking to turn the page on a turbulent past couple of years that were highlighted by network outages, long wait times and voter registration errors."
"In his first week in office, Gov. Gavin Newsom deployed a so-called “strike team” to improve the department and later called for “re-imagining the DMV” during his first State of the State Address. He hired a new director for the department and demand the DMV begin accepting credit card payments at its offices."
"While the DMV has substantially cut its wait times from its highs during the summer of 2018, some fear a return to lengthy delays because millions of additional customers are expected to pour into offices to acquire a Real ID card. The new license will be required by Oct. 1, 2020 to board airplanes or enter other federal facilities without a passport."
In disaster-prone California, emergency sirens get high-tech makeover
The Chronicle's MALLORY MOENCH: "It was blustery on the first Saturday in December. Wind and rain drove most residents of a quiet neighborhood in Mill Valley’s hills into their homes, except for a few brave dog-walkers. Then suddenly, at noon sharp, a siren pierced through the canyon on Vasco Court."
"This is only a test,” a robotic voice recording blared. It was a routine monthly check of a new siren system, activated with a tap on a cell phone app by Mill Valley Fire Battalion Chief Scott Barnes. In a wildfire, it could save lives."
"It seems that every large fire we’ve had in the past ... some of the negatives we hear are ‘I wasn’t notified. I didn’t get an emergency notification,’” said Barnes, who’s been with the fire district for 29 years. “This system is one more tool to provide that notification."
What you need to know about new IRS W-4 form
The Chronicle's KATHLEEN PENDER: "Starting Wednesday, employees who begin a new job or want to change their federal tax withholding will be confronted with an all new W-4 Form."
"This is the form that determines how much federal income tax is withheld from an employee’s paycheck based on how the worker filled it out. The revision is designed to reflect changes in the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that took effect in 2018."
"Used correctly, it should lead to more accurate withholding for most employees, especially two-earner couples. That should result in fewer big refunds or balances due at tax time."
Why are so many Californians unhappy despite a statewide boom?
NYTimes's CONOR DOUGHERTY: "Christine Johnson, a public-finance consultant with an engineering degree, was running for a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. She crisscrossed her downtown district talking about her plans to stimulate housing construction, improve public transit and deal with the litter of “needles and poop” that have become a common sight on the city’s sidewalks."
"Today, a year after losing the race, Johnson, who had been in the Bay Area since 2004, lives in Denver with her husband and 4-year-old son. In a recent interview, she spoke for millions of Californians past and present when she described the cloud that high rent and child-care costs had cast over her family’s savings and future."
"I fully intended San Francisco to be my home and wanted to make the neighborhoods better,” she said. “But after the election we started tallying up what life could look like elsewhere, and we didn’t see friends in other parts of the country experiencing challenges the same way.”
Mothers who took over vacant Oakland home plead case in court
The Chronicle's SARAH RAVANI: "More than 100 people gathered Monday outside a Hayward courthouse to support a group of homeless mothers who have taken up residence in a vacant West Oakland home."
"The property owner, a Southern California real estate investment company that says it plans to renovate and resell the property, has issued an eviction notice arguing that the women are trespassing and must leave immediately."
"The case highlights the growing tensions about Oakland’s housing and homelessness crisis. Oakland had a 47% increase in homelessness in just two years, and 3,210 homeless people are unsheltered, according to a point-in-time count."
READ MORE related to Homelessness & Housing: Rents are way up, but eviction filings are way down -- The Chronicle's MATT LEVIN
Iraqis protesting airstrike attack US Embassy in Baghdad; Trump blames Iran
AP: "Dozens of angry Iraqi Shiite militia supporters broke into the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad on Tuesday after smashing a main door and setting fire to a reception area, prompting tear gas and sounds of gunfire."
"An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw flames rising from inside the compound and at least three U.S. soldiers on the roof of the main embassy building. There was a fire at the reception area near the parking lot of the compound but it was unclear what had caused it. A man on a loudspeaker urged the mob not to enter the compound, saying: “The message was delivered."
"The embassy attack, one of the worst in recent memory, followed deadly U.S. airstrikes on Sunday that killed 25 fighters of the Iran-backed militia in Iraq, the Kataeb Hezbollah. The U.S. military said the airstrikes were in retaliation for last week’s killing of an American contractor in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base that it had blamed on the militia."
