How much does California really spend on homelessness? Democrat wants a final answer
Sac Bee's HANNAH WILEY/SOPHIA BOLLAG: "A California Democrat is calling for a statewide assessment of every dollar cities and agencies spend on homelessness so the Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom can calibrate a new strategy to fight the crisis."
"Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, said the Legislature and Newsom lack insight into how cities, counties and agencies are using the state’s budget to shelter and care for the 151,000 homeless Californians. Without centralized data, he said, it’s hard to know if California is effectively financing solutions."
"He’s introducing a proposal on Tuesday that would mandate the state Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council to conduct a “statewide needs and gaps analysis” of programs and services, to be completed and sent back to the Legislature by July 31, 2021, according to the bill language."
Sanders revs up Richmond crowd ahead of Super Tuesday vote
The Chronicle's ERIN ALLDAY: "Two weeks out from Super Tuesday, and with no state more powerfully positioned than California to name the Democratic nominee, Bernie Sanders told an enthusiastic crowd of thousands in Richmond on Monday that victory is riding on their shoulders."
"The candidate who wins here in California stands a pretty good chance to win the entire nation,” Sanders called out to cheers from his supporters. “So, today, I’m here to ask you to vote. To vote early. To bring your aunts and uncles and grandparents and friends and co-workers."
"Sanders is leading most of the polls in California and coming off good performances in the first two stops of the primary trail. But the March 3 elections in 14 states are make or break, with a huge number of the delegates needed to decide the Democratic nomination distributed that day. Sanders wedged the Richmond rally, at Craneway Pavilion on the bay, between stops in Carson City, Nev., on Sunday night and Tacoma, Wash., later Monday."
Trump threatened to cut federal spending in California, So why has it gone up?
Sac Bee's DAVID LIGHTMAN: "Since President Donald Trump took office, California — the state he has threatened to “defund” — has ceased to become a “donor state” that pays more in taxes than it gets back in federal dollars."
"The big reason: A boom in federal spending in California."
"In the Trump years, California has gone from being the nation’s third biggest “donor state” in the 2015 fiscal year to a state where federal taxes and spending were about even three years later, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Rockefeller Institute of Government in Albany, New York."
Money pours into crowded race for Bay Area Senate seat
The Chronicle's ALEXEI KOSEFF: "Big money from labor unions, real estate agents, tech executives — and even one candidate’s mother — is pouring into an open state Senate race on the Peninsula ahead of a fiercely contested March primary."
"A crowded field is vying to replace Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, who is termed out after eight years representing the 13th Senate District, a wealthy suburban stretch from Brisbane to Sunnyvale."
"With more than half of voters registered Democratic and only 15% signed up as Republicans, a Democrat is almost certain to win the seat in November. But only two candidates can advance from the primary scuffle."
USBP apprehensions in California doubled in two years. But trend is slowing
Sac Bee's PHILLIP REESE: "The U.S. Border Patrol last year apprehended the highest number of immigrants trying to cross from Mexico into California in nearly a decade, though the trend is already shifting following Trump administration policy changes meant to discourage asylum seekers from entering the United States, the latest federal statistics show."
"Agents at the patrol’s San Diego and El Centro sectors apprehended 93,187 unauthorized immigrants during the fiscal year 2019, up by 37 percent from the previous year. The number of apprehensions in those two sectors more than doubled between 2017 and 2019."
"The trend was even more dramatic at other parts of the southwest border. Border Patrol agents working in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley sector apprehended about 339,000 unauthorized immigrants in the fiscal year 2019, up from about 162,000 in 2018."
She helped give Asian Americans a voice in California issues. Now she'll be honored
Sac Bee's THEODORA YU: "Community organizer Miya Yoshitani, who for years has worked to educate, inform and engage low-income Asian communities statewide, will be honored as one of the recipients of the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Awardon Wednesday in Sacramento."
"This comes a few weeks before the presidential primary election on March 3, and the invitation to participate in the 2020 Census arriving by mail on April 1."
"Yoshitani is one of the seven awardees recognized for their innovation, effectiveness, inclusiveness and leadership capacity to implement solutions tackling issues that are critical to California’s future, according to the foundation."
SF expects record number of cruise ships in 2020 despite coronavirus fears
The Chronicle's SHWANIKA NARAYAN: "This year was supposed to be huge for the San Francisco cruise industry. More ships than ever before — 117, up from 85 last year — are calling at the port."
"But the pall cast by the coronavirus over the cruise industry may affect the city."
"Vessels come here primarily from other U.S. ports, as well as from Mexico and Canada, and the Port of San Francisco doesn’t expect any ships to stay away."
