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California Policy and Politics Saturday
California’s home insurance crisis is getting worse — but rates are still cheap compared to Florida -- When Peter Heckathorn got the insurance quote for his single family home in Orinda, he was stunned. Not because the premium was too high, but because it was so low. Megan Fan Munce in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/5/24
This California ballot measure could lead to higher property taxes — but also higher property values -- Cities in California struggle to fund major infrastructure and housing projects. A proposition on the ballot this fall could change that — but at the cost, opponents say, of spiking property taxes that have been held in check for nearly half a century by Proposition 13. Jessica Roy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/5/24
‘More serious than we had hoped’: Bird flu deaths mount among California dairy cows -- As California struggles to contain an increasing number of H5N1 bird flu outbreaks at Central Valley dairy farms, veterinary experts and industry observers are voicing concern that the number of cattle deaths is far higher than anticipated. Susanne Rust in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/5/24
L.A.’s ex-deputy mayor headed to prison: ‘Corruption at any level will not be tolerated’ -- A federal judge sentenced former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan for his role in a sprawling City Hall corruption case that also brought down a former councilmember. Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/5/24
Arellano: The real problem with L.A. Latino politics isn’t City Council boundaries -- It’s been nearly two years since a secretly recorded conversation featuring Los Angeles political heavyweights rocked City Hall — and really, what has changed? Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/5/24
Instructor at Troubled Skydiving Spot Gets 2 Years After Faking Credentials -- The facility near Lodi, Calif., where he trained people in tandem jumping, has come under scrutiny amid more than two dozen deaths since 1985. Annie Correal and Kate Christobek in the New York Times$ -- 10/5/24
Menendez brothers
Kim Kardashian wants the Menendez brothers to be freed as D.A. reviews case -- Kim Kardashian, who has successfully advocated for criminal justice reform, writes an essay calling for the Menendez brothers’ life sentences to be reconsidered. Nardine Saad in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/5/24
Disney
Disney faces class action lawsuit over employee data breach -- The Burbank-based entertainment giant is accused in a class action lawsuit of negligence and other misconduct related to a data breach. Christi Carras in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/5/24
Tijuana River
The Tijuana River smells so bad, the CDC is coming to investigate -- San Diego County residents will have an opportunity to share their pollution concerns about the Tijuana River when officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention arrive later this month to conduct a health survey. Jireh Deng in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/5/24
Klamath
First sighting of salmon in 100 years marks key milestone for California dam removal -- In an early victory for the nation’s largest dam-removal project, the first salmon in more than a century is believed to have pushed up the Klamath River this week into waters formerly blocked by dams. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/5/24
Downtown SF
Chef will close Michelin-starred restaurant, citing ‘desolate convention center suck hole’ in downtown S.F. -- Aphotic, which won a Michelin star in its first year of operation, announced on Instagram that it will close on Dec. 21. Chef Peter Hemsley said despite the accolades, the restaurant’s location at 816 Folsom St. in SoMa proved challenging. Elena Kadvany in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/5/24
Top of the Ticket
Harris Economic Plan Takes Shape With Big Focus on Consumers -- Vice President Kamala Harris’s agenda is focused on costs, while President Biden’s was focused on jobs. Where Biden sees voters foremost as workers, Harris sees them more as consumers. Justin Lahart and Andrew Restuccia in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/5/24
Harris meets with Arab American and Muslim leaders in Michigan -- Meeting comes as VP holds a rally in Flint, site of a 2014 water crisis that became a symbol of government neglect. Cleve R. Wootson Jr. and Yasmeen Abutaleb in the Washington Post$ -- 10/5/24
Election Deepfakes Prompt State Crackdowns—and First Amendment Concerns -- Satirists suing California say the state’s new law targeting AI-generated political content poses threat to free speech. Jacob Gershman in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/5/24
Harris is running a much bigger campaign than Trump. Will it matter? -- With a month to go, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris remain nearly tied in battleground polls. The similarities end there. Josh Dawsey, Michael Scherer, Clara Ence Morse and Theodoric Meyer in the Washington Post$ -- 10/5/24
Trump Takes Aim at Legal Immigration -- The former president and his allies, who often decry undocumented immigrants, are targeting programs that allow millions of people to enter the country lawfully. Jazmine Ulloa and Hamed Aleaziz in the New York Times$ -- 10/5/24
Trump falsely touts endorsement from JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon -- Bank representative confirms Dimon has not endorsed Trump or any other candidate in the 2024 race. Hugo Lowell The Guardian -- 10/5/24
Elon Musk to join Trump at rally at the site of first assassination attempt -- The event will mark the first time that the billionaire businessman appears publicly at a campaign event for the former president since endorsing him. The July endorsement came directly after the attempted assassination, with Musk writing on X, “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery.” Associated Press -- 10/5/24
Obama will campaign with Harris in key swing states next week -- Former President Barack Obama is planning to hit key swing states to boost Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign for the White House, starting next Thursday in Pittsburgh. Will Weissert Associated Press -- 10/5/24
Helene hit Trump strongholds in Georgia and North Carolina. It could swing the election -- Officials in both swing states face urgent decisions about helping people vote in shattered communities. Ariel Wittenberg, Avery Ellfeldt and Thomas Frank Politico -- 10/5/24
Trump pledges to rename Army base after Confederate general -- Donald Trump says that North Carolina’s Fort Liberty would once again become Fort Bragg if he’s reelected — less than two years after the base was renamed to remove the name of a Confederate general as part of efforts to reckon with the legacy of racism. Irie Sentner Politico -- 10/5/24
JD Vance says ‘illegal immigrants’ are keeping you from owning your own home -- It’s a powerful case to make before the election because it merges two major concerns for voters: soaring housing prices and a wave of undocumented immigration. Katy O'Donnell Politico -- 10/5/24
Obama to hit the campaign trail for Harris in battleground states -- Kamala Harris was among Barack Obama’s earliest supporters in 2008, knocking on doors and raising money to help propel him to a two-term presidency. Now, he’s returning the favor. Kierra Frazier Politico -- 10/5/24
Tech Venture Capitalist Ben Horowitz Plans to Donate to Harris After Supporting Trump -- Billionaire venture capitalist Ben Horowitz plans to donate to Kamala Harris’s campaign, an unexpected move from the tech leader who had earlier helped intensify a heated political divide in Silicon Valley by supporting Donald Trump. Preetika Rana in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/5/24
Okla. is buying schools 55,000 Bibles. Specs match the $60 Trump Bible -- The state put out a bid for leather-bound Bibles with U.S. founding documents. Few, if any, such Bibles are currently for sale besides a Bible endorsed by Trump. Laura Meckler in the Washington Post$ -- 10/5/24
Guns
The American Guns That Mexican Cartels Covet: A Visual Guide -- Mexico is engulfed in a wave of criminal violence and disputes between rival drug gangs. U.S. weapons are fueling the bloodbath, Mexican authorities say. Steve Fisher and Roque Ruiz in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/5/24
Also
Lopez: A driving test for license renewal? Responses range from absolutely to ‘Leave us seniors alone!’ -- Once again, it has become clear that the letters D, M and V are like magic beans. Toss them into the public square, and the harvest begins immediately. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/5/24
Who’s in charge of finally closing Men’s Central Jail? It’s TBD -- Nearly a decade after deciding that Men’s Central Jail was too decrepit, L.A. County’s top politicians are on the hunt for someone to finally shut it down. Rebecca Ellis, David Zahniser and Keri Blakinger in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/5/24
California Policy and Politics Friday
Trump refused to give California wildfire aid until told how many people there voted for him, ex-aide says -- Former White House advisers said Trump hesitated as president to provide disaster aid to California because of the state’s Democratic leanings. Scott Waldman and Thomas Frank Politico -- 10/4/24
How Meta brings in millions off political violence -- Ads connected to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump and Israel’s war in Gaza brought Facebook millions. Colin Lecher and Tomas Apodaca CalMatters -- 10/4/24
We held a poll on the best S.F. event. It shows how/if ranked-choice voting can be gamed -- Can you game ranked-choice voting? Ranked-choice voting — or RCV for short — is the system used in San Francisco to elect some local officials. It’s how voters will choose the next mayor and several members of the Board of Supervisors this November. Nami Sumida in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/4/24
Democrat who vowed to not take campaign money from oil and tobacco owned up to $820,000 of stock in those industries -- Franky Carrillo, a Democrat running for California Assembly, says he sold his fossil fuel and tobacco stocks after environmentalists raised concerns about his investments. Anabel Sosa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/4/24
Mayor to select Jim McDonnell as new LAPD chief -- Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is expected to announce that she has selected Jim McDonnell to serve as the city’s next police chief, ending a months-long search process and ushering in a new era for one of the country’s largest police departments. Libor Jany, Richard Winton, David Zahniser and Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/4/24
New Oakland Coliseum Sale Deal Raises Questions About Delayed Payment and City’s Budget -- The city of Oakland and the developers’ group that is buying the Coliseum both said the deal is still on track after council members raised questions about the sale this week, but the timing of payments to the city — used to balance this year’s budget — could be changing. Katie DeBenedetti KQED -- 10/4/24
Prop 36
Californians broadly support Prop. 36 to get tough on crime, new poll finds -- A solid majority of likely California voters support Proposition 36, the November ballot measure that would impose stricter penalties for retail theft and crimes involving fentanyl, according to a new UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll co-sponsored by The Times. Anabel Sosa in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/4/24
How to deal with S.F.’s top retail theft hotspots? What store owners say about Prop 36 -- Many merchants in San Francisco’s hardest-hit shopping districts said they welcome the stiffer penalties, even if research suggests the increased threat of incarceration may not hinder shoplifters. Rachel Swan, Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/4/24
Prop 5
Prop. 5 could unleash a flood of new affordable housing, road repairs, fire stations — and tax hikes -- If approved by California voters, Proposition 5 would make it easier for local bond measures, and the tax increases that often accompany them, to pass. Liam Dillon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/4/24
Wildfire
California firefighting aircraft stymied by U.S. Forest Service policy, local chiefs say -- Why won’t the U.S. Forest Service allow a fire fighting helicopter to fly at night? Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/4/24
Menendez brothers
D.A. investigating new molestation evidence in Menendez murders case, in victory for brothers -- More than three decades after Erik and Lyle Menendez killed their parents, the county district attorney will review what he described as new evidence that the brothers were molested. Salvador Hernandez, Richard Winton and Hannah Fry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/4/24
Dairy workers and Bird Flu
California reports two confirmed cases of bird flu infection in Central Valley dairy workers -- These two cases bring the total number of humans infected with bird flu by diseased dairy cattle to six. Since the beginning of the year, there have been 16 cases of bird flu reported in the U.S. Nine were associated with exposure to poultry infected with avian influenza A(H5N1). Susanne Rust in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/4/24
Diddy
L.A. County D.A. seeking more alleged victims of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs -- Dist. Atty. George Gascón is encouraging anyone who believes they were victimized by Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in Los Angeles County to contact his office. Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/4/24
Albertsons
Albertsons to pay $3.9 million over allegations it overcharged, lied about weight of groceries -- Grocery titan Albertsons will pay $3.9 million to resolve a civil law enforcement complaint alleging that it ripped off customers at hundreds of its Vons, Safeway and Albertsons stores in California, authorities said Thursday. Clara Harter in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/4/24
Klamath
Klamath River dam removal brings hope for threatened salmon -- The recently completed removal of dams on the Klamath River is raising hopes of rebuilding the population of threatened spring-run chinook salmon. Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/4/24
Top of the ticket
Trump losing ground with women on economy, poll shows -- Not only do women prefer Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump by 15 percentage points, according to a new poll. They are starting to give Harris the edge on one of his strongest issues — the economy. Elena Schneider Politico -- 10/4/24
Kamala Harris and the Influence of an Estranged Father Just Two Miles Away -- Donald J. Harris rarely speaks to his famous daughter, who lives nearby. But he helped shape who she became. Robert Draper in the New York Times$ -- 10/4/24
A Steely Liz Cheney, at Harris’s Side, Calls It ‘Our Duty’ to Reject Trump -- The former congresswoman and Republican exile stumped for Kamala Harris in Ripon, Wis., the birthplace of the G.O.P., calling on conservatives to shun Donald Trump’s “depraved cruelty.” Erica L. Green and Katie Rogers in the New York Times$ Holly Otterbein and Natalie Allison Politico -- 10/4/24
Walz, Appealing to Muslim Voters, Says War in Gaza ‘Must End Now’ -- Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, on Thursday made a direct appeal to Muslim voters, decrying “staggering and devastating” destruction in Gaza and saying that the war between Israel and Hamas should be brought to an immediate end. Tim Balk and Katie Glueck in the New York Times$ -- 10/4/24
Walz says he ‘speaks like everybody else.’ And it’s not working for the campaign -- Since being tapped as Kamala Harris’ running mate, the folksy, plain-speaking Minnesota governor has had to explain a growing number of inaccurate statements — and at times embellishments — about his past. Meredith Lee Hill and Mia McCarthy Politico -- 10/4/24
Trump Rally in Michigan Dominated by More False Statements -- Appearing for roughly 85 minutes onstage, the Republican nominee repeated false claims about the 2020 election and introduced a mischaracterization about disaster-relief money. Neil Vigdor in the New York Times$ -- 10/4/24
Trump’s Jan. 6 role back in focus as he readies new stolen election claims -- Former president Donald Trump’s effort to overturn his loss four years ago and his role inciting the violent attack on the Capitol roared onto the 2024 campaign stage this week even as he continues to suggest he won’t accept a defeat if it happens a second time. Amy Gardner and Josh Dawsey in the Washington Post$ -- 10/4/24
Trump says DOJ violated its own election rules. Lawyers disagree -- DOJ policy advises against taking overt steps in political cases close to elections. Experts say prosecutors were following court orders in the latest Trump filing. Perry Stein and Spencer S. Hsu in the Washington Post$ -- 10/4/24
Bruce Springsteen Endorses Kamala Harris for President -- The rock star has long aligned himself with Democrats and been critical of former President Donald J. Trump. Tim Balk and Nick Corasaniti in the New York Times$ -- 10/4/24
Five Issues Where Donald Trump Flip-Flopped -- Former President Donald Trump has staked out new policy positions in recent weeks that suggest he would be a different president than he was when first elected in 2016. Natalie Andrews and Rosie Ettenheim in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/4/24
Filing in Trump Election Case Fleshes Out Roles of a Sprawling Cast -- Donald Trump is the only defendant in the special counsel’s case that charges him with a plot to remain in power after his 2020 loss. But a newly unsealed brief provides fresh details about many other figures. Alan Feuer and Charlie Savage in the New York Times$ -- 10/4/24