Saddleridge fire burning homes, threatens numerous communities
LA Times's JOSEPH SERNA/LEILA MILLER/MATTHEW ORMSETH: "The Saddleridge fire made a destructive march Friday in the northern foothills of the San Fernando Valley, burning numerous homes, closing two freeways and forcing thousands to flee."
"The fire, which started in Sylmar, is moving rapidly to the west toward Porter Ranch and other communities."
"Mandatory evacuations were issued to a huge swath of neighborhoods north of the 118 Freeway from Tampa Avenue all the way to the Ventura County line -- an area covering 100,000 residents. No injuries were reported."
PG&E restores power to thousands, starts line inspections in NorCal
Sacramento Bee's TONY BIZJAK/MICHAEL MCGOUGH/DALE KASLER: "Northern California’s two-day-old power outage drama may have turned a corner."
"Saying winds have died down sufficiently in many Northern California counties, Pacific Gas and Electric announced Thursday it had restored power to thousands of customers and was giving its crews the go-ahead to begin inspecting power lines in all but one of the 34 counties hit with deliberate blackouts."
"PG&E restored power to approximately 228,000 customers, leaving 510,000 households and businesses without power Thursday evening, said vice president Sumeet Singh, who runs the utility’s wildfire safety program. Singh said winds had eased off enough to allow crews to begin inspecting in most of the blackout-out area, except for the vicinity of Paradise — the scene of last November’s horrific Camp Fire — and parts of Kern County."
READ MORE related to PG&E Blackouts: PG&E gas employees wined and dined just before mass power outages -- The Chronicle's JD MORRIS; Mass California blackout recalls shades of Gray Davis. Should Newsom be worried? -- Sacramento Bee's ANDREW SHEELER; PG&E outages the new normal? Politicians blast the idea -- The Chronicle's DUSTIN GARDINER; PG&E makes progress on restoration, releases Bay Area county percentages -- The Chronicle's LAUREN HERNANDEZ/JILL TUCKER/MEGAN CASSIDY/TATIANA SANCHEZ; Lights are still on Sacramento. Here's why SMUD isn't in PG&E's shutoff predicament -- Sacramento Bee's MOLLY SULLIVAN
California's workplace sexual harassment laws strengthened
LA Times's TARYN LUNA: "Gov. Gavin Newsom took action Thursday to strengthen California’s workplace protection laws related to sexual harassment, signing bills that were vetoed by his predecessor last year."
"The new laws will give victims of sexual harassment more time to file complaints in California and ban forced arbitration as a condition of employment. After former Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed several bills inspired by the #MeToo movement in 2018, authors of the legislation took another shot this year with the hope that Newsom might be more sympathetic."
"For many, a job can provide a sense of purpose and belonging — the satisfaction of knowing your labor provides value to the world,” Newsom said. “Everyone should have the ability to feel that pride in what they do, but for too many workers, they aren’t provided the dignity, respect or safety they deserve. These laws will help change that."
Newsom signs bill banning California hotels from using tiny plastic shampoo bottles
Sacramento Bee's ANDREW SHEELER: "Planning to stay at a California hotel? You’d better get in the habit of bringing your own shampoo and conditioner."
"California hotels with more than 50 rooms will be banned from dispensing plastic bottles of soap, shampoo or conditioner beginning in 2023 under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The ban applies to all hotels, regardless of size, in 2024."
"Violating the law is punishable by a $500 fine for a first offense and a $2,000 fine for each additional offense."
California Republicans beating each other up in congressional races
The Chronicle's JOHN WILDERMUTH: "In the races for the handful of California’s remaining GOP congressional seats, the nastiest battles could be between the Republicans."
"The GOP holds just seven of California’s 53 House seats, and one of the party’s seven incumbents, Rep. Duncan Hunter of Alpine (San Diego County), faces a January trial on 60 felony counts related to alleged misuse of campaign contributions. A Survey USA poll done last week for the San Diego Union-Tribune found the four-term congressman running fourth, behind a Democrat and two Republicans."
"Four other local Republicans who were challenging Hunter ended their campaigns and endorsed former GOP Rep. Darrell Issa, who had represented a neighboring district, when he jumped into the race last month."
Democratic candidates vow to reverse Trump's rollback of LGBTQ rights
LA Times's MICHAEL FINNEGAN: "Nine Democratic presidential candidates vowed Thursday to reverse President Trump’s rollbacks of LGBTQ rights as they sought to appeal to a key group of voters in the race for the party’s 2020 nomination."
"In back-to-back appearances at a CNN town hall in Los Angeles, the Democrats sketched out similar agendas on LGBTQ issues. One after another, they vowed to reverse President Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the military and to outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity."
"The most warmly received candidate was Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., who spoke at the last primary debate about his decision to publicly come out as gay soon after returning from war."
Workers' painful process of clawing back stolen wages
Fairwarning's ELI WOLFE in Capitol Weekly: "In February, when California labor officials announced the biggest wage theft case against a private company in state history, they made sure to include a warning for all bosses:"
"Stealing earned wages from workers’ pockets is illegal in California and this case shows that employers who steal from their workers will end up paying for it in the end,” said Labor Secretary Julie Su in a press release announcing nearly $12 million in citations against RDV Construction, Inc. RDV has appealed the penalties."
"Her message didn’t include a timeline for when RDV will pay; nor do any of the other announcements from the Labor Commissioner’s Office about wage theft citations. There’s good reason for this: in many cases, it takes years before workers receive even some of the money they’re owed. Sometimes they receive nothing at all."
'Predatory lending' targeted in new California law capping interest on loans at 36%
Sacramento Bee's HANNAH WILEY: "Californians who take out of up to $10,000 no longer have to worry about triple-digit interest after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law on Thursday to cap rates at 36 percent."
"Assembly Bill 539 ends a decades-long practice of charging borrowers who take out loans between $2,500 and $10,000 with interest that can exceed 200 percent. The rate will now be capped at the nationally recommended 36 percent, what’s considered a “compromise” between lenders and consumer advocates."
"Many Californians living paycheck to paycheck are exploited by predatory lending practices each year,” Newsom said. “Defaulting on high-cost, high-interest rate installment loans push families further into poverty instead of pulling them out. These families deserve better, and this industry must be held to account."
READ MORE related to Predatory Lending: (OP-ED) Needed: Protecting small businesses from predatory lending -- CAROLINA MARTINEZ in Capitol Weekly
Medical Cannabis to be allowed at California K-12 schools, with parents' OK
Sacramento Bee's ANDREW SHEELER: "California school districts now have the option of allowing parents to administer medical marijuana on-campus under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom."
"The bill, sponsored by Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, lifts a prohibition on cannabis possession within 1,000 feet of a school and goes into effect Jan. 1, 2020."
"Hill has dubbed the bill “Jojo’s Act,” named for a South San Francisco teenager who has severe and debilitating epilepsy who takes medicinal cannabis to block seizures."
Does California need a homeless court? Voters could decide
Sacramento Bee's ANDREW SHEELER: "A proposed ballot initiative would create a special court to steer homeless Californians to treatment after arrests for a range of crimes including defecation in public and drug use."
"Former Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Los Angeles, submitted the ballot initiative on Thursday for review by the Attorney General’s Office. If it moves forward, it would require 623,212 signatures to reach the ballot."
"Gatto’s office says the initiative would “radically” change the state’s approach to homelessness."
Newsom vetoes bill to force party name change
The Chronicle's TRAPPER BYRNE: "Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have forced the 52-year-old American Independent Party to change its name in order to appear on the California ballot."
"SB696 would have prevented any political party in the state from using “independent” in its name. State Sen. Tom Umberg, the Santa Ana Democrat who carried the bill, made it clear he had the American Independent Party in mind when he introduced the legislation, saying voters were mistakenly signing up with the party when they thought they were registering as independents."
"His bill would also have prevented parties from using “decline to state” or “no party preference” in their names."
Man found masturbating inside California tax building, raising security questions
Sacramento Bee's WES VENTEICHER: "A man was discovered masturbating in a women’s restroom in the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration building Wednesday, according to an email circulated among employees."
"An employee discovered the man “sitting on the toilet ‘pleasuring’ himself” in the late afternoon, according to the email business taxes administrator Thomas Gates sent to employees Thursday morning."
"The incident raises questions about security in the 450 N Street building housing the tax-collecting department, which has security guards, badge scanners and heavy glass partitions in its entryway."
Court orders US Energy Dept. to enforce energy standards for heaters, portable AC
The Chronicle's BOB EGELKO: "A federal appeals court ordered the Trump administration Thursday to enforce long-delayed energy-efficiency standards for portable air conditioners, building heaters and other appliances, rules that the previous administration said would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of 705,000 cars a year."
"The regulations were issued by President Barack Obama’s Energy Department in December 2016, after lengthy deliberations, and were scheduled to take effect in March 2017. But President Trump’s energy secretary, Rick Perry, put the changes on hold and has said they remain under review."
"The ruling by the Ninth U.S.Circuit Court of Appeals “is good news for our climate future, and for the rule of law,” said Kit Kennedy of the Natural Resources Defense Council, part of a coalition of environmental groups that sued to enforce the new standards. Suits were also filed by California and 10 other states, New York City and Washington, D.C."
Stockton's mayor doesn't like Andrew Yang's UBI plan. Here's why
Sacramento Bee's BRYAN ANDERSON: "Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs announced last year that some residents in his city will receive $500 a month, no strings attached, sparking a flurry of national attention for a closely watched program."
"Six months into the universal basic income experiment — the first of its kind led by a U.S. city — Tubbs is touting some successes. A lot of the money the 125 recipients have secured is going toward food, clothing and economic opportunities."
"With the concept of universal basic income gaining national attention through a “Freedom Dividend” proposed by 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful Andrew Yang, the 29-year-old Tubbs is eager to prove the pilot’s merits."
Trump's children take in millions overseas as president slams Biden's son
LA Times's NOAH BIERMAN/CHRIS MEGERIAN: "Eric Trump sounded shocked that Hunter Biden hadn’t drawn more criticism for his lucrative business deals in Ukraine and China while his father, Joe Biden, was vice president."
"Can you imagine if I took 3 cents from the Ukraine or 4 cents from China?” President Trump’s second-oldest son asked in a recent Fox Business appearance."
"Eric Trump and his older brother, Donald Trump Jr., run the Trump Organization, which conducts business — and takes in tens of millions of dollars annually — around the globe and is still owned by the president. The company is forging ahead with projects in Ireland, India, Indonesia and Uruguay, and is licensing the Trump name in such turbulent areas as Turkey and the Philippines."
