Notations From the Grid (Weekly Edition): Out & About in our Home State #California This Week

Our home state, California, has been undergoing some profound changes as a new Governor has taken charge.    Please enjoy this courtesy of the team at CalMatters on what is going on out & about in California:

Recent Articles Cheer for the Rams, but in California high schools, even football powerhouses are losing kids By Ricardo Cano California has produced football stars including Tom Brady, Jared Goff and Julian Edelman. But the state is in the thick of national trends that are fueling a decline in football participation. Cyber-sabotage, wildfires, weather—a web of threats to the power supply could leave Californians in the dark By Julie Cart “We are always being attacked,” one expert says. If computer hackers hijack California’s electricity network, the entire state could be held hostage. How California got tough on guns In-depth card deck explainer by Ben Christopher New Gov. Gavin Newsom denounces “a gun lobby willing to sacrifice the lives of our children to line their pockets.” A National Rifle Association spokesman predicts the Trump-altered Supreme Court means “winter may very well be coming for gun laws in California.” So it’s a showdown: The governor and the Democratic Legislature are trying to add new restrictions just as gun advocates are going to court to overturn existing ones. Watch how California got tough on guns  Video explainer by Byrhonda Lyons Did you ever wonder why the farthest state in the wild, wild west rejected its guns-a-blazing history to become emblematic of the opposite? We break it down for you less than five minutes. A new solution to the student housing crisis: retiree roommates? By Felicia Mello UC Berkeley is matching graduate students looking for housing with retirees who have extra space in their homes. The program’s organizers hope it will prove successful enough to export to other UC campuses. Can a new law reduce police shootings? California lawmakers will soon put that question to the test By Laurel Rosenhall Civil rights advocates and law enforcement lobbyists have been negotiating behind the scenes with key lawmakers, and legislation is expected to take shape soon. It will likely spur an emotional debate in the state Capitol. The big problem this bankruptcy won’t solve for PG&E By Judy Lin As a publicly traded corporation, Pacific Gas & Electric reported $17. What’s in Gov. Newsom’s budget for middle-class Californians? By David Wagner, California Dream Project Health insurance and higher ed could become more affordable for the middle class in California—but probably not the cost of caring for aging family members. Will ‘blue wave’ Dems stave off Newsom’s housing suit against Huntington Beach? By Matt Levin The fact that traditionally conservative Huntington Beach now has two new Democratic legislators might enable a deal that would end the state’s lawsuit to force more housing development there. Gavin Newsom: Getting Things Done? By Ben Christopher and John Osborn D’Agostino Our reporters are tracking California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s policies as he seeks to tackle big issues including housing, climate change, health care and more. CALQuiz: An idea for affordable student housing, cyber attacks on the grid, and a popular sport sees fewer participants By Trevor Eischen An idea for affordable student housing, cyber attacks on the grid, and a popular sport sees fewer participants Commentary My turn: Gavin Newsom is right to order a DMV overhaul By Jim Patterson In Sacramento, talk is cheap. Politicians say a lot of things to get elected. It’s what they do after they win that shows what their priorities are. But Gov. Gavin Newsom’s swift action on the DMV is a welcome change. Willie Brown sees protégés rise to the top By Dan Walters Willie Brown, former speaker of the state Assembly and former mayor of San Francisco, played key roles in the political careers of Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris and now has seen his proteges become national political figures. My turn: Changing Prop. 13 could worsen housing crisis. Here’s how By Joel Fox Why a split roll initiative is a bad idea: Changing Proposition 13 to permit commercial property to be taxed at market value would worsen the housing crisis and destabilize government finances. Just as taxpayers make adjustments to reduce their taxes, government officials embrace projects that will increase revenue. Newsom raises the housing bar on himself By Dan Walters Gov. Gavin Newsom has raised the bar on himself for dealing with California’s chronic lack of housing. His success or failure will be easily measured. My turn: California has a broken system of long-term care. Here’s what’s needed By Nancy McPherson and April Verrett We need an affordable and accessible system of long-term care for all Californians. We believe the public would embrace funding a limited but meaningful range of services for those with long-term services and supports needs. My turn: Here’s one way Newsom can be rural California’s governor By Joe Rodota Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed tens of millions to help local governments recover tax revenues, and $19 million in direct aid to school districts affected by wildfire. If Newsom really wants to change the direction of the state’s long-neglected northern region, he’ll need to do more. He included $2 million in his 2019-20 budget to review options for a new California State University campus in San Joaquin County, likely in Stockton, 135 miles from Paradise, the epicenter of the Camp Fire. The governor’s proposal should be expanded to include study of another potential campus: a Cal Poly for Northern California. Los Angeles Unified digs a deeper hole By Dan Walters Los Angeles Unified School District’s teacher strike has been settled, but the cost deepens the district’s financial hole. My turn: We need a bold vision for juvenile justice. Gov. Newsom’s plan falls short By Mike Males No one has credibly explained why teens of every demographic and locale stopped committing crime. Before we rush to approve Gov. Gavin Newsom’s “reform” of the Division of Juvenile Justice, we need solid analysis, not pleasing myths and prejudices, not self-serving credit-grabbing. Two ballot measures will test crime attitudes By Dan Walters Two 2020 ballot measures will test whether voters want to reverse course on criminal justice policy again.