City of Lafayette CA : Almost Daily Briefing

Local News Roundup for #Lafayette, California

State Democrats Call For Removal Of Craig Cheslog As Region 2 Director After Allegations of Rape, Sexual Assault

https://goo.gl/wvfTeb

State Democrats are calling for the removal of Craig Cheslog as Region 2 Director for the California Democratic Party after recent 'inappropriate behavior' was reported, which also triggered an accusation of rape. Cheslog, who was elected to the Acalanes Union High School District Board of Trustees, was not available for comment on the story, broken today by East County Today. He has since been fired from his position at Common Sense Media upon completion of their investigation into the allegations.

Arrest in notorious 1980 slaying of Antioch teen Suzanne Bombardier

The meeting was arranged by a Lafayette author, Jennifer Kathleen Gibbons, who stumbled upon Suzanne's gravestone in the Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Lafayette

Lafayette, EBMUD split Mt. Diablo Boulevard parking lot cost

City leaders and the East Bay Municipal Utility District have agreed to share the cost of developing a new public parking lot on the east end of town.

Breaking News: San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee Dead at 65
Shocking news this Tuesday morning.

Ed Lee's Legacy

San Francisco's first Asian American mayor died Tuesday, leaving behind a broad legacy of liberalism-and fraught compromises with the tech industry-on housing, education, the environment, and immigration.

Negotiations in Oakland strike end without a deal
San Francisco Chronicle

Half Moon Bay City Manager Submits Resignation
Half Moon Bay is on the lookout for a new city manager following last week's resignation of Magda Gonzalez.

Op-Ed: The Biggest Problem With the GOP Tax Bill is the Attack on Local Governments
Kicking local governments while they're down.

4 Alarm Fire Damages, Destroys 7 Homes In Oakland Hills

'Multiple homes and hillsides on fire upon arrival, embers raining down all over,' the fire department announced on social media.

TRANSPORTATION

Another Bay Bridge? 70 years of absurd, crazy and downright dumb span plans
San Francisco Chronicle

Test ride a prototype bus for AC Transit and board for free
East Bay Times

Regional transit agencies heighten security in wake of New York City's subway attack
East Bay Times

District Attorney charges driver in fatal Bay Bridge toll plaza crash
East Bay Times

Transportation advocates across political spectrum unite against proposal to split SF transit agency
San Francisco Examiner

Fatalities rising on Bay Area's streets and highways, data show
San Francisco Chronicle

MTC Study Shows Spike In Deadly Accidents In Bay Area
CBS

Quake could shut Golden Gate Bridge 'for a long, long time.' Here's the fix.
San Francisco Chronicle

Feinstein proposes new bridge across the Bay
PA Daily Post

Senator calls for new bay bridge, second Transbay Tube
SF Curbed

The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Bay Bridge that never was
SF Curbed

Bay Area's dangerous roads: Fatal crashes up 43 percent from 2010 to 2016
East Bay Times

Self-driving cars may help seniors who face driving challenges
San Francisco Chronicle

Robot cars may kill jobs, but will they create them too?
San Francisco Chronicle

HOUSING

How our housing choices make adult friendships more difficult
Vox

Walnut Creek survey seeks views on housing affordability, availability
East Bay Times

Giving Grandma a tax break to get more homes on the market: realtors' Prop. 13 ballot proposal
East Bay Times

'Urban pioneers': How San Francisco talked about gentrification in the 1970s
San Francisco Chronicle

Editorial: Oakland has made big changes since the Ghost Ship fire. They're not enough.
San Francisco Chronicle

CALIFORNIA ON FIRE

At 230,000 acres, Thomas fire is now the fifth-largest wildfire in modern California history,' by LATimes' Melissa Etehad, Ruben Vives, Harriet Ryan and Alene Tchekmedyian: 'Santa Barbara County was under siege from the Thomas fire Sunday as fire crews fought to keep the destructive blaze from the region's picturesque beach communities. Authorities said the out-of-control blaze had scorched 230,000 acres by Sunday evening, making it the fifth largest wildfire in modern California history.' Story

New evacuations as huge Southern California fire flares up,' by AP's Christopher Weber: 'A powerful flare-up on the western edge of Southern California's largest and most destructive wildfire sent residents fleeing Sunday, as wind-fanned flames churned through old-growth brush in canyons and along hillsides toward coastal towns.' Story

As California burns, Congress plans to slash tax write-offs for fires and other disasters,' by LATimes' Sarah D. Wire: 'As California burns, Congress is planning to limit taxpayers' ability to write off losses from future wildfires and other disasters. The disaster write-off is one of the many little-known deductions set to be mostly wiped out in the GOP tax plan, but it's getting fresh attention because of the fires that have devastated parts of Southern California over the last week.' Story

Insurance Commissioner Says More Intense Fires Could Lead to Fewer Fire Insurance Options,' by KQED's Guy Marzorati: 'The 'new normal' of California's fire season - year-round threats to homes all over the state - could alter the marketplace for fire insurance, according to California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones.' Story

First fatality confirmed from Southern California wildfires,' by LATimes' Melissa Etehad, Louis Sahagun, Ruben Vives, Joseph Serna and Sonali Kohli: 'Virginia Pesola, 70, of Santa Paula, was found dead in a car that had been involved in a crash along an evacuation route in a burn area of the Thomas fire in Ventura County on Wednesday night. According to the county medical examiner, Pesola's cause of death was blunt force trauma with terminal smoke inhalation and thermal injuries.' Story

California keeps going over budget as costs of fighting wildfires continue to increase,' by the PE's David Downey: 'As of Wednesday, Dec. 6, Cal Fire had incurred expenses totaling $490.3 million, well more than the $426.9 million budgeted for fiscal 2017-18 to put out large wildfires, said Scott McLean, a Cal Fire spokesman in Sacramento.' Story

Fire crews from Bay Area, beyond leap into battle against blazes in LA area
San Francisco Chronicle

Air experts: Smoke from Southern California fires drifting into Bay Area
San Francisco Chronicle

Sonoma County firefighters facing long battle against Southern California fires
Santa Rosa Press Democrat

On Day 4 of Southern California fires, a stark collection of losses and gains
Los Angeles Daily News

CALIFORNIA MIXTAPE

Trump's accusers are back, and this time they're demanding that Congress do something,' by LATimes' Robin Abcarian: 'On Monday in New York City, three of the 16 women who came forward to publicly accuse then-presidential candidate Donald Trump of sexual harassment and assault returned to demand congressional action. They have watched a parade of powerful men toppled from exalted positions, and they wonder why Trump has avoided the same fate.' Story

A handful of Democratic senators have called for Trump's resignation, but so far, neither Sen. Kamala Harris nor Dianne Feinstein has joined the ranks. Story via CNN.

17 ways California sued the Trump administration in 2017,' by SacBee's Angela Hart: '... The lawsuits - 22 of them in 17 different subject areas - are a window into California's legal strategy in taking on Trump. Becerra argues in many of them that California will suffer disproportionate harm as a result of federal moves to crack down on undocumented immigrants, undo Obamacare and roll back environmental regulations.' Story

Grappling hooks and harnesses: Agents put border wall prototypes to the test,' by LATimes' Kate Morrissey: 'Officials have begun testing how easily someone can climb over the border wall prototypes near the Otay Mesa port of entry, progressing to the next phase of a process that may make President Trump's vision a reality. Testing will include whether and how quickly someone could go over the top of, under and through the walls.' Story

'Pod Save America' about to take its next step,' by SFChronicle's Joe Garofoli: '... Until now, Crooked Media has largely been about giving comfort, context and a few yuks to progressives trying to wrap their head around Trump's America. Now comes its next move. And it's not just about the laughs anymore. This week the experimental mashup of a media company/political action hub announced it will take a more active role in winning elections next year, starting in California, which co-founders and Los Angeles residents Favreau, Lovett and Vietor now call home.' Story

Willie Brown: 'Democrats needed the high road, so they ran over Al Franken,' by Willie Brown in SFChronicle: 'Here's a question: If Roy Moore weren't running for Senate, would Al Franken still have a political career?' Story

Inside a secret 2014 list of hundreds of L.A. deputies with histories of misconduct,' by LATimes' Maya Lau, Ben Poston and Corina Knoll: 'It was a critical piece of evidence: an inmate's shirt, bloodied from a jailhouse brawl. When it went missing, Deputy Jose Ovalle had an idea. He picked out a similar shirt, doused it with taco sauce and snapped a photograph, which was booked into evidence with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, law enforcement records show. When confronted later, the deputy admitted to faking the blood. Ovalle kept his job, but his name was placed on a secret Sheriff's Department list that now includes about 300 deputies with histories of dishonesty and similar misconduct, a Los Angeles Times investigation has found. The list is so tightly controlled that it can be seen by only a handful of high-ranking sheriff's officials. Not even prosecutors can access it.' Story

Attorney General sides with Oakland in coal ban,' by BANG's Angela Ruggiero: 'State Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed a brief in support of the city's ban on the storage and handling of coal and petroleum coke in Oakland.' Story

Cheech Marin teams with secretary of state to register California pot businesses,' by SacBee's Brad Branan: 'At Padilla's request, Marin shot a public service announcement encouraging fledgling marijuana businesses to register on the secretary of state's new website, Cannabizfile. Registering with his office should be the first step for any marijuana business, followed by getting proper state and local licenses, Padilla said.' Story

California Democrats temporarily lose Assembly supermajority by AP's Kathleen Ronayne: 'When lawmakers return in January, they will have two vacant Assembly seats that won't be filled until at least April after Los Angeles members resigned amid sexual misconduct allegations. In the Senate, a member in a competitive district is facing a recall over his support for a gas tax increase and another could face pressure to resign depending on the results of a misconduct allegation. Story

California's chief justice has had her own #MeToo moments,'' by LATimes' Maura Dolan: 'California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye said Monday that she has had her own #MeToo moments during her legal career, being addressed as 'sugar and honey and dear' and one of the 'girls.' Story.

Giving Grandma a tax break to get more homes on the market: realtors' Prop. 13 ballot proposal,' by Merc News' Katy Murphy: 'In the midst of California's severe housing shortage and a federal tax overhaul, a statewide ballot initiative was quietly submitted this fall with the idea of getting longtime, older owners to sell their homes, freeing them up for younger families to buy.' Story

Obstacles to a CA response on federal tax plan,' by Joel Fox via Fox & Hounds: 'Tax changes require a two-thirds vote in the legislature. As I pointed out in a post last month, the two-thirds Democratic supermajority vote in the state senate would be jeopardy if Sen. Tony Mendoza loses his seat because of sexual harassment charges against him.' Story

Commentary: State's information technology debacle continues,' by Dan Walters via CALmatters: 'It literally would take every bit of this space to even briefly list the many information technology (IT) disasters that have occurred-projects that promised more bang for the taxpayers' buck but not only vastly exceeded their cost estimates but also failed to work as promised and, in some cases, had to be abandoned altogether, wasting billions of dollars.' Story

California's new 'sanctuary' law will aid some immigrants, but not all,' by Elizabeth Aguilera for CALmatters: Story

Radio mogul under pressure to resign from powerful California university board,' by Matt Ferner of HuffPost: 'California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and education leaders are urging the University of California to address allegations of sexual harassment and workplace misconduct by University of California regent and radio mogul Norman Pattiz, nearly a year after several people said Pattiz made them uncomfortable in the workplace.' Story

$660 Million price tag on Golden Gate Bridge retrofit -- 'Quake could shut Golden Gate Bridge 'for a long, long time,'' via SFChronicle's Matier and Ross: 'Caretakers of the Golden Gate Bridge are rolling out plans for a five-year, $660 million earthquake retrofit that includes installing more than three dozen custom-made shock absorbers and replacing 8.5 million pounds of steel bracing. Story.

Hey, 'Budtender': Los Angeles's Power Brokers of Pot Crank Up the Kook,' by NYT's Laura Holson: '... Along with the sensuality circles, there are get-togethers for gamers who smoke pot, marijuana Christmas parties, classes where artists can puff and paint. There are studios where yogis smoke sensimilla with their shavasana and members' only co-working spaces where entrepreneurs can enjoy a dab of hash while poring over data-flow diagrams and accounting receipts. 'It all comes down to not feeling like a criminal, being seen as a criminal,' said Douglas Dracup, 31, whose Hitman Coffee Shop on South La Brea Avenue is one of these spaces. Parties, he said, have 'set the stage for the industry to flourish.'' Story

California opens online system to license new pot industry,' by AP's Michael R. Blood: 'After months in development, an online system launched and will allow retailers, distributors and testing labs to seek state licenses, which are required to conduct business. Recreational pot sales start in California on Jan. 1, joining the long-running medical cannabis industry.' Story

Women claim deputy was allowed to carry on with groping long after first complaint,' by San Diego Union Tribune' Jeff McDonald: Story

2017 best restaurants In California: OpenTable,' by Kristina Houck: Read here

Military court case uncovers Marine sex escapades at Miramar,' by Carl Prine of San Diego Union-Tribune: Story

Los Angeles subway work uncovers array of Ice Age fossils,' by AP's Christopher Weber: Story

Passenger arrested after making death threats on flight to Sacramento,' by CBS Sacramento: Story

Marshman: Tiny houses, Take 2 in San Jose - and yes, we need these for the homeless,' by Barbara Marshman of Bay Area News: Story

New trend: Random spaces in existing buildings becoming rental housing,' by J.K. Dineen of SFChronicle: Story

Strippers, drugs and sex at Banc of California, former executive alleges in lawsuit,' by LATimes' Charles Fleming: Story

Stand With Your Nose to The Wall: To Drop Suspensions, One School Turns to Drastic Measures,' by Vanessa Rancano on KQED's The California Report: Story

Body of missing woman found mauled by mountain lion, coroner says,' by SacBee's Benjy Egel: Story

Fatalities rising on Bay Area's streets and highways, data show,' by SFChronicle's Michael Cabanatuan: Story

After 15 years in prison, father is freed because of questionable evidence in shaken baby case,' via AP: Story

THAT OTHER LAFAYETTE

Lafayette woman charged with murder in boyfriend's death

KATC Lafayette News

One man is dead, his girlfriend in jail, following a shooting in a Lafayette hotel room.

AND FINALLY. . .

Singer of novelty song welcomes hippopotamus to Oklahoma

The Almost Daily Briefing is an aggregation of links to news articles from local and regional newspapers, magazines, websites, blogs, and other internet sources. Its purpose is to alert readers to current issues and affairs that may impact Lafayette. The Almost Daily Briefing does not promote, favor, disfavor, support, reject, or endorse any position, candidate, campaign, or proposition, and nothing about the Daily Briefing, including the selection, presentation, arrangement, or content of the links presented should be construed as an advocacy position.

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