In California: Landlords shutting people out, defying state law

Renters with Section 8 vouchers get abused. The Trump administration threatens to withhold money if the state continues requiring health care plans to provide abortions. And even as state lawmakers want them out, one private prison company thrives.

It's Arlene, with news to take you into the weekend.

But first, you can cry over spilled wine. Especially when it's 100,000 gallons and it goes into an important Northern California waterway.

In California is a daily roundup of news from across USA TODAY Network newsrooms and beyond. Click here for free, straight-to-your-inbox delivery.

Not for rent: This apartment if you're Section 8

There's typically a years-long wait to get a federal housing voucher — a golden ticket into an otherwise out-of-reach residential unit. Then many recipients learn a hard reality: Many landlords won't even take Section 8 vouchers, which subsidize market-rate rent.

But that changed on Jan. 1, when a new state law took effect prohibiting landlords from denying occupancy to someone with a voucher. They're doing it anyway, listings show.

A recent Craigslist search found over 25 rental listings posted after the start of 2020 in Ventura County with "No Section 8" written in the post. Over 200 results in Los Angeles County banned Section 8 applicants.

• Have you or someone you know been blocked from renting because you have a voucher? Go here to file a complaint.

• Interested in California's housing issues, especially as they impact low-income earners? Follow the work of Ventura County Star reporter Erin Rode, who's all about housing.

Daughter of Golden State Killer victim opens up; an end to cash bail in S.F.

The daughter of a Ventura woman believed to have been slain by the Golden State Killer responds to seeing the case against the alleged perpetrator inching toward a trial.

San Francisco ends cash bail, fulfilling a campaign promise made by newly elected District Attorney Chesa Boudin. "From this point forward, pretrial detention will be based on public safety, not on wealth," he said in a statement.

Calif.'s electeds want private prisons gone, yet one company thrives

California's legislature is waging a fierce battle to rid the state of private immigration detention centers, which many lawmakers say prioritize profits over the health and safety of detainees. Yet the GEO Group, a private prison company with some 20 detention centers across the country — including one in California’s Mojave desert and another in the state’s agricultural Central Valley — continues to secure billions of dollars worth of contracts from the federal government for operations in the Golden State.

Now, behind-the-scenes communications and deals between GEO and leaders of the cash-strapped city of Adelanto are shedding light on how the company has influenced decision-makers and sought out workarounds in order to continue operating one of the country's largest immigration detention centers.

GEO declined to comment for the story, but critics have called the company's tactics corrupt and unlawful, and have accused it of engaging in a quid pro quo.

A little background, please: On Dec. 19, less than two weeks before a new law phasing out the use of private prisons and detention centers took effect, ICE and GEO inked a 15-year contract for the Adelanto detention center. The new contract not only covers the 1,940-bed detention center, but also allows for the facility's expansion by incorporating GEO's 750-bed Desert View prison in Adelanto.

Trump threatens to pull $ from California (again)

If the state continues to require health plans to include abortion coverage, the Trump administration has threatened to withhold federal dollars. It's unclear how much or from what pots of money, but Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted it would be "billions."

The announcement came the same day that tens of thousands of anti-abortion activists gathered in Washington, D.C., for the annual March for Life. President Donald Trump's appearance at the event on Friday was the first by a sitting president in its 47-year history.

Trump, who is aggressively courting religious conservatives ahead of his reelection campaign, said during the rally "unborn children have never had a stronger defender in the White House."

The state has 30 days to repeal its abortion mandate, according to Roger Severino, who directs the Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Health and Human Services.

What else we're talking about

Oklahoma bans all but essential government travel to California, which banned state trips to the Sooner State two years ago in response to what officials said were discriminatory LGBTQ policies.

The man accused of using his vehicle to kill three teens drove into them after they "ding-dong ditched" his home, the Riverside County District Attorney's office says.

California's gig economy law is helping at least one group of strip club employees in its effort to unionize dancers in the state. Under AB 5, many independent contractors (including strip club workers) may be made employees, which gives them the ability to collectively bargain.

A $9 billion drain: Plugging oil and gas wells

Plugging and cleaning the tens of thousands of oil and gas wells scattered across California could cost more than $9 billion if the job eventually falls to the state, according to a new report commissioned by state oil regulators.

In total, there are more than 105,000 unplugged oil and gas wells around California. While many are still active, tens of thousands are idle, orphaned or otherwise out of service. As the state imagines a carbon-free future and watches its oil and gas production fall, regulators want to know what costs may lie ahead. Companies have to set aside money for cleanup, but the state only holds $110 million in these funds for onshore wells.

Why they will need to be closed: If oil or gas wells are left exposed, they can leak climate-warming gases or salty water. They can also be dangerous. Methane, for example, is an explosive gas that can leak into neighborhoods.

And I'll wrap up the week with this:

Most Instagram'd hikes: 5 of 15 are here

You hike, you Insta, you hashtag. And often, you're in California when you do it.

Based on hashtags, five of the top 15 Instagram'd hikes are in California. They include possibly obvious ones in Yosemite but also a surprising one, at least for me. That would be Mt. Woodson Trail in Lake Poway Park, not far from where I grew up in San Diego County.

Check out the photos, then make plans to visit. What hikes are travelers missing? Let me know, and I'll feature them here. Remember, we get by giving away.

Now go hike!

In California is a roundup of news from across USA TODAY Network newsrooms. Also contributing: Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, CNN, The Intercept, Stateline, GoAllOutdoors.com.

Who are outstanding California women who have inspired you? Learn more about our Women of the Century project here and then make your nomination here.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Housing vouchers, oil wells, Trump, abortion: Friday's news.