.Thursday’s Briefing: Electricity rates could rise significantly if wildfires return; Credit Karma coming to Oakland

News you don’t want to miss for April 11:




1. “If California wildfires continue to be as devastating as they have been the last two years, millions of customers’ electric rates could skyrocket 50 percent and threaten the state’s ability to execute some of its top clean energy initiatives,” the San Francisco Chronicle reports. $$




2. Credit Karma is expanding its operations to downtown Oakland, the San Jose Mercury News reports. The financial tech company is moving into an office tower at 1100 Broadway. $$




3. If the March 2020 California Presidential Primary was today, former Vice-President Joe Biden would be the winner with 26 percent of the vote, according to a new poll, The Hill reports. Sens. Kamala Harris an Bernie Sanders each received 18 percent. Rep. Eric Swalwell was not included in the poll.




4. Life as a presidential candidate means having your personal life probed. Swalwell was born in Iowa, where his father was a local police chief. But his father’s tenure was filled with controversy, The Des Moines Register reports. Eric Swalwell, Sr., was also featured in a 2002 East Bay Express story about a plan he favored as a Dublin school board member to drug-test high school students.




5. The Ghost Ship trial could have up to 360 potential jurors fill out questionnaires over the next week, SFGate reports. Derick Almena and Max Harris were charged with 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter for the deadly Ghost Ship fire in Oakland in December 2016.




6. The Golden State Warriors will face the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs starting this Saturday after a season-ending drubbing at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies, NBC Sports Bay Area reports. Meanwhile, the San Jose Sharks opened the Stanley Cup Playoffs Wednesday night by beating the Vegas Golden Knights, 5-2, the San Jose Mercury News reports. $$




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