NEWS OF THE DAY

Holocaust remembrance: President Trump sent a powerful message to those who doubt his will to fight antiSemitism — and to his own supporters in the white nationalist movement — during an annual Holocaust remembrance ceremony at the Capitol on Tuesday. The president, who was slow to denounce campaign endorsements by racists including David Duke, made an unequivocal statement of support for Israel and pledged to “confront antiSemitism” in a speech attended by lawmakers and survivors of Hitler’s war on European Jewry. Trump vowed to protect the Jewish people in the United States and abroad and criticized those who deny that the mechanized murder of 6 million Jews ever happened.

Islamophobia campaign: One of the nation’s largest school districts has started a campaign against Islamophobia, drawing praise and criticism. The San Diego Unified School District’s multiyear plan includes a letter addressing Islamophobia to staff and parents of its 132,000 students. It’s expected to be drafted and sent before Ramadan begins in late May. The district is also reviewing internal staff calendars to make sure Muslim holidays are recognized. Next school year, it will review materials on Muslim culture for libraries, provide resources to teachers and engage in partnerships with the Council on American Islamic Relations. Over several years, it plans to consider high school clubs that promote American Muslim culture, create “safe spaces” for students and train staff about Muslim culture.

Utility fined: Regulators say they have fined Pacific Gas and Electric Co. $8.3 million for failing to maintain a power line that sparked a huge blaze in Amador and Calaveras counties in September 2015 that destroyed 549 homes and killed two people. The California Public Utilities Commission said Tuesday it fined PG&E $8 million for poor tree maintenance and the rest for failing to report that one of its power lines may have started the Butte Fire.

Secret Service chief: The White House said Tuesday that it has selected Randolph Alles, a retired Marine Corps general and acting deputy commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, to lead the Secret Service. Alles, who retired from the Marine Corps as a major general in 2011, would be the first Secret Service director in at least a century not to have served among the agency’s ranks.

Homeless students: The number of New York City public school students who lived in homeless shelters for at least part of the last school year rose by more than 4,000 from the previous year. The city’s Independent Budget Office says there were 32,803 homeless students in the 2015-16 school year — a 15 percent increase. According to the Daily News, Education Department spokeswoman Toya Holness says Mayor Bill de Blasio has restored more than $10 million for programs to help homeless students in his latest version of the executive city budget.

Chronicle News Services