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Whitman campaign files complaint against Democratic campaign group -- Attorneys for Republican Meg Whitman's gubernatorial campaign have filed a complaint with state election officials against a group of Democrats who launched radio ads this week attacking Whitman. Capitol Weekly's Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/18/10 Obama administration cuts California's drug tab by $675 million -- California will receive $675 million in new relief from the federal government after the Obama administration announced Thursday that it will apply a more favorable formula to Medicare prescription drug costs owed by states. Kevin Yamamura SacBee Capitol Alert -- 2/18/10 State to audit UC finances -- A legislative committee voted unanimously this week to approve the request by Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, who had asked that the state auditor examine the university's use of public funds and money raised from rapidly increasing student fees. Yee has often chastised UC administrators for their secrecy and compensation decisions. Matt Krupnick in the Contra Costa Times -- 2/18/10 'Cannabis Planet' TV show arrives in Bay Area -- Hot on the heels of new research showing marijuana's pain-relief value and the reintroduction of a bill to legalize, regulate and tax the drug, the Bay Area this week saw the premiere of its first marijuana-themed television show. Josh Richman in the Contra Costa Times -- 2/18/10 Bay Area groups rally for immigration reform -- Local youth leaders, church groups and politicians are pushing for federal immigration reform at rallies across the Bay Area this week, hoping to bring renewed attention to an issue they worry has dropped off the radar of sympathetic lawmakers. Matt O'Brien in the Contra Costa Times -- 2/18/10 North state lawsuit a major onslaught in war over water -- Invoking the specter of a century-old Los Angeles water grab, Northern California farmers have filed a lawsuit that may escalate the state's ongoing water crisis. Mike Taugher in the Contra Costa Times -- 2/18/10 Poll: $11.4 billion water bond may be in trouble -- More than half of those surveyed by Tulchin Research, 55 percent, described themselves as opposing the bond and, of those, about 32 percent said they would "definitely" vote against the proposal. Malcolm Maclachlan in Capitol Weekly EJ Schultz Fresno Bee News Blog -- 2/18/10 Schwarzenegger says water bond will be 'very challenging' -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says that persuading voters to approve an $11.2 billion water bond issue this year will be "very challenging" but he hopes that they "know the difference between spending money and investing in the future." Dan Walters SacBee Capitol Alert -- 2/18/10 Senate approves 'Amazon tax' as part of budget plan -- As part of a stopgap budget solution, the state Senate on Thursday passed a bill requiring Amazon.com and other online retailers to charge sales taxes on purchases in California, generating an additional $107 million annually. Kevin Yamamura SacBee Capitol Alert -- 2/18/10 Senate passes bill to end some state furloughs -- The bill, SB 8x 29 by Senate leader Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), would exempt members of the state's two tax collection agencies -- the Franchise Tax Board and the Board of Equalization -- from furloughs. Thousands of other employees would also be exempted. Capitol Weekly's Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times DON THOMPSON AP -- 2/18/10 Sen. Pat Wiggins has another public outburst -- Sen. Pat Wiggins, D-Santa Rosa, interrupted a committee hearing Wednesday afternoon, screaming and racing toward committee staff who apparently had failed to refill a water canister that she found empty after the hearing's lunch break. Robert Lewis and Susan Ferriss SacBee Capitol Alert -- 2/18/10 L.A. council agrees to 3,000 more job cuts by July 1 -- Under the threat of a credit rating downgrade, the Los Angeles City Council on Thursday instructed agency heads to eliminate 3,000 additional city jobs “by any means necessary, including layoffs” by July 1. Phil Willon and Maeve Reston in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/18/10 California Senate starts whittling $20B budget deficit -- California lawmakers began chiseling away at a $20 billion deficit Thursday as part of a special legislative session ordered by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. JUDY LIN AP -- 2/18/10 California GOP ends debate over convention debate -- The California Republican Party put to rest today a push for the GOP gubernatorial and Senate candidates to face off in debates at the party's convention next month. Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol Alert -- 2/18/10 U.S. Senate candidates set to debate in May -- The 60-minute debate, sponsored by ABC News and the League of Women Voters, will take place in Los Angeles and be broadcast on ABC affiliates across the state, debate organizer Scott Regberg said. He said all three GOP candidates have agreed to attend. Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol Alert -- 2/18/10 Is Fiorina ducking Orange County debate? -- We got word today from a disappointed professor at Irvine’s Brandman University that Republican Senate hopeful Carly Fiorina said no to participating in a debate the school is putting together in cooperation with KOCE-TV. Dena Bunis in the Orange County Register -- 2/18/10 New Meg Whitman ad targets state employees, lawyers -- State employees, lawyers and old computers are the focus of Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman's latest radio ad. The item is in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/18/10 Wildermuth: Demo Attack Ads Worrying Whitman -- Meg Whitman is running a full-court press to force Steve Poizner out of the Republican race for governor, which shows just how concerned she is about an upcoming series of Democratic attack ads. John Wildermuth Fox & Hounds weblog -- 2/18/10 Cruickshank: Now We See Why Meg Whitman Hides From The Public -- Whitman can control the message in a radio or TV ad; whereas she might actually have to engage with the public or the press on someone else's terms, so she has avoided doing so. Robert Cruickshank Cal Progress Report -- 2/18/10 Jerry Brown to declare candidacy "very very soon" -- Brown's remarks were some of the most explicit he's made about his political plans and come as the independent expenditure committee Level the Playing Field 2010 gets a head start in targeting Republican gubernatorial front-runner Meg Whitman. Jack Chang SacBee Capitol Alert -- 2/18/10 L.A., San Diego lift limits on corporate and union spending in elections -- Los Angeles and San Diego will no longer enforce limits on how much money corporations and unions can directly give in city elections, bowing to a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that found such caps unconstitutional. Catherine Saillant and David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/18/10 House members blast DiFi on water plan -- Four Bay Area House members are among 11 who wrote to U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., today to complain about her water proposal, which they say would lead to the extinction of Sacramento River salmon along with tens of thousands of jobs in California and along the Pacific Coast that depend on the fishery’s survival. Josh Richman Political Blotter weblog -- 2/18/10 Gallup rates Silicon Valley best on well-being index -- Silicon Valley, like the rest of California, is still reeling from the housing meltdown and the subsequent recession, but a "well-being index" developed by the Gallup polling and research organization says it's the best large metropolitan area in which to live. Dan Walters SacBee Capitol Alert -- 2/18/10 Leading economic indicators up, along with wholesale prices and jobless claims -- A forecast of economic activity is looking sunny, but wholesale prices and unemployment benefit claims are still rising, according to data released Thursday. Tiffany Hsu in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/18/10 Karen Bass confirms candidacy for seat in Congress -- The retiring Rep. Diane Watson says she '100% -- maybe 300%' endorses Bass, the California Assembly speaker, as her successor in the L.A.-area district. Jean Merl in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/18/10 Barbara Boxer makes it official, files papers to run for reelection -- U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer filed her reelection paperwork Thursday morning, kicking off what could be the three-term Democratic senator's most challenging reelection battle. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/18/10 Lewis secured more than $82 million in earmarks -- Lewis R-Redlands, attached a total of 51 solo earmarks — funding that lawmakers direct to projects or programs, usually in their home districts — to the annual spending bills that will fund the federal government in the 2010 fiscal year, according to a report released this week by Taxpayers for Common Sense — a nonpartisan group that monitors the process. Ben Goad in the Riverside Press -- 2/18/10 Ramon Cortines resigns from Scholastic board -- L.A. schools Supt. Ramon C. Cortines resigned Thursday from the board of Scholastic Inc., a position that paid him compensation worth more than $150,000 last year. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/18/10 Rising premiums help justify Obama's latest healthcare overhaul push, Sebelius says -- Escalating costs are stripping families and small businesses of their coverage, the HHS secretary says, noting that Obama is to unveil his latest proposal at a congressional summit next week. Duke Helfand in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/18/10 Pilot suspected in Texas crash has Sacramento-area ties -- The software engineer suspected of crashing his small plane into a federal building in Austin, Texas, ran a business in the Sacramento region for several years and registered an airplane here, government records show. Peter Hecht in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/18/10 Home sales in Sacramento region lowest in nearly two years -- January home sales in the Sacramento region fell to their lowest point since March 2008, with 2,428 new and existing homes closing escrow, property researcher MDA DataQuick reported today. Jim Wasserman in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/18/10 NUMMI fallout expands -- The employment toll to NUMMI suppliers from the March 31 closure of the factory in Fremont is nearing the 1,500 mark. George Avalos in the Oakland Tribune -- 2/18/10
Dem group calls on Whitman to release tax returns -- An independent Democratic group on Wednesday called on Meg Whitman, the leading Republican gubernatorial candidate and ex-CEO of eBay, to release her tax returns, saying the public has the right to know whether she paid her "fair share" in taxes. Steven Harmon in the Oakland Tribune -- 2/18/10 Back in black: Jerry Brown's old friend Jacques Barzaghi in Oakland -- Just in time for the 2010 governor's race, a blast from Democratic State Attorney General Jerry Brown's past is back in black -- controversial French-born former actor, soldier and Brown aide Jacques Barzaghi, recently sighted on the streets of Oakland after years outside the country. Carla Marinucci Chronicle Politics Weblog -- 2/18/10 Meg Whitman sizes up Schwarzenegger -- Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman made her clearest stand yet in distinguishing herself from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Tuesday night, calling the results of the Republican governor's time in office "not good." Jack Chang SacBee Capitol Alert -- 2/18/10 Anti-Meg Whitman committee lays out game plan -- Level the Playing Field 2010 -- one of the three independent expenditure committees targeting Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman -- plans to spend at least $200,000 a month on ads, with its first TV ad debuting in two weeks, committee leaders said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon in Sacramento. Jack Chang in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/18/10 Blakeslee switches endorsement from Steve Poizner to Meg Whitman -- Blakeslee's flip-flop is the latest example of Republican unease about the party's general election prospects as surrogates for Democrat Jerry Brown begin attacking Whitman in radio ads. Capitol Weekly's Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol Alert -- 2/18/10 More Meg Whitman backers push Steve Poizner to quit governor's race -- As backers of Jerry Brown gear up their efforts to take on Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman, more of Whitman's backers are urging Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner to fold his gubernatorial campaign in the name of "unity." Capitol Weekly's Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/18/10 Karen Bass says she'll seek Diane Watson's congressional seat; Watson backs her -- Confirming speculation about her political plans, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) said she would seek the seat of retiring Democratic Rep. Diane Watson, who appeared with Bass at a Los Angeles news conference Wednesday to give the speaker her endorsement. Jean Merl in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/18/10 Gavin Newsom inches closer to lieutenant governor run -- San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom filed paperwork Wednesday that would allow him to run for lieutenant governor. Newsom said he had not decided whether to seek the office, but the candidate's statement filed Wednesday gives him until March 12 to decide. Capitol Weekly's Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times John Coté in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/18/10 Wildermuth: Newsom Dealing With Addiction to Politics -- A few weeks after telling the New York Times’ Maureen Dowd that he was ready to finish his term as mayor of San Francisco and become “the clerk in a wine store,” Newsom was talking Tuesday about a run for lieutenant governor. John Wildermuth Fox & Hounds weblog -- 2/18/10 If Gavin jumps in, what will Dean do? -- Speculation is building that San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom might jump into the race for lieutenant governor. EJ Schultz Fresno Bee News Blog -- 2/18/10 Dismissed as obscure and irrelevant, lite gov’ draws new attention -- California is still reeling from the deepest recession since the great depression. The state Capitol is gripped by gridlock as the state’s budget deficit hovers at $20 billion. Anthony York in Capitol Weekly -- 2/18/10 Zsa Zsa's flamboyant husband joins Calif. governor's race, promotes pot, prostitution Prince Frederic von Anhalt, a flamboyant socialite and eighth husband of Zsa Zsa Gabor, has officially entered the California governor's race -- ROBIN HINDERY AP -- 2/18/10 Issa to address CPAC -- Many of the Republican Party's heaviest hitters are slated to address the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, which is scheduled to begin Thursday in Washington. Ben Goad in the Riverside Press -- 2/18/10 Wall Street firm lowers L.A.'s financial outlook from 'stable' to 'negative' -- One of the nation’s top financial credit services Wednesday issued a negative outlook for Los Angeles, which is struggling with a $212-million budget gap. The move could lead to a lower credit rating for the city and ultimately increase Los Angeles' cost of borrowing money. Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/18/10 Steinberg says he has no plans to pursue general tax hikes -- Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said Wednesday he doesn't plan to pursue a general tax hike again this year, largely because he doesn't think Republicans will sign on. Kevin Yamamura SacBee Capitol Alert -- 2/18/10 Senate's Darrell Steinberg: No more all-nighters -- Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg pledged Wednesday that the Legislature would no longer hold marathon all-night sessions to get its work done. Shane Goldmacher in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/18/10 Sacramento City Manager Ray Kerridge resigns -- Ray Kerridge, the embattled city manager of Sacramento, resigned today amid turmoil at City Hall and questions of potential impropriety under his watch. Marcos Breton in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/18/10 L.A. and San Diego will no longer limit amounts firms and unions can give in city elections -- Los Angeles and San Diego will no longer enforce limits on how much money corporations and unions can directly give in city elections, bowing to a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that found such caps unconstitutional. Catherine Saillant and David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/18/10 Activist's case will test U.S. anti-terrorism law -- USC professor Ralph Fertig says he's protected under the 1st Amendment for advocating for the Kurdish minority in Turkey, whose political party has been designated a terrorist group by the U.S. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/18/10 Filing period over, redistricting pool tilts to white men -- Of the nearly 31,000 applications received by candidates for the redistricting commission, whites submitted 70 percent, far higher than their 41 percent share of California's population. Jim Sanders SacBee Capitol Alert -- 2/18/10 Some Democrats seek to roll back citizen control of redistricting -- More than 30,000 Californians have said they want to help redraw the state's legislative districts, but they'll never get the chance if powerful California Democrats have their way. James Rufus Koren in the Inland Daily Bulletin -- 2/18/10 List of Senate Republicans' special session jobs bills -- Here's a list of the 24 bills that Senate Republicans have introduced as part of a jobs-growth plan. Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol Alert -- 2/18/10 Fiorina joins GOP demand for military trials of terror suspects -- Seizing on a roiling national security debate, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina on Tuesday called on the Obama administration to try suspects in the Sept. 11 terror attacks in military tribunals rather than civilian courts. Mike Zapler in the Contra Costa Times -- 2/18/10 Denham targets Veterans Day in new legislation -- Should California be required to celebrate Veterans Day on -- drum roll, please -- Veterans Day? Jim Sanders SacBee Capitol Alert -- 2/18/10 Schrag: Fixing funding for schools -- and colleges, and all the rest -- CSBA, the California School Boards Association, and other major education groups have been talking for years about suing the state to bring California’s dismally low school funding up to something approaching adequate levels. Peter Schrag Cal Progress Report -- 2/18/10 Evans, Allen raise $195,000 for legislative races -- Noreen Evans and Michael Allen share more than the same campaign consultants, similar Web sites and mirror-image political views stressing green jobs and a clean environment. The two Santa Rosa Democrats also have raised more money than their opponents seeking state Senate and Assembly seats. DEREK MOORE in the Santa Rosa Press -- 2/18/10 Wesson COS Bonpua dies -- Charmette Bonpua, longtime chief of staff to Herb Wesson, passed away Sunday at the age of 44. She died in Las Vegas, a week after suffering an aneurysm during a family trip. Malcolm Maclachlan in Capitol Weekly -- 2/18/10 Gov signs new tribal gaming pact with Pinoleville Pomo Nation -- New tribal gaming compacts have been relatively rare in recent years – the governor signed the last one in August 2006. But that changed this month when Gov. Schwarzenegger signed a compact with the Pinoleville Pomo Nation in Mendocino County. The item is in Capitol Weekly -- 2/18/10 CalBuzz: DiFi Shocker: Whadya Mean She’s Not Running?!?!? -- Feinstein shocker: We were floored – floored! – at Dianne Feinstein’s announcement in Orange County Tuesday that she’s decided not to run for governor. Jerry Roberts and Phil Trounstine CalBuzz -- 2/18/10
Crash tax’ gaining ground in California -- A recession-spawned move to bill out-of-area drivers for the locals’ costs of cleaning up traffic crashes, once limited to a handful of municipalities in California, is gaining ground across the state. John Howard in Capitol Weekly -- 2/18/10 Short sales grow as a cheaper alternative to foreclosure -- Banks' resistance to the tricky transactions is softening as the number of distressed properties increases. Alejandro Lazo in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/18/10 The State Worker: Some California prison officers resent CHP -- For years, the unions representing prison officers and California Highway Patrol officers have had a not-so-friendly rivalry. Jon Ortiz in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/18/10 White House announces $33.8 million for Colton rail project -- The Obama administration this morning announced funding for roughly 50 transportation projects around the nation, including $33.8 million toward a $198.3 million project aimed at easing congestion at a major railway crossing in Colton. Ben Goad in the Riverside Press -- 2/18/10 The Recovery Act, one year later -- The President’s Council of Economic Advisers, chaired by former Cal professor Christina Romer, estimates 256,000 California jobs were created or saved by the Recovery Act in 2009; more than $34.8 billion in Recovery funds have been made available to the state, with more than $22.4 billion already spent. Josh Richman Political Blotter weblog -- 2/18/10 Hewlett-Packard profit jumps 25% in latest quarter -- The Palo Alto technology company cites cost-cutting and a stronger showing from its personal computer division. It raises its full-year outlook, citing 'accelerating market momentum.' AP -- 2/18/10 Factories Get Set to Hire -- Manufacturers are seeing more signs that the U.S. economic recovery is on a solid footing, opening the way for new hiring as well as call-backs for factory workers laid off during the depths of the recession. SARA MURRAY and ROBERT GUY MATTHEWS in the Wall Street Journal -- 2/18/10 California, other states face problem of growing pension liabilities -- State governments can help ease a $1-trillion shortfall by reducing future benefits, requiring greater employee contributions and raising retirement ages, a Pew report says. Marc Lifsher in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/18/10 Food fight: Small vendors spar over DGS contracting -- Citing “unintended consequences,” a small business group is trying to repeal a bill relating to state supplier contracts that they supported last year. Malcolm Maclachlan in Capitol Weekly -- 2/18/10 Retiree health: bigger problem than pensions? -- One of the state of California’s biggest debts, health care promised current state workers when they retire, has grown to $51.8 billion — a trend a federal report says makes health care costs the top fiscal problem for state and local governments nationwide. Ed Mendel in Capitol Weekly -- 2/18/10 Union takes healthcare protest to gates of Disney's headquarters -- Disney workers embroiled in a bitter dispute with management over healthcare rallied Wednesday outside the entertainment giant’s Burbank headquarters. Five employees launched a hunger strike. Patrick J. McDonnell in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/18/10 Palo Alto's Bid to Boost Tourism Falls Short -- City leaders in this enclave, which Stanford University and many Silicon Valley executives call home, are trying to bolster the local economy by persuading more business travelers to stay for the weekend. But so far, few visitors have taken the bait. STU WOO in the Wall Street Journal -- 2/18/10
Fensterwald: Full Circle Fund’s Rx for schools -- Members of the Full Circle Fund, a Bay Area philanthropy made up of socially active leaders and entrepreneurs, has joined the call for giving school districts more autonomy and taxing authority. John Fensterwald educatedguess.org -- 2/18/10 Ambitious education database crashes -- A multimillion-dollar computer database that was supposed to provide invaluable insights about California's six million public school children is afflicted with “unacceptable system performance issues,” said, Jack O’Connell, state superintendent of public instruction. Lance Williams California Watch -- 2/18/10 State lawmakers take on UC San Diego frats -- It's a long way from San Diego to Sacramento (believe us, we've driven it) but apparently state legislators still get invited to frat parties in California's southernmost city. Marisa Lagos Chronicle Politics Weblog -- 2/18/10 UCSD begins investigation of frat's race-mocking party -- University of California San Diego officials have begun an investigation into the off-campus party held Monday that mocked Black History Month, and hope to decide within the next few weeks whether students involved with the event will be disciplined. Eleanor Yang Su in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 2/18/10
BART's $70 million loss in airport connector funds is boon for transit agencies -- Nineteen public transit operators are in line to get a portion of $70 million in economic stimulus grants to buy, fix or upgrade buses, rail cars and other equipment after last week's federal decision to deny BART the funds for a rail extension to Oakland International Airport. Denis Cuff in the San Jose Mercury -- 2/18/10 Salt pond restoration tests for hidden danger -- A wide swath of the South Bay's moonscape of salt flats will see its first tidal waters in generations as a long-awaited restoration project gets under way near San Jose. Carolyn Jones in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/18/10
Best, worst California counties for healthy living ranked in study -- The healthiest place to reside in California is upscale Marin County. The least healthy is Del Norte County and other sparsely populated, rural areas in the northernmost reaches of the state. Sandy Kleffman in the Contra Costa Times -- 2/18/10 Getting high not needed for pot to relieve pain, new UC study shows -- But the first major study on the effects of marijuana in two decades also indicated that pot smokers can achieve the same pain reduction at low doses as higher doses -- meaning they don't have to get high to obtain relief for medical conditions. Peter Hecht in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/18/10 The Man Who Looks Inside Anorexics' and Bulimics' Minds -- When Walt Kaye first took on a study of anorexia during a fellowship, he had never met anyone with an eating disorder. Thirty-two years later, he is writing the definition for what "eating disorder" means. CLAIRE TRAGESER Voiceofsandiego.org -- 2/18/10 State's community clinics have positive impact, face uncertain future -- A glimmer of positive health news came out in this month’s issue of the influential public health journal, Health Affairs. Christina Jewett California Watch -- 2/18/10
Panel OKs review of California courts computer system despite protest -- A joint legislative committee on Wednesday approved auditing a costly statewide court computer system despite lobbying by top judicial branch administrators, including the chief justice of the Supreme Court of California. Robert Lewis in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/18/10 3 Tesla Motors employees die in East Palo Alto plane crash -- Three employees of Tesla Motors Inc. were killed Wednesday morning in the crash of a small plane in East Palo Alto, the electric car maker's chief executive said in a statement. Maria L. LaGanga, Maura Dolan and Alexandra Zavis in the Los Angeles Times CLAIRE CAIN MILLER in the New York Times -- 2/18/10 Plane's owner called 'careful and thorough' -- The owner of the small plane that crashed in East Palo Alto was described Wednesday as a top engineer at Tesla Motors Inc., a proud mentor to high school robotics students and a methodical pilot. Demian Bulwa, David R. Baker in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/18/10 Shriver bringing Sally Ride, Erin Brockovich, Cat Cora to museum -- To celebrate Women's History Month, California first lady Maria Shriver plans a "Once in a Lifetime Conversation" in Sacramento as part of the first California women's "Day at the Museum." Debbie Arrington in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/18/10 Border agents seize $766,000 worth of crystal meth and pot near San Clemente -- Border Patrol agents seized $766,000 worth of crystal methamphetamine and marijuana during three separate stops on the 5 Freeway near San Clemente, authorities said Wednesday. Robert J. Lopez in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/18/10 Magic Johnson may join arena effort -- The sweepstakes for a new Kings arena may get another high-profile player: NBA legend Magic Johnson. Marcos Breton in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/18/10 Toyota calls in the big guns -- The California engineering firm Exponent Inc. is known for helping firms weather crises. Ken Bensinger and Ralph Vartabedian in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/18/10
Joint effort targets border crime -- U.S. and Mexican forces, sharing patrols for the first time, take on drugs and migration. Corruption is feared. Sebastian Rotella in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/18/10
One year later, political battle rages over stimulus' effectiveness -- Meanwhile, fresh data shows the U.S. economy continuing to make a gradual, if halting, recovery. Don Lee in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/18/10
DCCC chair wants a contest of ideas -- Thumbnail image for CVH-Congress_color.jpgRep. Chris Van Hollen, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, is making the rounds on the West Coast this week, working to put the best face possible on a time of disenchantment with his party's inability to navigate partisan politics in Washington and a continued rocky economy. Amy Chance SacBee Capitol Alert -- 2/18/10 Pollster: Public opinion 'has moved very substantially' on gays in military -- A leading Democratic pollster predicted Wednesday that the impending repeal of the U.S. military's controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy will foment very little public opposition. Tom McIlroy Chronicle Politics Weblog -- 2/18/10 Menendez stock falls with Dem losses -- In January, with White House officials privately slamming Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Bob Menendez for bungling away Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat, Chuck Schumer rose to his colleague’s defense during a closed-door Democratic lunch. JOHN BRESNAHAN & GLENN THRUSH Politico -- 2/18/10 Dems' blues: States reverting to red -- The electoral map candidate Barack Obama remade in 2008 appears to be retreating into its familiar patterns. JONATHAN MARTIN & BEN SMITH Politico -- 2/18/10 |
