|
 |
 |
|||
 |
|
 |
 |
||
Dems urge action to fight GOP passion -- Casting the 2010 elections as a battle of wills between Wall Street corporations and Main Street families, California Democratic leaders - including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Barbara Boxer and gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown - urged party activists Saturday to counter conservative Tea Party passion with ideas, advocacy and action on crucial issues like health care reform. Carla Marinucci, Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 4/18/10 At convention, California Democrats seek momentum off health care win -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer took health care victory laps at the state Democratic Party convention Saturday, betting that the recently passed legislation will help Democratic candidates fight political head winds this year. Jack Chang in the Sacramento Bee MICHAEL R. BLOOD AP -- 4/18/10 Critics party-crash Democratic convention -- Democratic delegates leaving the state party convention's general session this afternoon got a good reminder that their political rivals aren't resting this weekend. Jack Chang SacBee Capitol Alert Carla Marinucci Chronicle Politics Weblog -- 4/18/10 Dem LaLaPalooza: Wall Street, Debates, & More -- The old joke attributed to Will Rogers about Democrats may have finally come to an end, at least in California for 2010, as everyone at this confab seems to be unified against a location 3,000 miles away. That would be Wall Street. John Myers Capitol Notes weblog -- 4/18/10 Forget about that three-way Guv debate -- Whitman balking -- Jerry's strategy is nakedly obvious: He'll never be able to compete with Mr. and Mrs. Moneybags, so he's trying to take them down, as he said, "mano y mano." Said Brown, referring to his opponents TV ads: "Come on out from beyond the glittering poppy fields, those beautiful car crashes over the mountain." Joe Garofoli Chronicle Politics Weblog -- 4/18/10 Shocker: Jerry Wants 3-Way With Meg and Steve -- In challenging Republicans Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner to an unprecedented series of pre-primary, three-way debates Brown signaled a willingness to plunge into the general election for governor even before the candidates have been chosen – as long as it’s on somebody else’s dime. Jerry Roberts and Phil Trounstine CalBuzz Jack Chang SacBee Capitol Alert Michael Rothfeld and Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times Steven Harmon in the Contra Costa Times -- 4/18/10 Ad Watch: Whitman ad again misstates Poizner spending record -- GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman is running a radio ad attacking rival Steve Poizner, who's serving as state insurance commissioner. Jack Chang in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/18/10 Just the Facts: Did Meg Whitman improperly get stock shares? -- Whitman, a Republican candidate for governor and former eBay CEO, has drawn criticism for accepting exclusive opportunities to invest in initial public stock offerings during the height of the dot-com era. The item is in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/18/10 Lieutenant governor primary is a gauge of California GOP's priorities -- It's traditionally a job of limited power for a politician, more of a handy springboard to something grander in California politics. Susan Ferriss in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/18/10 Morain: Donors give millions, hide their motives -- Sometimes a campaign donor's motive is clear. Sometimes it's not, like when a multimillion-dollar contribution deals with the insider's game of reapportionment. Dan Morain in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/18/10 Walters: U.S. census outcome cloudy for California -- The Census Bureau is busily counting Californians this month, but the tally's effect on the state is very much in doubt. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/18/10 Lopez: Getting to the bottom of the GOP's visit to the wild side -- At Voyeur, where the RNC dropped $2,000, there are women with ropes and plastic wrap, but there's no nudity. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/18/10 Latino growth hurts GOP -- As San Bernardino County becomes increasingly Latino, the political fortunes of the Republican Party have dimmed. Stephen Wall in the San Bernardino Sun -- 4/18/10 Hollywood wonders if Arnold Schwarzenegger will be back -- His time as California governor is winding down. He still has acting to fall back on. Steven Zeitchik in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/18/10 Saunders: When it comes to earmarks in D.C., it's E pluribus oink -- When he ran for president, then-Sen. Barack Obama argued that earmarks account for a mere "0.5 percent of the total federal budget," hence eliminating earmarks is "not going to solve the problem." Debra J. Saunders in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 4/18/10 Palin's buzz has turned into a roar -- Entities ranging from the "Today" show to The Huffington Post have featured items on a fund- raiser on the small campus in the heart of California's Central Valley. A nonscientific search found 256 media mentions of the event since it was announced last month. Patty Guerra in the Modesto Bee -- 4/18/10 California Watch: Nursing homes received millions while cutting staff, wages -- California’s nursing homes have received $880 million in additional funding from a 2004 state law designed to help hire more caregivers and boost wages. But 232 homes did just the opposite. They either cut staff, paid lower wages or let caregiver levels slip below a state-mandated minimum, a California Watch investigation has found. Christina Jewett and Agustin Armendariz California Watch -- 4/18/10 California Boating and Waterways chief quits post -- Raynor Tsuneyoshi told the department's staff in an e-mail Thursday that he is leaving to explore "other public and private sector opportunities." Jon Ortiz in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/18/10
Southern California office market continues to weaken -- Vacancies are increasing and rents are falling. The trend is tough for landlords but great for tenants who are looking for new space or negotiating to renew their existing leases. Roger Vincent in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/18/10 Builders likely to offer incentives after federal tax credits expire -- Free options and upgrades, help with closing costs or even cash may be used to attract home buyers in an effort to keep the sales momentum going. Lew Sichelman in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/18/10 Out of the Loop in Silicon Valley -- Though many people say that outright sexism is rare in the tech world these days, the barriers that Ms. Fleming encountered aren’t unusual. CLAIRE CAIN MILLER in the New York Times -- 4/18/10 Apple elbows Google aside to become Silicon Valley's most valuable company -- As the creator of some of the coolest products on the planet, Apple has always had plenty of swagger. Now it's got major financial mojo as well: The maker of iPhones, iPads and Macintosh computers has elbowed Google out of first place as Silicon Valley's most valuable company. John Boudreau in the San Jose Mercury -- 4/18/10 Borenstein: Students find disconcerting pension debt -- When it comes to public employee pensions, how much risk should taxpayers bear? It's the question we should be asking after a group of Stanford University public policy graduate students this month released startling findings about the financial liabilities of the state's three leading pension funds for government workers. Daniel Borenstein in the Contra Costa Times -- 4/18/10
California's university system: What went wrong? -- Fifty years ago this month, California promised a low-cost, high-quality university education for every qualified high school graduate in the state. But that promise — inflated by growing populations and academic aspirations — expanded beyond the state's willingness to pay for it. Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury -- 4/18/10 Truancy court in Oakland is for parents -- One by one, mothers stepped forward to face Alameda County Superior Court Judge Cecilia Castellanos and explain why their children have repeatedly failed to show up to elementary school. Matthai Kuruvila in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 4/18/10 Sacramento area schools try to serve healthier food -- Kids are lining up for sausage pizzas and corn dogs at Sacramento elementary schools, and that's just for breakfast. Strict school nutrition guidelines pending in the U.S. Senate may push those unhealthy breakfasts and other salty, processed foods off school lunch menus. Melody Gutierrez in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/18/10
Clean trucks head to court -- But the Wangs believe their dream may vanish if a federal judge allows the Port of Los Angeles to move ahead with a provision of its disputed Clean Trucks Program that requires trucking companies to drop independent owner-operator drivers and hire employee drivers. Art Marroquin in the Torrance Daily Breeze -- 4/18/10 High-speed rail impacts detailed city by city -- The California High-Speed Rail Authority released its most detailed engineering report for the Bay Area this month, providing the clearest picture yet of how the bullet train tracks are likely to change the landscape of cities along the Caltrain line. Mike Rosenberg in the San Jose Mercury -- 4/18/10
California's higher hospital costs add to health insurance hikes -- Behind every public uproar are some hidden facts. Here's one about rising health insurance rates in California: Sharp jumps in hospital costs are a big part of the story. Bobby Caina Calvan and Phillip Reese in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/18/10 Hiltzik: Lap-band patients operate in the dark --Information about facilities' disciplinary histories is public, but few consumers know how to find it. Michael Hiltzik in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/18/10 Healthcare law hits home in complex ways -- When the overhaul mixes with the variables of everyday life, things get complicated -- for the self-employed, small-business owner and senior. Sharon Bernstein, Ann M. Simmons and Nicole Santa Cruz in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/18/10 Cannabis and Hemp Expo kicks off in Daly City -- Bob Katzman, chief operations officer for the expo, said it is intended to showcase the state's multibillion dollar pot industry and educate people about marijuana, from how to grow it to the laws surrounding its use. AP -- 4/18/10 Spreading the health -- The Kaiser Family Foundation's president and CEO transformed the organization from a sleepy grant maker into a major nonpartisan healthcare information source. Duke Helfand in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/18/10 Health commitee chairman, wife, share outlook on prevention -- Bill Monning is the new chairman of the state Assembly’s Health Committee. His wife, Dr. Dana Kent, is a doctor in Monterey County who has spent her life serving the poor. Daniel Weintraub HealthyCal.org -- 4/18/10 Health insurers weighing options to get ahead of reform -- The idea was simple enough: Make sure that health insurers spend the vast majority of their revenue on patient care, instead of using it for things such as advertising, profits and executive pay. David S. Hilzenrath in the Washington Post -- 4/18/10
White supremacist rally ends with five arrests and two assaults, police say --- A white supremacist rally on the lawn of Los Angeles City Hall ended with a handful of arrests Saturday afternoon as counter-protesters showered police and white supremacists with rocks, bottles and other debris. All five people arrested were counter-protesters, police say. Robert Faturechi and Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/18/10 Hemp, from hippie to hip -- It’s not just for the stoner set. Stella McCartney, Giorgio Armani and Calvin Klein are among the designers incorporating hemp textiles into their fashions. It’s a versatile material said to be easy on the environment. Susan Carpenter in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/18/10 Diverse crop of ag bills is sown -- Lawmakers are pursuing proposals big and small -- from charging new fees on farm-water users to creating a commission to oversee the beekeeping industry -- and they hope to get the bills to the governor's desk by harvest time later this year. E.J. Schultz in the Fresno Bee -- 4/18/10 In Los Angeles, the Saucer Is Ready to Land Again -- Before they face traffic on the 405 freeway, grab an In-N-Out burger or zip off to Rodeo Drive to see whatever they think is there, visitors who arrive here through LAX first stare up at the futuristic spider-shaped building at the center of the airport, welcoming them to the edge of America. JENNIFER STEINHAUER in the New York Times -- 4/18/10 United Republican front against Wall St. bill -- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has commitments from every Republican senator to block consideration this week of the Democrats’ Wall Street reform bill, a McConnell spokesman said Saturday. CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN Politico -- 4/18/10 Obama: GOP takes cues from Wall St. -- President Barack Obama took a swipe Saturday at top Senate Republicans for opposing a financial regulatory reform bill, accusing them of taking their cues from Wall Street special interests. CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN Politico -- 4/18/10 Goldman Sachs case could help Obama shift voter anger -- The fraud charges may strengthen the president's campaign, against Republican resistance, to tighten regulations on Wall Street. Peter Nicholas in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/18/10 |
