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Judge orders temporary delay in election to replace Maldonado -- A federal judge Wednesday issued a temporary restraining order to halt Monterey County from preparing to hold a June 22 special election to fill the Senate district seat vacated when Abel Maldonado became lieutenant governor. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/12/10 Poizner accuses council of 'trying to score cheap political points' with Arizona boycott -- Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Poizner lashed out at the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday for their decision to boycott the state of Arizona to protest the state's new immigration law. Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/12/10 Meg Whitman puts $5 million more into her campaign -- On Tuesday, Meg Whitman's opponent for the Republican nomination for governor, Steve Poizner, put $2.5 million more of his own money into his campaign. Michael Rothfeld in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/12/10 California urged to start early on new health insurance exchange -- The top state insurance executive in Massachusetts urged California lawmakers Wednesday to “start early” in building a new health insurance exchange that will be at the center of the state’s implementation of the federal health reform passed in March. Dan Weintraub HealthyCal.org -- 5/12/10 Senate panel tables soda tax -- A proposal to help Californians slim down by putting a sugar tax on soda has run afoul of another bloating problem -- that of the state budget. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/12/10 CTA takes tax fight to November ballot -- Despite claims today from Assembly Republican leader Martin Garrick (R-Solana Beach) that “we are not putting taxes on the table,” the powerful California Teachers Assn. has other ideas. But rather than fight through the budget process, the union is taking its case directly to voters. Shane Goldmacher in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/12/10 Metal detectors at L.A. County jail don't work -- Aging metal detectors at Los Angeles County Men’s Central Jail frequently break down, posing safety concerns for deputies who routinely confiscate weapons that inmates fashion from scrap metal, sheriff’s officials said. Robert Faturechi in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/12/10 Companies challenged Poizner business claims -- A central narrative of Republican Steve Poizner's gubernatorial campaign has been his entrepreneurial prowess: the engineering grad who got a master's from Stanford, made a fortune in Silicon Valley and turned his wealth and talent to public service. Rich Connell in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/12/10 Poizner: Views have hardened in recent years -- Steve Poizner is running for California governor on a platform he hopes will appeal to the conservative voters who dominate Republican primaries: enacting broad tax cuts, reducing government spending and stopping the flow of illegal immigrants. CATHY BUSSEWITZ AP -- 5/12/10 Poizner throws $2.5 million more into governor’s race -- As private polls have shown Steve Poizner closing on Meg Whitman's lead in the Republican race for governor, he has injected $2.5 million more of his own money into his campaign. Michael Rothfeld in the Los Angeles Times Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol Alert -- 5/12/10 Red meat time for tea party Poizner -- An invitation to address several hundred tea partiers drew Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Poizner to Shingle Springs last night, where he pumped up the crowd packed into the Ponderosa High School gym. Jack Chang SacBee Capitol Alert -- 5/12/10 Complaint alleges long delays and privacy violations at County-USC emergency room -- Los Angeles County health officials launched an investigation this week into allegations that the emergency room at County-USC Medical Center is so crowded, patients wait an average of 35 hours to be seen -- sometimes without any vital signs being taken -- and hospital workers fail to protect patient privacy. Rong-Gong Lin II and Molly Hennessy-Fiske in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/12/10 Big bucks advantage in fight over Prop. 17 -- The Mercury Insurance Co. is spending millions of dollars to sell its ballot measure, Proposition 17, as a surefire pocketbook winner for voters. Steven Harmon in the San Jose Mercury -- 5/12/10 L.A. City Council votes to ban travel and future contracts with Arizona because of tough new immigration law -- During a morning-long debate on the resolution, council members compared Arizona’s action to Nazi Germany and the beginning of the Holocaust, as well as the internment and deportation of Japanese Americans during World War II. Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/12/10 New poll shows wide support for Arizona immigration law -- The poll, conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, found that 59% said they approved of Arizona’s new illegal immigration law while 32% disapproved. Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/12/10 Poll: O.C. more negative on immigration -- As the economy has soured so has the attitude of people in Orange County toward immigration, according to new survey results comparing data from Orange County respondents from a decade ago. CINDY CARCAMO in the Orange County Register -- 5/12/10 Fox: Issues that Drive the Polls -- he illegal immigration issue is driving this primary election; the tax and spend concern not so much. How else to interpret the results of the Survey USA poll this week? Joel Fox Fox & Hounds weblog -- 5/12/10 Unions, Tribes, And Now… Oil -- Over the years, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has reserved a unique place in his own political purgatory for groups he calls "special interests." The membership list had remained pretty unchanged since 2003. John Myers Capitol Notes weblog -- 5/12/10 Governor Schwarzenegger Caught Riding Bike Without Helmet -- California's First Lady, Maria Shriver has been lampooned recently for being caught parking illegally. Now, it appears her husband, the governor is not a perfect role model, either. fox40.com -- 5/12/10 Jay Leno likens California to Greece for laughs -- California's budget woes were the butt of yet another joke last night. This one comes from Jay Leno's opening monologue. The late-night host compares Greece's financial crisis to the situation in the Golden State: Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol Alert -- 5/12/10 Democrats, Republicans begin state budget dance anew -- Spring flowers are in full bloom, which also means it's that time of year when Democrats and Republicans begin holding press conferences on the state budget to stake out their early negotiating positions. Kevin Yamamura SacBee Capitol Alert -- 5/12/10 CTA-backed repeal of corporate tax breaks submits signatures -- Supporters of a proposed initiative to repeal corporate tax benefits approved by the Legislature announced today that organizers are turning in more than 800,000 petition signatures to qualify for the November ballot. Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol Alert -- 5/12/10 Kamala Harris on recividism, the death penalty, her record -- San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris thinks that reducing the state's abysmal 70 percent recidivism rate should be California's top cop's priority. Marisa Lagos Chronicle Politics Weblog -- 5/12/10 More graduation speakers boycott UC ceremonies -- A labor union's call for graduation speakers to withdraw from the ceremonies at UC campuses is gaining traction. Larry Gordon in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/12/10 UC Berkeley speakers boycott gains steam -- Add State Senate Education Committee Chairwoman Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, to the list of speakers who have withdrawn from commencement activities at the University of California, Berkeley due to ongoing labor strife. Josh Richman Political Blotter weblog -- 5/12/10 Another invitation faux pas in the Senate race? -- The organizers of President Obama’s San Francisco fundraiser later this month for Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) appear to be running into a few mishaps with their guest list. Maeve Reston in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/12/10 Strange but true: Kagan friends 'out' her as a straight -- This is one of the most bizarre political stories of the week. But it tells you a lot about Internet-driven nature of the news business these days. Richard Dunham Chronicle Politics Weblog -- 5/12/10 HealthNet retains U.S. military contract - and jobs -- Hundreds of jobs at Health Net's Rancho Cordova offices have been saved, company officials announced, after the Pentagon confirmed recently that the company would keep a massive military contract. Bobby Caina Calvan in the Sacramento Bee -- 5/12/10 Ammiano slows action on pot bill to await initiative campaign -- Ammiano slows action on pot bill to await initiative campaign -- Peter Hecht in the Sacramento Bee -- 5/12/10 Kurth blasts mail from legal group -- It's doctors versus the insurance industry in the Republican primary battle for the Inland area's 63rd Assembly District. Jim Miller in the Riverside Press -- 5/12/10
Whitman's words put spotlight on deeds -- Meg Whitman says she became one of the world's wealthiest CEOs by always asking, "What is the right thing to do?" Evan Halper and Jack Dolan in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/12/10 Whitman's lead shrinks, but by how much? -- Gone are the days when GOP gubernatorial hopeful Meg Whitman enjoyed a nearly 50-point lead in the polls. She is finding that she can no longer ignore state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, her main rival in next month's election. Evan Halper in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/12/10 Meg Whitman pulls out the big gun -- Pete Wilson -- You know the GOP race for governor is tightening when Meg Whitman brings out the big gun – former Gov. Pete Wilson – to defend her position on illegal immigration. Amy Chance in the Sacramento Bee -- 5/12/10 CalBuzz: The Secret Ads Meg & Steve Don’t Want You to See -- As Meg Whitman lobbed yet another stink bomb at Steve Poizner, Calbuzz rang up our friend Bill Carrick, the noted long distance runner who moonlights as a Democratic media consultant, to ask what he thinks of the escalating air war between eMeg and the Commish. Jerry Roberts and Phil Trounstine CalBuzz -- 5/12/10 California governor's race comes down to three things: Money, money, money -- Billionaire Republican hopeful Meg Whitman has more than anyone else and is willing to spend tons of it. Her GOP opponent, Steve Poizner, also has millions but chose to hold onto his wallet until the final weeks of the campaign. Ken McLaughlin in the San Jose Mercury -- 5/12/10 Al Checchi a cautionary tale for Meg Whitman -- A decade before Republican former eBay CEO Meg Whitman began pursuing a pricey dream to make the switch from business to politics and become California's governor, another wealthy star in America's business stratosphere - also a first-time political candidate - spent millions of his personal fortune seeking the same golden ring. Carla Marinucci in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 5/12/10 Conservative gives the candidate he backs in California an ultimatum -- A prominent conservative is issuing an ultimatum, essentially telling the candidate he supports to do better in the polls – or lose his support. Shannon Travis CNN Politics -- 5/12/10 Ad Watch: Harris' TV spot misleads on conviction rates -- San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris' campaign for the Democratic nomination for attorney general launched its first TV ad last week in major media markets statewide. Jim Sanders in the Sacramento Bee -- 5/12/10 CSU chancellor endorsed keeping Palin documents secret -- Secretiveness over Sarah Palin’s fee for a speech at a state university in Turlock reached the top of the California State University system, e-mails made public by a state lawmaker show. Lance Williams California Watch Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 5/12/10 Walters: California's quandary Greek-like? -- The term "failed state" often pops up in discussions about California's evident governmental dysfunction, a malady most obvious in its chronically unbalanced state budget. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 5/12/10 State budget woes grow deeper as rosy projections come up short -- Washington hasn't come to the rescue. Hopes for a tax windfall were dashed last month. Kevin Yamamura in the Sacramento Bee -- 5/12/10
State CalPERS cost $3.9 billion, up $600 million -- The state contribution to CalPERS should increase to $3.9 billion in the new fiscal year beginning July 1, up $600 million from the current year, actuaries for the giant public pension fund calculate. Ed Mendel Calpensions.com -- 5/12/10 Wal-Mart Agrees to Pay $86 Million for Wage Claims -- Wal-Mart Stores has agreed to pay as much as $86 million to settle a class-action lawsuit claiming it failed to pay vacation and other wages owed to thousands of California employees when they left the company, lawyers for the former workers said in a court filing. Bloomberg -- 5/12/10 Richmond reaches tax deal with Chevron refinery -- Richmond and its largest taxpayer will avert a battle at the ballot box, and the city will receive an infusion of $114 million under a deal approved Tuesday. Katherine Tam in the Contra Costa Times -- 5/12/10 Two reports forecast jump in port shipments -- Cargo shipments through Los Angeles' massive port complex are expected to increase 10 percent this year as international trade climbs out of the depths of the recession, according to two reports to be released today. Gregory J. Wilcox in the Torrance Daily Breeze -- 5/12/10 Wives pick up the tab -- The number of California women with children at home who became the sole breadwinners after their husbands lost their jobs in the recession rose a stunning 77 percent from 2006 through 2009, according to a study released Tuesday by the California Budget Project. Lisa Vorderbrueggen in the Contra Costa Times -- 5/12/10 Sacramento Region's commercial real estate market on knife's edge -- Distress in the commercial real estate market is reaching crisis proportions just as the residential market starts to right itself. Jim Wasserman in the Sacramento Bee -- 5/12/10 L.A. City Council's budget committee recommends 1,000 more job cuts -- The committee's budget plan, which goes to the full council Friday, omits revenue the mayor expects from privatizing city parking. One councilman called it 'fake money' because the deals aren't final. David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/12/10
Fensterwald: Bricks and Clicks: part two -- California is lagging behind other states, like Florida, in online education, in part because of regulations enacted nearly a decade ago to clamp down on independent study scams masquerading as charter schools. John Fensterwald educatedguess.org -- 5/12/10 Arizona bill targeting ethnic studies signed into law -- Gov. Jan Brewer signs the bill that bans schools from teaching classes designed for students of a particular ethnic group. School districts may appeal the law, which becomes effective Dec. 31. Nicole Santa Cruz in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/12/10 CSU Fullerton weighs costs, benefits of satellite campus -- In the face of crippling budget cuts, some faculty and staff at CSU Fullerton have questioned whether the university should continue to run its Irvine branch campus when the college's lease expires in 2011. Erica Perez California Watch -- 5/12/10
Electric cycles hit the racetrack -- A new generation of racing technology rolled onto Infineon Raceway Tuesday, where sleek, handcrafted motorcycles reached racetrack speeds while sounding no louder than a kitchen blender. BOB NORBERG in the Santa Rosa Press -- 5/12/10 Hiltzik: Gulf of Mexico oil spill may scuttle California offshore drilling deal -- The Tranquillon Ridge project in the Santa Barbara Channel was supported by a number of environmental groups. But now it looks dead in the water. Michael Hiltzik in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/12/10 Oil rig blast caused by gas hydrates, Berkeley professor believes -- UC Berkeley professor Robert Bea says leaked documents suggest that gas hydrates probably contaminated the cement encasing the well, allowing natural gas to shoot up a riser pipe and explode. Jill Leovy in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/12/10
Lopez: A case study in healthcare hell -- At 22, Jovan Rodriguez was carefree, fit, employed but uninsured. So the diagnosis of Hodgkin's lymphoma came as a shock, and the ensuing bureaucratic nightmare rages on years later. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/12/10 Anthem uproar spurs call for closer look at California rate hike filings -- Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner says he had his suspicions from the start. In the end, an outside actuary found deep flaws in the rate filings submitted by Anthem Blue Cross. Bobby Caina Calvan in the Sacramento Bee -- 5/12/10 Working overtime is bad for the heart -- Who didn't suspect it? Working overtime, according to a long-term study, may do a number on the ticker. Rosie Mestel in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/12/10 Adults with sickle cell disease suffer mental impairment, study finds -- Adults with even mild forms of sickle cell disease scored lower on tests of brain function than their healthy cohorts, suggesting that the disorder has a bigger impact on the brain than had previously been recognized, researchers reported Tuesday. Thomas H. Maugh II in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/12/10
Herdt: Dogma clashes with pragmatism at border -- When Steve Poizner, the combative and suddenly competitive Republican candidate for governor, made a trip to the Mexican border on Monday to further highlight his passion for stamping out illegal immigration, he brought reinforcement with him. Timm Herdt in the Ventura Star -- 5/12/10 School board condemns Arizona immigration law -- Stopping short of warning students against travel to Arizona, the San Diego school board on Tuesday passed a resolution condemning the state’s new immigration law as unconstitutional. Maureen Magee in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 5/12/10 L.A. has $56 million in Arizona-related investments -- Responding to calls for an economic boycott of Arizona, the top policy analyst for Los Angeles on Tuesday identified a total of $56 million in Arizona-related investments and recommended that the City Council suspend travel to the state, refrain from entering new contracts and review current ones for possible termination. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/12/10
California state Senate officials back prison abuse probe -- The controversy over claims of abusive and racist treatment of prison inmates escalated Tuesday when state Senate leaders stepped in, saying they will ensure a complete investigation takes place and its results are made public. Charles Piller in the Sacramento Bee -- 5/12/10 Cool, Calm and Newly in Charge of Sanford-Burnham -- Dr. Kristiina Vuori was recently named the first woman president of the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, making her one of only a few female presidents of major research institutions anywhere in the country. But that distinction is the last thing she wants to be known for. CLAIRE TRAGESER Voiceofsandiego.org -- 5/12/10 Mojave Desert cross, focus of long legal battle, is stolen -- The 7-foot steel and concrete symbol honoring WWI vets had stood atop Sunrise Rock since 1934.The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that it could stay put. The VFW has offered a $25,000 reward. David Kelly in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/12/10 Teen prostitutes often treated as criminals rather than victims -- Nearly one-third of the juvenile prostitutes picked up by police are treated as offenders rather than victims, a nationwide study of teen prostitution found. Christina Jewett California Watch -- 5/12/10 Year after transplant, Steve Jobs working hard -- Apple Inc.'s Steve Jobs, a year after getting a liver transplant that saved his life, is back at work full tilt, overseeing product development, leading a campaign against Adobe Systems Inc.'s Flash, and endorsing a California law that promotes organ donations. Connie Guglielmo Bloomberg -- 5/12/10 Holder brings anti-gang effort to Oakland -- Putting a dent in gang and youth violence - and not medical marijuana activity - is a priority of the Obama administration, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday after touring an East Oakland youth center. Henry K. Lee in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 5/12/10 Ex-CalPERS official Villalobos expects to be cleared -- Alfred Villalobos, the former CalPERS board member accused of showering pension fund officials with kickbacks, predicts he will be cleared of any wrongdoing. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee -- 5/12/10 |
