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State ethics agency gets acting executive director -- A veteran attorney for the state’s political watchdog agency has been named acting executive director, addressing concern by some good-government activists that the position had long been vacant. Patrick McGreevy LA Times PolitiCal Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol Alert -- 2/3/12 Armstrong 'gratified' by no charges in doping case -- Federal prosecutors dropped their investigation of Lance Armstrong on Friday, ending a nearly two-year effort aimed at determining whether the seven-time Tour de France winner and his teammates participated in a doping program. GREG RISLING AP -- 2/3/12 2 Years of Rules and Permits Later, an Ice Cream Shop Opens -- Pries said it took two years to open the restaurant, due largely to the city’s morass of permits, procedures and approvals required to start a small business. While waiting for permission to operate, she still had to pay rent and other costs, going deeper into debt each passing month without knowing for sure if she would ever be allowed to open. SCOTT JAMES Bay Citizen -- 2/3/12 Gov. Jerry Brown signs measure to help plug state's budget hole -- Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill Friday expanding the state's ability to borrow from dedicated funds to cover day-to-day expenses. The bill is expected to make $865 million available to help keep California from falling into the red in early March. Chris Megerian LA Times PolitiCal -- 2/3/12 UC study says hybrid pensions would hurt lowest-paid workers -- Gov. Jerry Brown's plan to put future state and local government employees into hybrid pension plans and push back the full retirement age for new hires would hit low-paid workers the hardest, according to a recent academic analysis. Jon Ortiz in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/3/12 House panel smacks California high-speed rail -- In another sign of high-speed rail's political travails, the House committee writing a massive transportation bill, included an amendment that prohibits new federal funds from going to California's proposed $98 billion project during the five-year life of the bill. Michael Doyle SacBee Capitol Alert Carolyn Lochhead Chronicle Politics -- 2/3/12 Unemployment rate falls to 8.3%; fifth straight monthly decline -- The U.S. job market strengthened at the start of the year as employers added an unexpectedly large number of new jobs and the unemployment rate in January dropped for the fifth straight month to 8.3%--the lowest in nearly three years. Don Lee in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/3/12 Komen reverses decision to cut Planned Parenthood funding -- In a reversal of policy after a nationwide uproar over its decision to cut funding to Planned Parenthood, Susan G. Komen for the Curesaid Friday that it will amend its new funding rules and allow continued funding of breast health programs operated by the clinic. Eryn Brown and Karen Kaplan in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/3/12 San Onofre nuclear plant radiation leak, worn tubes raise concerns -- A week of problems at the San Onofre nuclear power plant has raised new safety concerns among some activists. Rick Rojas in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/3/12 Lawmaker sees inmate exports as answer to county jail crowding -- Sen. Tony Strickland (R-Moorpark) has introduced legislation that would allow counties to negotiate with other states for the transfer of inmates to places where jails have space. He noted the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has contracted to transfer 9,300 inmates to prisons outside California. Patrick McGreevy LA Times PolitiCal -- 2/3/12 Hospital union backs initiatives on prices, care -- Hospitals in California and their union employees are poised for battle in November over the prices hospitals charge to patients and the amount of charity care they provide. Wyatt Buchanan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/3/12 Podcast: Show Your Cards -- At some point in most poker games, you've got to lay down your cards and see who wins. John Myers Capitol Notes -- 2/3/12 Occupy Oakland steps up after city cancels police forum -- After city officials canceled a forum this week on the police department's response to Occupy Oakland protests, the Occupy movement has decided to hold a forum of its own. Matthew Artz in the San Jose Mercury -- 2/3/12 Coronado, Navy feel friction over impact of air base -- But now Coronado finds itself in the uncomfortable position of challenging North Island Naval Air Station over a still-confidential accident and noise zone plan that will not be released until the Department of Defense signs off this year. Michael Gardner UT Sandiego -- 2/3/12
High-speed rail tapped state funds for unusual lobbying contract -- In an extremely unusual use of taxpayer money, the leaders behind California's $99 billion high-speed train quietly hired a lobbyist to sway the Legislature -- the same politicians who appointed them to build the project in the first place. Mike Rosenberg in the San Jose Mercury -- 2/3/12 Not everyone opposes high-speed rail -- Dozens of union construction workers and college students rallied in support of the embattled California High-Speed Rail on Thursday in Sacramento, touting the jobs it’ll create and the congestion it’ll alleviate. BRIAN JOSEPH in the Orange County Register -- 2/3/12 Governor to sign school bus funding bill -- Gov. Jerry Brown is expected to sign fast-tracked legislation to keep fleets of school buses on roads in San Diego County and across California. Michael Gardner UT Sandiego Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times John Fensterwald educatedguess -- 2/3/12 Walters: California Democrats distort their majority-vote budget power -- Many years of partisan wrangling over the state budget reached a climax in 2010 when public employee unions and Democratic politicians persuaded voters to pass Proposition 25, eliminating the two-thirds vote for budgets. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/3/12 Lawmakers want to tap special funds to prevent shortfall -- Lawmakers voted Thursday to increase the state's ability to borrow from dedicated funds to cover day-to-day expenses, part of a strategy to keep California from falling into the red. Chris Megerian in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/3/12 California teacher fund lowers investment projections -- The board overseeing California's teacher pension system on Thursday lowered the fund's investment forecast for the second time in 14 months in a move that acknowledges the financial strain of lower market returns in the years ahead. JUDY LIN AP Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/3/12 'Millionaires tax' plan to hit streets with nurses union's support -- A "millionaires tax" initiative spearheaded by the California Federation of Teachers and the Courage Campaign received petition language today, as well as backing from the powerful California Nurses Association. Kevin Yamamura SacBee Capitol Alert -- 2/3/12 Demi Moore 9-1-1 call sparks move to block recordings -- News coverage of actress Demi Moore's recent medical emergency has led one California lawmaker to push for new restrictions on the release of taped recordings of 9-1-1 calls. Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol Alert -- 2/3/12 Experts: Fund-raising pace suggests Dreier retirement -- Fundraising data for Rep. David Dreier, D-San Dimas, from the last quarter of last year suggests he's likely to retire this year, according to local political experts. Neil Nisperos in the Inland Daily Bulletin -- 2/3/12 Hertzberg turns on reformer’s charm in Walnut Creek -- For a little while today, we all forgot that Democrat Bob Hertzberg is no longer the Assembly speaker or even an elected official. Lisa Vorderbrueggen Political Blotter -- 2/3/12 Bee exclusive: Former CSBA exec's pension slashed after audit -- The former executive director of the California School Boards Association who retired amid a financial scandal involving his pay and bonuses will have his pension reduced by 65 percent, the state pension fund said. Melody Gutierrez in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/3/12 Bay Area groups react to Komen decision to pull breast-screening funds -- All seven California Susan G. Komen affiliates -- including the San Francisco chapter -- have come out in opposition to the group's new national policies, and 26 senators urged the Komen foundation to reconsider its decision. Angela Hill and Kristin Bender in the Oakland Tribune -- 2/3/12 The Bay Citizen in Merger Talks -- Under plan, leading CEO candidate would join two nonprofit news organizations. PETER LEWIS Bay Citizen -- 2/3/12 CalBuzz: Crack GOP Shyster Team Lectures State Supremes -- Of all the silly ape dances performed by California Republican apparatchiks in recent years, few have been as puerile as the tantrum they tossed over the state Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling upholding newly drawn senate districts. Jerry Roberts and Phil Trounstine CalBuzz -- 2/3/12
Judge refuses to lift Occupy stay-away orders -- Attorneys for two Occupy Oakland protesters arrested during weekend clashes with police argued Thursday that stay-away orders imposed against the men were veiled attempts to block them from exercising their rights, but failed to persuade a judge to lift them. Justin Berton in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/3/12
Unions howl at details of Jerry Brown's pension overhaul -- Gov. Jerry Brown laid out a detailed plan to alter California's state and local public retirement systems on Thursday – and immediately drew fire from his core labor constituency. Jon Ortiz in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/3/12 Facebook IPO will mean big business for thousands of smaller companies -- Patrick Salyer doesn't work at Facebook. He doesn't own any of its stock. But he's one of thousands of entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and around the world who stand to make a lot of money when the Menlo Park social network goes public later this year. Peter Delevett in the San Jose Mercury -- 2/3/12 Construction firms make short list for Valley high-speed rail -- Fourteen construction companies are on the short list of firms poised to bid for contracts to begin building California's high-speed rail system in the Fresno area later this year. Tim Sheehan in the Fresno Bee -- 2/3/12 Oakland, San Francisco may have to return federal funds -- The cities of Oakland and San Francisco could be forced to return some of the millions of dollars in federal stimulus funds they received to weatherize the homes of low-income residents because of a lack of progress, a state audit reported Thursday. Los Angeles, by contrast, has made "significant progress" in insulating homes after a slow start, the audit found. Mike Taugher in the Contra Costa Times -- 2/3/12
FUSD losing $2.2m after schools fail to improve -- Fresno Unified School District's failure to meet standardized test score requirements will cost the district more than $2 million in state funding next year, according to county and school district officials. Heather Somerville in the Fresno Bee -- 2/3/12 Transitional kindergarten's fate in California is still up in the air -- Sherry Tam doesn't know where her son will go to school next year. The Elk Grove boy, who is 15 days too young to start kindergarten in August, was signed up for transitional kindergarten, a new grade level slated to start in the next school year. Diana Lambert in the Sacramento Bee Louis Freedberg EdSource -- 2/3/12 Fensterwald: A rush of new technologies -- A combination of forces is creating an inflection point for technology to redefine the process of learning and the structure of schools, Ted Mitchell, CEO of a venture philanthropy organization and former president of the State Board of Education, told a conference on math and technology at Stanford University on Thursday. “The market is ripe for disruptive innovation.” John Fensterwald educatedguess -- 2/3/12 Baron: Doubts over 8th grade algebra for all -- When it comes to flip-flopping, forget the Republican primary and take a look at California’s vacillation on when students should learn algebra. Kathryn Baron TopEd -- 2/3/12 Colleges crack down on selling, sharing notes -- At least one CSU Chico student recently was reported to judicial affairs for selling notes to a website, while a newly updated UC Berkeley policy restricts how students share their notes with others. Erica Perez California Watch -- 2/3/12
Poor, minority residents face most health risks with climate change -- Poor, urban and minority residents are most at risk for health problems linked to climate change, according to a new California Department of Public Health analysis of Los Angeles and Fresno counties. Bernice Yeung California Watch -- 2/3/12 Healthcare reform law saves 3.6 million Americans $2.1 billion -- In its first year, the Affordable Care Act saved 3.6 million Americans with Medicare $2.1 billion on their prescription drugs, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday. Jim Steinberg in the San Bernardino Sun -- 2/3/12 Richmond mulls soda tax -- The city of Richmond is attempting to pass a proposal that’s failed in big cities including New York City and Philadelphia – and if they succeed, their plan could encourage statewide changes in California. Mary Flynn HealthyCal.org -- 2/3/12
Westlands Water District sues federal government -- Suit alleges Interior Department failed to clean up salty water poisoning west Valley farmland. Mark Grossi in the Fresno Bee -- 2/3/12 Lawsuit filed over plastic bag ban in San Luis Obispo County -- A lawsuit has been filed against the county’s waste management board, asking the court to set aside the board’s Jan. 11 adoption of an ordinance that would ban plastic shopping bags at most stores in San Luis Obispo County. Bob Cuddy SLO Tribune -- 2/3/12 Insurance Industry Awakening to Climate Risks -- Insurance commissioners in three states, including California, are now requiring that insurers report on how they’re preparing for climate change. Molly Samuel KQED Climate Watch -- 2/3/12
Some Wealthy Donors Drop Obama for Romney -- In a sign that wealthy donors might be tiring of attacks on “the 1 percent,” Restore Our Future collected at least $525,000 from executives who supported Obama and other Democrats in 2008. Janie Lorber Roll Call -- 2/3/12
Romney gaffes alarm GOP -- Congressional Republicans are worried Mitt Romney’s propensity for verbal gaffes will hurt him in the fall. Cameron Joseph The Hill -- 2/3/12 'Waitress moms' key to this year's elections -- Republican presidential candidates looking to connect with some of the most influential voters of 2012 need look no further than the World Famous Coffee Cup cafe. There, besides a legendary pork chile verde, they'll find the "waitress moms," voters who pundits say could call the shots in this year's elections. Carla Marinucci in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/3/12 The day Mitt Romney played “Celebrity Apprentice” to Donald Trump in Vegas (VIDEO) -- Millionaire celebrity Donald Trump, always the showman, stole the show from Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney today in Las Vegas. Not once, but a couple of times. Carla Marinucci Chronicle Politics -- 2/3/12 |
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