California Policy and Politics This Morning

California's new election rules pose challenges for candidates -- Same-party competitors in tough California races will need to appeal across party lines, without alienating core supporters. It will be a tricky balancing act. Jean Merl in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/8/12

College tuition is political fodder, from California Legislature to presidential campaign trail -- From Sacramento to the nation's capital, politicians are tapping into Americans' anxiety about the rising cost of a college education, crafting proposals that aim to please students and parents while also advancing their own political goals. Laurel Rosenhall in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/8/12

Morain: Good Jerry, Bad Jerry play to win -- Gov. Jerry Brown is showing himself to be both the principled public official who keeps his word and the slick inside player who seeks to grease the November ballot in his favor. Dan Morain in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/8/12

Walters: Who will truly pay the price of lending reforms? -- California politicians are patting themselves on the back for enacting the nation's first comprehensive overhaul of home mortgage laws that, they say, will protect struggling homeowners from rapacious bankers. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/8/12

California Lottery bets that pumped-up prizes produce record sales -- The California Lottery is planning to win big with escalating prize payouts, predicting record sales in the year ahead. Rising revenue signals a potential rebound for the state-run gambling operation, which for years faced criticism that it was underperforming. Torey Van Oot in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/8/12

San Diego tea party urges repeal of 'Obamacare' -- A week after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld much of President Barack Obama’s signature first-term achievement, hundreds of tea party activists responded by gathering in downtown San Diego Saturday to urge federal lawmakers to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Christopher Cadelago UT San Diego -- 7/8/12

Asian-American voters could become game-changers in presidential election -- Add Asian-Americans to the list of voting blocs that candidates and political parties ignore at their own peril. Just as "soccer moms" proved to be a crucial swing vote in 1996 and Latinos have become a much-sought-after constituency, the Asian-American electorate is now emerging as a game-changer. Josh Richman in the San Jose Mercury -- 7/8/12

CA lawmakers depart to prepare for fall election -- California lawmakers have adjourned for their summer recess after unabashedly positioning themselves to their best competitive advantage going into the fall election campaign. DON THOMPSON Associated Press -- 7/8/12

   High-Speed Rail

Willie Brown: Governor on right track with high-speed rail push -- It's going to come at a political cost, but Gov. Jerry Brown's push for high-speed rail was the right move, even in these uncertain times. Willie Brown in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/8/12

   Economy

Tech firms seeks perfect space in San Francisco -- The couple's move and their quest for living and work space epitomize a modern-day migration being played out continually in the city. San Francisco's pull as a high-tech hub and cachet as a place to live is drawing growing numbers of entrepreneurs and technology workers who move here from as nearby as Mountain View or as far away as India. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/8/12

Tribes push to open off-reservation casinos and face stiff resistance -- After buying a new chunk of land 50 miles north of San Francisco, the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria just broke ground on a new, Las Vegas-style casino. It will be the largest in the Bay Area, with 3,000 slot machines, 200 hotel rooms, a spa, bars, restaurants and parking for more than 5,000 cars. ROB HOTAKAINEN in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/8/12

Inland Empire industrial real estate market is looking up -- The industrial real estate market in the Inland Empire’s east valley, where many international companies have distribution hubs, is in full recovery, real estate brokers said. Roger Vincent in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/8/12

Oyster farm battle -- Permit renewal dispute pits commercial cultivation operation in Drakes Estero against wilderness advocates and National Park Service. GUY KOVNER in the Santa Rosa Press -- 7/8/12

Few borrowers signing up for foreclosure review -- Deadline for the government's foreclosure review program has been extended to Sept. 30. Just 7.5% of the 4.5 million eligible borrowers have sought a review. Lew Sichelman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/8/12

Mortgage proposal initially kept quiet -- A confidentiality agreement signed by San Bernardino County’s top executive required him to initially keep secret the details of a proposal to use eminent domain to seize underwater mortgages. IMRAN GHORI in the Riverside Press -- 7/8/12

Eminent domain home-loan plan creates ruckus -- San Francisco startup Mortgage Resolution Partners has created a ruckus with its plan to help cities and counties use eminent domain to seize selected underwater loans out of private mortgage-backed securities and reduce principal so homeowners could refinance into a new loan at slightly less than their home's current market value. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/8/12

Money in Roseville family's fight over eminent domain surfaces in Placer court -- Most people would be ecstatic if the government located $71,000 owed to them – but not John Zisk. Ed Fletcher in the Sacramento Bee -- 7/8/12

Developers seek to legalize tiny apartments in San Francisco, citing soaring rents -- San Francisco of the near future could be a place where thousands of young high-tech workers pack into 12-by-12-foot boxes in high-rises, each equipped with a combination desk/kitchen table, a single bed and the overall feel of a compact cruise ship cabin. Chase Niesner SF Public Press -- 7/8/12

West-wide energy corridors possibly getting a redo -- Federal land managers may have to re-map controversial energy corridors throughout the West under a proposed compromise that would settle a legal dispute. Molly Peterson KPCC LA -- 7/8/12

   Taxes - Fees

L.A. County to put storm-runoff fee on ballot -- A divided Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors decided this week to ask voters to impose a fee - some call it a tax - on property owners to pay for treating polluted storm runoff before it reaches local beaches, lakes and rivers. Christina Villacorte in the Inland Daily Bulletin -- 7/8/12

   Health Care

San Francisco tries version of Laura's Law for mentally ill -- After years of debate over how to deal with the city's large population of severely mentally ill people who refuse treatment, San Francisco officials have quietly implemented a version of the controversial Laura's Law. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/8/12

Chagas' disease can cast a silent, lifelong shadow -- Chagas is a potentially fatal parasitic disease most often found in Latin American immigrants. There had been little awareness of it in the U.S., but that's changing. Erin Loury in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/8/12

   Occupy

UC Berkeley protesters return to farm uninvited -- Protesters returned to a UC Berkeley research farm Saturday morning to harvest cucumbers, eggplants and other vegetables they planted before police evicted them seven weeks ago for trespassing. Carolyn Jones in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/8/12

   Also..

L.A. County sheriff's official tells of jail brutality -- A former lieutenant says Capt. Daniel Cruz, head of the Men's Central Jail, created an atmosphere of violence that encouraged misconduct and did not tolerate complaints. Robert Faturechi and Jack Leonard in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/8/12

Accused county executive had many asking questions -- One of the questions that District Attorney Tony Rackauckas has been raising since he announced sexual-assault charges against former OC Public Works executive Carlos Bustamante on Tuesday is how any county official could get away for years with abusing female employees who reported to him. ANDREW GALVIN in the Orange County Register -- 7/8/12

Survey: Islam is San Diego's fastest growing religion -- Islam was the fastest growing religious group in San Diego County between 2000 and 2010, according to the recently released 2010 U.S. Religion Census. Matt Clark UT San Diego -- 7/8/12

Ed Lee's testimony challenged at Mirkarimi hearing -- The buzz at Ross Mirkarimi's official misconduct hearing is becoming more about Mayor Ed Lee every day. Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/8/12

The biodefender that cries wolf -- The Department of Homeland Security's BioWatch air samplers, meant to detect a terrorist biological attack, have been plagued by false alarms and other failures. David Willman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/8/12

Grand jury report tells story of Victorville's plunging fortunes -- To stay afloat, the city resorted to extreme — and possibly illegal — measures, according to the report. The mayor says things are looking better now. Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/8/12

   POTUS 44

Obama says 'more to do' on jobs as GOP vows healthcare repeal -- President Obama touted the newly-signed highway bill as a potential economic booster, while a Republican congresswoman called for the repeal of the healthcare reform law in dueling addresses on the economy Saturday. Michael A. Memoli in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/8/12

Obama then and now -- In 2008, Obama used soaring rhetoric and personal biography to talk about binding together a red-blue nation. His message today is about the urgent need to defeat a stubborn opposition party in order to move the country forward. Dan Balz in the Washington Post -- 7/8/12

Obama’s two-pronged economic problem -- President Obama has a two-pronged economic message problem as he heads into the fall of his reelection race, a conundrum that his campaign must solve in order to have a chance at a second term on Nov. 6. Chris Cillizza in the Washington Post -- 7/8/12

   Beltway

Report: Romney team begins 'debate prep' -- Mitt Romney's campaign has begun prepping the presumptive GOP nominee for this fall's presidential debates, according to a report in the New York Daily News. Meghashyam Mali The Hill -- 7/8/12

McManus: Attack ad politics -- Swing-state voters are being flooded with political advertising that accentuates the negative. Doyle McManus in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/8/12

Romney's in his element at vacation home -- A week of diving into Lake Winnipesaukee, getting ice cream for his grandchildren and buying lobster off a boat might have softened the Republican's image during a week that was a political mixed bag. Mitchell Landsberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/8/12

Mitt Romney low-key on civil rights, in contrast to his father -- As governor of Michigan, George Romney pressed an aggressive agenda on the issue, putting himself at odds with Republican Party leaders. His son presents a different figure. Maeve Reston in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/8/12

Are We About to Witness Watergate the Sequel? -- But it's important to remember our history now, at a time when the post-Watergate reforms, which were designed to put an end to such corruption, are being eviscerated by the U.S. Supreme Court, Congress, the IRS and the Federal Election Commission. John Aloysius Farrell National Journal -- 7/8/12