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Former Sen. Sheila Kuehl announces run for L.A. County supervisor -- Former state Sen. Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica) made it official Thursday. She will be a candidate for the seat being vacated by Zev Yaroslavsky on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/13 Senate Democrats defend education plan as 'civil rights' issue, too -- One day after Gov. Jerry Brown called his education financing plan a civil rights issue and promised opponents "the battle of their lives," Senate Democrats today said their counter-proposal is better for low-income students. David Siders in the Sacramento Bee$ Steven Harmon in the Contra Costa Times -- 4/25/13 Democrats' education fight reveals rifts amid one-party rule -- One day after a combative Gov. Jerry Brown promised Senate Democrats “the battle of their lives” if they opposed his education plan, lawmakers from Brown’s own party held their ground on Thursday and took jabs of their own at the governor. Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/13 California Fracking Rules Plan Stirs Trade Secrets Fight -- A California proposal to regulate the chemicals used by oil companies in hydraulic fracturing is stirring a battle over industry assertions of trade secrets protection and environmentalist calls for disclosure to shield public health. Alison Vekshin Bloomberg -- 4/25/13 Bowen rebuffs call for direct Web access to campaign database -- Secretary of State Debra Bowen has rebuffed a request from advocacy and news organizations to allow direct, daily Internet access to her office's campaign finance database, citing legal hurdles that would make it prohibitively expensive. Jeremy B. White in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/25/13 State bill would allow non-citizens to serve as jurors -- The state Assembly on Thursday passed a bill that would allow non-citizens who are in the country legally to serve on jury duty. JUDY LIN Associated Press -- 4/25/13 70+ votes for immigration reform? -- The two lead negotiators in the Senate’s Gang of Eight said on Thursday that they believe their immigration reform bill will not just have a filibuster proof majority in the Senate — but majority support from both parties. CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN Politico -- 4/25/13 Senators predict another vote on gun-control legislation -- Two top senators predicted Thursday that gun legislation will come up again for a Senate vote – possibly before the end of the year – as public attitudes shift toward stricter controls. Lisa Mascaro in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/13 George W. Bush memories — on his special relationship with San Francisco -- With the big celebrations in Dallas for the opening of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum Thursday, we recall our own personal moment with the former president — and his thoughts about the Democratic stronghold of San Francisco. Carla Marinucci in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 4/25/13 NBA's Stern says a decision on the Kings' fate will come on or about May 13 -- The NBA expects to make its final decision on the fate of the Sacramento Kings on or about May 13, Commissioner David Stern said today. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/25/13 High on the job: Imagine you're a pot reporter. Pot as in weed, marijuana, bud. What could possibly go wrong when you cover a drug that is legally contentious but widely tolerated? Michael Montgomery Center for Investigative Reporting -- 4/25/13 Elon Musk hates 405 Freeway traffic, offers money to speed widening -- Entrepreneur Elon Musk has already spent $50,000 trying to make the 405 Freeway better – and he’s willing to pay even more. Martha Groves in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/13 »0|0«
Teacher evaluation bill opposed by unions dies in committee -- Legislation that would have required more frequent evaluations of educators was killed by a state Senate committee Wednesday under strong opposition from teachers' unions. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/13 Brown vows 'battle of their lives' for school funding critics -- Gov. Jerry Brown laid down a large political marker Wednesday, vowing to do whatever it takes to get the Legislature to approve his plan for shifting more education dollars to school districts that serve low-income students and English learners. John Myers News10 Kimberly Beltran SI&A Cabinet Report Anthony York and Chris Megerian in the Los Angeles Times$ David Siders in the Sacramento Bee$ John Fensterwald EdSource -- 4/25/13 CSU chief concerned about Brown’s higher ed plan -- California State University Chancellor Timothy White expressed concern Wednesday that the governor wants to tie state funding to increasing the number of freshmen who graduate in four years and to other targets that could undermine the mission of the nation’s largest university system. Karen Kucher UT San Diego$ -- 4/25/13 Unlikely coalition vows joint battle against Medi-Cal rate cuts -- The broad-based coalition includes groups representing physicians, health plans, hospitals, dentists, first responders, and the state's largest labor union of health-care workers - Service Employees International Union. Jim Sanders in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/25/13 California PUC says it's making changes -- A week after it was excoriated for its lax safety and regulatory culture, the California Public Utilities Commission claimed to have made strides in turning things around in a report it filed with a legislative committee. Steven Harmon in the San Jose Mercury -- 4/25/13 Covert PUC recording spurs calls for ratepayer group autonomy -- A covert and illegal recording earlier this month by a California Public Utilities Commission director was an effort to intimidate the Division of Ratepayer Advocates, according to a staff report for an Assembly Budget Subcommittee on resources and transportation hearing today. Melody Gutierrez in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/25/13 State court budget plan could slow legal matters for Bay Area public -- Bay Area courts, staggered by deep state budget cuts over the past three years, face another dose of financial woe that could hit Santa Clara and Alameda counties particularly hard. Howard Mintz in the Contra Costa Times -- 4/25/13 Plans to close HUD offices in Sacramento, Fresno draw lawmakers' ire -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said Wednesday it will close its field offices in Sacramento and Fresno, along with 14 others nationwide, as part of a restructuring that HUD expects to save up to $150 million. Hudson Sangree in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/25/13 Nevada changes psychiatric discharge policy; patients to have travel escorts -- In a dramatic change to their controversial discharge practices, Nevada health officials no longer will send state psychiatric patients alone on buses to cities across the country, they said Wednesday. Cynthia Hubert and Phillip Reese in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/25/13 Bay Bridge bolts need to be tested -- Steel bolts on the new Bay Bridge eastern span provided by the same company that supplied 32 rods that failed when they were tightened must undergo rigorous testing to determine if they are also at risk of cracking, Caltrans officials said Wednesday. Jaxon Van Derbeken in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 4/25/13 Bay Bridge construction team considering two repair options for busted anchor rods -- State and regional agencies managing the new Bay Bridge construction have narrowed their retrofit options for snapped anchor rods to two they say will be just as safe as the initial design. Lisa Vorderbrueggen in the San Jose Mercury -- 4/25/13 Caltrans plans to have repair timetable for new Bay Bridge span on May 8 -- Transportation officials said Wednesday that they hope to announce on May 8 the cost and timing estimates for retrofitting and repairing the new San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Charles Piller in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/25/13 Driver's license bill for unauthorized immigrants moves forward -- A bill to allow unauthorized immigrants in California to apply for drivers licenses is winding its way through the state Assembly after passage in the transportation committee this week. Elizabeth Aguilera UT San Diego$ -- 4/25/13 Skelton: Obamacare fuels turf war -- It's doctors vs. other medical providers in a debate about what type care non-doctors may provide. The Legislature and governor should negotiate a truce to the decades-long fight that's only heating up. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/13 Bill would regulate trampoline centers -- Pressed by a Coronado mother whose adult son was killed in an accident, a state Senate committee Wednesday unanimously approved legislation that would regulate trampoline centers that are growing in popularity in California and throughout the country. Michael Gardner UT San Diego$ -- 4/25/13 Beekeeper Challenges Jeff Denham #CA10 -- A beekeeper and farmer from Kingsburg, Calif., announced Tuesday that he will challenge GOP Rep. Jeff Denham in a Central Valley district with swing potential. Kyle Trygstad Roll Call -- 4/25/13 Astronaut Jose Hernandez still undecided about taking on GOP Rep. Jeff Denham again -- In 2012, GOP Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Turlock, was the only incumbent Republican on the Democratic target list to survive. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 4/25/13 Garcetti launches first TV ad of runoff campaign for mayor -- Eric Garcetti's first television ad of the runoff campaign for mayor of Los Angeles touts his record on revitalizing neighborhoods and promises more job training and basic services if he is elected. James Rainey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/13 Wendy Greuel calls on Eric Garcetti to return felon's donations -- Los Angeles mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel upped her attacks against rival Eric Garcetti on Wednesday, appearing on a radio talk show to criticize donations given to Garcetti by a felon. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 4/25/13 LA mayor's race: City worker unions power the pro-Wendy Greuel Working Californians PAC -- A political action committee backed by city labor unions has collected $2.7 million in support of Los Angeles mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel, making it the biggest independent PAC in the race. Sharon McNary KPCC -- 4/25/13 Smartphone app lets CA lawmakers track special interest gifts -- Having trouble keeping track of all those concert tickets, reception tabs and bottles of wine you have to report as gifts as a California elected official or legislative staffer? There's an app for that. Torey Van Oot in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/25/13 Ex-SF State official accused of taking bribes -- A former San Francisco State University official has been charged with 128 felonies for allegedly taking bribes for a waste-disposal contract that ultimately cost the university millions of additional dollars, prosecutors said Wednesday. Vivian Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 4/25/13 Mark Vargas fills California Coastal Commission vacancy -- Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez has named a green building specialist to the California Coastal Commission. Torey Van Oot in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/25/13 Confusion still surrounds Christopher Dorner rewards: How much? Who applied? Who decides? -- Figuring out the fate of $1 million, more or less, in reward money offered in the Christopher Dorner case has become nearly as convoluted as the week-long manhunt for him in February. Eric Hartley in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 4/25/13
California lawmakers take first step toward raising minimum wage -- A bill to raise the minimum wage in California from the current $8 an hour to $9.25 over the next three years and then to require inflation-adjusted increases every year after passed its first legislative test Wednesday. Timm Herdt in the Ventura Star -- 4/25/13 Domestic workers renew push for overtime pay and breaks -- Domestic workers are once again pushing state lawmakers to approve a bill that would give them overtime pay and breaks. Governor Brown vetoed a similar measure last year; it's unclear what his position is this time around. Julie Small KPCC -- 4/25/13 Bill to change environmental review could help Sacramento's Kings arena -- Steinberg's proposed rewrite of the landmark California Environmental Quality Act, months in the planning, aims to reduce the chance that urban projects like the Downtown Plaza arena will get hit by lawsuits that stall construction. Tony Bizjak and Torey Van Oot in the Sacramento Bee$ Bob Moffitt Capital Public Radio -- 4/25/13 Fisker says Bush Energy Department urged him to seek loan -- Fisker Automotive, the electric-car maker that missed its first payment on a U.S. loan this week, sought taxpayer financing at the urging of President George W. Bush's administration, its co-founder said. Matthew Daly Associated Press -- 4/25/13 Fisker used political connections to get loan, U.S. lawmakers say -- Top executives from failed hybrid car maker Fisker Automotive Inc. denied claims in Congress that the company had used political connections to secure $192 million in government loans to finance a flawed business plan. Wes Venteicher in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/13 Airport delays continue on fourth day of sequester cuts -- On the fourth day of sequester cuts to the ranks of air traffic controllers, airports across the country continue to be hard hit by delays caused by a shortage of controllers -- and severe weather. Hugo Martin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/13 New measure of economy will include focus on government pensions -- As part of a new push to broaden the way economic growth is measured, government statisticians will soon begin using a new accounting method that’s likely to spotlight the problem of underfunded pension funds, particularly those managed by state and local governments across the nation. Kevin G. Hall in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 4/25/13 Healdsburg gets back $13.5 million in redevelopment funds -- Healdsburg has received some welcome news — approval to spend $13.5 million in bond proceeds that were at stake after the state dissolved redevelopment agencies. CLARK MASON in the Santa Rosa Press -- 4/25/13 NASA proposes $200 million cuts to planetary science; JPL could suffer -- To meet a 1 percent overall budget cut, NASA is proposing a $200 million cut to planetary science programs next fiscal year. That could be an ominous sign for Pasadena's Jet Propulsion Lab, the brains behind the successul Mars rover missions. Kitty Felde KPCC -- 4/25/13
California education: Making high school students pass all courses needed for admission to the University of California could backfire -- As schools strive to prepare students for college, more districts are requiring teens to take college prep courses -- the same courses required for admission to the University of California -- in order to graduate from high school. Theresa Harrington in the San Jose Mercury -- 4/25/13 Rumor of deal roils teachers union -- UTLA members allege that one of their leaders made a private arrangement on staffing with a school board candidate. Antonio Sanchez and union vice president Gregg Solkovits deny any deal. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/13 ACLU sues state over English-language instruction -- Civil rights groups sued the state Department of Education and the Board of Education on Wednesday, saying they are failing in their obligation to require school districts to provide 20,318 English learners with the language instruction they are entitled to by law. Kathryn Baron EdSource Shaya Tayefe Mohajer Associated Press Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ Karen Kucher UT San Diego$ -- 4/25/13 New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg donates $350,000 to LAUSD reformer's campaign -- Earlier this year when Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa asked his New York City counterpart to back a slate of candidates in the Los Angeles Unified board primary election, Michael Bloomberg donated $1 million to the Coalition for School reform. Barbara Jones in the Los Angeles Daily News Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/13 Students seek recall of 4 LBCC trustees -- A student leader at Long Beach City College this week issued recall notices to four trustees who voted in favor of eliminating 11 arts and trade programs earlier this year. Josh Dulaney in the Long Beach Press -- 4/25/13
Employer health premiums rose 170% in California in last decade -- Premiums for employer health insurance in California jumped 170% over the last decade, more than five times the 32% increase in the state's inflation rate. Chad Terhune in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/13 Artificial kidney offers hope to patients tethered to a dialysis machine -- No matter what else is happening in his life, David Anderson knows he cannot go far from the dialysis machine that sustains him. Jobs, vacations, get-togethers with friends -- everything takes a back seat to his thrice-weekly treatments that do the work of his failing kidneys. Sandy Kleffman in the Contra Costa Times -- 4/25/13 Doctors have weaker emotional rapport with obese, overweight patients: study -- New research from Johns Hopkins finds physicians are less likely to form an emotional connection with patients who are overweight, which could negatively affect the quality of care. José Martinez KPCC -- 4/25/13 Nurses, other 'mid-level' providers: Future of primary care already here in South LA -- Gandhi is what's known as a mid-level provider, a category that includes registered nurses, physician assistants and nurse practitioners like her. But at a clinic like UMMA – located just west of the 110 freeway on Florence Avenue – she might as well have the letters "MD" after her name. José Martinez KPCC -- 4/25/13
Bay Area air pollution reaches Devils Postpile National Monument -- That fresh, pine-scented mountain air that you happily breathe in the Sierra Nevada could be hazardous to your health. Bettina Boxall in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/13 California Launches First 'Battery University' to Push Energy Storage Technology -- The United States’ first graduate program in battery technology launches this autumn at a Silicon Valley university. Given the spate of bankruptcies of American battery makers such as A123 Systems and Ener1 over the past year, one might ask if that horse has already left the barn. Todd Woody National Journal -- 4/25/13 California's Dream to Be the Saudi Arabia of Solar Is Dead -- Three years ago California regulators in quick succession approved nine multibillion-dollar solar thermal power plants. They were to be built in the desert and would generate 4,142 megawatts (MW) of carbon-free electricity. The state, it was said, was on its way to becoming the Saudi Arabia of solar. Todd Woody National Journal -- 4/25/13 3 of top 10 most polluted ZIP Codes in California are in L.A. County -- If it's any consolation to Southern California, none of its ZIP Codes claimed the top spot as the state's most polluted, according to a California Environmental Protection Agency report. Hector Becerra in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/13 Yellow frog, Yosemite toad close to ESA protection -- The Yosemite toad and the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog share some critical mountain habitat and now an unenviable distinction: both are being proposed for federal Endangered Species Act protection. TRACIE CONE Associated Press -- 4/25/13 California Cities Snub Fossil Fuels, Nuclear Power -- California's leading cities are sending messages to the energy industry powers-that-be on Tuesday, and that message is "we want change." Chris Clarke KCET Rewire -- 4/25/13
GE Capital Cuts Off Lending to Gun Shops -- General Electric Co. is quietly cutting off lending to gun shops, as the company rethinks its relationship to firearms amid the fallout from the school shooting in Newtown, Conn. JOE PALAZZOLO and KATE LINEBAUGH in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/25/13
L.A. Archbishop Gomez urges lawmakers not to delay on immigration -- Los Angeles Roman Catholic Archbishop Jose Gomez and several other Catholic Church officials in California took time from their retreat in Sacramento on Wednesday to make a push for Congress to keep up the momentum on changes to the country’s immigration laws. Evan Halper in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/13 Immigration Bill Uncertain in House -- The last time House Republicans passed a broad immigration overhaul, they called for expedited deportations and tougher criminal penalties, but did nothing to expand guest-worker programs or address the millions of immigrants in the country illegally. PATRICK O'CONNOR and COREY BOLES in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 4/25/13 House lawmakers pull immigration to the right -- Lawmakers in the House are expected to include a longer path to citizenship and a larger guest-worker program than the Senate did in its rival plan for immigration reform, people with knowledge of the discussions said. Russell Berman The Hill -- 4/25/13 Sierra Club backs immigration reform -- Immigration reform supporters have a new ally — the environmental lobby. ANNA PALMER and DARREN SAMUELSOHN Politico -- 4/25/13 Agricultural Workers and Farmers Unite to Push Congress on Immigration Reform -- The sight of the head of the United Farm Workers and farmer representatives testifying side by side before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday to promote the farmworker section of the immigration-reform bill was an extraordinary moment in American agriculture. Jerry Hagstrom National Journal -- 4/25/13
Orange County offers settlement to slain Marine's family -- Orange County supervisors have unanimously approved a proposed settlement in a federal wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Manuel Loggins Jr., an unarmed Marine sergeant who was shot to death by a sheriff’s deputy in a darkend high school parking lot. Nicole Santa Cruz in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/13 San Bernardino Authorities raid marijuana dispensaries in city limits -- Accompanied by police, fire and code enforcement, City Attorney's Office officials raided three medical marijuana dispensaries Wednesday, serving warrants and demanding that they shut down allegedly illegal activities. Doug Saunders in the San Bernardino Sun -- 4/25/13 Giant marijuana joint, UC Santa Cruz student hauled away -- The young man didn’t need to, as the song says, smoke two joints in the morning, and smoke two joints at night. One was more than enough when it was roughly 4 feet long and weighed more than two pounds. Hector Becerra in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/13 Feds spend at least $890,000 on fees for empty accounts -- If you are a federal worker on furlough this week — or an airline passenger delayed by federal furloughs — you might want to save your blood pressure and go read another story. This one is about all the money the U.S. government spends on . . . nothing. David A. Fahrenthold in the Washington Post -- 4/25/13 Bush library events cast sights toward 2016 -- Festivities preceding the dedication of the George W. Bush presidential library feature two prospective presidential candidates: Hillary Rodham Clinton and Jeb Bush. Molly Hennessy-Fiske in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/13 Hundreds of Armenians protest genocide at Turkish Consulate -- Hundreds of Armenians chanted outside the Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles on Wednesday to commemorate the massacre of about 1.5 million of their ancestors 98 years ago — a genocide that has yet to be officially recognized by the U.S. Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/13 Armenian genocide recognition overdue, congressman says -- Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), lead sponsor of the Armenian genocide resolution in Congress, delivered his remarks in Armenian on the House floor Wednesday as he honored the estimated 1.5 million Armenians who were massacred in 1915 at the hands of Ottoman Turks. Mark Kellam in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/13 Abcarian: New low for L.A.: Ticketing cars at broken parking meters -- How dare they charge us because they can’t accept our money? Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/25/13
Obama threatens "family tattoo" if daughters get their own -- If they were thinking about getting tattoos, the Obama daughters may want to reconsider. Reuters -- 4/25/13
House Majority Leader’s Quest to Soften G.O.P.’s Image Hits a Wall Within -- Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, the House majority leader, has been trying for months to remake the image of the Republican Party, from one of uncompromising conservatism to something kinder and gentler. It isn’t working so well. JONATHAN WEISMAN in the New York Times$ -- 4/25/13 GOP Pulls Health Care Bill From House Floor -- House Republicans pulled a controversial health care bill from the floor Wednesday, after a strenuous attempt by leaders to secure enough votes for its passage failed. It’s the latest instance of Speaker John A. Boehner’s difficulties in controlling his unruly conference. Jonathan Strong Roll Call -- 4/25/13 Sequester, Flight Delays Breed Confusion -- With Congress and the flying public up in arms over airline delays caused by Federal Aviation Administration furloughs, lawmakers seem somehow caught off guard by the extent of the problem caused by the sequester. Niels Lesniewski Roll Call -- 4/25/13 Sequester hits Boston terror trial -- The latest victims of the sequester? The Boston bombing suspect’s lawyers. DAVID NATHER Politico -- 4/25/13 Lawmakers, aides may get Obamacare exemption -- Congressional leaders in both parties are engaged in high-level, confidential talks about exempting lawmakers and Capitol Hill aides from the insurance exchanges they are mandated to join as part of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul, sources in both parties said. JOHN BRESNAHAN and JAKE SHERMAN Politico -- 4/25/13 |
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