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Merrill Newman, Elderly Palo Alto Man, Released from North Korea -- North Korea says it has deported an elderly U.S. tourist and war veteran from Palo Alto, Calif., detained for more than a month for alleged hostile acts against the country. Associated Press -- 12/6/13 San Jose: Four people die of exposure overnight, three of them at homeless encampments -- The Santa Clara County coroner's office confirmed four people died of hypothermia-related causes Thursday night as temperatures plunged below freezing. Mark Emmons in the San Jose Mercury -- 12/6/13 LAX runway where plane blew tire is at center of city lawsuit -- The runway at Los Angeles International Airport where a plane blew a tire after landing Friday morning is at the center of a lawsuit claiming the stretch is riddled with construction defects. Ari Bloomekatz and Dan Weikel in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/6/13 Californians' approval rate of Legislature rises dramatically -- Nearly as many California voters now approve of job the Legislature is doing as those who don't, the best public view of the elected representatives working under the state Capitol's golden dome, according to a statewide Field Poll released Friday. Thomas Peele in the Oakland Tribune -- 12/6/13 How Nelson Mandela transformed student Barack Obama's politics in LA -- As the world mourns Nelson Mandela — who died Thursday at the age of 95 — some Americans are remembering their involvement in the anti-apartheid movement — including President Obama, who got involved as a young college student in Los Angeles. Patt Morrison KPCC -- 12/6/13 Wildermuth: Preparing Young People for Their Future -- The young people of today are going to be the leaders of tomorrow and that should raise a collective “Uh oh” across the nation, a Stanford professor believes. John Wildermuth Fox & Hounds -- 12/6/13 AT&T: We don't have to disclose NSA dealings -- AT&T, under fire for ongoing revelations that it shares and sells customers' communications records to the National Security Agency and other U.S. intelligence offices, says it isn't required to disclose to shareholders what it does with customers' data. Martha Mendoza Associated Press -- 12/6/13 Jobless rates drops to lowest level in five years -- Employers added a solid 203,000 jobs in November, driving down the unemployment rate three-tenths of a percentage point to 7 percent, the lowest it’s been since November 2008, the Labor Department said Friday. Kevin G. Hall McClatchy DC -- 12/6/13 Globe-hopping Richmond leaders point fingers over trips to China, Cuba amid budget strife -- At a time when the city is struggling to balance its budget, local taxpayers have sent elected officials and city staff to China and Cuba in recent weeks on trips that have included significant sightseeing activities in addition to forging diplomatic links with sister cities. Robert Rogers in the Contra Costa Times -- 12/6/13 Borenstein: BART directors dishonest about raise in new labor contract -- Some BART directors and administrators continue to perpetuate a 2 percent myth about the deal they struck with their two largest labor unions to end the October strike. Daniel Borenstein in the Contra Costa Times -- 12/6/13 Banksy mural from L.A. gas station sells for $209,000 at auction -- The British street artist's 'Flower Girl,' stenciled on a section of wall that was later cut out, is sold to an anonymous Los Angeles buyer. Mike Boehm in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/6/13
State health exchange swamped with enrollees -- Covered California is adding staff and expanding its capacity to answer calls as consumers rush to meet the Dec. 23 deadline. It received 17,000 calls in less than an hour Wednesday. Chad Terhune in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/6/13 BART considers charging peak-hour premiums -- BART directors Thursday discarded the idea of raising the base fare, acknowledging that strikes and breakdowns have tortured riders. But the transit agency is still studying the possibility of peak-hour premiums. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/6/13 Realtors give $500k to California Dems as short-sale dispute ends -- The California Association of Realtors' political action committee gave $500,000 to the state Democratic Party the day before the Democrat-dominated Franchise Tax Board effectively resolved a months-long legislative fight over the state's tax treatment of short sales. Jim Miller in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/6/13 High-speed rail officials say plan is on schedule -- California high-speed rail officials sought to allay concerns about the future of the project Thursday after a series of legal and regulatory rulings that appear to jeopardize some parts of the $68 billion plan. Juliet Williams Associated Press John Myers News10 Jessica Calefati in the San Jose Mercury -- 12/6/13 Fresno to get $28 million to replace Veterans Blvd. railroad crossing -- The city of Fresno will receive up to $28 million in help from the California High-Speed Rail Authority to replace a railroad crossing set for closure because of the bullet-train line. Tim Sheehan in the Fresno Bee -- 12/6/13 Walters: Jerry Brown is the only one who can upend his re-election -- Two statewide polls told us this week that there’s probably just one person who could thwart Gov. Jerry Brown’s bid for a historic fourth term next year. And that’s Jerry Brown. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/6/13 California boosts its legislators -- Nearly as many California voters now approve of job the Legislature is doing as those who don't, the best public view of the elected representatives working under the state Capitol's golden dome, according to a statewide Field Poll released Friday. Thomas Peele in the Oakland Tribune -- 12/6/13 Podcast: Polls Pushing to 2014 -- This week's Capitol Connection podcast looks at two new sets of polling data on everything from the race for governor to some of the big economic issues that could be driving next year's campaigns. John Myers News10 -- 12/6/13 FPPC asks Kevin de León about Latino Caucus contribution to Calderon group -- California's political watchdog agency is asking state Sen. Kevin de León for more information about a $25,000 contribution the Legislature's Latino Caucus made to a nonprofit group run by former Assemblyman Tom Calderon. Laurel Rosenhall in the Sacramento Bee$ Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/6/13 Investigative hearing on SFO airline crash will not include pilots -- Survivors of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 that crash-landed at San Francisco International Airport last summer, killing three teenage girls and injuring dozens of passengers, will not hear from the pilots who were at the controls of the Boeing 777 when the National Transportation Safety Board convenes an investigative hearing next week. Dan Nakaso in the San Jose Mercury -- 12/6/13 Anaheim hopes to settle suit over alleged Latino political exclusion -- Trial over ACLU accusations that Anaheim's at-large voting process excludes Latinos from office may be unnecessary if accord is reached. Paloma Esquivel and Adolfo Flores in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/6/13 Special election for state Senate seat set for March 25 -- Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday called a special election for March 25 to fill a vacancy in the state Senate created when Republican Sen. Bill Emmerson of Redlands abruptly resigned effective Dec. 1. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/6/13 U-T TV: Hunter says Iran clash could need nukes -- Rep. Duncan Hunter says the U.S. should consider using tactical nuclear weapons against Iran if a military conflict arises and warned that the Tehran regime cannot be trusted to honor any international agreement to keep it from developing nuclear weapons. Michael Gardner UT San Diego$ -- 12/6/13
L.A. County social workers go on strike -- For the first time in over a decade, 3,500 social workers who care for Los Angeles County’s most vulnerable children went on strike Thursday to protest their excessive caseloads and demand the hiring of additional workers. Christina Villacorte in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 12/6/13 Unions challenge DWP contract -- A coalition of Los Angeles employee unions is challenging key provisions of a labor agreement struck by political leaders and employees at the city's giant water and power utility, potentially jeopardizing hundreds of millions of dollars in savings for ratepayers over the next four years. David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/6/13 Sacramento arena subsidy faces new debate -- What is the true cost of Sacramento’s arena project? Can the city handle its share of the bill? Those are two of the hotly debated questions as the Sacramento arena saga heads into a major week. Tony Bizjak, Dale Kasler and Ryan Lillis in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/6/13 California City’s Return to Solvency, With Pension Problem Unsolved -- Before Detroit filed for bankruptcy, there was Stockton. Rick Lyman and Mary Williams Walsh in the New York Times$ -- 12/6/13 L.A. sues Wells Fargo and Citigroup, alleging predatory lending -- The city of Los Angeles accused banking giants Wells Fargo & Co. and Citigroup Inc. of a “continuous pattern and practice” of mortgage discrimination that led to a wave of foreclosures, reduced property tax revenue and increased costs for city services. Andrew Khouri in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/6/13 Fast-food workers rally nationwide for higher wages -- Fast-food workers, union organizers and community supporters rallied nationwide for higher pay Thursday amid criticism from the restaurant industry that the campaign was "part of an ongoing effort to replace fact with fiction while ignoring simple truths." Tiffany Hsu in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/6/13 Court panel appears skeptical of L.A. ban on homeless living in cars -- A federal appeals court on Thursday appeared to be leaning toward striking down a Los Angeles city ban on homeless people living in their cars or recreational vehicles on public streets and in parking lots. Gale Holland in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/6/13 Google’s Mystery Barge Project: On Hold Until Spring? -- Google’s plans to use an ocean-going barge as a floating technology exhibition center appear to be on hold while the company sorts out some regulatory questions. Brandon Bailey in the San Jose Mercury -- 12/6/13 Tesla batteries go from cars to roofs in SolarCity deal -- SolarCity CEO Lyndon Rive and cousin Elon Musk, founder of Tesla Motors, are collaborating on a project that offers Tesla-built batteries to SolarCity's commercial solar system customers. Sarah Drake Silicon Valley Business Journal -- 12/6/13 More hotels are catering to Chinese travelers -- Hoping to appeal to Chinese travelers, some high-end hotels are offering new menus, Chinese-language newspapers, slippers, teakettles and even monogrammed pillows in the room. Hugo Martín in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/6/13 Asian Americans' shopping habits make retailers' eyes light up -- Spending among so-called swayable shopaholics in the fast-growing demographic of Asian Americans outpaces other groups, even millennials, a consumer study finds. Anh Do in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/6/13 Estimate of third-quarter economic growth revised up -- The U.S. economy grew faster than estimated during the third quarter, according to government data released Thursday, but analysts say that pace is unlikely to be sustained through the end of the year. Ylan Q. Mui in the Washington Post$ -- 12/6/13 Google study identifies keys to good management -- Google Inc., a company known for its nontraditional work environment, has determined something that's long been accepted in the workplace: Managers matter. Stuart Pfeifer in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/6/13 Ryan Seacrest Wanted a Keyboard for His iPhone, So He Invested $1 Million in One -- Well-known entertainment personality and producer Ryan Seacrest said he had invested in a startup, which he also co-founded, that makes a keyboard accessory for the Apple iPhone. Kara Swisher All Things D -- 12/6/13
Freedberg: Growing up in the shadow of Nelson Mandela -- As a teenager growing up in Cape Town in the 1960s, a favorite weekend activity was climbing to the top of Table Mountain, the glorious promontory at the end of the African continent. Louis Freedberg EdSource -- 12/6/13 Black students lagging in admissions to University of California -- Black students have been admitted to the University of California at starkly lower rates since racial consideration was banned in public college admissions in the state, especially at the most prestigious campuses, a report showed on Thursday. Sharon Bernstein Reuters Carla Rivera in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/6/13 San Jose State launches dorm hate crime probe -- Reacting to widespread outrage over an alleged hate crime against a black student, San Jose State on Thursday appointed a retired African-American judge who is the city's police watchdog to oversee a new task force investigating the notorious incident. Katy Murphy and Tracey Kaplan in the San Jose Mercury -- 12/6/13 Oakland Public Schools To Go Solar With SunPower -- Sixteen public schools in Oakland are about to get solar panels from San Jose-based SunPower. School districts across California are increasingly turning to solar as a way to cut operational costs, maintain funding for academic program and introduce students to solar science and technology. Dana Hull in the San Jose Mercury -- 12/6/13
Threat of 'deadzone' developing off Sonoma coast -- Climate change is the likely cause of unprecedented mass of oxygen-poor water off the Sonoma Coast, a phenomenon that could harm the region’s prized Dungeness crab and other marine life. Guy Kovner in the Santa Rosa Press -- 12/6/13 Palo Alto releases results of first-ever transportation study -- One-fifth of Palo Alto households have switched to alternative fuel vehicles and more than 50 percent own four or more bicycles, according to the results of the city's first-ever transportation survey. Jason Green in the San Jose Mercury -- 12/6/13 How California's Renewable Energy Actually Performed in 2013 -- As we close in on the end of the year, it's customary to look back and assess the past. And when it comes to renewable energy in California, the year drawing to a close has been an epochal one. Chris Clarke KCET Rewire -- 12/6/13 Riding the Fracking Wave All the Way to China -- The race is on to make America the Saudi Arabia of natural gas, but not everyone is in love with the idea of the U.S. becoming a major exporter of the increasingly abundant energy source. Patrick Reis National Journal -- 12/6/13 Chinook salmon return to Marin, coho shouldn't be too far behind -- For the first time in five years, chinook salmon are being seen in the Lagunitas watershed -- a hopeful sign that federally endangered coho salmon will have a strong run this winter. Mark Prado in the San Jose Mercury -- 12/6/13 Obama orders agencies to increase renewable energy use -- President Obama has ordered federal agencies to more than double their renewable energy use over the next seven years, part of his ongoing attempt to find ways to cut carbon emissions without cooperation from Congress. Kathleen Hennessey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/6/13
L.A. wants your guns, will trade for grocery cards, at buybacks across the city -- Los Angeles will continue the semiannual gun buyback that has resulted in more than 11,000 weapons being taken off the street, it was announced Thursday. This year, for the first time, the effort is conjunction with a statewide buyback program. Rick Orlov in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 12/6/13
House Dems rip Obama on deportations -- Liberal House Democrats pounced on President Obama Thursday over his deportation policy, saying he's been too tough on illegal immigrants at the expense of families. Mike Lillis The Hill -- 12/6/13 Immigrant groups complain of 'icebox' detention cells -- Immigrant activists say frigid cells are used to press detainees to agree to deportation. Border officials deny such claims. Cindy Carcamo and Richard Simon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/6/13 Report faults Orange County for its handling of immigrant juveniles -- Orange County probation officials say they will launch a review of their juvenile detention policies after the release this week of a report that faults the county for referring hundreds of immigrant youths to federal immigration authorities. Kate Linthicum in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/6/13
World mourns Nelson Mandela, South Africa's 'greatest son' -- World leaders and human rights activists from around the globe mourned the death of South African freedom fighter Nelson Mandela on Thursday, praising the long-ailing 95-year-old as an inspiration to the abused and downtrodden worldwide. Carol J. Williams in the Los Angeles Times$ Bill Keller in the New York Times$ Natasha Joseph The Atlantic William Finnegan The New Yorker -- 12/6/13 Obama: Nelson Mandela 'Belongs to the Ages' -- President Obama mourned the passing of one of the most "influential, courageous, and profoundly good" leaders of all time in a Thursday night statement on the passing of a Nelson Mandela."I am one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from Nelson Mandela's life." Matt Berman National Journal Kathleen Hennessey and Christi Parsons in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/6/13 Bono Honors The Man Who Could Not Cry -- As an activist I have pretty much been doing what Nelson Mandela tells me since I was a teenager. He has been a forceful presence in my life going back to 1979, when U2 made its first anti-apartheid effort. And he’s been a big part of the Irish consciousness even longer than that. Bono TIME -- 12/6/13 Nelson Mandela had deep ties to Hollywood -- There’s nothing Hollywood loves more than a hero, and when one is both associated with a righteous cause and the establishment of peace like Nelson Mandela was, the movies couldn’t make up anything better. Bob Strauss in the Inland Daily Bulletin -- 12/6/13 Nelson Mandela's unforgettable face, spirit captivate film world -- Critic's Notebook: A compelling story and stirring presence made the late South African leader a rich figure to draw on in film. Betsy Sharkey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/6/13 Freeman: How I Got to Play the Hero -- Madiba, as his friends called him, and I became friends back in the 1990s when, during a press conference, he was asked whom he would want to portray him in a film. To my everlasting honor, he mentioned me, and thus began our 20-year relationship. Morgan Freeman TIME -- 12/6/13 California leaders remember and mourn Mandela -- California politicians on Thursday mourned the death of Nelson Mandela, the iconic South African leader who helped bring an end to apartheid. Chris Megerian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/6/13 Obama: Flags To Be Flown At Half-Staff In Honor Of Nelson Mandela -- President Barack Obama ordered flags at the White House and other public and military facilities to be flown at half-staff through sunset on December 9 to honor the passing of Nelson Mandela. Mollie Reilly Huffington Post -- 12/6/13 Transcript: President Obama’s remarks on the death of Nelson Mandela via in the Washington Post$ -- 12/6/13 Jack Ohman: Nelson Mandela -- in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/6/13
Coroner's testimony in Kelly Thomas beating challenged -- Defense attorneys in the Kelly Thomas trial repeatedly challenged the testimony of a pathologist who concluded that the homeless man died from injuries he suffered during his violent clash with Fullerton police. Adolfo Flores in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/6/13 LAPD looking for jewelry in connection with Joseph Gatto case -- Dete ctives asked for the public's help Thursday in locating jewelry that may have been taken from the home of Joseph Gatto, the artist and father of a state assemblyman found shot to death in his Silver Lake home. Kate Mather in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 12/6/13
Obama Talks Up Obamacare, the NSA and Pope Francis on MSNBC’s Hardball -- Appearing in front of a live audience at American University, the president also urged the students gathered there to be active participants in government. Charlotte Alter TIME Mark Felsenthal Reuters -- 12/6/13 Obama: Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden would both be 'outstanding presidents' -- President Obama wouldn’t even dare discuss the qualities that would differentiate Vice President Joe Biden from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were they both to run for president in 2016, but does think they’d both be “outstanding” at the job. Jennifer Epstein Politico -- 12/6/13 White House Changes Story on Obama's Uncle -- The White House said Thursday that President Barack Obama briefly lived with an uncle who faced deportation from the United States, correcting its previous statements that the president had never met Onyango Obama. Jim Kuhnhenn Associated Press Christi Parsons in the Los Angeles Times$ Lesley Clark McClatchy DC Jennifer Epstein Politico -- 12/6/13
Democrats criticize emerging budget deal -- Top House Democrats are unhappy with elements of an emerging budget deal that they say abandons the party’s principles. Ginger Gibson Politico -- 12/6/13 Congress Nears Modest Accord on the Budget -- House and Senate negotiators on Thursday closed in on a budget deal that, while modest in scope, could break the cycle of fiscal crises and brinkmanship that has hampered the economic recovery and driven public opinion of Congress to an all-time low. Jonathan Weisman in the New York Times$ -- 12/6/13 Sen. Feinstein: New York train crash shows safety goals must be met -- After New York’s deadly train derailment, Congress should hold firm to a 2015 deadline for railroads to install systems that will automatically slow down or stop trains if engineers exceed speed limits or are on a collision course with another train, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Thursday. Richard Simon in the Los Angeles Times$ Curtis Tate in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 12/6/13 Republican men need more sensitivity on women's issues, Boehner says -- Republican men in Congress “aren’t as sensitive as they ought to be” when it comes to running against female candidates and appealing to female voters, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Thursday. Russell Berman The Hill -- 12/6/13 Boehner: Republican Party should support gay candidates -- Speaker John Boehner said his party should support gay Republican congressional candidates and urged his colleagues to “be a little more sensitive” when running against women. Jake Sherman Politico -- 12/6/13 Boehner floats farm bill extension -- House Speaker John Boehner says the farm bill should be extended through January while negotiators work out differences on cuts to food stamps and how to restructure farm subsidies. Associated Press -- 12/6/13 |
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