California Policy & Politics This Morning

California drought: Why is there no mandatory water rationing? -- Fourteen months into a historic drought, with reservoirs running low and the Sierra snowpack 27 percent of normal, a growing number of Californians are wondering: Why isn't everyone being forced to ration? Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/16/14

California water issues awash in politics -- To call water “political’ is tantamount to calling it wet. And this year — the state’s driest year on record — is fertile ground for a water war. Ben Baeder in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 2/16/14

History shows California subject to extreme droughts -- If you are reading this from anywhere in California, stop, look in the mirror and say, “I’m a champion.” It’s an indisputable claim, because experts say Californians are the worldwide leaders at capturing water. Ben Baeder in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 2/16/14

14 reservoirs in Southern California near record lows -- Late winter in year three of an extended drought and the local picture isn’t pretty. Steve Scauzillo in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 2/16/14

Lopez: Getting rid of grass is making homeowners' wallets greener -- Property owners are being offered a financial incentive to replace water-guzzling grass with drought-tolerant landscaping. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/16/14

In Oakland, police struggle to find recruits -- In a city where unemployment is high and officials are desperate to rebuild an understaffed police force, the Oakland Police Department is having a hard time finding applicants from Oakland. Matthew Artz in the Oakland Tribune -- 2/16/14

Walters: Declining labor-force participation bodes ill for California economy -- How’s this for a statistical coincidence? In December, California’s “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate was 8.3 percent, reflecting its slow recovery from its worst postwar recession that had driven the jobless rate as high as 12.9 percent four years earlier. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/16/14

Morain: Wayward lobbyist is part of the Capitol money machine -- Lobbyist Kevin Sloat, the latest Capitol insider to be outed by his own hubris, apparently thought he needed an edge, whether he did or not. Dan Morain in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/16/14

Faulconer win was wide and deep -- An analysis of Tuesday’s San Diego special mayoral election returns shows Kevin Faulconer swept the Republican vote, triumphed among independents and older voters and picked up substantial backing from Democrats. Mark Walker UT San Diego$ -- 2/16/14

Willie Brown: Are public-employee unions toxic to their candidates? -- The real news in the San Diego mayoral race isn't that a Republican won, but that the candidate backed by public-employee unions lost. Willie Brown in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/16/14

Economy, Employers and Jobs

Court says Orange County can charge retirees more for health care -- Dealing a blow to about 4,600 retired public workers, a panel of federal judges has ruled that Orange County can continue to charge retirees more for health insurance than it charges current employees. Mike Reicher in the Orange County Register$ -- 2/16/14

Palo Alto: Councilwoman questions '9/80 schedule' -- For years, Palo Alto has given a large chunk of its workforce every other Friday off. But one councilwoman is questioning whether the practice should be abandoned or at least modified. Jason Green in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/16/14

Rental costs leave low-income Treasure Island tenants stuck -- Many of the residents who moved to Treasure Island over the past 15 years were formerly homeless or low-income people hoping to escape the social and environmental ills of neighborhoods like the Tenderloin and Bayview. Instead, they have found themselves in the middle of a toxic cleanup site. And most can't afford to go anywhere else. Marisa Lagos in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/16/14

Education

Proposed initiative would give school districts back their property taxes -- The parent activists who formed Educate Our State say it’s time for the state to stop robbing Peter to pay Paul. Peter, in their view, being the schools and the theft being billions in property taxes. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 2/16/14

Bonta: CalSTRS shortfall will require a shared responsibility -- The best solution to fix the shortfall is one that is fair to all stakeholders involved: school districts, the state and teachers. Rob Bonta EdSource -- 2/16/14

In USC student government, where are the women? -- Since 2006, every candidate for USC student body president has been male, and almost all winners have been fraternity members. Jason Song in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/16/14

Nine-hour school day is the norm -- and a national model -- at Oakland middle school -- All 375 students at Elmhurst Community Prep attend the expanded learning program, making it part of their normal school day. Classes begin at 8 a.m. and end at 5 p.m., at least two hours after most other Oakland students are done for the day. Susan Frey in the Oakland Tribune -- 2/16/14

Health

Is Treasure Island toxic? Residents' worries grow -- Treasure Island resident Kathryn Lundgren has been concerned for several years about the effects of contamination at the former Navy base on her family's health. Marisa Lagos in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/16/14

Ammiano has bone to pick over access to Healthy San Francisco -- He finds it no laughing matter that Healthy San Francisco, the city's universal health care plan, will continue to be available to undocumented immigrants who don't qualify for health insurance through President Obama's Affordable Care Act but not to U.S. citizens who qualify for it but can't afford it. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/16/14

California provides scant information to families looking for residential elderly care -- According to the California Department of Social Services website, Valley Springs Manor is open for business and fully licensed. That may come as a surprise to the families of 19 residents who were abandoned at the facility in October because state regulators closed it for providing substandard care. Katie Nelson and Daniel J. Willis in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/16/14

Exclusive database lists fines for senior care homes all over California -- Though the state of California makes very little information on residential elderly care facilities available online, this news organization has assembled what is available into an exclusive database of the fines levied against hundreds of facilities during a two-year period. Katie Nelson and Daniel J. Willis in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/16/14

Dental services are coming back for California's low-income adults -- Across the state, many low-income California adults lack dental insurance or access to dental care, threatening their overall health and employability. Daniela Hernandrez in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/16/14

Environment

Paramount residents not alone in pollution fight -- A Paramount case spotlights poor communities' struggle for action on local pollution sources. Tony Barboza and Jessica Garrison in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/16/14

Guns

San Diego sheriff to keep reviewing concealed weapons applications -- Despite a court ruling that struck down California's concealed weapons statute, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department will continue reviewing applications for permits. Tony Perry in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/16/14

Also...

Email raises questions about Tanaka's role in handling of inmate informant -- A manager's memo says the then-L.A. County undersheriff or subordinates were to be present whenever Anthony Brown, who was cooperating with the FBI, was moved. Robert Faturechi in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/16/14

GPS monitoring alerts overwhelm probation officers -- The system that was supposed to help L.A. County keep track of felons is complicating the task, bombarding agents with emails. Paige St. John in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/16/14

Gibson guitars made with government-seized wood are sold out -- The Les Paul, Explorer, SG and Flying V six-string guitars have fingerboards made of wood that federal agents seized in Gibson factory raids and then returned. Ryan Faughnder in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/16/14

POTUS 44

Did the NSA really help spy on U.S. lawyers? -- Sounds like the NSA helped spy on U.S. lawyers, right? Well, not so fast. If you unpack the story and ignore the opening spin, the story ends up delivering considerably less than it promises. Orin Kerr in the Washington Post$ -- 2/16/14

NSA / Surveillance

Spying by N.S.A. Ally Entangled U.S. Law Firm -- The list of those caught up in the global surveillance net cast by the National Security Agency and its overseas partners, from social media users to foreign heads of state, now includes another entry: American lawyers. James Risen and Laura Poitras in the New York Times$ -- 2/16/14