California Policy & Politics This Morning
California water politics complicate Brown's
decisions -- As California struggles to cope with its historic
drought, Gov. Jerry Brown is facing increasing pressure to tackle
longstanding problems in the state's water storage and delivery systems at a
time when the politics of the issue have never been more tangled.
Juliet Williams
Associated Press -- 2/17/14
Obscure source of water dries up --
Surplus water from a little-known reservoir near Marysville has come to
the rescue of fish, Central Valley farms and Southern California cities
during dry spells for the past quarter century.
Michael Gardner
UT San Diego$ -- 2/17/14
Water meters gain grudging acceptance up north
-- In previous droughts, many Southern Californians lived with
shorter showers, reluctantly conceded to browner lawns and spent money on
new household fixtures to save water. The all-knowing water meter — and
its upward click to higher rates — was reporting every gallon to the bill
collectors. Michael Gardner
UT San Diego$ -- 2/17/14
GOP challengers see opportunity in water crisis
-- California's drought is providing an opportunity to the two
Republicans vying to challenge Gov. Jerry Brown's expected re-election
campaign this fall, highlighting what they say are government failures to
prepare the state for a foreseeable crisis.
Juliet Williams
Associated Press -- 2/17/14
New water basin in Anaheim will add to supply
-- The Orange County Water District can soon begin work on a new
water basin that will drastically boost its recycling program – something
expected to help with the state's drought. Sarah
Tully in the
Orange County Register$ -- 2/17/14
Flood irrigation still common, but drip method
is gaining ground -- The sight is not uncommon in California: water
moving slowly across farm fields, in broad sheets or through a grid of
ditches, propelled only by the pull of gravity.
Matt Weiser in the
Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/17/14
Can anybody save California? -- The
state's drought is the worst since 1580. And no, Barack Obama can't stop
it. David Dayen
Politico -- 2/17/14
Science Linking Drought to Global Warming
Remains Matter of Dispute -- In delivering aid to drought-stricken
California last week, President Obama and his aides cited the state as an
example of what could be in store for much of the rest of the country as
human-caused climate change intensifies. Justin
Gillis in the
New York Times$ -- 2/17/14
Skelton: There are far worse crimes than
Wright's -- The state senator who was found guilty of misstating
where he lives should be booted out but not locked up.
George Skelton in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/17/14
Gov. Jerry Brown puts deep imprint on California
judiciary -- As he prepares to fill a surprise opening on the
California Supreme Court, Gov. Jerry Brown's track record of appointing
judges strongly points toward a consistent theme -- scouring the legal
ranks for candidates with some intellectual firepower who might add
diversity to the nation's largest judiciary. Howard
Mintz in the
San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/17/14
Confidential documents cite interference in
prison death review -- As California prison officials began looking
into the September death of a breathing-impaired inmate who had been
pepper-sprayed by a guard, they found themselves facing unusual
interference and oversight from above, according to documents from an
internal corrections investigation obtained by The Sacramento Bee.
Sam Stanton and Denny
Walsh in the
Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/17/14
Walters: San Francisco seeks special treatment
for embattled college -- For several years, those who run
California’s 100-plus community colleges have complained that the
commission that makes all-important accreditation evaluations has been
excessively aggressive, even nit-picking. Dan
Walters in the
Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/17/14
Bay Area Residents Resist Crude-by-Rail as
Accidents Rise -- The city of Pittsburg, 20 miles east of Oakland,
is considering approving a new oil terminal to supply crude to Bay Area
refineries. The oil would come via ship, pipeline and railroad.
Molly Samuel
KQED -- 2/17/14
Borenstein: Fire district report lacks promised
road map out of financial crisis -- With the East Bay's most
populous fire district sliding toward bankruptcy, much hope had been
pinned on an outside consultant's recommendations for structural change.
Daniel Borenstein in the
Contra Costa Times$ -- 2/17/14
Reporting From the Web’s Underbelly --In
the last year, Eastern European cybercriminals have stolen Brian Krebs’s
identity a half dozen times, brought down his website, included his name
and some unpleasant epithets in their malware code, sent fecal matter and
heroin to his doorstep, and called a SWAT team to his home just as his
mother was arriving for dinner. Nicole Perlroth
in the
New York Times$ -- 2/17/14
Residents live in filth, fear in mismanaged Bay
Area public housing -- Geneva Eaton has learned to deal with life
in Hacienda: the stench of mold from the stairwell in front of her door,
the winter she spent huddled at her stove for heat, the broken security
gate that allows drug dealers and squatters to walk past the paid security
guards and urinate on her doorstep. But the mice were too much.
Amy Julia Harris
Center for Investigative Reporting -- 2/17/14
Calbuzz: Op-Ed: How a Prop. 13 Fairness Campaign
Could Win -- As a political matter, Proposition 13 is sacred. It’s
been described by lazy reporters as the “Third Rail of California
Politics” so often that you probably want to hurl every time you hear the
phrase. Chuck McFadden Special to
Calbuzz -- 2/17/14
Taxes/Fees
As retiree costs soar, reformers question
independence of worker-dominated pension boards --A rift between Gov.
Jerry Brown and the board overseeing the nation's largest public pension
fund over rising liabilities tied to longer retiree life expectancies
highlights a concern about how decisions are made at an agency with
tremendous influence over state finances. Fenit
Nirappil
Associated Press -- 2/17/14
Economy, Employers and Jobs
Ivanpah partners tout solar-thermal generating
plant’s success -- Corporate executives and some government
officials touted the world’s largest solar-thermal generating plant —
which is visible from the 250 mile-high International Space Station — as a
tribute to American ingenuity. Jim Steinberg
in the
San
Bernardino Sun -- 2/17/14
State oversight slows down fast-growing zip
lines -- McCann, 28, is one of thousands to check out the latest
fast-growing adventure activity in Southern California. Located in
forests, mountains and canyons, zip lines allow harnessed riders to glide
through the air from point to point on high-wire runs.
Suzanne Hurt in the
Orange County Register$ -- 2/17/14
Should deputies be paid for putting on their
pants? -- Most agree that taxpayers should pay police well for
risking their lives in the line of duty. But should they be paid for the
time they spend strapping on their gun belt and bulletproof vest? Or tying
their boot laces? What if the department insists they dress in the
stationhouse, instead of at home? Mike Reicher
in the
Orange County Register$ -- 2/17/14
Hiltzik: Concerns growing over how spread of
online gambling will play out -- The most sinister video you're
likely to find online just now comes from people who oppose online
gambling. Michael Hiltzik in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/17/14
Firefighter's alcohol test blurs motorcycle
hit-run case -- For months, there's been a mystery surrounding that
case of the firefighter who plowed into a motorcyclist at a South of
Market intersection: Sources say he tested as drunk, but prosecutors have
never charged him. Phillip Matier and
Andrew Ross in the
San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/17/14
Judge Unseals Trove of Records Alleging Improper
Jailhouse Informant Scheme -- A huge cache of records alleging the
Orange County district attorney’s office and law enforcement agencies
utilized a long-running informant program to violate defendants’ rights
was unsealed last week in Santa Ana Superior Court.
Rex Dalton
VoiceofOC.org -- 2/17/14
Education
Common Core Curriculum Now Has Critics on the Left
-- The Common Core has been applauded by education leaders and
promoted by the Obama administration as a way to replace a hodgepodge of
state standards with one set of rigorous learning goals.
Al Baker in the
New York Times$ -- 2/17/14
Environment
Just what is floating in the Great Pacific
Garbage Patch? -- In the middle of the North Pacific, a vortex of
trash swirls in the ocean, a repository for plastic bottles, bags and
wrappers human beings thousands of miles away let drift into the ocean. It's
called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Aaron
Orlowski in the
Orange County Register$ -- 2/17/14
Immigration/Border
Club offers solace to gun-loving liberals
-- When Northern California liberals are said to be "up in arms," it
usually means they're marching down San Francisco's Market Street or
rallying at Berkeley's Sproul Plaza -- not toting guns and actively
defending their right to do so. Josh Richman
in the
San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/17/14
Also...
Washington Post journalists win Polk awards
-- The Post’s Barton Gellman, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, was joined
by Glenn Greenwald, formerly of the Guardian US, and two other Guardian
journalists in receiving the George Polk Award for national security
reporting, Long Island University announced Sunday.
Aaron Blake in the
Washington Post$ -- 2/17/14
Former Bell council members weigh deal for guilty
pleas -- After prosecutor offers 4-year prison terms for guilty
pleas, ex-Bell officials must agree on whether to accept or again stand
trial. Jeff Gottlieb in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/17/14
SDPD seeks audit on misconduct cases --
Hit with yet another sex crimes investigation into one of his officers,
San Diego Police Chief Bill Lansdowne said Saturday he is seeking an
outside auditor to take a hard look at how the department handles
misconduct and how it can better weed out rogue cops.
Kristina Davis
UT San Diego$ -- 2/17/14
Mayor Eric Garcetti's priority list includes
people mover, 2024 Games -- Building "a people mover" to serve Los
Angeles International Airport, providing more incentives to help the local
film industry thrive and bidding for the 2024 Olympics were among the
priorities outlined by Mayor Eric Garcetti during a Sunday morning talk
show. Samantha Schaefer in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/17/14
George Zimmerman says he's homeless and suffers
from PTSD -- George Zimmerman, the 30-year-old Floridian acquitted
last year of murdering Trayvon Martin, says he's homeless, jobless and
struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Paresh Dave in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/17/14
NBC's Secret Sochi Starbucks Assists Staff in
Olympic Grind -- The Winter Olympics has seen its share of
oddities, from an eye infection that felled Bob Costas to bobsledder
Johnny Quinn breaking down doors. Now on the menu: a secret Starbucks at
the NBC media grounds. Ann-Marie Alcantata
Mashable -- 2/17/14
POTUS 44
5 Years After Stimulus, Obama Says It Worked
-- White House points to job saved and economic growth fostered in
forthcoming report. Michael Grunwald
TIME -- 2/17/14
Obama tees off on Larry Ellison's private course
-- President Barack Obama is teeing off on a private California golf
course owned by supporter Larry Ellison, the billionaire co-founder of the
Oracle software company.
Associated Press -- 2/17/14