Updating . . .
Steinberg asks Calderon to resign from
California Senate -- Following the announcement Friday that a
federal grand jury has indicted Sen. Ron Calderon on 24 criminal charges
including bribery, California state Senate leader Darrell Steinberg called
on him to resign and said he had the full backing of his Democratic
caucus. Laurel Rosenhall in the
Sacramento Bee$ Patrick McGreevy in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/21/14
Plea deal sheds light on 'massive healthcare
fraud scheme' -- In announcing the indictment of state Sen. Ron
Calderon on charges including money laundering Friday, federal authorities
also released documents shedding new light on a spinal surgery billing
scheme the California Department of Insurance called its largest-ever case
of insurance fraud. David Siders in the
Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/21/14
Calderon indictment could affect other races,
supermajority -- The indictments against state Sen. Ronald S.
Calderon and former Assemblyman Tom Calderon on Friday initially drew a
muted response from colleagues in the Legislature who huddled behind
closed doors to decide what to do. Patrick McGreevy
in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/21/14
State Sen. Ron Calderon took $100,000 in bribes,
authorities allege -- Federal authorities allege that Calderon
(D-Montebello) took the bribes from a Long Beach hospital official as well
as people connected to what he believed was a Hollywood studio.
Richard Winton in the
Los Angeles Times$ Don Thompson
Associated Press Laurel Rosenhall
in the
Sacramento Bee$ Melody Gutierrez
in the
San Francisco Chronicle Dan Whitcomb
Reuters -- 2/21/14
Federal officials say Ron Calderon agreed
willingly to wear 'wire' -- Federal officials said in a court
filing Friday that state Sen. Ron Calderon wore a "wire" to record two
conversations with another, unnamed person, but canceled a third meeting
shortly before the FBI raided Calderon's Capitol office last summer.
David Siders in the
Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/21/14
Read the indictment of Ron and Tom Calderon -- via the
Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/21/14
Rep. Becerra endorses Eloise Gomez Reyes for
Congress -- Breaking with the election arm of House Democrats, Rep.
Xavier Becerra (D-Los Angeles) has endorsed Colton attorney Eloise Gomez
Reyes for an open Inland Empire congressional seat.
Jean Merl in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/21/14
California Sen. Rod Wright sentencing delayed
two months -- Sentencing has been delayed by two months in the case
against Sen. Rod Wright, who was found guilty of eight felonies by a Los
Angeles jury last month for lying about where he lives.
Laurel Rosenhall in the
Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/21/14
Drought: Feds cut water to California farmers to
zero -- Federal officials announced Friday that many California
farmers will receive no water this year from the federally-run system of
reservoirs and canals fed by the drought-stricken Sierra Nevada, a
crippling blow for the state's agricultural industry.
Kurtis Alexander in the
San Francisco Chronicle Mark Grossi in
the
Fresno Bee Bettina Boxall in the
Los Angeles Times$ Paul Rogers in
the
San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/21/14
Tesoro bars federal safety agency from East Bay
refinery -- In an unprecedented challenge, Tesoro Corp. has barred
federal authorities from going inside its refinery near Martinez to
investigate an incident in which two workers were burned by acid spewing
from a broken pipe, The Chronicle has learned.
Jaxon Van Derbeken in the
San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/21/14
At least 3 key Metro execs leave in shakeup of
transit agency managers -- At least three key executives are
expected to leave or have already left the Los Angeles County Metropolitan
Transportation Authority after their jobs were eliminated to make the
agency less top-heavy, Metro confirmed on Friday.
Laura J. Nelson in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/21/14
Medical costs mount for severely beaten San
Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow -- The criminal case involving the
severe beating of San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow may have ended
Thursday after his two attackers pleaded guilty to the assault, but for
the former paramedic's family, the fight to pay for his around-the-clock
care continues. The item is in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/21/14
Implications for California as Detroit seeks to
slash pensions -- In a case with significant implications for
public pensions in California, the bankrupt city of Detroit proposed
slashing retirement benefits by up to 34 percent in a plan unveiled
Friday. Dale Kasler in the
Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/21/14
California's fracking opponents introduce new
moratorium bill -- California lawmakers have unveiled a new bill
that would halt fracking and other controversial oil extraction practices
in the state until a comprehensive review of their impact is complete,
reigniting a legislative debate that fracking opponents lost last year.
Rory Carroll
Reuters -- 2/21/14
Prosecutor: Tim Donnelly won't face legal action
for gun use -- Tim Donnelly will not face legal action in San
Bernardino County for his heavily publicized use of firearms at campaign
events in recent weeks, the local prosecutor saying Friday that terms of
Donnelly's probation do not prohibit such activities.
David Siders in the
Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/21/14
Billionaire tech star Peter Thiel, big GOP
donor, backs $12/hr minimum wage -- Here’s more evidence that
progressives and conservatives may find common ground on a key issue —
billionaire tech star Peter Thiel, the San Francisco-based PayPal
co-founder who’s given millions to GOP causes, supports the idea of
boosting the minimum wage to $12 an hour. Carla
Marinucci in the
San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/21/14
Sierra Club San Diego Chapter suspended
-- The Sierra Club’s national board voted Friday to suspend its San Diego
chapter for four years, citing “ongoing conflicts and divisions” among
local activists. Deborah Sullivan Brennan
UT San Diego$ -- 2/21/14
California State University system enjoys record
charitable donations -- The California State University's recent
annual report on philanthropy for 2012-13 shows that the system pulled in
$338 million in gift commitments, up 14% from the previous year.
Ronald D. White in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/21/14
Sandy Koufax feels 'fine' after taking foul ball
to head -- A few hours after he was struck in the head by a line
drive, Sandy Koufax walked out of the Dodgers spring-training complex
Friday afternoon with a smile on his face. Dylan
Hernandez in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/21/14
Jesse Jackson on Silicon Valley’s ‘apartheid’
-- The renowned civil rights leader told the Mercury News editorial
board Thursday that his Rainbow PUSH Coalition plans to revitalize its
Silicon Valley project and make its case to the region’s top tech firms
that “we need to democratize the economy.” Josh
Richman
Political Blotter -- 2/21/14
Measles cases surge in California: state health
officials -- State public health officials on Friday reported 15
confirmed cases of measles so far this year, prompting the state health
department to urge all Californians to get a measles shot if they haven't
already - especially if they’re planning on traveling to parts of the
world where the disease is prevalent. Stephanie
O'Neill
KPBS -- 2/21/14
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Steinberg: Predictable gas tax better than
swinging pump prices -- Californians gassing up their cars would
pay a carbon tax — starting at 15 cents per gallon next year and rising to
43 cents per gallon in 2030 — under a proposal Senate leader Darrell
Steinberg introduced Thursday. Laurel Rosenhall
in the
Sacramento Bee$ -Marc Lifsher in the
Los Angeles Times$
John Myers
KXTV -- 2/21/14
Gas Tax Proposed for California Would Undermine
Existing Climate Law -- State Senator Darrell Steinberg is
proposing a carbon tax on gasoline that would put a price on the pollution
that causes climate change. The plan would also preempt a key piece of
California’s existing climate law, due to kick in next year.
Molly Samuel
KQED -- 2/21/14
Walters: Steinberg’s gas tax proposal may be
dead on arrival -- Darrell Steinberg, the president pro tem of the
state Senate who will leave the position and the Legislature later this
year, proposed Thursday that gasoline taxes be increased sharply to fight
global warming and provide new financial support for low- and
middle-income families. Dan Walters in the
Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/21/14
Former Howard Berman aide goes after Brad
Sherman seat -- A onetime aide to former Rep. Howard Berman
(D-Valley Village) said he is going to try to unseat the man who defeated
his boss in a bitter 2012 election. But this is no grudge match, activist
Marc Litchman said Thursday. Jean Merl in
the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/21/14
Should bans on drought-resistant yards be
lifted? -- Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez has reopened a turf war in
the Capitol over whether homeowners association should have the right to
require green lawns and lush flower gardens even in a drought.
Michael Gardner
UT San Diego$ -- 2/21/14
Roberts: Presidential Plumbing -- Obama’s
Drought Visit Sidesteps Political Water Wars Jerry
Roberts
Santa Barbara Independent -- 2/21/14
Campaign money disclosure bill clears the
Assembly -- The Assembly approved a measure Thursday that would
ramp up disclosure requirements for nonprofit groups and other
organizations that spend money in California campaigns, a response to a
infamous multimillion-dollar anonymous donation in 2012.
Melanie Mason in the
Los Angeles Times$ Jeremy B. White
in the
Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/21/14
Settlement of lobbyist Kevin Sloat's case falls
short, key lawyer says -- An attorney who aided an investigation
that resulted in fines against lobbyist Kevin Sloat said the settlement of
the matter approved Thursday by the state Fair Political Practices
Commission falls short and fails to address some of the most serious
allegations involving elected officials. Patrick
McGreevy and Paige St. John in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/21/14
Union begins signature drive for hospital
pricing ballot initiative -- A healthcare workers union will launch
its signature-gathering effort for a hospital pricing ballot measure
Thursday, marking the latest front in a looming initiative fight that will
pit labor against hospitals. Melanie Mason
in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/21/14
Soda tax, warning labels backed by voters, poll
finds -- A large, bipartisan majority of California voters support
the idea of putting health-warning labels on sodas and other sugary
drinks, while two-thirds of voters back a proposal to tax those drinks and
use the money to make children healthier, according to a Field Poll
released Thursday. Marisa Lagos in the
San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/21/14
PG&E reports progress in improving gas pipeline
system -- PG&E said Thursday it continues to make progress in a
sweeping upgrade of its natural gas pipeline system in the wake of a fatal
explosion in San Bruno, although the utility has encountered some cost
overruns. George Avalos in the
San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/21/14
Norma Torres wades into 35th Congressional
District race -- Let the musical chairs begin again — Inland Empire
style. Christopher Cadelago in the
Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/21/14
Neel Kashkari calls for bigger GOP tent
-- Republicans in California and across the nation must pitch a bigger
tent, Neel Kashkari, one of two GOP candidates for governor, told the San
Jose State University College Republicans on Thursday night.
Josh Richman in the
San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/21/14
Tim Donnelly searching for campaign money in
barren land -- Tim Donnelly parked his campaign RV outside a
Stockton house one night last week, asked for a Monster Energy drink and
walked inside to the applause of a small crowd.
David Siders and Jim Miller in the
Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/21/14
Lawmakers: California driver’s licenses should
include ‘veteran’ designation -- Veterans would be identified on
California driver’s licenses as having served their country under a bill
proposed Thursday by Assembly members Jim Frazier, D-Oakley, and Richard
Bloom, D-Santa Monica. Melody Gutierrez in
the
San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/21/14
Bill would close sex-crime sentencing loophole
-- Sexual predators who attack the severely disabled can escape
harsher penalties because a loophole in the law prevents judges from
handing down longer jail sentences simply because the victim cannot prove
force was used. Michael Gardner
UT San Diego$ -- 2/21/14
Legislation would make child abuse reporting
training mandatory in California schools -- Next month, the state
Assembly education committee will begin discussing legislation to require
that school employees receive child abuse reporting training every year.
Matthias Gafni in the
San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/21/14
Richmond leaders vow action in wake of damning
reports on public housing system -- City Manager Bill Lindsay
announced a plan Thursday to deal with problems plaguing the city's
housing authority, and Mayor Gayle McLaughlin called for an independent
investigation in the wake of revelations that the agency ranks among the
most troubled in the nation. Robert Rogers
in the
Oakland Tribune -- 2/21/14
Al Gore calls Tom Steyer ‘Mr. Tipping Point’
-- Former Vice President Al Gore made an appearance at a Democratic
fundraising dinner Wednesday night at the home of Tom Steyer and referred
to the California billionaire as “Mr. Tipping Point” in the fight against
climate change, according to a source who attended.
Darren Goode
Politico -- 2/21/14
CalBuzz: Press Clips: Pussy Riot Meets Bob
Costas’s Pink Eye -- Clickbait starts here: While our Sports
Department’s Division of Slushy Snow and Curling Brooms has found many
fascinating story lines to pursue during the Winter Olympics (Will Bode
Miller cry more if Tonya Harding whacks his bum knee with a pipe? How did
Putin let double luge sneak into his anti-gay games? Do we really have to
watch ice dancing, dear?) there frankly wasn’t much for political junkies
to focus on – until the Cossacks showed up with the horse whips.
Jerry Roberts and
Phil Trounstine
CalBuzz -- 2/21/14
Economy, Employers and Jobs
California chamber appeals ruling on
cap-and-trade fees -- The California Chamber of Commerce is
appealing a local judge's ruling that California's "cap-and-trade" fees on
business to curb greenhouse gas emissions are legal.
Dan Walters in the
Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/21/14
Bill targets new construction in California
quake zones -- The legislation by state Sen. Ted Lieu aims to close
a loophole that allows building on or near earthquake faults that haven't
been zoned by the state. Rosanna Xia, Rong-Gong Lin
II and Doug Smith in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/21/14
Moody's warns bankrupt cities they must cut
pension debts -- Moody's Investors Services, a major bond rating
house, warned Thursday that if bankrupt California cities don't reduce
their pension obligations, they risk returning to insolvency.
Dan Walters in the
Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/21/14
Union, Los Angeles County retirement deal could
save up to $840 million over next 30 years -- Realizing they both
have a lot to lose if public employee retirement costs continue spiraling
out of control, Los Angeles County and its labor unions have agreed to
what they called “sweeping reforms” that could save as much as $840
million over the next 30 years. Christina
Villacorte in the
Los
Angeles Daily News$ -- 2/21/14
Union calls for five-day strike next month at UC
-- The union representing the University of California's 21,000
service workers and patient care employees has scheduled a five-day strike
starting March 3 -- which would be their third and longest walkout in less
than a year. Larry Gordon in the
Los Angeles Times$ Katy Murphy in the
San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/21/14
Los Angeles is among the top 10 U.S. cities for
income inequality -- Los Angeles is among the top 10 U.S. cities
with the widest gulf between the rich and poor, a Washington think tank
reported Thursday. Gale Holland in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/21/14
Overstock.com slapped with nearly $7 million
fine for violating California's false advertising -- Discount
retailer Overstock.com has been slapped with a $6.8 million fine after the
Alameda County Superior Court ruled the company violated California's
false advertising and unlawful business practices by telling consumers
they were getting a bigger discount than they were receiving.
Karina Ioffee in the
San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/21/14
MLS commissioner mentions Sacramento as
potential expansion city -- Major League Soccer Commissioner Don
Garber said Thursday that Sacramento is being considered as a potential
expansion city for the nation’s premier professional soccer league.
Ryan Lillis and Dale
Kasler in the
Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/21/14
Education
No easy fix for California's teacher pension
crisis -- The state teachers pension fund faces a $71-billion
shortfall, but Gov. Brown is willing to wait until next year to craft a
remedy. Chris Megerian in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/21/14
Finding fairness in high school dropout
accountability -- As part of a massive restructuring of
California’s school accountability system, a key state panel decided
Thursday to formally consider changes to a longstanding policy that
penalizes the last high school a student attended before dropping out.
Kimberly Beltran
Cabinet Report -- 2/21/14
Blackstone donates $3.5 million to spur
entrepreneurship -- One of the nation's largest private equity
firms is scheduled to announce Friday that it is giving $3.5 million to
create a joint entrepreneurship program at USC, UCLA and UC Irvine.
Walter Hamilton in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/21/14
California senator proposes restoring bilingual
education -- Sixteen years after California voters approved an
initiative requiring public school instruction in English, state Sen.
Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) introduced a measure Thursday to repeal the
requirement of Proposition 227. Patrick McGreevy
in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/21/14
San Diego Students Looking For Shorter Time To
Graduate Head South -- Finishing a bachelor's degree at one of
California’s public universities in four years is increasingly difficult.
Competition for seats in the states’ overenrolled classes has students
looking across the border. Kyla Calvert
KPBS -- 2/21/14
Scrutiny in California for Software in Schools
-- A leading California lawmaker plans to introduce state
legislation on Thursday that would shore up privacy and security
protections for the personal information of students in elementary through
high school, a move that could alter business practices across the nearly
$8 billion education technology software industry.
Natasha Singer in the
New York Times$ -- 2/21/14
Guns
Orange County loosens requirements for carrying
concealed guns -- Permit requests surge after a federal appeals
court rules that gun restrictions in many California counties are
unconstitutional. Maura Dolan in the
Los Angeles Times$ David Montero in the
Orange County Register$-- 2/21/14
Ed Markey to introduce ‘smart gun’ bill
-- A Democratic senator wants to ensure that handguns sold in the United
States can be operated only by “authorized” users.
Burgess Everett
Politico -- 2/21/14
Health
Assembly Democrats seek to restore cuts to
Medi-Cal funding -- Two Assembly Democrats want to restore funding
for California's healthcare program for the poor, laying the groundwork
for another debate over how to make the best use of the state's financial
recovery. Chris Megerian in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/21/14
Loophole in healthcare law may put Medi-Cal
patients' assets at risk -- A provision in the Affordable Care Act
may leave the financial assets of some Medi-Cal enrollees vulnerable to
federal collection. Eryn Brown in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/21/14
Report criticizes L.A. County spending on
emergency medical services -- State auditors reported Thursday that
Los Angeles County cannot prove it has properly used money from a special
tax to provide emergency medical services. Abby
Sewell and Eryn Brown in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/21/14
Fremont legislator seeks to bolster rights of
care home residents -- A Fremont assemblyman has joined efforts to
overhaul the state's Department of Social Services by boosting the rights
of residential care facility residents. Katie
Nelson in the
San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/21/14
HPV Vaccine Prevents Cancer, Yet Parents Slow To
Make Sure They Get It -- You would think that a vaccine that could
prevent cancer would be an easy sell, but that’s hasn’t proven to be true
so far with the vaccine to prevent cervical cancer.
Patti Neighmond
NPR -- 2/21/14
Rural California getting new trauma centers
-- In rural California, traumatic injuries often happen hours away
from medical services. Leslie Griffy
Capitol Weekly -- 2/21/14
Environment
EPA proposing new rules - the first in 20 years
- to protect farm workers -- New proposed rules meant to safeguard
farmworkers from pesticide exposure were announced Thursday by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, with the proposed national rules likely
to affect the bulk of California’s 77,000 farm operators.
Edward Ortiz in the
Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/21/14
Opposition Mounts to Solar Project On Mojave
Preserve Boundary -- If discussion at a recent gathering of
activists is any indication, a nearly 4,200-acre solar project for a
valley adjoining National Park land in California's Mojave desert will
encounter near-unanimous opposition from green groups.
Chris Clarke
KCET Rewire -- 2/21/14
Also . . .
Homeland Security chief plays down latest shoe
bomb warning -- The new head of Homeland Security played down a
recent warning that terrorists might try to sneak explosives onto
commercial planes in passenger shoes, saying the threat has been around
"for years." Hugo Martin in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/21/14
Steve Jobs getting 2015 stamp -- Apple
co-founder Steve Jobs will be featured in a 2015 stamp being designed by
the U.S. Postal Service and will join fellow Bay Area icons Harvey Milk
and the Peanuts Gang, who also will be honored with their own stamps. The
item is in the
San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/21/14
Bryan Stow's family seeks millions over Dodger
Stadium beating -- Even with the guilty pleas from the two men who
attacked Bryan Stow at Dodger Stadium in 2011, the Stow family's legal
battles are not done. Richard Winton in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/21/14
POTUS 44
Obama backs away from a Republican budget
priority -- The president's next spending plan will not include a
change that would have slowed cost-of-living increases for Social Security
and other entitlement programs. Michael A. Memoli
and Kathleen Hennessey in the
Los Angeles Times$ Zachary Goldfarb
in the
Washington Post$ -- 2/21/14
More than 12,000 Congressional staffers have
enrolled in health plans through Obamacare -- Thousands of people
have purchased health coverage through the District of Columbia’s new
small-business insurance marketplace, but only a tiny fraction of them
actually own or work for a small business. J.D.
Harrison in the
Washington Post$ -- 2/21/14
Beltway
Feinstein laments retirements of those who 'get
it done' in Congress -- Without offering a hint as to her plans,
Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Wednesday lamented the departure of longtime
congressional colleagues from California -- including retiring Reps. Henry
Waxman and George Miller --and said their institutional knowledge and
ability to compromise in Washington would be missed.
Seema Mehta in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/21/14
Founder of gay Republican group GOProud quits
over CPAC dispute -- One of the founders of GOProud, a gay
Republican organization, has resigned from the board after accusing the
group's new leadership of allowing themselves to be used as "stooges" by
antigay conservatives. Daniel Rothberg in
the
Los Angeles Times$ Natalie Villacorta
Politico -- 2/21/14