Updating. . .
Valley officials support bigger water bond than what Gov. Brown wants -- But Wednesday a cross-section of city and county officials from around the Valley, as well as farming and business interests, joined together at Fresno City Hall to support a water bond larger than Gov. Brown wants. Marc Benjamin in the Fresno Bee -- 8/6/14
California lawmakers kill measure to ban sale of e-cigarettes in vending machines -- A proposal to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes in California vending machines died in an Assembly committee Wednesday as both sides accused the other of advancing the interests of tobacco companies at the expense of public health. Laurel Rosenhall in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/6/14
CA GOP bars media from Q&A with party chairman -- California Republicans are billing a big moment at their upcoming fall convention in Los Angeles as an “Ask Anything!” question-and-answer session with state GOP Chairman Jim Brulte. Carla Marinucci in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 8/6/14
Enviro coalition offers its own water plan -- A day after Gov. Brown proposed a $6 billion water bond for the November ballot, an environmental coalition offered their own plan with a similar price-tag and with $1.5 billion for recycling and conservation, and $800 million to treat waste water and develop drinking water projects. John Howard Capitol Weekly -- 8/6/14
Cap-and-trade skeptic Perea exits alternative energy panel -- It would have made for a delicate situation: a panel on California’s alternative energy future, featuring a state Assembly member who has been vocally questioning part of the state’s landmark emissions-reducing program. Jeremy B. White in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/6/14
ProPublica: Pro-Troop Charity Misleads Donors While Lining Political Consultants’ Pockets --Move America Forward has collected millions to send care packages to U.S. troops. But its appeals often rely on images and stories borrowed without permission, and its assets have been used to benefit political consulting firms and PACs. Kim Barker ProPublica -- 8/6/14
Gov. Jerry Brown hits populist notes in speech to school workers union -- In a rallying cry to his base, Gov. Jerry Brown boasted of California's liberal accomplishments during his tenure in a Wednesday address to a school employees union. Melanie Mason in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/14
Jerry Brown wades into income inequality -- Last week it was Neel Kashkari, the Republican candidate for governor, emerging from a week posing as a homeless man in Fresno to highlight shortcomings of the economy in California. He was unable, he said, to find a job. David Siders in the Sacramento Bee$ Katie Orr Capital Public Radio -- 8/6/14
New CA politics voice? Jay Z endorses Prop. 47 -- Rapper/entertainer Jay Z — who made waves in San Francisco on Tuesday with an ear-blasting concert at AT&T Park along with wife Beyonce– is getting into politics. Sort of. Carla Marinucci in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 8/6/14
Investment bank faces possible suit over CalPERS investment losses -- California officials are threatening to sue investment bank Morgan Stanley over a series of toxic real estate investments that allegedly cost CalPERS nearly $200 million. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/6/14
Downtown Sacramento railyard touted as potential site for Major League Soccer -- Mayor Kevin Johnson and Sacramento Kings President Chris Granger have arrived here to meet with Major League Soccer officials in a bid to land an expansion franchise in the country’s top soccer league. Ryan Lillis and Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/6/14
Sacramento’s West Nile death is the state’s first this year -- The 74-year-old woman who succumbed to the disease had a chronic underlying illness and had been hospitalized, county health officials said. Bill Lindelof in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/6/14
Two deaths from West Nile virus reported in Northern California -- Shasta officials described the person who died of the disease only as an adult because the region is small and revealing more information would effectively identity the person, said Tim Mapes, a community education specialist with the county's Health and Human Services Agency. Veronica Rocha in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/14
Beck approved LAPD purchase of daughter's horse, documents show -- Despite repeated claims by Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck that he played no role in the LAPD’s decision to purchase a horse from his daughter, Beck signed a document approving the deal, according to records obtained by The Times. Joel Rubin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/14
Mayor Garcetti reaffirms support for Chief Beck amid new revelation -- Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti reaffirmed his support Wednesday for Police Chief Charlie Beck in the face of new revelations about the LAPD's purchase of a horse from his daughter. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/14
Quinn: Immigration Reform: A Pathway To Impeachment -- The case for impeaching President Obama will be very strong if he does one thing: go really big on amnesty for the 11 million undocumented workers in America. There are nothing but upsides for Obama and the Democrats if this happens, leaving his Republican foes with only the constitutional response of impeachment, which is a legitimate response to what they would sure view as an illegal action. Tony Quinn Fox & Hounds -- 8/6/14
Hospital photo shoot with stillborn child spurs support for couple -- Not long before Emily Staley was to give birth, the kicks stopped. Veronica Rocha in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/14
A's approach architect about building a new ballpark in Oakland -- The A's have begun talks with an architect to build a baseball-only stadium at the Oakland Coliseum site, A's owner Lew Wolff said Wednesday. Carolyn Jones in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 8/6/14
Margaret Wozniak, mother of Apple's co-founder, dead at 91 -- Mother Woz was known for being unapologetically liberal, witty and outspoken. And her daughter, Leslie Wozniak, 62, of Berkeley, proudly recalled that even during the difficult final years, "my mom retained a full vocabulary and an offbeat sense of humor throughout the last decade even though she suffered from advanced Alzheimer's. David E. Early in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/6/14
Gavin Newsom voices support for legal pot in Marin appearance -- Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom said he is prepared to campaign in 2016 for a state ballot initiative to legalize marijuana, if the referendum is written the way it should be. Richard Halstead in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/6/14
California Policy & Politics This Morning
CHP probing whether Bay Bridge critics were muzzled -- The state transportation secretary told legislators Tuesday that he was so concerned about reports that officials silenced engineers who called attention to shoddy work on the new Bay Bridge eastern span that he ordered the California Highway Patrol to investigate the allegations. Jaxon Van Derbeken in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 8/6/14
Senator to push Attorney General to launch criminal probe on Bay Bridge construction -- California Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, said Tuesday that he would deliver findings from his investigation of Bay Bridge construction issues to state Attorney General Kamala Harris to request a criminal investigation of actions by the California Department of Transportation and some of its contractors. Charles Piller in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/6/14
Hearing stirs more debate on Caltrans quality control on new Bay Bridge -- Spiraling costs, delays and quality control problems with the new east span of the Bay Bridge show Caltrans needs stronger internal controls and more outside oversight and transparency with big projects, bridge experts told a state Senate committee Tuesday. Denis Cuff in the Contra Costa Times$ -- 8/6/14
Walters: Political hubris plagues Bay Bridge, other big public projects -- The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake revealed structural deficiencies in the eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, and within a few years, then-Gov. Pete Wilson’s administration proposed a $1.4 billion replacement viaduct. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/6/14
High-speed rail meeting draws concerned homeowners in Santa Clarita -- More than 75 people attended a meeting Tuesday examining the Los Angeles County portion of the proposed San Francisco-to-Los Angeles high-speed rail project that includes the option of tunneling under the San Gabriel Mountains. Steve Scauzillo in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 8/6/14
Brown Calls For New, Smaller Water Bond -- Governor Jerry Brown wants to scrap the $11 billion water bond scheduled for California’s November ballot and replace it with a smaller proposal of his own. Six billion dollars. That’s what the governor says he’s willing to spend. Not $11 billion, like the existing bond; not $8 or $9 billion, like some of the proposals floating around the Legislature. Ben Adler Capital Public Radio David Siders in the Sacramento Bee$ John Howard Capitol Weekly -- 8/6/14
A short primer on the California water bond debate -- California lawmakers and the governor want a smaller water bond than the one scheduled for the November ballot. Allen Young Sacramento Business Journal -- 8/6/14
Judge orders pension initiative off ballot -- Ventura County Superior Court Judge Kent Kellegrew found the measure proposed by leaders of the Ventura County Taxpayers Association could not legally be used to withdraw from a statewide retirement system the county joined in the mid-1940s. Kathleen Wilson in the Ventura Star$ -- 8/6/14
A deep dive into Senate culture -- Allegations of bribery, corruption, international arms trafficking, racketeering, perjury, illegal drug use and nepotism among senators and Senate staff have marred the institution’s public image for more than a year. Each time the Senate has responded to a crisis — by suspending three of its members, overhauling ethics rules and dismissing staff — another has arisen. Connor Grubaugh Capitol Weekly -- 8/6/14
GOP millionaire Munger behind Dem vs. Dem 'smear' piece -- Two months after he lost a bruising state Assembly race in the East Bay, Democrat Steve Glazer said he was shocked this week to find himself the star of an extensive web and mail campaign charging he was the victim of a political "smear" by his Democratic opponent in the primary. Even more shocking: The campaign is funded by an independent expenditure group backed by multimillionaire Republican activist Charles Munger Jr. - who spent hundreds of thousands of dollars attacking Glazer before the June primary. Carla Marinucci in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 8/6/14
Honda drops off ‘most vulnerable incumbent’ list -- San Jose Rep. Mike Honda has dropped off a political top 10 list, and he couldn’t be happier. Roll Call, a top Washington, D.C., political site, on Tuesday moved the veteran Democrat off its “10 Most Vulnerable House Members” list, where he’s languished since May. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 8/6/14
Sacramento leaders: Risk of oil train explosions needs to be acknowledged -- Sacramento area leaders say the city of Benicia is failing to acknowledge the risks of explosions and fires that could happen if the Bay Area city approves Valero’s plan to run crude oil trains through Northern California to its refinery. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/6/14
L.A. County Board of Supervisors rejects proposed civilian oversight of Sheriff's Department -- On a 3-2 vote, the Board of Supervisors Tuesday rejected a proposal to create a permanent civilian oversight commission for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, urging advocates to give the inspector general a chance to do his job. Elizabeth Marcellino in the Los Angeles Daily News$ Abby Sewell in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/14
Pollution cap gets wealthy backing -- Gasoline producers have a new, wealthy opponent to contend with as they fight to delay California's cap on greenhouse gas emissions for fuels in the transportation sector. Morgan Lee UT San Diego$ -- 8/6/14
L.A. councilman's ex-aide charged in water district corruption case -- Prosecutors filed felony public corruption charges on Tuesday against a former high-level aide to Los Angeles City Councilman Curren Price, alleging the advisor participated in a scheme to send money from a Torrance-based nonprofit group to an elected water board member. David Zahniser, Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/14
Taxes, Fees, Rates
San Jose abandons sales tax measure after officials can't decide how to spend money -- City leaders wanted to ask residents for more of their money to boost depleted services, but have abandoned the idea to increase taxes because they can't decide what to spend the money on. Mike Rosenberg in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/6/14
L.A. County supervisors vote to put proposed tax for parks on ballot -- The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to place a new annual property tax on the November ballot to fund parks, recreation centers and other county facilities. Javier Panzar in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/14
Economy, Employers, Jobs
Nestle closing Chatsworth Hot Pockets plant -- Glendale-based Nestle USA is closing its Chatsworth Hot Pockets plant and moving the work to its operation in Mount Sterling, Ky., investing $13 million in expanding the facility and hiring 150 workers. Gregory J. Wilcox in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 8/6/14
Porn production plummets in L.A. -- As the film community battles to keep Hollywood close to home, another local industry – adult entertainment -- is fleeing Los Angeles. Richard Verrier in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/14
Assemblyman: Texas SpaceX facility not a case of jobs leaving California -- The news Monday that SpaceX would bring 300 jobs to South Texas to build the world’s first private commercial rocket launch facility is not a case of California losing jobs to the Lone Star State, said a spokesman for Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi, the Torrance Democrat who authored a recent tax break for SpaceX. Allen Young Sacramento Business Journal -- 8/6/14
Target opens tech outpost in Sunnyvale -- The Minneapolis-based retailer quietly unveiled a new tech hub in Sunnyvale this week, its second major outpost in California. In 2012, it also opened its Technology Innovation Center in downtown San Francisco. Kavita Kumar in the Minneapolis Star Tribune -- 8/6/14
Apple expected to unveil bigger-screen iPhones at Sept. 9 event -- The Cupertino-based company is set to introduce two new models: one with a 4.7-inch screen, and another with a 5.5-inch screen, people with knowledge of the plans have said. Adam Satariano Bloomberg Salvador Rodriguez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/14
Taxi drivers add apps in their fight with Uber, Lyft -- As John Lyman drives his Yellow Cab through the streets of San Francisco, he uses smartphone apps called Taxi Magic and Flywheel to help connect him with riders. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 8/6/14
Steve Ballmer says he paid 'L.A. beachfront price' for Clippers -- Steve Ballmer described his record $2-billion purchase of the Clippers as an “L.A. beachfront price” Monday in his first public comments since a judge tentatively approved the sale of the franchise. Nathan Fenno in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/14
Major League Soccer to tour possible stadium sites in Sacramento -- Executives with the nation’s premier professional soccer league said Tuesday they would visit Sacramento as early as next month to evaluate the city’s potential as an expansion market for MLS. Ryan Lillis and Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/6/14
Republic FC, Kings, Mayor Johnson, and MLS To Meet Regarding Expansion -- Capital Public Radio has learned Sacramento Kings President Chris Granger and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson will meet with Republic FC President and majority owner, Warren Smith and MLS officials in Portland, Oregon. Smith has made no secret of the team's desire to become a Major League Soccer franchise and build a new stadium. Capital Public Radio -- 8/6/14
Too-big-to-fail banks' living wills are inadequate, regulators say -- Six years after the financial crisis, regulators said that 11 banks deemed too big to fail still have produced no workable procedures to help regulators shut them down should they ever reach the brink of failure. E. Scott Reckard in the Los Angeles Times$ Danielle Douglas in the Washington Post$ -- 8/6/14
Education
Deasy challenges administrators to prevent every dropout -- Los Angeles schools Supt. John Deasy opened the new school year Tuesday with a speech to administrators in which he urged them to eliminate the dropout rate, and then assigned each one a troubled student to look after. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ Thomas Himes in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 8/6/14
Two years later, answers still elude API update panel -- The state’s Academic Performance Index should retain its simplicity as a tool for public comparison of schools, the state’s liaison to an advisory committee working to restructure the accountability system urged Tuesday. Kimberly Beltran Cabinet Report -- 8/6/14
California public universities could get $100 million more than expected -- California's two public university systems could get an additional $50 million each under a proposal Assembly Democrats unveiled this week. Katy Murphy in the San Jose Mercury$ Chris Nichols UT San Diego$ -- 8/6/14
Backers push to put school bond on ballot -- Despite widespread bipartisan support from state legislators and school districts, Gov. Jerry Brown is remaining mum on whether he supports putting a multi-billion-dollar school construction bond on the ballot in November. The governor had no comment, his press office said in an email. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 8/6/14
Program closes gaps in university eligibility -- Surprised by data showing that thousands of high school students are just one or two courses shy of meeting state university admissions requirements, the University of California has launched a summer program to help students make up the courses they’re missing and put them on a solid footing for college. Michelle Maitre EdSource -- 8/6/14
Drought
Paddle boat that ran aground is freed in Lake Tahoe -- A historic Mississippi paddle boat that ran aground in Lake Tahoe was freed Tuesday, leaving officials with rising concerns about the lake’s dropping water levels. Ed Fletcher in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/6/14
California drought: Flightless geese rescued from dried-up pond -- As an extreme drought tightens its vise grip on Northern California, images of peeling dirt where bodies of water once covered mud have become commonplace. But in the town of Woodland, the drought has sparked a rescue operation. Jason Wells in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/14
California Residents Are Painting Their Lawns Green -- For Jay Torres, the hardest part of California's devastating drought wasn't the shorter showers or the fact that he couldn't wash his car. It was looking at his lawn, which withered and died when he cut back on watering. Clare Foran National Journal -- 8/6/14
Environment
State to consider emergency protection for tricolored blackbird -- The California Fish and Game Commission on Wednesday will consider an emergency listing of the tricolored blackbird as a threatened or endangered species in response to a statewide survey showing its population has plummeted 44% since 2011. Louis Sahagun in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/14
Health
If You Like Your Obamacare Plan, It'll Cost You -- Consumers could be hit with major price increases, without even knowing it, if they don’t switch their health care plans. Sam Baker National Journal -- 8/6/14
Long-Fought Autism Therapy A Medi-Cal Benefit, State Says -- State officials today said autism therapy clearly is a covered Medicaid benefit, and they hope to submit a state plan amendment by Sept. 30 to start the process to make it a Medi-Cal benefit for those under age 21. David Gorn KQED -- 8/6/14
Medicare Pays Labs Top Dollars In San Diego County -- Clinical laboratories were among the top San Diego County recipients of Medicare reimbursements in 2012, according to an inewsource analysis of national reimbursement data. Joe Yerardi KPBS -- 8/6/14
Health textbook too explicit for some East Bay parents -- The birds and the bees? Fine for high school kids. But sex toys, erotic touch and orgasms? Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 8/6/14
Also . . .
DWP gave UCLA pipeline "D" grade before break -- The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power gave a "D" letter grade to one of the two major water pipelines before it burst and flooded UCLA, a top utility official said in an interview Tuesday. Mike Reicher in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 8/6/14
DWP may revive abandoned program to test pipes after UCLA flood -- One week after a ruptured pipe flooded parts of the UCLA campus, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is reexamining whether to revive an old program, discontinued years ago, to help detect weakened pipes. Emily Alpert Reyes in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/14
Garcetti, other L.A. leaders show support for Israel against Hamas -- Los Angeles elected officials somberly listened to the sound of a recorded air-raid siren, bowed their heads and held a moment of silence Tuesday for those who have died during the recent outbreak of violence between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Catherine Saillant in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/6/14
U.S. export: Central America's gang problem began in Los Angeles -- Andy Romero remembers when a tattooed man showed up in his neighborhood with baggy pants, T-shirts with rock band logos and sneakers like none he’d seen before. Tim Johnson McClatchy DC -- 8/6/14
Russian Gang Amasses Over a Billion Internet Passwords -- A Russian crime ring has amassed the largest known collection of stolen Internet credentials, including 1.2 billion user name and password combinations and more than 500 million email addresses, security researchers say. Nicole Perlroth and David Gelles in the New York Times$ -- 8/6/14
Serial SFO stowaway strikes in San Jose, police say -- Marilyn Hartman, known for repeatedly attempting to stow away on flights from San Francisco International Airport to the Hawaiian Islands, successfully sneaked onto a flight from San Jose’s Mineta International Airport to LAX, where she was promptly arrested Monday, officials said. Kale Williams in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 8/6/14
NSA / Surveillance
Secret Papers Describe Size of Terror Lists Kept by U.S. -- About 20,800 United States citizens and permanent residents are included in a federal government database of people suspected of having links to terrorism, of whom about 5,000 have been placed on one or more watch lists, newly disclosed documents show. Charlie Savage in the New York Times$ -- 8/6/14
New leaker disclosing U.S. secrets, government concludes -- The federal government has concluded there's a new leaker exposing national security documents in the aftermath of surveillance disclosures by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, U.S. officials tell CNN. Evan Perez CNN Mark Hosenball Reuters -- 8/6/14
POTUS 44
Obama Weighing Options to Stop Corporate Tax Flight -- The Obama administration is considering plans to circumvent Congress and act on its own to curtail benefits for companies that relocate overseas to lower their tax bills. Julie Hirschfeld in the New York Times$ -- 8/6/14
Obama announces $33B in commitments for Africa -- Seeking to strengthen America's financial foothold in Africa, President Barack Obama announced $33 billion in commitments Tuesday aimed at shifting U.S. ties with Africa beyond humanitarian aid and toward more equal economic partnerships. Julie Pace Associated Press -- 8/6/14
Obama’s Approval Rating at All-Time Low in New Poll -- The NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, which was conducted by a Democratic pollster and a Republican pollster working together, has Obama’s favorability at 40 percent positive and 47 percent negative. Denver Nicks TIME -- 8/6/14
Beltway
Feinstein Rips Obama on Redacted Torture Report -- The Senate Intelligence Committee will not make its report on Bush-era "enhanced interrogation" programs available to the public until the Obama administration can explain why it heavily redacted the report on torture techniques. Dustin Volz National Journal -- 8/6/14
The FCC invites you to read 1.4 GB of net neutrality comments -- When the initial period for public feedback on net neutrality closed last month, the Federal Communications Commission tallied them all up and came out with a staggering number: 1.1 million. That's the highest ever for an official proceeding. Brian Fung in the Washington Post$ -- 8/6/14
Super PACs’ spending isn’t always welcomed by candidates they support -- If you are a candidate in a close race, you might think it is a good thing when a big outside group starts spending millions on your behalf. Karen Tumulty in the Washington Post$ -- 8/6/14