Updating . .
Prop. 13 overhaul targets commercial property tax rates -- Facing long political odds, state Sens. Loni Hancock and Holly Mitchell introduced on Wednesday a constitutional amendment to overhaul portions of Proposition 13, California’s landmark tax-limiting measure. Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee$ Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/10/15
Monday’s budget will reflect Legislature’s priorities, not deal with Brown -- Lawmakers will pass a budget bill by Monday’s constitutional deadline but, unlike last year, it won’t be something that will win the support of Gov. Jerry Brown. Jim Miller in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/10/15
Goodbye neighborhood polling places? -- Driven by record low voter turnout, California election officials on Wednesday proposed a system that would deliver vote-by-mail ballots to all registered voters, eliminate many neighborhood polling places and replace them with larger voting centers that allow early voting. Chris Nichols in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ Jeremy B. White in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/10/15
California is flush with cash. So why the warnings to prepare for recession? -- Even as California's leaders prepare a new state budget that is flush with cash, Gov. Jerry Brown has increasingly raised the specter of another recession that could undo years of hard-won financial progress. Chris Megerian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/10/15
Decker: Crisis or not? Jerry Brown avoids offering stern advice on drought -- In his latest iteration as California’s governor, Jerry Brown seems to have cracked the code of the state’s quirky politics. The code: We’ll elect you, if you promise to fix the mess and leave us alone. Cathleen Decker in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/10/15
Officials: Cost to clean oiled Santa Barbara beaches exceeds $60 million -- Cleaning up the thousands of gallons of crude oil that fouled Refugio State Beach on May 19 has cost more than $60 million, officials said Wednesday, and the figure is expected to grow as the cleanup continues. Javier Panzar in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/10/15
Sacramento advocacy groups charge CarMax with selling unsafe used vehicles -- Two Sacramento advocacy groups on Wednesday released a report contending that CarMax is selling unsafe cars in California and called on state officials to investigate the in-state operations of the Virginia-based used-auto selling giant. Mark Glover in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/10/15
Form signed by ill ER patient doesn’t immunize hospital for shoddy care -- When a patient died from a brain hemorrhage that an emergency room physician had failed to diagnose, the hospital tried to protect itself from liability by pointing to a form the patient had signed when she checked in two days earlier, in severe pain. It said all doctors who provided services at the facility were independent contractors rather than hospital employees. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 6/10/15
Drug-cost disclosure hits obstacle -- An attempt to force drug makers to disclose their costs and profits for drugs that sell wholesale for more than $10,000 annually has derailed in the Assembly, facing strong opposition from an industry targeting similar measures in other states. The forces battling over the bill include some of the most powerful in California. Alvin Chen Capitol Weekly -- 6/10/15
Questions about the latest public-pension proposal -- So now we know details of the latest public-pension proposal from Chuck Reed and Carl DeMaio. There’s also a whole lot about what happens next that we don’t know. Jon Ortiz in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/10/15
Ezell Ford's mother says decision shows 'what happened to Ezell was wrong' -- When Ezell Ford's mother learned Tuesday afternoon that L.A. police commissioners had faulted one of the officers who fatally shot her son, her first reaction, she said, was: "Hallelujah!" Angel Jennings, Kate Mather, Joel Rubin and Peter Jamison in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/10/15
LAPD union president blasts commission ruling on Ezell Ford shooting -- The president of the union that represents rank-and-file Los Angeles police officers said Wednesday that his members were frustrated and worried after the city's Police Commission this week found that an officer who shot Ezell Ford was at fault. Kate Mather and Joel Rubin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/10/15
Lodi police acquires a civilian-made armored vehicle -- Lodi police have taken possession of a new armored vehicle, a civilian-made model that promises to safely deliver officers into active-shooter crime scenes. Unlike communities such as the City of Davis which for a short time acquired a military vehicle, Lodi opted for an armored vehicle made by the Armored Car Group. Bill Lindelof in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/10/15
Constitutional rights or a higher standard? Orange County Sheriff's deputy who refuses to testify in Mexican Mafia case sparks debate -- An Orange County Sheriff’s Department deputy’s refusal to testify in some court proceedings – previously a key part of his job – is sparking debate about the rights of police to remain silent. Tony Saavedra in the Orange County Register -- 6/10/15
Santa Barbara County official rejects plan to move crude oil by truck -- A Santa Barbara County official has rejected a proposal by Exxon Mobil to send a fleet of 6,720-gallon trucks on as many as 192 daily trips on U.S. 101 while the pipeline the company normally uses is out of commission after last month's oil spill. Javier Panzar in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/10/15
Avoiding the Dead End of Never Learning English -- It’s been more than four decades since the U.S. Supreme Court, in a landmark case involving San Francisco Unified School District, ruled that students whose first language is not English must receive extra help to learn it, otherwise their education would be meaningless. Yet today, California schools are still under scrutiny by the federal government for failing to educate English learners. Charla Bear and Julia McEvoy KQED -- 6/10/15
Turns Out Almost Nobody Wants a Bullet Train in their Backyard -- Hundreds of angry residents of Acton, Agua Dulce, Sylmar, Santa Clarita, Shadow Hills, San Fernando and Pacoima made a show of force Tuesday at a Downtown L.A. meeting of the California High Speed Rail Authority, with most of them protesting potential routes the train will take in Southern California. Hillel Aron LA Weekly -- 6/10/15
EPA 'environmental justice' map highlights California's pollution ills -- Many Southern California communities stand out as some of the nation’s worst environmental justice hot spots, according to a new map released Wednesday by the Obama administration. Tony Barboza in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/10/15
Heartburn meds, heart attacks linked -- These drugs, which include Prilosec, known generically as omeprazole, belong to a class called proton pump inhibitors. Their use was associated with a roughly 20 percent increase in the rate of subsequent heart attacks. Such a finding in the general population was unexpected. Bradley J. Fikes in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/10/15
San Diego's retail market among the best -- Driven by job growth and tighter supply, San Diego County’s commercial real estate market for retail space is emerging as one of the nation’s more robust for landlords, a new report from broker Marcus and Millichap says. Jonathan Horn in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/10/15
Fox: Protests North, Protests South -- California politics did not lack for full-throated policy debates yesterday when protestors turned out in Sacramento to oppose SB 277, the vaccination bill for school children, and in Los Angeles to oppose the proposed route of the high -speed rail through the San Fernando Valley. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 6/10/15
Jeffe & Jeffe: It’s A Small World, After All -- However, every day, the British press and the telly (when not fixated on the FIFA scandal) was full of stories about—and debate over– immigration, high speed rail, fracking, health care, social services, education, trimming the deficit, ISIS and defense spending, privacy, the role of unions and money in politics. Sherry Bebitch Jeffe & Doug Jeffe Fox & Hounds -- 6/10/15
California Policy & Politics This Morning
$340 million in California drought-relief money left unspent -- More than $340 million that was supposed to be rushed to drought-stricken California communities sits unspent in government bank accounts more than a year after lawmakers voted to use the money to provide water, protect wells from contamination and upgrade outdated water systems. Fenit Nirappil and Scott Smith Associated Press -- 6/10/15
California state senators to propose overhaul of Prop. 13 -- Two Democratic state senators plan to introduce legislation Wednesday to overhaul Proposition 13, the state's landmark restrictions on property taxes, so local governments can raise more revenue from commercial and industrial properties. Chris Megerian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/10/15
Bullet train runs into rising opposition over Southern California routes -- Over the last decade, the California bullet train has been largely confined to futuristic renderings and promised trips of about 2 1/2 hours from Los Angeles to San Francisco. But as its effects on urban areas come more sharply into focus, opposition is intensifying among people along its path. Ralph Vartabedian, Soumya Karlamangla in the Los Angeles Times$ Dana Bartholomew in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 6/9/15
California vaccine bill clears committee -- A California bill mandating full vaccination for school children now awaits an Assembly floor vote after passing the Assembly Health Committee on a 12-6 vote Tuesday. Jeremy B. White in the Sacramento Bee$ Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle Tracy Seipel and Jessica Calefati in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 6/10/15
Gov. Jerry Brown sees California getting through drought -- Even as the state struggles through an epic water crisis, Gov. Jerry Brown assured residents Tuesday that technology, adaptation and “a more elegant” way of living would ultimately preserve the California dream for generations to come. Monte Morin, Rong-Gong Lin II, Matt Stevens in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/10/15
Herdt: Placing a big wager on green -- They don’t much like to admit it, but there are very few times when California senators take on a truly big idea, one with the power to transform California, shape the economy for decades to come, and potentially steer a course for the world. Last week was one of those times. Timm Herdt in the Ventura Star$ -- 6/10/15
One officer violated LAPD policy in Ezell Ford killing, Police Commission rules -- The commission faults both officers for their decisions to draw their weapons but only one officer for his use of deadly force. Kate Mather and Joel Rubin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/9/15
Lopez: Police Commission puts ball in Beck's court -- The questions dragged on and on. Why did police stop 25-year-old Ezell Ford in South Los Angeles on Aug. 11, 2014, and why did they end up shooting the unarmed man to death? Steve Lopez in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/9/15
Walters: California ‘job killer’ strategy a big success -- The Capitol’s longest-running conflict pits business against four liberal groups – labor unions, consumer advocates, personal injury attorneys and environmentalists. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/10/15
Major issues remain as California budget deadline nears -- Gov. Jerry Brown and his fellow Democrats in the state Legislature continue to negotiate on several items in the California state budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1. Any plan has to be approved by Monday, the constitutional deadline for the Legislature to act. Jim Miller in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 6/9/15
Democrats Counter Brown's Budget Proposal -- Legislative Democrats are finalizing a California budget proposal that highlights some big differences between their priorities and those of Gov. Jerry Brown. Ben Adler Capital Public Radio -- 6/10/15
Lawmakers nearing deal on California budget -- Democratic leaders in the Senate and the Assembly are nailing down a final deal on the state budget, sources in the Capitol said Tuesday, but an agreement with Gov. Jerry Brown hasn't been reached yet. Chris Megerian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/9/15
California's developmentally disabled to lose programs if budget remains stagnant -- The workshop where Destry Walker has been employed for 20 years swells with the sound of trainees who assemble boxes, operate blister machines that seal Res-Q-Me keychains in plastic and pack loose can dies into small bags. Susan Abram in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 6/10/15
FPPC gets new enforcement chief -- Galena West, a veteran lawyer at the Fair Political Practices Commission, has been named chief of enforcement at the agency, which serves as the state’s campaign ethics watchdog. John Howard Capitol Weekly -- 6/9/15
Lawmakers set June 26 hearing on Refugio State Beach oil spill -- The operator of a pipeline that spilled oil at Refugio State Beach will be on the hot seat when a new California legislative committee holds a public hearing on the accident later this month at the Santa Barbara County Administrative Building, officials said Tuesday. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/10/15
San Francisco Supes delay action on Airbnb rentals but go after sugary drinks -- This much is clear: The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is sharply divided over how to regulate short-term vacation rentals through companies like Airbnb. Emily Green in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 6/10/15
California appoints auditor to examine Ocwen treatment of borrowers -- If the review finds violations, the state Department of Business Oversight can seek repayment of funds for injured consumers as well as penalties against the Atlanta bill-collecting and foreclosure specialist, officials said Tuesday. E. Scott Reckard in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/9/15
Juan Felipe Herrera, From Farm Fields to Poet Laureate -- The Library of Congress is to announce on Wednesday that Juan Felipe Herrera, a son of migrant farmworkers whose writing fuses wide-ranging experimentalism with reflections on Mexican-American identity, will be the next poet laureate. Jennifer Schuessler in the New York Times$ -- 6/10/15
San Francisco top cop Suhr now says all rape kits will be tested this year -- San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr on Tuesday said the city’s entire backlog of old rape kits has been counted by hand and will be tested by the end of the year with money already in the department’s budget. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 6/10/15
Oakland police review process examined -- Oakland police shot and killed a person for the first time in two years on Saturday, and although much has been extolled about the department's efforts to reduce shootings and increase transparency, that doesn't mean all the public's questions will be immediately answered. Mike Blasky in the Oakland Tribune -- 6/10/15
Orange County Sheriff's independent investigator faces the budget ax -- An independent investigator will no longer review complaints about Orange County’s biggest law enforcement agency under a tentative vote by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. Meghann M. Cuniff in the Orange County Register -- 6/10/15
New FBI files show wide range of Black Panther informant’s activities -- Newly released FBI records reveal that Richard Masato Aoki, widely revered as a radical hero in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1960s, was deeply involved as a political informant for the FBI, informing on his fellow Asian activists and on Black Panther Party leaders Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. Seth Rosenfield Center for Investigative Reporting -- 6/9/15
Berkeley Cops’ Protest Tactic: ‘Get’um Running!’ -- And now, with Berkeley Police Chief Michael Meehan about to deliver a report on his department’s handling of the protests, the head of the city’s police watchdog agency wants an explanation of what he calls an “extremely unfortunate” choice of words. George Perezvelez, acting chair of the Berkeley Police Review Commission, said he and other panel members will ask Meehan about the directive, first reported Monday in The Daily Californian. Dan Brekke and Alex Emslie KQED -- 6/10/15
Taxes, Fees, Rates
House OKs permanent Internet access tax ban -- Tuesday’s House voice vote on making permanent a ban on taxing Internet access was a rare moment of bipartisan rapprochement. Josh Richman Political Blotter -- 6/10/15
California Lawmaker Proposes Steep Tax For Water Guzzlers -- California's worst water-guzzling residents and businesses could get slapped with 300 percent taxes on their bills under drought-inspired legislation that was proposed Tuesday but faces a tough path before it could actually affect local water bills. SB789 would authorize local water departments to go to voters to encourage conservation by taxing overconsumption and using the money to fund local conservation efforts. Associated Press -- 6/10/15
Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions
500 in-home services workers rally to be part of minimum wage boost -- Stepping up their push to be included in a potential boost in the minimum wage under consideration by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, about 500 in-home care workers rallied outside board headquarters on Tuesday. Jean Merl in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/9/15
Wells Fargo says federal law bars L.A. from suing over customer abuses -- Federal law precludes the city of Los Angeles from suing Wells Fargo on behalf of Californians stuck with unwanted accounts and bogus fees, the San Francisco bank argued in its effort to toss the consumer protection lawsuit the city brought against it. E. Scott Reckard in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/10/15
California's Rice Crop Predicted To Be 30 Percent Below Normal -- California's drought is contributing to a sharp drop in rice production, about 30 pecent below normal. This raises concerns for both the ecnoomy and wildlife that call the shallow flooded fields home. Lesley McClurg Capital Public Radio -- 6/10/15
Early stadium vote may create snags -- A drawback of San Diego’s proposal for a Chargers stadium vote on Dec. 15 is that the project would be more vulnerable to environmental delays and lawsuits, but attorneys disagreed Tuesday about how much more vulnerable. David Garrick in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 6/10/15
SpaceX founder files with government to provide Internet service from space -- Elon Musk’s space company has asked the federal government for permission to begin testing on an ambitious project to beam Internet service from space, a significant step forward for an initiative that could create another major competitor to Comcast, AT&T and other telecom companies. Cecilia Kang, Christian Davenport in the Washington Post$ -- 6/10/15
Drought
Riverside sues state over demand for 28% cut in water use -- The city of Riverside has filed a suit to bar the state from imposing mandatory drought restrictions on it, saying it has its own plentiful groundwater. Paloma Esquivel in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/10/15
Drought and record-breaking heat are bad combination as fire season begins -- The fire season officially started Monday. It's barely underway. But local, state and federal authorities are concerned that California’s parched conditions could lead to devastating wildfires. Veronica Rocha in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/9/15
San Francisco ad campaign makes water conservation sexy -- Sex sells, even it when it comes to water conservation. The city of San Francisco credits its provocative water-savings campaign last year, thick with double entendres, with helping residents achieve among the lowest levels of water use in the state. Remember the billboards and bus placards that read, “Make it a quickie” and “Get paid for doing it”? Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 6/10/15
Education
L.A. Unified retreats on higher graduation standards -- The Los Angeles Board of Education on Tuesday retreated from new, more rigorous graduation standards out of concern that huge numbers of students would fail to earn diplomas. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ Thomas Himes in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 6/10/15
New school funding formula to get huge increase -- A projected big infusion of state revenue next year will inject much more money into the new K-12 education finance system than school districts and state officials expected at this point. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 6/10/15
California Rolls Out ‘Virtual Campus Website’ -- The California Community College system has rolled out a redesigned “Virtual Campus Website” as part of its online education initiative. It's intended to improve student access to classes and completion rates. The website is a catalog of more than 19,000 online courses and programs. Ed Joyce Capital Public Radio -- 6/9/15
San Francisco board sticks with school-assignment system -- Students living in census tracts where test scores are the lowest will still have priority over neighborhood kids in San Francisco’s school assignment system, the school board decided Tuesday night. For a year, the board had been looking into a change to the system to give families a better chance at getting into their neighborhood schools. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 6/10/15
Environment
Offshore oil drilling banned along new stretch of California coast as Obama administration doubles size of marine sanctuaries -- Under the dramatic move by the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration, the boundaries of the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank national marine sanctuaries expand from Bodega Bay to Point Arena, permanently banning offshore oil drilling along that stretch of the coast. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ Lindsey Hoshaw KQED -- 6/10/15
After a three-year battle, Newport Beach fire ring saga burning out -- The battle over beach fire rings in Newport Beach, which over the past three years embroiled everyone from homeowners to state health officials, is almost over. Megan Nicolai in the Orange County Register -- 6/10/15
Health
L.A. County planning to distribute controversial HIV-prevention drug -- Los Angeles County supervisors voted Tuesday to develop a plan to distribute a controversial HIV-prevention drug to county residents at high risk of contracting the virus. Abby Sewell in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/9/15
L.A. City Council member wants smokeless tobacco out of L.A. baseball -- A Los Angeles City Council member wants the city to throw out smokeless tobacco use in baseball venues, as San Francisco did last month. Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/9/15
Santa Clara County boosting age to buy tobacco to 21 -- Come January 1, Santa Clara County will raise the tobacco purchasing age to 21 in its unincorporated areas, a move in line with growing public health concerns about access to younger users. Jenna Lyons in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 6/10/15
Asthma visits rising among kids in California emergency rooms -- California children are increasingly seeking care for asthma in emergency rooms -- despite medical advances and millions of dollars spent to control symptoms statewide. Barbara Feder Ostrov in the Contra Costa Times$ -- 6/10/15
Also . . .
Court releases video of LAPD officer kicking woman -- The Los Angeles County Superior Court has released an LAPD patrol-car video that was at the center of the assault trial of a police officer accused of striking a woman's throat with an open hand and kicking her in the crotch. Marisa Gerber in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/9/15
L.A. County supervisors vote to reconsider size of new Men's Central Jail -- Los Angeles County supervisors voted Tuesday to pull back a plan to rebuild the aging Men’s Central Jail and reassess the number of beds needed in a new facility. Abby Sewell in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/9/15
Tesla CEO Musk: Some Model S owners to get hands-free steering -- A small number of Tesla Model S owners will have their cars updated for a test of hands-free driving by the end of the month, Elon Musk, chief executive of the electric car company, said at Tesla’s annual shareholders meeting Tuesday. Jerry Hirsch in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/9/15