Updating . . .
Lawsuit: Citizens United measure should be tossed off ballot -- Opponents filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to remove from the fall ballot a non-binding question asking whether Congress should overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United campaign finance decision. Christopher Cadelago in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/22/14
Delay sought in trial of Sen. Calderon until after he leaves office -- Federal prosecutors have agreed to a defense request to delay the corruption trial of state Sen. Ronald S. Calderon from September to May 19, 2015, long after the Democrat from Montebello will have left office. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/22/14
State high court nominee learned power of law as a child in Mexico -- Mariano-Florentino Cuellar — a Mexican immigrant and Stanford administrative law professor nominated Tuesday to the California Supreme Court — says he discovered the power of the law while living with his family on the U.S. border. Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/22/14
Mexico-born law professor Cuellar chosen for California Supreme Court -- Gov. Jerry Brown announced Tuesday that he was nominating Mariano-Florentino Cuellar -- a Mexican immigrant who teaches administrative law at Stanford University -- to the California Supreme Court. Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ John Howard Capitol Weekly David Siders in the Sacramento Bee$ Howard Mintz in the San Jose Mercury$ Henry K. Lee in the San Francisco Chronicle Judy Lin Associated Press -- 7/22/14
Net neutrality activists will target Obama event -- Activists from more than a dozen liberal grassroots groups are planning a “Don’t Kill the Internet” protest in favor of net neutrality outside President Obama’s Democratic fundraiser Wednesday in Los Altos Hills. Josh Richman Political Blotter -- 7/22/14
Oakland A's lease settled, Lew Wolff accepts most city changes -- The long-disputed 10-year lease to allow the Oakland Athletics to play at O.co Coliseum was finally settled Tuesday after lawyers on all sides met to discuss the terms. Will Kane in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/22/14
Quinn: A Claude Rains Moment on Campaign Spending -- Worried about turnout in November, Democrats have placed an advisory measure on the fall ballot to overturn the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision that allows unlimited independent expenditures by corporations and labor unions in political campaigns. Tony Quinn Capitol Morning Report -- 7/22/14
L.A. County workers union endorses Sheila Kuehl in supervisor's race -- The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, the region's largest union voice, gave its official "enthusiastic" endorsement of former state lawmaker Sheila Kuehl in her campaign for Los Angeles County supervisor. Catherine Saillant in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/22/14
Groundwater level in San Bernardino Basin hits historic low -- The groundwater level in the San Bernardino Basin area is at its lowest point in recorded history, officials say. Veronica Rocha in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/22/14
L.A. County supervisors order agencies to scale back water use -- Los Angeles County's board of supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to order restrictions on water use for its government operations, following a state directive to Californians to curb water usage during one of the worst droughts in decades. Abby Sewell in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/22/14
State, feds unveil Central Valley salmon restoration plans -- State and federal agencies on Tuesday released separate recovery plans for endangered Central Valley salmon and steelhead, aiming to restore habitat and water flows to prevent extinction of the species. Matt Weiser in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/22/14
Economist who predicted busted housing bubble says another recession is coming -- Just as the U.S. economy is strengthening, other countries are threatening to drag it down. Bernard Condon Associated Press -- 7/22/14
Oregon recreational pot initiative qualifies for November vote, state says -- Only two U.S. states, Washington and Colorado, currently allow recreational marijuana, which remains illegal under federal law. Oregon's proposal will come before voters just two years after they rejected a similar measure. Sharon Bernstein Reuters -- 7/22/14
President Obama pays respects to Malaysia Airline Flight 17 victims with visit to Netherlands Embassy -- "Obviously, we are all heartbroken," Obama said, after signing a condolence book. He said he was there to “express our solidarity with the people of the Netherlands” and added that “we will work with them to make sure their loved ones are recovered and justice” is done. David Nakamura in the Washington Post$ -- 7/22/14
California Policy & Politics This Morning
California reduces deportations for minor crimes -- Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law Monday reducing the maximum penalty for misdemeanors by one day — a change expected to significantly reduce the number of immigrants in the country legally who are deported for lesser crimes. Don Thompson Associated Press Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/22/14
Jerry Brown signs bill limiting full-contact football practice in California -- Assembly Bill 2127, by Assemblyman Ken Cooley, D-Rancho Cordova, prohibits middle school and high school football teams from holding full-contact practices during the off-season and limits them to no more than two full-contact practices per week during the preseason and regular season. David Siders in the Sacramento Bee Carolyn Jones in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/22/14
Legislature puts California acupuncture board on notice -- Amid criticism that the California Acupuncture Boards priorities give short shrift to consumer protection, state lawmakers are moving for an overhaul and lobbing a pointed message at its executive officer to get in line. Daniel Rothberg in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/22/14
Massive raid to help Yurok tribe combat illegal pot grows -- The California National Guard on Monday joined more than a dozen other agencies to help the Yurok tribe combat rampant marijuana grows that have threatened the reservation's water supply, harmed its salmon and interfered with cultural ceremonies. Lee Romney in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/22/14
Walters: Pérez gives up on vote recount, but system’s flaws are shown -- One can categorize politicians by many indices – honesty, intelligence, effectiveness and ideology, for instance. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/22/14
Justice Kennedy says Constitution ‘flawed document’ -- Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy wasn’t out to make news when he addressed the annual conference of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and devoted most of his 50-minute speech to the Magna Carta, which turns 800 years old in 2015. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/22/14
Marletta will step down as Scripps chief -- Michael Marletta intends to step down as president of the Scripps Research Institute in response to faculty anger over his attempts to quietly sell or merge the financially troubled center to the University of Southern California. Bradley J. Fikes and Gary Robbins UT San Diego$ -- 7/22/14
Official: State can send inmates to medical site -- California can once again send sick inmates to an $839 million prison medical complex that was closed earlier this year amid staffing, supply and other problems at the site intended to help end years of federal court oversight, an overseer said Monday. Don Thompson Associated Press -- 7/22/14
Nadia Lockyer lashes out at Kamala Harris on Facebook -- Nadia Lockyer, the wife of state Treasurer Bill Lockyer, is lashing out at Attorney General Kamala Harris for not pursuing charges against a former boyfriend she said assaulted her, promising “the opposition of the Lockyer family” if Harris ever runs for higher office. David Siders in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/22/14
Fallen Israeli soldier from L.A. was passionate, committed -- An American-born Israeli soldier who was killed in Gaza over the weekend died for a cause he was passionate about and committed to after a birthright trip to Israel, a Jewish Federation official said Monday. Caitlin Owens in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/22/14
LAX travelers are urged to avoid 'Century Crunch' this weekend -- Southern California drivers have survived "Jamzilla" and "Carmageddon" but this weekend's "Century Crunch" road closure near one of the main entrances to Los Angeles International Airport might be the worst one yet, officials said Monday. Javier Panzar in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/22/14
Willie Brown always lobbying, and now he's a lobbyist -- He's brokered, advised and cajoled - and now, for the first time since leaving office more than a decade ago, former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown has registered with the city as a paid lobbyist. Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/22/14
Ex-Rosemead Mayor John Tran gets 21 months for witness tampering -- Ex-Rosemead Mayor John Tran was sentenced Monday to 21 months in federal prison for witness tampering to resolve a bribery and extortion case involving a real estate developer. Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/22/14
Donald Sterling meets with Clippers suitor Steve Ballmer -- For the first time since he began a nearly two-month battle to block his wife from selling the Clippers, Donald Sterling met Monday with Steve Ballmer, the man who would like to replace him as principal owner of the team. James Rainey in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/22/14
Taxes, Fees, Rates
San Francisco soda tax would drop consumption 31 percent, report says -- As the San Francisco Board of Supervisors prepares to place a 2-cents-per-ounce soda tax on the November ballot at its Tuesday meeting, the city's economist has released a report predicting the tax would lead San Franciscans to reduce their soda consumption by 31 percent. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/22/14
San Joaquin County Home Values And Property Taxes Jump -- New property tax assessments are being mailed to homeowners in San Joaquin County this month. Many are in for a shock with home values jumping as much as 40 percent. Rich Ibarra Capital Public Radio -- 7/22/14
Two Orange County cities considering sales taxes -- The city councils of Placentia and Stanton could each take the rare step this evening of putting sales-tax measures on the ballot – and asking their residents if they want to tax themselves more. Daniel Langhorne and Sarah Tully in the Orange County Register$ -- 7/22/14
Economy, Employers, Jobs
State Spending Millions On Housing For Homeless Vets -- California has $600 million in bond funds to spend on homeless veterans. And public workshops are being held around the state to gather ideas about how to spend that money. Katie Orr Capital Public Radio -- 7/22/14
Allergan to cut jobs in bid defense -- Allergan Chief Executive David Pyott said he could not specify the number of jobs that will be lost in Orange County but noted the cuts will have “quite an impact” at the company’s Irvine headquarters. Bernard Wolfson in the Orange County Register$ -- 7/22/14
Microsoft cutting 378 jobs in San Diego -- The layoffs, part of a larger workforce reduction announced last week, will be complete by mid-September. Mike Freeman UT San Diego$ -- 7/22/14
Starting salaries for college grads lag behind pay for workers overall -- Starting salaries for recent college graduates have risen far more slowly than the average earnings of all U.S. workers since the recession, an analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco found. Chris Kirkham in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/22/14
Greenhut: Are minimum-wage hikers being stingy? -- Foes of minimum-wage increases often ask supporters why they are so stingy. If a $10 minimum wage is unquestionably beneficial to the workers and the economy, then why not ratchet that number up to $20 an hour or even $50. Steven Greenhut UT San Diego$ -- 7/22/14
Education
LAUSD’s financial probe of Magnolia broadens to six more charter schools -- Los Angeles Unified School District officials said Monday they have expanded their financial probe of a charter school organization to include all eight locally operated institutions after moving to shut down two learning academies because of fiscal problems. Thomas Himes in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 7/22/14
Six California districts join Obama’s initiative -- Six California school districts are among 60 in the nation that are joining President Barack Obama’s initiative, “My Brother’s Keeper,” which supports African-American and Latino boys, beginning in preschool. Susan Frey EdSource -- 7/22/14
Initiatives you won’t see on November ballot -- Earlier this year, the secretary of state’s office gave sponsors of six proposed education-related ballot measures the go-ahead to collect the 505,000 signatures each needed to appear on the November ballot. None qualified. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 7/22/14
Law OKs underage wine and beer tasting in colleges -- Aspiring brewers and winemakers in college can legally taste — but not swallow — their products starting winter semester. Gov. Jerry Brown signed AB1989 on Monday to fix a situation that prevented some students from graduating in four years. Associated Press -- 7/22/14
2 College of the Sequoias instructors fight back over pension slash -- Two retired College of the Sequoias instructors caught in a state crackdown on perceived pension abuse are suing the teachers' retirement system to keep their money. Marc Benjamin in the Fresno Bee -- 7/22/14
Coding classes: Students, dogged teachers overcome obstacles to add computer science classes -- The cradle of techno-innovation, the Bay Area has fallen as flat as the rest of the country in one critical area: nurturing the next generation of cyber whizzes. Sharon Noguchi in the Oakland Tribune -- 7/22/14
Accrediting panel rejects City College of San Francisco's appeal -- Another evaluation, another thumbs down. So it goes for City College of San Francisco after a private commission Monday rejected an appeal to continue the school's accreditation. Carla Rivera in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/22/14
Speech therapy rebooted by use of online resource -- A young student greets the speech-language pathologist visible in the top left hand corner of the computer screen and sits down to play an educational game while simultaneously participating in a live, individualized speech analysis and coaching session. Alisha Kirby Cabinet Report -- 7/22/14
Drought
California drought: Record heat gives some cantaloupe crops sunburn -- The temperatures were so hot this year in Joe Del Bosque’s cantaloupe fields that some of the melons could have used sunscreen. Hector Becerra in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/22/14
California was hotter than ever during the first half of 2014 -- Just how fast the state's climate is changing became apparent Monday when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released figures showing the first six months of this year were the hottest the state has ever recorded -- breaking the mark by a single degree after 80 years. Bruce Newman and Joe Rodriguez in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/22/14
New law prohibits some fines for brown lawns during droughts -- Californians who let their lawns die during a drought won't risk a slap on the wrist from their homeowners' associations, thanks to a bill signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday. Melanie Mason in the Los Angeles Times$ Jeremy B. White in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/22/14
'Water cops' being hired by Bay Area agencies to root out water waste -- It's about to get more difficult to go unnoticed if your sprinklers are watering the street more than your lawn. California's worsening drought and mandatory new state water rules are prompting Bay Area water agencies to beef up their conservation staffs -- the employees sometimes called "water cops." Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/22/14
Immigration / Border
Issa: Poverty driving border surge -- Rep. Darrell Issa returned from a weekend fact-finding trip to Central America convinced that increased violence is not behind the surge of migrants to the U.S. He suggests poverty is the greater cause. Mark Walker UT San Diego$ -- 7/22/14
Environment
Chevron agrees to new Richmond refinery project conditions in hope of gaining approval -- Looking to satisfy city and state leaders, Chevron Corp. on Monday reversed its previous position and agreed to a lower cap on greenhouse gas emissions stemming from its $1 billion Richmond refinery modernization project. Robert Rogers in the Oakland Tribune -- 7/22/14
California Fire Season: Threat of Dry Lightning Looms -- Weather experts say the next couple of weeks could be some of the worst in state history for wildfires caused by lightning strikes. Alex Helmick and Molly Samuel KQED -- 7/22/14
Health
Court halts $4 billion privacy suit against Sutter Health -- A state appellate court Monday ordered the dismissal of a lawsuit that could have cost Sutter Health more than $4 billion when it ruled that millions of the health care giant’s patients had no right to sue over the theft of a computer with their personal, medical and insurance records on its hard drive. Denny Walsh in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/22/14
Amid whooping cough epidemic, LAUSD offers free vaccines -- Starting middle school comes with a whole host of worries -- going to a new school, picking electives, making friends -- but coming down with whooping cough doesn’t need to be one of them. Sara Hayden in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/22/14
Kaiser Therapists, Patients Allege Long Waits for Mental Health Care -- One month, three months, even five months. That’s how long some Northern California Kaiser patients wait to see an individual therapist — according to many Kaiser patients and therapists. Lisa Aliferis KQED -- 7/22/14
Gov. Brown signs bill to diversify California's health care exchange board -- While previous state law limited the expertise of board members to only those with experience in certain health care fields, Senate Bill 972 by Sen. Norma Torres (D-Pomona) expands the criteria to allow individuals with expertise in marketing, information technology, management information systems and cultural competency in enrollment counseling. Tracy Seipel in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/22/14
Slew Of Health Care Bills Await Lawmaker Consideration In August -- California lawmakers have left Sacramento for the month of July. But when they return, they’ll consider a few health care measures supported by consumer advocates and opposed by insurance companies. Pauline Bartolone Capital Public Radio -- 7/22/14
Also . . .
BART starts enforcing ban on stretching out at Powell Street -- BART police on Monday began enforcing a ban on sleeping, lying or sitting with legs extended at the busy Powell Street Station and said they plan to expand the crackdown systemwide. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/22/14
Jerry Brown vetoes bill to lease Folsom prison land for museum -- The non-profit Old Guards Foundation Inc. sponsored the bill by Assemblywoman Beth Gaines, R-Roseville, hoping to land property for an expansion of the small museum it operates on Folsom prison grounds with nine volunteers. Jon Ortiz in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/22/14
Jet Wreckage Bears Signs of Impact by Supersonic Missile, Analysis Shows -- A piece of wreckage from the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 that was shot down in eastern Ukraine last week bears telltale marks of small pieces of high-velocity shrapnel that apparently crippled the jet in flight. C. J. Chivers in the New York Times$ Thomas Gibbons-Neff in the Washington Post$ -- 7/22/14
POTUS 44
Obama arriving in Bay Area Tuesday for Dem fundraiser -- The president -- arriving late in the day from Seattle after raising money there for the Democratic National Committee -- will spend the night in the Bay Area before headlining a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee fundraising luncheon Wednesday at the Los Altos home of real estate mogul George Marcus. Josh Richman in the Contra Costa Times$ -- 7/22/14
Is the Obamas' moving van headed our way? -- More than a month after President Barack Obama vacationed in the opulent desert community of Rancho Mirage, speculation is again swirling that the first family is in the process of buying a home there. Luke Ramseth in the Orange County Register$ -- 7/22/14
Beltway
Republicans Prep Short-Term Funding to Keep Government Open Through Election Day -- Abandoning all pretense of the House and Senate agreeing on appropriations bills on time, House GOP leaders are tentatively planning to vote next week on a resolution keeping the government temporarily funded at current levels beyond the Oct. 1 start of the new fiscal year—and probably past Election Day. Billy House National Journal -- 7/22/14
Highlights from Hillary Clinton’s Facebook Q&A -- Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton took part in a far-ranging Facebook Q&A on Monday while visiting the social media giant’s Menlo Park headquarters, giving answers on everything from holding Russia responsible for the shoot-down of a jetliner to letting dogs on the sofa. Josh Richman Political Blotter -- 7/22/14