 |
 |
|
|||
|
 |
 |
 |
||
California Supreme Court won't intervene on top-two primary -- The California Supreme Court has denied a request to intervene in the legal challenge against the top-two primary system set to take effect Jan. 1, leaving the case at the appeals court level. Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol Alert Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/16/10 Pérez announces leadership, committee assignments -- Many chair and vice-chair posts vacated by termed-out members were filled by members of the freshman class, while most returning committee chairs retained their posts. Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol Alert -- 12/16/10 Morain: Republican power grab resurrected -- With no fanfare, Costa last week submitted to the attorney general's office an initiative he calls the "Electoral College Reform Act." On its face, the populist proposal would play to voters' sense of fairness and desire for competition among candidates. Dan Morain in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/16/10 Trade secrets: inmate health-care contracts kept confidential -- Hundreds of millions of dollars are involved in a new state contract for prison health care, but there’s no telling now exactly much money California is spending under the agreement, which takes effect in just weeks. Even lawmakers are kept in the dark. Jennifer Chaussee Capitol Weekly -- 12/16/10 MICRA: Long-simmering dispute looming in Capitol -- The deep-pockets political dispute over medical malpractice insurance has a long and stormy history in the Capitol. The blurred battle lines include the trial bar and some consumer activists on one side confronting doctors, insurers, clinics and other providers of medical care on the other. The fight is over money as much as medicine. John Howard Capitol Weekly -- 12/16/10 Enviros target Fish & Game commissioner -- State Fish and Game Commissioner Dan Richards is also a developer with a history of clashing with environmental groups. Malcolm Maclachlan Capitol Weekly -- 12/16/10 A note to the freshman class -- Now that all the fun stuff is over – the swearing-in ceremonies, the receptions, the meet-and-greets, exploring the Capitol – the hard work begins. Hard, indeed. John Howard Capitol Weekly -- 12/16/10 Governor-elect Brown's banker sister moving to avoid possible conflict -- Kathleen Brown is Goldman Sachs' head of public finance on the West Coast, and the securities firm is a major underwriter of California's debt. That leads to a bit of a conflict as Brown's older brother, Jerry, prepares to take office as the state's next governor. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times Jack Chang SacBee Capitol Alert -- 12/16/10 Kamala Harris’ star-studded transition team -- The five co-chairs of Harris' "Smart on Crime Committee" are: William J. Bratton, former Los Angeles police chief; Warren Christopher, secretary of state under President Clinton; Connie Rice, co-director of the Advancement Project in Los Angeles; George Shultz, secretary of state under President Reagan; and Kathleen Sullivan, former dean of Stanford Law School. Michael J. Mishak LA Times PolitiCal -- 12/16/10 Jerry Brown checking out midtown Sacramento apartments -- Gov.-elect Jerry Brown may become a midtown hipster. Brown - wearing a jogging suit - visited the loft apartment building at 1530 J street on Wednesday morning, and reports are he and his wife, Anne Gust Brown, are considering it for their Sacramento home. Bob Shallit SacBee Capitol Alert -- 12/16/10 Eshoo’s TV ad volume bill is signed into law -- President Barack Obama today signed into law S.2847, the Commercial Ad vertising Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act, which forbids television ads from playing at a volume noticeably louder than the programs during which they air. Josh Richman Political Blotter -- 12/16/10
CalPERS state rate hike cut by $200 million -- The state payment to CalPERS for this fiscal year was cut by $200 million yesterday, reflecting a savings for the deficit-ridden state from agreements by state workers to pay more toward their pensions. Ed Mendel Calpensions.com -- 12/16/10 Sale of Orange County Fairgrounds can go ahead, judge rules -- The on-again, off-again -- rinse and repeat -- sale of the state-owned Orange County Fairgrounds was back on Wednesday after Orange County Superior Court Judge Michael Brenner ruled in the state's favor in a lawsuit filed by opponents of the plan. Mona Shadia in the Los Angeles Times JON CASSIDY in the Orange County Register -- 12/16/10 Sweeping pension overhaul in Newport Beach -- In the latest example of government compensation being rolled back, Newport Beach officials Tuesday inked a deal that freezes wages, increases employee pension contributions and enrolls newly hired workers into a significantly less-generous retirement program. Jeff Overley in the Orange County Register -- 12/16/10
Legislator wants to ban "crash tax" in California -- State Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Moorpark, introduced a bill today that would prohibit local governments from charging a fee or tax to nonresidents to recover costs for the emergency response. Foon Rhee in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/16/10
Furloughs about to become Brown's headache -- Unhappy anniversary, state workers. Two years ago this Sunday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued his first furlough order. On Jan. 3, the policy becomes a political and legal headache for incoming Gov. Jerry Brown. Jon Ortiz in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/16/10 Half of Californians can't afford their homes -- Californians are more burdened by housing costs than are residents of any other state, an analysis of new census data shows. Joanna Lin California Watch -- 12/16/10 California will suffer as the U.S. grows, forecast says -- California's in trouble. We've heard it before and we hear it again in a forecast released Wednesday morning by California Lutheran University. The university's Center for Economic Research and Forecasting predicts job losses in California through 2011, even as the nation grows. Alana Semuels in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/10 Economic recovery shows signs of gaining momentum -- Industrial production in the United States increased more than forecast last month and consumer prices slowed, indicating that the recovery is gaining momentum without generating inflation. Courtney Schlisserman and Timothy R. Homan in the Washington Post -- 12/16/10 California's home price recovery could be faltering -- California's home price recovery began with the state's least expensive properties: those so beaten down by the fallout from the subprime mortgage crisis that both investors and first-time purchasers saw buying opportunities amid the wreckage. Alejandro Lazo in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/10
L.A. teachers union won't accept pay cuts, 'value-added' evaluations -- UTLA leaders dispute criticisms from the mayor and others, but reiterate their firm opposition to furloughs, larger classes and use of students' test scores to evaluate teachers' performance. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/10 California Board of Education seeks probe of Compton charter campaign -- The board will ask the state attorney general to examine charges of misconduct in a petition drive to convert McKinley Elementary into a charter school. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/10 Fensterwald: AG asked to pursue ‘trigger’ complaints -- State School Board President Ted Mitchell intends to ask the state Attorney General’s Office to investigate charges of harassment and intimidation of Compton Unified parents who have petitioned to turn their low-performing elementary school into a charter school. John Fensterwald Educated Guess -- 12/16/10 California Legislature wants a say in public university budgets -- Lawmakers say years of fee hikes and pay bonuses threaten the right to an affordable, high-quality education in the University of California and California State University systems. Michael J. Mishak in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/10
California urges tunnel system for delta -- State officials Wednesday recommended construction of a $13-billion tunnel system that would carry water under the troubled Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to southbound aqueducts, a project that would replumb a perpetual bottleneck in California's vast water delivery network. Bettina Boxall in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/10 Delta plan gets a nod from federal government -- The Obama administration said Wednesday that it supports plans to build a new aqueduct to deliver Sacramento River water to the south, marking the first time the federal government has endorsed a proposal that has simmered in California for decades. Mike Taugher in the Contra Costa Times -- 12/16/10 Californians Who Rely on Delta at "Severe Risk" -- State and federal authorities provided an update Wednesday on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP), which is tasked with restoring the damaged ecosystems of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and safeguarding California's water supply. Gretchen Weber KQED Climate Watch -- 12/16/10 California air board set to adopt cap-and-trade program -- California regulators Thursday are expected to adopt the nation's most comprehensive carbon trading regime, creating a market-based way to lower greenhouse gas emissions at a time when similar efforts have stalled in Congress. Margot Roosevelt in the Los Angeles Times Dana Hull in the San Jose Mercury -- 12/16/10 State adopts network of protected marine areas -- The plan restricts or bans fishing along 15% of Southern California coast, including several areas backed by environmentalists, and leaves out some areas prized by recreational and commercial fishermen. Tony Barboza in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/10 Court upholds Southern California storm water runoff standards -- A state appeals court ruled Tuesday that Los Angeles and Ventura counties can enforce water-quality standards designed to protect the region's beaches from polluted runoff, regardless of the cost to local governments and contractors. Tony Barboza in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/10 Arnold’s green legacy -- Schwarzenegger has a decidedly mixed track record on the environment. Greg Lucas News & Review -- 12/16/10
State Public Health Department loses records of 2,550 people -- State public health authorities have lost medical and other records for 2,550 healthcare facility residents, workers and state staff, officials said Wednesday in a statement. Molly Hennessy-Fiske in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/10 Common plastic chemical linked to infertility -- A new study suggests a chemical widely found in a variety of household products may reduce the success of in vitro fertilization and damage human eggs. Susanne Rust California Watch -- 12/16/10
Bell collected hefty fines in numerous code-enforcement cases -- Legal experts point to a lack of due process and judicial oversight in hundreds of 'civil compromises,' in which plumbers, carpet cleaners and bottle-gatherers paid up to $1,000 for alleged code violations. Robert J. Lopez and Paloma Esquivel in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/10 Man's lawsuit against Santa Cruz given new life -- The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday ordered a trial judge to reconsider Robert Norse's free speech lawsuit against the city of Santa Cruz, a case stemming from Norse giving a Nazi salute at a City Council meeting. J.M. Brown in th e San Jose Mercury -- 12/16/10 L.A. County's ousted child welfare director gets new job -- Trish Ploehn, the recently departed director of Los Angeles County's Department of Children and Family Services, has been appointed assistant county executive. Kimi Yoshino Garrett Therolf in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/10 Prison time for politico -- Former Rancho Cucamonga Councilman Rex Gutierrez was sentenced Wednesday to two years, eight months in state prison for charges related to corruption in the San Bernardino County Assessor's Office. Joe Nelson in the San Bernardino Sun -- 12/16/10 Senate drops tribal 'reservation shopping' measure -- County of Sonoma officials are rejoicing after a controversial measure regarding tribal land acquisition was removed from an omnibus spending bill before the U.S. Senate. BRETT WILKISON in the Santa Rosa Press -- 12/16/10 In a twist, public defender fighting (civil) gang injuctions -- The Tulare County Public Defender has taken an unprecedented step in redefining gang injunction law – by representing alleged gang members fighting the restraining orders. Joshua Emerson Smith California Watch -- 12/16/10 Satellite giant to pay for misleading sales, marketing -- The California attorney general’s office announced a multimillion-dollar settlement with satellite TV provider DirecTV yesterday. The El Segundo-based company will pay more than $13 million to 49 states and the District of Columbia for "misleading sales and marketing practices," the office said in a statement. Deia de Brito California Watch -- 12/16/10
Obama vulnerable in 2012 -- There is now so much room to the left of Barack Obama, it is becoming increasingly possible that some Democrat will challenge him in 2012. ROGER SIMON Politico -- 12/16/10
Saunders: Larding the path to economic recovery -- When former GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrich proclaims a measure to be "good for the country," that usually means it's good for Gingrich. When President Obama tells the media that his $858 billion compromise tax package is the fruit of negotiations with GOP "hostage-takers," you have to wonder if he even wants it to pass. Debra J. Saunders in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/16/10 House Democrats resigned to tax bill's passage -- For House Democrats, reality finally set in. CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN & JAKE SHERMAN Politico -- 12/16/10 |
Follow on Twitter
