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Schwarzenegger's Solyndra Subsidy -- Last November, an obscure state board agreed to give the Fremont-based company a $34.5 million tax break, the largest one handed out under an alternative-energy subsidy law signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Aaron Glantz Bay Citizen -- 9/19/11 Agency weighs help for politicians affected by Kinde Durkee case -- The state's ethics watchdog agency has set a meeting next week to consider whether campaign finance limits and spending report deadlines should be temporarily waived for politicians affected by the alleged misuse of funds by campaign treasurer Kinde Durkee. Patrick McGreevy LA Times PolitiCal -- 9/19/11 Shrinking Share of Money Going to Students -- While spending in the Bay Area’s 10 largest school districts has generally grown over the last seven years, a shrinking proportion has gone directly to the classroom. Jennifer Gollan Bay Citizen -- 9/19/11 Federal public land policies bashed at Capitol hearing -- A Congressional hearing in Sacramento Monday provided a stage for complaints about the U.S. Forest Service, as off-roading groups, ranchers and others bemoaned access restrictions and steeper fees. Matt Weiser SacBee Capitol Alert -- 9/19/11 Jerry Brown creates advisory post on tribal affairs -- Gov. Jerry Brown today established by executive order a new, unpaid advisory position on tribal affairs. David Siders SacBee Capitol Alert Michael Gardner in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 9/19/11 Tougher laws considered for unvaccinated students -- Lawmakers say they will consider tougher requirements for schools that have been defying state law by letting students who cannot prove they have had the whooping cough vaccine remain on campus. SHEILA V KUMAR AP -- 9/19/11 Grocery strike averted with Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons -- Grocery union officials and negotiators for Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons have reached a tentative deal on a labor contract, a move that averts a strike that would have had more than 54,000 workers across Southern California walking off the job. P.J. Huffstutter in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/19/11 Cosco Busan owner/operators to pay $44.4 million settlement for San Francisco Bay oil spill -- Closing a major chapter in the worst oil spill in San Francisco Bay in more than a decade, the owner and operating companies of the Cosco Busan cargo ship have agreed to pay $44.4 million to cover cleanup costs and environmental damage to the bay and its wildlife. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury -- 9/19/11 Delta water grab fears unfounded, says U.S. resources chief -- The nation's top resources manager said Monday that he doubted Northern California fears of a Delta water grab would to pass even as he left open the door to increasing water exports. Mike Taugher in the Contra Costa Times -- 9/19/11 Lazarus: Using plastic to pay Anthem bill? Prepare to lose your coverage -- Notice of cancellation was a shock to one policyholder who had been making automatic payments with her credit card. It's just one case involving a policy switch at the health insurer. David Lazarus in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/19/11 Drug deaths now outnumber traffic fatalities in U.S., data show -- Propelled by an increase in prescription narcotic overdoses, drug deaths now outnumber traffic fatalities in the United States, a Times analysis of government data has found. Lisa Girion, Scott Glover and Doug Smith in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/19/11 Obama Vows Veto if Deficit Plan Has No Tax Increases -- President Obama called on Monday for Congress to adopt his “balanced” plan combining entitlement cuts, tax increases and war savings to reduce the federal deficit by more than $3 trillion over the next 10 years, and said he would veto any approach that relied solely on spending reductions to address the fiscal shortfall. HELENE COOPER in the New York Times -- 9/19/11 In Deficit Plan, Obama Drops Compromise for Confrontation -- The details of President Obama’s plan to reduce federal deficits by more than $3 trillion over 10 years, which he laid out Monday morning, underscore a strategic White House shift away from the pursuit of compromise toward a more partisan confrontation. BINYAMIN APPELBAUM in the New York Times -- 9/19/11 Liberals pan benefit cuts in Obama plan -- Liberals on and off Capitol Hill are hammering President Obama's proposal to scale back Medicare and Medicaid benefits as part of his newly released strategy to cut deficit spending. Mike Lillis The Hill -- 9/19/11 Tax on millionaires gets hostile GOP reception -- Top congressional Republicans accused President Obama of trying to incite "class warfare" with his plan for a new tax on millionaires, part of a $3-trillion deficit reduction package to be announced Monday, and vowed to oppose the tax on grounds that it would hurt economic growth. Jim Puzzanghera in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/19/11 Morain: Amazon versus Overstock, the battle continues -- Legislators were quick to praise their handiwork brokering a compromise among Internet retail behemoth Amazon and major traditional retailers such as Wal-Mart. Dan Morain in the Sacramento Bee -- 9/19/11 Fox: GOP Straw Poll and Party Platform -- At the California Republican Convention in Los Angeles this weekend, Congressman Ron Paul was a runaway victor in the Straw Poll with 45% of the vote. Governor Rick Perry, Paul’s fellow Texan, was second with 29%. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 9/19/11 GOP Confab Celebrates Obama's Losses -- The mood at last weekend's California Republican Party convention was slightly more upbeat than it’s been for the last few years. But it wasn't, by and large, delusional. Sherry Bebitch Jeffe NBC Prop Zero -- 9/19/11 Bill O'Reilly: Only Barack Obama more powerful than me -- FOX broadcaster Bill O’Reilly is not lacking for pride. “I have more power than anybody other than the president, in the sense that I can get things changed, quickly,” he told Newsweek for a profile out this week. TIM MAK Politico -- 9/19/11 Dolores Hope, widow of comedian Bob Hope, dies at 102 -- Dolores Hope, who throughout her 69-year marriage to comedian Bob Hope oversaw their charitable giving and played a key role in establishing the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, has died. She was 102. Valerie Nelson and Claire Noland in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/19/11
California GOP committee blocks more moderate platform -- The proposed language, which downplayed traditional GOP positions on gun rights, abortion and same-sex marriage, had come under fire from conservatives. Supporters had argued that the changes emphasized jobs and the economy and presented the party's issue stances in a way that would appeal to more voters. Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol Alert MICHAEL R. BLOOD AP -- 9/19/11 Republicans trying AGAIN to court Latinos. Though this time, smarter -- It’s no secret there is no love lost between California’s Latinos and the state’s Republican Party. Joe Garofoli Chronicle Politics -- 9/19/11 CalBuzz: GOP Mashup: Gaga & Michele Meet Pat Boone & Ron -- Five important things Calbuzz learned at the California Republican Convention: Lady Gaga and Ann Coulter were separated at birth. The Northwest Ordinance is one of the nation’s founding documents. Michele Bachmann believes chains are the key to freedom. Pat Boone knows for a fact Barack Obama was born in Africa. Ron Paul thinks life was better before World War I. Jerry Roberts and Phil Trounstine CalBuzz -- 9/19/11 Ron Paul supporter cuts big check in straw poll win -- Ron Paul may have won the California Republican Party's straw poll Saturday, but his votes came at a price: A Paul supporter wrote a check for $26,000 to register Paul supporters and allow them to vote, Flashreport.org publisher Jon Fleischman said this morning. David Siders SacBee Capitol Alert -- 9/18/11 Lobbying heats up over wage debit card bill on Jerry Brown's desk -- Among the dozens of lobbying battles playing out in Gov. Jerry Brown's office this month is one over an obscure bill that would curtail a growing trend: paying workers with debit cards carrying wages that can be withdrawn at stores, banks and ATMs. Laurel Rosenhall in the Sacramento Bee -- 9/19/11 Orlov: Accounting scandal hits close to home -- The fallout from the case involving the accountant-to-the-star-politicians could last for months as auditors try to untangle the accounts managed by Kinde Durkee. Rick Orlov in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 9/19/11 Skelton: Advice from the front line -- Government activism is vital for job creation, says Jennifer Granholm, who grew up in California and learned tough lessons as Michigan's governor. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/19/11 Pay for ‘First 5’ directors varies widely by county -- Compensation for executive directors of an early childhood development program in California counties ranged from $51,408 to more than $240,000 in fiscal year 2009-10, according to a California Watch analysis. Joanna Lin California Watch -- 9/19/11 Schrag: A Century of Initiatives: Anybody Want to Celebrate? -- There was a lot of hollering these past weeks about the way that SB202 was passed in the closing hours of the 2011 legislative session -- and for good reason. But the bill, which would restrict voting on initiatives and referenda to the state’s biennial general elections, was long overdue. Peter Schrag Cal Progress Report -- 9/19/11 Asian American San Francisco political clout grows -- Asian Americans, who, in census terms, include Pacific Islanders and South Asians, now make up a third of San Francisco's population and about 18 percent of its registered voters. And those numbers are growing. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/19/11 Grace Crunican, BART chief, would meet protesters -- BART's new general manager, Grace Crunican, is reaching out to meet with just about everyone - including protesters who have been wreaking havoc on the system for the past two months. Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/19/11
Tax breaks may not help businesses, merchants say -- California Republicans just spent three days at their statewide convention blaming President Obama for the floundering economy. But a few blocks away from the marbled convention hotel floors, among the rows of small, low-price shops in Los Angeles' garment district, merchants aren't sure whom to blame. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/19/11
Lawsuits could stall high-speed rail plans -- Even if state officials can scrape together the billions of dollars needed to fund California's ambitious high-speed rail plans, lawsuits from local cities and opposition groups still could delay, divert or derail the project altogether. Stephanie Rice California Watch -- 9/19/11 Counties losing fight to conceal pension amounts -- The Sonoma County retirement board voted last week to release retiree names and their pension amounts, becoming the latest loser in seven separate superior court decisions since 2009 upheld by three different appeals courts. Ed Mendel Calpensions.com -- 9/19/11 Retiree Benefits for the Military Could Face Cuts -- As Washington looks to squeeze savings from once-sacrosanct entitlements like Social Security and Medicare, another big social welfare system is growing as rapidly, but with far less scrutiny: the health and pension benefits of military retirees. JAMES DAO and MARY WILLIAMS WALSH in the New York Times -- 9/19/11
Cheating by teachers invalidates schools' test scores -- Other rule violations are less egregious but have the same consequence. In all, 22 California schools' Academic Performance Index scores were thrown out this year for such reasons. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/19/11 Fensterwald: Brown skeptical of key ed bill -- Among bills on the threatened list is potentially the most far-reaching K-12 education legislation before him – a bill that would significantly shift the state’s accountability system away from its concentration on standardized tests. SB 547 is also a priority of it author, Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg. John Fensterwald educatedguess -- 9/19/11 UC Davis revs up its economic engine -- The University of California, Davis, generated $5.5 billion in local economic activity during the 2009-2010 fiscal year, according to a new report by the university's Office of the President. Rick Daysog in the Sacramento Bee -- 9/19/11
Marin County’s Efforts Against Whooping Cough Pay Off -- Last year, California experienced its worst outbreak of whooping cough in more than 60 years, and the disease hit hardest in an unexpected place: bucolic Marin County. Sydney Lupkin Bay Citizen -- 9/19/11 Woman's death raises questions about nursing home medical records -- The nursing home and its former owner, Horizon West Healthcare Inc. – a Rocklin-based company with a history of licensing violations and run-ins with regulators – would soon be at the center of another legal storm. Marjie Lundstrom in the Sacramento Bee -- 9/19/11 Ex-offenders may soon find a home in public housing -- In California, many prisoners who are released from jails and prisons can’t go home to parents or spouses because of rules that bar ex-offenders from living in public or subsidized housing. Robin Urevich HealthyCal.org -- 9/19/11
Long vilified swordfish industry finds support in environmental group -- The swordfish industry has been vilified for years. They’ve been painted as a fleet of fishermen determined to troll the oceans with their “curtains of death,” or gill nets, in order to capture the magnificent fish at the deathly expense of migrating turtles, dolphins and whales. Susanne Rust California Watch -- 9/19/11 New report: San Francisco Bay getting healthier, not in the clear yet -- Like a patient out of intensive care yet still suffering aches, pains and the need for a lot of rehabilitation, San Francisco Bay is on the mend but far from enjoying a clean bill of health. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury -- 9/19/11 Biodiesel plants back from the brink -- Across the nation, biodiesel plants have been restarting or ramping up production, spurred by a revived federal tax credit and renewable energy mandates. David Shaffer in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/19/11 Let the sun shine: Orange County cities drop solar fees, but many are still high -- Back in January, we told you that a business hankering to save the planet in San Clemente would have to pay nearly $14,000 for a permit to install solar panels — while businesses in Anaheim, Santa Ana, Mission Viejo and Laguna Beach paid zip, zero, zilch. Teri Sforza in the Orange County Register -- 9/19/11 State's suppression of aquatic weed in Delta has mixed results -- A state agency said it has succeeded this summer in curbing an invasive aquatic weed in Discovery Bay but less so around Bethel Island. Roman Gokhman in the Contra Costa Times -- 9/19/11
'Restorative Justice' Gaining Support -- Restorative justice has long had proponents in some corners of the criminal justice system, but it is now gaining prominence in an unlikely forum: the San Francisco district attorney’s race. Trey Bundy Bay Citizen -- 9/19/11 Jurors question deputies' testimony -- When Compton jurors recently deliberated the fate of a man charged with possessing a concealed firearm, they thought the evidence was overwhelming — not that the man was guilty but that the Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies who testified against him had lied. Jack Leonard in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/19/11 Prison reform legislation short on money and ideas, Kern Co says -- Counties have no choice but to do things better than the state. That’s what Kern County officials are saying as they prepare for an influx of low-level offenders from state prisons. Shellie Branco HealthyCal.org -- 9/19/11 Hunger strikes at California prison renew debate over confining prison gangs -- The sun rarely shines on the kingpins of California's prison gangs. To stop them from orchestrating mayhem on prison yards and neighborhoods across the state, prison officials condemned hundreds of reputed gang members to years of isolation in windowless cells. Matt O'Brien in the San Jose Mercury -- 9/19/11 Response to Sacramento panhandlers tests worshippers' hearts -- Every week, many worshippers are confronted with another sign of the troubling economy: more homeless people approaching them as they enter church services. Jennifer Garza in the Sacramento Bee -- 9/19/11 Memories fade of Oakland's 'hard-charging' baseball owner -- Charles O. Finley moved the A’s to Oakland and won the World Series three years in a row, from 1972 to 1974. He spearheaded changes that transformed the sport – the designated hitter rule, night World Series games – and pushed for others that didn’t get any traction, like orange baseballs and designated runners. Lance Williams California Watch -- 9/19/11
Barack Obama to unveil $3 trillion deficit-cutting plan -- President Barack Obama will release a plan Monday to cut the federal deficit by $3 trillion over the next decade, drawing half the savings from new tax revenue and sparing Medicare recipients from having to wait longer to collect benefits, senior administration officials said Sunday. CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN & JENNIFER EPSTEIN Politico -- 9/19/11 GOP Assails Obama’s Millionaire Tax Plan -- Republican opposition is solidifying to President Barack Obama’s $447 billion job creation plan, and his pending proposal to raise taxes on millionaires is already under GOP fire. Eliza Newlin Carney Roll Call Jim Puzzanghera in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/19/11
Could Rick Perry take the fight to suburbia? -- With President Barack Obama’s poll numbers continuing to swoon, GOP officials and operatives have quickly moved from trying to game out a long-shot victory to grappling with a very different question: How do we not screw up a golden opportunity? JONATHAN MARTIN & DAN HIRSCHHORN Politico -- 9/19/11 Solyndra tarnishes green jobs -- President Barack Obama’s green-energy agenda may survive Solyndra, but he might need to keep his distance for a while. BOB KING Politico -- 9/19/11 |
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