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Delta water tunnels pose a tangle of complexities -- The dizzying complexity behind the state's plan to divert the Sacramento River into two massive tunnels is now on full display, following the release Wednesday of thousands of pages of new documents. Matt Weiser in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/27/13 Michelle Rhee hires former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez -- As Michelle Rhee pushes her controversial brand of education reform in California's capital, she has tapped one of the town's most influential power brokers, Fabian Nunez, to guide her strategy. Michael J. Mishak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/27/13 High-speed rail's strongest backers now express reservations -- Proponents of the bullet train from L.A. to the Bay Area say political compromises reached to advance the plan undermine legal safeguards and will slow travel. Ralph Vartabedian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/27/13 House GOP Silent on Marriage Law They're Paying To Defend -- As attorney Paul Clement took to the Supreme Court to defend the Defense of Marriage Act on behalf of House Republicans, the lawmakers who hired him to do so stood silently by. Rebecca Kaplan National Journal -- 3/27/13 Gay marriage in the U.S. Supreme Court: federal law denying benefits to gay couples on shaky ground -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday struggled again with its role in deciding the gay marriage issue, but did appear to lean toward striking down at least part of a 1996 law barring federal benefits to same-sex couples. Howard Mintz in the San Jose Mercury David G. Savage and David Lauter in the Los Angeles Times$ MARK SHERMAN Associated Press Robert Barnes and Sandhya Somashekhar in the Washington Post ADAM LIPTAK and PETER BAKER in the New York Times$ -- 3/27/13 Why Waiting on the States Could Create a Messy Future for Same-Sex Marriage -- In 2 big cases, the Supreme Court was hesitant to impose a national standard on gay marriage. But history shows that leaving the issue to the states could leave a long-lasting patchwork. Ronald Brownstein National Journal -- 3/27/13 Jerry Brown touts clean tech, but CalPERS sees it as a loser -- It's apparently mostly error, however, in the view of CalPERS. Joseph Dear, its chief investment officer, told a Wall Street Journal-sponsored conference on the environment and the economy last week that CalPERS is reducing its investment in such technology because it's a loser. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/27/13 California issues annual ratings for health plans, physician groups -- Kaiser Permanente was the only HMO to earn a top four-star rating for providing recommended care on California's annual report card, while Cigna and UnitedHealthcare led the way with three-star ratings among PPO plans. Chad Terhune in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/27/13 Special election set for Assembly District 80 -- The primary election will be held May 21, 2013. If no candidates attains the 50-percent-plus-one vote share needed to avoid a runoff, the top two finishers will square off in a July 30, 2013 general election. Jeremy B. White in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/27/13 California Democrats urge Obama administration to revoke Tiahrt Amendments’ funding -- The legislation prohibits the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) from requiring gun dealers to perform inventory checks, requires background checks be destroyed within 24 hours, and severely restricts access of gun trace data information for law enforcement. JOANNA RAINES in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/27/13 Court experts pass Sierra prison, pending improvements -- Federal experts on Tuesday gave a potentially passing grade to the inmate medical care provided at a California prison in Tuolumne County, the third state prison to get such a review, despite lapses in care and the suspected carbon monoxide poisoning death of an inmate firefighter. Paige St. John in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/27/13 California AG seeks to merge four pension reform challenges into Contra Costa County -- The Attorney General's Office seeks to consolidate into Contra Costa four county public employee union lawsuits that challenge 2012 pension anti-spiking legislation. Lisa Vorderbrueggen in the Contra Costa Times -- 3/27/13 Santa Clara becomes a free Wi-Fi city through power utility -- Silicon Valley Power didn't have to put the word out that there's a side benefit to switching to advanced power meters; anyone turning on a smart phone, laptop computer or tablet within city limits likely got the notice. Eric Kurhi in the San Jose Mercury -- 3/27/13 Willie Washington, longtime manufacturers' lobbyist, dies -- Funeral services for Willie Washington, a lobbyist for California manufacturers for more than a quarter century, will be held Friday. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/27/13 Women make better corporate leaders than men, study finds -- Women make better corporate leaders than men because they are more likely to make fair decisions when competing interests are at stake, a new study has found. Stuart Pfeifer in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/27/13 Jerry Brown names Evan Westrup press secretary -- Following the resignations of his press secretary and chief deputy press secretary, Gov. Jerry Brown has promoted a spokesman from within his office to oversee the administration's Spartan communications effort. David Siders in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/27/13 Quinn: Tom Steyer’s Political Blackmail -- In an act that gives political thuggery a bad name, hedge fund billionaire Tom Steyer, whose 2012 ballot measure raised California business taxes by a billion dollars, has decided his next cause is to blackmail a candidate for the US Senate in Massachusetts. Tony Quinn Fox & Hounds -- 3/27/13 Fox: Ballot Proponents Should Have Standing in Court -- One way the United States Supreme Court can decide the Proposition 8 case is to determine that the proponents of the measure defending the law should not have standing to appear in the court. That would be wrong. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 3/27/13 Airline 'fat tax': Should heavy passengers pay more? -- From excess luggage to excess flesh -- an economist says flight fares should be based on body weight. James Durston CNN -- 3/27/13 »0|0«
Bay Bridge inspections: busted bolts -- At least 30 of the giant bolts that hold together the new, $6.4 billion eastern span of the Bay Bridge have snapped. As a result, Caltrans is considering replacing all 288 of the bolts on the new bridge before it opens, The Chronicle has learned. Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/26/13 State psychiatrist urges US Attorney General to investigate CA mental health facility -- A psychiatrist who treats mentally ill prisoners in California has asked the U.S. Attorney General to investigate conditions at the Salinas Valley Psychiatric Program. Julie Small KPCC -- 3/27/13 Online registration grabs low-, mid-income voters -- The new online voter registration system that California launched last fall isn’t just getting more people registered – it’s getting different people registered. Josh Richman Political Blotter -- 3/27/13 Doctors, non-physicians battle over medical turf -- A series of bills to expand the roles of nurse practitioners and other healthcare professionals has set off a turf war with doctors over what non-physicians can and can’t do in medical practices. Michael J. Mishak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/27/13 L.A. City Council to consider more budget cuts -- Councilman Richard Alarcon, the plan's lone opponent, calls the potential cuts a 'declaration of war' on city workers and business. Possibilities include eliminating the LAPD's three- and four-day work weeks. Catherine Saillant in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/26/13 Supervisors give sheriff $22 million to speed county patrols -- The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to implement a new tracking system for Sheriff’s Department patrols in unincorporated areas and also gave $22 million to the department in hopes of improving service in those communities. Abby Sewell and Robert Faturechi in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/26/13 Eric Garcetti backed by African-American women's political group -- Mayoral candidate Eric Garcetti was endorsed by the L.A. African-American Women Political Action Committee Tuesday, just a week after he picked up support from another African-American political group. Alice Walton KPCC -- 3/27/13 Ami Bera sequesters himself, pledges cut of pay to charity -- Rep. Ami Bera said today that he is donating to charity a percentage of his salary equal to the across-the-board, federal budget cuts that took effect this month. David Siders in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/27/13 CalPIRG gives California failing grade on spending transparency -- Another open-government group has given California a failing grade for a lack of transparency, this time in how the state spends its money. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/27/13 PG&E will soon complete safety tests on its entire gas pipeline system -- Hitting a major marker in its efforts to improve the safety of its natural gas system, PG&E on Tuesday disclosed it is nearly finished checking its vast network of gas pipelines, in some instances subjecting pipes to pressure tests to verify their integrity. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury -- 3/27/13
Proposition 8: U.S. Supreme Court divided about upholding California's gay marriage ban -- Struggling with the gay marriage issue for the first time in history, the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday resembled the kid at the end of the highest diving board at the pool for the first time -- inclined to turn around and try another day rather than take a bold jump into an uncertain future. Howard Mintz in the San Jose Mercury David G. Savage and Noam N. Levey in the Los Angeles Times$ Carolyn Lochhead in the San Francisco Chronicle James Oliphant National Journal JOSH GERSTEIN and JENNIFER EPSTEIN Politico ADAM LIPTAK in the New York Times$ JESS BRAVIN in the Wall Street Journal$ Michael Doyle in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/27/13 Only Scalia, Alito seemed to back Prop. 8, professor says -- One leading law professor said he saw little support on the U.S. Supreme Court for keeping Proposition 8, California's ban on gay marriage. Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/27/13 Prop 8: Who defends initiatives in court? -- If the nine justices of the United States Supreme Court choose to effectively not weigh in on the merits of California's gay marriage ban, it will likely be because the state's top elected officials all decided to take a pass on its defense. And that raises an interesting question of its own: do voter-approved initiatives become legal orphans without an official seal of approval? John Myers News10 -- 3/27/13 Walters: Supreme Court unlikely to be bold in Prop. 8 case -- Morally and logically, there's no reason that same-sex couples should be denied the right to marry and thus hold the same privileges and responsibilities of other married couples. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/27/13 Prop. 8 debate echoes in local churches -- Arguments for and against same-sex marriage are echoing from the halls of the Supreme Court to the pews of local churches, even as pastors vigorously defend freedom of religion. Ryan Hagen in the San Bernardino Sun -- 3/27/13 Gay and lesbian families say they feel part of history -- Alan Acosta, 60, has been with his partner, Tom Gratz, for 32 years. Jessica Garrison in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/27/13 Gavin Newsom proud of helping start gay marriage case -- Rep. Nancy Pelosi got Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom-- the former San Francisco mayor whose actions launched the litigation -- a seat in the courtroom Tuesday. Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/27/13 Ronald George thinks California voters would OK gay marriage -- Ronald M. George, the California Chief Justice who wrote the historic 2008 ruling that gave same-sex couples the right to marry, is now retired. Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/27/13 It’s not just a marriage issue; it’s the insurance -- The Supreme Court’s Obamacare decision might have been its highest-profile foray into health policy in a generation, but the court’s action on gay marriage could have a pretty big impact of its own. KYLE CHENEY Politico -- 3/27/13 Gay pride flag flies at Orange County congressman's office -- Displaying solidarity with gay-marriage advocates on the first day of Supreme Court hearings on the issue, Rep. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, has planted the rainbow-striped gay pride flag outside his congressional office, beside the U.S. and California flags. MARTIN WISCKOL in the Orange County Register -- 3/27/13 FiveThirtyEight: How Opinion on Same-Sex Marriage Is Changing, and What It Means -- Is support for gay marriage growing faster than in the past? How much of the shift is because of generational turnover? NATE SILVER in the New York Times$ -- 3/27/13 On the second day, Supreme Court considers DOMA -- The Supreme Court on Wednesday continues its examination of same-sex marriage, this time considering whether Congress may withhold federal benefits from legally wed gay couples by defining marriage as only between a man and a woman. Robert Barnes in the Washington Post -- 3/27/13
Sacramento City Council backs term sheet for a Kings arena -- Mayor Kevin Johnson wanted the Sacramento City Council to send an unmistakable message to the NBA about the city's commitment to a new arena for the Kings. He wound up getting a 7-2 vote – and pronounced himself thrilled. Dale Kasler and Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/27/13 San Jose approves $7 million Samsung incentives -- The San Jose City Council unanimously approved a $7 million incentive package Tuesday for Samsung Semiconductor to expand its research and development headquarters in the city. John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury -- 3/27/13 Minimum-wage bill could harm California economy, trade group says -- AB 10 could wipe out more than 68,000 jobs over 10 years and cost $5.7 billion in lost production of goods and services, a small-business advocacy group says. An economist says otherwise. Adolfo Flores in the Los Angeles Times$ Amy Quinton Capital Public Radio -- 3/27/13 Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson urges patience for attracting NFL team -- City Council President Herb Wesson on Tuesday cautioned against prematurely abandoning support for professional football in Los Angeles, saying he is convinced billionaire Philip Anschutz is sincere in his plans for bring a team to the L.A. Live site. Rick Orlov in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 3/27/13 LA outperforms most other cities for home price gains in January -- The Standard & Poor's Case-Shiller Home Price index for January released Tuesday shows Los Angeles not just maintaining the positive momentum it has sustained since early last year, but beating out most other cities in the index for price gains. Matthew DeBord KPCC -- 3/27/13 New tech accelerator aims to help USC student start-ups flourish -- The Viterbi Startup Garage would help USC student and alumni entrepreneurs start their fledgling technology companies in the L.A. area. Dawn C. Chmielewski in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/27/13
Southland ports could see more tax revenue -- The Los Angeles and Long Beach ports would get back more of the funds they raise under a bill sent to the Senate by the Environment and Public Works Committee, chaired by Sen. Barbara Boxer. Richard Simon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/27/13 Tax burden for the Dow 30 drops -- Most of the 30 companies listed on the country’s most famous stock index, the Dow Jones industrial average, have seen a dramatically smaller percentage of their profits go to U.S. coffers over time, even as their share prices have driven the Dow to an all-time high. Jia Lynn Yang in the Washington Post -- 3/27/13 Hazmat inspections skipped for years, new audit finds -- Internal audits and a review by the District Attorney's Office are under way for the troubled hazmat-inspection program, after the Orange County Fire Authority found that more than 1,400 businesses were billed for inspections not done last year. SALVADOR HERNANDEZ in the Orange County Register -- 3/27/13
Taking a crack at California's education system -- Michelle Rhee came to prominence as the tough-minded chancellor of Washington, D.C., schools. Now she's in Sacramento, taking on this state's system — and its teachers unions. Michael J. Mishak and Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/27/13 U.S. Ed Department agrees to review 9 districts’ plan for NCLB waiver -- The nine California districts seeking a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind Law have got their foot in the door. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 3/27/13 San Francisco City College fuels college accreditation controversy -- While City College of San Francisco prepares to receive a team of evaluators who will decide if the college keeps its accreditation and stays open, the impact of what’s at stake has spread beyond the campus, bringing into sharper focus a push for higher standards at community colleges. Kathryn Baron EdSource -- 3/27/13 Nonprofit Fights For Oakland School Libraries -- One-third of the libraries in the city's public schools remain closed due to budget cuts, but a nonprofit is working to reopen them. Pamela Drake East Bay Express -- 3/27/13 Slavkin: Hold districts accountable for restoring funding for the arts -- A well-rounded education that includes the arts is essential to prepare California students for college and careers. A year of fine arts is required for admission to the CSU or UC campuses. Mark Slavkin EdSource -- 3/27/13
Hiltzik: Insurers eager to maintain authority over healthcare premiums -- A 2014 initiative would let the insurance commissioner reject health premium hikes deemed excessive. Insurers have begun their campaign against it in earnest. Michael Hiltzik in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/27/13 Anaheim General will close in May -- Anaheim General Hospital, which made a rare turnaround two years ago after a near-fatal loss of federal funds, will go out of business in May. The closure will result in the loss of 142 hospital beds at a time when Orange County hospitals are preparing to serve more patients because of the federal Affordable Care Act. COURTNEY PERKES, BERNARD J. WOLFSON and ART MARROQUIN in the Orange County Register -- 3/27/13 How Immigration Reform Influences Health Care Reform -- While it is becoming increasingly clear that some level of immigration reform is on the horizon, the picture remains unfocused when it comes to how it will mesh with health care reform. JOHN M. GONZALES VoiceofOC.org -- 3/27/13
UC, CSU could get a pass on emissions laws -- California's cash-strapped public universities would save millions of dollars under legislation by Orange County state Sen. Mimi Walters, but the bill's prospects are uncertain because it would alter a landmark global warming law beloved by environmentalists. BRIAN JOSEPH in the Orange County Register -- 3/27/13 Sierra snowpack falls short -- Snow-surveying crews across the Sierra are seeing bad news up close this week. California has about half a snowpack. Mark Grossi in the Fresno Bee -- 3/27/13 Drakes Bay Oyster Company Tied to Oil Drilling -- Senate Republicans include a lease renewal for a controversial oyster farm in legislation that seeks to expand offshore oil and gas production. Robert Gammon East Bay Express -- 3/27/13 Court deals blow to county energy retrofit program -- A legal fight to protect a program that allows Sonoma County residents to pay for energy-saving retrofits to their homes through property taxes was dealt a significant and possibly final setback last week. BRETT WILKISON in the Santa Rosa Press -- 3/26/13
Momentum gone on gun control -- President Barack Obama said Newtown changed everything. But it didn’t change Washington. REID J. EPSTEIN Politico -- 3/27/13
White House mum on plan to link citizenship path to border security -- White House press secretary Jay Carney on Tuesday refused to say whether linking a pathway to citizenship to border security metrics would be a deal breaker for the White House, hours after Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said she did not think such a provision should be included in a final immigration deal. Justin Sink The Hill -- 3/27/13
Petraeus offers apology for scandal during speech at USC -- Signaling a desire to return to public life, retired Gen. David H. Petraeus offered an apology Tuesday for the scandal that led to his resignation as director of the CIA and brought an illustrious career to an abrupt end. Alexandra Zavis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/26/13 Fed's insider-trading crackdown brings charges in California -- The federal government has filed charges against a California hedge-fund analyst and a former tech executive in its continuing crackdown on insider trading on Wall Street. Andrew Tangel in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/27/13 Judge orders city of Sacramento to pay almost $800,000 to lawyers for homeless -- The city of Sacramento is on the hook for nearly $800,000 in fees for attorneys who represented homeless people in a lawsuit charging police with violating their constitutional rights by failing to protect their belongings. Cynthia Hubert in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 3/27/13 Court: California city officials can pray at meetings -- A federal appeals court says members of a Southern California city council can open their meetings with a prayer. Associated Press -- 3/27/13 LAPD officer wins $1.2-million verdict in racial harassment suit -- A jury Tuesday ordered the city of Los Angeles to pay $1.2 million to a black police officer who alleged he was the butt of vulgar racial harassment by a white supervisor and other officers. Joel Rubin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/27/13 Los Angeles Museum Raises $60 Million -- The Museum of Contemporary Art here said Tuesday that it had raised more than $60 million in a campaign to remain independent after financial problems had pushed its board to seek a merger or partnership with another institution. ERICA E. PHILLIPS in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 3/26/13 Following Riverside, more Dorner reward donors consider withdrawing pledges -- The million dollar-plus reward for Christopher Dorner was the biggest local reward offered in U.S. history. But now the bounty is shrinking, with at least one donor refusing to pay - and others reconsidering their pledges. Ben Bergman KPCC -- 3/27/13 Assembly election set in San Diego -- Gov. Jerry Brown announced Tuesday that the special election to fill a vacant San Diego-area Assembly seat will be held on May 21. Michael Gardner UT San Diego$ -- 3/27/13 Torrance Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi wants database to track California offenders freed by realignment -- California's effort to relieve prison overcrowding has sent more than 12,000 low-level inmates to Los Angeles County and made tracking those inmates nearly impossible, officials said Tuesday. Brian Charles in the Torrance Daily Breeze -- 3/27/13 Plans to send 60 jail inmates from overcrowded Monterey County jail to Santa Rita sparks ACLU criticism -- The transfer of 60 inmates from Monterey County's overcrowded jail to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin has ignited a protest from the ACLU, which claims the relocation is squashing yet another opportunity to help keep inmates from landing back behind bars. Angela Woodall in the San Jose Mercury -- 3/27/13 Orange County sex offender challenging county park ban sentenced to jail -- A 30-year-old Santa Ana man who is challenging an aggressive Orange County law barring sex offenders from county parks and beaches has been sentenced to jail for violating probation in a separate case. Nicole Santa Cruz in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 3/27/13 Last day on the job memorable one for Golden Gate Bridge toll-takers -- When the vehicle stopped, Tyler Hill, now 12, stood up through the open sunroof holding a sign that read, “We will miss you.” His mother, Sharon, handed Reed a bouquet of flowers. DEREK MOORE in the Santa Rosa Press -- 3/27/13
Awkward! Keystone opponent to host Obama fundraiser in San Francisco next week -- San Francisco billionaire Tom Steyer has made no secret of his opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline, a project President Obama is considering approving this year. Juliet Eilperin in the Washington Post -- 3/27/13 |
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