Updating . . .
Obama 'birther' critic Orly Taitz files for
California AG race -- Last month, Orly Taitz was in a federal
courtroom in Sacramento as part of her unsuccessful effort to wrest the
presidency away from Barack Obama. Christopher
Cadelago in the
Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/19/14
Facebook buys WhatsApp for whopping $16 billion
-- Anyone who though that the $1 billion price tag on Facebook's
acquisition of Instagram was shocking will want to shield their eyes from
the social network's latest purchase: The Menlo Park company announced
Wednesday that it has agreed to acquire Mountain View-based WhatsApp for
$16 billion. Jeremy C. Owens in the
San Jose Mercury$ Jessica Guynn in the
Los Angeles Times$ John Kell in
the
Wall Street Journal$ Jia Lynn Yang in
the
Washington Post$ David Gelles, Brian X.
Chen and Nick Bilton in the
New York Times$ -- 2/19/14
Why Facebook Just Paid $19 Billion for a
Messaging App -- But if Zuckerberg and crew are to retain their
hold on the world — and continue expand its efforts to serve money-makers
ads to all those people — they must continue to evolve with the
ever-changing tastes of the teenage set. Cade Metz
WIRED -- 2/19/14
Nation’s biggest teachers union slams ‘botched’
Common Core implementation -- The nation’s largest teachers union
is pulling back on its once-enthusiastic support of the Common Core
academic standards, labeling their rollout “completely botched.”
Stephanie Simon
Politico -- 2/19/14
Beverly Hills moves to regulate sale,
consumption of e-cigarettes -- The Beverly Hills City Council has
joined its Los Angeles counterpart in voting to treat electronic
cigarettes as tobacco products and to regulate their sale and use.
Martha Groves in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/19/14
Pleasanton-based Safeway in discussions to sell
company -- The announcement comes after months of downsizing, as
Safeway sold its stores in Canada and shed 72 Dominick's stores in the
Chicago area. Heather Somerville in the
San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/19/14
Statewide poll supports soft drink warning
labels -- Three-quarters of California voters support health
warning labels on sodas and sugary drink products, similar to those on
cigarettes, according to a Field Poll released Wednesday, which asked the
question for the first time. Doug Oakley in
the
Contra Costa Times$ -- 2/19/14
Thirteen candidates file to run for vacant L.A.
school board seat -- The deadline for candidates to file their
declaration of intent passed Tuesday evening with a diverse group joining
the crowded race -- including veteran educators, parents, political aides
and a reality television personality. Stephen
Ceasar in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/19/14
Campaign watchdog agency rescinds warning
letters to Hahn, De Leon -- California's campaign finance watchdog
agency on Wednesday rescinded warning letters that had been sent to state
Sen. Kevin De Leon (D-Los Angeles) and U.S. Rep. Janice Hahn (D-Calif.)
regarding disclosure of political spending. Patrick
McGreevy in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/19/14
Valley farmers brace for 'devastating water
news' -- Federal Central Valley Project leaders are expected to
announce an unprecedented zero allocation for more than 2 million acres,
spanning both east and west sides of the country's most productive
farmland. Mark Grossi in the
Fresno Bee -- 2/19/14
California drought: Gov. Jerry Brown proposes
$687 million aid plan -- -Describing the drought as a "call to
action," Gov. Jerry Brown and Democratic legislative leaders unveiled a
$687.4 million plan Wednesday afternoon to help California get through its
water crisis and better prepare for the next one.
Jessica Calefati in the
San Jose Mercury$ Fenit Nirappil
Associated Press Laila Kearney
Reuters -- 2/19/14
Gov. Jerry Brown to unveil new $687-million
drought proposal -- Gov. Jerry Brown and Democratic leaders will
unveil a $687-million proposal Wednesday afternoon aimed at helping
California deal with its drought emergency.
The new legislation would
speed up the spending of millions of dollars aimed at improving water
conservation and cleaning up drinking water supplies, while increasing
penalties for illegal diversion of water supplies.
Anthony York in the
Los Angeles Times$ Laurel Rosenhall in
the
Sacramento Bee$-- 2/19/14
Health insurance enrollment tops 825,000 in
California -- The tally puts Covered California on pace to exceed
its projected base enrollment for the first six months of the program
through March, Executive Director Peter V. Lee said.
Christopher Cadelago in the
Sacramento Bee$ Chad Terhune in the
Los Angeles Times$-- 2/19/14
State Sen. Evans proposes oil extraction tax for
California -- State Sen. Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa) on Wednesday
revived a proposal to tax oil pumped from the ground in California, saying
the $2 billion it would raise annually could help restore the
affordability of higher education and improve social services and parks.
Patrick McGreevy in the
Los Angeles Times$ Josh Richman
Political Blotter -- 2/19/14
Film tax credit bill goes live --
Democratic Assemblymembers Raul Bocanegra and Mike Gatto released a film
tax credit bill Wednesday that supporters say will protect jobs by keeping
film crews in California. Allen Young
Sacramento Business Journal -- 2/19/14
San Diego County hopes to lick high elections
cost with vote by mail -- With a deluge of special elections
running up big bills, San Diego County is pushing state legislation that
would allow local governments to offer an all-vote-by-mail ballot.
Michael Gardner
UT San Diego$ -- 2/19/14
Sen. Barbara Boxer lays out Democrats' economic
manifesto in San Francisco -- America must restore long-term
unemployment benefits, raise the minimum wage, ensure income equality
between genders, rebuild infrastructure, develop green jobs and enact
immigration reform to end its economic doldrums, U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer
said Wednesday. Josh Richman in the
San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/19/14
Ultra-fast Google Fiber seeks to expand in 9
metro areas, including San Jose -- Google is inviting San Jose and
33 other cities around the country to begin talks on joining the
gigabit-speed home Internet service known as Google Fiber, in a move that
promises lightning-fast downloads to millions of consumers while
transforming a former sideline into a substantial business for the giant
tech company. Brandon Bailey in the
San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/19/14
F.C.C. to Try Again on ‘Net Neutrality’
-- Regulators are taking another crack at their effort to keep the web
free and open, introducing new rules that would discourage Internet
service providers from charging companies to stream their movies, music
and other content through a faster express lane.
Edward Wyatt in the
New York Times$ -- 2/19/14
Gavin Newsom backs Wendy Greuel to succeed Rep.
Henry Waxman -- Former Los Angeles Controller Wendy Greuel has
picked up the endorsement of Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom as she battles in a
growing field of candidates for an open Westside-South Bay congressional
district. Jean Merl in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/19/14
Newsom opposes high-speed rail - other Dems to
follow? -- In California, where Democrats and Republicans don't
agree on much, the emergence of Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom as the state's
highest-ranking Democrat to pull his support for Gov. Jerry Brown's
high-speed rail project is being closely watched as the possible harbinger
of political change. Carla Marinucci in the
San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/19/14
Bachelor degrees from community colleges on
California horizon -- California's community college students could
soon stay put -- and pay a lot less -- to earn what they thought they
would have to go elsewhere to get: a four-year bachelor's degree.
Katy Murphy and Paul
Burgarino in the
San Jose Mercury$ -- 2/19/14
Tentative deal reached to build Cal Expo soccer
stadium -- Cal Expo and Ovations Fanfare have reached a tentative
agreement on the construction of an 8,000-seat soccer stadium at the state
fair site for Sacramento Republic FC, the lower-division franchise that
debuts this spring. Ryan Lillis in the
Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/19/14
Two solar projects approved on public lands in
California and Nevada -- The projects are expected to generate
about 550 megawatts of renewable energy, or enough to power about 170,000
homes, the Interior Department said in a statement Wednesday.
Shan Li in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/19/14
U-T TV moves to digital -- News company
moves off cable to focus on building video business on digital platforms.
Karla Peterson
UT San Diego$ -- 2/19/14
The Six States of California — New Laws or Old?
-- The Attorney General’s office yesterday released the title and
summary for Tim Draper’s initiative proposal to divide California into six
states. Whether the Silicon Valley entrepreneur is serious about pursuing
this idea we will soon find out. Joel Fox
Fox & Hounds -- 2/19/14
California Policy & Politics This Morning
Caltrans kept Bay Bridge leaks from local
officials -- Local transportation officials are demanding that
Caltrans reveal any problems with the new Bay Bridge eastern span after the
state agency failed to tell them for nearly two months that potentially
corrosive rainwater was leaking into the steel superstructure.
Jaxon Van Derbeken in the
San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/19/14
Climate billionaire aims to set stage for 2016
-- California billionaire Tom Steyer turned heads in Washington
with the news that he plans to spend $100 million to help make climate
change a defining issue in this year’s elections.
Darren Goode
Politico Aaron Blake in the
Washington Post$ -- 2/19/14
Voters may decide medical malpractice cap
-- Lawyers and consumer groups are getting signatures for a ballot measure
to increase 1975's pain and suffering limit of $250,000. Doctors and
insurers have already raised $33 million to fight it.
Melanie Mason in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/19/14
De Leon, Hahn dispute warnings for campaign
reporting issues -- State Sen. Kevin De Leon (D-Los Angeles) and
Rep. Janice Hahn (D-Calif.) disputed warning letters by the state
campaign watchdog group that alleged they did not meet all campaign
finance reporting requirements. Representatives of both officials said
they had complied and are challenging the warning letters.
Patrick McGreevy in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/19/14
McLeod becomes sixth California House member to
head for exits -- Rep. Gloria Negrete McLeod, a freshman Democrat,
announced Tuesday that she will run for San Bernardino County supervisor
rather than Congress, becoming the sixth California House member to head
for the exits and potentially creating yet another competitive race.
Jean Merl and Richard
Simon in the
Los Angeles Times$ Jim Miller in the
Sacramento Bee$ Aaron Blake in the
Washington Post$ Alex Isenstadt
Politico Emily Cahn and
Abby Livingston
Roll Call -- 2/19/14
Ex-Rep. Baca bashes 'bimbo' Negrete McLeod,
won't run for seat -- Former Rep. Joe Baca (D-Calif.) won't switch
districts to run for Rep. Gloria Negrete McLeod's (D-Calif.) seat.
Cameron Joseph
The Hill -- 2/19/14
Both California parties losing ground among
registered voters -- California's two major political parties are
continuing to lose ground in voter registration as the ranks of
independent voters continue to swell, a new report by the Secretary of
State's office indicates. Dan Walters in the
Sacramento Bee$ John Howard
Capitol Weekly Patrick McGreevy in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/19/14
Joe Baca Apologizes for Calling Negrete McLeod a
‘Bimbo’ -- Former Rep. Joe Baca, D-Calif., apologized Tuesday for
calling retiring Rep. Gloria Negrete McLeod a “bimbo” earlier in the day.
Abby Livingston
Roll Call -- 2/19/14
Former state GOP chair Ron Nehring running for
lieutenant governor -- Ron Nehring, the former chairman of the
California Republican Party, said Tuesday that he was running for
lieutenant governor. Seema Mehta in the
Los Angeles Times$ Josh Richman
Political Blotter Mark Walker
UT San Diego$ Carla Marinucci in the
San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/19/14
CalPERS decides to speed up rate increases for
state -- The state’s annual contribution to its massive pension
fund is about to go up substantially, and much sooner than expected.
Dale Kasler in the
Sacramento Bee$ Fenit Nirappil
Associated Press Tim Reid
Reuters -- 2/19/14
CalPERS rate hike: governor wins, cities lose
-- A divided CalPERS board yesterday approved a faster rate hike
for the state urged by Gov. Brown, but opposed by unions. A proposal to
give struggling cities the option of more time to phase in the rate hike,
seven years instead of five, was rejected. Ed
Mendel
Calpensions.com -- 2/19/14
Walters: Court ruling indicates California gun
laws may go too far -- For years, California has had some of the
nation’s toughest gun control laws, but that hasn’t deterred its
politicians from writing ever more restrictions on sale and possession of
firearms and ammunition. Dan Walters in the
Sacramento Bee$ -- 2/19/14
Former reality TV star Omarosa enters LAUSD
school board race along with a dozen others -- More than a dozen
candidates, including a onetime reality TV star, filed papers for an open
Los Angeles Unified School District seat by Tuesday’s deadline.
Dakota Smith in the
Los
Angeles Daily News$ -- 2/19/14
Los Angeles Bishop Kept Altar Boy List From
Police -- When Los Angeles police were investigating allegations of
child abuse by a Roman Catholic priest in 1988, they asked for a list of
altar boys at the last parish where the priest worked.
Gillian Flaccus
Associated Press -- 2/19/14
L.A. archdiocese settles final priest abuse
case; $740 million spent -- The Los Angeles Archdiocese has settled
what officials said is the last of its pending priest molestation
lawsuits, bring to a close a decade of wrenching abuse litigation that
cost the Catholic Church more than $740 million.
Victoria Kim in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/19/14
A year after controversy, LAX wants more money
for public relations contracts -- A year ago, it was a hot campaign
issue in the race for Los Angeles city controller. Los Angeles
International Airport wanted to spend $3.8 million over three years on
three public relations consultants, all of which were based outside city
limits. Brian Sumers in the
Los
Angeles Daily News$ -- 2/19/14
Oakland to pay $2 million to settle crash
lawsuit -- The city of Oakland is poised to pay $2 million to
settle a lawsuit filed by a man who was catapulted into a glass door when
he was hit by a city public works van. Henry K. Lee
in the
San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/19/14
L.A. County to pay $1.8 million to family of
woman shot by deputies -- Los Angeles County supervisors agreed
Tuesday to pay $1.8 million to the family of a mentally ill woman killed
by sheriff's deputies at a clinic in Rosemead. Abby
Sewell in the
Los Angeles Times$ Lauren Gold
in the
Los
Angeles Daily News$ -- 2/19/14
Jail reforms underway at Los Angeles County
Sheriff’s Department -- Almost two years after scandal broke over
allegations of deputy thuggery in the county jails, the Sheriff’s
Department is close to implementing all the reforms sought by a
blue-ribbon panel, an independent monitor said Wednesday.
Christina Villacorte in the
Los
Angeles Daily News$ -- 2/19/14
News photographer robbed at gunpoint in Oakland
-- Oakland police Wednesday night were looking for suspects who
used guns to rob a Bay Area News Group photographer.
Robert J. Lopez in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/19/14
Deaf Hawthorne man claims police beat, tased him
as he tried to sign -- A deaf Hawthorne resident is suing the
Police Department, claiming he was beaten, tased and arrested because
officers failed to allow him to use his hands to communicate with them via
sign language. Joseph Serna in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/19/14
In wake of police shootings, Anaheim launching
citizen review board -- In the wake of two controversial police
shootings, Anaheim is launching a pilot citizens review board that would
help monitor the city's Police Department. Adolfo
Flores in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/19/14
Economy, Employers and Jobs
L.A. County to expand one-stop approach to
servicing homeless families -- The supervisors agreed to allocate
$10.3 million in local, state and federal money to create an integrated
system of services for those families. Abby Sewell
in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/19/14
Better credit cards, encryption considered to
protect consumer data -- Lawmakers pushed on Tuesday for ways to
prevent the kind of consumer data breaches that claimed voluminous amounts
of information during the recent holiday season.
Jeremy B. White in the
Sacramento Bee$ Marc Lifsher in the
Los Angeles Times$ Timm Herdt in the
Ventura Star$ -- 2/19/14
'Free' gift card promoters to pay $2.5 million
in fraud case -- The owners of six companies, including three from
Orange County, have agreed to pay $2.5 million to settle a Federal Trade
Commission lawsuit that accused them of sending out millions of text
messages offering free gift cards they never delivered.
Stuart Pfeifer in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/19/14
Minimum-wage hike would help alleviate poverty,
but could kill jobs, CBO reports -- President Obama’s proposal to
raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour would increase earnings for 16.5
million low-wage Americans but cost the nation about 500,000 jobs,
congressional budget analysts said Tuesday. Zachary
A. Goldfarb in the
Washington Post$ -- 2/19/14
Education
Independent study: Brown’s new online learning
target -- After withdrawing an aggressive plan to enhance online
learning in K-12 classrooms last year, Gov. Jerry Brown has returned with
a less ambitious proposal – but one that may have broader impact.
Tom Chorneau
Cabinet Report -- 2/19/14
Renewed push to let community colleges award
bachelor’s degrees -- When Michigan granted community colleges the
authority to confer baccalaureate degrees a year ago, it became the 21st
state to do so. An effort is under way to make California No. 22.
Kathryn Baron
EdSource -- 2/19/14
LAUSD appoints veteran educator as 'liaison' to
vacant seat -- The Los Angeles Board of Education on Tuesday
appointed a former district administrator to oversee the seat left vacant by
the death of member Marguerite Poindexter LaMotte in December.
Stephen Ceasar and
Howard Blume in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/19/14
Debate at Cal State L.A. over ethnic studies
requirement heats up -- A debate at Cal State L.A. over an ethnic
studies requirement turned heated Tuesday as several students tried to
shout down faculty members who responded by chanting "Let her speak, let
her speak." Carla Rivera in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/19/14
Occidental College bans investments in assault
weapons companies -- In a move that activists described as the
first of its kind for any American college or university, Occidental
College in Los Angeles is pledging to stay away from any investments in
companies that manufacture military-style assault weapons and
high-capacity ammunition magazines for general public sale.
Larry Gordon in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/19/14
UC Berkeley fined in deaths of lab animals
-- The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday that it has
fined UC Berkeley $8,750 for allowing five lab animals to die of thirst in
2011. Nanette Asimov in the
San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/19/14
Ed Center: Community schools can help break the
cycle of poverty -- We’ve known for some time that children from
low-income families are less likely to succeed in school relative to their
higher-income peers. Many solutions to address this achievement gap have
been explored, such as greater funding, more accountability for teachers
or a longer school day. Ed Center
EdSource -- 2/19/14
Health
Lopez: Restaurant's healthcare surcharge draws
strong responses -- The owners of Republique on La Brea have added
a 3% fee to every bill to pay for insurance for every employee. But not
all patrons are biting. Steve Lopez in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/19/14
Herdt: Health warnings on soda bottles --
What is likely to become one of the signature bills in this year’s session
of the California Legislature could also very likely become an object of
pop culture ridicule. Just ask former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Timm Herdt in the
Ventura Star$ -- 2/19/14
Healthcare organizations under siege from
cyberattacks, study says -- Add this to the list of things to freak
you out: Healthcare organizations of all kinds are being routinely attacked
and compromised by increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks.
Chris O'Brien in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/19/14
L.A. suit accuses unlicensed care facilities of
abuse -- A pastor and his wife are accused of abusing the
physically and mentally disabled residents of their two care facilities in
the Adams district. Richard Winton and
Angel Jennings in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/19/14
Kaiser Permanente losing members to cheaper
plans -- Kaiser Permanente's statewide membership losses in the
California Public Employees' Retirement System this year also hold true
for the Sacramento region. Kathy Robertson
Sacramento Business Journal -- 2/19/14
USDA closes troubled Central Valley
slaughterhouse over cleanliness -- A troubled Central California
slaughterhouse that supplies beef to the National School Lunch Program was
closed by federal inspectors Monday for failing to meet cleanliness
standards. David Pierson in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/19/14
Environment
Berkeley to kill squirrels, gophers at Cesar
Chavez Park -- The chubby, whiskery ground squirrels that scurry over
the Berkeley waterfront might be cute to some, but to Berkeley city
officials, they're a burrowing menace that must be stopped.
Carolyn Jones in the
San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/19/14
Immigration/Border
Border agent fatally shoots suspect who hit him
with a rock -- The shooting occurred on a smuggling trail in the
mountains east of San Diego after the agent was hit in the head during a
rock attack. Richard Marosi in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/19/14
Also...
Garcetti will visit Mexico City on his first
foreign trip as mayor -- Mayor Eric Garcetti is planning to travel
next month to Mexico City on the first of what he says will be many
international trade missions to promote Los Angeles.
Michael Finnegan in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/19/14
Ex-congressman and veteran makes his peace in
North Korea visit -- On a recent trip to Pyongyang, former Bay Area
Rep. 'Pete' McCloskey confronts his troubling combat memories by meeting
and saluting a Korean War adversary. Lee Romney
in the
Los Angeles Times$ -- 2/19/14
Beltway
Nancy Pelosi is hanging on in the House
-- She’s an enduring hero, the first woman ever to lead a branch of the
U.S. government. Or she’s all that’s wrong with Washington.
David Lightman
McClatchy DC -- 2/19/14