California's air-quality regulators say LA's Department of Water and Power, which for years diverted water from the 110-square-mile eastern Sierra Owens Lake, is solely responsible for the dust storms in the dry lake bed.
From the LAT's Louis Sahagun: "The board said the DWP must take additional air pollution control measures on 2.9 square miles of the lake bed, which was drained to provide water to Los Angeles. The powder-fine dust arising from the bed often exceeds federal health standards."
"The DWP argues that it has already reduced dust pollution by 90%, at a cost to ratepayers of $1.2 billion. The additional measures will cost an estimated $400 million, the utility said.
The board’s decision aligns with the findings of the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution District, which had called for the added measures..."
"Still pending, however, is a federal court lawsuit the DWP filed earlier this year to limit its obligation to control dust from the vast alkaline playa, about 200 miles north of Los Angeles. Schade said the board’s decision will become “an important part of our defense in the federal lawsuit. I believe a court will look kindly on the district’s position in this matter. After all, it’s a public health issue.”
The recession is taking its toll on the paychecks of lawmakers, too: New pay cuts take effect in December for an array of elected officials, including the governor.
From the Bee's Jim Sanders: "California elected officials from governor to legislator will see their pay cut by thousands of dollars next month under decisions made by appointees of former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger."
"Effective Dec. 3, Gov. Jerry Brown's pay will drop to $165,288. Legislators will be paid $90,526, legislative leaders $104,105. Salaries for constitutional officers from attorney general to secretary of state will range from $143,571 to $123,965."
"But Brown's administration will soon control a majority of seats on the salary-setting commission as two seats become vacant Dec. 31, ensuring that his appointees will fill four of the seven positions. The turnover could change attitudes on a commission that moved aggressively in recent years to cut pay and perks for state elected officials."
The state's political watchdog says that four years ago two lawmaker brothers enagaged in a scheme to cloak the source of a $40,000 campaign donation shortly before the 2008 election.
From California Watch's Lance Williams: "The commission said that less than a week before the election, Tom Berryhill gave his brother’s campaign $40,000 – more than 11 times the $3,600 donation limit set by state law – to pay for television advertising.To mask the true source of the funds, the commission contended that Tom Berryhill steered the money through Republican central committees in Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties, which by law could accept as much as $30,200 per donor."
"As soon as they got the money, the county committees funneled it to Bill Berryhill’s campaign, according to the commission. Bill Berryhill then filed reports falsely claiming that the money came from the county committees and not his brother, the commission said."
"The commission said the transactions amounted to money laundering – that is, making a contribution in the name of another person. The commission, the state agency that administers California’s Political Reform Act ethics law, is seeking penalties of up to $80,000."
Silicon Valley's HP is not happy: The company is taking big hits because of its acquisition of Autonomy, a British software company.
From Reuters' Nadia Damouni and Nicola Leske: "When Hewlett Packard acquired Autonomy last year for $11.1 billion, some 15 different financial, legal and accounting firms were involved in the transaction -- and none raised a flag about what HP said Tuesday was a major accounting fraud."
"HP stunned Wall Street with the allegations about its British software unit and took an $8.8 billion writedown, the latest in a string of reversals for the storied company."
"HP Chief Executive Meg Whitman, who was a director at the company at the time of the deal, said the board had relied on accounting firm Deloitte for vetting Autonomy's financials and that KPMG was subsequently hired to audit Deloitte."
What's San Francisco coming to? You can't even get naked in public there any more, the Board of Supervisors has decreed.
From the Chronicle's Neal J. Riley: "Derided by nudity defenders as an attack on personal expression and supported by others who've had enough of seeing those who let it all hang out, the legislation bans genital exposure on all city sidewalks, plazas, parklets, streets and public transit."
"Supervisors Scott Wiener, David Chiu, Mark Farrell, Sean Elsbernd, Carmen Chu and Malia Cohen voted in favor of the measure while Supervisors Christina Olague, Jane Kim, John Avalos, David Campos and Eric Mar opposed it. If the proposal passes a second reading and is signed into law by Mayor Ed Lee, a supporter, it will take effect Feb 1."
"Wiener, the sponsor of the proposal, admits he was reluctant to take the step of banning public nudity, but that the issue has evolved beyond the presence of a few naked guys in the Castro and is a growing problem that generates more complaints from his constituents than homelessness or Muni."