Gov. Jerry Brown and state lawmakers yesterday filed their financial disclosure statements for last year.
Anthony York and Patrick McGreevy report in the Los Angeles Times: “Gov. Jerry Brown received more than $11,000 in gifts last year, and reported assets worth millions of dollars, according to a financial disclosure statement he filed with the state Monday.”
“Other California lawmakers reported receiving thousands of dollars in sports tickets, meals, amusement park admissions and other gifts, many from special interests that lobby state government.”
Even without their supermajority, Democrats believe they can still address the major issues facing the Legislature.
From the Associated Press’ Don Thompson: “Democrats' two-thirds majority in the Senate ended when Sen. Ron Calderon took an indefinite leave of absence this week after being indicted on federal corruption charges. Last week, Sen. Roderick Wright took a leave after he was convicted of voter fraud and perjury.”
“Their departures drop Democrats' majority to 26 in the 40-seat chamber, one less than they need to raise taxes, pass emergency legislation and put constitutional amendments before voters without Republican support.”
The lack of a supermajority threatens a bill to raise parcel taxes, authored by Sens. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo).
John Fensterwald reports for Ed Source: “Hill’s predecessor, Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, had proposed a similar constitutional amendment for the 55 percent majority parcel tax during the eight years he was in the Senate, when Democrats were just shy of a supermajority, but he could never find a Republican to help get it on the ballot.”
“Hill said he was still hoping he could find a Republican colleague willing to let voters decide for themselves whether the lower threshold was a good idea. To build a broader base of support, one option would be to broaden the proposed amendment to lower 55 percent threshold for transportation and library bonds as well. A spokesperson from Leno’s office said Monday that the senator remains committed to moving forward with the proposed amendment this year.”
Orange County is hiring more staff to deal with the huge influx of weapons applications, the result of a recent appellate court decision on concelaed handguns.
Jill Cowan reports for the Los Angeles Times: "Under a proposal that comes before county supervisors Tuesday, the county Sheriff’s Department would hire 15 retired employees to handle the applications, which have flooded in since the court ruling a little more than two weeks ago."
"The volume is nearly double what the department normally handles in an entire year, and if all or most of the applications are approved, it would effectively double the number of people permitted to carry concealed weapons in Orange County."
Approving plans for a universal pre-kindergarten system will be a big issue in the Legislature as session revs up.
Jessica Calefati reports for the Mercury News: “In what could turn into a passion play, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg will press for state-funded preschool for all, also known as "universal transitional kindergarten," in one of his final acts as a legislator before term limits force him to retire. But Brown isn't on board yet, saying he's leery of the program's billion-dollar price tag considering the state's nascent financial stability and outstanding debts.”
High-poverty communities in Sacramento County were hit hardest by the flu.
Cynthia H. Craft and Phillip Reese report for the Sacramento Bee: “Many of the deaths and hospitalizations in intensive care units have occurred in low-income, densely packed neighborhoods, where people are more likely to rely on public transit and to have less access to health insurance than the region-wide average.”
Intertribal clashes are brewing in California as more casinos plan to move off reservation.
Ian Lovett reports for the New York Times: “We are virtually landless,” said Elaine Bethel-Fink, the North Fork chairwoman. “So we had to seek land elsewhere.”
“But the Chukchansi Indians, with their own thriving casino just 30 miles away, have another name for the North Fork’s plan to open a rival casino on the dusty plot of land it acquired just north of this city, 36 miles from its Rancheria, or tribal settlement.”
“It’s reservation shopping,” said Nancy Ayala, one of the Chukchansi tribal leaders.
Last night, all six announced candidates for California’s secretary of state participated in an early L.A. forum.
Jean Merl reports in the Los Angeles Times: “Co-hosted by the ACLU of Southern California, the League of Women Voters of California and the California Endowment, the candidates forum was the first of four planned around the state. The goal is to draw more attention to the office and the challenges it faces, including modernizing voter records and technology and improving dismal registration and turnout.”
The cost of living in the Silicon Valley is on average 87 percent more epenssive than anywhere else in the United States, and that number is growing.
Lauren Hepler reports for the Silicon Valley Business Journal: "That cost differential, which jumped nearly 20 percent last year alone, is forcing the City of San Jose to make a record wage increase for public workers."
"The city will pay its workers and contractors with health benefits $17.81 per hour, or $19.06 per hour for those without benefits starting July 2014, according to new annual living wage guidelines. The new living wage numbers reflect a 12.9 percent year-over-year increase in San Jose's cost of living — the biggest annual jump on record and three times the average 4.3 percent yearly increase since 1998."