Nearly a year after the Boston Marathon bombing, the San Francisco International Airport is now an area of concern for some on Capitol Hill.
Carla Marinucci reports for the S.F. Chronicle: “Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Dublin, told a homeland security hearing Wednesday that he was "disturbed" by the English-language spring edition of the al Qaeda publication Inspire, which features a darkened photo of a lone young man aboard what the congressman said had been identified as "a tram in San Francisco's international airport.”
“An official with the Transportation Security Administration, who asked not to be named, said Wednesday that the agency was aware of the photo but viewed it mostly as a "propaganda" piece rather than evidence of specific planning.”
Public perception of the Legislature has taken a nosedive after recent scandals according to a new Field Poll.
Melody Gutierrez reports for the S.F. Chronicle: “A week before Yee's arrest, 46 percent of voters approved of the job the state Legislature was doing - the highest ratings since 2002 - while 40 percent disapproved.”
“After Yee's arrest, those numbers nearly reversed. More voters expressed disapproval - 46 percent - while approval fell to 43 percent.”
“The decline follows two years of climbing voter sentiment.”
As the gubernatorial election approaches, Gov. Brown has reached a new high in approval ratings according to that same poll.
Capitol Weekly notes: “Brown also holds a huge preference lead when likely voters in the June open primary election are asked whom they would support if the election were being held today. When listed with three Republicans, Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, Laguna Hills Mayor and businessman Andrew Blount and businessman Neel Kashkari, Brown is the choice of 57%. Donnelly places a distant second at 17%. No other candidate receives more than 3% of voter preferences.”
California Republicans continue to struggle with attracting women and Latinos to the party.
Seema Mehta reports for the L.A. Times: “The party has long argued that its problems with Latinos and women were caused by tone, not policy. And on Tuesday, some Republicans warned that the fallout from the latest uproar — notably from remarks by GOP Assemblyman and gubernatorial candidate Tim Donnelly — could be devastating."
"I am just appalled," said Rosario Marin, a Latina from Huntington Park who served as U.S. Treasurer under President George W. Bush. She has endorsed Donnelly's main GOP rival, former U.S. Treasury official Neel Kashkari.”
Neel Kashkari is trailing in the polls but says he’ll get a boost from paid advertising.
David Siders reports for the Sacramento Bee: “Kashkari said he plans to run television ads "in a targeted way," though he said those ads will not run statewide. Asked if he would advertise on network or cable TV, he said, "I'll reserve judgment on that."
“Kashkari's remarks come the same day a Field Poll put him at third among Republicans running for governor, far behind Donnelly, who polled at 17 percent among likely voters, and 1 percentage point behind Laguna Hills Mayor Andrew Blount.”
The defeat of a bill banning orca shows in California speaks to the new Capitol hierarchy.
Anthony York reports in Capitol Weekly: “Atkins, a Democrat who will take over the reins of the Assembly on May 12, represents San Diego, home of SeaWorld, the only place in California that keeps orcas in captivity. She doesn’t sit on the committee that essentially killed the orca bill this week, but her presence was felt in the room as lawmakers cast their votes.”
Charles Munger is bankrolling Republican Assembly candidates to get them on the ballot.
Chris Megerian reports for the L.A. Times: “Oliver Ponce, a 22-year-old government student at Sacramento State who’s seeking the seat being vacated by Assemblyman Roger Dickinson (D-Sacramento), said Munger’s contributions are encouraging candidates to compete in tough races.”
“In a lot of these districts, there are Democratic strongholds,” he said. “Sometimes there’s resignation and complacency. [Republicans] feel they don’t have much of a chance.”
A proposed new loan program would help undocumented college students.
Max Pringle reports for Capitol Public Radio: “California enacted the Dream Act in 2011. That law allows undocumented high school students to pay in-state tuition. Supporters say if the new bill passes many of those students wouldn’t have to take multiple jobs, or burden their struggling families for financial assistance.”
Long Beach politics are in an upheaval after the recent mayoral primary.
Christin Mai-Duc reports for the L.A. Times: “Lowenthal, a political heavyweight in the port city, garnered 19.6%. It marked the first time in her lengthy career that she lost an election day contest.”
“About 7,000 last-minute mail-in ballots and provisional votes remained unprocessed Wednesday evening, according to the city clerk's office, but city clerk's officials and political observers said they were not likely to change the results in most races.”