The U.S. Senate quietly passed California’s drought-relief legislation that now heads for tough negotiations in the House.
Michael Doyle reports for McClatchy DC: “The dealmaking to come will test Democrats and Republicans alike. It could make or break some reputations, and potentially pit one Central Valley region against another. It’s still a work in progress, though the Senate’s action was a big step forward for those who want a bill and a blow to those who fear the end result.”
Latinos students in California are among the most segregated in the country according to a study out of UCLA.
Brenda Gazzar reports for Los Angeles Daily News: “In fact, the state has seen a dramatic increase in the segregation of Latinos, who on average attended schools that were 54 percent white in 1970 but now attend schools that are about 84 percent nonwhite. Latinos here also have fewer white classmates than Latinos in any other state; the typical Latino student here attends a school whose population is just 15.6 percent white, the study found. Statewide, the proportion of K-12 schools that are “intensely segregated” has more than doubled from 15 percent in 1993-94 to 31 percent in 2012-13.”
The sheer scale of Gov. Jerry Brown’s Bay Delta tunnel project is conceivable now, thanks to a video simulation.
Dan Walters writes in the Sacramento Bee: “The commission, a state agency that represents local communities in the Delta, hired a computer artist to prepare a video simulation of the three intakes on the Sacramento River that would feed the two proposed tunnels. The result is a 46-second animation on YouTube that gives the impression of a helicopter ride above the intakes and the region near Courtland, in Sacramento County, where they are proposed.”
The whereabouts of more than half a million in campaign cash for Leland Yee’s secretary of state bid remains unknown.
Paige St. John reports for the Los Angeles Times: “Campaign finance reports filed with the state by Thursday's reporting deadline show the indicted lawmaker had reduced that account to just over $29,000, returning checks for nearly $20,000, and paid bills, including a small check to his criminal defense lawyer.”
“The paperwork doesn't disclose the fate of more than $518,000 that Yee's campaign spent on commercials for his aborted campaign.”
As gubernatorial election money continues to flow in, the cash disparity among candidates is becoming more lopsided.
Carla Marinucci reports for SF Gate: “The demands of the competitive race against Donnelly, who leads the GOP field in the latest PPIC poll, are evident in latest financial statements. They show that Kashkari — who has given a total of $2 million of his own funds to date — raised an additional $736,403 in the current period starting March 18 and ending May 17. But Kashkari spent $2,072,792 in the same period, the statements show.”
“By contrast, Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown, who faces no serious competition from within his own party, sits on a $20,740,895 war chest. He raised $1,069,785 this past period — and spent just a paltry $77,109, or about 1/3 of Kashkari.
While Kashkari has about $40,000 in debts, Brown’s reports show him with a zero debt balance.”
In Kashkari’s fight for the GOP nomination, he can’t escape his moderate record.
David Siders reports in the Sacramento Bee: “When Kashkari took the podium at a lunch in Fresno on Thursday, a Donnelly volunteer was in the audience to press the case.”
"How do I handle this with my child, when someone is calling themselves a Republican?" said Gina Wallace, who teaches political science at California State University, Fresno. "How do I explain to him, it's Ok, he voted, he voted for Obama."