Residents of the East Porterville didn’t realize how bad the drought was until the water stopped. When state officials weren’t acting, one woman took it upon herself to start making deliveries.
Diana Marcum writes in The Los Angeles Times: “At the elementary school, a kitchen worker talked about all the children who were coming to school dirty.”
“This scattered Tulare County community may be the hardest-hit place in California's punishing drought. Of its 7,300 people, almost 1,000 have no running water.”
“But few knew that until Donna Johnson, 72, started counting.”
Looking ahead to November elections, money is beginning to flow into committees for the water bond and budget reserve ballot measures.
Jim Miller reports for The Sacramento Bee: “A campaign committee to pass a $7.5 billion water bond and budget reserve ballot measure championed by Gov. Jerry Brown received its first infusion of money late Tuesday.”
“The statewide carpenters union, the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, and the California American Council of Engineering Companies gave $650,000 to
“Yes on Props 1 and 2, a bipartisan coalition of business, labor, Republicans, Democrats and Governor Brown.””
Once a vulnerable incumbent, freshman Rep. Raul Ruiz is now being called the "Cory Booker of California."
Emily Cahn reports for Roll Call: “Ruiz represents competitive territory that President Barack Obama won by only 3 points last cycle. The freshman started the midterms as a top GOP target, and Republicans were confident in their recruit, Assemblyman Brian Nestande.”
“Then, the completely unexpected happened. Twice.”
“In October, Ruiz, an emergency room physician by trade, helped resuscitate a man who collapsed on a flight from Washington, D.C., to Dallas. In July, Ruiz helped assist a Breitbart News columnist who had a seizure on a flight en route to Phoenix.”
Wildfires continue to char Northern California and now threaten homes east of Sacramento.
Adolfo Flores reports for The Los Angeles Times: “The King fire, which erupted Sunday, is 5% contained, fire officials said. About 3,300 firefighters are battling the blaze, which is burning in steep terrain in the South Fork of the American River Canyon and Silver Creek Canyon, north of the community of Pollock Pines.”
“On Wednesday afternoon, the fire made a significant run to the northwest, forcing more evacuations.”
““It’s been growing all day,” said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. “Extremely dry conditions have really allowed this fire to grow and over the next couple of days we’re expecting the wind to pick up, so that’s going to challenge us significantly.””
The two candidates in the race for State Superintendent of Public Instruction squared off last night.
Tom Chorneau reports in The Cabinet Report: “Flush with $150,000 in new support from teacher organizations, state schools chief Tom Torlakson was still forced on the defensive by challenger Marshall Tuck at a candidate forum Wednesday night.”
“Much of Tuck’s advance was aimed at Torlakson’s support of teacher tenure laws that were invalidated by a superior court judge earlier this summer and a more recent decision by the superintendent to seek an appeal of the ruling.”
Driving in L.A. is likely to give you a headache, especially under the following circumstances.
Joseph Serna reports for The Los Angeles Times: “Thousands of drivers who were diverted onto toll lanes following a dramatic gun battle in Los Angeles last month were fined for not having the transponder needed to travel on the pay-to-drive lanes.”
“The fines, which in some cases were for as little as a dollar, were issued to thousands of commuters detoured by police onto the northbound 110 ExpressLanes near Vernon Avenue from 3 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Aug. 18 when police closed the regular lanes, city officials said.”