After the regulator’s entanglement with PG&E was made public, long-time head Commissioner Michael Peevey says he won’t be seeking a reappointment from Brown. The governor’s sigh of relief could be heard from miles away.
David Siders reports for The Sacramento Bee: ““He gets things done,” Brown said. “He’s promoted renewable energy in a way that I don’t know that anybody else could have.””
“But on Thursday, as critics held a news conference in San Francisco to demand his ouster, Peevey said he will not seek reappointment when his term expires at the end of the year, extricating Brown from an increasingly difficult position.”
“Peevey’s announcement came after revelations this week that he privately told a PG&E executive in 2010 that he expected the utility to spend at least $1 million opposing a ballot measure seeking to undo provisions of Assembly Bill 32, California’s landmark greenhouse gas reduction law.”
The Assembly’s Democratic supermajority hinges on two races.
Melanie Mason reports for The LA Times: “Each is in a district where changing demographics recently transformed solidly Republican terrain into swing territory. But although Democrats may have expanded their playing field, they could be hobbled by lackluster turnout at the polls next month.”
“As Democratic registration climbs in these districts, "the blessing is they're getting more voters that are going to be supporting Democratic candidates," said Paul Mitchell, vice president of the bipartisan firm Political Data Inc.”
“"The curse," he said, "is that more of those voters are younger and tend to have a lower turnout."”
Despite the outcome on Nov. 4, a ballot measure designed to stop the construction of a casino in Madera near Highway 99 faces future hurdles.
John Myers reports for KQED: “Because Prop. 48 is a referendum, the usual roles of the campaigns are reversed: Voters who think Brown and the Legislature were correct in approving the casino cast a “yes” ballot, while those who hope to block the project would vote “no.””
“The No on 48 campaign has raised more than $11 million this year to kill the casino plan, including a $5.4 million contribution on Tuesday from one of North Fork’s neighboring tribes, Table Mountain Rancheria. They, and the nearby Picayune Rancheria of Chuckchansi Indians, both have their own big casinos, and they say another gaming palace will cut into the region’s existing gambling business.”
“But for all the bluster of the campaign, the bottom line is that the North Fork project could ultimately be decided in court.”
Enviros are fighting Kern County’s oil refinery development.
Tony Bizjack reports for The Sacramento Bee: “It would be the largest crude-by-rail transfer station in California, twice the size of a similar facility being planned in the Bay Area city of Benicia by the Valero Refining Co. Potentially, the Bakersfield station could receive trains carrying flammable Bakken oil from North Dakota through Central Valley cities, including Sacramento.”
“The lawsuit, filed by Earthjustice, contends the county did not fully assess the project’s health risks to state residents. Those risks, Earthjustice says, include the possibility of explosions if trains derail enroute to the refinery. The lawsuit argues that the project will further degrade air quality in the San Joaquin Valley and cited the region’s high levels of pediatric asthma.”
Incumbent Tom McClintock won’t debate his challenger unless he’s allowed to first see the questions.
Christopher Cadelago reports for The Sacramento Bee: “The only planned debate between Rep. Tom McClintock and fellow Republican Art Moore has been canceled after the sponsor refused to allow the congressman to designate a representative to vet the questions in advance.”
“The one-hour forum hosted by the League of Women Voters’ Placer County chapter was tentatively scheduled to take place next Wednesday. Moore seized on the cancellation Thursday, calling it another example of the congressman’s pattern of disrespecting voters in the 4th district, which covers 10 counties and stretches from Truckee to Fresno.”
President Barack Obama made a surprise visit to the state Sen. Ted Lieu’s congressional campaign headquarters while in LA.
Seema Mehta and Jean Merl report for The LA Times: “Lieu, a Democrat from Torrance who is favored to succeed retiring Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills) in the Nov. 4 election, was greeting volunteers with Rep. Steve Israel (D-New York), head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, when Lieu got word Obama was about to show up.”
“"I was surprised and thrilled," Lieu said in an interview later, adding he had about 10 minutes' notice before Obama walked through the door, trailing staff and reporters.”
POTUS will be in Bay Area today – brace yourself for traffic.
John Wildermuth reports for The SF Chronicle: “Although details are limited for security reasons, the president will be flying in to San Francisco on Air Force One on Friday afternoon after spending time in Los Angeles. He will speak at a fundraiser Friday evening at the W Hotel at Third and Howard streets, stay overnight in the city and then will appear at a roundtable to raise money for the Democratic National Committee on Saturday morning before flying back to Washington.”
“The Friday event will feature the “neo-soul” singer Maxwell in the ballroom and plenty of antiwar protesters on the streets outside the hotel.”
It’s become “highly likely” the NFL will make a comeback in Los Angeles next year.
Soumya Karlamangla, David Zahniser, and Sam Farmer report in The LA Times: “On an "Ask the Mayor" segment on KNX-AM (1070), Garcetti said that though L.A. doesn't want to subsidize a stadium, he thinks the NFL is "finally interested" in Los Angeles again. The sale of the Clippers, he said, showed "just how valuable the L.A. franchise could be."”
“Los Angeles hasn't had an NFL franchise for 20 years, since the Raiders and Rams left after the 1994 season. Recently, talk of a return to L.A. has resurfaced, with three franchises -- the Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers and St. Louis Rams -- on year-to-year stadium leases for the first time, unhappy with their current venues.”
“Previous L.A. mayors have predicted the imminent return of the NFL to the city. Though many in the NFL are optimistic that the league will soon return to the nation's second-largest TV market, some team owners are skeptical about how much the ball has moved during the last several years.”