The 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals yesterday rejected a challenge to a 2013 Sunnyvale law that bans possession of large capacity ammunition magazines. Dan Brekke and Alex Emslie have the story for KQED.
“The panel found that U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Whyte was correct in his analysis: first, that banning magazines that accept more than 10 rounds of ammunition has an impact on Second Amendment rights, but doesn’t go so far as to destroy those rights; and second, that the Sunnyvale law responds to “substantial and important government interests,” namely promoting public safety, cutting violent crime and reducing risks to police officers.”
The plaintiffs in the case pledge to appeal to the Supreme Court.
Reporters have been tracking a fleet of bills introduced as legislation before the bill deadline last week. Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) proposed legislation that would protect citizens filming police activities in public.
From Patrick McGreevy at the Los Angeles Times: “The measure also would make clear that recording does not constitute reasonable suspicion to detain a person or probable cause to arrest.
“’Recent events throughout the country and here in California have raised questions about when an individual can -- and can’t -- record,’ Lara said in a statement. ‘SB 411 will help erase ambiguity, enhance transparency and ensure that freedom of speech is protected for both police officers and civilians.’”
Asm, Matthew Dababneh (D-Encino) introduced legislation to mandate that dogs and cats used in university research are offered up for adoption after their service. (Cute beagle photo warning.) Katie Orr has the story for Capital Public Radio.
“Democratic Assemblyman Matthew Dababneh…‘This bill isn’t about the research process. This bill is about the humane treatment of animals. And so while I’m one of the biggest supporters of the UC system, of the Cal State system and the private universities, this bill isn’t about that. This bill is about making sure our bill is once again a leader in the humane treatment of animals’”
Following last year’s Vergara Decision which declared California’s teacher tenure provisions unconstitutional, state GOP lawmakers have introduced a teacher evaluation bill that is sure to be in CTA crosshairs. From Jeremy White at the Sacramento Bee.
“The proposals include a bill repealing the “last in, first out” rule in which inexperienced teachers go first during budget-driven staff reductions; a bill extending from two years to three how long it takes to win tenure and allowing teachers to lose tenure if they receive poor evaluations; and a bill from Olsen, requiring annual teacher evaluations that incorporate test scores and student feedback and would give teachers one of four ratings (many districts now rate teachers simply satisfactory or not satisfactory).”
And, a bill from Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), a possible contender for retiring Senator Barbara Boxer’s seat, would eliminate what she says is a gender bias in Worker’s Comp claims.
Chris Nichols, San Diego Union Tribune: “AB 305 would prohibit the system from discounting a female worker’s claim based on conditions that predominantly affect women, including pregnancy, breast cancer, menopause, osteoporosis or a psychiatric disability related to those diseases.
“Gonzalez, a San Diego Democrat, said a loophole in the system has shortchanged female workers by citing so-called ‘pre-existing conditions,’ that exclusively or predominantly affect women.”
The turnout numbers are in from Los Angeles’ Tuesday municipal election: ten percent. The silver lining to that dismal news is that voters approved a plan to consolidate city elections with state and federal elections in November.
Oakland’s new $12.25 minimum wage took effect Monday, and some are seeing the impact at the dining table. From Joe Garifoli at SFGate:
“The wage increase puts more money in the pockets of most restaurant workers, but to keep pace with higher costs, some restaurants have upped menu prices by as much as 20 percent. Others have tacked on a mandatory service charge to the bill and eliminated tips for servers, potentially reducing the amount they earn.”
Good news for Darrell: former Senate Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg has landed a post as the director of policy and advocacy for the new UC Davis Behavioral Health Center of Excellence. Bad news for Darrell: the Position is unpaid.
A rare light of bipartisanship shone in Washington D.C., courtesy Sen. Jeff Denham’s (R-Turlock) French Bulldog, Lily.
“The 15-pound dog, with the jowls of a young Winston Churchill and the pluck of a latter-day Snoopy, is the inspiration for of Rep. Jeff Denham's (R-Turlock) measure approved Wednesday to allow dogs and cats to ride on Amtrak trains.”
And, it’s almost against Roundup rules to have two pieces of good news in a row, but what the heck. Business Insider magazine just ranked California’s economy as the fourth best in the nation.
“We ranked the states' economies on six measures: recent change in housing prices, nonfarm payroll job growth, unemployment rate, GDP per capita, average weekly wage, and state government surplus and deficit….
“California had the fifth-highest wages in the country, with a Q2 2014 average weekly wage of $1,072. The state's housing prices went up 8.12% between Q3 2013 and Q3 2014, the third-biggest jump in the country. The state government's huge 2013 surplus of $32 billion was the largest of any state.”
Since we do our “Worst Week” segment on Fridays this will be our last day to celebrate the great state of Florida, which joined the Union on March 3, 1855. We’ve spent the week following the exploits of the Sunshine State’s weird and wonderful inhabitants – whose actions so often lead to bizarre news headlines that begin with, “Florida Man…”
Today’s winner: One dead as Florida Man tries to shoot bucket off friend’s head.
Jeffrey Camarda was arrested not far from the bar where investigators say he shot Billy Lee McDaniel.
“Investigators said McDaniel was drinking in the bar’s back parking lot with members of the Southern Sons Motorcycle Club when the shooting occurred…
“McDaniel was standing and holding a plastic garbage can over his head, and club members were tossing bottles and cups into the bucket, when Camarda ‘attempted to shoot the bucket from McDaniel’s head,’ a sheriff’s spokesman said in a news release.”
Darwin’s Theory, proved again…