Scientists studying temperature data in the Pacific Ocean say that recent readings are the highest ever measured, indicating that a record-breaking El Niño may be on the way. Fingers crossed. Rong-Gong Lin II and Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times:
“Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at Stanford University, called the temperature reading significant. It is the highest such weekly temperature above the average in 25 years of modern record keeping in this key region of the Pacific Ocean west of Peru….”
“’At some point, during December, we’ll transition to a much more active pattern’ for storms, Swain said. ‘And by the end of December, and certainly by January, February and March, we’ll see above average precipitation, potentially well-above average.’
“’El Niño is going to be a dominant factor this winter,’ Swain said.”
Jimmy Panetta, son of former congressman, CIA Director and Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta, is the first Democrat to announce a bid to succeed retiring Rep. Sam Farr (D- Carmel.) Jim Miller, Sacramento Bee:
“Saying he would bring ‘young energy and fresh ideas’ to Congress, Panetta asked a crowd of well-wishers at a campaign kickoff Tuesday ‘to give me the chance to fight for you.’”
Tuesday also saw a shake up in AG Kamala Harris’ campaign for the other house, with the candidate sacking her campaign manager. Phil Willon, Los Angeles Times:
“Democratic Senate candidate Kamala Harris on Tuesday replaced her top political advisor, parting ways with campaign manager Rory Steele and replacing him with Juan Rodriguez.
“The change comes after the Harris campaign’s spending came under scrutiny. Harris, California’s attorney general, had spent more than 40% of the $5.9 million in contributions she has raised through September. That far exceeds the spending rate of her top Democratic rival, Rep. Loretta Sanchez of Santa Ana.
“Along with changing campaign managers, Harris is now on her third fundraiser for the campaign.”
Governor Jerry Brown may be supportive of Syrian refugees establishing themselves in the Golden State, but forty years ago it was a different story with the first term governor trying to reject refugees fleeing the Vietnam War. Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle:
“Unlike more than half of the nation’s governors, California Gov. Jerry Brown is welcoming Syrian refugees to his state. But Brown sounded a lot different 40 years ago, when thousands of refugees from the Vietnam War were headed to California during his first term in office.
“Then, Brown tried to prevent planes carrying refugees from landing at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield. His team told Julia Taft, the federal official trying to resettle the refugees, that California had ‘had too many Hispanics, too many people on welfare,’ Taft recalled years later.
“’We can’t be looking 5,000 miles away and at the same time neglecting people who live here,’ Brown said in 1975.”
Companies spent over $900 million on carbon allowances yesterday at the state’s 14th cap-and-trade auction of carbon credits. Allen Young, Sacramento Business Journal:
“So far, these carbon auctions have yielded the state of California approximately $2.8 billion in revenue, said CARB spokesman David Clegern. Half of that money goes to utility companies to offset electricity costs, and the other half is spent on an array of programs intended to help clean California’s air.
“California has approved spending commitments for at least $1 billion of that money so far, said Clegern, and much of that money has already gone out the door.”
Sorry, this next story is likely to hit a nerve for those of our readers who work at 450 N Street – the problem-plagued 24 story HQ of the Board of Equalization. Chuck McFadden has the story for Capitol Weekly:
“’This is the only building in the state of California that has permanent scaffolds all around the building just because at any given time, a window can fall out, plaster can fall off,’ Board of Equalization Chairman Jerome Horton told “
The building was constructed in 1991 for CalPERS, and the Board of Equalization moved in during 1993. The building’s rated capacity is 2,455 occupants; some 1,900 BOE employees work (cautiously) in the building now. It is owned and maintained by the Department of General Services, which bought the building from CalPERS in 2006, despite mounting evidence that the building had problems….
“General Services estimates it has spent $60 million in repairs as of February 2014, and estimates another $40 million in repairs is still needed. BOE pays General Services $17.2 million a year to rent the building. Taxpayers are still on the hook for $77.1 million to pay off the mortgage.
“Three BOE employees filed a $75 million class-action lawsuit in August 2014 alleging the building is causing employee health problems. The BOE has already spent $2.3 million on employee claims of injury associated with 450 N….
“The litany of woes could go on. There are reports the building has bats.”
Yes, he said “bats."
Perhaps a job for Bruce Wayne?...