New Assembly Speaker Rendon touched on key problem areas that need focus during his swearing-in speech on Monday.
Liam Dillon reporting in the LAT: "Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, (D-Paramount) outlined three priorities for his tenure in his swearing-in speech Monday afternoon: poverty, oversight and participation."
"Poverty: Rendon called the number of California children living in poverty "the single biggest shadow on the Golden State." In a news conference after his speech, Rendon referred to a recent successful effort to boost tax credits for poor working families and a potential minimum wage increase as specific anti-poverty measures. "
"Oversight: With a potentially longer time in office than his predecessors because of the loosening of term limits in 2012, Rendon said he wanted to ramp up legislative oversight, specifically of the executive branch. He said he was hoping to work with his GOP colleagues in this area as well as on anti-poverty programs."
Rendon may be around for awhile, unlike many of his immediate predecessors.
From the Bee's Dan Walters: "The California Assembly has had 11 speakers since Willie Brown reluctantly stepped down in 1995 after a record 14-plus years as the Capitol’s self-proclaimed “ayatollah.”
"On average, that works out to under two years for each post-Brown speakership – and one speaker, Democrat Brown’s hand-picked Republican successor, the late Doris Allen, lasted scarcely three months."
"The Capitol’s string of short-term speakerships may be about to change. Lakewood’s Anthony Rendon got the nod from his fellow Democrats months ago and was inaugurated Monday for what could be eight-plus years in the speakership, second in tenure only to Brown’s reign."
Maybe we should add environmental issues to the speaker's list of problem areas. Despite the efforts placed in capping the Porter Ranch natural gas leak, residents of the affected area are still reporting illnesses weeks later.
Susan Abram with The Daily News reports: "Los Angeles County health officials plan to launch a door-to-door check-up throughout Porter Ranch beginning Thursday to investigate complaints by residents in the community who continue to report illnesses weeks after a leaking natural gas well was capped."
"The plan was outlined in a status report released to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Monday."
"State health officials are expected to join the county in conducting the door-to-door assessment and the results will be presented to the board later this month."
Meanwhile, PG&E, the state's largest investor-owned utility, finds itself in the middle of a court case that also involves natural gas.
From the Chronicle's Bob Egelko: "A federal judge granted Pacific Gas & Electric Co. a postponement of at least three weeks Monday in the utility’s criminal trial on charges of violating safety laws in inspecting and keeping records on natural gas pipelines."
"U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson agreed with a federal magistrate that PG&E needed more time to review thousands of pages of evidence provided recently by prosecutors. He delayed the start of jury selection from March 22 to April 12 and said he might postpone it further if necessary."
"Henderson then removed everyone from his courtroom except PG&E’s lawyers for a discussion of a potentially more significant issue: whether the law firm that is leading the utility’s defense might be implicated in one of the charges. If so, the firm could be forced out of the case, requiring a much longer postponement of the trial."
Before Ronald and Nancy Reagan were the First Family, they governed California.
Mary Plummer with KPCC reports: "Even before Nancy Reagan stepped onto the national stage as wife of the 40th president, she had left her stamp as the first lady of California."
"Ronald Reagan won election as California governor in 1966 and he and his wife moved from Southern California to the state capitol."
"He was a conservative in the midst of the free speech movement. She was a wife and mother and former actress used to being in front of the cameras, but not the glare of the lights as the state’s first lady. "
San Fernando Assemblywoman Patty Lopez is forced to pay fines after an investigation found that she violated campaign and finance laws in 2014.
LAT'S Patrick McGreevy reports: "Assemblywoman Patty Lopez (D-San Fernando) has agreed to pay $7,500 in fines for violating campaign and personal finance disclosure laws during her 2014 election, according to documents released Monday."
"Lopez signed an agreement with the state Fair Political Practices Commission in which she admitted failing to properly file campaign and personal finance statements, failing to deposit contributions into one campaign account, and receiving $1,300 in cash contributions of $100 or more."
"Lopez was a political newcomer when she unseated Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra in 2014 and the FPPC case could hurt her as she seeks reelection this year in a rematch with Bocanegra."
Capitol Weekly's latest podcast is now available. Rough&Tumble's Jack Kavanaugh guest stars.
"Jack Kavanagh stops by the lavish offices of Capitol Weekly for a chat with John Howard and Tim Foster about journalism, the internet, and why you won't find The Economist on R&T."