Gov. Brown comments on legislation that would mandate a $15 minimum wage in California, saying business interests would be foolish to lobby against it.
Sacramento Business Journal's Allen Young writes: "Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday hailed a new legislative compromise to raise the state's minimum wage to $15, while also sending a blunt message to business groups that might oppose the deal."
"Brown said the deal, leaked over the weekend, is the best option for business groups that have already announced their opposition to a newly approved ballot measure for a $15 minimum wage. That initiative wouldn't include wage freezes during recessions — unlike the new deal brokered with state lawmakers."
"I think very few business people will lobby against this bill, because then they will just be cutting their own throat,” Brown said at a Monday press conference."
Who's moving ahead in California's U.S. Senate race? No one knows, thanks to the presidential election.
LAT's Phil Willon reports: "California’s U.S. Senate campaign appears stuck in a political stasis, with nearly a third of voters still undecided about who to support in a race lost in the shadow of the nation’s presidential contest, according to a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll."
"Support for Democratic state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, the current frontrunner, has not budged from the level of support she registered shortly after entering into the race a year ago, despite spending nearly $4 million on her campaign."
"Harris’ top Democratic rival, U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Santa Ana), has shown small gains since the fall in Los Angeles County and the Central Valley. But she has not gained enough support to solidify the overall second-place finish in the June primary needed to advance the November general election."
Meanwhile, lawmakers are becoming increasingly disatisfied with California's high speed rail project, blaming the planning stage's lack of cohesion and the development stage's huge price tag.
From AP's Allison Noon and Juliet Williams: "California lawmakers expressed dissatisfaction Monday with a plan to change the direction of a $64 billion high-speed railway, with one Assemblyman concerned he could travel through Star Trek's fictional teleportation device before the train would arrive in his district."
"Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced, said during a joint hearing of the Assembly transportation and select rail committees that he's frustrated by the train's delayed timeline. Previous blueprints would have run the first high-speed trains between Merced and the San Fernando Valley by 2022; the latest plan delays that service by seven years."
"It makes me feel like I'm going to be with Captain Kirk on the transporter before I'm going to be on high speed rail," Gray said."
The tech industry wiped sweat off its brow and had some choice words for the government today after announcements that the FBI dropped it's suit against Apple.
LAT's Paresh Dav writes: "That legal mess between the FBI and Apple over the last two months? The tech world wants to make sure it doesn't happen again."
"The FBI's declaration Monday that it could hack into an iPhone without Apple's help -- a device the agency had insisted carried security measures only the tech giant could defeat -- at least temporarily ends the clash between Washington and Silicon Valley."
"Though a momentary reprieve for Apple and its peers, the tech industry's reaction to the FBI's decision contained more warning than celebration."
The state face's possible recreational marijuana legalization on the ballot this year; KPCC examines what legalization means.
KPCC's Jacob Margolis reports: "Right now it's not hard to buy pot legally in California: $40 and a trip to the doctor, and you have yourself a prescription for medical marijuana, which you can use to treat things like back pain and anxiety."
"But a campaign is underway to make pot legal for recreational use. Supporters are gathering signatures now to put an initiative on the November ballot, asking California voters if pot should be fully legal, like it is in Colorado, Oregon and Washington."
"Those signatures are for the Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA). It's likely going to be the initiative that makes it to California's ballot, according to Beau Kilmer, co-director of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center. So far it has more traction than the other marijuana-related initiatives being circulated. It's been endorsed by notable marijuana advocacy groups like NORML and has received significant financial support from Napster's Sean Parker, who donated $1 million to the campaign."
And finally, check out Capitol Weekly's latest podcast this week, which was sponsored by RTBIQ.
"Join us for a special extended edition of the Capitol Weekly Podcast, featuring a panel discussion on how the newest tech and data are revolutionizing campaign strategies, featuring:
Richard Lowden, RTBIQ; Brent Blackaby, Trilogy Interactive; Paul Mitchell, Political Data Inc; Minnie Santillan, Political Consultant; Matt Rexroad, Meridian Pacific; and moderated by Scott Lay, The Nooner."
"Get special behind-the-scenes perspectives on the latest digital strategies and ground-breaking technologies that will impact the 2016 cycle. Recorded March 24, 2016, in Sacramento"