Trump's list of friends continues to dwindle as Silicon Valley all but completely shuts him out after Apple refuses to host Trump and instead chooses to host Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan.
Matthew Artz reporting for East Bay Times writes: "Apple CEO Tim Cook is adding another concrete slab to the ever-growing wall between Silicon Valley and Donald Trump: His company won't be participating in Trump's coronation at the GOP convention, but he will be hosting a fundraiser next week for Republican House Speaker and frequent Trump critic Paul Ryan."
"The decision, first reported by Politico and confirmed Monday by this news organization, separates Apple from other tech giants such as Facebook and Google that decided to play a role in the convention. With Trump firing his campaign manager Corey Lewandowski on Monday amid floundering poll numbers, analysts said that Apple's move also illustrates a growing view among the tech elite that Trump will likely have about as much staying power as Windows Vista."
A bill is wiggling it's way through the Capitol that would allow police officers a three-day head's up on any requests from the public for video footage from cruiser and body cameras. Viewed by supporters as a measure for officer safety, critics contend the bill marks a frightening transition into complete police-conduct opaqueness.
The L.A. Times' Richard Winton reports: "It would be two years before the release of police dash camera recordings revealed the final moments of Ricardo Diaz Zeferino, an unarmed man fatally shot when Gardena officers unleashed a volley of gunfire on three men mistakenly suspected of stealing a bicycle."
"The recordings were ordered unsealed in 2015 by a federal judge, who, in a scathing opinion, said the public had a rightful interest in seeing the recordings, especially after authorities spent taxpayer money to keep them from view."
"Now, civil libertarians say they fear attempts to block or delay release of body and dash cam footage could become common if a bill moving through the state Legislature becomes law."
Despite an Alzheimer's diagnosis, prosecutors are still seeking a six-month prison term for ex-L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca after he committed perjury in a federal investigation.
Joel Rubin in The L.A. Times reports: "Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, but he nonetheless should serve time in prison for lying to federal investigators during a probe into jail abuses by sheriff’s deputies, the U.S. attorney’s office has concluded."
"In a court filing released late Monday, Assistant U.S. Atty. Brandon Fox confirmed rumors about Baca’s health, writing that an expert on Alzheimer’s had evaluated the former sheriff for the government and verified the diagnosis."
"Calling Baca “a study in contrasts” for his high achievements in office and the ethical failures that were his downfall, as well as “a physically fit 74-year-old who is able to function in his daily life,” Fox urged U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson to sentence Baca to six months in prison. Baca is scheduled to be sentenced next month."
Oakland has discovered a legal loophole that allows the city to run without an officially named police chief. Mayor Libby Schaaf has begun to utilize it, despite outcries from POST officials who say that her requests for police commanders to report to city administrators instead of a chief is illegal.
Matier & Ross in The Chronicle write: "After a day of confusion, state officials backed down late Monday on an assertion that Mayor Libby Schaaf’s plan to have the Oakland Police Department function without an acting police chief violated California law."
"Officials at the state Police Officers Standards and Training agency, or POST, had said earlier Monday that Oakland’s plan to have police commanders report to City Administrator Sabrina Landreth was illegal. They cited both California government code and a state attorney general’s opinion backing their argument that the city needed to name an acting chief to head the department, which is embroiled in multiple scandals and has gone through three chiefs in less than two weeks."
"Acting Assistant Chief David Downing is in charge of day-to-day decisions for the Police Department, Schaaf’s office said, while Landreth is overseeing administrative and personnel decisions."
Senate Dems have reappointed Genevieve Shiroma to the Agricultural Labor Board, and the Reeps and growers at odds with the UFW in Fresno County are not pleased.
David Siders with The Bee reports: "Senate Democrats on Monday moved forward with the reappointment of Genevieve Shiroma to the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board, despite opposition from Republicans and growers who objected to her ties to a farmworker union lobbyist."
"Shiroma, of Sacramento, paid Richie Ross, a Democratic campaign consultant who lobbies for the United Farm Workers union, for work on campaigns for the Sacramento Municipal Utility District board of directors. Agriculture interests embroiled in a longstanding dispute between the UFW and Gerawan Farming in Fresno County sought to block her reappointment, highlighting the connection to Ross in a social media campaign."
“Is this not a conflict of interest in your opinion?” Sen. Tom Berryhill, R-Twain Harte, asked Shiroma at a confirmation hearing."
As the temperatures rise, so does the strain on the state's electricity grid: Residents in L.A. found themselves without energy after a record-setting blanket of heat covered the city, spiking air conditioning use.
L.A. Times' Matt Hamilton reports: "Thousands of Los Angeles residents lost power Monday as scorching temperatures kept people inside while running fans and air conditioners that strained the power grid, officials said."
"As of 9:30 p.m., about 6,200 Department of Water and Power customers lost electrical service, department spokeswoman Christy Holland said."
"The vast majority of those experiencing power outages -- about 5,500 customers -- reside in the San Fernando Valley, Holland said. The rest were scattered in pockets across metropolitan L.A."
SEE ALSO: Heat wave raises worries about power outages -- Rob Nikolewski in The Tribune; California's top electricity regulator is lukewarm on measure to strip agency's power -- Liam Dillon with L.A. Times.
And now from our "Public Pool" file...
Don't have access to a muni, local river, or backyard pool, but still want to cool down for the summer? Well, this couple of friends has got it all figured out. Warning: You're going to need a LOT of plastic. And possibly some floaties and beer.
"This is the hilarious moment that a group of friends decided to turn a kitchen into a swimming pool - by filling the entire room up with water."
"Vladimir Vechnyy and his pals came up with the madcap idea at his ground floor flat in the city of Tver in western Russia's Tver Oblast region."
"First they covered the floor and walls with plastic sheets which they glued together to create a waterproof seal."