Upset by opposition to gun-control legislation, Democrats in the House of Representatives staged a sit-in to respond to the Republicans' decision to turn off cameras inside the chamber-- and they broadcast everything on Periscope.
Nicky Wolf from San Francisco in The Guardian: "Lawmakers turned to Periscope and Facebook Live to broadcast a sit-in protest in the House of Representatives on Wednesday after the Speaker’s office switched off the TV cameras inside the chamber."
"Live-streaming video has long been a staple of reporting from civil unrest and other areas where bulky TV cameras struggle to reach, but the medium got its shining moment on Capitol Hill – and on C-Span – after the House GOP turned off the TV cameras inside the chamber."
"This upshot was an initial media blackout on an hours-long sit-in protest by Democratic lawmakers over gun control legislation, which had coalesced on social media around the hashtag #NoBillNoBreak."
SEE ALSO: Democrats continue sit in -- David Smith in Washington & Nicky Wolf; At the House Democrats' gun sit-in, a shouting match broke out and lawmakers had to be separated -- Sarah D. Wire in L.A. Times
And now, local Bay Area Democrats are joining their House counterparts in the protest.
East Bay Times' Katrina Cameron reports: "As Democratic lawmaker held the floor of the House of Representatives in an extremely rare, all-day protest Wednesday, Bay Area members were among those who spoke out against gun violence and in favor of a vote on new regulations."
"The House Democrats began a sit-in in the well of the House chamber Wednesday morning, calling for debate and a vote on a measure that would bar persons listed on the federal government's terror watch list from buying guns, a measure to expand background checks for gun purchases and another to order the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study the effects of gun violence. The protest was led by Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., a civil-rights leader who organized sit-ins during the fight against segregation in the 1960s."
"Rep. Barbara Lee, of Oakland, came to the House floor holding a photo of Reggina Jeffries, a 16-year-old girl who was fatally shot while attending a June 14 vigil in Oakland for two drowning victims."
SEE ALSO: Moms rally for stricter background checks in gun lending -- Rachel Cohrs in Sacramento Bee.
Meanwhile, California's Coastal Commission sees an emergency loan from Gov. Brown's budget advisors in an effort to meet payroll after a staffer warned such a thing would not be possible come July without additional money.
John Myers reports in L.A. Times: "Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget advisors have approved an emergency loan of $1.45 million to the California Coastal Commission after an agency staffer said it was in danger of not making payroll in July."
"A letter sent to legislative leaders this week by Brown said this is the second consecutive year of a cash crisis for the commission, prompting a formal audit of its money management."
"The money will “address end of the year, day-to-day things that couldn’t be deferred,” said H.D. Palmer, a budget spokesman for Brown."
Speaking of the Coastal Commission, the vote earlier to fire executive director Charles Lester has resonated in the North Coast.
From Capitol Weekly's Alex Matthews: "Four months later and 600 miles to the north, the aftershocks of the Commission’s political earthquake are still being felt."
"On June 7, Martha McClure, a commissioner who voted to fire Lester, lost the Del Norte County supervisor seat that she has held for the past 20 years."
"McClure is a Democrat, but even with the county’s typically conservative leanings, the election results were remarkably lopsided: Lori Cowan, McClure’s Republican challenger, took 64 percent of the vote, McClure received just 35 percent."
Trump is on the attack and goes for the jugular in his latest speech Wednesday, denouncing opposing candidate Hillary Clinton.
Jeremy Diamond and Stephen Collinson at CNN report: "New York (CNN)Donald Trump sought to regain control of his campaign Wednesday, turning attention away from the turmoil roiling his operation with a blistering denunciation of the character, career and qualifications of Hillary Clinton."
"After enduring weeks of self-inflicted wounds, the speech was Trump's most professional political address since he became the presumptive nominee in early May. It seemed to fuse his volatile, off-the-cuff political style with a more traditional brand of political discourse that puts reasoned arguments before voters as they make their choice for President."
The nation sees a sweeping stroke of arrests against 300 (including a couple dozen from California) medical professionals involved in a massive conspiracy to defraud Medicare.
Greg Moran writes in The Tribune: "Hundreds of doctors, pharmacists and nurses — including two dozen medical professionals across San Diego and southern California — have been charged in a massive federal law enforcement crackdown on health care fraud that the Justice Department said Wednesday cost the government $900 million."
"Federal officials said more than 300 people nationwide have been charged in the sweep, the largest takedown ever by a Medicare fraud task force of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies."
"The defendants face a wide arrays of charges, including conspiracy to commit health care fraud, money laundering, mail fraud and violations of federal anti-kickback laws."
While the LBGT community continues to heal after the Orlando tragedy, San Francisco's upcoming gay pride parade will have an influx of security over the weekend as a million plus are expected to attend the event.
Daily Californian's Cassie Ipaso reports: "Parade-goers will experience heightened security measures at the San Francisco Pride celebration this weekend — which is expected to draw around a million people to the Downtown area — in wake of the recent shooting incident in a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida."
"These measures will include security screening and metal detectors at all points of entry for the Pride celebration at San Francisco’s Civic Center. There will also be a much stronger security presence this year than in previous years."
"This year we have added additional uniformed and plain clothes officers to ensure security and safety,” said SF Pride spokesperson Sam Singer. “We are working very closely with the FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies to provide extra eyes and ears.”"
Oakland Police Department's recent spate of scandalous behavior has prompted lawmakers to consider asking voters to decide on whether or not the public should have free access to police personel records.
Ted Goldberg writing in KQED reports: "In the wake of the sexual misconduct scandal that has engulfed the Oakland Police Department, state Sen. Mark Leno is considering asking California voters to decide whether to give the public more access to the personnel records of law enforcement officers."
"The Oakland scandal broke weeks after the Legislature killed a bill by the San Francisco Democrat that called for sustained complaints concerning sexual assault and excessive force to be open to anyone who asks for them."
"It’s quite possible it cannot be done legislatively, that the power of the law enforcement lobby is so intense that it’s not going to move successfully through the Legislature,” Leno said in an interview. “The only way we may have to change these secrecy laws would be to go to the ballot.”"
SEE ALSO: Oakland delays police academy in wake of scandals -- Rachel Swan in The Chronicle.
A bill fighting for extended parental leave in the workplace has stalled during Wednesday's Assembly Committee.
KQED's Katie Orr writes: "A bill that would have expanded California’s parental leave law stalled in an Assembly committee Wednesday, and politics may have played a role in its demise."
"SB1166, from Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), would have required employers with 10 or more employees to allow eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave to bond with a new child. Currently, the law is limited to employers with 50 or more employees. The measure was a priority of the California Legislative Women’s Caucus."
"The legislation was heard Wednesday by the Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment, which is chaired by Assemblyman Roger Hernandez (D-West Covina). Earlier this year Jackson, who chairs the women’s caucus, called for Hernandez to step down from his committee chairmanship following domestic abuse allegations against him. Hernandez has denied the accusations."
Politicon, aka the Comicon-of-Politics, is making its way to Pasadena this year.
The Press-Enterprises' Jeff Horseman reports in Daily News: "Having worked for more than three decades as a tour manager or production designer for Kanye West, Annie Lennox and everyone in between, Simon Sidi knows what a rock concert sounds like."
"It was the same reaction he got when watching a live taping of “Political Gabfast,” a podcast for the online magazine Slate."
"The reaction — they were discussing a Supreme Court decision, he thinks — inspired Sidi, a native of Britain, to create Politicon, a convention billed as the Comic-Con of politics. The second-ever Politicon takes place Saturday and Sunday, June 25 and 26 at the Pasadena Convention Center."
And now from our "GOP of Thrones" file ...
November is coming. Dems remember. Photoshop wins.
"When you play game of thrones elect a president, you pray Donald Trump doesn’t win or you become an expat and/or die."
"The similarities right now between Westeros and Washington, D.C., are all too real, and DesignCrowd, a company that connects small businesses with graphic designers, took that idea to the next level."
"They’ve superimposed some choice presidential candidates onto the bodies of beloved (and less than beloved) “Game of Thrones” characters."