U.S. Senate contender Loretta Sanchez is not happy: President Obama has decided to endorse rival Kamala Harris.
Christopher Cadelago in Sac Bee: "Loretta Sanchez, a candidate for U.S. Senate in California, unleashed a sharp critique of President Barack Obama on Tuesday for endorsing her Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, suggesting he should instead focus on helping beat Republican Donald Trump in the presidential race."
"I am disappointed that President Obama chose to endorse in an historic Senate race between two Democrats,” Sanchez, a nearly 20-year congresswoman from Orange County, said in a prepared statement that ran nearly 550 words. “I would think the Leader of the Democratic Party would be focused on defeating Donald Trump and supporting Democratic Senate candidates against Republicans."
"California’s Senate seat does not belong to the political establishment – it belongs to the People of California, and I believe California voters will make their own independent choice for U.S. Senate in November."
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy is backing Donald Trump, but his speech indicates the belief that to really move forward with a better America, we need a Republican Congress.
Lisa Mascaro with L.A. Times writes: "House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy backs Donald Trump, but he hasn't been anywhere near the forefront of the Trump movement."
"A speaking role at the Republican convention was not a role he was initially expecting to have."
"That might help explain why he barely mentioned Trump, now the GOP nominee, in his prime-time address."
SEE MORE related to RNC/Beltway: California Republicans showcase diversity in Cleveland, or not -- David Siders with Sacramento Bee; Trump promised 'amazing' convention; well, it's certainly different -- Christopher Cadelago with Sacramento Bee.
Speaking of the G.O.P. convention, California has contributed 300 working bodies from the CHP to assist at the event in Cleveland.
Matier & Ross in The Chronicle: "The biggest California contingent in Cleveland this week isn’t the state’s 172 delegates to the Republican National Convention — it’s the 300 California Highway Patrol officers who were sent to Ohio to help provide security at the four-day Trump-fest."
"CHP spokeswoman Fran Clader said the agency sent officers at the request of Ohio officials as part of a federal interstate mutual-aid pact. She declined to confirm the number, but Brad Alexander of the state Office of Emergency Services said the total was 300 — or 4 percent of the CHP’s 7,600-officer force."
"And it’s not just officers — a parking lot’s worth of sport utility vehicles belonging to the Highway Patrol also rolled out to the Buckeye State. Clader said all costs were being picked up by the feds."
SEE MORE related to Public Safety: Los Angeles landmarks lit blue in honor of law enforcement officers -- STAFF with Daily News.
Proposition 53 aims to allow any state public works project with over $2 billion funding in revenue bonds be voted on by the public before their development starts.
John Howard reports with Capitol Weekly: "He started out with $3,000 and a VW bug. Now, he’s a multimillionaire bankrolling a November ballot initiative to dramatically change the way California borrows money for public works."
"Dean “Dino” Cortopassi, 77, is a Stockton landowner, farmer and businessman who has waged a crusade against pervasive government debt and, he says, the dubious accounting tricks that allow it to flourish."
"What I’m about is not taxes,” the 6-foot-2 Cortopassi said in an interview in his north Stockton office, “but I do understand arithmetic. This is about debt and the bills you don’t pay."
A recent report shows that Sacramento has a disparity in racial diversity and gender pay equality within the city's political infrastructure.
Anita Chabria with Sac Bee reports: "Over the past 15 years, as California’s population grew increasingly diverse, Sacramento’s city workforce remained mostly white, a new city audit has found."
"A final audit issued Tuesday by the Office of the City Auditor says the city’s employees – and its Police and Fire departments – are significantly less diverse than the public they serve. In all but two of 17 city departments examined, more than 50 percent of managers are white."
"Of the 13 directors that oversee city departments, 11 are white. The city’s chief information officer is Hispanic, and the director of public safety accountability is black, according to the report. "
During PG&E's pipeline safety trial, the company's former VP says that he often signed important documents without actually understanding the language within them.
Libby Rainey with The Chronicle: "A former Pacific Gas and Electric Co. executive testified Tuesday in the company’s trial on pipeline safety that he had signed a letter that was instrumental in PG&E being charged with obstructing a federal investigation by trying to conceal an allegedly illegal policy of testing older lines for welding problems."
"But he testified he didn’t write or edit the letter, and signed it without understanding the technical language within it. He said that was often the case with documents he was asked to review."
"I would read what I could and what I could understand. Most of it was technical information,” said William Hayes, former vice president of gas maintenance and construction for the utility. “It didn't do much good for me to read it. I pretty much had to trust what the team had gotten me.”
Recent budget cuts have left the CSU system with almost 20% less in funding per student and much larger compromises addressing student needs.
Rosanna Xia with L.A. Times reports: "State budget cuts have left California State University with about 19% less in funding to spend per student compared with pre-recession years — compromising efforts to fully address student needs, university officials said."
"The state spends about $7,858 per full-time student, compared with $9,686 in 2007-2008, adjusted for inflation, Assistant Vice Chancellor Ryan Storm told the Board of Trustees at a meeting Tuesday in Long Beach."
"The state’s final budget agreement for fiscal year 2016-2017 gave Cal State about 60% of the additional funding that administrators wanted, which forced some priorities, such as student enrollment, to be downsized."
SEE MORE related to Education: UC regents will meet this week to vote on major changes to committee structure -- Suhauna Hussain with The Daily Californian.
And now from our "Pimple Pastry" file ...
Pimples and pastries aren't generally two things you want to envision together. This dermatologist in California did, however, and this is the result: Pimple-popping cupcakes. Pus and fun for the whole family!
UPI: "A dermatologist in California commissioned a batch of cupcakes designed to celebrate her affinity for popping pimples."
"Dr. Sandra Lee, also known as "Dr. Pimple Popper," shared video of the cupcakes which feature cream meant to represent puss pouring out of frosting made to look like inflamed skin."
"The video demonstrates that the cream can be squeezed out of the cupcake, similar to the process of popping a pimple."
I'll never eat another cupcake...