In case you missed the convention last night, President Obama had some emotional words to share about his legacy -- and Donald Trump.
From the Guardian's Dan Roberts and Sabrina Siddiqui: "Barack Obama led an emotional assault on Donald Trump’s patriotism in his last big speech to adoring Democrats on Wednesday, casting the Republican as a threat not just to his legacy, but to American democracy."
“Show the world we still believe in the promise of a great nation,” the president urged both delegates and a national audience which is in real danger of voting for someone he dubbed a “home-grown demagogue”.
"The departing president was joined on stage by Hillary Clinton, making her first surprise appearance of the convention before an electrified crowd, which seems more than ready to embrace her. The biggest cheer of the week in Philadelphia came as Obama and Clinton walked off, arms wrapped around each other."
AP: "Text of President Barack Obama's speech Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention, as provided by the White House." SEE MORE from DNC: Clinton expands lead over Trump in California -- David Siders with The Bee; Donald Trump invites Russia to hack into Clinton's emails -- John Wildermuth with The Chronicle; Jerry Brown @ DNC: 'I say Trump lies ... I say Trump is a fraud.' -- David Siders, Christopher Cadelago with The Bee.
And in economic news, California has been ranked as the world's 6th largest economy... but is it true?
PolitiFact's Chris Nichols in Capitol Weekly writes: "State Senate leader Kevin de León spotlighted California’s economic and social achievements during his speech this week at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia."
"The Democrat from Los Angeles touted the state’s newly established $15 per hour minimum wage, efforts to keep college affordable and California’s hundreds of thousands of clean energy jobs."
“We’ve made unprecedented progress in every area,” De León told a cheering crowd. “And when we elect Hillary Clinton as our next president, I know that our progress will be America’s progress."
Meanwhile, deadline pressures loom as the state crafts a complex measurement tool for school districts.
From Louis Freedberg at EdSource: "California is on the verge of finalizing what leading educators believe is the most ambitious attempt in the nation to use multiple dimensions to measure how well – or poorly – a school or district is doing, rather than focusing primarily on test scores."
“All across the country people are paying attention to what California is doing,” Linda Darling-Hammond, the president of the Learning Policy Institute, said at a recent California School Boards Association conference."
"The deadline for approving the plan is barely two months away, as required by a state law championed by Gov. Jerry Brown that implemented the Local Control Funding Formula, which reformed both the way schools are funded and how progress will be measured."
READ MORE related to Education:Outgoing UCSA president submits report of recommendations to UC system -- Trevor Greenan with Daily Californian.
“Cops,” the long-running reality television show, will film Sacramento County deputies responding to calls, conducting traffic stops and interacting with residents for eight weeks. “Cops” camera teams previously followed Sacramento County deputies in 2010 and 2015, according to the county."
"Department spokesman Sgt. Tony Turnbull said film crews will be assigned to deputies during the week by shift sergeants, and participation is voluntary. He expects filming to begin in the next couple weeks."
And now a page from our "Midnight Lights" file ...
If you were one of the lucky individuals that got to see the dazzling display of who-knows-what in the sky last night, the official response is thus: debris from a Chinese rocket launch in late June finally re-entering the atmosphere.
Matt Hamilton with L.A. Times: "A streak of light burst across the night sky late Wednesday, generating a frenzy and prompting questions:"
"Was it a meteor or meteor shower? A fireball or smoldering satellite?"
"From witness accounts, the glowing trail was spotted in Nevada, Utah and across California -- and perhaps elsewhere."