President-elect Donald Trump may not like China, but California Gov. Jerry Brown does -- and to make the point, Brown visited the Chinese consulate in San Francisco.
From the LAT's Chris Megerian: "President-elect Donald Trump may seem eager to rattle nerves in China, whether it's a phone conversation with Taiwan's leader or complaints about foreign trade, but California Gov. Jerry Brown doesn't want anything to do with that."
"In another example of how the state plans to stand apart from the incoming administration in Washington, Brown went to the Chinese consulate in San Francisco on Tuesday to speak at a Lunar New Year celebration to reaffirm what he called the state's "great interest" in working with China."
"There will be a few side arguments in Washington," Brown said. "Don't worry. When it comes to California and China, we're on the right track, and we're going to stay there."
From McClatchy's Stuart Leavenworth: "California started regulating air pollution in the 1960s, before the federal Clean Air Act was passed and signed into law by President Richard Nixon in 1970. That law allowed the Golden State to obtain waivers to enact its own pollution rules, including tailpipe standards, that are stronger than national thresholds, pending EPA approval."
Historically, the EPA has approved California’s waiver requests, except during the administration of George W. Bush, when his EPA administrator, in 2008, rejected California’s proposal to mandate fuel efficiency standards to reduce greenhouse gases."
"A year later, the incoming Obama administration granted the waiver, and the federal government later adopted California’s rules as a national standard. Although the U.S. auto industry had long objected to the standards, it reluctantly agreed to them as part of a bail-out deal with Obama."
The drought seems all but over, but authorities aren't saying that definitively -- at least not yet.
Capitol Weekly's Lisa Renner tells the tale: "Despite the torrential rains of the last few weeks, experts say it’s too early to tell whether California’s interminable drought is really over. It will be necessary to monitor rainfall through at least March to make an assessment."
"California has been in a drought since 2012. Gov. Jerry Brown declared a drought state of emergency in January 2014 after the state experienced record dry conditions."
"Jennifer Bowles, executive director of the Water Education Foundation, said 82 percent of the state is still affected by the drought and half is still in a severe drought. “We still have a while to dig ourselves out,” she said."
From the LA Daily News' Susan Abrams: "Those who plan to attend the Women’s March in downtown Los Angeles Saturday are being encouraged to take public transportation or arrange rides, since many of the streets in and around the area will be closed."
"Nearly 70,000 people have indicated on Facebook that they will attend Women’s March Los Angeles, which is one of several to be held nationwide. Dozens of celebrities are expected to attend, including Ariana Grande, Jane Fonda, Idina Menzel and Alfre Woodard."
Participants are asked to start meeting at Pershing Square at Olive and 6th streets at 9 a.m. The march begins at 10 a.m. and proceeds down Hill Street between 6th and 1st streets toward City Hall."
From the AP's Jonathan Cooper: "California officials on Wednesday withdrew their request to sell unsubsidized insurance policies to people who can't prove they're legally in the United States after learning the decision would fall to President-elect Donald Trump's administration."
"Calling the decision "the first California casualty of the Trump presidency," Sen. Ricardo Lara said he doesn't trust the incoming administration to protect people's privacy and health. The Democrat from Bell Gardens wrote legislation seeking to waive a federal requirement that the Covered California insurance exchange only do business with citizens and legal U.S. residents."
"Officials from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services notified Covered California's executive director on Tuesday that there would be a one-month public comment period and a 180-day window to make a final decision."
--
Ed's Note: Due to technical problems, today's version of the Roundup is shorter than usual.