Gov. Brown is warning organized labor of Republican efforts to push through work plans that largely benefit the private sector.
LA Times' JOHN MYERS: "Gov. Jerry Brown warned on Monday that what he's heard so far from President Trump and congressional Republicans on a major new infrastructure plan sounds more like a way of benefiting the private sector."
"Let's invest in America, not sell it off to the highest bidder," Brown said in an evening speech to the annual conference of the California Labor Federation and the State Building and Construction Trades Council."
"The governor, who thanked labor leaders for helping to wrangle votes in the Legislature for the $52-billion transportation plan approved earlier this month, sounded a note of skepticism about the notion of public-private partnerships that could be at the heart of Trump's promise to launch a $1-trillion national effort."
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Brown's $52b transportation bill's side deals have passed legislative muster.
CPR's BEN ADLER: "The California Legislature has given final approval to two side deals that won several lawmakers' votes earlier this month for the transportation funding deal.
One bill sets aside nearly a billion dollars for specific projects in the Central Valley and Inland Empire. That drew sharp criticism from Republicans, including Assemblyman James Gallagher."
"It just magically benefits those members who were on the fence on the gas tax," Patterson said. "And now, magically, all their projects that they care about are fast-tracked."
READ MORE related to Transportation: California lawmakers send governor bill tied to gas tax hike -- AP's SOPHIA BOLLAG; That gas tax hike? It's not enough to fix California's roads, group says -- The Press-Enterpise's JEFF HORSEMAN; No longer a dream: Silicon Valley takes on the flying car -- NY Times' JOHN MARKOFF
Trump supporters swarmed Rep. Ted Lieu's townhall in protest against never-Trumpers advocating for POTUS45's impeachment.
LA Daily News' MEGAN BARNES: "A town hall meeting sponsored by U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu devolved into a raucous face-off even before it started Monday night when a handful of Donald Trump supporters disrupted a largely Democratic crowd calling for the president’s impeachment."
"Lieu, who has gained a national following in recent months for his scathing tweets taking aim at the Trump administration, had not yet taken the stage at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center when Trump supporters agitated the roughly 900 people inside with signs that read “Ted Lie” and “We love Trump."
"Over the course of the nearly two-hour event, two hecklers were asked to leave and one was escorted out by police at the request of Lieu, said Sgt. Jeff Mendence of the Redondo Beach Police Department. No arrests were made."
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A newly Gorsuch-infused SCOTUS has given the NRA the confidence it needs to go after California's gun control legislation.
LA Times' PATRICK MCGREEVY: "The state affiliate of the National Rifle Assn. on Monday filed the first in a series of planned court challenges opposing sweeping new gun control laws approved in California in the wake of the San Bernardino terror attacks."
"The flurry of legal action comes as Neil Gorsuch, President Trump’s choice for the Supreme Court, takes his seat, returning a conservative majority to the nation’s highest court. And as the Republican administration begins appointing additional judges to the federal court system, gun-rights advocates say they hope that some of the more restrictive laws imposed in recent years will be vulnerable to legal challenge."
"California is a natural target for the gun lobby. Last year, Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law several gun control bills, including a prohibition on the sale of semiautomatic rifles equipped with so-called bullet buttons that allow for the quick removal and replacement of ammunition magazines."
California state officials have released much-desired documentation related to the Oroville Dam spillway after citing national security to prevent the release.
AP's ELLEN KNICKMEYER: "California released two reports by independent experts Monday on badly damaged flood-release spillways at the nation's tallest dam after a surge in criticism that officials weren't disclosing enough about risks from the damaged structures, and the rush to fix them."
"State lawmakers, local officials and editorials in newspapers around the state last week urged California's Department of Water Resources to make public the reports by government-appointed independent consultants and to be more forthcoming overall about the crippled spillways at the Oroville Dam."
"What we obviously need to do is get more public information out," David Gutierrez, a former state dam safety official now serving as a consultant in the Oroville repairs told reporters Monday in announcing the reports' release. State water officials also plan a series of public meetings on planned repairs so that people "understand the concepts, and that we will actually fix the spillway," Gutierrez said."
READ MORE related to Environment: Water under Oroville spillway probably caused February collapse, state consultants say -- LA Times' BETTINA BOXALL; California lawmakers push to link public health efforts to climate programs -- LA Times' CHRIS MEGERIAN
Armenians took to the streets by the thousands on Monday, along with a network of activist support, in rememberance of the 1915 Armenian genocide.
Daily news' MARIANNA LOVE: "Tens of thousands of people jammed city streets Monday to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1915 Armenian genocide, calling for recognition and remembrance of the mass killings of more than a million people."
"Marchers filled streets, waiving the orange, blue and red flag of Armenia, as they walked from Pan Pacific Park on Beverly Boulevard to the consulate on Wilshire Boulevard, where large crowds, including dozens of Turkish-Americans, had already formed. Just hours before, they converged near Hollywood Boulevard and Western Avenue in Little Armenia, clogging Hollywood Boulevard for several blocks and leading to traffic nightmares for morning commuters who were met with closed streets."
“We are speaking up for people who don’t have a voice now,” said Vreg Isaghoulian, 52, who said he brought his family to the Wilshire rally to teach them about their history, pride in their culture, and to stand up for justice. “This is what our ancestors (endured) as native inhabitants. They were conquered by force.”
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With Arkansas' death row in overdrive, California moves to further delay revamped lethal injection regulations.
AP: "California corrections officials are delaying their new lethal injection regulations by four months, officials announced Monday, pushing back this week's deadline until late August."
"The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation needs more time to update the proposed rules after an initial version was rejected by state regulators in December, spokeswoman Terry Thornton said."
"The move drew immediate criticism from a legal foundation that sued to force the state to switch to a single drug to carry out the death penalty."
READ MORE related to Public Safety: After report of 'sexting,' top investigator leaves DA's office -- OC Register's TONY SAAVEDRA
A charter bill making its way through the Legislature could be in for a tough fight.
EdSource's MIKHAIL ZINSHTEYN: "Californians on both sides of the charter school debate can expect two years of hearings over Senate Bill 808, a bill that would restrict the charter school approval process, which critics claim could lead to the shuttering of many of the schools."
"During a press conference Monday at the Capitol, the bill’s author, Sen. Tony Mendoza, D-Artesia, outlined a two-year roadmap for the proposed law’s passage that includes an eventual vote on the bill."
“Yes, this bill will be going through the process like any other bill, and eventually it’ll be having a vote,” Mendoza said. That process includes a hearing in the Senate Education Committee this week and meetings in communities throughout the state this year."
Paul Ryan's approval rating isn't looking so hot, but Congress doesn't look so good, either.
Wall Street Journal's REBECCA BALLHAUS: "Americans hold dim views of Congress and of House Speaker Paul Ryan, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds, with favorable opinions declining since February."
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