‘This is a stupid policy’: Emissions become latest front in California-Trump war
From Politico's CARLA MARINUCCI and JEREMY WHITE: "California’s political leadership is vowing to repel the Trump administration’s push to undercut the state’s stringent vehicle emissions standards, setting up the latest showdown between the nation’s most populous state and an antagonistic White House."
"Climate change has been a defining issue for Gov. Jerry Brown in his final term, and the governor — who has engaged in an increasingly acrimonious war of words with the Trump administration, recently branding former EPA chief Scott Pruitt “outlaw Pruitt” — vowed Thursday to “fight this stupidity in every conceivable way.”
"Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who in 2006 signed into law AB-32, the landmark legislation that represented the nation’s first cap on greenhouse gas emissions, posted a caustic tweet in reaction to Trump’s “stupid policy,’’ saying: “If the president thinks he can win this fight, he’s out of his mind.”
READ MORE on auto emissions: California's car dealers worry about Trump rollback on fuel standards -- San Diego Union-Tribune's ROB NIKOLEWSKI; How Trump’s new rules for cars would hit California—if they survive in court -- JULIE CART in CALmatters; Trump's attack on California vehicle standards faces legal battle -- Chronicle's BOB EGELKO; Big Oil Cheers, Quietly, as Trump Moves to Ease Auto Standards -- BLOOMBERG's ARI NATTER and JENNIFER DLOUGHY
Carr Fire: Sheriff worries there may be more victims
From JIM SCHULTZ and MIKE CHAPMAN in the Redding Record-Searchlight: "The unrelenting 126,913-acre Carr Fire already has claimed six victims, including two firefighters, as crews faced grim weather conditions leading into the weekend."
"Authorities worry there may be more victims out there who were unable to escape the wildfire's fury."
“I would not be surprised if we find others,” Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko said Thursday. While the 20 people reported missing after the July 23 fire began its deadly rampage have been found safe, it’s possible a number of others went unreported as missing.
READ MORE related to the fires: 146 firefighters coming from Australia, New Zealand to fight blazes across U.S. -- Sacramento Bee's KELLEN BROWNING; Northern California wildfires strain another scarce resource – construction workers -- LOUIS HANSEN, Mercury News; Red flag warning worries firefighters battling Mendocino Complex fires -- MEGHAN HERBST AND MARTIN ESPINOZA, Press Democrat
Backers of California's gas tax repeal don't have much campaign cash left in the tank
From the LATIMES' JOHN MYERS: "Supporters of an effort to repeal California’s fuel tax increase are looking for someone to fill the tank of their campaign bank account as new reports show the effort to pass Proposition 6 has spent most of the money it has raised."
"State campaign reports filed on Tuesday show most of the $2.9 million that Proposition 6 supporters have collected this year has already been spent, leaving little for the fall campaign season. Opponents of the repeal, a coalition of transportation advocates, have raised more and spent much less."
"Proposition 6 seeks to repeal the $52-billion transportation law enacted last year that finances a variety of road and highway repair projects. The law created additional taxes on gas and diesel sales as well as a new annual vehicle registration fee. Critics of the law quickly drafted a ballot measure to abolish the law and raised money from state Republican leaders to gather the signatures necessary for the proposition to qualify for the November ballot."
Parents in Perris torture case will be arraigned on 88 charges Friday
From BRIAN ROKOS in the PRESS-ENTERPRISE: "Perris torture defendants David and Louise Turpin are due back in Riverside County Superior Court on Friday, Aug. 3, for a hearing at which they will be re-arraigned."
"One count of child endangerment was dropped at the preliminary hearing in June when Judge Bernard J. Schwartz ruled that the youngest of the Turpins’ 13 children, age 2, did not appear severely malnourished."
"The Turpins now face a collective 88 counts against them, all felonies: 12 counts each of torture and 12 counts each of false imprisonment, eight counts each of child abuse and seven counts each of cruelty to a dependent adult. David Turpin, 56, is additionally charged with eight counts of perjury and one count of lewd acts on a child under 14 years old. Louise Turpin, 50, is also charged with one count of felony assault."
Supreme Court rules San Diego skipped key legal step in taking pension reform to voters
From DAVID GARRICK in the Union-Tribune: "The California Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that San Diego’s six-year-old pension cutbacks were not legally placed on the ballot because city officials failed to negotiate with labor unions before pursuing the measure."
"The ruling, which could cost the city millions, overturned an appeals court ruling last year that had upheld the cuts."
"The Supreme Court ordered the appeals court to take the case back and evaluate the state labor board’s conclusion that 4,000 employees hired since pensions were eliminated must receive compensation that would make them financially whole."
California’s online community college will break new ground in higher ed
From EdSource's NICO SAVIDGE: "California’s online community college will represent a new vision for higher education when it launches next year and the online education field is watching to see whether it succeeds."
"The new fully online college draws from a variety of sources, including public universities’ online degree programs, corporate worker training initiatives and programs at for-profit colleges. California plans to blend those existing influences to create something without precedent: A statewide, online-only public college focused on short, career-oriented certificates."
“This is, in many ways, new for the public systems in this country, and that’s why it’s gaining a lot of attention from the rest of the country,” California Community College System Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley told EdSource."
LA City Animal Shelters Are Full. Hundreds Of Dogs, Cats And Rabbits Could Be Euthanized
From RYAN FONSECA in LAist: "Los Angeles city animal shelters are facing a crisis, with more than 250 animals on the red list, meaning they could be euthanized if they aren't adopted or find foster homes — and fast."
"Three separate hoarding cases led to the rescue of nearly 300 animals and put all six of the city's shelters at max capacity."
"We see this very often," LA Animal Services spokeswoman Ashley Rodriguez told our media partner NBC-4. "But usually cases are more spread out — not within the same week."
Finally, from our "Catch the Wave" file comes word that scientists may have figured out the Bermuda Triangle mystery. Hooray!
From ED MAZZA in the Huffington Post: "It’s another kind of monster: monster waves."
"The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil’s Triangle, is a region in the North Atlantic that is generally bounded by Miami, Bermuda and Puerto Rico. Over time, a number of aircraft and ships are said to have disappeared there under mysterious circumstances."
"According to “The Bermuda Triangle Enigma” on Britain’s Channel 5, scientists now believe conditions in that area were just right for massive rogue waves. “There are storms to the south and north, which come together,” said University of Southampton oceanographer Simon Boxall, per the Sun. “And if there are additional ones from Florida, it can be a potentially deadly formation of rogue waves.”