Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the mother of California First Lady Maria Shriver, died Tuesday after a long illness. She was 88.
In a statement released this morning, the governor wrote, “Eunice was the light of our family. She meant so much, not only to us, but to our country and to the world. She was a pioneer who worked tirelessly for social and scientific advances that have changed the lives of millions of developmentally disabled people all over the world.
“Inspired by her faith in God and her love of her sister, Rosemary, she was on a life-long mission to expand opportunities for those with intellectual challenges and to prove that they are capable of great achievements."
AP reports, "Shriver, emerged from a powerful male-dominated political family to found the Special Olympics and become a leading advocate of the mentally disabled, died Tuesday at the age of 88. Shriver died about 2 a.m./0600 GMT at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, the Massachusetts town on Cape Cod synonymous with the Kennedy dynasty.
Shriver was married to Sargent Shriver, whose long public service included starting the Peace Corps under her brother, President John F. Kennedy. Sargent, 93, a former vice presidential candidate, suffers from Alzheimer's disease."
Bob Egelko reports on the filing of Darrell Steinberg's lawsuit against Gov. Schwarzenegger.
"The state Senate's Democratic leader asked a San Francisco judge Monday to restore Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's $489 million in budget vetoes, most from programs for the needy and elderly, arguing that the governor has no power to cut spending that the Legislature has already reduced.
"The suit also challenges Schwarzenegger's decision to begin construction of a new Death Row at San Quentin State Prison by vetoing the Legislature's restrictions on spending $356 million for the project. The veto exceeded his limited constitutional power to reduce appropriations and seeks to allow "the very ... expenditures that the Legislature sought to prohibit," the suit said.
Carol Williams reports there were warning signs at the prison in Chino where hundreds were injured in a riot this week.
"Corrections experts warned two years ago that overcrowding
at the
California Institution for Men at Chino created "a serious disturbance
waiting to happen," foreshadowing the weekend riot that injured 175
prisoners, destroyed or damaged six dormitories and
forced relocation
of at least 1,000 men.
"The Chino prison housing 5,900 inmates,
nearly twice its designed capacity, remained on lockdown Monday, as did
nine other state prisons from which officers were called
to help quell
the violence Saturday night and begin sorting through
the wreckage.
"Rampaging inmates set fire to one dormitory of the Reception Center-West and smashed bunks and lavatories in five others in a four-hour melee that corrections officials said was linked to racial tensions between Latinos and blacks."
The LAT's David Zanhiser reports a former Assembly Speaker may soon have a new gig.
"
The
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has been
worried about the
cost of complying with Assembly Bill 32, a 2006 law that requires
California to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by
2020.
"Last
month, DWP officials decided to beef up their advocacy
efforts in
Sacramento by bringing in the author of the global
warming bill, Los
Angeles Democrat and former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez, to advise
the department's team of lobbyists."
The Merc's Curtis Alexander looks at some of the legislation signed by the governor.
"Last week, Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger put his signature on a raft of bills,
a handful authored
by Central Coast lawmakers. The summer budget crisis
and the governor's
desire to avoid legislation with significant cost meant
most of the new
laws, rather that initiate sweeping new programs, were
extensions or
clarifications of past programs.
Assemblyman Bill Monning, for
instance, sponsored three bills seeking to clear up
state law — two
regarding the responsibilities of the state auditor
and one pertaining
to the Legislature's ethical intentions.
Sen. Abel Maldonado, D-Santa Maria, meanwhile, succeeded in getting legislation passed to clarify responsibilities of law enforcement officers in San Luis Obispo County and Colusa County."
And finally, from our Robert Downey Jr. Files , Reuters reports, " An extremely drunk, naked man lost his way at a New Zealand hotel and ended up sleeping in the wrong room, forcing its female occupant to hide in the bathroom, local media reported.
"The 29 year-old Australian man had gone back the hotel with a woman, but got up in the night and wandered into a bedroom where a couple were sleeping.
"He was a bit surprised that there were two people in his room and he was butt naked," Sergeant Steve Watt of Queenstown police told the Southland Times.
"As the intruder slept, the startled woman took refuge in the bathroom as her husband summoned hotel staff."
No charges were filed in the case.