Capitol Weekly’s Top 10 Capitol power couples
Capitol Weekly STAFF: "In just a few months, Capitol Weekly will unveil its 16th annual Top 100 list recognizing the most influential members of the Capitol community.
As we began researching this year’s list, however, we realized that in all our years of the Top 100 we’ve never deeply explored a critical dynamic of Capitol clout: the Capitol power couple whose combined prominence and rolodex is greater than the sum of their parts."
Biden, Trump head to Southern California in June for big-dollar fundraisers
LAT's SEEMA MEHTA: "President Biden and former President Trump are heading to Southern California in June for big-dollar fundraisers.
The former president arrives first for an event June 7 in Beverly Hills where top tickets go for $250,000 per person, according to an invitation obtained by The Times. The following day, he will headline a fundraiser in Newport Beach with donors being asked to contribute up to $100,000, and with multimillionaire tech entrepreneur Palmer Luckey among the hosts."
Do I need a California Real ID? When’s the new deadline? Here’s what you need to know
Sac Bee's ANGELA RODRIGUEZ: "The deadline to obtain a California Real ID for U.S. domestic travel is officially less than a year away.
Beginning May 7, 2025, the new federal identification requirements take effect in California."
D.A. removes Rebecca Grossman’s prosecutors, outraging parents of murdered boys
LAT's RICHARD WINTON: "The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office has taken the highly unusual step of removing the prosecutors who convicted Rebecca Grossman of double murder, outraging the parents of the two young boys she killed in a Westlake Village crosswalk.
Dist. Atty. George Gascón’s office replaced prosecutors Jamie Castro, Ryan Gould and their supervisor, Garrett Dameron, after claiming a conflict of interest in the Grossman case. The trio reported during trial to Assistant Dist. Atty. Diana Teran, who was recently charged with 11 felonies in connection with the illegal use of confidential sheriff’s records. Teran is represented by James Spertus, Grossman’s new attorney."
Flu season is over, but there is a viral surge in California wastewater. Is it avian flu?
LAT's SUSANNE RUST: "An unusual surge in flu viruses detected at wastewater treatment plants in California and other parts of the country is raising concerns among some experts that H5N1 bird flu may be spreading farther and faster than health officers initially thought.
In the last several weeks, wastewater surveillance at 59 of 190 U.S. municipal and regional sewage plants has revealed an out-of-season spike in influenza A flu viruses — a category that also includes H5N1."
CHP isn’t supposed to aim less-lethal munitions at protesters’ heads and fire into crowds. It did at UCLA
CALMatters's SERGIO OLMOS: "As California Highway Patrol officers in riot gear dispersed pro-Palestinian protests at UCLA on May 2, they regularly aimed or fired their less-lethal weapons at protesters in ways that appear to go against training guidelines or state law.
Just before 4 o’clock on Thursday morning, three CHP Special Response Teams with batons formed a skirmish line outside Royce Hall at UCLA. Some officers behind and next to them carried shotguns loaded with beanbag rounds or 40mm launchers with sponge rounds, less-lethal munitions referred to as a “pain compliance device” by its manufacturer."
Colleges and cannabis: What institutions can and cannot do
EdSource's ARABEL MAYOR: "Cannabis has been legal in the state of California since 2016. With California universities adopting cannabis courses that allow students to explore dall facets of the developing industry, federal roadblocks that restrict what kinds of courses can be offered remain.
What kinds of cannabis courses can California colleges offer?
Since legalization, several of California’s public universities have implemented courses exploring topics of business, law and public policy related to cannabis. However, the question of cultivation courses within agricultural programs remains a complex one."
Nevada Supreme Court thwarts 2024 ballot challenge to A’s $380 million stadium handout
The Chronicle's JOHN SHEA: "Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher, afraid Nevada citizens would reject his $380 million taxpayer-funded handout from state politicians, indirectly won a court fight Monday when the state’s highest court ruled against a ballot referendum on that public expense.
Nevada’s Supreme Court shot down the opportunity for voters to side with Schools Over Stadiums, the political action committee for the Nevada State Education Association representing teachers, that has fought for that money to be redirected into education instead of being used to help fund Fisher’s stadium on the Las Vegas Strip."
Last Klamath River dam starts to come down as nation’s largest removal project proceeds
The Chronicle's KURTIS ALEXANDER: "The removal of the last of four dams scheduled to be taken down on the Klamath River began Monday as work crews descended on Oregon’s 68-foot J.C. Boyle Dam.
Located about 12 miles north of the California border, the earthen dam with two turbines and a power-generation plant produced hydroelectricity from 1958 to earlier this year, when the reservoir behind the dam was drained for the historic dismantling work."
Will the northern lights be visible in California again? Here are the odds
LAT's JACK :LEE: "
The strongest solar storm in over 20 years produced remarkable displays above California this weekend, with the northern lights illuminating the night sky in surprising shades of red. Some lucky residents captured the light show and flooded social media with images, while others may be left wondering if there will be another chance to glimpse an aurora in California.
While such a historic event is uncommon, scientists say the coming months bring heightened potential for geomagnetic storms impacting Earth and higher chances for auroral activity over the state."
Wonderful Co. sues to halt California card-check law that made it easier to unionize farmworkers
LAT's REBECCA PLEVIN, MELISSA GOMEZ: "The Wonderful Co. is escalating its battle against unionization of its job sites, looking to halt a new state law intended to streamline the farmworker unionization process. The move comes two months after the United Farm Workers utilized the provision to become the collective bargaining representative for employees of the company’s massive grapevine nursery cin Kern County.
Wonderful, the $6 billion agricultural powerhouse owned by Stewart and Lynda Resnick, said Monday it is suing the state Agricultural Labor Relations Board, challenging the constitutionality of the state’s so-called card-check system, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law in 2022. Under its provisions, a union can organize farmworkers by inviting them to sign authorization cards at off-site meetings, without notifying an employer, rather than voting by secret ballot at a designated polling place."
READ MORE -- California cracked down after a crash killed 13 farmworkers. Why are workers still dying on the road? -- CALMatters's JEANNE KUANG
City of Alameda stops controversial geoengineering experiment
The Chroinicle's ANTHONY EDWARDS: "The city of Alameda has ordered the University of Washington to halt a controversial marine cloud brightening experiment on the USS Hornet — a decommissioned aircraft carrier and connected museum — citing health and environmental safety concerns.
In a May 4 Facebook post, city of Alameda officials wrote that the experiment “was taking place without the City’s knowledge on the deck of the USS Hornet.” Research began on April 2, and the Chronicle documented a demonstration of the experiments. The study, a first-of-its-kind nationally, is aimed at slowing global warming by reflecting sunlight back to space."
Here’s the legal argument California restaurants have taken up to get out of surcharge ban
The Chronicle's BOB EGELKO: "When you sit at a restaurant table and order food and drink, are you receiving “goods and services”?
That issue apparently never came up in legislative debate over a state law that, as of July 1, will require businesses in California to inform customers in advance of any fees they will be charged. But it’s the issue that the California Restaurant Association is raising in disputing Attorney General Rob Bonta’s decree that the law will prohibit restaurants from billing customers for charges they add to food and beverage prices without disclosing them ahead of time."
‘Doom, but not loop’: Has San Francisco dodged the worst-case scenario?
The Chronicle's ROLAND LI: "One year after San Francisco was introduced to the concept of a “doom loop,” in which fears of a remote-work-fueled real estate “apocalypse” would trigger mass tax shortfalls, budget cuts and out-migration, the city has yet to spiral into the worst-case scenario, experts say.
But the recovery remains very shaky, with the city cutting spending as it grapples with a budget deficit that could reach a staggering $1.36 billion by 2027 — the equivalent of nearly 10% of this year’s total budget."
Feds investigating Amazon's driverless taxi program after injury crashes, including one in S.F.
The Chronicle's JORDAN PARKER: "The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating Amazon’s driverless taxi program after two of its test cars stopped suddenly and were rear-ended in separate injury crashes, including one in San Francisco.
The investigation was officially opened on May 10."
