The executive director of the state Public Utilities Commission, Paul Clanon, was worked over good by a legislative panel, whose members took him to task over safety issues since the 2010 San Bruno gas explosion. Even accounting for members' posturing -- one sharp questioner is a candidate for Congress -- Clanon's position may be tenuous.
From Wyatt Buchanan in the Chronicle: "Another member of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee 3 on Resources and Transportation, Assemblyman Richard Gordon, D-Menlo Park, who was president of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors at the time of the blast, said he thinks Clanon and other top leaders at the commission are unable to improve safety."
"I candidly have come to the point where I believe it is time for us to have significant change in the leadership of the Public Utilities Commission if we're going to absolutely get the change in safety culture that's necessary in California," Gordon said."
"Clanon acknowledged that the report is "not flattering," but he defended the commission's efforts so far, including the naming of a new director of the Consumer Protection and Safety Division and the hiring of additional regulators at the agency."
Many strapped cities in California, already having trouble making ends meet, now have it a little bit tougher, following CalPERS' decision to raise their contributions to workers' pensions.
From the San Bernardino Sun's Ryan Hagen and Eric Bradley: "Right now, for Upland, we're having a tough time making ends meet," said Upland City Manager Stephen Dunn. "This is just more costs that we're going to have to cover, which means it's less services. "
"Dunn calculated the changes will cost at least another $500,000 a year, based on information provided by the California Public Employers Labor Relations Association."
"In San Bernardino, which stopped paying CalPERS since it filed for bankruptcy in August but plans to resume payments in July, the likely increase was one of several serious issues the city would need to watch out for, consultant Michael Busch of Urban Futures warned."
An effort to curb the worst abuses of payday loans ran into a fierce opposition in the Capitol, where lobbyists for the industry made their presence felt.
From the Mercury-News' Karen de Sá: Although short-term loans with triple-digit annual interest rates have been deemed predatory and barred in 17 other states, legislative attempts to regulate payday lending in California have not made it very far. And this time was no different."
"Senate Bill 515, carried by Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, and co-authored by Sen. Jim Beall, D-San Jose, challenged lawmakers to protect low-income Californians by capping the number of payday loans to six per customer each year. It also sought more time to repay the loans, typically due on payday after two weeks."
"But the Banking and Financial Institutions Committee -- among them top recipients of campaign contributions from payday lenders -- voted 5-3 not to forward the bill to the full Senate. The vote followed a testy, two-hour hearing with testimony in opposition from some of the most powerful lobbying firms in Sacramento -- and pleas to pass the bill from a single mom, a state employee and a college student."
Jerry Brown's plan to change the California Environmental Quality Act, one of the state's most important environmental protection laws, seem to be on hold -- least for now. And despite comments from the Senate leader that the revamp is still moving forward, the changes now appear to be in limbo.
From the LAT's Evan Halper: "The appetite for such change "is bigger outside the state Capitol than it is inside," Brown said as he sipped tea in the southern port city of Shenzhen on his last full day of events abroad. "This is not something you get done in a year. There are very powerful forces that are strong in the [Democratic] Party that will resist."
"In fact, his plans to change the law, coupled with his infrastructure agenda, already face resistance on several fronts."
"The state Democratic Party, holding its annual convention in Sacramento last weekend, had already resolved publicly that it "stands with the labor and environmental community" in support of the existing California Environmental Quality Act. Party members called on Brown and lawmakers to "oppose any efforts to weaken this law."
Believe it or not, air quality statewide has improved, but in the L.A. basin, officials still have a long way to go.
From the LA Daily News' Susan Abram: "Air quality statewide has improved over the last 12 years, but the agency that works to control pollution in Southern California wants tougher restrictions on wood burning in open pits and fireplaces as well as cleaner ports and railroads, according to a report released Wednesday.
"Areas monitored under the South Coast Air Quality Management District, a region that includes Ventura, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange counties, together saw fewer unhealthy air quality days last year when compared to 2000."
"In 2012, peak ozone concentrations were the lowest ever measured in the South Coast Air Basin," according to the report, released by the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association. The report looks at all 35 local air districts in the state, tracking unhealthy levels of fine particulate pollution in every county reporting air quality data."
