Assemblywoman Holly Mitchell, D-Los Angeles, won an easy victory Tuesday for the state Senate seat vacated by Curren Price, who moved to the City Council.
From the LAT's Patrick McGreevy: "With all precincts reporting in the 26th Senate District, Mitchell received 81% of the vote, beating perennial Democratic candidate Mervin Evans, who received 19% of the vote."
"Mitchell will add to the supermajority the Democrats already have in the state Senate."
"It appears a runoff will be required between the top-two vote-getters in a crowded field of candidates competing to fill the 45th Assembly District seat vacated when Democrat Robert Blumenfield of Woodland Hills won election to the Los Angeles City Council."
If you're unemployed and waiting for your benefits, your wait may be longer than usual.
From the Bee's David Siders: "The state Employment Development Department said today that about 50,000 unemployed Californians have had their benefit checks delayed as the department struggles to implement a computer system upgrade."
"An EDD spokeswoman, Loree Levy, said the department processed about 15,000 of those claims overnight and hopes to finish the rest by the end of the week. The delayed claims are from the first two weeks of September."
"We really are all hands on deck to get these folks taken care of," Levy said."
Shortly before he was forced from office by a sexual harrassment scandal, San Diego Mayor Bob Filner gave raises to a number of employees.
From the LAT's Tony Perry: "The raises took effect as staff members were being interviewed by the city attorney's office about the sexual harassment allegations that ultimately drove Filner to resign. Three of the raises were trimmed by acting Mayor Todd Gloria, who took over when Filner's resignation became effective Aug. 30."
"Raises for the three lowest-paid employees were left to stand. A seventh staff member who received a raise is no longer employed by the city."
"If the raises, first revealed Tuesday by KGTV Channel 10, had been allowed to remain for a year, they would have cost taxpayers a total of $86,000 a year."
The fight over the proposed tribal casino near Madera is heating up: A new group has been formed to fight the looming referendum.
From Capitol Weekly's John Howard: "A political committee has been formed to block a referendum challenging a proposed tribal casino north of Madera planned by the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians."
"The compact calling for the proposed casino with 2,000 slot machines and a hotel was approved by the governor and ratified by the Legislature in June. The project drew opposition from rivals led by Cheryl Schmit, head of a group called Stand Up for California, which is sponsoring the referendum to overturn the lawmakers’ approval. Schmit’s group has received financing from, among others, nearby Table Mountain casino, which through the end of last month had contributed $350,000 to the signature-gathering effort. Stand Up California needs more than 500,000 signatures to qualify the referendum for the 2014 ballot."
"The group challenging the referendum is Voters for Central Valley Jobs and the Environment, which describes itself as a coalition of tribes, labor groups, and business and environmental groups. The coalition includes the North Fork Rancheria and Station Casino LLC, a Nevada-based gaming management and development group."
California's nurses' union, not known for shying away from a fight, is preparing to do battle with Kaiser Permanente
From Chris Rauber in the San Francisco Business Times: "The California Nurses Association, already battling Sutter Health hospitals over contracts in San Francisco and the East Bay, is busy painting a target on the biggest fish in the pond: Kaiser Permanente."
"The Oakland-based nurses' union said Tuesday morning it's dispatched a delegation of several dozen RNs to Sacramento to put pressure on the health care giant at a Kaiser Permanente Medical Group recruitment event later in the day."
"CNA's contract with Kaiser doesn't expire until next August, spokesman Chuck Idelson told me recently, "but we are engaged in challenging many of their business goals," which allegedly include "pushing" nurses and patients out of the hospital setting."
