The federal government shutdown continues with no end in sight, and each day the impact deepens.
From the Bee's Anita Creamer and Jeremy White: "School field trips were canceled, and hunting trips postponed. Some people worried about delays in their disabled veterans’ benefits, others whether their new housing loans would be processed. Still others lost access to the experimental cancer treatments that could save their lives."
"In small ways and large, the federal government shutdown on Day 2 started jostling up against the lives of ordinary Californians, the reverberations rippling out beyond the estimated 12,000 federal workers who live in the Sacramento region. And those impacts left many fearful about what might happen next if the shutdown continues for a week, a month or longer."
“Part of the problem,” said Franklin Gilliam, dean of the UCLA School of Public Affairs, “is that you say ‘government shutdown,’ but you look out the window, and nothing looks different. Unless you need a small-business loan. Unless you need travel documents."
The governor has signed a clutch of education legislation, including a closely watched measure to restructure the way students are tested.
From the Cabinet Report's Kimberly Beltran: "Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday officially ushered in California’s transition to new computerized student testing when he signed into legislation authorizing the use of the Common Core-aligned assessments."
"The governor also approved several other education bills, including one that provides a mechanism for schools to continue diagnostic assessments of second graders, and another that allows for adoption of K-8 instructional materials aligned to Common Core English language arts standards."
“Faced with the choice of preparing California’s children for the future or continuing to cling to outdated policies of the past, our state’s leaders worked together and made the right choice for our students,” state schools chief Tom Torlakson said in a statement about the signing of AB 484, which he sponsored. “These new assessments represent a challenge for our education system – but a lifetime of opportunity for students. As a teacher, I’m thrilled to see our state and our schools once again leading the way.”
Speaking of Brown and school legislation, the governor signed a measure limiting the districts' long-term borrowing.
From Sharon Noguchi in the Mercury-News: "A law signed Wednesday by Gov. Jerry Brown will prevent school districts from issuing ultra-long-term bonds that saddle taxpayers with huge repayment debt."
"AB 182 restricts schools and community college districts in issuing capital appreciation bonds, which can delay repayment for decades and can require huge balloon payments 30 or 40 years later."
"The new law, authored by Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan, D-Alamo, limits total debt service to four times the principal, limits the duration to 25 years and requires that deals permit early repayment on bonds that mature after 10 years."
The fight between Edison and Mitsubishi is heating up over the shuttered San Onofre nuclear power plant, which was closed down because of mechanical problems.
From the LAT's Marc Lifsher: "Southern California Edison fired another salvo at its former contractor, demanding that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries pay it $140 million for the cost of investigating the failure of steam generators at the San Onofre nuclear power plant."
"Edison on Tuesday released a Sept. 27 letter that accused Mitsubishi of "stonewalling" by continuing to seek more documentation about the cost of the utility's probes."
"Your letter makes clear that Mitsubishi has no intention of meeting its contractual obligations to reimburse expenses incurred as a result of the defective replacement steam generators," Edison wrote."
The state Supreme Court has weighed in against plastic-bag makers in a unanimous decision involving Marin County.
From the Chronicle's Bob Egelko: "Plastic bag manufacturers lost another challenge to local ban-the-bag measures Wednesday when the state Supreme Court allowed Marin County to continue enforcing its restrictions at checkout counters in unincorporated areas."
"The justices unanimously denied review of an appellate ruling upholding the Marin ordinance, which since January 2012 has prohibited single-use plastic bags and required a 5-cent fee for a paper bag. Similar measures have been adopted by about 50 cities and counties in California, including San Francisco and Alameda County."
"The ordinances are aimed at reducing waste and water pollution from discarded plastic bags. Makers of the bags argue that the bans cause more environmental problems than they solve because paper bags take more energy to produce, leading to an increase in greenhouse gases, and also occupy more space in landfills."
