Charged with accepting bribes and coordinating an illegal gun trade, state Sen. Leland Yee is due to appear in federal court in San Francisco this morning.
The Associated Press reports: “Yee is set to appear in court Monday morning, when prosecutors are expected to ask a judge to make security arrangements for Yee, who is free on a $500,000 bond.”
A 60-year-old dentist with a clean record is one of the odd characters ensnarled in Yee’s FBI scandal.
Vivian Ho reports for the San Francisco Chronicle: “Although the role he played in the saga remains murky, what is certain is that he supported Yee, according to people who knew him. Gonzalez said Lim made his support known even to acquaintances, and Singh said Lim had paid to bring his staff to Yee's fundraising dinners.”
In his campaign to win the Republican gubernatorial bid, Neel Kashkari is embracing the hated Wall Street bailout he devised.
Shane Goldmacher reports for the National Journal: “But the bailout is more than baggage for Kashkari; it's a basis for his candidacy, his singular public-policy achievement when he puts himself before the voters. "This is one of the only examples in recent history where Republicans and Democrats worked together," Kashkari says. "…Isn't that what we all want our leaders to do?" He'll soon find out.”
Friday’s earthquake along the Puente Hills faults has scientists concerned about the possibility of future quakes.
Rong-Gong Lin II reports for the LA Times: “According to estimates by the USGS and Southern California Earthquake Center, a massive quake on the Puente Hills fault could kill from 3,000 to 18,000 people and cause up to $250 billion in damage. Under this worst-case scenario, people in as many as three-quarters of a million households would be left homeless.”
California’s new voting districts are expected to shake up imminent congressional elections.
Juliet Williams reports for the Sacramento Bee: “Credit for the shake-up goes to the state's unique independent redistricting commission, a voter-created, 14-member panel of average Californians who redrew the district lines for congressional and legislative seats in 2012. Democratic leaders and some Republicans opposed creating the nonpartisan panel, which has since succeeded in shaking up the electoral status quo and establishing what could be a benchmark for other reform-minded states.”
In this year of historic drought, reforming California’s rules for pumping ground water may have a chance of getting through the Legislature.
Paul Rogers reports for Mercury News: “Now, for the first time, some farm groups are open to discussing measures to require landowners to report the amount of groundwater they pump, probably to local agencies. The rules could require installing meters on some wells and even limiting how much water is taken out of the ground.”
Several bills churning through the state legislative pipeline would ban various products and services.
Jeremy B. White reports for the Sacramento Bee: “The items facing potential prohibition join a growing list of products legislators have banned in recent years, like lead ammunition, foie gras, eggs from tightly caged chickens and edible shark fins. Those bills drew protests from specific groups saying they were being unfairly penalized – hunters decrying the loss of lead bullets, Chinese Americans who eat shark fin soup mourning the loss of a cherished tradition.”
A now-shelved bill, to reinstate affirmative action in public higher education, fractured Democratic state lawmakers.
Melanie Mason reports for the LA Times: “But political ramifications remain.”
“The controversy has caused unusual friction among the Capitol's ruling Democrats as lawmakers differ over how to control the fallout. Several legislators cited hard feelings among the party's Latinos, African Americans and Asian Americans.”
An effort to require labels for genetically modified food is resurfacing in the state Senate.
Marc Lifsher reports for the LA Times: “By a 5-2 vote last week, the Health Committee approved Senate Bill 1381, by Sen. Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa), which would require labeling of genetically engineered bulk and packaged foods beginning in 2016. The legislation goes to the Rules Committee and perhaps the Agriculture Committee, where it could face trouble.”
Study: It’s harder to get a job at Wal-Mart than to get into Harvard.
Christopher Ingraham reports for the Washington Post: “Last year when Wal-Mart came to D.C. there were over 23,000 applications for 600 jobs. That's an acceptance rate of 2.6%, twice as selective as Harvard's and over five times as choosy as Cornell.”
