Senior Sen. Dianne Feinstein reduced the size of her $300 million federal water bill to make it more palatable for Republicans.
Michael Doyle reports for the Sacramento Bee: “By cutting the bill's costs, and tweaking other elements, Feinstein hopes the bill reintroduced this week can secure the 60 Senate votes needed to avoid going through the standard committee review.”
To house female inmates state corrections officials will start leasing another private prison facility for $9 million a year.
Paige St. John reports for the L.A. Times: “One out of 10 California inmates is serving time in a leased or private prison as the state grapples with federal court orders to reduce crowding in its own institutions. Women's prisons are the most cramped: The Central California Women's Facility at Chowchilla is listed at 182% capacity in last week's state prison census report, with 1,600 prisoners more than it was intended to hold.”
Gov. Jerry Brown assured attendees at a law enforcement conference his administration would support states taking the brunt of realignment.
Patrick McGreevy reports for the L.A. Times: “With county sheriffs and police chiefs in town to lobby state government for money and help, Brown cautioned nearly 300 of them in a speech that the state cannot go on a spending spree if it wants to set aside funds for tougher days ahead.”
Walkouts and protests at two UCs over alleged unfair labor practices and intimidation by administrators lead to the arrest of 20.
Larry Gordon reports for the L.A. Times: “The 20, cited on such allegations as failing to disperse and being a pedestrian in a roadway, were taken to the Santa Cruz County Jail and released soon after, according to the sheriff's office. Traffic was prevented from accessing the campus' main entrance for much of the day as picketing continued.”
“The union and UC have been negotiating a new contract since last summer.”
You can now track how the state spends revenue from the voter approved tax increased aimed at funding education.
Ashley McGlone reports for the UT-San Diego: “The site’s database was compiled with information from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, state Department of Education, state Department of Finance and the state Treasurer’s Office. Visitors can monitor multiyear trends, download raw data and also click a link to see each district’s Proposition 30 spending plan, listing expenses for salaries and benefits, books and supplies, and other services and operations. Beginning in the summer of 2015, the website will be updated with independent district audits, which will include a review of Proposition 30 spending.”
An opposition group has formed to combat an initiative seeking to split California into six different states.
From Mercury News’ Josh Richman: “A bipartisan committee has been organized to oppose a Silicon Valley venture capitalist Tim Draper’s “Six Californias” campaign to split the Golden State into six states.”
“It’s called “OneCalifornia.” (Of course it is.)”
Leland Yee earned a bad wrap for himself, and possibly for state controller candidate Betty Yee.
Jim Miller reports for the Sacramento Bee: ““There were some tweets that day about, ‘Gee, another statewide official with Yee as the last name,’ ” Betty Yee said in a meeting with The Bee’s editorial board. “That’s awful. We’re just keeping a focus on what we have to do.”
Leland Yee picked up a new lawyer in his gun, corruption case.
Howard Mintz reports for Mercury News: "Yee on Wednesday signed up San Francisco attorney James Lassart to replace Paul DeMeester, who has represented him since he was charged with gun trafficking and corruption last week. DeMeester told this newspaper that the court would be notified Wednesday of the change in representation."
State parks closed due to the Rim Fire opened their doors yesterday.
Kurtis Alexander reports for the SF Chronicle: “Parks officials cordoned off some 77,000 acres of parkland that burned when California’s third-largest fire jumped from the Stanislaus National Forest into the western edges of Yosemite in August. The areas remained closed through the winter because of potentially hazardous conditions, such as falling trees and uneven ground.”
“Yosemite Superintendent Don Neubacher signed the order to reopen the burned areas Tuesday.”
One Long Island student was accepted to all eight Ivy League universities, and then some.
Emily Smith reports for CBS New York: “The William Floyd High School senior began hearing from the schools March 27.”
“Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, Yale and the University of Pennsylvania all said yes. He was also accepted by SUNY Binghamton, SUNY Geneseo, Stony Brook University, and Duke.”
