Nearly a trillion dollars hangs in the balance as West Coast port contract negotiations stall.
Justin Pritchard reports in the Sacramento Bee: “…West Coast ports handled cargo worth $892 billion in 2013 alone, according to trade data compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau.”
“Worries over the current negotiations have prompted some stores to route shipments away from the West Coast, Gold said. Other importers planning for fall and winter shopping have shipped early to beat the contract's expiration date.”
“The maritime association warns that labor peace is essential to keeping West Coast ports competitive, especially with an expansion of the Panama Canal that will allow larger vessels to reach East Coast markets directly.”
Gov. Jerry Brown’s realignment is costing Californians more than previously estimated.
Paige St. John reports in the Los Angeles Times: “The state Finance Department originally projected that realignment would reduce prison spending by $1.4 billion this fiscal year and that about two-thirds of that savings would be passed on to counties to cover the costs of their new charges.”
“Instead, the state's increased costs for private prison space and the compensation it pays out for county jails, prosecutors and probation departments adds up to about $2 billion a year more for corrections than when Brown regained office.”
Internet giant Google invests in state level lobbying to circumvent regulatory hurdles.
Tony Romn reports in Politico: “Armed with a regulatory wish list, Google has tapped its long-standing lobbyists in places like California, while registering this year a team of lawyers as its chief influencers in cities like San Jose and Santa Barbara, according to local records. And it has relied on a stable of government-relations minds in Oregon, Utah, Arizona, Texas, Kansas, Georgia and North Carolina to see Fiber to fruition, those states’ data show.”
In Sacramento, Kevin McCarthy sharpened his political skills that put him on the fast track to the top.
Aaron C. Davis reports in The Washington Post: “His election Thursday to the majority leader’s job was built on friendships McCarthy has carefully built since arriving in Washington, through bike rides, gym workout sessions and frequent group dinners, as well as his data-driven knowledge of members’ districts and political needs. He has hosted tea party conservatives and centrists alike for House GOP movie screenings and free Chick-fil-A in his Capitol office, while he demonstrates camaraderie by displaying in his office pictures of colleagues hard at work.”
“Those who have worked closely with McCarthy over the years say he first learned and perfected those skills during his years in Sacramento — skills that, friends say, he will draw on even more as he tries to assert greater sway over a caucus riven with ideological divisions.”
Yes, there’s still an effort to split California up into six different states.
Harriet Ryan reports in the Los Angeles Times: “Advocates for Six Californias, a plan to split the Golden State into a half dozen separate states, are holding a petition drive this weekend to get their plan on the ballot in 2016.”
“The idea is the brainchild of Timothy Draper, a venture capitalist from Menlo Park – or as he hopes to some day call it, the state of Silicon Valley. Draper has sunk $2 million into signature gathering for the proposal. He maintains it will break bureaucratic deadlock in Sacramento (proposed state of North California) and attract more business.”
Amid a turf war between operators and overseers, the California State Military Museum closes its doors.
Daniel Rothberg reports for the Sacramento Bee: ““It’s a shame,” said retired Maj. Gen. Robert Thrasher, who ran the department from 1987 to 1992, after hearing the museum had closed. “It’s kind of like the Smithsonian of Sacramento – for the military.””
“Mounting tension between the two parties reached a tipping point last fall when the Military Department sued the foundation for claiming to own approximately 90 percent of the artifacts and for interfering with a state audit. In court documents, the California State Military Museum Foundation argues that a majority of artifacts were donated to the foundation and that its employees never prevented an inspection.”
