State Assembly members will introduce today their whittled down version of a multi-billion dollar water bond.
Melanie Mason reports in the Los Angeles Times: “The $8.25-billion proposal, the product of weeks of negotiations, carries a higher price tag than the $6-billion plan circulated by Gov. Jerry Brown's administration last week. But it is pared down compared to other water bond measures floated by the Legislature, such as a $10.5-billion bond by Sen. Lois Wolk (D-Davis) that stalled in the Senate last week.”
“According to legislative sources, the proposal includes $2.75 billion for storage projects, such as dams and reservoirs -- a drop from the $3 billion that Republicans and some Central Valley Democrats had initially wanted.”
A revised plan for the high-speed rail that would accelerate development of the southern portion of the train is underway.
Ralph Vartabedian reports in the Los Angeles Times: “Opponents and some supporters have attacked the Central Valley plan as a "train to nowhere," even though the region is growing quickly. High-speed train service in northern Los Angeles County could help relieve traffic congestion in a key corridor. A Palmdale to Burbank bullet train trip could take 14 minutes to 16 minutes. By contrast, existing Metrolink rail service follows a winding route built in the 1870s and takes 90 minutes — which still can be faster than driving in rush hour.”
“"It is a huge game-changer," said Richard Katz, a former state Assembly leader and current member of the Metrolink board. "The visibility will make it real and people can see where their tax dollars are being spent."”
By the skin of her teeth, Betty Yee may have sealed her second place victory in the race for state controller.
John Myers reports for KQED: “The apparent win (again, for second place) came after elections officials in rural Lake County, the last county in the state to finish its official county, reported its tally early Monday evening. That tally showed Pérez won the county by 1,041 votes — a good showing, but not a wide enough margin to overtake Yee’s previous statewide lead.”
“The Monday report from Lake County shows that, pending any other data, Yee edged Pérez by a mere 484 votes out of more than 4 million votes cast in the race for state controller.”
Despite the Supreme Court’s decision yesterday, a 15-year-old state law requires California employees of Hobby Lobby to be permitted to receive contraceptive coverage.
Ben Adler reports for Capitol Public Radio: “The ruling appears to have left intact a 15-year-old California law called the California Women’s Contraceptive Equity Act, signed by Governor Gray Davis in 1999.”
““It ensures that insurance companies must provide coverage for a variety of FDA-approved contraception,” says Planned Parenthood chief counsel Beth Parker.”
California’s flagship legislation to fight global warming survived a legal challenge that would have brought the law before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Dale Kasler reports in the Sacramento Bee: “The court let stand a 2013 decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholding the state’s low-carbon fuel standard. But opponents of the law said there will be more litigation against the standard under different legal theories. “I don’t think this closes the door,” said Anthony Francois of the Pacific Legal Foundation, a conservative Sacramento group that filed court briefs on behalf of the plaintiffs.”
“The standard became law in 2007 by executive order of then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. It requires fuel producers to reduce the “carbon intensity” of their products by 10 percent by 2020.”
Public opinion is barely confident in the highest institution of law, the Supreme Court.
Michael Muskal reports for the Los Angeles Times: “The poll, released Monday, had good news and bad news for the high court, a unique institution that serves as a check and balance in the United States. People have more confidence in the court than in any other arm of government, but that may not be saying that much when confidence in the presidency stands at 29% and in the Congress at 7%.”
Are you an ophidiophobe? Well then, you should be very concerned about the severe drought.
Jim Steinberg and Steve Scauzillo report in the Daily Bulletin: “As Southern California suffers through a third year of drought, rattlesnakes are moving farther from their usual territories while searching for food and water, many biologists report. This is worrisome to emergency room doctors who say the state is on pace for a record year of snakebites, often from vipers that pack a more deadly dose of venom than ever before.”
““It is a serious thing,” Giannone said. “We have had more rattlesnake calls this year than in past years. Definitely more than usual.””
