A lead undercover FBI agent in state Sen. Leland Yee’s corruption case is also under fire for potentially misusing funds.
Howard Mintz reports in The Mercury News: “The agent, who posed as an Atlanta businessman in the investigation, was being probed for misconduct in late 2012 and early 2013. He appeared to have been removed from the undercover probe at that time, lawyers for indicted San Francisco political consultant Keith Jackson revealed in the court filing.”
“Jackson's lawyers argue that the agent's misconduct must be fully disclosed because it may be central to efforts to discredit the government's sprawling investigation.”
State officials may want to start issuing billion of dollars in high-speed rail bonds, but they can’t. Not yet anyway
Tim Sheehan reports in The Fresno Bee: ”A three-judge panel of the 3rd District Court of Appeal in Sacramento overturned a lower-court decision that denied the request by the California High-Speed Rail Authority and Gov. Jerry Brown's administration for a blanket validation of the bond sale. But, Palmer said, that ruling won't become final until Aug. 30, a month after the court issued its opinion on July 31.”
“On top of that, at least five organizations or individuals who sought to block the sale of Proposition 1A high-speed rail bonds are asking the 3rd District Court of Appeal to reconsider its opinion. Prop. 1A is the $9.9 billion bond measure approved by California voters in November 2008.”
A bill to establish rules for California’s medical marijuana industry died in the Assembly Appropriations Committee yesterday.
Samantha Gallegos reports in Capitol Weekly: ““Today’s defeat of this bill (SB 1262) means that these types of laws and regulations will not be in place to protect consumers,” said state Sen. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana. “There are folks who need medical marijuana … but the question is, what are you getting when you buy medical marijuana?””
“The bill would have established a medical marijuana regulatory office within the Department of Consumer Affairs.”
The Assembly also killed legislation to mandate the use of condoms in the adult film industry.
Susan Abram reports for the Los Angeles Daily News: “More than 500 adult film performers reportedly signed a petition opposing AB 1576. In addition, the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, AIDS Project Los Angeles and many other groups opposed parts of the proposed legislation because it required mandatory HIV testing. In their argument, the groups said such a requirement should not be used in an overall employment context.”
“Diane Duke, executive director of the Free Speech Coalition, called Hall’s bill an assault on the industry. She has said the industry has long relied on its own testing standard for sexually transmitted diseases. Performers must clear all tests before working.”
The state Senate ratified a casino compact for the Karuk tribe that now heads to the Assembly.
Patrick McGreevy reports in The Los Angeles Times: “Gov. Jerry Brown approved the compact in December, permitting the tribe to operate a casino with up to 1,500 slot machines in exchange for providing the state with 10% of its revenue.”
“The tribe has about 3,700 members who mostly live in Orleans, Happy Camp and Yreka.”
““The Karuk people are the second-largest tribe in California,” Sen. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) said on the Senate floor, adding that the tribe “is located in one of the most economically depressed area of the state.””
One of the nation’s tightest congressional races, CD-7, now has a date set for its first debate.
Christopher Cadelago reports in The Sacramento Bee: ““This is such an important election for us locally, and with the national audience tuned in, there’s bound to be a lot of outside voices,” said Cheryl Dell, publisher and president of The Sacramento Bee. “We believe it is important for voters to hear directly from the candidates in a forum that allows them to compare and evaluate different perspectives.”
“The announcement brings to a close months of back-and-forth between the campaigns.”
“Bera, who agreed to participate in a debate in June, said Wednesday that details on additional events are being worked out.”
Amazon distribution centers are opening up in the California at a rate similar to Starbucks. And that’s only a slight exaggeration.
Neil Nisperos reports for the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin: “Other distribution centers opened in the state in the past two years include large warehouses in San Bernardino, Moreno Valley, Patterson, and Tracy. The opening of the other new facilities, which represent 5 million square feet, helped create thousands of full-time jobs throughout California, officials said.”
““I think this means that Redlands and the Inland Empire are open for business,” said Redlands Mayor Pete Aguilar. “This is a good example of a good company creating hundreds of jobs for our community, and wanting to locate here and have a continued presence in the region.””
“E-commerce’s retail market has grown to about 10 percent, a huge increase from a decade ago. That figure is expected to grow even more, experts say.”
Amid backlash, SeaWorld is moving to upgrade their orca tanks.
Tom Gara reports in the Wall Street Journal: “SeaWorld Entertainment is locked in a battle with animal-rights activists, who say that training and publicly performing killer whales is an inherently cruel act. The documentary "Blackfish," which has been screened in cinemas and broadcast multiple times by CNN, raised these criticisms to a higher level of public awareness, and has harmed the company's financial results.”
“Jim Atchison, SeaWorld's chief executive officer, said the new facilities would set the standard globally for man-made killer whale habitats, but acknowledged they were unlikely to satisfy the company's most vocal critics. "It probably won't, and that's not our audience," he said. "Unfortunately there are some people who want nothing more than to see the end to the relationship between humans and animals, and that would be a sad outcome."”
