Despite our skepticism yesterday, the Sacramento Bee had the correct turnout numbers for the special election to replace Rod Wright: 6.36%. Wowza. (Isadore Hall won that race, btw, taking 54% of the 6.36%.)
Neither the impending holidays nor the “Hellastorm” that is projected to wreak havoc in the Sacto area today seem to have had an impact on the elves at the Bee’s political bureau yesterday - they posted a small mountain of stories, including a look at the high numbers of sign ups for Covered California, new groundwater monitoring rules for fracking sites, a chat with California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye and a look at House Rep. Lorena Sanchez’ Christmas card.
On January 2, California will begin issuing driver’s licenses to people in the country illegally. The California DMV has ramped up in preparation. Patrick McGreevy has the story in the Los Angeles Times.
“Just weeks before California begins to issue driver's licenses to people in the country illegally, the Department of Motor Vehicles has opened four new offices and hired more than 900 additional staffers to help handle the expected flood of applicants.
“State officials expect that 1.4 million immigrants who are not lawfully in the country will apply for specially marked licenses during the first three years beginning Jan. 2. An extra $141 million has been budgeted to handle the applications.”
The release of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s report on the CIA’s use of torture may be the single most important act of Senator Dianne Feinstein’s long career – so say Trounstine and Roberts at CalBuzz.
“’Releasing this report is an important step to restoring our values and showing the world that we are a just society,’ Feinstein said on the Senate floor, calling the CIA’s post 9/11 interrogation program, ‘a stain on our values and our history.’
“Under enormous pressure, Feinstein could have punted, mumbled about bipartisanship and played it safe by letting Republicans water down the report or bury it for good after she loses her committee chairmanship when the new Senate convenes. Such an option was most likely a non-starter for someone of her self-regard, but that she ultimately did not choose it may well stand as the greatest legacy of the 81-year old Senator’s years in Washington.”
The government lawsuit filed Tuesday against rideshare giant Uber (now worth $40 billion) has caused a backlash from advocates who say that regulation could impede innovation. From Tracy Lien and Russ Mitchell at the Los Angeles Times:
"’We urge policymakers not to be a barrier to innovation,’ said Gary Toebben, president and chief executive of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, calling for ‘productive conversations’ with ride-sharing companies.
Brian Wise of the free market advocacy group the U.S. Consumer Coalition issued a statement titled, ‘Gov't Declaring War on Uber.’ The government, he said, ‘needs to back off.’”
And, just in time for the holidays, a story sure to warm the cockles of your heart: convicted sex offender Timothy Dale Poole just won $3 million in the Florida lottery.
"’He was flabbergasted. He couldn't believe it,’ said Floyd Snyder, a friend who was with Poole when he hit the jackpot. ‘It was quite a remarkable thing. My heart is still beating….’”
“In 1999, Orange County authorities arrested Poole following allegations that he sexually battering a 9-year-old boy… In 2003, a judge revoked Poole's probation and sent him to prison for 3 years. According to court records, Poole was kicked out of his mandatory sex offender counseling because he failed to attend 4 group sessions.”
For what it’s worth, Poole says he’s innocent.
"’It may be hard for some to believe, but sometimes people are wrongly accused,’ Poole told Local 6….”
