From the drought, to the saga of Leland Yee and “Shrimp Boy” Chow, to the Vergara Decision, it’s been one heck of a year in California politics. If you want to take one last last look at 2014, John Howard has the year in review at Capitol Weekly.
Former state senator Sharon Runner unveiled a long list of endorsements Monday as she prepares a run for the Antelope Valley senate seat being vacated by Steve Knight. Christopher Cadelago reports at the Sacramento Bee:
“Runner, 60, represented much of the area after winning a Senate special election in 2011, and said she has received the backing of Knight, along with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Assemblymen Tom Lackey and Scott Wilk and former Assemblyman Cameron Smyth.
“Knight is expected to relinquish the Senate seat by early next week, meaning a special election would take place in March, and a possible runoff in May. Runner, who will formally enter the race once it’s called, said she plans to reach out to other potential candidates and leaders in the community in the coming weeks.
“’My goal right now is trying to get all of the Republicans out of the race,’ Runner told The Bee.”
San Francisco hedge fund billionaire Tom Steyer topped the list of individual political donors for this year’s mid-term election, spending nearly $75 million in 2014.
Chris Megerian reports in the Los Angeles Times, “The numbers, compiled from documents filed with the federal government, were detailed by Politico this week.”
“They highlight the ascendancy of Steyer, a wonky environmental activist who can often be found wearing the same plaid tie. By comparison, casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and business executive David Koch, two Republican mega-donors, gave $13.2 million and $6.2 million. The analysis does not include money donated to nonprofits that aren’t required to reveal their contributors.”
And, over at the San Jose Mercury News, Josh Richman looks at the impending fuel price hike. Happy New Year to you, too.
“After months of seeing gas prices sink ever lower, Californians will ring in 2015 by paying more at the pump as a result of the state's landmark greenhouse-gas emissions law.
“But how much more we'll pay, and whether it's worth it, remains bitterly debated among oil companies, some state lawmakers and environmentalists.
“Starting Thursday, gasoline and diesel producers will be subject to the state's cap-and-trade system, forcing them either to supply lower-carbon fuels -- which are more expensive to produce -- or to buy pollution permits for the greenhouse gases created when the fuel is burned. In the short term, at least, that will mean higher prices at the pump.”
John Myers reports that the fight over the North Fork Casino project – it was rejected by voters in the November 4 referendum – may not be over. From KQED:
“[Weeks] after voters overwhelmingly rejected the project, it’s increasingly clear that Proposition 48 will be ultimately not much more than a brief distraction.
“’We’re now trying to figure out, “Well, what does it really mean to our project?” ‘ said Charles Banks-Altekruse, a spokesman for the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians.”
And, since it’s the last day of the year, let’s look back on some of 2014’s weirdest headlines, including:
“Ebola Nurse: Stop calling me the ‘Ebola Nurse’”
“Underwear bandit caught, admits brief crime spree”
“Meet the Bassist Who Ruptured His Scrotum on a Glitter Cannon”
and our fave, “Holy Shit We Landed a Spacecraft on a Comet”
Plenty more where these came from, courtesy Buzzfeed.
See you next year!
