The man at the center of a CalPERS corruption case appears to have committed suicide rather than face trial. Albert Villalobos, a former CalPERS board member, accused of multiple bribery charges totaling more than $250,000 shot himself at a Reno gun range Tuesday.
From Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee: “Villalobos’ activities formed the cornerstone of a corruption case that rocked CalPERS when it unfolded in 2009. Its reputation damaged, the pension fund instituted reforms, including a ban on commission payments to “placement agents” such as Villalobos, who help investment clients do business with CalPERS…”.
“Former Assemblyman Dave Elder, who represents some public employee unions before CalPERS, called Villalobos’ death unfortunate because the whole story of his criminal behavior won’t come out now. ‘It’s very unfortunate that this didn’t go to trial,’ Elder said.”
Sad news from the capitol this week with the announcement that staffer Kyle Long, who managed bills for Senator Mark DeSaulnier, died Saturday after collapsing at the gym. He was 27.
From Laurel Rosenhall at the Sacramento Bee: “Long’s co-workers and bosses remembered him as an effervescent and ambitious man who landed a job in the Legislature after getting to know Capitol staffers who frequented the coffee shop where he worked while he was a student at Sacramento State.
“He knew a lot of people not by name, but rather by their drink orders,” Senate leader Kevin de León said in a memorial tribute to Long on the Senate floor.
“’He took his (customer-service) skill set from Chicory, and took it across the street to the Capitol. And he used that skill set engaging with so many different types of folks….’”
“DeSaulnier said Long was ‘a wonderful human being’ with a joyful approach to life.”
Services will be held on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Bethany Presbyterian Church, 5625 24th Street, Sacramento, CA 95822.
Two thousand protesters descended on the eastern San Fernando Valley to rally against plans to put a high speed rail line through the Angeles National Forest.
“The event focused on a proposal by Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich to consider a high-speed-rail route that would run 35 miles through the southwest portion of the forest…. A decision on the route is expected this spring.”
Now that Gavin Newsom has stepped out, and Kamala Harris has jumped in, to the race to succeed retiring senator Barbara Boxer, all eyes are on billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer. Will he or won’t he?
In a blog post for liberal website the Huffington Post he officially announced that he’s not saying. Yet. From Ben Geman at the National Journal:
“Tom Steyer used a blog post Tuesday to announce he hasn't decided yet whether to jump into the race to succeed California Democrat Barbara Boxer.
“But the billionaire former hedge-fund manager, in his Huffington Post piece, publicly laid out the themes of the potential campaign after days of private meetings and calls to weigh a bid.”
And for those of you keeping track of who’s running in the upcoming Special Elections to replace legislators who moved up to congress, Mike Rosenberg profiles San Jose City Councilman Ash Kalra for the San Jose Mercury News, Martin Wisckol looks at senate candidate John Moorlach for the Orange County Register and C. W. Nevius says SF supervisor Scott Wiener is someone to watch.
From SFGate: “It’s been quite a run for a somewhat unlikely politician. Who would have thought that a tall (6-foot-7), nerdy (his word), gay, Jewish guy would become such a political force? He certainly doesn’t light up the room with spell-binding speeches.
“Oh, and he’s also named Wiener. So when he proposed legislation to stop the “nude guys” from parading around naked in the city, he also provided the irresistible punch line…”
Ok, then.
Anthony York kicked off his Grizzly Bear Project with a bang, posting several page-turners in his first week. Yesterday’s in-depth look at the connection between poverty and voter participation is a good example.
“Much has been written about the abysmal voter turn out in this fall’s California election. Everything from voter apathy to sophisticated micro-targeting has been blamed for the record-low participation rates.
“But missing from much of the post-election analysis is a simple fact that has long been known to depress voter turn out – high rates of poverty are directly connected to lower rates of voter participation.
“California is both the richest and poorest state in the union. With a GDP of more than $2 trillion, it ranks on its own as one of the world’s largest economies. But California also has more poor people and higher rates of poverty than any other state.”
The state announced new limits Wednesday on the use of chloropicrin, a widely-used pesticide linked to “irritated eyes, headaches and coughing fits.”
From Scott Smith at Associated Press: “The new regulations surpass standards required by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Brian Leahy, director of the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, said Tuesday that the higher standard is needed in California, the nation’s leading agricultural producer and most populated state, where farms are often next to people. Costs are sure to rise for farmers, who will pass it along to consumers, but Leahy said it is worth it.
“’It is burdensome,’ Leahy said. ‘But if we’re going to use these tools, we’ve got to ensure that they’re used as safely as possible.’”
Reminder: if you have a ticket, don’t forget tonight’s invite-only Back to Session Bash.
And finally, PRI reporter Andrea Crossan tells of a sticky solution to the problem of dusty roads in a small town in Costa Rica: molasses.
“In the middle of town, there's a truck with dozens of 50 gallon drums stacked in its bed. A work crew pours drums of molasses into smaller buckets. They add water to loosen it up, and then they dump it on the road.
I interrupt the crew leader, Joaquin, to ask why he and his guys are turning the town into a giant fly trap. He tells me that they're spreading molasses to stop the dust from getting into the air. He also explains that he and his crew aren't government workers — they're hired by the people who live along this street.
Now that’s direct democracy.
