Billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer took to Reddit yesterday for an AMA (‘Ask me anything’) session that included queries about Pokemon (not a fan) his notable neckties (bright red plaid) and a possible bid for the U.S. Senate.
Christopher Cadelago has the story at the Sacramento Bee: “’Don’t know yet,’ [Steyer] wrote. ‘Trying to figure out how to have most positive impact. Already working full-time on the issues. Question is, can I have more positive influence by running? I’m trying hard to figure that out, and will do it pretty soon.’”
A new study reports that roughly half of the 300 oil wells that come online each month in California are fracking wells – and have been for the past ten years. According to a report by the California Council on Science and Technology, 20 percent of the state’s oil is now produced by fracking. From Ellen Knickmeyer at Associated Press.
“California is the country's No. 3 oil-producing state, with most coming from aging fields in the Central Valley's Kern County… California lawmakers in 2013 passed Senate Bill 4 to regulate fracking, which increasingly is the method of oil extraction most targeted by environmental groups. Environmental groups on Wednesday criticized the state for moving forward on a required state environmental review of fracking before the researchers' state-commissioned studies are completed.”
New data shows a mixed bag of results for Latino enrollment in the state’s Covered California healthcare marketplace. While Latinos make up 28% of new enrollments – the same as last year – they comprise 60% of the uninsured population in California. Also of note: 50% of people who start an application but fail to complete the process are Latino. From April Dembosky at KQED:
“’This really demonstrates that our investments in Spanish-language advertising, our investments in storefronts, and outreach in Latino communities, is making a difference,’ said Peter Lee, Covered California executive director.
“But he acknowledged that the figures also highlight the difficulty the agency faces in getting Latinos to complete their applications.
“’Many of the people that are signing up for coverage, have not had insurance before,’ Lee said. ‘So the fact that many people have signed up, been determined eligible, and then when they get to that point of picking a health plan, what’s the right benefit design for me, they need help.’”
At a GOP gathering in Hershey, Pennsylvania, yesterday, San Joaquin Valley congressmen Jeff Denham and David Valadao challenged the party line on immigration reform. Michael Doyle and William Douglas report from the Bee’s Washington Bureau:
“On Thursday, doubling down at a party retreat, Denham kept the spotlight on sharp disagreements over immigration control. The move came one day after Denham joined Valadao and some others in the GOP in opposing strict immigration measures pushed by party leaders…”
“Representing largely agricultural districts with significant Hispanic populations, Denham and Valadao have previously carved out distinctive immigration positions. Last Congress, Denham drew national media attention when he became the first Republican in the House of Representatives to co-sponsor a comprehensive immigration-overhaul bill.
“Valadao followed suit. The Californians noted they were being attentive to their districts, where immigration crackdowns hit home. About 41% of the residents in Denham's Modesto-based district are Hispanic, while in Valadao's Hanford-based district that includes most of the Valley's west side, 72% of the residents are.”
Closer to home, at the Republican National Committee’s winter meeting in San Diego, presumed 2016 presidential candidate Ben Carson urged the party to hold fast to hardline conservative positions on divisive issues, including same sex marriage. From Seema Mehta at the Los Angeles Times:
“’They just don’t get to call it marriage. They don’t get to change the definition of marriage,’ he said, to growing applause. ‘If you do it for one, you’ve got to do it for the next one that comes along and the next one that comes along, and pretty soon, it has no meaning. So I don’t have any problem with gay people, no problem whatsoever, but I don’t think anybody gets to change things for everybody else…’”
“’We must be willing to stand up for what we believe in,’ he said.
“Carson contrasted the dedication of the nation’s founders to their cause to that of the Islamic State.
“’They’ve got the wrong philosophy, but they’re willing to die for what they believe, while we are busily giving away every belief and every value for the sake of political correctness,’ Carson said.”
Other potential 2016 contenders, including Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney and former Texas Governor Rick Perry are attending the gathering as well. Walker spoke Thursday, touting his successes in Wisconsin, while Romney and Perry are scheduled to speak today.
Over 100 activists seeking to split part of Northern California from the rest of the state to form the State of Jefferson rallied at the state capitol yesterday, presenting ‘Declarations of Independence’ from three California counties, bringing the total number of secessionist counties to five. The group found a sympathetic ear from freshman Assemblyman James Gallagher. From Alexei Koseff at the Bee:
“Gallagher] sported a pin with Jefferson’s XX seal, which stands for double-crossed by Sacramento.
“’You need to get Shasta,’ Gallagher told Terry Rapoza of Shasta County, a Jefferson organizer, ‘and Placer would be great.’
“’He really has the testicular fortitude, doesn’t he?’ Rapoza said of Gallagher.
“Gallagher said he is a ‘big supporter of trying to get better representation, especially for the rural areas,’ and he is interested in changing the structure of the state Senate, perhaps to one senator per county. California and many other states had such a setup until the mid-1960s, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that legislative districts had to have equal numbers of people.
“But Gallagher side-stepped questions about whether he would support Jeffersonians’ efforts to secede: ‘We’re not there yet.’”
Happy birthday to the San Francisco Chronicle which turns 150 years old today!
And, it’s Friday, the day we name that person who had the worst week in California politics. This week there wasn’t much question who was Singin’ the Golden State Blues: only one person shot himself to get away from them.
Alfred Villalobos, the man at the center of a massive CalPERS corruption scandal, committed suicide Tuesday at a gun range in Reno. In failing health, with an impending trial that was all-but-certain to result in a lengthy prison sentence, Villalobos found his own way out. The death of the former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor and CalPERS board member ends a true crime saga that began in 2009. Marc Lifsher has the story at the Los Angeles Times:
"’He was more than ethically challenged,’ said former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, who said he fired Villalobos in 1993 after five months on the job. ‘He was so bad that I went out of my way to recommend that they not put him on the CalPERS board…’"
“[Former co-defendant, Federico] Buenrostro told federal officials that he took more than $250,000 in bribes and other valuable gifts from Villalobos. Much of the money was delivered personally in paper bags and shoe boxes at a Hyatt Hotel across the street from the state Capitol in downtown Sacramento….”
