State Attorney General Kamala Harris, who hopes to succeed veteran U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer next year, collected $2.5 million in campaign donations in 90 days -- some 2,800 individual donations -- that included maxed-out contributions from Hollywood's movers and shakers, plus assorted lobbyists and legal eagles.
The LAT's Michael Finnegan tells the tale: "Harris’ Hollywood contributors included actor Sean Penn, production mogul Norman Lear, Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn, Imagine Entertainment co-founder Brian Grazer, Viacom Entertainment Group President Doug Herzog and MGM Motion Picture Group President Jonathan Glickman."
"Also contributing were a large stable of producers, writers and talent agents, including Ari Emanuel of William Morris Endeavor Entertainment."
"Scores of lawyers in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento and Washington were donors, along with a handful of lobbyists such as Darius Anderson of Platinum Advisors in Sacramento. Another contributor was Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer."
Meanwhile, Assemblymember Rocky Chavez, the only declared Republican in the Senate contest, pulled in about $12,000, or about one-half of 1 percent of Harris' haul. Rocky had a rocky start.
From the Sacramento Bee's Christopher Cadelago: "Chávez, a retired Marine colonel from Oceanside, entered the race in early March and brought in just $12,030, concluding the period with $4,967. A spokesman said the campaign was just getting started and mentioned an upcoming even with San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer."
“Col. Chávez is receiving a lot of support around the state,” spokesman Justin Glover said. “People are engaging with his message which brings Californians together on issues like national security and education.”
And now for something completely different: Catholic leaders in San Francisco are demanding that Pope Francis dump the city's archbishop because, they say, he's intolerant and divisive. Why does this make us think of Father Guido Sarducci?
From the Chronicle's Matier and Ross: "In an unprecedented move, more than 100 prominent Roman Catholic donors and church members signed a full-page ad running Thursday in The Chronicle that calls on Pope Francis to replace San Francisco ArchbishopSalvatore Cordileone for fostering “an atmosphere of division and intolerance.”
"The plea follows months of dissent within the archdiocese over Cordileone’s emphasis on traditional, conservative church doctrine — including asking high school teachers and staffers at Catholic schools to sign a morality clause that characterizes sex outside of marriage and homosexual relations as “gravely evil.”
Shifting seamlessly from religion to rebates, we learn that 11 million California utility customers are going to get rebates averaging about $27 on their bills. Every dollar helps.
The LAT's Marc Lifsher tells us why: "The rebates come courtesy of a complex California program that requires polluting industries to pay for the right to release into the atmosphere carbon dioxide and other gases that contribute to global warming."
"The rebates account for a portion of the revenues generated by the so-called Cap and Trade program. Most of the proceeds are dedicated to climate change mitigation and other environmentally beneficial activities. They include some funding for a proposed high-speed rail project that would link Los Angeles and San Francisco."
In the political world, those Form 700s -- the statements of economic interest that are publicly filed with the state by public officials -- are infuriating to many reporters and the public because they are so broadly worded. But that may change, reports Josh Richman and Jessica Calefati in the Contra Costa Times.
Despite protests and lengthy testimony -- or maybe because of it -- legislation to prohibit parents from exempting their children from being vaccinated againt disease because of religious beliefs, went nowhere after a major hearing.
From the AP's Judy Lin: "The measure would bar parents from seeking vaccine exemptions for their children because of religious or personal beliefs, joining California with Mississippi and West Virginia in such strict requirements. Medical waivers would only be available for children with health problems, forcing unvaccinated children to be homeschooled."
"After more than three hours of testimony, supporters postponed a vote until next week so authors could work on revisions to address concerns raised in the Senate Education Committee."
And finally, from our
Take that, Drones! file, comes word of an irritated chimp at a Netherlands zoo who was fed up with a drone that had been flying through the compound. So the animal swatted it out of the sky.
Zap!
The drone was destroyed but the
camera still caught the action.
We should put that chimp in uniform ...
