Assemblyman Anthony Rendón (D-Lakewood) will be the first Speaker elected under the new 12 year term limits when he is officially elected in January – meaning that he may be Speaker for a good long time. Cynthia Moreno profiles Rendón at Vida en el Valle:
“Rendón sees the new term limits as both an enormous responsibility and an advantage, to really focus on the legislation he feels is important for his district and the entire state.
“’I want to ensure power is restored to the members and committee chairs and I believe the speaker needs to serve more as a steward so that the members have all the resources they need as well as all the committee chairs,’ said Rendón.”
Meanwhile, current speaker Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) appears to have the upper hand over Senator Marty Block (D_San Diego) in the 39th Senate District, at least according to poll results leaked this week. Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune:
“The survey of 400 likely voters in the district has Atkins with a nearly 2-to-1 advantage over Block — 39 percent to 20 percent, according to a two-page summary by EMC Research, the Oakland-based firm that conducted the poll Sept. 10-15.
“That period concluded just days before Atkins went public with what had been long speculated: that the termed-out Assembly leader would take on incumbent Block.”
“..Exactly who commissioned the poll is unclear. One of the EMC researchers who worked on the poll, Emily Goodrich, said she was not at liberty to say. A prominent San Diego Democrat, who asked not to be identified, gave the poll summary to The San Diego Union-Tribune.“
Democratic Assembly Mod Caucus leader Henry Perea (D-Fresno) may have helped stifle the Governor’s climate change goals this year, but he is an enthusiastic supporter of Brown’s High Speed Rail project. He’ll be heading to Spain this week to see their rail system firsthand. Jeremy White, Sacramento Bee:
“Perea has been a strong backer of California’s high-speed rail project, a constant source of controversy in the Central Valley communities along the first stretch of the train’s route. He’ll be spending a week in Spain meeting with officials and studying their existing train system.
“’As high-speed rail moves forward in our community, it is essential we look to other areas of the world to build on their success and bring back to the Central Valley tools to effectively implement this major transportation project in Fresno and throughout the state,’ Perea said in a statement. ‘A successful high-speed rail system will bring good paying jobs to the community, while making Fresno more accessible for economic investments.’”
Pope Francis brought his homespun charm to Washington D.C. yesterday, annoying a conservative congressman, making time for an ebullient five year old with a message and eschewing a lunch with congress in favor of a meal with 300 homeless people. He also outraged many Native Americans by elevating Father Junipero Serra to Sainthood. Ben Nuckols, Associated Press:
“Francis canonized Junipero Serra during a Mass outside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Catholic church in North America.
“Serra was a Franciscan friar who marched north from Baja California with conquistadors from his native Spain, establishing nine of the 21 missions in what is now California. The pope announced in January that Serra would be canonized.
“The decision was polarizing. Serra is revered by Catholics for his missionary work, but many Native Americans in California say he enslaved converts and contributed to the spread of disease that wiped out indigenous populations.”
Yesterday, we brought you the news that copyright protections had been removed from “Happy Birthday,” and the song had entered the Public Domain. Today we have to inform you that the Batmobile is indeed protected property:
“Batman won't have to worry about Batmobile knockoffs after a federal appeals court on Wednesday ruled that the caped crusader's vehicle is entitled to copyright protection.
“The Batmobile's bat-like appearance and other distinct attributes, including its high-tech weaponry, make it a character that can't be replicated without permission from DC Comics, the copyright holder, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal said.
“’As Batman so sagely told Robin, “In our well-ordered society, protection of private property is essential, ”’ Judge Sandra Ikuta wrote for the three-judge panel.”
