I know, I know: Every presidential election, we in California wonder if our primary election -- which doesn't come around until June -- will actually make a difference in deciding who wins the presidency. This year is no exception.
From Jessica Calefati in the Mercury News: "After months of nonstop cable TV chatter and a political story line worthy of an Aaron Sorkin parallel universe, it's finally time for the country to start picking its presidential nominees. But this time might be different -- Californians' votes could really count for the first time in decades."
"As the Iowa caucuses scheduled for Monday and the early primaries that follow begin to shape one of the most unpredictable presidential contests in years, California's political junkies are licking their chops about the possible impact the state's huge cache of delegates could have come June."
"It looks like there's a greater than usual chance that we'll matter," said Jack Pitney, a political expert at Claremont McKenna College."
Speaking of politics, there are some California Democrats who aren't happy with the DNC. Take Democrat Lou Vince, for example, who had been building a campaign for months in hopes of taking out Republican incumbent Steve Knight in the 25th C.D. The powers that be asked him to drop out to make way for a candidate blessed by national Democrats.
From the LAT's Javier Panzar: "Vince, a Los Angeles Police Department lieutenant and Agua Dulce town councilman, had reported raising a lackluster $26,649 over the previous seven months while a new candidate, attorney Bryan Caforio, had just entered the race, boasting a roughly $50,000 haul in his first week alone."
"They said, 'See if you can talk to him (Vince) about whether or not he is willing to get out of the race because we want to have a viable candidate in the race,'" Rogers told The Times..."
"The rift in the 25th District and an ongoing dispute between Democratic party leaders and locals in the Central Valley congressional seat offer an inland California flavor to what is a national trend this year: grassroots activists bucking the establishment..."
"Vince didn't drop out after that December call. Saturday he won 82% of votes among local party activists at a pre-endorsement conference, making him the strong favorite to get the California Democratic Party's backing at its convention next month."
And federal races aren't the only hot issues facing voters this year: The November ballot is likely to be crowded, despite earlier efforts to foster agreements to keep the number down.
From the LAT's John Myers: "But one year after the enactment of what was hailed as a major electoral reform to encourage compromise between the two lawmaking processes, there's still skepticism of working inside the world of Sacramento politics."
"Even from some politicians who work there."
"We don't have the time, in California's future, to water down critical legislation," said Assemblyman Roger Hernandez (D-West Covina) as he joined organized labor groups last week in submitting voter signatures for a November ballot initiative to raise the state's minimum wage."
And still more on politics: Capitol Weekly's Tim Foster and John Howard welcomed Hector Barajas, veteran political strategist and expert on Latino politics, to our third podcast. Click here to listen in.
And now, finally, we leave politics for water. This might be a good time to get into almonds, which have been called the bad-boy crop during California's drought. But prices are going down.
From the Bee's Dale Kasler, Phillip Reese and Ryan Sabalow: "They were blamed for planting too many trees, using too much water and worsening the effects of California’s epic drought. The state’s almond farmers responded by expanding their orchards in a bold wager that the sky-high prices the world was paying for almonds justified both the water use and long-term investment."
"Now those farmers are dealing with a steep drop in prices – and wondering if the great almond boom that transformed Central Valley agriculture is starting to fizzle."
"Almond prices in California have dropped significantly in the past few months. A farmer who could sell a pound of almonds for nearly $5 last summer is now getting as little as $3.10."
Meanwhile, a whole lot of PG&E documents relating to gas-line fixes over more than a decade are gone, the latest in a series of paperwork problems at the giant utility.
From the Chronicle's Jaxon Van Derbeken: "Pacific Gas and Electric Co. says it has lost 12 years of gas-line repair records for part of the Bay Area — the largest such gap to emerge since the 2010 San Bruno pipeline explosion was blamed on incomplete and inaccurate documentation."
"In testimony before a regulatory judge at a recent California Public Utilities Commission hearing, PG&E executives admitted that no one can find original paper records of gas-pipeline repairs made from 1979 to 1991 in the company’s De Anza division. That division includes Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Sunnyvale, Campbell, Cupertino and Monte Sereno."
"The missing records constitute a central issue as the judge considers whether to fine PG&E for documentation problems on its network of gas distribution lines. Federal and state rules require utilities to maintain original records for the life of a pipeline."
Those three guys who escaped from the Orange County jail have been recaptured, but inquiring minds want to know: How did they get out in the first place?
From the LAT's Richard Winton and Taylor Goldenstein: "Officials said Saturday they continue to investigate many of these missing pieces, including whether the escapees got more help..."
"To escape, they had to cut through at least four layers of metal, steel and rebar in the dormitory, go through unsecured plumbing tunnels and make their way to the roof, where they used a makeshift rope of knotted bedsheets and cloth to rappel to freedom."
"Authorities arrested an instructor who taught an English-as-a-second-language class at the jail, accusing her of helping with the plot by giving Nayeri access to a Google Maps view of the Men's Central Jail. The instructor, Nooshafarin Ravaghi, is accused of exchanging personal letters with Nayeri, officials said."
"But it's unclear how the inmates got the tools officials suspect they'd need to escape."
