California is accustomed to crowded ballots, but the one coming up in November promises to really be a whopper.
From Dorothy Mills-Gregg at Capitol Weekly:"One thing about California’s lineup of looming ballot propositions: You can’t say they aren’t interesting."
"The general election isn’t until November, but the array of measures facing voters is taking shape."
"From school bonds to the environment to condoms to drugs to plastic bags, and more, voters already are set to vote on seven propositions on the November ballot."
California and New York lawmakers call to decipher the Rubik's Cube that is cellphone data.
Melody Gutierrez of the San Francisco Chronicle writes, "A fight over encryption-protected smartphone data is heating up in California and New York where lawmakers and law enforcement groups are pushing bills to enable investigators to unscramble data to obtain critical evidence in human trafficking, terrorism and child pornography cases."
"The bills seek to loosen the powerful encryption tools major cell-phone manufacturers have put in place to protect a smartphone user’s privacy and guard against hacking. Supporters argue law enforcement needs access to data that can help them prove or solve criminal cases, while technology and privacy groups are concerned the legislation would put a user’s personal information at risk."
As an embattled Coastal Commission chief fights for his career, members of the public are now accusing the commissioners out for his job of sleeping with the enemy.
L.A. Times' Dan Weikel and Tony Barboza report: "For more than four decades, the California Coastal Commission has policed land use and preserved public access along more than 1,100 miles of shoreline — some of the most valuable and scenic real estate in the nation."
"Now an internal battle over whether to fire its executive director has set off an intense public fight over the direction of the agency and its ability to control development and protect the state's vast coastal resources."
California eyes ShakeAlert for early earthquake detection--let's just hope it's more efficient than Jurassic Park's glass of water.
Jason Henry with the San Gabriel Valley Tribune: "Three state lawmakers introduced bills Monday that would direct $23 million in state funds toward an Earthquake Early Warning system being developed for the West Coast."
"The concurrent legislation in both the Assembly and the state Senate would fund California’s portion of the $38 million ShakeAlert system that experts say could offer more than a minute warning before a temblor reaches a community. The system could slow trains, stop elevators at the nearest floor and give people a chance to take cover."
Amid an unexpected dropout from Rocky Chavez, Republican U.S. Senate candidates refuse to halt pace.
From Christopher Cadelago with the Sacramento Bee: "Republican Rocky Chávez stole the stage in Monday’s U.S. Senate radio forum by announcing he was dropping out and running for reelection to the state Assembly."
"Then he left."
“Not something we expected, I guess,” KOGO-AM’s Cliff Albert said."
And now, from our "Snoozing on the Job" file, comes the story of an intern who took a nap.
This will definitely teach you to get a full eight hours of beauty rest before heading into the office.
Elyse Wenshel with the Huffington Post: "This is anything but a snooze."
"On his first day working an internship for a tech startup, a Reddit user who posts as TheOrangeDuke, passed out sitting upright at his desk."
