Californians worry about drought levels, as this year's so-called 'monster" El Nino appears to be drying up.
From the Bee's Phuillip Reese, Dale Kasler, Ryan Sandalow: "Sacramento is in the peak of its rainy season, but there is no substantial rain in the forecast. The Sierra snowpack has fallen below normal levels for this time of year. The state’s three largest reservoirs remain far below capacity."
"Whither El Niño?"
"A winter season that began with considerable promise toward breaking the drought has given way to a staggeringly dry February. Despite heavy rain in January, the Sacramento area this season has seen just half as much precipitation as it did at the same point in 1983 and 1998, the last two major El Niño winters."
Meanwhile, Gov. Brown's prison reformation initiative gets appealed on the grounds that there wasn't enough time for public opinion/discussion surrounding the amendments made.
From The A.P.'s Don Thompson: "Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday asked California's Supreme Court to stay a judge's ruling that could stall his proposal to reduce the state's prison population for two years."
"Unless this court acts, a manifest error by the superior court will keep an initiative off the 2016 ballot that promises to enhance public safety, improve inmate rehabilitation, and avoid the release of prisoners by federal court order," Robin Johansen, an attorney representing the governor, said in the emergency petition."
"The governor acted less than a day after Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Shelleyanne Chang blocked state Attorney General Kamala Harris from issuing the documents that would let Brown's supporters gather the signatures needed to put his initiative on the November ballot."
And more on corrections: California's Youth Authority has seen some marked improvements since a lawsuit in 2003 brought to attention the horrible conditions youthful offenders have to deal with.
From Don Thompson at the A.P.: "California on Thursday resolved a long-running lawsuit over poor care at juvenile prisons, and both sides said conditions have greatly improved."
"An Alameda County judge approved an agreement between the parties to dismiss a 2003 lawsuit against what was then called the California Youth Authority."
"The system was known then for imposing long periods of solitary confinement and employees' frequent use of pepper spray against youthful offenders."
Gas prices are expected ro rise during the summer season as fuel distributors start rolling out their "summer blend" of fuel.
James F. Peltz and Ivan Penn with The L.A. Times report: "The slide in California's gasoline prices could abruptly end Friday, with prices possibly jumping 30 cents a gallon because of seasonal changes in the state's refinery operations, a consumer group predicted Thursday."
"Prices often climb in California this time of year because refineries switch from the winter blend of fuel to the more expensive state-mandated summer blend, which evaporates less quickly during warm weather."
"But this year's switch to summer gasoline has triggered a jump of 52 cents a gallon on the gasoline wholesale market in Los Angeles this week, which will lead to the higher pump prices predicted by advocacy group Consumer Watchdog."
A "ride along" clause in state regulations is allowing non-lobbyists to influence legislation without having to register as lobbyists.
Capitol Public Radio's Ben Bradford writes: "California’s elections watchdog agency says lobbyists are exploiting a loophole in state rules and it’s allowing people to influence legislation and rules without registering as lobbyists."
"Under what’s called the “ride-along” exception, lobbyists can take another person with them to meet with elected officials."
"Galena West, the Chief Enforcement Officer of the California Fair Political Practices Commission, says the idea was to allow subject matter experts to act as resources during discussions on complicated issues. "
And when we looked around for the person who had the worst week in California, #WorstWeekinCA, we came up with Gov. Brown, who got worked over in the courts.
"Gov. Jerry Brown's ballot measure to speed up the parole of some California prisoners was blocked from signature gathering on Wednesday afternoon, after a Sacramento judge ruled that the public should have been given additional time to review it."
"The ruling, which a spokesman for Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris said will be appealed, threatens to either derail the governor's high-profile attempt at major reform or force his political team to spend millions of dollars on a last-minute dash to collect voter signatures."
"Judge Shellyanne Chang sided with Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert and the California District Attorneys Assn. in finding that there was "no substantial compliance" by Harris and her staff with the 2014 state law that governs late changes to proposed ballot measures."
