With Ohio Gov. John Kasich securing Ohio's delegates in his uphill race for the presidency, California is now more important than ever in the race for the party's nomination.
LAT's Seema Mehta and Cathleen Decker: "Callifornia Republicans are about to experience an event many of them have never seen — a primary that could determine a presidential nomination."
"Because Donald Trump lost Ohio’s primary on Tuesday night, ceding the state’s 66 delegates to its governor, John Kasich, the race to claim the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the nomination seems unlikely to be settled before California votes on June 7."
"Barring another big shift in the race, such as a decision by one of the three remaining candidates to drop out, the contest for California will be critical to the outcome. How important is it?"
Ron Unz -- remember him? -- gets back into the ring with a last-minute announcement about his campaign for the U.S. senate.
From the Bee's Christopher Cadelago: "Ron Unz, the conservative critic of bilingual education who in recent years has championed incrementally increasing the statewide minimum wage, said Wednesday he will enter California’s crowded race for U.S. Senate."
"Unz, a candidate for governor against fellow Republican Pete Wilson in 1994, said his chief motivation for mounting the uphill challenge is to help raise awareness about a fall ballot measure that would largely overturn his voter-approved Proposition 227, the 1998 initiative requiring schools to teach in English."
“Believe me, this was a last-minute decision,” Unz said by phone. He plans an unorthodox campaign in which he will ask donors to contribute no more than $99. “I never considered getting back into California politics.”
As the cost for collecting signatures for ballot initiatives increases, grassroots movements are finding it harder to stay afloat.
Laurel Rosenhall reports with CalMatters: "Democracy has a price. And at the moment, it’s higher than ever in California."
"With a presidential election coming up this fall, dozens of groups are trying to get measures on the ballot -- asking voters to sanction recreational marijuana, stiffen gun controls, increase cigarette taxes and pass numerous other laws."
"The competition among them has created an unprecedented situation in California that’s driving up the cost of gathering the signatures necessary to get on the ballot. Some campaigns are paying double the rate of a typical year. It means that more than ever, access to the ballot is reserved for those with the most money."
Meanwhile, the big money from drug makers is still making itself felt in connection with a price-control measure aimed at the November ballot.
From KQED's Katie Orr and Dan Brekke: "Pharmaceutical companies continue to pour cash into their campaign to defeat a California ballot measure that would limit prescription drug prices, a new campaign finance analysis shows."
"An analysis by MapLight, a nonpartisan organization that tracks money in politics, says the pharmaceutical industry has poured $49 million into the effort to defeat a ballot measure that would limit how much the state can pay for prescription drugs it purchases for a range of people, from those in prisons to Medi-Cal enrollees."
"MapLight says that the drug measure’s sole financial backer, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, has put about $4.4 million into the campaign so far."
As the bullet train chugs ominously near the Angeles National Forest, conservationists wrestle with the suggested routes while certain politicians welcome them.
Meghan McCarty reports with KPCC: "Conservationists, however, remain opposed to two of the latest route choices because they would still travel through the Angeles National Forest."
"Last summer, the proposed routes drew about 300 people to a meeting where they protested the suggested alignments, including one that would have cut through communities like San Fernando."
"The redrawn options leave out an above-ground tracks through densely populated areas and modify two alternative routes through the forest."
Unfortunately, there has been a steady decrease in the amount of local ballots cast: American's seem to vote the least on issues that their vote can most affect.
Ben Bradford with California Counts: "Presidential elections receive by far the most attention, but it’s also the race where individual voters have the least direct effect. The undercard races for local offices, such as city council and board of supervisors, offer the greatest opportunity for residents to exert influence and directly engage with elected officials, yet they receive some of the least attention, engagement and votes."
"Will Cannady recalls his first success influencing local government. Cannady is a high school history teacher in the Pocket neighborhood of Sacramento."
"“The bus stop for our school site was about a mile away,” he says. “Not only did students have to walk, but there was no shelter for them. They'd go onto people's property and hide under a plum tree.”"
In an effort to better understand and control gun violence, politicians have proposed a 'gun violence research center' in the UC system that would cost $5 million over 5 years to establish.
KQED's Katie Orr reports: "The University of California could put a bigger focus on gun violence research if a bill in the state Legislature is successful. It passed the Senate Education Committee today."
"The measure from Sen. Lois Wolk would ask UC to establish a Firearm Violence Research Center. The Davis Democrat is proposing the state give $5 million over five years to help get the center started."
"The numbers of people who are injured and killed each year is just appalling,” she says. “And research can point the way to better policies to reduce or eliminate perhaps some of them.”"
And from our That's A Lot of Bull file comes word of the bull that wanted to get into a soccer game -- and did.
"A soccer match in Australia took an unexpected turn when an escaped bull invaded the field."
"The young animal ran onto the pitch and charged at players during a youth game at Federation Park in Maryborough, Queensland."
"Video posted online shows it slowly walking out from nearby woodland. It picks up speed to chase down a player, who somehow manages to dodge the bull. The animal then turns around and runs back into the trees."
Maybe he was looking for a pair of red shorts ...
