With Ted Cruz withdrawing from the presidential race, Donald Trump heads into the final month of the Republican primary election season as the GOP's presumptive nominee.Trump's victory crushes California's hopes of being relevant in deciding the GOP's standard bearer.
The Bee's David Siders writes: "Marty Wilson, a Republican political consultant, was at a poolside reception at a GOP gathering in Burlingame over the weekend, analyzing paths forward for Ted Cruz and John Kasich in California. He offered one major caution."
"If Donald Trump wins the Indiana primary, Wilson said, “This may be an academic argument.”
"On Tuesday, Trump’s overwhelming victory in the Hoosier state – and Cruz’s withdrawal from the race – made it all but certain that California voters will not play a pivotal role in the GOP presidential primary. "
SEE ALSO: Will Loretta Sanchez benefit from Ted Cruz' demise? -- Phil Willon with the LA Times.
Facebook's president, Sean Parker, announced Tuesday that the company had collected over 600,000 signatures in an effort to qualify the cannabis legalization bill coming to the ballots on November 8th.
LAT's Patrick McGreevy reports: "A measure to legalize marijuana for recreational use in California appears headed for the Nov. 8 ballot."
"A coalition that includes former Facebook President Sean Parker on Tuesday said it has collected 600,000 signatures, more than enough to qualify the initiative."
"Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and other supporters of the measure plan to kick off a campaign for voter approval of the Adult Use of Marijuana Act on Wednesday in San Francisco."
Kamala Harris is looking for an environmental solution that protects both fish and farmer amid discussions of the twin tunnel water diversion program proposed by Gov. Brown.
Sacramento Bee's Christopher Cadelago reports: "U.S. Senate candidate Kamala Harris said Tuesday that she would not support efforts to weaken the federal law governing endangered species, breaking with fellow Democrat and rival Loretta Sanchez, who has said she would be open to amendments to help address the state’s protracted drought."
“We have to support the Endangered Species Act,” Harris, the state attorney general, told The Sacramento Bee editorial board. “There’s just no question about that.”
"The law has been used to protect fish such as the Delta smelt and Chinook salmon, and has long been at the center of debate between environmentalists and farmers. Asked in an editorial board meeting last week whether the Endangered Species Act should be looked at, Sanchez, a 10-term congresswoman from Orange County, said she believed so. "
It's no surprise that the government wastes money from time to time on nonsensical expenditures -- like California's Board of Equalization spending upwards of $1 million anually on office space and furniture for 5 people.
Sac Bee's Jeremy B. White says: "The California Board of Equalization’s spending came under legislative scrutiny Tuesday, with lawmakers questioning the cost of separate office space for the tax overseer’s leadership."
"The Sacramento Bee reported that four of the board’s five governing members were leasing office space at a cost to taxpayers of about $740,000 per year. The organization’s main building in downtown Sacramento has fallen into disrepair and struggled with issues such as mold, falling glass panels, leaks and bat infestations."
"During an Assembly budget subcommittee hearing Tuesday, Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian, D-Los Angeles, repeatedly pressed board officials on why members were working out of different offices, saying he had considered moving to slash the $740,000 lease price from the organization’s budget."
Meanwhile, LAPD officers are speaking out against the institutions's enforcement of arrest quotas--an illegal tactic that violates state labor laws, according to a lawsuit filed by members of the police department.
LA Daily News' Dana Bartholomew reports: "A $10 million payout to Los Angeles Police Department officers alleging they were pressured to meet illegal traffic ticket quotas may get pricier."
"Two more LAPD officers filed suit Monday alleging they were victims of a backlash for not complying with and for speaking out against what they say were unlawful arrest and citation quotas."
"North Hollywood Division Officers Michael Marciano and Andrew Cota filed the lawsuit Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging the LAPD violated state labor laws."
The death of a loved one or spouse brings many complexities that are difficult to navigate, including continued home ownership by the surviving spouse. A new bill aimed at protecting those spouses would make it more difficult for their homes to be foreclosed.
Andrew Khouri in LA Times writes: "A bill that would give California widows and widowers greater protections against foreclosure passed a state Senate committee Tuesday."
"The proposal is geared at giving surviving homeowners who aren’t on the mortgage note a better shot at obtaining a loan modification after their spouse dies."
"The Judiciary Committee voted 4 to 1 to approve the bill, which will now go before the full Senate."
Finally, a note to our subscribers: You may have noticed that yesterday was the annual Big Day of Giving, one day a year that communities across America come together to raise money for local nonprofits.
You may have also noticed that the Big DOG website crashed as donors flooded their servers. But that's OK - the Big Day of Giving has been extended one more day to give everyone a chance to donate!
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