California's cap-and-trade effort is a little too smoke-and-mirrors for some lawmakers, and unanswered questions have them suspicious of the program's efficacy and morality.
CalMatter's Julie Cart writes: "Assemblyman Brian Jones leaned in to the microphone with a tight smile. It was May, and legislators were debating whether to request an audit of the California Air Resources Board."
"Frustrated that the agency was not more forthcoming about aspects of the cap and trade program it runs, Jones fixed his gaze on the embattled regulator assigned to parry lawmakers’ questions."
“My experience is: The longer we give CARB to respond, the more unresponsive they become,” said the legislator, a Republican from Santee."
Hillary Clinton is maintaing a lead over Trump in the Golden State, recent polling suggests.
John Wildermuth in The Chronicle reports: "California looks like Hillary Clinton country in a new Field Poll on the November presidential election, but the state’s Democratic voters are none too excited to see the former secretary of state at the top of the party’s ticket."
"Clinton holds a commanding 58 percent to 28 percent lead over Republican Donald Trump in the poll, but only 35 percent of likely Democratic voters say they are enthusiastic to see the former first lady as the party’s nominee."
"That’s only slightly more than the 33 percent of Republicans excited about Trump’s run for president."
A tactless opinion expressed by a Democratic leader over the recent passing of Elie Wiesel has sparked an outrage amongst many.
L.A. Daily News' Dakota Smith reports: "The Anti-Defamation League of Los Angeles is speaking out about an email sent by a local Democratic Party leader criticizing Elie Wiesel, the Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner, who died on July 2."
"Dorothy Reik, president of the Progressive Democrats of the Santa Monica Mountains and a delegate-elect for the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, angered some groups over her email, in which she made disparaging comments about Wiesel after his death."
"“I had met people who made their living from the Holocaust but never to the extent that Wiesel did,” Reik wrote. She also retold an incident in which another individual called Wiesel a “Holocaust w----” in the email."
SEE MORE in Los Angeles: Los Angeles-area congressman is a target of a new anti-Trump ad campaign -- Jazmine Ulloa with L.A. Times; L.A. Unified Board re-elects Zimmer as president, with admonitions -- Howard Blume with L.A. Times.
Yet another fatal police shooting has rocked California, with a recently released video showing multiple officers firing into an unarmed Dylan Noble, who was already crippled from previous gunfire and laying down on the sidewalk. WARNING: Story's Video NSFW.
Pablo Lopez with Fresno Bee reports: "Lying on the ground beside his pickup, 19-year-old Dylan Noble has already been shot twice, but is still alive when a Fresno police officer fires a shot toward him. Fourteen seconds later, another shot rings out, according to a video of the fatal incident obtained Wednesday by The Bee."
"Police Chief Jerry Dyer said Wednesday that officers believed Noble was about to shoot them during the deadly encounter June 25. But officers later learned that Noble was unarmed."
"The video, shot by a witness and showing only the last two of four shots fired by officers, surfaced on the day Noble’s family and friends held a private funeral for him in Clovis and the family’s lawyers released a letter asking for an outside law enforcement agency such as the FBI or the state Attorney General’s Office to investigate the shooting. "
SEE MORE in Public Safety: LA County Sheriff admits flaws in deputy evaluations 'need to be rectified' -- Brenda Gazzar in LA Daily News; East Bay public defenders to review cases by cops in sex scandal -- Kimberly Veklerov in The Chronicle.
The state's increase in drivers is proving to make climate change goals difficult.
The Chronicle's Kate Galbraith reports: "Gas is cheap, and Californians are putting more miles on the road. That’s bad news for those hoping the state can make a difference in the world’s fight against climate change."
"Thanks partly to low oil prices, Californians’ gas use is creeping up this year, despite Gov. Jerry Brown’s vow last year to cut gasoline use in half by 2030."
"Recently released figures also show that even as statewide greenhouse gas emissions fell slightly between 2013 and 2014, emissions from the transportation sector rose by 1 percent. (2014 is the most recent year for which figures are available.) Transportation accounts for 36 percent of California’s greenhouse gas emissions, more than any other economic sector, so taming it will be vital from an environmental standpoint — and hard."
READ ALSO in Environment/Agriculture: California May water conservation rate is 28 percent -- Ed Joyce with CPR; California almond harvest likely to set records, Feds say -- John Holland with Sacramento Bee.
Southern California is now on alert as the 4th arson attack on a transient person has been ruled a serial assault by an individual targeting homeless people--and two have already been killed.
AP's Elliot Spagat in Sacramento Bee reports: "SAN DIEGO -- Another San Diego homeless man was seriously injured and set on fire Wednesday by an attacker police say struck while the man was asleep, the latest in a spate of attacks on transients that have left two dead."
"Police said the 23-year-old victim was not expected to survive upper-body injuries. They also said they believe the same man is behind all the attacks."
"A news release said the latest victim was set on fire, though Capt. David Nisleit said earlier that a witness pulled away a burning cloth that the attacker had placed on the victim before fleeing. "
And Google is now the center of a Federal probe after complaints of age-discrimination lead to a lawsuit.
Ethan Baron in Mercury News writes: "The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has launched an investigation into alleged age discrimination by Google, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court."
"A court filing from a plaintiff in the suit accuses Google of stonewalling the EEOC investigation, charges the tech giant denies. In an earlier filing of its own, Google acknowledges it was the subject of federal age-discrimination complaints and is under investigation."
"Plaintiff Cheryl Fillekes, a systems engineer who interviewed with Google at age 47 but was never hired, referred in a filing last week to a federal probe of the company."
And this morning, we remember Marian Bergeson and her historical tenure as a California politician. Rest in peace, Marian!
L.A. Times' John Myers writes: "The two-decade-long career of Marian Bergeson was praised by lawmakers and political insiders on Wednesday, after news spread that the Orange County legislator had died at the age of 90."
"Bergeson was the first woman to serve in both the state Assembly and Senate, a 17-year run that ended as the era of term limits arrived in Sacramento and her election as an Orange County supervisor in 1994."
"Using a mostly low-key, tactical approach, Bergeson gets a lot done for her district," reported the former California Journal in a 1988 profile."z
