SEMIRA SHERIEF with Daily Californian: "Despite California lifting mandatory statewide water restrictions earlier this year, 60 percent of the state is still in a severe or extreme drought."
"The recently concluded water year, which is used to measure precipitation totals, was officially classified as dry across the state even though parts of Northern California experienced average to slightly above-average precipitation in the past year, according to a California Department of Water Resources, or CDWR, press release. The water year begins Oct. 1 and ends Sept. 30, because part of the precipitation accumulating as snow in late fall and winter does not melt until the following spring or summer."
"The end of the recent water year marks the fifth consecutive drought year for the state, said CDWR spokesperson Doug Carlson."
READ MORE related to water crisis: Official: California water conservation slipping -- SCOTT SMITH with AP
Tonight is the U.S. Senate candidate debate, which has had very little visibility -- and some are blaming that on the mediacentric presidential election between Trump and Clinton.
JOHN WILDERMUTH with The Chronicle: "Politics may be a hot topic of conversation across the state, but Wednesday night’s California Senate debate is not the political event people are talking about."
"The race between state Attorney General Kamala Harris and Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez to replace retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer has been a virtual exercise in invisibility, with the candidates doing little more than firing out a few press releases and making the occasional — very occasional — campaign stop."
And as the campaign trails blaze on, so too does the debt pile up.
JIM MILLER with Sacramento Bee: "Candidates for the California Legislature are running into the red as they enter the campaign home stretch for the Nov. 8 election."
"Recently filed reports with the state show that campaign committees of candidates for the state Assembly and state Senate reported more than $4.6 million in outstanding debt as of Sept. 24. That is about one-third higher than the outstanding debt listed at the end of June."
"Former lawmaker Anthony Portantino, a Democrat running for Southern California’s 25th Senate District against longtime Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich, last week reported more than $335,000 in outstanding debt. The debt, the most of any November candidates, reflects hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid bills to ad buyers, printers, credit card companies and others as of Sept. 24, according to his filing."
The state's professional licensing standards negatively affect its most vulnerable citizens, a report finds.
ADAM ASHTON with Sacramento Bee: "Add navigating California’s byzantine professional license standards to the list of obstacles a job applicant faces after leaving the military or getting out of prison."
"That system – in place since the Gold Rush – often places a disproportionate burden on some of the state’s most vulnerable residents, according to a new report from the Little Hoover Commission."
"It found that California demands more from people who want to start careers in modest-wage jobs, such as manicurists and pest-control applicators, than almost any other state."
Prop. 52 is the remnant of the 2012 budget crisis, effects of which can still be felt today.
SOPHIA BOLLAG with L.A. Times: "Californians wading through the long list of statewide ballot measures on Nov. 8 may wonder why they are being asked to weigh in on Proposition 52, a wonky measure to generate money for Medi-Cal, the state’s subsidized healthcare program for the poor."
"The answer dates back to a state budget crisis in 2012."
"What really triggered it for us was going through that economic downturn,” said Anne McLeod, a senior vice president at the California Hospital Assn. “When the people needed the program the most, that’s when the state dipped in and took more. That’s when we knew we had to stop that."
READ MORE related to ballot measures: Politifact: Does Prop. 67 money go to the environment? -- CHRIS NICHOLS with Capitol Weekly; The anti-tobacco tax doctor is in: New ad from Prop. 56 targets 'wealthy special interests' -- LIAM DILLON with L.A. Times; Legalizing marijuana for adults appears unlikely to lead to increase in teen usage -- LOUIS FREEDBERG with EdSource; Millions spent on television ads touting initiative to legalize recreational marijuana use -- PATRICK MCGREEVY with L.A. Times
"Only seven of those died from firearms, according to statistics from the California Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation."
"By 2015, violent crime in the Golden State had plunged by nearly half. But the number of deaths in official custody had nearly doubled, hitting a record high of 760 people, including 121 who died from firearms."
"Generally, tech firms have sought to bring more transparency to government surveillance orders across the world. But Yahoo not only secretly complied with the broad demand to search all incoming messages, but also dedicated its own staff to craft custom software to help facilitate the investigation, the news agency Reuters reported Tuesday."
"The report, which cited anonymous former employees and a person with knowledge of the situation, didn’t identify the search term but narrowed down the searching party to either the National Security Agency or FBI."
