Ron Calderon facing five-year sentence

Former lawmaker Ron Calderon is facing a 5-year federal prison term for his role in corruption within the state Capitol.

PATRICK MCGREEVY with L.A. Times: "A federal prosecutor has recommended that former state Sen. Ron Calderon be sentenced to five years in prison as part of a federal corruption case that rocked the California state Capitol."

"Assistant U.S. Atty. Mack E. Jenkins wrote a blistering brief urging the federal judge to not show leniency to Calderon, who in June entered a plea deal in which he pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud."

"“Here, defendant’s trafficking in his legislative votes (for, by contrast, over $150,000 in benefits) caused a reverberation of negative effects throughout California and put a stain not just on his career, but on the reputation of the state legislature,” Jenkins wrote ahead of Friday’s sentencing date."

Investigative report: The drug industry's financial influence in political circles has made the government's ability to negotiate drug prices for over a decade nearly impossible.

STUART SILVERSTEIN with Capitol Weekly: "When the Republican-controlled Congress approved a landmark program in 2003 to help seniors buy prescription drugs, it slapped on an unusual restriction: The federal government was barred from negotiating cheaper prices for those medicines. Instead, the job of holding down costs was outsourced to the insurance companies delivering the subsidized new coverage, known as Medicare Part D."

"The ban on government price bargaining, justified by supporters on free market grounds, has been derided by critics as a giant gift to the drug industry. Democratic lawmakers began introducing bills to free the government to use its vast purchasing power to negotiate better deals even before former President George W. Bush signed the Part D law, known as the Medicare Modernization Act."

"All of those measures over the last 13 years have failed, almost always without ever even getting a hearing, much less being brought up for a vote. That’s happened even though surveys have shown broad public support for the idea. For example, a Kaiser Family Foundation poll found last year that 93 percent of Democrats, and 74 percent of Republicans, favor letting the government negotiate Part D prescription drug prices."

Political experts ponder the future partisanship of California's legislature.

JEREMY B. WHITE with Sacramento Bee: "The question for California legislative races is no longer whether Democrats will secure a majority. It’s how large their margin will be."

"Once again, liberal leadership is contemplating a two-thirds majority that would allow them to pass taxes, amend political spending laws and move measures to the ballot without any Republican support. Fully cognizant of that possibility, the California Republican Party recently blasted out fundraising emails invoking the supermajority and inviting supporters to “ponder what that is going to do to your wallet and to California’s businesses……..MORE TAXES, MORE GOVERNMENT, LESS FREEDOM!"

"Democrats succeeded in winning a supermajority in 2012 but relinquished it in 2014. Now, with a presidential election likely to amplify turnout, party strategists project confidence about finding a new high-water mark. The outcome will hinge on a dozen races featuring either open seats or challenges to Republican incumbents."

READ MORE related to California Legislature: Democrats look to regain supermajorities in California's legislature -- DANIEL POTTER with Capital Public Radio

Meanwhile, Ami Bera and Scott Jones went head-to-head for their Congressional seats in a debate Tuesday night.

CHRISTOPHER CADELAGO with Sacramento Bee: "Rep. Ami Bera and Scott Jones, running in one of the state’s most closely watched congressional contests, tangled Tuesday over the economy, firearms and immigration, with the men using their only televised debate to defend their character while painting the other as ethically suspect."

"Bera, campaigning for a third term, tailored his message to the suburban Sacramento district by carving out positions largely in line with fellow Democrats. In prepared rejoinders, he admonished Jones for his recently renounced support of Donald Trump, the GOP’s divisive standard-bearer. Jones, Bera said, disavowed Trump only when his poll numbers “tanked."

“When he was insulting Gold Star families, a family that lost their son protecting our country, that wasn’t enough?” Bera asked. “When he was making fun of disabled people, that wasn’t enough? When he was making comment after comment disparaging women, that wasn’t enough?"

And in local politics, Obama has made a surprising endorsement.

JAVIER PANZAR with L.A. Times: "In a sign that Democrats are making a serious effort to win back control of the House, President Obama has cut a television ad supporting Democratic candidate Bryan Caforio, who is challenging freshman Rep. Steve Knight in a toss-up North Los Angeles County race."

"Knight (R-Lancaster) has been called California's "most vulnerable" incumbent this cycle as the 25th Congressional District he represents has lost a Republican advantage among registered voters and as the share of Latino voters there has grown to more than 1 in 5 voters."

"The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee named Knight a top target this election season and, along with Caforio, has spent heavily to hit the conservative congressman with attack ads highlighting his strong antiabortion stance."

READ MORE related to POTUS44: GOP congressman in a tough race looks to Obama for help -- JOHN WILDERMUTH with The Chronicle

Speaking of local, a San Bernardino Democratic assemblywoman, Cheryl Brown, has made a list known as "The Dirty Dozen" -- a catalogue of the most anti-environment state candidates in the US.

CHRISTINE MAI-DUC with L.A. Times: "The California League of Conservation Voters has named Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown (D-San Bernardino) to a list of what it calls the "most anti-environment" state candidates nationwide."

"The group's "Dirty Dozen in the states" list, maintained by state chapters of the League of Conservation Voters, was first compiled in 2010."

"Brown is the first Californian to be named to the state-level list, which is modeled after a "Dirty Dozen" list of federal candidates that the national organization has kept for 20 years."

Michael Weinstein, an activist who leads the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, is maneuvering towards national politics.

CHRISTINE MAI-DUC and JAVIER PANZAR with L.A. Times: "in a state as expensive as California, and during a political year as crowded as 2016, most organizations would struggle to sponsor just one ballot measure. Fighting on two fronts is often reserved for the most formidable interest groups."

"But that’s just what the Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation is doing this year."

"The foundation, led by longtime HIV activist Michael Weinstein, has become one of the biggest — and most controversial — nonprofits dedicated to fighting the disease and is quickly becoming a political powerhouse. It has a $1.2-billion budget and two high-profile measures on California’s ballot: Proposition 60, which would require condom use in adult film production, and Proposition 61, which seeks to lower prices state agencies pay for prescription drugs. AIDS Healthcare Foundation has contributed more than $19 million to the initiatives."

WikiLeaks' continued dump of Clinton files has revealed that L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti was a  potential VP candidate for the Democrats.

ALICE WALTON with L.A. Times: "Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti may have fumbled his endorsement of then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton last fall, but it didn’t knock him off the list of potential vice presidential candidates, according to new emails released by WikiLeaks."

"The website has been posting thousands of emails hacked from the private account of John Podesta, chairman of the Clinton campaign. A spokeswoman for the mayor declined to comment on the emails that mention Garcetti."

"In a March 2016 email to Clinton, Podesta offered a list of 39 potential vice presidential candidates. The names were divided by ethnicity, gender, military and business experience or “rough food groups,” according to the email."

READ MORE related to Beltway: Democratic group releases misleading ads tying Rep. David Valadao to Donald Trump -- SARAH D. WIRE with L.A. Times; Freshly minted as Americans and quickly overwhelmed with 'Hillary' and 'Trump' sales pitches -- ESMERALDA BERMUDEZ with L.A. Times

Proposition 57 will be the most important revision to sentencing mandates in over 40 years. But just how many inmates would benefit from the measure?

BOB EGELKO with The Chronicle: "Proposition 57, potentially the most significant revision of California sentencing laws in 40 years, would allow the state parole board to consider releasing inmates who have served their basic term for a crime the law defines as nonviolent."

"How many inmates would be eligible depends on whom you ask. And there’s quite a difference — one set of numbers, based on the text of Prop. 57, is more than 23 times higher than figures used by the yes on 57 campaign, which says the measure would be enforced much more narrowly."