The Klamath River’s dams are being removed. Inside the effort to restore a scarred watershed
LAT's IAN JAMES: "Near the California-Oregon border, reservoirs that once submerged valleys have been drained, revealing a stark landscape that had been underwater for generations.
A thick layer of muddy sediment covers the sloping ground, where workers have been scattering seeds and leaving meandering trails of footprints. In the cracked mud, seeds are sprouting and tiny green shoots are appearing."
Special Episode: A Conference on Crime, Keynote – Brooke Jenkins
Capitol Weekly's STAFF: "This Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at Capitol Weekly’s Conference on Crime, which was held in Sacramento on Thursday, March 21, 2024"
California legislation and defined terms
Capitol Weekly's CHRIS MICHELI: "As you might imagine, defined terms can play an important role in any legislation. Defining words or phrases is done to provide the reader of the legislative or statutory text with clear guidance regarding how those words or phrases are to be interpreted and applied in the context of that specific text.
In California bill drafting, when there are multiple defined terms, they are most often found near the beginning of the statutory provisions. This is because of the view that this approach makes definitions easier to find for the reader and instructs the reader how these words or phrases should be used when reading the remainder of the statutory provisions. On the other hand, in some jurisdictions, such as the United Kingdom, definitions are often placed at the end of the legislation pursuant to their parliamentary drafting practice."
Call them super progressives: L.A.’s political left looks to expand its power at City Hall
LAT's DAVID ZAHNISER: "You might call them political progressives. Or maybe super progressives, given how much they want to reshape politics in Los Angeles.
Whatever the label, candidates on the left end of the political spectrum made crucial advances in the March 5 primary election for City Council, setting the stage for some hard-fought runoff campaigns and, potentially, an expansion of their power by the end of the year."
S.F. Supervisor Dean Preston launches reelection campaign: ‘We’ve ruffled some feathers’
The Chronicle's NORA MISHANEC: "Hundreds of supporters of San Francisco Supervisor Dean Preston rallied voters and knocked on doors across District 5 on Sunday morning as the progressive formally launched his reelection campaign.
“You elected me to be an independent voice in City Hall, standing up against the status quo, and we’ve been heard,” Preston told the crowd assembled at Baker and Fell streets, at the tip of Golden Gate Park’s Panhandle. “We’ve been heard so loud, apparently we’ve ruffled some feathers.”"
‘We’re exhausted’: Bay Area mental health shortage deepens as need explodes
BANG*Mercury News's ETHAN VARIAN: "For Nataly Velasquez, a counselor at a teen crisis center in Concord, just getting through the day can feel like a small miracle.
Velasquez is tasked with leading therapy groups and one-on-one patient sessions, but too often she’s also scrambling to respond to emergencies on the floor of the inpatient mental health hospital. One patient might be trying to harm themself, while another might need help calming a manic episode."
What to know about free money waiting in state-funded savings accounts
EdSource's LASHERICA THORNTON: "Over 3.6 million school-aged children across the state qualify for at least $500 in savings with the California Kids Investment and Development Savings program (CalKIDS), a state initiative to help children from low income families save money for college or career.
Just 8.3% of eligible students, or 300,000, have claimed their accounts as many families are unaware of CalKIDS or face challenges accessing the accounts once aware. The money is automatically deposited into the savings account under a student’s name, but families must claim the accounts by registering online."
California police are still sharing license plate data with anti-abortion states
The Chronicle's BOB EGELKO: "Rejecting the advice of Attorney General Rob Bonta, some law enforcement agencies in California, including several in the Bay Area, are continuing to share automated license plate reader data with police departments in other states, which could use the information to track seekers and providers of abortions. One local agency said it would stop sharing the data after being contacted by the Chronicle.
State and local officers use high-speed stationary and vehicle-borne cameras to record millions of license numbers and share the records, known as ALPR data, to locate criminal suspects. But the practice has become more prominent, and contested, since the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion in 2022. About half the states have severely restricted or banned abortions since then, and many people living in those states have traveled to California and elsewhere to obtain reproductive care."
San Jose: SJPD second-in-command selected as interim chief
BANG*Mercury News's ROBERT SALONGA: "Paul Joseph, currently the second-in-command at the San Jose Police Department, will become interim chief when Chief Anthony Mata leaves at the end of the month, according to multiple department sources.
The appointment of Joseph should not come as a surprise, since assistant chiefs often serve the interim role upon a chief’s departure. This was the case for the past two leadership changes, when Eddie Garcia succeeded Larry Esquivel in 2016 — and who quickly got the permanent job — and Dave Knopf served as interim chief between when Garcia retired in 2020 and when Mata took the top post in 2021."
Girl grabs deputy’s gun, shoots herself in lobby of L.A. County sheriff’s station, officials say
LAT's KERI BLAKINGER: " A girl in her late teens died in the lobby of a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department station late Sunday after, officials say, she got hold of a deputy’s gun and shot herself.
The department has not released the girl’s name, and officials said late Sunday that it was unclear how she was able to take the deputy’s weapon."
Why is this Bay Area city ranked America’s happiest? Its mayor reveals the secrets
The Chronicle's AIDIN VAZIRI: "This past week brought news that the United States failed to make it into the Top 20 happiest countries globally for the first time since the inaugural World Happiness Report over a decade ago.
But California — and one Bay Area city in particular — stands out from the rest of the country."
