Supreme Court turns down a 2nd Amendment challenge to state bans on assault weapons
LAT's DAVID G. SAVAGE: "The Supreme Court on Tuesday turned down a 2nd Amendment challenge to state laws in Illinois that prohibited the sale of rapid-fire assault weapons.
Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr. dissented."
Capitol Briefs: Roofies, taxes and a touch of oddness
Capitol Weekly's STAFF: "Roofie testing law takes effect today: The first time Brandy Smith got roofied she felt like she’d been hit by a truck.
“My personality changed, my speech pattern changed,” she says. “My eyes were rolling back in my head. I was still talking, not actually seizing, but I was definitely really shaking.”
Gascón advisor facing felony charges argues case is misunderstanding over public records
LAT's KERI BLAKINGER: "A top official from the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office is asking a judge to toss out 11 felony charges filed against her by state prosecutors, with her attorney arguing in a court filing that the allegedly confidential files she’s accused of misusing were actually public records.
In April, California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta accused Diana Teran, then a top advisor to Dist. Atty. George Gascón, of illegally using confidential records about 11 sheriff’s deputies when she flagged their names for inclusion in a database used by prosecutors to keep track of officers accused of misconduct."
Oakland City Council votes Tuesday whether to place Mayor Thao recall on November ballot
The Chronicle's SARAH RAVANI: "The Oakland City Council is poised to approve a resolution Tuesday placing a recall vote against Mayor Sheng Thao on the November general election ballot.
Last month, the city clerk said the recall organizers had gathered enough signatures to qualify for the ballot — meaning that voters can decide whether to remove Thao from office less than two years into her first term as mayor."
We ask Christy Smith: When does the California Legislature hit Gender Parity?
Capitol Weekly's STAFF: "Today we welcome Christy Smith, the former Democratic Assemblymember for California’s 38th Assembly District. Smith also ran three times for Congress, holding the record as the best performing Democratic candidate for the 25th/27th Congressional district, but ultimately losing those races to Republican Mike Garcia – once by less than 350 votes.
Today she is the Executive Director for Emerge California, the state’s arm of the national organization that recruits and trains Democratic women to run for office. She spoke with us about the likelihood that the California Legislature will achieve gender parity in the near future, and about the unique challenges that face women candidates."
‘Aghast’: California insurance commissioner blasted for skipping hearings on state's crisis
The Chronicle's MEGAN FAN MUNCE: "A California oversight commission has taken nine hours of public testimony in recent months looking into the state’s burgeoning insurance crisis and what can be done to solve it. Experts have testified on everything from the premium levels to wildfire mitigation.
But there’s one person the group has not heard from: Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara."
California is broke and making bad decisions (OP-ED)
Capitol Weekly's MARC ANG: "As Founder and President of Asian Industry B2B, a non-profit small business organization focused on uplifting Asian and minority communities, I talk to business owners all the time who are dealing with inflated costs. In these challenging times, where budget constraints are real, we Californians need to assess where our taxpayer dollars are being utilized.
The California Assembly is currently contemplating legislation that will increase health care costs for taxpayers, small business owners, and unions, while giving a multi-billion dollar handout to Big Pharma. Meanwhile, the Governor is considering sizable cuts from various areas to cover a $45 billion budget deficit including cutting $2 billion from educational programs – from upgrading preschool and kindergarten facilities to scholarships oriented towards middle class college students seeking a teaching credential."
California voters will decide who wins on health care tax: Gavin Newsom or doctors
CALMatters's KRISTEN HWANG: "A two-year cash influx or a long-term investment? Come November it will be up to California voters whether to lock billions of special tax dollars into Medi-Cal — the state’s health insurance program for low-income residents — or leave the decision up to lawmakers who might be tempted to use the money elsewhere.
The budget deal Gov. Gavin Newsom signed on Saturday commits roughly $2 billion through 2026 to increase payments to some doctors and health providers who see Medi-Cal patients, encouraging them to accept more low-income patients. The deal relies on a special tax that health insurance companies pay."
Making CalAIM work for families struggling with Alzheimer’s (OP-ED)
Capitol Weekly's CHRISTOPHER A. LANGSTON: :"People want to take care of their loved ones. Caring for each other is at the core of being a family and central to the health and well-being of our state. However, conditions like Alzheimer’s dementia are often beyond what an individual family can manage by themselves. It’s something we must help each other address.
Good news – this work has gotten started. Gov. Gavin Newsom deserves credit for championing California’s Master Plan on Aging, which includes support for dementia and caregiver services. Former First Lady Maria Shriver’s work as Chair of the California Governor’s Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention and Preparedness has raised needed awareness about families’ struggles."
L.A. population is aging fast. Here’s how it’s dramatically transforming the city
LAT's TERRY CASTLEMAN: "Despite its image as a magnet of youth, Los Angeles County is aging fast.
The region is getting older thanks to a series of demographic shifts, including slowing immigration, declining birth rates and unaffordable housing that is pricing out young people on a budget."
California heat wave: Forecast trends even hotter as excessive heat will last for days
The Chronicle's ANTHONY EDWARDS, GREG PORTER: "An extreme, long-lasting California heat wave will begin Tuesday and continue through the holiday weekend. Daily, monthly and all-time temperature records could be threatened in various locations throughout the state.
In the Bay Area, Central Valley and Central Coast, excessive heat warnings and advisories go into effect at 11 a.m Tuesday and continue into the weekend. While heat warnings are set to expire at various times throughout the weekend, they may be extended further."
Extended California heat wave brings extreme health, fire risk; power shutoffs likely
LAT's GRACE TOOHEY: "Authorities are warning of extreme health and wildfire risks across California this week, as the longest heat wave of the year is set to kick off Tuesday, bringing triple-digit temperatures, with little overnight cooling, to the vast majority of the state.
“This is really just a long-duration heat event that will provide little to no overnight [temperature] relief,” said Antoinette Serrato, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Hanford, Calif. The heat wave is expected to bring dangerous temperatures through the Fourth of July holiday and into early next week in many areas, particularly across Northern California, the Central Valley and southwestern deserts, she said."
Does a proposed $10 billion bond favor richer California school districts?
CALMatters's CAROLYN JONES: "As lawmakers finalize a school facilities bond for the November ballot, some superintendents from low-income and small districts say the proposal leaves them with an all-too-familiar feeling: underfunded and overlooked.
“Am I mad? Yeah, I am very mad,” said Gudiel Crosthwaite, superintendent of Lynwood Unified, in a low-income area in Los Angeles County. “California has a responsibility to educate its children, regardless of where they live. This bond favors larger, higher-wealth districts at the expense of districts like ours.”"
After a yearlong Pride flag fallout, Bay Area school board members face a recall vote
The Chronicle's ERIN ALLDAY: "A nearly yearlong battle for control of a tiny East Bay school board, triggered in September by an implied ban on Pride flags, reaches its political conclusion on Tuesday as two of the three board members face a recall that’s split the sleepy town of Sunol.
Ryan Jergensen and Linda Hurley are both up for recall as trustees in the Sunol Glen Unified School District, which serves about 270 students in a single K-8 school."
