The Bee's Andy Furillo reports that two separate judges will
consider whether California should cap its prisoner population.
"Two federal judges are moving to hold a joint hearing in separate cases on whether to take steps toward imposing a population cap on California prisons.
U.S. District Court Judges Lawrence Karlton in Sacramento and Thelton Henderson in San Francisco issued a joint order Tuesday vacating hearing dates, the first of which had been set for next week.
They are also asking attorneys to respond in writing by next Tuesday on why motions in the two cases seeking the population cap should not be heard jointly.
LAT's Jordan Rau and Nancy Vogel tag-team for a
legislative roundup. "After years of assertive lobbying by Adidas, the California Senate voted Tuesday to
legalize the import and sale of kangaroo skins so that soccer players can buy shoes made from the marsupials' coveted leather.
While the kangaroo bill advanced,
the Assembly refused to ban certain plastics used in children's products, but agreed to require bullets to carry identification numbers to help police trace them back to their guns."
"The Assembly passed a bill backed by more than 40 police chiefs, including Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton.
The measure would require all new semiautomatic pistols sold in the state, starting in 2010, to include technology that imprints casings with the make, model and serial number of the gun that fired the bullet."Assemblyman
Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles), author of AB 1471, argued that the requirement would help investigators find and convict more killers.
"After debate, the bill passed 44-29 with no Republican support.
"Republicans argued that "microstamping" technology would fail over time, could be easily circumvented by criminals and would enable people to frame others for shooting crimes."
The Merc's Edwin Garcia adds, " Teenagers would have to
wait until they turn 18 before they could get an ultraviolet tan at a tanning salon without parental permission, under a bill approved by the Assembly on a 45-24 vote. Current law says anyone under the age of 14 must get parental permission before visiting a tanning salon. AB 105, by Assemblyman Ted Lieu, D-El Segundo, would remove the age restriction for non-UV tans while raising it for exposure that increases the risk of cancer."
And it looks like Antionio Villaraigosa is
ready to go public with the worst kept secret in politics. No, not that one -- the other one. The LAT's Duke Helfand reports:
"Democratic presidential contender
Hillary Rodham Clinton will announce the endorsement of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa today, a development that could help the New York senator expand her reach among Latino and union voters in many parts of the country.
"The expected announcement follows months of political courtship on both coasts. Clinton has met with Villaraigosa several times in Los Angeles and Washington and has wooed him more aggressively than any other top Democratic candidate.
"It was not clear Tuesday what role Villaraigosa will play in the campaign. But he said he would be "stumping on her behalf throughout the city, the state and, indeed, throughout the country."
"Villaraigosa co-chaired Sen. John Kerry's Democratic presidential bid in 2004 and became deeply involved in planning the Democratic platform for the 2004 elections."
Of course, that job is already taken in the Clinton campaign. Isn't it, Fabian?Meanwhile, the nation's largest institutional investor, CalPERS,
flexes its muscle -- again. "The California Public Employees Retirement System, which owns 30 million shares of Exxon Mobil Corp., joined
an effort to oust Michael Boskin, chairman of the oil company's public issues committee.
"
The largest public pension fund in the United States said Boskin should be removed, 'due to the company's inaction on the business risks from climate change.'"
Speaking of which, Canadian Television reports on the guv's trip north of the border. "California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ontario Premier
Dalton McGuinty are
set to announce a new $30-million joint research venture to facilitate stem-cell research.
McGuinty and Schwarzenegger are expected to sign the deal on Wednesday as part of the California governor's three-day trade mission to Canada.
"We are up here basically saying, 'let us work together,"' Schwarzenegger said on Tuesday.
Government sources say funding for the agreement will be provided by the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research."
What's next? A deal on prescription drugs?
The Bee's Peter Hecht reports on the
pending nursing shortage in the state.
"
California faces a shortfall of 12,000 full-time registered nurses in seven years unless state universities and community colleges admit more nursing students and reduce dropout rates, a report by the state's top budget analyst declared Tuesday.
"The report by nonpartisan Legislative Analyst Elizabeth G. Hill urged lawmakers to award "completion bonuses" that would increase the nursing school budgets of community colleges that improve graduation rates from nursing programs.It also called for increasing the number of educational loan grants offered to lure additional nursing faculty."
And from our
Piling On Files, the Bee has a report on
Carole Migden's pre-leukemia driving record.
"State Sen. Carole Migden, who rear-ended a car this month after being seen driving erratically on Interstate 80, was involved in another accident in a state vehicle 11 years ago when she ran a stop sign near the Capitol, according to the woman whose car was hit.
"
Teresa Latham, a tax technician at the state Board of Equalization, said she still harbors bitter feelings about the accident that totaled the car she had paid off eight months earlier."
"
She said Migden barely spoke to her and didn't seem worried about her welfare after Latham's car was spun onto O Street from 15th Street, causing the air bag to go off."
"'It's really odd at my age that I just can't get over it,' Latham, 47, said. 'I think it was just the whole situation. There was no concern on her part.'"
And a group against changing the state's term limits law is
testing out Don Perata as the new poster boy for why we need term limits, Steve Geissinger reports. "Amid a term-limits battle at the Capitol, the top national advocacy group for term limits
awarded Senate leader Don Perata a "Golden Pig" Tuesday for using more than $1 million in campaign funds on "lavish" hotels, restaurants, parties, travel and gifts.
"U.S. Term Limits announced it had created the jab for California politicians who 'remind us of the necessity for term limits.'"
"Perata, an Oakland Democrat, declined to say much in response to the award, sometimes discounting the group with questions of his own, such as, "(U.S.) Term Limits? Who's that?"
