Realignment is the hottest issue in corrections right now and to make sure the shift of authority from the state to the locals works smoothly, Gov. Brown says he'll push for a 2012 ballot measure that will guarantee the funding.
From David Siders at the Sacramento Bee: "The framing of the measure, however – and of any tax increase initiative that might accompany it – remains unclear."
"I'm not leaving Sacramento until we get a constitutional guarantee," Brown told law enforcement and local government officials at the Sacramento Convention Center. "We'll get something on that ballot, and we'll do whatever it takes to get the constitutional protection, because public safety is the No. 1 responsibility of government."
"Brown is expected to propose tax increases to voters next year, and the funding guarantee the governor is seeking could figure in that package. Brown, a Democrat, told reporters he has not yet settled on a plan."
In overwhelming numbers, Californians are worried most about the weak economy and the possibilities of job loss, according to the latest poll by the Public Policy Institute of California.
From the PPIC: "The share of Californians (67%) who see jobs and the economy as the most important issue surpasses the previous high (63%) in February 2009. Half of residents are very concerned (30%) or somewhat concerned (19%) that someone in their family will experience a job loss. Reflecting these perceptions, 67 percent of California residents say Congress and the president are not doing enough to help create jobs."
"Californians give President Barack Obama a record-low 51 percent approval rating. But they are more likely to trust him to make the right decisions about the economy than they are to trust the Republicans in Congress, and 53 percent are satisfied with his proposed American Jobs Act (37% dissatisfied)."
"Economic concerns also dominate when Californians are asked about the state of their state. Nearly all think California is in a recession (50% serious recession, 32% moderate recession, 7% mild recession)."
Those worries are not unfounded: In the Inland Empire, there has been a rise in food-stamp use and a drop in income, according to U.S. Census data.
From David Olson in the Riverside Press-Enterprise: "Incomes in Riverside and San Bernardino counties continued to drop in 2010, as the economic crisis impoverished more Inland residents and spurred tens of thousands to turn to food stamps, newly released U.S. Census Bureau estimates found."
"The bleak statistics show how Inland families have been hit harder than other Californians amid a 14.1 unemployment rate that is one of the highest in the country."
"Inland median household incomes fell more than 11 percent between 2007 and 2010, compared to an 8 percent drop statewide."
"Four years ago, the state's poverty rate was higher than the Inland area's. By 2010, more than 17 percent of Inland residents lived in poverty, compared to 15.8 percent statewide. Nearly 1 in 4 Inland children are growing up poor. Food stamp use in Riverside and San Bernardinocounties is soaring."
The governor vetoed a bill on Wednesday that would have barred pot shops from locating within 600 feet of homes, saying the bill interfered with the authority of cities and counties to decide local land use. Patrick McGreevy in the LATimes has the story.
"Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday vetoed a bill that would have barredmedical marijuana dispensaries within 600 feet of homes, saying it stepped on the powers of cities and counties that already have authority to regulate pot shops..."
On the medical marijuana issue, the governor noted that he had previously signed a measure giving cities and counties clearer authority to regulate the location and operation of dispensaries."
"Decisions of this kind are best made in cities and counties, not the State Capitol," Brown wrote in his veto message. The bill was SB 847, by state Sen. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana), who said he wanted to allow cities to chose their own regulations and to protect children living near such facilities from second-hand smoke."
The escalating political clout of Asian Americans is on display in a dispute over a Los Angeles County supervisorial district, as they seek to block head off the dominance of Latinos.
From Rong-Gong Lin II in the LATimes: "By siding with Knabe, the groups joined opponents of two proposals seeking to create a second Latino-majority district on the five-member board. Such plans would undercut Asian American influence in county government, they argued."
"You can entertain a majority district for Latinos, but … it's at our expense," said Herb Hatanaka, a board member of the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council, a coalition of 40 nonprofit groups that provide health, job counseling and other social services. Many receive funding from the county board."
"If you create a majority district for any ethnic population, then for … the Asian Pacific Islanders, it dilutes our voting strength," said Hatanaka, a Knabe appointee to a county redistricting panel."
