The categories of professionals who are authorized to perform abortions in California have been sharply increased, under legislation signed by the governor.
From the AP's Laura Olson: "Nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and physician assistants in California will be allowed to perform a type of early abortion under legislation signed Wednesday by Gov.Jerry Brown, an action that drew condemnation from Catholic bishops and that came as many conservative states are limiting access to abortion services."
"The bill by Assemblywoman Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, would let those professionals perform what are known as aspiration abortions during the first trimester. The method involves inserting a tube and using suction to terminate a pregnancy."
"Oregon, Montana, Vermont and New Hampshire already allow nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and physician assistants to perform those abortions. Previous California law allowed those medical professionals to administer medicine to induce an abortion."
The state's system for processing jobless claims has been plagued by glitches and delays, and while the problems appear to be getting resolved, new issues are arising.
From the LAT's Ricardo Lopez: "It took a month before the state Employment Development Department said it got a handle on about 124,000 backlogged unemployment benefits claim after a computer upgrade inadvertently halted payments."
"Now another problem: Thousands of Californians who have ongoing unemployment claims say they haven't received forms necessary to keep their benefits check coming in on time."
"Those affected have taken to social media and online forums to ask: Where are our claim forms?"
Jerry Brown may be tight with a buck, but he also has raised millions of dollars over the last few years, not for only for his political campaigns but for his favorite charitable causes.
From Capitol Weekly's Summer ParkerPerry: "During the past year, Gov. Jerry Brown directed more than $2.5 million from some of the state’s most powerful interests – including those who often have business before the state -- to his favorite nonprofit causes, according to the state’s political watchdog."
"Many of his charitable donations – known in the Capitol as “behested payments” because they are made at the behest of a politician – provided critical funding for the Oakland Military Institute and the Oakland School for the Arts, both of which Brown founded when he served as mayor of Oakland from 1998 to 2006. Between them, the two schools during that period received nearly $22 million."
"Behested payments, which have been solicited for years by numerous state politicians, are legal and are tracked by the Fair Political Practices Commission, which enforces the state’s campaign finance laws. The payments must be restricted to legislative, governmental, or charitable purposes, and may not be donated towards “election-related activities.”
Some people don't like the way the state regulates toxic substances, and they got together in front of the government's headquarters to make their point.
From the LAT's Melanie Mason and Jessica Garrison: "Complaining that California was “in bed with polluters,” protesters set up an air mattress in front of the department's headquarters and decorated it with pictures of Gov. Jerry Brown and department chief Debbie Raphael, as well as logos of companies such as Chevron and Exide and fake dollar bills."
“The purpose of this rally is to bring together communities impacted by DTSC, to ask DTSC for some really significant reforms to its permitting programs, its cleanup programs, its enforcement actions,” said Ingrid Bostrom, an attorney with the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment, the advocacy group that organized the demonstration."
"Department officials declined to comment on the protest. But top department leaders, including Brian Johnson, the deputy director for Hazardous Waste Management, and Rizghar Gazi, head of permitting, met with protesters on the street to discuss their issues, officials said."
Talk of secession has roiled California from time to time, especially in the north, where the mythical state of Jefferson draws supporters. So let's mosey on up to Modoc County and take a look at the latest example.
From the Bee's Peter Hecht: "At the 1908 Niles Hotel, newly restored in this Modoc County outpost of 2,700 residents, cattlemen in spurred boots and leather chaps are back at the saloon."
"New local owners resurrected the long-shuttered hotel, remodeling rooms with ornate furnishings and reopening its tavern. They placed an American flag on a giant mounted elk in the saloon, where they serve up beer and hard liquor at a polished bar adorned with a sign: “If you’re drinking to forget, please pay in advance.”
"These days, people in Modoc County and its neighbor county to the west, Siskiyou, are aiming to pull off a decidedly more stunning do-over. Last month, supervisors in the remote counties passed formal declarations affirming their desire to “start over” by withdrawing from California."
