A Southern California city passed a moratorium on oil drilling due to concerns over possible “fracking.”
Christine Mai-Duc reports for the LA Times: “The Carson City Council passed a moratorium on all new oil drilling citywide late Tuesday night after dozens of residents spoke against a massive proposed oil project by Occidental Petroleum.”
“In a 5-0 vote, council members imposed an immediate ban on new drilling for 45 days while the city studies the safety of various well stimulation methods and its authority to regulate them.”
Gubernatorial candidate for the Republican Party and Assemblyman Tim Donnelly has an unpaid tax lien against his former business.
Jessica Garrison reports for the LA Times: “The records, from the San Bernardino County assessor-recorder-clerk, show that Donnelly Plastic Equipment Inc. owes the state of California $2,829. In October of last year, the state recorded a lien on the business, which was dissolved in 2011, according to the county documents.”
University of California regents are considering a lift to the state’s tuition freeze.
Alexei Koseff reports for the Sacramento Bee: “Facing a budget shortfall of more than a hundred million dollars, the University of California Board of Regents expressed doubts at its bimonthly meeting Wednesday that it could sustain the current tuition freeze for students.”
"Obviously, none of us want to increase tuition," board chairman Bruce D. Varner said. But realistically, "we will need to have increases that make sense" going forward.”
Two congressional lawmakers announced bipartisan legislation to build a new reservoir in Northern California.
Jeremy B. White reports for the Sacramento Bee: “The Sites reservoir (technically known as the North of the Delta Offstream Storage project) would be capable of holding up to 1.9 million acre-feet of water, yielding 470,000 to 640,000 acre-feet of water for various uses. LaMalfa and Garamendi’s bill would accelerate a feasibility study years in the making and automatically authorize the project once the U.S. Department of the Interior reviews the study.”
United States Sen. Rand Paul dropped into California yesterday.
Mark Z. Barabak reports for the LA Times: “Speaking just off the UC Berkeley campus, the Kentucky Republican depicted an overweening federal government prying into the most intimate reaches of people’s lives, from the books they purchase to the medications they take for their ills.”
“I say what you read or what you send in your email or your text messages is none of their damn business,” Paul said to whoops and applause from the friendly, largely youthful crowd of several hundred.”
California’s Senior Sen. Diane Feinstein is opposed to legalizing marijuana.
Kevin Freking reports for the Associated Press: “The state's senior senator told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that one of her concerns is the potential for pot-impaired drivers to take to the road. Feinstein said she hopes California declines to join Colorado and Washington in approving the sale of marijuana for recreational use.”
The Democratic Party of LA County faced tough endorsement decisions in local elections.
Abby Sewell reports for the LA Times: “In recent years there have been few competitive county races, making the party endorsement less important. But this year there are four open county seats in the upcoming election. Longtime Supervisors Gloria Molina and Zev Yaroslavsky are being forced out by term limits, while Assessor John Noguez and former Sheriff Lee Baca opted not to seek reelection amid scandals in their departments.”
The longer state lawmakers wait to address public teachers’ pension debt the more expensive it becomes.
Chris Megerian reports for the LA Times: “Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles) said he wants a plan in place this year, while Brown has said he's willing to wait until next year.”
“State Sen. Mimi Walters (R-Irvine) wants to increase the state's payment into the pension fund by up to $2 billion in the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. Although that's less than legislative analysts say is necessary, it would still help lower the shortfall.”
Finally, here’s a real life Breaking Bad story:
From WalesOnline: “A teacher turned drug dealer had a cocaine laboratory in his home worth around £900,000, a police officer has told a disciplinary hearing.”
“Father-of-two Macphallen Kuwale was handed a three-and-a-half year jail term by Cardiff Crown Court last year after being caught with around £8,000 worth of the Class A substance.”
