A Field Poll on November’s water bond shows no clear regional opposition to the measure, but a divide along partisan lines.
Melody Gutierrez reports for The San Francisco Chronicle: “Despite Prop. 1 clearing the state Legislature with overwhelming bipartisan support, the poll showed Republican voters lining up against it. Democrats support the water bond 66 percent yes to 13 percent no, while Republican voters were 35 percent yes and 49 percent no.”
“The Bay Area showed significant support for the bond, with 62 percent of likely voters approving of it. Despite a long history in California of water issues falling on regional - not partisan - lines, DiCamillo said the poll didn't reflect that.”
Democratic congressman Ami Bera is sponsoring a bill to block federal aid from going toward the Delta tunnels project.
Curtis Tate reports for The Sacramento Bee: “The one-page bill, called the Stop the Tunnels Act of 2014, was introduced by Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, and would block California from receiving about $4 billion in federal funds it sought for the project. Bera and Rep. John Garamendi, D-Walnut Grove, signed on as original co-sponsors.”
“California’s water crisis has surfaced as a major issue in competitive California congressional races this year. Bera, who was first elected in 2012, faces a tough challenge from former Republican Rep. Doug Ose.”
Gov. Jerry Brown is in Los Angeles today to sign legislation mandating paid sick leave.
Chris Nichols reports for UT- San Diego: “Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday plans to sign a landmark bill that would require nearly all California employers to provide a minimum of three paid sick days to their workers each year.”
“Assembly Bill 1522, authored by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, is expected to affect more than 6.5 million employees who have no paid sick days. That’s roughly 40 percent of the workforce in the state.”
Board of Equalization member George Runner is charging the DMV with overcharging taxes on vehicle sales.
Allen Young reports for the Sacramento Business Journal: “An official from DMV was not immediately available for a comment. A representative for Runner’s office said the DMV privately acknowledged the problem stemmed from an antiquated computer system that determines vehicle taxes based on ZIP codes. But the DMV warned that a fix could be years away because not all its staff are granted online access, and extra time spent on double-checking use tax rates could create longer lines at the DMV.”
Despite good times in the marketplace, stock ownership is on the decline for Americans.
Matt Egan reports for CNN Money: “According to new stats from the Federal Reserve, just 13.8% of U.S. families held any individual stocks like Apple (AAPL, Tech30) or Microsoft (MSFT, Tech30) as of 2013. That's down from nearly 18% in 2007 before the market meltdown.”
"After experiencing severe losses in 2007 and 2008, investors with smaller portfolios have become more cautious," said Lena Haas, senior vice president of retirement, investing and savings at E*Trade Financial (ETFC).”
