Monday's U.S. Senate debate leaves voters chosing between candidate styles and candidate policy..
AP's Juliet Williams in the Daily Bulletin: "California’s Democratic state attorney general cemented her front-runner status Monday night in a debate that spanned substantive policy issues between the top five candidates but yielded few zingers or breakthrough moments for voters struggling to sort through a large field."
"Attorney General Kamala Harris and U.S. Rep Loretta Sanchez, a fellow Democrat who is vying for second place in the June primary, distinguished themselves dramatically in style, with Harris maintaining her typically reserved, poised approach and Sanchez delivering a shoot-from-the-hip approach, but differed little when it came to policy. Both backed free community college and expanded Pell grants and said they would strengthen gun laws and loosen federal drug policy on marijuana."
"With only six weeks remaining until the primary, the top five candidates vying to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer met for the first debate of their campaign at the University of the Pacific in Stockton."'
SEE ALSO: Kamala Harris in driver's seat at first U.S. senate debate -- LAT's Phil Willon and John Meyer report; LA County gears up for surge in June 7 primary voters - David Montero in the Daily Bulletin
A plan to increase the capacity, safety and efficacy of freeways received 15-0 approval from the Assembly Transportation Committee
Richard K. De Atley reporting with The Press-Enterprise: "A bill in Sacramento that will require state and local roadway planners to consider reversible, capacity-increasing traffic lanes on state streets and highways got a 15-0 approval from the Assembly Transportation Committee."
"The bill, AB 2542 by Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Glendale, requires Caltrans and regional transportation agencies to consider reversible lanes “for major street alignments or capacity-increasing projects,” Gatto’s office said."
"After the April 18 vote, the bill went back to the Appropriations Committee."
Meanwhile, Gannett, the publisher of USA Today and dozens of other newspapers, has extended an $815 million offer to purchase Tribune Publishing -- a move that would give them vast sway over printed news nationwide.
USA Today's Roger Yu reports: "Gannett Co. (GCI), which owns USA TODAY and more than 100 other media properties across the country, said Monday it offered to buy Tribune Publishing (TPUB) for about $815 million, its second big expansion move since spinning off from its former parent less than a year ago."
"In a letter to Justin Dearborn, CEO of Tribune, which owns the Los Angeles Times,Chicago Tribune and nine other dailies, Gannett CEO Robert Dickey reiterated Monday a private April 12 offer to pay $12.25 per share, a 63% premium to Tribune’s closing stock price last Friday. Gannett’s deal includes assuming $390 million of Tribune’s debt outstanding as of Dec. 31, 2015."
"The offer price is about 5.6 times Tribune’s estimated 2016 earnings before interest, taxes and other items (EBITDA). Gannett estimates about $50 million a year in “synergies” savings. Gannett owns USA TODAY plus 107 local news organizations including the Detroit Free Press, Cincinnati Enquirer, Des Moines Register,theMilwaukee Journal Sentinel and Arizona Republic."
California promises a very dry summer this year after early data shows that 'May gray, June gloom' may have been thwarted by El Nino's weather patterns.
The Press Enterprise's David Downey reports: "Summer’s inching closer on the calendar in drought-parched Southern California. Thank goodness we can count on “May gray” and “June gloom” to bathe us with refreshing, cool air before the real heat arrives."
"Not so fast."
"A possible victim of California’s off-kilter weather of recent years, our annual cloudy relief from the relentless assault of triple-digit temperatures likely will be cut short this year, weather watchers say."
"“It looks like a long, hot, dry spring through summer,” said Bill Patzert, a climate scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena."
And from our "Loaded for Bear" file comes the tale of the bookish black bear who wandered around Los Angeles.
"An education-minded bear paid a visit to a Los Angeles college campus before deciding to check out the neighborhood and being tranquilized in a home's back yard."
"The black bear, a male estimated to be 2 or 3 years old, was spotted wandering on the Mission College campus in the Sylmar neighborhood about 8 p.m. Monday and students and teachers were warned to remain indoors while authorities responded to the area."
"The bear eventually left the campus and led police on a chase through the neighborhood for more than an hour before he was shot with a tranquilizer dart by a California Fish and Wildlife officer in a resident's back yard."
"The 125-pound bear was loaded into the back of a truck and officials said it would be returned to the Angeles National Forest."
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Ed's Note: Correction: Yesterday's Roundup led with an item that erroneously referred to the looming retirement of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein. In fact, the California senator who has announced her retirement is Barbara Boxer.
