As the Democratic national convention turmoil begins to simmer down, Hillary Clinton is able to reclaim center stage.
Politico's Kyle Cheney reports: "After a day and a half of discord and resistance by Bernie Sanders backers, the Democratic National Convention finally became what its organizers intended: the Hillary Clinton show."
"Clinton formally earned the party’s presidential nomination Tuesday, the final boost coming from Sanders himself. The Vermont senator laid down his arms once and for all, symbolically closing the convention’s nomination vote with an enthusiastic endorsement of Clinton’s election."
"Suddenly, a convention that had been marred by outbursts from Sanders’ delegates and become an advertisement for the party’s disunity, morphed into a carefully choreographed infomercial for Clinton’s candidacy – and its first installment starred one of Democrats’ best weapons: former President Bill Clinton.
READ MORE in Beltway: President's last play: Elect an Obama generation -- Edward-Isaac Dovere
If you have a desire to live anywhere near the new sports arena in downtown Sacramento, expect to spend big bucks.
Tony Bizjak with Sac Bee reports: "The first downtown housing project of the arena era opened on the K Street Mall on Tuesday, with 21 upscale apartments aimed squarely at urban pioneers willing to pay premium prices to live in the center of the action."
"Sacramento Mayor-elect Darrell Steinberg, speaking at the grand reopening of the remodeled 1911 building at 11th and K streets, called the project proof that Sacramento can bring housing and people back to its city center."
"The visions and dreams of many decades are really happening,” Steinberg said. He noted that the project was built with private funds, not with a public subsidy, and will provide more people the chance to live closer to work without relying on cars."
Meanwhile, tests given to instructors across the globe has revealed teachers in America have middling scores compared to other educators.
Emanuel Felton with EdSource: "When compared to both their peers internationally and fellow American college graduates, U.S. teachers have middling math and literacy skills, finds a group of international researchers, who conclude that boosting salaries would be one way to attract higher-skilled individuals into teaching."
"The trio of researchers found that in terms of literacy skills, American educators score just about as well as other American college graduates and outscore teachers in 13 of the 23 developed countries analyzed using data from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), which tested the cognitive skills of more than 160,000 adults across 24 developed countries."
"The report compares teachers using PIAAC scores, which are on a 500-point scale. They were able to isolate teachers' scores because results were linked with occupations. Teachers' median scores are compared to their nation's college-educated populace and fellow educators across the 23 countries."
The city of Berkeley is examining a business proposal that would force the city to divest from private prison investment.
Kaily Martinez-Ramage with Daily Californian: "Berkeley City Council voted July 19 to adopt a resolution calling on the city to divest from private prisons and to send a letter to the city’s business partners requesting them to do the same."
"During City Council’s regular meeting, a resolution proposed by Councilmember Kriss Worthington was passed to appeal to the city of Berkeley to divest from the private prison industry. According to Worthington, the resolution would first require the city’s finance department to evaluate the potential consequences on Berkeley’s economy from divesting in private prisons before acting."
"There’s a certain amount of research that has to be done first,” Worthington said. “The first step here is to look at what the financial impact can be and weigh that in relation to the ethical.”"
That Inland Empire battle for incumbent Cheryl Brown's Assembly seat is getting nasty.
From the LAT's Patrick McGreevy:"A political committee funded by oil companies has launched ads on the Internet attacking state Sen. Connie Leyva of Chino for opposing the reelection of Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown of San Bernardino, a fellow Democrat, and questioning Levya’s party loyalty."
"A spokesman for Leyva shot back that the ads are "racially divisive" and "reprehensible."
"The advertisements on YouTube are the latest episode in a skirmish that has divided Democrats in the state over Brown, a moderate who helped stall a provision of last year's climate change bill that would have cut petroleum use significantly in California."
