The Bay Area Air Quality Management District finds itself amid scandal after whistleblower allegations that included the improper destruction of regulatory documents, enforcement records and flare reports.
Daily Californian's BOBBY LEE: "Two former employees of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, or BAAQMD, filed a whistleblower claim Tuesday alleging that BAAQMD destroyed regulatory documents, including notices of violation, enforcement records and flare reports for refineries in the East Bay."
"In a press conference, the former employees, Michael Bachmann and Sarah Steele, alleged that BAAQMD’s executive management directed the improper destruction of agency records. BAAQMD then allegedly retaliated against Bachmann and Steele by terminating their employment after they repeatedly raised concerns to their supervisors about the agency’s practices."
"Steele began notifying Bachmann in September 2015 that the agency allegedly violated internal policies and California state code by instructing staff to destroy documents that the district was required to maintain. When Bachmann raised concerns directly to executive management Nov. 6, 2015, BAAQMD Chief Legal Counsel Brian Bunger allegedly told Bachmann that the destruction of the documents was necessary because those records could “hurt us.”
READ MORE related to Environment: Amid Oroville emergency, California Legislature moves to make flood-control fixes -- Sacramento Bee's ALEXEI KOSEFF; Jerry Brown makes surprise visit to Oroville Dam -- Sacramento Bee's CHRISTOPHER CADELAGO; Lawsuit against Lunada Bay surfers suffers setback in federal court -- L.A. Times' DAN WEIKEL; Voters must choose who can best address Paramount's air-quality crisis -- Daily News' RACHEL URANGA; Team led by UCR scientists gets $5.1 million to fight citrus greening disease -- The Press-Enterprise's MARK MUCKENFUSS; Rains fade but flooding prompts rescues of 225 people in San Jose -- The Chronicle's JENNA LYONS/EVAN SERNOFFSKY; 14,000 households remain under flood evacuation order in San Jose -- The Chronicle's JENNA LYONS/SARAH RAVANI/EVAN SERNOFFSKY
The one-room schoolhouse is not a thing of the past -- you can find the traditional institutions across rural California.
Capitol Weekly's Lisa Renner tells the tale: "The 112-year-old schoolhouse with the old-fashioned bell looks like it should be a historical museum. But it’s a working K-8 public school with only 10 students."
"Washington School, about 20 miles east of Nevada City in the Sierra foothills, is one of a handful of one-room schools scattered scattered across rural California. The state Department of Education does not keep records on how many of these schools there are, said information officer Charlene Cheng, adding that the decision to keep them going is made at a local level rather than at the state."
"Washington School is part of the Twin Ridges Elementary School District, which has a total enrollment of about 100. According to a 2011 report from the California Legislative Analyst’s Office, about 40 percent of public school districts in the state are “small” (serving fewer than 1,000 students) and about 10 percent are “very small” (serving fewer than 100 students)."
Speaking of education, 2017 Sac State graduates are still in the dark about where and when they'll be walking the stage for their diplomas.
Sacramento Bee's DIANA LAMBERT: "Three months from now, Sacramento State graduates are expected to walk across a stage, but no one is certain where or when."
"University officials are still negotiating a contract with Golden 1 Center and are not sure when it will be finalized, said university spokeswoman Elisa Smith."
"The school has May 19 and 20 on hold, but Smith can’t say for certain that the dates won’t change. “We still have to keep our options open,” she said."
READ MORE related to Education: Fewer high school students are applying for college aid under the California Dream Act -- L.A. Times' JOY RESMOVITS; California students again rank 5th in latest AP exam scores -- EdSource's FERMIN LEAL; California examines how and why to improve its measures of school climate -- EdSource's JANE MEREDITH ADAMS
Are the ACA marketplaces really in a death spiral as some insurance giants claim?
L.A. Times' NOAM N. LEVEY: "It’s been a rocky few months for the health insurance marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act."
"Even if you’re not one of the roughly 11 million Americans who rely on these online exchanges to get your health insurance, you’ve probably seen the headlines about rising premiums and insurance companies pulling out of the system."
"Last week, national insurance giant Humana announced it would stop selling plans on the marketplace. Aetna’s chief executive officer claimed the marketplaces are in a “death spiral.” Republicans say the marketplaces are Exhibit A that Obamacare is collapsing."
READ MORE related to Health: City's perceived lack of action regarding homelessness frustrates community members -- Daily Californian's AMBER TANG; Popular charity heart screenings for teens may cause more problems than they solve -- California Healthline's MARY CHRIS JAKLEVIC; Alzheimer's looms large for Latinos -- California Healthline; Sprint to find Zika vaccine could hinge on summer outbreaks -- California Healthline's CARMEN HEREDIA RODRIGUEZ; Treatment gaps persist between low- and high- income workers, even with insurance -- California Healthline's MICHELLE ANDREWS; Geriatricians can help aging patients navigate multiple ailments -- California Healthline's JUDITH GRAHAM
Republicans are trying to get a foothold in the CalPERS power structure.
L.A. Times' JOHN MYERS: "A quarter of a century after a bitter political fight for control of California’s largest public employee pension fund, a new effort by Republicans in the state Capitol seeks to again dilute the influence of public employee unions by reshaping the agency’s board of directors."
"The bill, introduced by Assemblyman Travis Allen (R-Huntington Beach), would add two members to the board that oversees the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, CalPERS. It would also reshape the qualifications for three of the existing 13 positions on the board, either by requiring additional expertise or by limiting participation from those with a connection to public employee unions."
"A spokeswoman for Allen said his busy schedule and a delayed flight made him unavailable Wednesday to comment on his proposal, Assembly Bill 1311."
READ MORE related to Local: Loud and angry, protesters turn congressional town halls into must-see political TV -- L.A. Times' MARK Z. BARABAK/JOHN CHERWA; A warm welcome at Fremont town hall meeting for Ro Khanna -- The Chronicle's JOHN WILDERMUTH
A program offering a tax credit to poor workers is a benefit that can mean adequate sustenance for a family, yet many who are eligible are not utilizing the policy because of lack of awareness.
Sacramento Bee's JIM MILLER: "California officials and nonprofit groups want to encourage poverty-level workers to take advantage of the state’s earned income tax credit, which put an average of $519 in the pockets of people who received it in the 2015 tax year."
"The biggest challenge, supporters say, is getting eligible workers who file a tax return to claim the credit, as well as encouraging workers who don’t file a return to do so and take advantage of the program."
“This important policy only works if people know about it and apply for it,” Nancy McFadden, a top aide to Gov. Jerry Brown, said Wednesday during a conference call to launch “Earned Income Tax Credit Awareness Week.”
READ MORE related to Economy: A 27-year pace to close California's gender-wage gap is too slow, lawmakers say -- Sacramento Bee's ADAM ASHTON; Arcadia's mega-mansions used to sell to Chinese buyers in days. Now they're sitting empty for months -- L.A. Times' DAVID PIERSON; Will the U.S. punish Mexico on trade? A Trump supporter has doubts -- L.A. Times' NATALIE KITROEFF; China Live: A food emporium of epic proportions in San Francisco's Chinatown -- The Chronicle's JONATHAN KAUFFMAN; Grace Slick donates Chick-fil-A paycheck to LGBQT group -- The Chronicle's AIDIN VAZIRI; U.C. Berkeley to join major tech companies in advancing 5G networks -- Daily Californian's ANI VAHRADYAN; Superior Court of Alameda County expresses concern over governor's budget -- Daily Californian's SHAYANN HENDRICKS; UC Berkeley eSports takes 1st in national video game tournament -- Daily Californian's SUNNY TSAI
A CHP officer has succumbed to injuries after an on-duty motorcycle crash.
Sacramento Bee's CATHY LOCKE: "A California Highway Patrol officer died from injuries he suffered Wednesday when he was involved in a crash during a high-speed chase in south Sacramento and thrown from his motorcycle."
"Lucas F. Chellew, 31, an 8-year veteran of the CHP died at 6:11 p.m. at UC Davis Medical Center, authorities announced in a 9:30 p.m. news conference at the hospital."
“My heart aches on this terribly tragic day for the CHP as we have lost a hero, who swore a sacred and honorable oath to serve and protect the people of California,” CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow said in a written statement. “Please keep Officer Chellew's family, friends and the entire CHP family in your thoughts and prayers as they mourn his loss.”
READ MORE related to Public Safety: Officer receives honor for heroism after apartment explosion -- AP; Man charged with killing Sacramento, Placer deputies can't get far trial in capital, lawyers say -- Sacramento Bee's SAM STANTON; DA: Evidence at Samantha Green trial, new drug arrest, led to charges against baby Justice's dad -- Sacramento Bee's DARRELL SMITH; 300 protest in Anaheim after videos show off-duty LAPD officer firing gun in dispute with teens -- L.A. Times' MATT HAMILTON/KATE MATHER/MELISSA ETEHAD/FRANK SHYONG; Video surfaces of off-duty LAPD officer firing gun during altercation with juveniles -- O.C. Register's ALMA FAUSTO/SCOTT SCHWEBKE; State mourns CHP officer who died in motorcycle crash -- AP; LA leader calls for 'smart' system after LAPD front desk phones go down -- Daily News' WES WOODS; 12-year fugitive arrested in Santa Rosa homicide -- The Chronicle's MICHAEL BODLEY
Sacramento Bee's ANDY FURILLO: "For a year and a half, Jose Garcia-Alcazar has been sitting in jails in Richmond and Elk Grove while his lawyers fight the government’s efforts to deport him to his native Mexico. For more than six months now, Garcia-Alcazar, who has three children who are U.S. citizens, has not had a hearing to determine whether he is eligible for bail while the immigration courts figure out what to do with him."
"Lawyers for the former car-wash employee in Rohnert Park call his extended stay in jail a case of indefinite detention. They also call it unconstitutional, and they say it stands in direct defiance of a 2011 appellate court ruling that guarantees incarcerated aliens a bail hearing – even if they have criminal records and made their way back to the United States after having already been deported. Garcia-Alcazar, 30, has drug convictions and once associated in Mexico with “coyotes” who smuggled people into the United States, one of his lawyers said."
"Earlier this month, Garcia-Alcazar’s attorneys filed a lawsuit in federal court in Sacramento seeking class-action status to try to reinstate bail hearings for him and an untold number of other undocumented immigrants. In the lawsuit, the lawyers are challenging a memorandum issued by an immigration judge in San Francisco that says people like Garcia-Alcazar who return to the U.S. after being deported are not entitled to “redetermination” hearings that would give them a chance to make their case for bail."
READ MORE related to Immigration: Immigrants fear deportation under Trump change routines -- AP's DEEPTI HAJELA/AMY TAXIN; Did a Mexican migrant leap to his death at the border minutes after deportation? -- L.A. Times' KATE LINTHICUM; SF has bold proposal to protect Muslims -- The Chronicle's EMILY GREEN
A casino project destined for Elk Grove has encountered an appellate roadblock.
Sacramento Bee's RICHARD CHANG: "The Wilton Rancheria tribe’s bid to bring a casino to suburban Elk Grove encountered a key roadblock Tuesday, when the project’s foes filed an appeal against the federal government’s decision to take land into trust for the tribe."
"Stand Up for California, a Penryn-based gambling watchdog group, submitted an appeal with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, alleging that the U.S. Department of Interior improperly handled Wilton Rancheria’s application for trust land status. Under state and federal laws, tribes must have sovereign land before they can build a casino."
'In a written statement, Wilton Rancheria spokesman Bob Magnuson called the appeal “pathetic."
A Caltrans worker is lucky to be alive after a tree fell and crushed his work truck on Highway 49.
Sacramento Bee's CATHY LOCKE: "A California Department of Transportation employee escaped serious injury when a falling tree crushed the top of his pickup truck on Highway 49 in Nevada County."
"Joseph E. Vaars, 46, a resident of the Grass Valley area, was driving a Caltrans Ford F-250 pickup truck on Highway 49 north of the Fawnbrooke Access Road about 2:05 a.m. Tuesday."
"A large tree on the west side of the roadway, became uprooted due to heavy rain, wind and saturated soil, and fell in an easterly direction onto the highway and the moving pickup, according to a California Highway Patrol news release."
READ MORE related to Transportation: California's top Republican ignored business plea to help Caltrain -- The Chronicle's MATIER & ROSS; Caltrain: person struck by train near Santa Clara -- The Chronicle's MICHAEL BODLEY
Mexico is refusing to work with Trump's immigration hardline.
Sacramento Bee's FRANCO ORDONEZ: "Mexico is not happy – actually, angry – about President Donald Trump’s expectation that it would hold tens of thousands of apprehended migrants who can’t be immediately deported, regardless of where they come from."
"Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray vowed Wednesday that Mexico will not accept the Trump’s administration “unilateral” directives and that President Enrique Peña Nieto will make that clear to U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly when they meet on Thursday."
“I want to make clear, in the most emphatic way, that the government of Mexico and the people of Mexico will not accept decisions that, in a unilateral way, are imposed by another government,” Videgaray told reporters in Mexico City."
READ MORE related to Beltway: Trump administration withdraws Obama transgender bathroom directive -- Sacramento Bee's Anita Kumar; American Samoa's ex-congressman dies at 73 -- AP's FILI SAGAPOLUTELE; Conservative applause, activist anger over Trump's transgender rollback -- The Chronicle's KEVIN FAGAN; SF foes of Trump deportation plan discuss options -- The Chronicle's VIVIAN HO
