The U.S. Census may have missed some people, a lot
of people, in it's California count -- a move that could cost the state dearly in government
funding. Seema Mehta of the L.A. Times tells the tale.
"California officials estimate that the U.S. Census
Bureau failed to count 1.5 million of the state's residents, a discrepancy that
if true could cost the state billions of dollars in
federal aid over the next decade and perhaps an increase
in its representation in Congress."
"On Tuesday, the Census Bureau released national and
state population figures that declared California to
have 37.3 million residents, 10% more than in 2000. That growth — based on mailed-in surveys and door-to-door interviews by census takers — roughly mirrored the nation's, but meant that for
the first time since California became a state in 1850 it did not grow enough to add another member to its
congressional delegation."
The union that represents California's state engineers
won a temporary, very temporary, restraining order
to put the controversial Presidio Parkway project on
pending
more legal arguments. Capitol Weekly's Jennifer Chaussee
has the story.
"The project, known as the Presidio Parkway, is envisioned
by Caltrans as a state-of-the-art, 1.6-mile stretch of road that cuts through Presidio National
Park and its wetlands, all the while abiding by the
strict environmental provisions created by the U.S.
National Park Service and Presidio Trust.
"The plan includes lush landscaping, ushering cars
into a grass-covered tunnel and restoring some of the dejected flora
overtaken by weeds and the concrete of the nearly 80-year-old Doyle Drive in San Francisco. But the transfer from public to private sector isn’t taking place without a fight."
CalPERS, the 800-pound gorilla with a history of pushing for improvements
in corporate governance, wants some changes at Apple.
From the LAT's Marc Lifsher: "The $221-billion
pension fund, the largest in the nation, now is setting
its sights on
Cupertino-based Apple Inc., manufacturer of the iPhone, the iPad
and Macintosh
computers."
"CalPERS says it plans for shareholder majority-vote
resolutions at Apple and three other companies next
year and will hold talks
with an additional 34 in hopes of persuading them to make the switch in
how
directors are selected. Apple's annual shareholders
meeting is scheduled for
February. Apple did not respond to a request for comment
on the CalPERS
initiative, which began in March."
Meanwhile,. coming up with the best way to fix public
schools is creating a division among Democrats, reports the Bee's Laurel Rosenhall.
"In California, the divide likely will be magnified in the year ahead
as a new political action committee lays ground here
with a goal of backing Democrats who support education
policies that unions generally oppose."
"Gloria Romero, the former state senator from Los Angeles who lost her bid this year to become the state superintendent
of schools, is heading the new California chapter of Democrats for Education Reform, a PAC that operates in 10 states. In New York, the group supported candidates who pushed for expansion
of charter schools, whose teachers are typically not unionized. In Colorado, it backed those who wanted to rewrite teacher tenure
laws."
The congressional Reeps down in the Inland Empire can hardly wait to get back to work and savor the GOP's
new majority in the House. The Riverside Press-Enterprise's Ben Goad has the story.
"Under the departing Democratic regime, Republicans
-- who represent four-fifths of the region's House delegation -- frequently saw their bills stumble and die, often
without any consideration. But with incoming GOP Speaker John Boehner controlling the floor and Republican lawmakers leading
every House committee, Bono Mack and Reps. Ken Calvert , R-Corona, Jerry Lewis , R-Redlands, and Darrell Issa , R-Vista, will find an easier path for their legislative
initiatives."
"The region's only Democratic House member, Rep. Joe Baca , of Rialto, may be the odd man out. But Baca maintained
that he has forged good working relationships with
area Republicans and would seek their support."
And lastly, we open our "Anchors Aweigh" file to find out that those Navy chopper pilots who
buzzed Lake Tahoe did it in a good cause -- Facebook.
"The crew of two naval helicopters that dipped into
Lake Tahoe in September were hovering close to the
water at Emerald Bay to get photos for their command's
Facebook page, according to a Navy official...
"Two unidentified Navy pilots were on the return leg
of a cross-country tour on Sept. 13 when they attempted to maneuver their MH-60 Romeo helicopters into a hover a few feet above the
water in Emerald Bay, according to the investigation.
The aircraft did not have sufficient power to sustain
the hover and slowly descended into the lake before
summoning enough power to regain altitude and land
at nearby Lake Tahoe Airport."
