April 24, 2015

24Apr

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Political Briefs

Top stories

For statewide change, advocates are making their battles local –  As the state’s plastic grocery bag ban sits on hold, pending the outcome of a 2016 ballot measure that could nullify it, advocates for the law are returning to familiar territory: California’s cities and counties. LA Times article

California tax collections soar, but budget’s fate not yet clear — California tax revenues have soared past projections for the critical month of April – with several days yet to go. But the state’s overall budget situation is very much still up in the air. What we do know is that California’s K-12 schools and community colleges will get billions of extra dollars in the upcoming state budget. What we don’t know is how much everything else will get.  Capital Public Radio report

Hollow victory in ADA lawsuit reform – Legislation meant to help businesses repel some predatory lawsuits took a surprising step forward this week, but only after lawmakers bowed to disability activists and gutted Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen’s key goals. Modesto Bee article

State budget

California needs volunteers to test road charge — Gas tax revenues are steadily declining in California and lawmakers are looking for other ways to fund road repairs. Now the state is creating a pilot program that would instead charge drivers based on the miles they drive.   Capital Public Radio report

Gov. Brown

Bill Whalen: Gov. Jerry Brown could be a hero in our water crisis — Gov. Jerry Brown has the opportunity to bring California’s disparate water factions into one room and help them overcome their parochial tendencies, some of which have made the already bad water situation worse.  Whalen column in Sacramento Bee

Valley politics

Panel suggests Stockton voting changes – The citizens’ commission studying Stockton’s governing charter has taken a small but potentially ground-shaking step toward overturning the controversial decades-old citywide voting system by which the City Council is elected.  Stockton Record article

Michael Fitzgerald: Should Stockton switch voting systems? — The city of Stockton is considering changing its voting system. Is that a good idea? A big question, very complicated. This is for sure: To recover and flourish, Stockton needs a high-functioning government, not a system with baked-in failure. Fitzgerald column in Stockton Record

Statewide politics/Ballot Measures

Tony Quinn: California’s Latino voter turnout: What happened? — Has the “Sleeping Giant” gone back to sleep, and will the Giant wake up for in time for 2016? Since passage of the controversial anti-illegal immigrant Proposition 187 in 1994, Latino voter turnout in California has mushroomed and with it Latino political clout. That is, until 2014 when turnout took a dive and many Latinos suddenly lost interest in voting.  Quinn in Fox & Hounds

High times in 2016: California Politics Podcast – Two measures to legalize marijuana both submitted in one week, and yet no clear front runner? This week’s political podcast examines the politics of pot for the 2016 ballot, the changing narrative about crime and crime victims, and the latest drip, drip of water woes.  California Politics Podcast in KQED

Immigration

Private companies profit from U.S. immigration detention boom – Even as the number of immigrants caught illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border has fallen to the lowest levels since the 1970s, the federal government has increased spending on immigrant detention, filling 14,000 more beds last year than it did in 2006. Private prison companies such as Geo Group, which owns and manages the new facility, have profited from the boom.  LA Times article

ICE ‘ramping up’ detention center in Bakersfield — It’s been an on-again, off-again prison for decades. But after a $10 million renovation, the Mesa Verde Detention Facility on Golden State Highway in Bakersfield is “on” yet again, this time housing undocumented immigrants facing deportation or otherwise awaiting decisions on their immigration cases. Bakersfield Californian article

Other areas

Democratic lawmakers reject switching their health coverage to Obamacare – Democratic state lawmakers on Thursday shot down a proposal that would have required all California state legislators to get their health insurance from Covered California, the benefits exchange set up to implement Obamacare in the state. LA Times article

Modesto Bee: Assembly opts to protect predatory lawyers, guts ADA bill — It was despicable that fair and sensible legislation to protect small businesses from being blackmailed by unscrupulous lawyers suing under the guise of helping the disabled was gutted in a state Assembly committee on Wednesday. Modesto Bee editorial

Poll: Gay-marriage support at record high – A record-high 6 in 10 Americans support same-sex marriage and a similar share say individual states should not be allowed to define marriage as only between a man and a woman, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News pollWashington Post article

Latino leaders call for district-based elections – Latinos make up 40 percent of California’s population, but just about 15 percent of the state’s mayors and city council members. A bill backed by the state’s legislative Latino caucus is seeking to make city governments more representative.  Capital Public Radio report

Robin Abcarian: Fight against vaccination bill finds ally in ACLU – The moms, who were wary of me but willing to make their case, will be back at the Capitol next week when the law is taken up by the Senate Judiciary Committee. This time, they will have an unexpected ally: the ACLU. Abcarian in LA Times

Jim Patterson and James Gallagher: Cap and trade is hiding a gas tax increase – Assemblymembers Patterson (R-Fresno) and Gallagher (R-Nicolaus) write, “The hidden gas tax is hurting California families, small businesses and school districts. The National Federation of Independent Businesses estimates that the state’s small businesses will lose $2.6 billion in economic output.” Patterson/Gallagher op-ed in Sacramento Bee

Thousands crowd Fresno State for somber Armenian genocide memorial ceremony – More than an estimated 4,000 people crowded Fresno State’s Maple Mall on Thursday night for a somber ceremony to unveil the Armenian Genocide Centennial Monument. Fresno Bee article

Fresno service honors Armenians who died as saints – Under a warm evening sun, Fresno-area Armenians gathered Thursday at Ararat Cemetery where they heard new prayers and hymns in a special service to remember those who died during the Armenian genocide a century ago. Fresno Bee article

John Pryor: Armenian genocide is a lesson we must all remember today – The risk management consultant in Bakersfield writes, “April 24 is the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide in Turkey. I’m not Armenian. My daughter-in-law is — so I have more than ample data of that perspective from her family.” Pryor op-ed in Bakersfield Californian

As columnist, Willie Brown has been on point – and also way off — Willie Brown has had some spot-on predictions, including the San Francisco 49ers moving to Santa Clara; former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa not running for U.S. Senate (Brown also didn’t want him to); Colin Powell endorsing Barack Obama; and Obama winning the White House and retaining the position. Brown did not respond to a request from The Bee asking about his creative approach and process. However, if his latest ideas don’t pan out, or change significantly, it wouldn’t be the first time. Capitol Alert

San Francisco Democrats come out early in favor of Lee re-election – Mayor Ed Lee is wasting no time shoring up endorsements in trying to secure his re-election in November. On Wednesday night, he went before the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee — the D-triple-C — and secured an early endorsement. The group is the official San Francisco Democratic Partyand its endorsements for other political offices are among the most significant to voters. San Francisco Chronicle article

Amid Armenia’s troubled past, U.S. politicians tread carefully — Ghostly Armenian remembrances haunt the nation’s capital, heartbreaking, but often incomplete. McClatchy Newspapers article

Dan Walters: California Senate dishonors Junipero Serra on verge of sainthood – The Catholic Church’s first Latino pope is on the verge of canonizing Junipero Serra, the 18th century Spanish missionary who brought Christianity to California and built the first of the state’s famed missions. Figuratively, however, the state Senate’s Latino leadership, including President Pro Tem Kevin de León, is thumbing its collective nose at Pope Francis and Serra by voting to remove the missionary priest’s statue from the U.S. Capitol.  Walters column in Sacramento Bee

CHP releases video of Sen. Ben Hueso’s DUI arrest — The California Highway Patrol on Thursday released the video of state Sen. Ben Hueso’s arrest earlier this year on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. Capitol Alert

California Government Today:

Senate Daily File

Assembly Daily File

News Briefs

Top Stories

Agriculture company invests in education to tackle Central Valley workforce problem – Roll Global is a company that you may not have heard of, but there’s a good chance you’ve sampled some of their products. The $3 billion, privately held company has 7,000 employees worldwide and more than half of those work in jobs in California’s Central Valley. The company has a challenge that many employers face—finding qualified workers. They have to hire approximately 300 people a year in their vast Central Valley operations. And finding qualified workers isn’t easy. And how do you solve that problem? By thinking long-term and, in a way, by going into the education business.  Originally posted at CA Economy

Cal State study will explore student food and housing needs — There is no doubt that hunger and homelessness is a reality for some California State University students, and now the school system is attempting to chart the depths of those needs. The one-year project will probe the scope of food and housing insecurity and make recommendations for how the university can support students in need. LA Times article

Jobs and the Economy

Governor may speak at Taft oil summit – Congressman Kevin McCarthy will kick things off and Texas billionaire T. Boone Pickens will be the headliner, but the last word at this fall’s West Kern Petroleum Summit may go to Gov. Jerry Brown. After declining an invitation to the previous summit, in 2013, the governor’s office has called twice to express interest in speaking at this year’s event, Sheri Horn-Bunk, executive director of the event’s organizer, the Taft College Foundation, said Thursday. Bakersfield Californian article

U.S. jobless aid applications stay low, a sign of few layoffs – The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits was little changed last week, evidence that employers are cutting few jobs. AP article

California state workers eligible to cash out stacked-up leave — It’s cash-out season for thousands of California state workers who have stacked up time in their paid-leave banks. Starting May 1, non-union employees such as managers and employees in six bargaining units can apply to turn their time into money. The catch: Their departments have to pull the money from existing appropriations. No spare funds, no leave buy-backs.  Sacramento Bee article

Chargers and Raiders overhaul design for potential LA stadium – Two months after unveiling plans and renderings for a stadium in Carson, the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders have completely overhauled their design for the $1.7-billion project. LA Times article

Lemoore council re-affirms pro-business policies – Amid concerns that the city has turned a blind eye to blight in downtown, the Lemoore City Council asked police to continue their business-friendly code enforcement policy.  Hanford Sentinel article

Modesto pays $105,000 to settle lawsuits, claims – Modesto paid $105,071.44 in the first quarter to resolve 22 lawsuits and claims filed against it. The payouts cover Jan. 1 through March 30 and include such incidents as a city vehicle rear-ending a car, falling trees and limbs damaging cars and buildings, and a malfunctioning automatic parking lot gate at Modesto Airport striking a truck as it was leaving the lot. Modesto Bee article

Union asks Sacramento auditor to examine city benefits practice – Sacramento City Hall’s largest labor union has asked the city auditor to investigate an allegation that nearly 100 employees were not paid medical or retirement benefits despite working enough hours to qualify for those perks.  Sacramento Bee article

Skid Row land rush: Now it’s one of the pricier sections of LA — Skid Row has been losing cheap housing for years, as the neighborhood’s old residence hotels and apartment buildings were torn down or transformed into market-rate apartments.  KQED report

San Francisco moves to tighten Airbnb law — Less than three months into implementation of an ordinance to legalize and regulate short-term rentals in San Francisco, city leaders and planners agree the law needs more work.  KQED report

Pentagon seeks to shed ‘dreary’ image to attract Silicon Valley talent – Defense Secretary Ashton Carter sought Thursday to begin repairing the Pentagon’s relationship with the technology industry, reminding Silicon Valley about the fruits of innovation that came from closely working with the government. LA Times article; San Jose Mercury News article

Comcast is ending bid for Time Warner Cable – Comcast Corp. is pulling the plug on its $45-billion purchase of Time Warner Cable, conceding it had little chance of overcoming stiff resistance from regulators, lawmakers and consumers who mobilized to block the merger. LA Times article

Ceres refrigeration business marks 75 years — IC will celebrate its 75th anniversary with an invitation-only gathering Friday at the site in Ceres where it has operated since 1987. The business employs 46 people, including installers, service technicians and sheet metal fabricators. The owners today are Dick Imfeld, the founder’s son; Rich Imfeld, a grandson; and Kevin Silva.Modesto Bee article

Betts company gets its 7th president named Betts in its 147-year history — Fresno-based Betts Company named its seventh president earlier this month — and like the first six, his last name is Betts. Bill Betts, 33, was named president and chief operating officer of the 147-year-old company April 7. He takes over the president’s job from his father, Mike Betts, who will remain active in the business as chairman of the board of directors and CEO. Fresno Bee article

Agriculture/Water/Drought

State orders no water diversions despite legal rights – About 1,500 farms and individuals in the Central Valley were ordered Thursday to stop taking water from rivers and streams for irrigation, the latest move by state regulators to save water amid intensifying drought conditions. AP article; Stockton Record article

Finally, drought relief for one Tulare County community – Last July U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack visited the rural Tulare County community of Cameron Creek to announce drought aid. Now months later, Valley Public Radio’s Ezra David Romero reports the community just got their taps turned on.  KVPR report

Drought shakeup continues as Friant Water Authority general manager steps down – In the wake of zero water allocations again this year, Ronald D. Jacobsma has stepped down as general manager of the Friant Water Authority, representing 13 water districts on the San Joaquin Valley’s east side. Fresno Bee article; The Business Journal article

California bill would end fines for brown lawns in drought – The California Assembly has approved legislation protecting residents from fines if they do not water their lawn during the drought. AB1 by Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown advanced unanimously Thursday with 74 votes. It prohibits cities from penalizing residents for having brown lawns.  AP article; LA Times article

Bakersfield Californian: Making the right call the first step – The Bakersfield City Council made the right decision Wednesday night by enacting odd-even watering days as a way to save during the drought. Bakersfield Californian editorial

Hanford Sentinel: Water: The dividing issue – Let’s all take a deep breath. Let’s not assume the guy down the street is meaning to waste water when a broken sprinkler shoots water into the air. Instead, ask him if he’s aware of the problem. And if he chooses to have a green lawn, maybe he’s saving water in other ways that aren’t as obvious. Hanford Sentinel article

Tulare administrators deal with reported water misuse – David Paxton called the Waterwise column to report there are plenty of water misusers, over-users and abusers in Tulare. The worst time, Paxton said, is between Friday afternoon and Monday morning. Visalia Times-Delta article

LA could require covers on residential swimming pools – Los Angeles water officials approved new watering restrictions Thursday that could be imposed if the city’s conservation efforts flag in the coming summer months. Residents could be required to cover their swimming pools or limit their watering to two days a week rather than three under revised drought restrictions unanimously approved by the five-member Board of Water and Power Commissioners. LA Times article

‘Exceptional’ drought expands in Sierra – The latest U.S. Drought Monitor report shows that conditions worsened in the Sierra as California is in the midst of a fourth year of drought. Capital Public Radio report

State turns up heat on farm safety – Farmworkers and other employees who work outside will get more protection from the heat starting next month. The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board recently approved revisions to the state’s heat illness prevention standards, aimed at providing more shade and accessible water to people working in the heat. Hanford Sentinel article

Drought: Pleasanton among first cities to enact water fines – In a taste of what’s likely to come for much of the Bay Area, the city of Pleasanton this week moved to crack down on big water users with fines. Starting May 15, city water customers will have to reduce their water consumption by 25 percent, compared to 2013, or pay a penalty that varies with how much a customer went over the limit and for how long. Bills could double or triple, according to the fine schedule. San Francisco Chronicle article

Tipsters hang water wasters out to dry – Judging from tips to this newspaper, there’s quite a bit of water waste going on in the Bay Area. From residents hosing down driveways to homes sporting gurgling fountains, from badly aimed sprinklers to leaking municipal pipes and fire hydrants, Chronicle readers haven’t been shy about sharing what they see as bad behavior during the drought. San Francisco Chronicle article

Bakersfield Californian: Blaming others for drought ramps up – Carly Fiorina is running for president and she knows how to fix California — blame the liberals. Well, there’s certainly plenty of blame there, but this blame game mentality is not helping matters when it comes to California’s drought.  Bakersfield Californian editorial

Reservoir supporters will rally at state Capitol – Farmers and other water users will head Monday to the state Capitol to show support for two bills that are important to their cause. Modesto Bee article

Drought creates flood of business for synthetic turf industry – Business is booming at Valley synthetic turf installers. Since Governor Jerry Brown’s announcement earlier this spring of stepped-up statewide water restrictions, phones have been ringing off the hook at Clovis-based SYNLawn of Central California. The Business Journal article

U.S. announces plans to reduce agricultural carbon emissions – Federal agricultural officials announced Thursday voluntary programs and initiatives for farmers, ranchers and foresters meant to build on President Barack Obama’s efforts to combat global warming — and don’t require congressional approval. AP article

Pipeline advocate William Shatner holds senior water rights – William Shatner generated modest buzz when, in an interview with Yahoo’s David Pogue last week, he proposed a Kickstarter fund-raising campaign to build a $30 billion pipeline to bring water to drought-ravaged California. Shatner, it turns out, is a senior water rights holder in California, with rights along the south fork of the Kaweah River for a ranch he owns in eastern Tulare County, according to the state’s water rights database. Capitol Alert

Buzz over bee health: New pesticide studies rev up controversy – Scientists have shown that a range of factors — from climate change to viruses to loss of habitat — are contributing to the global decline in bee health. And two new studies published in the journal Nature add to the evidence that overuse of neonicotinoid pesticides may also be contributing to the decline of bees.NPR report

Nursery under scrutiny over mystery pistachio ailment — Scientists say bacteria found its way into clonal-propagated pistachio tree rootstock from Duarte Nursery, one of the largest tree nurseries in California.  The Business Journal article

Hundreds gather to honor Cesar Chavez’s Navy service — Hundreds gathered Thursday to see military honors bestowed at the graveside of Cesar Chavez, and despite more than two decades passing since his death, his sister said she felt his presence, just as he brought life to the farmworkers’ movement on the fields of Central California.  AP article; Bakersfield Californian article

Criminal Justice/Prisons

State high court passes up chance to go easier on sex offenders – A divided state Supreme Court has voted to leave intact a ruling requiring lifetime registration for certain non-forcible sex offenders, an issue that split Gov. Jerry Brown’s two most recent appointees.  San Francisco Chronicle article

Judge denies parole to former Manson follower Bruce Davis — A Los Angeles judge has denied parole for a former Charles Manson follower who has been imprisoned for more than 40 years for two murders. Superior Court Judge William C. Ryan on Wednesday upheld the governor’s reversal of a parole board decision last year to release Bruce Davis. AP article

More questions on sheriff’s handling of remains – Sen. Cathleen Galgiani’s office released a crematory document Thursday that shows the cremation box containing Cyndi Vanderheiden’s partial remains weighed 70 pounds at the time of receipt — way too heavy for the remains of one person, Galgiani’s office says.  Stockton Record article

Woman wrongly convicted of murder sues city, LAPD detective – A woman exonerated last year after spending 17 years behind bars for murder announced Thursday that she had filed a lawsuit accusing an LAPD detective of hiding evidence that showed the case’s lead witness was known as a pathological liar. LA Times article

Education

UC administrative staff tripled in two decades — At the nine major undergraduate UC campuses (excluding UC Merced, Hastings and UC San Francisco) administrative positions have more than tripled between 1993-2013, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Below is a table showing the administrative growth at the UC system, broken down by campus. Capitol Weekly article

Gov. Brown names Tulare Republican Conway to college board – Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday appointed former Assembly Member Connie Conway, a Tulare Republican, to the 17-member California Community Colleges Board of Governors. The board sets policy and provides guidance for the 72 districts and 112 colleges in the state’s community college system. Fresno Bee article; Visalia Times-Delta article

Judge denies motion to intervene at high schools accused of ‘sham’ courses – A California judge has denied a request for state intervention at six California high schools where students said they had been assigned to multiple contentless classes, were told to go home, or sit idly in classrooms or perform menial administrative tasks. EdSource article

Marin school nuns walk out over program intended to stop gay bullying – The divisions within the Bay Area’s Catholic community over gay rights hit Marin Catholic High School full force the other day, when a group of nuns walked out of their classes to protest the sponsors of a program intended to protect gay and lesbian teens from bullying.  San Francisco Chronicle article

Energy/Environment

Scientists convinced of tie between earthquakes and drilling — With the evidence coming in from one study after another, scientists are now more certain than ever that oil and gas drilling is causing hundreds upon hundreds of earthquakes across the U.S.  San Francisco Chronicle article; LA Times article

UC Merced makes conservation fun — UC Merced’s main walkway took on a carnival atmosphere on Thursday, when the campus observed Earth Day. The newest campus in the University of California system prides itself on its relatively green buildings, water conservation and solar panels. So the school’s staff looks to make the day fun yet educational. Merced Sun-Star article

Health/Human Services

Californians with mental health issues report discrimination, stigma – A new study by the RAND Corporation finds that nearly 9 in 10 Californians who reported having a mental health problem in the past 12 months said they had experienced discrimination because of it. KQED report

Abatement districts warn of early start to West Nile threat – The Turlock and East Side mosquito abatement districts started surveillance and control operations this month for mosquitoes that spread West Nile disease. Modesto Bee article

Sacramento Bee: Staking a claim to the future with big-data medicine – The University of California has been on the cutting edge of precision medicine from the beginning. It’s only appropriate that the governor and the university are taking this step to ensure that the school, and the state, remain leaders in a field that could transform the way we diagnose and treat disease.  Sacramento Bee editorial

Silicon Valley, Bay Area see huge rise in binge drinking — Santa Clara County saw a nearly 28 percent rise in binge drinking from 2002 to 2012, the biggest increase of any California county, according to a major new study of alcohol use. Contra Costa Times article

Transportation

Caltrans warned of Bay Bridge leaking before span opened — Caltrans knew the new Bay Bridge eastern span’s supposedly watertight steel support structure leaked in the rain as early as 2012 — more than a year before the bridge opened — and warned that the water could cause corrosion, documents obtained by The Chronicle show.  San Francisco Chronicle article

Other areas

Woman set fire that burned Fresno Fire Captain Pete Dern, officials say — A woman who authorities believe started the house fire that led to critical burn injuries suffered by Fresno Fire Capt. Pete Dern has been arrested, officials announced Thursday.  Fresno Bee article; KVPR report

Family of equipment operator hurt in Fresno gas blast releases statement – The family of a Fresno County employee who was driving a front-end loader April 17 when a natural gas pipeline exploded released a statement Thursday saying he was unaware of any danger. Fresno Bee article

Kern may soften fines for 12-pot-plant rule violations – Kern County lawyers want to dial back the penalty for growing more than 12 marijuana plants in unincorporated areas in the wake of a court ruling that called it excessive. The 12-plant limit would remain in place under changes the Board of Supervisors will review Tuesday and possibly vote on May 19. Bakersfield Californian article

Oakdale medical pot dispensary under fire from Stanislaus County – A county lawsuit suggests a retail shop near Oakdale was not truthful when it applied for a business license in August 2012. The county issued the license based on the application, and since then, Kiona’s Farm’acy has dispensed medical marijuana from a store at River Road and Highway 120, just north of the city of Oakdale. Modesto Bee article

Merced County CEO pulls the plug on training videos – Merced County Executive Officer Jim Brown said employees from the Human Services Agency will stop filming videos for a national organization after a Merced Sun-Star article revealed the practice.  Merced Sun-Star article

Inspired to make positive change – Malik Flournoy is hoping that when he looks at his audience Saturday morning, he will see an ocean of young faces yearning for inspiration and determined to make a change in the challenging community in which they are growing up. Flournoy, 17, will be moderating a special session focusing on issues facing Stockton’s young people during the first Reinvent South Stockton Coalition Summit at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds.  Stockton Record article

Stockton fire chief leaving his post – Fire Chief Jeff Piechura will be leaving the position he has held for the past 2 1Ž2 years within three months, he announced Wednesday in an email sent to employees of the Stockton Fire Department.  Stockton Record article

City Beat: Bike lanes make their debut in Bakersfield – Members of Bike Bakersfield and the Kern Council of Governments were among the bicycling fans on-hand Tuesday in northeast Bakersfield to cut a ribbon, then ride on some of 20 miles of new bicycle lanes. Also: What 36 percent water cut looks like and sizing up Kern, Bakersfield. Bakersfield Californian article

CALM developing coast room, challenge course — The California Living Museum is developing a new exhibit — the California Coast Room — to bring native coastal creatures and jellyfish to the zoo, including some that people can touch. Word of the exhibit was made public Thursday through a Kern County grand jury report outlining all sorts of existing and coming attractions at the northeast Bakersfield zoo, a document that then had to be corrected by zoo management. Bakersfield Californian article

State awards Medal of Valor to Fresno district Caltrans employee – A Fresno district Caltrans employee was awarded a Medal of Valor from the state of California on Thursday for rescuing a family from their submerged vehicle in 2012. James Murrieta was one of 52 state employees to receive the award from Nancy McFadden, Gov. Jerry Brown’s executive secretary.Fresno Bee article

LA Mayor Eric Garcetti launches citywide trash clean-up initiative — Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti launched an initiative Thursday aimed at cleaning up the city’s trash-strewn streets, sidewalks and alleys. LA Times article

Valley Editorial Roundup

Bakersfield Californian Carly Fiorina is running for president and she knows how to fix California — blame the liberals. Well, there’s certainly plenty of blame there, but this blame game mentality is not helping matters when it comes to California’s drought.

Fresno Bee – 100th anniversary of Armenian genocide: Who do you stand for?

Hanford Sentinel – Let’s all take a deep breath. Let’s not assume the guy down the street is meaning to waste water when a broken sprinkler shoots water into the air. Instead, ask him if he’s aware of the problem.

Merced Sun-Star – It was despicable that fair and sensible legislation to protect small businesses from being blackmailed by unscrupulous lawyers suing under the guise of helping the disabled was gutted in a state Assembly committee on Wednesday

Modesto Bee – It was despicable that fair and sensible legislation to protect small businesses from being blackmailed by unscrupulous lawyers suing under the guise of helping the disabled was gutted in a state Assembly committee on Wednesday.

Sacramento Bee – The University of California has been on the cutting edge of precision medicine from the beginning. It’s only appropriate that the governor and the university are taking this step to ensure that the school, and the state, remain leaders in a field that could transform the way we diagnose and treat disease.

Stockton RecordTrivia bee is a fun event with a purpose.