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Political Briefs
Top stories
California’s plastic-bag ban suspended by ballot referendum — A trade group has turned in enough signatures to put a referendum on California’s plastic bag ban on the November 2016 ballot, suspending implementation of the nation’s first statewide ban until voters can weigh in, state elections officials said Tuesday. AP article; LA Times article; San Francisco Chronicle article;John Myers in KQED
Senate, Assembly GOP leaders both hail from San Joaquin Valley – For the first time since early 2009, San Joaquin Valley elected officials are in line to hold the top Republican leadership posts in the state Legislature. Last summer, the Assembly GOP caucus chose Kristin Olsen of Modesto as its new leader. Olsen replaced Tulare Republican Connie Conway, who was termed out of the Legislature last year. On Tuesday, state Senate Republicans unanimously elected Jean Fuller of Bakersfield as their next leader. Fresno Bee article
Fuller elected California Senate Republican leader — California Senate Republicans unanimously elected Jean Fuller of Bakersfield their next leader Tuesday, the latest local lawmaker to nab a high-profile post. When Fuller assumes the Senate Republican leader post in November, she will be the first woman to do so. Bakersfield Californian article; Capitol Alert
Gov. Brown
Dan Walters Daily: Jerry Brown should push for tax reform — Gov. Jerry Brown has the political capital to tackle California’s most vexing public policy issue in his final term, Dan says.Dan Walters Daily in Sacramento Bee
Valley politics
FPPC warns Catalano campaign on radio spots, Reel Pride flyer — The state’s political watchdog sent a warning letter to unsuccessful District 1 Fresno City Council candidate Cary Catalano for failing to report expenditures and in-kind contributions on his campaign-finance statements. Fresno Bee article
Statewide politics/Ballot Measures
Former LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa won’t run for U.S. Senate — Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced Tuesday that he would not enter the race for Barbara Boxer’s seat in the U.S. Senate, leaving state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris as the only major candidate. LA Times article; Sacramento Bee article; John Myers in KQED; San Francisco Chronicle article
Questions surround Antonio Villaraigosa’s future as he passes on Senate run — Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s announcement Tuesday that he will not run for the U.S. Senate in 2016 could cap the political career of the once-rising Democratic star — or portend a gubernatorial run. LA Times article
Antonio Villaraigosa’s exit leaves Senate race wide open – Antonio Villaraigosa’s decision to bypass the contest for Barbara Boxer’s seat in the U.S. Senate leaves an opening for an array of lesser known Democrats to run against state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, the only major candidate in the race so far. LA Times article; Sacramento Bee article
Villaraigosa decision hot topic at Latino Caucus retreat in Napa – Antonio Villaraigosa’s decision not to run for the U.S. Senate next year has already become a hot topic of discussion at a Wine Country policy retreat by the California Legislative Latino Caucus. LA Times article
Marcos Breton: Villaraigosa won’t run, but Latino turnout is bigger issue – Though California’s Latino population is 39 percent and growing, the community remains a paper tiger as a statewide political power. Breton column in Sacramento Bee
Tom Del Beccaro forms forms Senate exploratory committee — Former California Republican Party chairman Tom Del Beccaro has formed a fundraising committee to explore a run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Barbara Boxer. LA Times article
Immigration
LA County supervisors back Obama’s executive action on immigration — The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to publicly support President Obama’s contested deferred action program and to help eligible immigrants apply for it, even as the fate of the president’s signature immigration initiative remains unclear. LA Times article
Other areas
Ticking clock: California redistricting in SCOTUS’ hands – A case before the U.S. Supreme Court, with arguments set to be heard on March 2, could reduce the role of the State Redistricting Commission, invalidate the 2011 Congressional lines, and hand to the legislature the immediate responsibility of redrawing 53 valuable seats. Capitol Weekly article
Inaugural events for California legislative leaders cost the public at least $38,000 — The California Senate used public funds to pay for at least $28,000 in travel expenses related to Senate leader Kevin de León’s swearing-in ceremony in Los Angeles this fall. Capitol Alert; AP article
You’re out, tobacco: Bill would ban products at all California baseball venues – Already banned in minor league parks, tobacco would be prohibited at every baseball venue in California under legislation Assemblyman Tony Thurmond, D-Richmond, announced on Tuesday. Thurmond and public health advocates justified the legislation as a way to discourage youth tobacco use. Capitol Alert; LA Times article
California lawmakers seek to increase penalties for possessing date-rape drugs – Illegal possession of so-called date-rape drugs would become a potential felony under a bill in California to reverse what supporters say is an unintended consequence of a voter-approved law reducing penalties for non-violent crimes. Reuters article
State lawmakers hold online forum on Reddit – State lawmakers invited the public to ask them anything about privacy on the popular online forum Reddit on Wednesday — and ask they did, about drones, data breaches and government surveillance. LA Times article
Defying GOP, Obama vetoes Keystone XL pipeline bill — Defying the Republican-run Congress, President Barack Obama rejected a bill Tuesday to approve construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, wielding his veto power for only the third time in his presidency. AP article
Hillary Clinton delivers gentle scold on equality in Silicon Valley speech — Past and probable future presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton came to Silicon Valley on Tuesday to deliver a gentle scolding on women’s inequality and a pitch for the future to both tech and labor constituencies. LA Times article; McClatchy Newspapers article; KQED report; San Francisco Chronicle article
California Government Today:
News Briefs
Top Stories
Bakersfield developers settle high-speed rail lawsuit — A Bakersfield land-development company has agreed to drop its environmental lawsuit against the California High-Speed Rail Authority — the second out-of-court settlement among seven challenges over the Fresno-Bakersfield segment of the statewide bullet-train route. Fresno Bee article; Bakersfield Californian article
A new chapter for Stockton: Post-bankruptcy – Nearly 1,000 days after formally declaring itself fiscally insolvent, Stockton is expected to exit Chapter 9 bankruptcy today when a $2 billion financial restructuring that was years in the making finally takes effect. Stockton Record article
Port labor deal may be too late for California citrus, almond growers – An end to labor strife at West Coast ports should speed up cargo operations, but it may be too late to help California’s drought-weary nut and citrus farmers. LA Times article
Dan Walters: Big Prop 47 loopholes biting back — California’s legislators are now eager to plug some gaping – and potentially dangerous – loopholes in criminal laws that voters opened last year by passing Proposition 47. But, one might wonder, where were these politicians last year when local prosecutors and cops were warning about Proposition 47’s loopholes? Walters column in Sacramento Bee
Jobs and the Economy
BEO approves 6-cent cut in statewide gas tax – The state Board of Equalization on Tuesday approved lowering the statewide excise tax rate on gasoline by 6 cents. The 5-0 vote means the tax will decrease from 36 cents to 30 cents per gallon effective July 1, and remain there until June 30, 2016. Sacramento Bee article; AP article
Blue collar union voices support for Fresno water plan – Mayor Ashley Swearengin has a high-profile ally in her pursuit of a $429 million upgrade to Fresno’s water system — the city’s blue collar union. Marina Magdaleno, business representative for International Union of Operating Engineers AFL-CIO/Stationary Engineers Local 39, expressed her members’ strong support for the Mayor’s project in a Feb. 23 letter to the City Council. Fresno Bee article
Doug Vagim: Fresno water plan is a boondoggle – The former Fresno County supervisor writes, “The City of Fresno says if it builds the proposed southeast water-treatment plant, the water will come. Not true! This will be just another city boondoggle like the Grizzlies Stadium and the rest.” Vagim op-ed in Fresno Bee
Merced weighs hiring economic development specialist – A couple of new options to ramp up economic development are on the Merced City Council’s radar, as the Valley’s economy continues its slow recovery. To that end, the council’s weighing its need to hire a new employee for the Economic Development Department as well as to start prepping an industrial park for developers. Merced Sun-Star article
Modesto strengthens management ranks – Modesto now has two deputy city managers for the first time in more than a decade. The City Council voted 7-0 on Tuesday evening to approve City Manager Jim Holgersson’s reorganization plan, which includes creating a second deputy city manager position. Modesto’s Municipal Code authorizes two deputy city managers, but one of the positions was cut from the budget in the city’s 2004-05 fiscal year. Modesto Bee article
Highway signage for downtown Bakersfield examined – Plans to promote Bakersfield’s historic core with updated signs on Highway 99 took a step forward Tuesday with a video-conference discussion between Caltrans representatives and downtown business officials. Bakersfield Californian article
Daniel Borenstein: El Cerrito used public funds to deceptively campaign for increasing city’s sales tax to top rate in state — El Cerrito officials and consultants used public funds and staff time last year running a deceptive campaign for a ballot measure that increased the city’s sales tax to the top rate in the state. Borenstein in Contra Costa Times
Mark Perry and Michael Saltsman: Ad campaign to boost minimum wage relies on some fuzzy math – Perry, an economic professor at the University of Michigan, Flint, and Saltsman, research director at the Employment Policies Institute, write, “In a new multimedia advertising campaign, the California Endowment is calling on Sacramento residents to “do the math” in favor of raising the minimum wage. We took up this challenge, and our conclusions show that the endowment hasn’t done the math itself.” Perry/Saltsman op-ed in Sacramento Bee
California state engineers’ pay increases, numbers decline – Average total pay rose 5 percent last year for full-time state employees represented by Professional Engineers in California Government, according to state payroll data, and 2 percent the year before. Unlike some other employee groups, such as state firefighters whose pay rose through increased overtime, the engineers’ 7 percent increase over the last three years didn’t come from working extra hours. Sacramento Bee article
Inglewood council approves NFL stadium plan amid big community support – The Inglewood City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve an 80,000-seat stadium at the site of the old Hollywood Park racetrack, jump-starting the effort to bring an NFL team back to the area after a two-decade absence. LA Times article
No downtown San Diego stadium site until 2025? – A downtown Chargers stadium could be delayed by up to seven years because of site complications revealed by the region’s bus agency. U-T San Diego article
Sacramento moving company sues Nevada, calls law anti-competitive — A Sacramento moving company and an influential legal think tank are suing Nevada state officials, seeking to overturn a state law that they say shields companies from competition. Sacramento Bee article
State controller wants details about Edison pay after San Onofre deal — State Controller Betty Yee is asking top Southern California Edison executives for information about their pay increases over the last two years at a time the company was facing soaring costs of permanently closing its San Onofre nuclear power plant. LA Times article
Natomas leaders want timeline for Sleep Train arena redevelopment — Nearly two years after a new ownership group took control of the Sacramento Kings and Sleep Train Arena, the team is still working on a plan for the redevelopment of the North Natomas arena site once the franchise moves into a new downtown facility. Sacramento Bee article
Google plans a new base, and a city fears being overrun — The project, which Google has not made public but has discussed with members of the Mountain View City Council, is likely to aggravate an increasingly testy relationship between the company and community leaders who fear the company is overrunning their small city. New York Times article
Agriculture/Water/Drought
Water rights’ cost draws scrutiny — A provision in California’s landmark 2014 Water Bond Act, Proposition 1, could lead California into overspending on water — and that has sparked concern from the Legislature’s nonpartisan fiscal adviser. Capitol Weekly article
Earth Log: Second drought nightmare to become official after fed water forecast — We’re late in another desperately dry winter, waiting for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s February forecast of irrigation deliveries for this summer in the San Joaquin Valley. Federal officials were expected to say something last week, but they’re taking a few extra days to consider. You can understand why. Fresno Bee article
Kings rainfall exceeds expectations — Kings County got a bit of a surprise over the past couple of days with about a third of an inch of rain falling over Hanford. Scott Borgioli, chief meteorologist for WeatherAg, said Hanford saw about 0.29 inches of rain between Sunday and Monday. Meanwhile, nearby Visalia received 0.87 inches during the same period. Hanford Sentinel article
Matt Black: Capturing images of California’s drought — Some of the most vivid depictions of California’s drought have come from Exeter-based photographer Matt Black. In 2014 TIME Magazine named him their “Instagram Photographer of the Year” for his stark images of dust storms, dry fields, and parched rivers. KVPR report
Salas bill would help homeowners rip out lawns – It might become a little easier to replace your lawn with artificial grass if a new bill in Sacramento becomes law. FM89’s Joe Moore reports. KVPR report
Lake Tulloch, prized Mother Lode reservoir, may be drained – It is one of the most beautiful reservoirs in the Mother Lode, glistening blue and often filled to the brim, its waters plied by boats and its shores lined with million-dollar homes. But come summer, Lake Tulloch could be little more than a puddle. Water managers may drain the lake to save water farther upstream for farmers and fish. Stockton Record article
From Navy man to Rancho de Rodney: the growth of a Fresno organic farmer — Every farmer has a story about how they got into agriculture. Some are born into it, while others, like city kid Rodney Wells, jumped into it as a second career. Wells, the owner of Rancho de Rodney, a certified organic farm in southwest Fresno, grew up in Compton where his only connection to farming was a vegetable garden his father tended. But Wells wouldn’t make the city his home for long. At age 17 he joined the Navy as a way to escape a dismal future. Fresno Bee article
Criminal Justice/Prisons
States predict inmates’ future crimes with secretive surveys – States are trying to reduce prison populations with secretive, new psychological assessments to predict which inmates will commit future crimes and who might be safe to release, despite serious problems and high-profile failures. AP article
Fresno County supervisors learn jail addition shortfall better than once thought – Fresno County supervisors learned Tuesday they’re not in as deep a financial hole on building a new county jail as they thought two months ago. Fresno Bee article
Motion filed to ‘seal and destroy’ arrest record of Merced DA’s son — A motion has been filed to “seal and destroy” the arrest record of the son of the Merced County district attorney. The motion, filed by the attorney representing Ethan B. Morse, son of District Attorney Larry Morse II, was filed Feb. 18. A hearing has been scheduled March 25. Merced Sun-Star article
Charges filed against Merced County teacher accused of ‘inappropriate’ touching’ of two juvenile hall inmates — Criminal charges have been filed against a former Merced County juvenile hall teacher accused of molesting two teenage inmates, the Merced County District Attorney’s Office confirmed Tuesday. Merced Sun-Star article
Civil rights lawsuit filed over January Stockton police shooting death – The family of Matautu Nuu has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city of Stockton in the shooting death of the man in a confrontation with police on Jan. 27. Stockton Record article
StingRay surveillance: Cellphone tracker has high potential for abuse, say critics of Santa Clara County proposal — A sheriff’s proposal in Santa Clara County is placing new scrutiny on a surveillance technology already in use around the Bay Area — a cellphone tracking system that may help in the war on crime but has the ability to infringe on innocent bystanders’ privacy. San Jose Mercury News article; San Francisco Chronicle article
Want to visit an inmate? Increasingly, you’ll have to log on — Jennifer Walter walked into a portable room outside the Napa County Jail last week and had a brief conversation with her 21-year-old son. But despite being just 100 feet away, the inmate appeared from inside the jail on a computer screen for a video chat of the type hosted by Skype or Google Talk. The mother and son were on the front lines of a national trend that has jails around the country moving away from in-person visits, replacing them with digital ones. San Francisco Chronicle article
Education
Field Poll: California voters want more money sent to schools, colleges – A majority of voters said lawmakers and Gov. Jerry Brown should spend unexpected increases in state revenue on K-12 education. About a third picked higher education for more money, while less than a third chose transportation, health care and other programs. Sacramento Bee article
Professors question traditional four-year residential college model – One of the greatest presumptions in U.S. higher education is that a traditional undergraduate degree, earned in four years while living on or near campus, is a good way to prepare young people to get a job and become well-rounded thinkers, at least according to Mitchell Stevens. Stevens, a Stanford University education professor, argues that large, prestigious universities like his are too slow to adjust to changing times. LA Times article
Public defends Madera Unified Superintendent Edward Gonzales after scrutinized in meeting – A controversial school board meeting Tuesday night put Madera Unified School District Superintendent Edward González in the hot seat over allegations of poor management and bullying of some district employees — and board president Maria Garcia. Fresno Bee article
Lemoore focuses on career pathways — Lemoore High School students will get the chance next year to gain experience in key career fields. The Lemoore Union High School District will partner with the Tulare-Kings Pathways Project to begin offering classes in engineering, education and agriculture design at the high school starting with the 2015-16 school year. Hanford Sentinel article
Fresno Bee: Where is Fresno’s state-of-the-art trade school? – Every trustee on the Fresno Unified School District board has said publicly that he or she supports Career Technical Education. Our question is, why hasn’t this support resulted in the construction of a CTE high school that aims to be the most innovative and the very best in the nation? Fresno Bee editorial
UC Merced research discovers increased dangers from parasite – New research at UC Merced has discovered that the toxoplasma parasite, an organism capable of infecting almost all warm-blooded animals, can be more dangerous than most believed. Merced Sun-Star article
Central Valley superintendents: Region VII arts education endorsement – Superintendents from six central Valley Offices of Education write, “As educational leaders in our state, and with a clear understanding of the complex landscape of public education today, we want to corporately address the importance of a high-quality arts education for every child.” Superintendents’ op-ed in Visalia Times-Delta
San Francisco archbishop backs off on strict moral codes for teachers — Under pressure from his Catholic schools community, the archbishop of the San Francisco archdiocese said Tuesday that he is peeling back strict guidelines he proposed for teachers that would require them to reject homosexuality, use of contraception and other “evil” behavior. Most significantly, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone said he is dropping an effort to designate high school teachers as “ministers,” which under a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling would have eliminated them from government-mandated employee protections by placing them solely under church control. San Francisco Chronicle article
Energy/Environment
With state law in limbo, Sacramento will renew push to ban plastic bags — With a state ban on single-use plastic bags now on hold, “there will be a renewed push to make sure Sacramento moves forward” with its own legislation, a spokesman for Mayor Kevin Johnson said Tuesday. Sacramento Bee article; Sacramento Bee editorial
Dam shame: Bike path beaver may have bitten the dust — The body of a large paddle-tailed rodent was found early Tuesday in the traffic lanes of southbound Mohawk Street north of Truxtun Avenue, suggesting Bakersfield’s fabled bike path beaver — scourge of local saplings — may have died. Bakersfield Californian article
Health/Human Services
State Senate questions why so many foster kids are being drugged – The California Senate Human Services Committee began deliberations on what some members called the “staggering number” of foster children on psychiatric medications as it considers a wide range of possible policy changes to reduce the unwarranted use of the powerful drugs. LA Times article
13.5 million Californians affected by Anthem data breach – Health insurance giant Anthem Inc. said 13.5 million Californians were affected by the company’s massive data breach that was disclosed earlier this month. LA Times article
State against faults Kaiser Permanente for mental health treatment delays — For the second time in two years, California regulators have faulted HMO giant Kaiser Permanente for causing mental health patients to endure long delays to get treatment. LA Times article
Land Use/Housing
Developer renews plan for 75,000-strong Kings County town – Mothballed since 2008, an ambitious plan to build a 7,500-acre town in southwest Kings County is making a comeback this month. Proponent Quay Hays of Los Angeles-based GROW (Green Renewable Organic & Water) Holdings said the “timing is right” to relaunch the community of 75,000 in the Central Valley with the recession in the rearview mirror. The Business Journal article; Fresno Bee article
Transportation
Dan Richard: Correcting high-speed rail misinformation from senator – The chairman of the California High-Speed Rail Authority writes, “In his recent commentary in The Californian (“High-Speed Rail not only breaking promises, but busting family budgets,” Feb. 7), State Sen. Andy Vidak regurgitates the same distortions about high-speed rail that he’s been making for the past two years. Though others have pointed out these falsehoods in the past, I feel compelled to counter his apparent strategy of saying something over and over in hopes that it becomes ‘truth.’” Richard op-ed in Bakersfield Californian
Siemens promotes its Sacramento home base in bullet-train pitch – With a billion-dollar California bullet train contract up for grabs this year, international rail giant Siemens stepped up to campaign this week, promoting itself as the “local” company in the race. Sacramento Bee article
Airline dealing with overcharge problems – Earlier this month, SeaPort Airlines launched its new flight service out of the Visalia Municipal Airport by offering $39 fares through the end of March for direct flights to and from Burbank and Sacramento. Visalia Times-Delta article
Council uses eminent domain for Prosperity intersection – A west Tulare street alignment project expected to bring commercial and residential development along Prosperity Avenue will take the eminent domain route. The city council, voting unanimously late last month, decided to approve using the government-initiated move in purchasing property from the Prosperity Foodland to the Prosperity Avenue and E Street intersection — making a square. Visalia Times-Delta article
Fast bus service is a tough sale to Silicon Valley politicians — None of the cities that run along the corridor, other than San Jose, have embraced it over fears it will make traffic worse, according to transportation officials and transit advocates. The center of tech innovation is also a region where the car is king, and having a fast public bus system is a tough political sell. KQED report
Lodi News-Sentinel Special Report: Hispanic leadership in Lodi
Latino power proves elusive – What will it take to get a Latino elected to City Council in Lodi? Some say district elections could help instead of the at-large approach through which council members are elected now. Others believe education about politics and government may be key. A program akin to the Lodi Chamber’s Leadership Lodi program might prove useful. Also a consideration: money. Latinos in Lodi, according to census data, are most concentrated in the community’s lowest-income neighborhoods. Lodi News-Sentinel article
Latino population increases Lodi, but elected leadership does not follow – There have been more than 70 city councilmembers in Lodi since 1906. Four of them have been women. None have been Latino. In the last City Council election, there were seven candidates. None were Hispanic. And yet the 2010 census found that that 36.4 percent of Lodi’s population identifies as Hispanic or Latino. The population of Hispanics has been rapidly growing over the years in Lodi and nationwide. Lodi News-Sentinel article
On the Eastside, Latinos strive to work and raise families — Residents are low or moderate income — the median income here is $10,000 — and almost 25 percent receive food assistance. They worry about money, about education, and most of all, about their safety. Yet it is, and has been historically, a place of dreams. A place where new arrivals work and try to move ahead — try to establish a life in a new land. Lodi News-Sentinel article
Other Areas
Stockton Record: 42.7 percent – Three of seven Stockton City Council members were in cars stopped by police in 57-day span. Stockton Record editorial
Police, Weston Ranch issues draw large crowd in Stockton – On the same day the city announced it is on the cusp of exiting bankruptcy, issues that have been dogging Stockton dominated proceedings at a jammed City Council meeting Tuesday night. The loudest and among the largest contingents voiced concern and anger over the use of force by the Stockton Police Department. Included among this group were several relatives of 35-year-old Matauto Nuu, who was shot to death by police one month ago. Stockton Record article
McFarland residents cheer as movie makes Bakersfield debut – On its opening weekend, the movie McFarland, USA grossed more than $11 million at the box office and ranked number four. Without a movie theater in their town, the people of McFarland have been flocking to Maya Cinemas in Bakersfield, 25 miles away, to attend several premiere events. KVPR report
Piccolo Pete fireworks still OK in unincorporated Kern County — Shooting off illegal fireworks this Fourth of July could be a lot more expensive for some people based on a new ordinance passed by the Kern County Board of Supervisors Tuesday. The board voted to hold property owners or renters responsible for anyone shooting off illegal fireworks on their property in unincorporated parts of the county. Bakersfield Californian article; Lois Henry column in Bakersfield Californian
San Joaquin County supervisors reject outside group’s nonprofit directory – County supervisors on Tuesday voted against a proposal to expand an online directory of social services, following a recommendation from staff that it would duplicate efforts when San Joaquin County adopts a 211 system in April, joining other counties in the state. Stockton Record article
Kern supervisors cut market owner a deal, change undersheriff status – Isabella Super Market owner Gary Cope was quick to promise Kern County Supervisor Mick Gleason Tuesday he’d help lead an anti-teen smoking campaign in the Kern River Valley. The promise allowed him to dodge a $250 fine and 30-day suspension of his license to sell tobacco. Bakersfield Californian article
Jeff Jardine: Family of Islamic State captives keeps painful vigil — They wait. They watch. They pray. That is all the family of former Modesto resident Hanna Amo can do back here in the Valley. Jardine column in Modesto Bee
Valley Editorial Roundup
Fresno Bee – Every trustee on the Fresno Unified School District board has said publicly that he or she supports Career Technical Education. Our question is, why hasn’t this support resulted in the construction of a CTE high school that aims to be the most innovative and the very best in the nation?
Merced Sun-Star – With state bans on hold, locals must fight plastic bags.
Modesto Bee – With state bans on hold, locals must fight plastic bags.
Sacramento Bee – It’s galling that a small group of companies from Texas, South Carolina and New Jersey is trying to determine California’s public policy. Californians can shut them down by urging their city councils and county supervisors to adopt a ban on single-use plastic bags right away; Moneyed interests detest Steve Glazer.
Stockton Record – Three of seven Stockton City Council members were in cars stopped by police in 57-day span.