Showcased over the weekend at the California GOP convention were the issues that will divide the party in its future political ambitions.
Cathleen Decker reports for The Los Angeles Times: “Rand Paul, the Kentucky senator who is readying a presidential run, made a stab Saturday at trying to push the party in the latter direction. But when it came to specifics, he underscored contradictions in his argument that Democrats will be able to exploit were he, or anyone following his prescriptions for victory, to win the GOP nomination.”
“In keeping with current GOP strategy, Paul did not so much as utter a word about the party’s views on such combative issues as immigration reform or abortion rights, two threshold issues that have caused great numbers of Latinos, Asians and women to refuse to give a second glance to the party’s candidates. (Nor, in an evening speech, did House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from Bakersfield.)”
Gubernatorial candidate Neel Kashkari used his speech time to highlight how his campaign is the first step on a modern path for the #CAGOP.
Carla Marinucci reports for The San Francisco Chronicle: “Kashkari told GOP delegates that his campaign — which has included visits to urban African American churches and gay pride parades and even a much-publicized stint as a homeless man in Fresno — was an effort “to reintroduce us to the people of California.””
“By contrast, the former Goldman Sachs executive then caustically dismissed Democrats as wholly owned by union interests, ignoring the educational needs of California’s children and “out of touch.””
“And he depicted Brown — the three-term governor and former attorney general, secretary of state and Oakland mayor — as a son of privilege, saying that “everything has been handed to him on a silver platter.””
Also over the weekend, Gov. Jerry Brown signed several bills to bolster California’s electric car market.
Jennifer Medina reports in The New York Times: “California already has more electric vehicles on its roads than any other state, with an estimated 40 percent of all electric cars sold in the United States driven by the state’s residents. Earlier this month, the Plug-in Electric Vehicle Collaborative, a coalition of advocacy groups and car manufacturers, announced that more than 100,000 plug-in cars had been sold in the state during the last four years.”
“Mr. Brown has made combating climate change a cornerstone of his administration, traveling to China and Mexico to sign agreements to limit greenhouse-gas emissions. He has also continued to call for enforcement of the state’s cap-and-trade program, even as some have called for it to be scaled back while the economy is sputtering. On Tuesday, he will participate in a panel discussing cities’ roles in fighting climate change and another on carbon pricing.”
On the University of California campuses, students have a hard time accessing mental health services.
April Dembosky reports for KQED: ““This is real. Students are having difficulty accessing mental health services on campus,” said Dr. Gina Fleming, medical director for the UC Self-Insured Health Plans. “They’re waiting longer to get an appointment. They’re having fewer appointments within the course of therapy, and more are needing to be referred off campus.””
“Wait times for regular appointments have been four weeks, or more in some cases. A typical student who calls in complaining of mild anxiety and procrastination in the first few weeks of the semester could be waiting until finals for therapy to begin in earnest.”
““What might have started as a routine procrastination intervention may now be a crisis in full bloom,” said Elizabeth Gong-Guy, executive director of Counseling and Psychological Services at UCLA.”
Commotion from Mark Zuckerberg’s home improvement projects is disturbing the neighborhood.
Philip Matier and Andrew Ross report for The San Francisco Chronicle: “Dozens of construction workers, using backhoes and jackhammers, are busy installing everything from a new kitchen to bathrooms and decks — and tearing up the sidewalks for new fiber-optic cables that will connect to the home.”
“And it’s all being overseen by round-the-clock security.”
““This is nothing short of a fortress,” said one homeowner, who asked not to be named to avoid a public kerfuffle with the new Facebook neighbors.”
On live TV, a local Alaskan news anchor admits she owns a marijuana club and then says she’s quitting her reporter gig.
Samantha Grossman reports for TIME: “Greene says she will be dedicating all her energy toward “fighting for freedom and fairness, which begins with legalizing marijuana here in Alaska.” Then she adds, “And as for this job, well, not that I have a choice, but f–k it. I quit.””
“The station soon apologized on Facebook:
Dear Viewers,
We sincerely apologize for the inappropriate language used by a KTVA reporter during her live presentation on the air tonight. The employee has been terminated.
Bert Rudman
News Director – KTVA 11 News”
“Now we’re left with just one question: can someone really be “terminated” after saying “F–k it, I quit?””
