Special interests including unions, business groups and individual donors have spent over $7 million in the Special Election for Senate District 7, to be decided in a vote today. Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee:
“Whether Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla of Concord or political consultant and Orinda Mayor Steve Glazer wins, Democrats will extend their dominant majority. But a fierce, nasty and extremely expensive campaign is nevertheless taking place in the East Bay, as powerful political interests jockey for a more favorable position in the Capitol 75 miles away.
“Outside groups have spent about $7 million on the race in the past two months – unions, doctors and dentists to support Bonilla, and business interests, charter schools and Los Angeles businessman Bill Bloomfield to elect Glazer. Negative mailers flood the homes of voters still recovering from a bruising partisan battle in the overlapping 16th Assembly District last year.
“’It’s become sport,’ veteran Democratic strategist Gale Kaufman said. ‘When you count up what’s been done last year and what’s been done this year, it’s just dramatically higher than we’ve ever seen in a legislative race.’”
Most Californians support the state’s water conservation efforts – in theory, at least. From Kurtis Alexander at SFGate:
“[Survey] results released Tuesday by the San Francisco-based Field Poll show that while nearly two-thirds of respondents agree that water agencies should be forced to reduce consumption by an average of 25 percent, more than 4 in 10 homeowners say they don’t have the ability to cut back much.
“And 7 in 10 homeowners are alarmed by the prospect of higher water rates — a tool often employed by water managers to temper demand — saying hikes of 15 or 25 percent would be a serious problem.
“These responses don’t bode well for state officials who, starting next month, are requiring communities to reduce water use between 4 and 36 percent compared with what they used in 2013.”
California Native groups decried Santa Ana Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez’ mocking “war cry” this weekend, but the California Democratic Party’s Native American Caucus has made it clear that they aren’t that happy with Attorney General Kamala Harris, either. Christopher Cadelago, Sacramento Bee:
“’We believe they both display a lack of understanding and sensitivity to Native American tribal issues and individual Indian issues,’ caucus Chairwoman Mary Ann Andreas, of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, said in an interview. In a statement with Andrew Masiel, of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, she added that ‘their comments and actions provide little assurance that they grasp the government-to-government relationship guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.’”
AB 159, a bill that would allow terminally ill patients to try experimental treatments, has passed the Assembly and now heads to the Senate. From Associated Press:
“The so-called ‘right-to-try’ legislation would let patients who have exhausted other treatment options request medication that hasn't been approved by state or federal regulators.
“Drug makers would decide whether to provide the medication. Some medical groups say the legislation could hurt the development of new drugs.
“Democratic Assemblyman Ian Calderon of Whittier says patients with weeks or months to live should have more options.
“The National Conference of State Legislatures says a dozen states have approved similar laws. Some lawmakers are introducing the bills as an alternate to ‘right-to-die’ bills allowing access to life-ending drugs.”
California could become the first state in the nation to have independent prosecutors investigate all deaths in police custody under a bill proposed by Assemblyman Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento). Samantha Gallegos, Capitol Weekly:
“Under the plan, the state attorney general would appoint a special prosecutor to direct an investigation when a civilian dies as a result of deadly physical force by a peace officer. The bill, AB 86, is authored by Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, a Sacramento Democrat.
“The issue could prove to be politically volatile for state Attorney General Kamala Harris, a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate next year…
“Fifty of these investigations a year would cost the Department of Justice, the agency that would be responsible for exploring such incidents, in excess of $1 million, according to a committee analysis.”
The U.S.D.A. is on track to send millions of dollars to California farmers to help alleviate some effects of the drought. Matt Stevens has the story for the Los Angeles Times:
“A branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture will provide $21 million to help farmers and ranchers in California and other states install new irrigation systems, plant cover crops and implement other water conservation practices, officials said Monday.
“The funds, made possible by the 2014 farm bill, will be distributed to the most severely drought-stricken areas of eight states, as determined by the U.S. Drought Monitor.
“It is not clear how much of the money will go to California, but in a call with reporters, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the state has already received more than $27 million from the Natural Resources Conservation Service for drought management practices this fiscal year.”
While SB 277, the bill to remove the personal belief exemption for vaccinating schoolchildren, has gotten all the headlines, two other vaccine-related bills are also making their way through the legislature. Michelle Dutro, KQED:
“One [bill] would require preschool and child care workers to have certain vaccinations; another seeks to improve vaccination rates for 2-year-olds.
“If SB792 becomes law, California will be the first state in the country to require that all preschool and child care workers be immunized against measles, pertussis and the flu….
“Another bill, AB1117, aims to promote vaccination of 2-year-olds who are insured under Medi-Cal managed care plans. In 2013, 39,000 2-year-olds lacked one or more recommended immunizations.”
And we’ve all heard of the ‘slow food’ movement – did you know that there is a ‘slow TV’ movement as well? And what do they watch, you ask?
“An Icelandic public TV network aired 24 hours of live sheep birthing to give the country's residents ‘insight into the traditional farming life.’
RUV, the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, ran a live feed from a farm in Skagafjordur from noon Thursday until noon Friday to bring the lambing season to living rooms across the country.
"’The sheep birthing season is an unforgettable time for those able to see the little lambs being born into this world,’ RUV said on its website….
“The event was inspired by ‘slow television’ broadcasts by Norwegian public TV network NRK, which previously aired a 12-hour knitting marathon, a 12-hour program of wood burning and a 100-hour marathon of chess.”
Finally, something for baseball fans in the off season….
