ICE agents have reportedly claimed to be police officers to gain consent to enter a person’s home – a tactic that is viewed as unethical, but within the powers granted to the officers. Civil rights groups supported Kalra’s bill, looking to stymie the Trump administration’s promise to use any and all available tools to deport undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes. Many groups fear Trump will expand deportations to include all undocumented immigrants, their families and relatives.   read more

California leaped from being the nation’s second-worst state for spending to sixth worst one year later in 2010-2011, according to rankings compiled by the independent nonprofit publisher of K-12 materials. But that’s pretty thin gruel. California moved up in the rankings even though its adjusted spending per student declined slightly, because the national average declined even more.   read more

Diners, chefs and lovers of freedom everywhere reportedly rejoiced at the word Wednesday that U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson had tossed the law because it interfered with federal laws, like the Poultry Products Inspections Acts (PPIA). He said his job was to determine if the state had run “afoul” of federal law.   read more

“California has essentially reversed the regulatory process when it comes to fracking," CAFrackFacts' Jackie Pomeroy told Indybay. "State regulators have finalized California's fracking rules a full six months before any of the mandated scientific studies have been completed. Given the long-term and potentially irreversible impacts of fracking and well stimulation, it is critical that we make policy decisions based on science—unfortunately, the current timeline makes this impossible.”   read more

In a report released this week, the auditor castigated the state Judicial Council, which oversees the judiciary, for lax control of the AOC, its administrative arm. Consequently, the AOC “engaged in about $30 million in questionable compensation and business practices over a four-year period and failed to adequately disclose its expenditures to stakeholders and the public,” Auditor Elaine Howle wrote.   read more

In reviewing the settlement before deciding whether to accept it, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge William Highberger indicated he might not keep terms of the agreement secret, as agreed to by the parties. That didn’t sit well with Shell Oil and last month the company told the judge the settlement is unsettled while they consider their options.   read more

Ten of the other 12 presidential libraries are headed by archivists or historians. Michael D. Ellzey’s last job was as the Irvine assistant city manager overseeing development of controversial Orange County Great Park. Ellzey’s predecessor was an archivist and at the center of a dispute over how President Richard Nixon’s legacy should be presented.   read more

It has been against the law in Utah since 2012 to photograph agricultural operations, including the mistreatment of animals. Utah and a half a dozen other states have enacted laws to crack down on animal rights activists and others who have documented cruel and unsanitary conditions around the country.   read more

Forty-two district attorneys and two city attorneys found Safeway was routinely sending hazardous waste to local landfills unequipped to handle it. Along with store products, Safeway was also tossing the pharmacy medical records of its customers. Materials included medications, batteries, detergents, aerosol sprays, hair dye and mascara. Safeway did not admit wrongdoing in the settlement.   read more

Cassin's auklets have been dying en masse since November, most strikingly in Northern Oregon. In California, they’ve shown up from the Point Reyes/Sonoma Coast area to San Luis Obispo. Scientists have not identified any disease or toxic exposure, although testing continues. Scientists believe they are starving and it could be related to the warming oceans.   read more

“If Siv had not been delusional about Carl . . . she would not have left him her estate,” Judge Nevitt wrote. “A mentally healthy Siv would not have left her estate, worth millions of dollars, to Carl, a lawyer she randomly met and hired in 2004.” The U-T San Diego said some of the hundreds of letters between them contained sexual innuendo.   read more

Proponents wanted to ban fracking, acidization and other high-tech, well-stimulation techniques for just new wells. The measure was rewritten by the city council to make it a broader ban on all well-enhancements, a policy that would have much more trouble winning support of voters. Last week, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Joanne O’Donnell said it must be changed.   read more

Delaware North, in competition to renew the 15-year Yosemite contract it secured in 1993 and had extended in 2008, says trademarks it picked up over the years on the the Ahwahnee Hotel, the Wawona Hotel, the Badger Pass ski area, Curry Village and other landmarks, are worth $51 million. It wants the contract or compensation.   read more

Ahlin was elevated to deputy director of Hospital Strategic Planning and Implementation in the now-defunct state Department of Mental Health 2012. The department had been under federal oversight since 2006. She took over supervision of the 350-bed mental health unit at Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad under trying circumstances in May 2013.   read more

The Los Angeles Times said there are no state plans to replace the federal money that raised doctor reimbursement rates to something approximating Medicare during its authorized two years. An independent think thank, Urban Institute, estimated that California doctors would suffer a 58.8% fee reduction because the state has one of the lowest Medicaid reimbursement rates in the country.   read more

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) did not have a spot for favorite son California on its Top 10 List of significant events in 2014. But the folks at the Drug Policy Alliance say the state had a good year reforming some of its more egregious practices.   read more

Betty Yee, a tax and fiscal policy expert, won a spot in the November election when she edged out fellow Democrat and former Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez by 500 votes in the June primary after winning the endorsement of California NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) for her spirited advocacy of medical pot. She also endeared herself to environmentalists with opposition to hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and support for alternative energy efforts.   read more