Top Stories
8 Days on the Road with the Oakland Police License Plate Readers
If, in focusing on neighborhoods of color, police expected to be deterring crime, it didn’t seem to work. EFF found that police “did not use ALPR surveillance in the southeast part of Oakland nearly as much as in the north, west, and central parts of Oakland, even though there seems to be just as much crime.” Surveillance also did not correlate well with areas experiencing automobile-related crimes. read more
Half of California's Big Trees Are Gone
A study published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found a 50% drop in big trees, like pines, since the 1930s. The breadth of the disappearance suggests global warming is more than just a contributing factor. As a result, dense forests of pine trees are being replaced by scrubby oaks in semi-barren settings or as forest filler. read more
Anti-Vaccine Movement Ushers Measles into the Limelight
Measles is surging in the state and nationwide. Overall, the U.S. had 644 confirmed cases in 2014, the most in 20 years and an annual spike of about 350%. There is a reason for that. An anti-vaccine movement among wealthy people has had significant impact on parents claiming a waiver from having their school-age children vaccinated. read more
State Tells UnitedHealth It’s Too Late to Join Covered California
There is some concern that insurance companies that joined early will be saddled with the sicker, less lucrative customers and UnitedHealth will game a market it has been able to observe from a distance. But there are any number of reasons why California may be slow to embrace the company. Among them is concern that if UnitedHealth is allowed in the exchange it will peddle its so-called “skinny plans” to big companies. read more
State Drops Overtime for Home Aides after Judge Tosses U.S. Labor Rule
The ruling does not compel California officials to abandon the state’s new law; it just seems like a good idea. The new rule would have required workers to be paid at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, and overtime for more than 40 hours of work in a week. The state will save $354.4 million annually by denying them that. read more
California Finally Counts Them and Finds Half of New Oil Wells Are Fracked
A year after California passed Senate Bill 4, regulating oil and gas well-stimulation techniques like hydraulic fracturing for the first time, the state has some idea where the fracking is. Fracking was found in 96 of California’s 500 oil fields, producing around one-fifth of the state’s oil. But its popularity has risen. Between 125 and 175 new wells out of 300 drilled each month, on average, are fracked. read more
First Mapping of Urban Greenhouse Gas Finds a Lot of Methane in L.A.
The findings of methane were up to 61% worse than expected. “It’s a very significant increase in the estimate,” the project’s senior research scientist, Stanley Sander of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said. NASA conducted its observations for two years from the top of Mount Wilson, pointing its equipment at one of 28 designated sites every 90 minutes during daylight hours. read more
Retiring Senator Boxer Puts Top-Two Primary in Prime Time
It will be the first U.S. Senate race using an open primary. A crowded field of Dems in a top-two race could split votes and allow a Republican—or two—to slip in. The possibility of two Republicans squaring off for a Senate seat in the bluest of blue states is not far-fetched. Are we ready for Condoleezza Rice versus Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin in 2016? read more
Federal Judge Jokingly Strikes Down State Foie Gras Ban that “Runs Afoul” of U.S. Law
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
Safeway Pays $10 Million, Joins List of Retailers Caught Handling Hazardous Materials Badly
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
Judge Kills Misleading Rewrite of La Habra Heights Anti-Fracking Measure
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
Official Fingerpointing Stage Begins as Deadline Passes for Bay Bridge Repairs
American Bridge/Fluor, the project’s main contractor, won’t be completing repairs agreed to in July when the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) was fielding complaints about misaligned rods, rusting steel and leaking infrastructure. There was loose talk back then of a $25,000-a-day fine if the $3 million contract for repairs fell short. Right now, there is just grumbling. read more
Plastic Bag Industry May Have Suffocated California Grocery Ban
It cost the alliance $3 million to generate the groundswell of support for continuing to litter the landscape and ocean with dangerous and nonbiodegradeable plastic. But if the signatures are certified, the law would be suspended until after voters get their say. Californians Against Waste say that 16-month delay alone is worth an estimated $145 million to the industry. read more
Record Number of Prison Lifers Released, but Few Return
Governor Jerry Brown has had the final say on paroling 1,963 prison inmates serving life sentences. Of those, 33 have ended up back in prison, according to data gathered by the Los Angeles Times. The newspaper called it a “disturbing increase in revocations,” but a recidivism rate of 1.7% sounds pretty low even if the final tally isn’t in. read more
State Clash over Moving Patients from Covered California to Medi-Cal
Commissioner Jones told the Los Angeles Times that 95,000 people were being illegally booted out of Covered California. “The law is very clear,” Jones said. “They can't cancel people” except for specific reasons, like fraud. Health exchange spokeswoman Amy Palmer disagreed. “The law requires us to seamlessly move people from one program to the other,” she said. read more
California Will Blow Self-Imposed Deadline for Driverless Cars
The DMV knew it wasn’t capable of conjuring up the rules, according to the Associated Press, so it asked the industry if anyone wanted to create a program. Four companies came forward, two from Europe and two from Ohio, but no one felt comfortable creating a program for technology that doesn’t actually exist yet in a finished state. read more