Politics, Government and Business in Southern California's Inland Empire
By JUDY LIN Associated Press
Posted: 05/21/2013 12:39:42 PM PDT
Updated: 05/21/2013 01:33:49 PM PDT
SACRAMENTO, Calif.—California Secretary of State Debra Bowen has agreed to expand the way her office presents campaign finance data online after initially rejecting the request from a coalition of good-government groups, research organizations and newspapers, her spokeswoman said Tuesday.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, May. 22, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Wednesday, May. 22, 2013 – 12:07 pm
California, it’s now acknowledged, has a glut of lawyers.
Thousands of law school graduates cannot find jobs as law firms cut back, as government agencies are squeezed, as corporations trim legal expenses and as technology handles rote legal work.
Mark Anderson, Staff Writer
Sacramento Business Journal
May 22, 2013, 3:00am PDT
The California Public Employees’ Retirement System is asking federal bankruptcy courts to disqualify a law firm from participating in the municipal bankruptcy proceedings of San Bernardino and Stockton because the firm allegedly hired attorneys away from a firm that was representing the pension fund giant.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
May 20, 2013
The California Senate passed a bill today that would shield pot shops following state guidelines for dispensing medical marijuana from prosecution for marijuana possession or sale.
May 20, 2013; 01:55 PM
SACRAMENTO — Former Assemblywoman Norma Torres was sworn into the state Senate following her victory in last week’s special election in Inland Southern California’s 32nd Senate District.
To read brief in The Press Enterprise, click here.
By Joe Garofoli
May 19, 2013
After Jim Araby’s union of grocery store workers donated millions of dollars and cranked out 7,500 three-hour volunteer shifts last fall to help elect a supermajority of Democrats to the state Legislature and win statewide ballot measures, they, like many California liberals, began to dream big.
By Ed Mendel
Monday, May 20, 2013
One of the first local ballot measures aimed at cutting public pension costs, a cap on Pacific Grove payments to CalPERS approved by voters three years ago, was ruled unconstitutional by a Monterey County superior court judge last week.
Beatriz E. Valenzuela, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/18/2013 05:38:40 PM PDT
Updated: 05/18/2013 07:19:15 PM PDT
Fewer offenders released from state prison after the implementation of Gov. Jerry Brown’s Prison Realignment have been rearrested and conviction rates for the same group of offenders have remained virtually the same, according to a new study from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. San Bernardino County rates, however, are lower than the state average.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, May. 19, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Sunday, May. 19, 2013 – 8:10 am
Jerry Brown – who made “lower your expectations” a catchphrase of his first governorship – is back in that mode during his second stint, especially on spending.
Greg Cappis, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/17/2013 08:09:39 PM PDT
Eloise Gomez Reyes’ campaign is taking shape in the crowded race for the 31st Congressional District seat in 2014.
Emily’s List, the powerful political organization supporting pro-choice, female Democrats, officially added Gomez Reyes to “the list. ”
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
May 17, 2013
Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor projected state revenues Friday that are $3.2 billion higher than those projected by Gov. Jerry Brown this week in his revised budget proposal.
By Alana Semuels
May 17, 2013, 11:04 a.m.
After a few robust months, the pace of hiring in California slowed in April as employers concerned about the economy cut back on adding new employees.
May 16, 2013; 12:41 PM
SACRAMENTO — A new state audit identifies $94.6 million worth of former Riverside redevelopment assets that it says have not been properly transferred to the agency in charge of settling the debts of the former program.
To read story by Jim Miller in The Press Enterprise, click here.
By Lori Fowler
lori.fowler@ inlandnewspapers.com @IECourtsNow on Twitter
Posted: 05/16/2013 05:31:14 PM PDT
Updated: 05/16/2013 05:31:22 PM PDT
A group of local officials are spearheading an effort to re-staff courts and provide more funds to what they call a starving court system.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
May 16, 2013
Millions of Californians who contact the state’s new health exchange to buy insurance will be given the opportunity to register to vote, too, a move that some Republicans fear could benefit Democrats.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, May. 17, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
When voters passed Proposition 30 last year, they unwittingly accelerated one of the most perilous trends in California governmental finance – an ever-increasing reliance on income taxes from rich people to finance schools and myriad other state and local services.
By Patrick McGreevy
May 16, 2013, 3:07 p.m.
The state certified Thursday that it has a sufficient reserve fund to allow pay raises for Gov. Jerry Brown, state lawmakers and other elected officials, but members of a panel that sets pay say they will probably maintain the status quo for another year.
New election ahead to fill Assembly vacancy
By Canan Tasci
canan.tasci@ inlandnewspapers.com @ChinoValleyNow on Twitter
Posted: 05/15/2013 05:46:58 PM PDT
Updated: 05/15/2013 05:47:09 PM PDT
Now that Assemblywoman Norma Torres will take over as the state senator in the 32nd District, her 52nd Assembly District seat will be up for grabs.
By Jon Ortiz
jortiz@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, May. 16, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Thursday, May. 16, 2013 – 8:14 am
On Friday two state agencies will release the results of their probes into departments giving salaried managers secondary jobs that pay an hourly wage.
By Michael Gardner7:06 p.m.May 15, 2013
California’s counties are leery of Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget maneuver to immediately siphon money from local coffers, leaving behind an IOU that would be repaid through savings realized much later.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013 – 09:00 a.m.
State Assembly Member Norma Torres (D-Pomona) handily defeated Mayor Paul Leon (R-Ontario) to fill the 32nd State Senate District seat vacated by now-U.S. Representative Gloria Negrete-McLeod on Tuesday night.
By David Siders
dsiders@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, May. 14, 2013 – 5:07 pm
Last Modified: Wednesday, May. 15, 2013 – 8:02 am
Gov. Jerry Brown, dismissive of a surge in state tax revenue that stirred optimism at the Capitol, moved Tuesday to blunt appeals for increased spending, downgrading his budget proposal from January.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, May. 15, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Wednesday, May. 15, 2013 – 8:02 am
Twenty-five years ago, California voters approved – albeit very narrowly – the education community’s ballot measure that engraved a complex school finance structure into the state constitution.
PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State
By Paige St. John
May 13, 2013, 3:59 p.m.
Gov. Jerry Brown has, as promised, filed legal papers to appeal federal court orders to reduce the state’s prison population with the U.S. Supreme Court.
By David Siders
dsiders@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, May. 14, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Tuesday, May. 14, 2013 – 7:58 am
With California income tax revenue running about $4.5 billion ahead of expectations through April, Gov. Jerry Brown finds himself today in an unusual position: Releasing a revised budget proposal highlighting better numbers, not worse.
LAURA OLSON, Associated Press
Updated 10:13 am, Saturday, May 11, 2013
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California schools are expecting a boost from the $900 million to be raised over the next year through the closure of a corporate tax loophole, but Gov. Jerry Brown is locked in a disagreement with state lawmakers over how to hand out that money.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, May. 12, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Sunday, May. 12, 2013 – 7:33 am
There’s absolutely nothing wrong, per se, with incurring debt, whether it’s by families, businesses or governments. A functional credit market is absolutely vital to a modern economy.
May 10, 2013; 04:19 PM
A critical billboard targeting five San Bernardino city officials that had already generated controversy over its message has now led to accusations of censorship and political pressure.
To read column by Imran Ghori and Jim Miller in The Press Enterprise, click here.
May 10, 2013; 06:24 PM
SACRAMENTO — Money is pouring into candidates’ campaign committees. Legislative staffers are spending weekends walking precincts and calling voters in a race that seems to be a toss-up.
To read story by Jim Miller in The Press Enterprise, click here.
Greg Cappis, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/10/2013 11:55:26 PM PDT
Updated: 05/11/2013 12:01:54 AM PDT
Redlands Mayor Pete Aguilar’s campaign to represent California’s 31st Congressional District received a boost this week.
Sandra Emerson and Wes Woods II, Staff Writers
Posted: 05/10/2013 08:20:40 PM PDT
Updated: 05/10/2013 11:03:36 PM PDT
The state Supreme Court’s decision upholding local governments’ right to ban medical marijuana dispensaries left pro-marijuana advocates to rely on legislative action to ensure patients access to marijuana.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
May 10, 2013
One day after a civil rights leader accused him of using racially charged politics in his criticism of California’s prison realignment, former Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado said this afternoon that Gov. Jerry Brown and “his buddies are trying to make it about race.”
Friday, May 10, 2013 – 09:00 a.m.
In a strange turn of events, state prosecutors now say it’s no longer necessary for the California Supreme Court to throw out two long standing case law precedents, and more than a dozen underlying appellate opinions, in order to reinstate key bribery and conflict of interest charges against defendants in the well-publicized case involving the 2006 Colonies Settlement.
May 09, 2013; 05:46 PM
The California Transportation Commission has allocated nearly $70 million in funding to nine projects in Inland Southern California, including $12 million toward a four-lane grade separation on Riverside Avenue at the railroad tracks in Riverside.
To read story by Jan Sears in The Press Enterprise, click here.
By Susan Abram and Peter Fullam, Staff Writers
Posted: 05/09/2013 05:50:17 PM PDT
Database: Average charges for procedures by California hospitals
Data released this week by the federal government that show a wide variation of what hospitals charge Medicare for everything from pacemakers to hip replacement to obstructive pulmonary disease may bolster a discussion on fair pricing but does little to help the average consumer understand what they are paying for, health policy experts said.
By Andrew Tangel
May 9, 2013, 1:30 p.m.
NEW YORK — California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris has accused JPMorgan Chase & Co. of using fraudulent and unlawful debt-collection practices against some 100,000 credit card holders in the state.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, May. 10, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Crime dominated California’s political landscape during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s before giving way to other preoccupations.
During that era, the state’s voters and politicians debated – and decided – issues such as capital punishment, “three strikes and you’re out,” and prison construction, all hinged on voters’ fears of becoming crime victims.
By Steve Milne
Thursday, May 09, 2013
(Sacramento, CA) A new report shows California home “foreclosure starts” – or the number of homes just entering the foreclosure process – were up for the third straight month in April.
By Dale Kasler
dkasler@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, May. 9, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 7B
CalPERS says the insolvent city of San Bernardino has enough money to pay its past-due bill to the giant pension fund.
By Nicole Santa Cruz
May 8, 2013, 7:00 p.m.
Orange County may owe the state as much as $150 million after a judge tentatively ruled this week that it must pay back funds originally meant for local schools and community colleges.
By Dale Kasler
dkasler@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, May. 8, 2013 – 1:40 pm
Last Modified: Wednesday, May. 8, 2013 – 3:56 pm
Former CalPERS Chief Executive Fred Buenrostro pleaded innocent today to conspiracy charges in connection with the pension fund’s bribery scandal.
Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/07/2013 07:06:07 PM PDT
The city’s financial situation is clearer and many disagreements about what documents to share have been resolved, San Bernardino’s attorney and those objecting to its bankruptcy eligibility said Tuesday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Riverside.
Again.
By Melody Gutierrez and David Siders
mgutierrez@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, May. 8, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez is proposing a new state spending restriction that would set aside money from capital gains taxes in good years to help the state through economic downturns.
By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, May. 6, 2013 – 12:59 pm
Last Modified: Monday, May. 6, 2013 – 5:53 pm
Local governments in California are free to ban the distribution and sale of marijuana for medical purposes despite state law that allows it under certain circumstances, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, May. 7, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Tuesday, May. 7, 2013 – 8:37 am
There’s nothing ambiguous about Article IV, Section 8a of the California Constitution:
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
May 6, 2013
Gov. Jerry Brown today called “mystifying” the continuing legal pressure on his administration to reduce California’s prison population, as he reiterated his pledge to appeal the case as far as the U.S. Supreme Court.
By Abby Sewell
May 6, 2013, 1:27 p.m.
Energy officials expect to get through another summer without blackouts even if the San Onofre nuclear plant remains shuttered — but damaging fires in the months ahead could undermine that prediction.
By Andrew Edwards
andrew.edwards@ inlandnewspapers.com @InlandGov on Twitter
Posted: 05/05/2013 09:45:08 PM PDT
Assemblywoman Norma Torres has continued to maintain her big fundraising lead in the race for an open state Senate seat, raising more than double the amount collected by her opponent, Ontario Mayor Paul Leon.
Sandra Emerson, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/05/2013 08:44:29 PM PDT
Updated: 05/05/2013 09:07:57 PM PDT
The state Supreme Court is set to issue a decision today on whether the city of Riverside is legally allowed to ban medical marijuana dispensaries through zoning laws.
By Jim Sanders
jsanders@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, May. 6, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Monday, May. 6, 2013 – 7:56 am
Gov. Jerry Brown and Democratic lawmakers are on a collision course over restoring cuts to California’s safety net, marking a key test of vows to hold the line on state spending.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, May. 6, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Monday, May. 6, 2013 – 5:18 am
One of the questions that Capitol veterans often field from those newer to the political arena is whether today’s Jerry Brown is markedly different from what he was during his first governorship three-plus decades ago.
By Ed Mendel
Monday, May 6, 2013
Bankrupt San Bernardino’s new budget restarts CalPERS payments in July after skipping about $13 million in payments this fiscal year. But the next step in the city plan, getting CalPERS to refinance the unpaid bill, is a no-go at this point.
May 04, 2013; 05:24 PM
Law enforcement officials first announced the formation of a task force focused on political corruption in November 2010, when FBI agents and San Bernardino County district attorney’s investigators raided Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton.
To read story by Imran Ghori in The Press Enterprise, click here.
By Jason Felch and Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times
May 4, 2013, 8:24 p.m.
In 2006, billionaire computer magnate Michael Dell, one of the world’s richest men, agreed to pay $200 million for the Fairmont Miramar Hotel, a beachfront landmark in Santa Monica that long has been a retreat for Hollywood starlets and U.S. presidents.
A few months later, Dell tore up the contract.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, May. 5, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Sunday, May. 5, 2013 – 7:19 am
Reader beware: We’re about to delve into numbers – big, abstract numbers, but immensely important numbers as well.
By Denny Walsh and Torey Van Oot
dwalsh@sacbee.com
Published: Saturday, May. 4, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Saturday, May. 4, 2013 – 12:41 am
A plan for inmate population reduction in California’s prisons that was submitted Thursday by Gov. Jerry Brown and his corrections department to three federal judges may be dead on arrival.
By Ryan Hagen, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/02/2013 04:18:21 PM PDT
SAN BERNARDINO — A group trying to recall the city’s top nine elected officials drew about 50 people for a news conference Thursday explaining why they think the city needs all new leaders.
May 02, 2013; 02:17 PM
SACRAMENTO – In a rare legislative setback for members of Inland Southern California’s powerful tribal casino industry, the Assembly narrowly passed legislation ratifying a gaming compact between the Brown administration and a Central Valley tribe.
To read story by Jim Miller in The Press Eneterpise, click here.
By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, May. 2, 2013 – 10:53 pm | Page 1A
Last Modified: Friday, May. 3, 2013 – 7:53 am
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Brown administration told a federal court Thursday night that to further reduce inmate prison population the Legislature would have to agree to dramatically restructure the laws governing California’s corrections system.
By Chris Megerian, Los Angeles Times
May 2, 2013, 7:30 p.m.
SACRAMENTO — California has been flooded with revenue this tax season and is on track to finish the fiscal year with a surplus of billions of dollars, according to officials.
By Dale Kasler
dkasler@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, May. 2, 2013 – 4:58 pm
Last Modified: Thursday, May. 2, 2013 – 8:34 pm
The powerful Service Employees International Union said today it defeated a challenge from the upstart National Union of Healthcare Workers and will continue to represent 45,000 Kaiser Permanente workers.
By Patrick McGreevy
May 2, 2013, 11:06 a.m.
SACRAMENTO — The state Senate on Thursday approved a bill that would allow prosecutors to file misdemeanor instead of felony charges in cases of simple possession of heroin, cocaine and other hard drugs.
By Matea Gold, Chris Megerian and Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times
May 2, 2013, 7:30 p.m.
WASHINGTON — Early last month, state lawyers and election officials around the country dialed into a conference call to talk about how to deal with the flood of secret money that played an unprecedented role in the 2012 election.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
May 2, 2013
Former Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia is looking to return to the Legislature.
By Ronald D. White
May 2, 2013, 10:40 a.m.
California gasoline prices have fallen by 77.4 cents a gallon from the record of $4.671 set in October.
But the state’s prices remain among the highest in the nation, and today is no exception. California is running fourth behind Hawaii, Alaska and Illinois with an average of $3.897 a gallon, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report.
May 01, 2013; 06:35 PM
SACRAMENTO — A pair of influential Riverside County tribes with casinos are trying to scuttle a gaming compact between the state and a Central Valley tribe that could come up for an Assembly ratification vote as early as today.
To read story by Jim Miller in The Press Enterprise, click here.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
By Dan Walters
April 30, 2013
California’s state and local governments are at least $648 billion in debt and the total could surpass $1.1 trillion — depending on how pension liabilities are calculated — according to a data compilation by a conservative think tank.
By Mark Glover
mglover@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Apr. 30, 2013 – 11:05 am
Continuing a trend dating back to 2006, in-state consumption of gasoline declined in 2012 compared with the previous year, according to the California Board of Equalization.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
April 29, 2013
A bipartisan handful of legislators is trying to stop the Sacramento tradition known as the “gut-and-amend” bill — the last-minute, late-night law-making that has become the summertime norm in the Capitol.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Apr. 30, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Tuesday, Apr. 30, 2013 – 7:57 am
Senate Bills 491, 492 and 493 won approval of a Senate committee Monday and we should all be afraid – very afraid – because once again, state legislators are voting on “scope of practice.”
By Chris Megerian, Los Angeles Times
April 28, 2013, 4:14 p.m.
SACRAMENTO — Arnold Schwarzenegger persuaded voters nine years ago that if they let him borrow money to cover the budget deficit, California’s financial woes would end for good. A key part of his plan was a new rainy-day fund to insulate the state from further crisis.
“It will be a whole new ball game,” Schwarzenegger said. “Trust me.”
By Marc Lifsher, Los Angeles Times
April 29, 2013
SACRAMENTO — California’s $8-an-hour minimum wage needs to go up, says Watsonville Democratic Assemblyman Luis Alejo. And he may be getting the votes he needs to make it happen.
But don’t count on it; Alejo has tried this before.
By Ed Mendel
Monday, April 29, 2013
With pensions presumably shored up by Gov. Brown’s reform and a CalPERS rate hike, will the problem-solving trend spread to what is, by some measures, an even bigger retirement debt: health care promised state workers?
Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/27/2013 06:58:39 PM PDT
Updated: 04/27/2013 10:48:21 PM PDT
A chance to pick up a vacant state Senate seat and demonstrate the California Republican Party and their allies are serious about backing Latino candidates may seem like a golden opportunity for the state’s GOP, but the party seems to be setting its sights elsewhere than the 32nd state Senate District.
April 26, 2013 7:19 PM
Jose Quintero, Staff Writer
VICTORVILLE • The California Community Colleges Board of Governors announced that Victor Valley College was among the winners of the Energy and Sustainability Awards.
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