California and the Nation
L.A. Closes State Ammo Loophole, Bans Large-Capacity Magazines
Before Tuesday, people in Los Angeles were barred by California law from manufacturing, selling, distributing or bringing into the state the kind of large-capacity gun magazines used in recent mass shootings. But they could possess them. Not anymore. The city council voted 12-0 to join San Francisco and Sunnyvale and close the loophole. read more
Kamala Harris to Investigate Group’s Video Sting of Planned Parenthood
Two activists posing as biotech representatives secretly recorded a meeting with a Planned Parenthood executive about the system that facilitates research on fetal tissue and edited it into two videos, released a week apart, to sound like her agency sells fetal parts for profit.That’s illegal and, in this case, not true. California also has an Invasion of Privacy Act and it is generally against the law to record someone without their knowledge. read more
Hacked Website for Marital Cheaters Has a Special Place in California Hearts
Krebbs on Security reported this week that a group of pissed-off hackers that call themselves “The Impact Team” grabbed a large cache of data from Ashley Madison’s parent company, Toronto-based Avid Life Media, and posted it online. 24/7 Wall St says that would include 533,000 Los Angeles residents and 91,000 San Diegans, who may or may not have been cheating on a partner. read more
Records of 4.5 Million UCLA Health Systems Patients Hacked
The attack occurred nearly a year ago, in September, was detected in October, was verified in May and made public last week. The FBI has reportedly been on the case for nine months. UCLA Health spokesman Tod Tamberg took a shot at explaining to CNN Money the delay in notifying the public: “The process of addressing the technological issues surrounding this incident and the logistics of identifying and notifying the potentially affected individuals was time-consuming.” read more
Despite Strong State Support, Right-to-Die Bill Can’t Get Out of Assembly Committee
The End of Life Option Act, which passed on a 23-15 vote in the Senate, needed 10 votes in the 19-member Assembly committee to advance and minority Republicans weren’t going to help. Five Latino Democrats indicated they would not vote for the bill and, despite overwhelming support in the state and nation for right-to-die legislation, the authors were compelled to pull it back. read more
Report Maps Oil-Train Paths Across Socially Vulnerable Urban Areas
ForestEthics and Communities for a Better Environment (CBE), a couple of nonprofit groups, found that “while 60% of Californians live in environmental justice communities . . . 80% of the 5.5 million Californians with homes in the blast zone live” in them. About 75% of those in the blast zone are Hispanic-Latino, African-American or Asian. Twenty-two percent of the residents within the blast zone are white, compared to 45% outside the zone. read more
U.S. Supreme Court Redistricting, Death Penalty Decisions Reverberate in California
Two U.S. Supreme Court rulings on Monday will have a lasting effect on California although the state was not a party to either one. The court fell one vote shy of eviscerating Arizona's anti-gerrymandering law, and by extension California's, when it upheld the creation of a redistricting commission by voters. The court, by the same 5-4 margin, voted to let Oklahoma execute prisoners with a lethal injection that could clear the way for California to do the same. read more
$40 Billion in U.S. Coastal Park Assets Are at “High Risk” from Rising Seas
A new report from the National Park Service says sea level rise at 40 coastal national park sites, including eight in California, will cause problems. The 40 park units contain 10,000 assets, including roads, buildings, bridges, water systems, parking lots, tunnels, sea barriers, lighthouses, fortifications and archaeological sites. The report assumes that sea levels would rise 1 meter, or 3.28 feet, in the next 100 to 150 years. read more
Think Tank Crowdsources Government Transparency
Late last year, the data-driven policy analysis organization launched the Open Records Initiative, an attempt to accumulate local, state and federal government data in accessible formats at a central location. The site has been seeded with nearly 71,000 documents, which is expected to double by year’s end. But the exponential growth needed to make this effort meaningful relies on crowd-sourcing. read more
Court Rules That Not Every “Knucklehead” Pointing a Laser at Aircraft Is Osama bin Laden
There is a law against shining a laser pointer at an aircraft. Rodriguez didn't contest his conviction for breaking that law. He was appealing his additional conviction for violating a law Judge Silverman described as being “designed for both the Osama bin Ladens of the world—people trying to bring down a plane, intending to cause harm—and those who are aware that their actions are dangerous and could harm others, but just don't care.” read more
California Leads the Way in Big-Business Takeover of Citizen-Initiated Ballot Measures
Introduced in the U.S. in 1898, the ballot initiative was a response by progressives to the view that state legislatures were in the pocket of powerful corporate interests. But the ballot measure, it would seem, has now been hijacked by big-money interests for the benefit of big business. During the 2014 election, these special interests and election professionals were collectively paid at least $400 million for 85 statewide measures. And that’s during an “off year.” read more
U.S. Supreme Court Ends Depression-Era Raisin Price Support System
The system of government reserves was established in the 1930s to stabilize a broken market and provide price supports. It has seemingly worked for decades and most growers reportedly like the system. Marvin D. and Laura Horne do not and refused to participate. The Hornes said the government violated the Fifth Amendment by “taking” their property without just compensation and sued. read more
8 People in L.A. Among 243 Accused by Feds of $712 Million in Medicare Fraud
The national sweep, conducted by the DOJ and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), covered 17 states. Charges included conspiracy to commit health care fraud, violations of the anti-kickback statutes, money laundering and aggravated identity theft. More than 40 people were charged with fraud related to the Medicare’s Part D prescription drug benefit program. read more
VA Tanked on Pledge to House 650 Homeless Vets in L.A. in April
“What we identified as the major barrier was a lack of willing landlords,” Christina Margiotta, vice president for Community Impact at the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, told KPCC. She said 500 veterans had vouchers and nowhere to go. L.A.’s rental market is excruciatingly tight, with small vacancy rates, skyrocketing rents and a shortage of affordable housing. That is not going to change for the better anytime soon, and could get worse. read more
San Bernardino Sheriff Used Stingray Surveillance 303 Times Without a Warrant
Ars Technica said county lawyers indicated to them that the “pen register and trap and trace order” applications submitted to the judge were warrant requests, which they are not. The pen register “template is likely to mislead judges who receive applications based on it because it gives no indication that the Sheriff’s Department intends to use a stingray,” American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) attorney Nathan Wessler told the publication. read more
California Plummets in National Senior Health Rankings
America’s Health Rankings from the UnitedHealth Foundation said California’s 65-and-older crowd dropped 11 spots, to 29th place among the states, on the strength of a 23% increase in chronic drinking (from 4.3% to 5.3%) and a two-year 29% decrease in physical activity. But it takes more than being inebriated and immobile to nab you a below-average spot on the list. read more