California and the Nation
Prison Release Marks New California Attitude About Life Terms for Youths
The 39-year-old former gang member, sentenced to life in prison at 16, was the first inmate to be resentenced under new legislative guidelines. The United States was the only country in the world, as of 2013, that allowed minors to be incarcerated for life without the possibility of parole, according to the Sentencing Project. read more
“Stagnant” California Earns Another “F” in Government Transparency
A couple years ago, CALPIRG said of California, “Without a central location for the data, the state simply lacks the digital infrastructure to build upon.” That is still true and the main reason the state received a failing grade. “California does not succeed in creating a ‘one-stop’ transparency portal, prompting Executive Director Emily Rusch to say the state "has remained stagnant, with a long way to go.” read more
New York and San Diego Police Departments Edit Wikipedia Entries on Alleged Police Brutality Cases
San Diego police dispatcher Daniel Weiss told U-T San Diego, “Anything that was deleted was due to inaccuracies as stated in the comments. Especially the ‘misconduct’ section, which had bad information and was not linked to the department in many circumstances.” Some of the “bad information” contained summaries of news stories in the Los Angeles Times and other mainstream media. read more
State Plans to Share License Photos Far and Wide Despite DMV Objection
The state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has repeatedly told members of California’s Department of Justice (DOJ) that state law forbids the sharing of driver’s license photos with outside sources, including the federal government, or subjecting them to facial recognition software. The DMV also said it would not be able to keep track of who accessed the photos and why, as required by law. But the DOJ continues to move ahead. read more
Feds Bust Alleged Immigration “Pay-to-Stay” L.A. Trade Schools
The schools allegedly issued Form I-20s, which indicate acceptance into a government-certified school as a full-time student, to foreign nationals who had no intention of attending the schools and often lived outside of Los Angeles. Six months of “tuition” cost up to $1,800 and allegedly netted the operators $6 million a year. The schools’ 1,500 students were largely Korean and Chinese. read more
Nearly 1 in 14 of the World's Billionaires Lives in California
California gained 20 new billionaires in the past year, according to Forbes’ annual tally, bringing the state's total to 131. Researchers studied how California migration trends were affected by tax cuts in 1996 and a millionaire’s tax in 2005. “This pattern does not indicate that the recent tax changes were of major concern to top-income earners,” the report said. read more
EPA Sued over Not Protecting Decimated Monarch Butterflies from Monsanto
The NRDC wants the EPA to review the main ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup, a commonly used herbicide that has wiped out the milkweed plant in many parts of the country. Monarch butterflies rely on the milkweed for their survival. The NRDC says the “distinctive butterfly” is “in peril,” and faces the risk of completely dying off. “The remaining population is so small that a single severe weather event could eradicate it,” the group wrote. read more
Now It Can Be Told—Better Air Means Better Kids’ Lungs
A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found for the first that respiratory function in Southern California kids 11 to 15 years old improved over the past 17 years as government regulations at state and federal levels dramatically reduced pollution in the region. The benefits were felt equally by boys and girls and across racial and ethnic backgrounds. read more
Ex-Homeland Security Chief Warns of Terrorist “Twofer” if Inglewood Builds Stadium
Ridge Global, the former Pennsylvania governor’s consulting firm, was commissioned to do the report by Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), which has had a rival plan to build a stadium complex downtown for more than a decade. It warns that if Inglewood goes ahead with plans to build a $1.86-billion stadium, its close proximity to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), around 3 miles, would present a “terrorist event ‘twofer.’ ” read more
California Inching Toward a Tougher Standard on Rocket Fuel in Drinking Water
It’s a goal, not a rule. The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) has until March 2016 to decide if it wants to adopt 1 ppb as a standard for toxic perchlorate in drinking water. There is no national standard, although the toxic chemical has been strongly linked to thyroid problems in pregnant women and young children. read more
Uber Tells 21,000 California Drivers Their Info Was Hacked—Nine Months Ago
The San Francisco-based ride-sharing company disclosed on Saturday that a third party hacked from its database the names and driver’s license numbers of 50,000 current and former drivers, 21,000 from California. Uber said the breach occurred in May 2014, it discovered the hack in September and has now begun alerting folks that they have been in harm’s way for nine months. read more
Research Group Unimpressed by Online Charter Schools’ 36% Graduation Rate
“In every year since it began graduating students, except 2013, CAVA has had more dropouts than graduates,” according to a report (pdf) from In the Public Interest, a Washington, D.C.-based research group. CAVA’s graduation rate was 36% for the latest three years available, 2010-11 through 2012-13. That compares rather unfavorably to state averages of 78% during the same period. read more
State Study Links Unregulated, Ultrafine Pollution Particles to Heart Disease Deaths
A new report published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives found a stronger association in some cases between heart disease deaths and long-term exposure to UFPs than with fine particles, which are subject to both state and federal emissions regulations. UFPs are subject to neither. read more
Program to Import “Needed” Tech Workers Displaces 400 Laid-Off SoCal Edison Workers
U-T San Diego quoted from an Edison release that explained the change “will lead to enhancements that deliver faster and more efficient tools and applications for services that customers rely on.” How will hiring different workers enhance Edison’s service? The answer is, apparently, cheaper labor. “This can best be achieved by continuing to be mindful of SCE’s responsibility to spend customers’ money prudently,” Edison said. read more
Activists Say They Will Sue California for Motor Voter Registration Failure
“California does not treat the driver’s license application as a voter registration application—instead it makes voters complete an entirely separate voter registration application,” Demos lawyer Stuart Naifeh said. The department also fails “to properly transmit voter registration applications and changes of address from the DMV to election officials,” according to the complaint filed with the state. read more
Hackers Access 80 Million Anthem Health Insurance Records
California's largest for-profit health insurer said the records of 80 million customers and employees were potentially at risk. That included names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and employment information. So far, Anthem does not believe medical records or credit card information was stolen. read more