Controversies
The Graying of L.A.’s Skid Row Women
A new report from the Downtown Women’s Action Coalition DWAC) found women in the 50-block area are much older and, consequently, in poorer health than they were a decade ago. The group’s 2013 survey of 324 women found the median age had jumped from 44 to 50 since 2001. Nearly 11% of the women were 62 or older, 39.1% were 51-61, 23.7% were 41-50, 17% were 31-40 and 9.2% were 30 of younger. Four women were over 70 and one topped 80. read more
PG&E Cites New State Chromium-6 Standard, Cuts off Help for “Brockovich” Town
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) approved a chromium-6 standard of 10 parts per billion this year, around 500 times higher than that recommended by the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA). As a result, Hinkley water was deemed sufficiently unadulterated and the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board gave PG&E permission to end the bottled water and water filtration program that it was forced to provide in 2010. read more
Oakland Reinstates Cop Who Tossed Gas Grenade at Group Helping Critically Injured Protester
Roche was filmed by a TV camera crew responding to orders to help clear 1,000 demonstrators who had gathered at City Hall in a peaceful protest. Ex-Marine Scott Olsen was standing motionless alongside another ex-soldier, between protesters and police, when his skull was shattered by a bean bag fired from 20 feet away. As people rushed to his aid, Roche tossed tear gas at them. read more
State Inmates Paid $2 a Day to Fight Wildfires
California employs about 4,000 inmate firefighters. They’re “low-level” offenders who earn $2 a day in canteen credits, as well as two days off their sentences for each day they spend at fire camps. Although fighting fires is hardly akin to working on a chain gang, human rights observers question where the line lies between rehabilitating prisoners through meaningful work opportunities and exploiting cheap labor sources. read more
Newspapers Sue California Senate for Records of Two Disgraced Lawmakers
The newspapers argue that the serious corruption charges swirling around Senators Lee and Calderon are “compelling” reasons to release the information and point out that they have targeted their requests at specific time periods.
Senators are unmoved. Unlike many California public officials, they have a blanket policy against releasing any calendar or schedule information. Governor Jerry Brown releases all of his and other officials release them under a wide range of conditions. read more
L.A. Water Main Break Is Spectacular, but Not Unexpected
The 93-year-old water main that blew in Los Angeles this week—gushing 75,000 gallons a minute at its peak and 1,000 a minute once it was under control—was spectacular, but not unpredictable. Two-thirds of the city's 7,238 miles of pipes are more than 50 years old but only 43 miles were replaced during a recent 15-year period, according to a 2012 study by the USC Center for Sustainable Cities. read more
Feds Add Obstruction of Justice and a Real Penalty to PG&E Indictment for San Bruno
The indictment replaces an earlier one in April, adding the obstruction charge and raising from 12 to 27 the number of criminal violations of federal law. PG&E could be liable for $1.4 billion in penalties. PG&E was charged with obstruction for allegedly lying to investigators for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the aftermath of the 2010 San Bruno pipeline explosion that killed eight people and leveled a neighborhood. read more
Troubled State Sonoma Developmental Center Avoids Closure but Is Losing Federal Funds
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced on Friday that seven of the center’s 11 units will lose their certification and federal funds, just as the other four did last year. But the center, located in Sonoma County’s Eldridge community, did not lose its state license and can stay open for now. read more
PG&E and Its Regulator Bonded in E-Mails after Deadly San Bruno Pipeline Explosion
Around 7,000 e-mails, released as part of a lawsuit settlement, documented how the PUC and Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) worked together to fend off criticism and investigators after the San Bruno pipeline explosion killed eight people and leveled a neighborhood in September 2010. A federal grand jury indicted PG&E in April on 12 counts involving safety violations leading to the San Bruno explosion. read more
Petroleum Trade Association Sues Compton over Fracking Moratorium
The Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) filed a complaint this week in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Compton, claiming that statewide fracking legislation passed last September in Sacramento pre-empted moratoriums and bans by municipalities. The suit also says the city violated the California Constitution when it banned well stimulation in other municipalities if the well’s bottom sat beneath Compton. read more
Conflicted Californians Give Mixed Message about the Environment
The Public Policy Institute of California found that on one hand, 76% of those polled favor requiring that one-third of the state’s electricity come from renewable energy sources. On the other hand, only 30% see the wisdom of the move if it raises their electricity bill. Sixty-two percent of adult Californians believe that global warming has already started, but only 40% are “very concerned” about it. read more
Shattered Myth of the Scattered Blue Whale Has Them at Risk in Shipping “Hot Spots”
A new study published in the journal Plos One found that two of the densest food locations for blue whales lie across busy shipping lanes, contradicting earlier studies that said whales were widely dispersed and safer for it. But those studies were largely based on anecdotal sightings and limited data.
The new study tagged 171 blue whales, the world’s largest creatures, and tracked them for 15 years using satellites. read more
City of Thousand Oaks Has a Few Hundred Fewer Trees Thanks to Mall Developer
The owners of suburban Westlake Plaza, northwest of Los Angeles, bulldozed 170 treesl, taking advantage of a city ordinance loophole, opened in 2010, that allows the owner-planter of a tree to fell it. The destruction was over in a few days before public opposition could be registered. Afterward, the council passed a one-year moratorium on invoking the loophole. read more
State Shuts Down Fracking Waste Injection Sites as Possible Threats to Aquifers
The Bakersfield Californian reported that the order from the Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) came on July 7, just days before it was announced that 95 other wells were also being looked at. ProPublica reported that officials indicated at least seven of the 11 wells shut down were probably pumping waste water into clean aquifers. read more
State Delays “Emergency” Fracking Regulations Another Six Months
The state Department of Conservation slapped together some “emergency” regulations that took effect at the beginning of the year while it worked to complete final regulations by its January 1, 2015, deadline. The deadline was pushed back to jibe with a deadline for criteria to evaluate drilling plans being developed by the State Water Resources Control Board. read more
Judge Temporarily Shuts Down L.A.’s First Cannabis Farmers Market
Feuer called it a “public nuisance” and a violator of city land use laws, and said, “They couldn’t get a permit if they tried.”
The city attorney argued that the market violated the spirit and letter of the law, Prop. D, which limits the number of dispensaries in the city. He wants the place shut down, but for now has won restrictions limiting the site to a single vendor and its employees, like a typical dispensary that buys its products from multiple vendors. read more