Controversies
San Jose Finalizes “de Facto Ban” on Medical Marijuana
The city council voted 7-3 to enact rules that severely limit how many dispensaries can operate, where they are located and where they get their pot from. Pot shop attorney James Anthony told the San Jose Mercury News, “Nobody can operate under those environments. It's a de facto ban and in kind of a sneaky way.” read more
It's Official: California Has a Whooping Cough Epidemic
Incidents of whooping cough, or pertussis, are running about 10 times higher than normal in the state. Highly-contagious whooping cough is cyclical, peaking every three or four years, so CDPH officials said they weren’t shocked that the numbers are soaring like they last did in 2010. But this year’s outbreak could be exacerbated by a growing movement in the country to avoid vaccines. read more
S.F. Fails State 911 Response Standard―for Fourth Year in a Row
The San Francisco Fire Department’s fleet of ambulances is old and broken down, while its crews are understaffed. As a result, it has fallen woefully short of state requirements, for four straight years, that it respond to at least 80% of the 911 medical calls it receives. About one-third of the aged fleet is out of commission on any given day. An ambulance’s lifespan is about 10 years, and 23 of the fleet’s 43 vehicles are at least that old. read more
Ride-Sharing Companies Defy CPUC, Continue to Service Airports without Permits
Last September, when California became the first state to issue regulations governing the app-driven, ride-on-demand companies popping up across the country, Uber, Lyft, Sidecar and others reluctantly agreed to obtain permits from individual airports before letting their employees cruise there for customers.
They have not done that. read more
Beleaguered S.F. City College May Get 2-Year Reprieve from Death Sentence
Most everyone has acknowledged the college has struggled to do well by its 80,000 students and that the commission’s assessment of the school last year was harsh, but not totally off the mark. However, many critics agreed with S.F. City Attorney Dennis Herrera, who said the commission’s action was meant to “restrict the mission of community colleges by focusing on degree completion to the detriment of vocational, remedial and non-credit education.” read more
Poll Finds People Care About the Drought but Aren’t Inclined to Do Much About It
The results (pdf) of a Los Angeles Times/USC Dornsife poll found that 40% of people considered the drought a “crisis,” 48% thought it was a “major problem” and only 2% thought it wasn’t a problem at all.
But only 25% of those polled would strongly support a mandatory 20% reduction in their water use and another 24% would be somewhat likely to go along. read more
PUC Fires Attorney Who Defied State to Pursue PG&E Pipeline Records
At issue were documents related to pressure-testing of the utility’s 6,000-mile pipeline system prior to the natural gas explosion that killed eight people and leveled a neighborhood in the Bay Area town. Critics alleged that PG&E failed to perform routine inspections and tests, did not properly maintain its pipeline infrastructure, and kept incomplete and inaccurate records. The PUC told an administrative judge it would no longer pursue the documents Cagen had ardently sought. read more
State Departments Continue a Long Tradition of Shuffling Employees to Preserve Their Budgets
A department loses money budgeted for a position if it has an unfilled vacancy for six months. To avoid losing the money, the department performs a lateral internal transfer of an employee to fill the vacancy, resetting the six-month clock to make another hire. For instance, Lindsay Rains, an environmental scientist in the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), transferred 14 times through nine different positions on fiscal year 2012-13. read more
LAPD Acquires 2 Drones, Promises to Barely Use Them and Won’t Call Them Drones
The LAPD arranged to pick up a couple of drones from the Seattle Police Department as “gifts” when Washington city's aerial program was grounded—before it got airborne—by an irate public that complained about safety and privacy. But don’t call them drones. LAPD won’t. They are “Unmanned Aerial Vehicles,” UAV for short, which sounds more like a recreational vehicle than a pernicious surveillance device. read more
Bad Day in Sacramento for GMO Labeling and Fracking Moratorium
Polls show that Californians don’t like fracking or unlabelled GMOs, but they are going to be stuck with both for awhile after the state Senate rejected bills last week that would have been tough on them. Republicans were helped by some Democrats who voted “No” and others who didn’t vote. In defense of those Democrats who didn’t vote, three of them are suspended from the Senate for various transgressions, alleged and otherwise. read more
State Board Says Sex Offender Registry Is a Cluttered Mess that Doesn’t Work
The California Sex Offender Management Board told lawmakers it thinks the registry has grown too large and unwieldy to be effective. Building on recommendations it made in 2010, the board said the state Legislature should stop treating all sex offenders alike, regardless of the seriousness of their crimes. It proposed that only high-risk offenders be kept on the list for life, while others are removed over a period of years. read more
Federal Government Finally Joins the Fray at Polluting Exide Battery Plant in L.A. County
The EPA filed a complaint that the lead smelting plant, which has vexed the community and local and state agencies for years, violated the federal Clean Air Act’s emission standards on more than 30 occasions. Although the plant has been under fire for years, it successfully fended off criticism until a South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) report a year ago said 110,000 people were at higher risk of cancer because of the plant's arsenic emissions. read more
Federal Appeals Court Rules that License Plate Readers Are Not Good Enough to Justify Detaining Drivers
A license plate reader, mounted in a police car, misread one digit on Denise Green’s license plate, triggering an alert that the vehicle was stolen. Even though the wanted vehicle looked nothing like Green’s, four officers drew their weapons on Green, who was forced from her car and ordered to kneel on the pavement. The incident resulted in Green suing San Francisco, raising the question whether technology alone is enough to legally justify a search. read more
Drought and Earthquakes Give New Immediacy to Anti-Fracking Efforts
Between the California drought and earthquake concerns, fracking opponents have convinced about a dozen local governments in the state to curtail or prohibit fracking altogether. These include Butte County, home of California’s second largest reservoir, Lake Oroville, which has lost a third of its water during the drought. A bill introduced in the state Senate would establish a temporary moratorium on fracking while experts study its effects. read more
Hackers Had Their Way for Six Weeks with Computers at UC Irvine Health Center
A hacking program that records the keystrokes of computer users was found on three machines in the Student Health Center at University of California, Irvine. They may have captured the personal data of approximately 1,800 students and 23 non-students. No actual medical records were accessed; just the keystrokes of typists doing things like filling out medical and insurance forms. read more
Researchers Find Dangerous Flame Retardants Everywhere in Preschools and Childcare
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, found that floor dust samples in 100% of the 40 early-childhood education centers tested positive for 14 different PBDEs, or polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and four non-PBDE flame retardants, including tris phosphate compounds.None of these chemicals are good. They have been linked to hormone disruption and lowered IQs in children. Around 90% of children’s furniture contains the chemicals. read more