Controversies
Immigrant Detainees Pay a Heavy Toll for a Short Phone Call
At the Contra Costa West County Detention Facility (WCDF) in Richmond, one of the differences is the cost of making a phone call. A couple of weeks ago, protesters gathered outside the facility that houses 1,100 prisoners to argue that what amounts to upwards of a $20 charge for a 15-minute phone call is cruel and inhumane treatment of inmates. read more
Wrongful Death Suit Filed against Wells Fargo after Man Dies in Court Fighting Bogus Foreclosure
Wells Fargo placed Delassus into default after the bank incorrectly charged him for back property taxes, which it turned out was really owed by his neighbor, not Delassus. Even after Delassus pointed out the mistake, which Wells Fargo acknowledged, the bank refused to correct the situation or help him bring his account current, resulting in the condo being seized and sold off. read more
L.A. Schools Will Stop Kicking Kids out for Being Defiant
Supporters of the change argue that the “willful defiance” rule unfairly penalized minority students and facilitated a school-to-prison pipeline for them. While African-American students are 9% of the LAUSD student population, they receive 26% of the suspensions.
Supporters of the status quo include the only African-American member of the board, Marguerite LaMotte, who characterized the change as fostering a soft bigotry of low expectations. read more
Feinstein Backs off Support for Lawrence Livermore Work on Fusion
The senator rejected an appeal from laboratory scientists and 26 members of the House of Representatives to help restore $110 million in budget cuts proposed by the Obama administration that might be critical in saving the $3.5 billion project from shutting down. read more
Environment Compromised by Questionable Food Safety Push
California led the way in formulating common-sense rules for keeping animal contaminants away from produce that inspired similar regulations across the country.
It worked, sort of. At least, the wildlife disappeared. In the process, pollution increased as pesticides and fertilizers had a clearer path to water sources, soil erosion buffers disappeared, and the land became more vulnerable to flooding and the future ravages of global warming. read more
Residents of Bankrupt San Bernardino Launch Mass Recall of Officials, at Least Ones They Can Find
San Bernardino Residents for Responsible Government wants to recall Mayor Pat Morris, City Attorney James F. Penman, City Clerk Gigi Hanna and all seven council members for their role in the city’s financial collapse. The Southern California city of 209,000 declared bankruptcy in July 2012, facing a budget shortfall of $45.8 million. read more
Beleaguered Oakland Police Department Gets Three Chiefs in One Week
Police Chief Howard Jordan surprised many in the department when he abruptly announced his retirement last Wednesday. Immediately after Jordan stepped down, Deputy Chief Anthony Toribio was named acting chief. Two days later, Toribio was demoted to captain and replaced by 17-year department veteran Sean Whent, who will remain acting chief while the city prepares to search for a permanent leader. read more
Does California Need Another Disaster Before It Builds an Earthquake Warning System?
So where is California’s early-warning system? The answer is: partially deployed but mostly on the drawing board waiting for about $80 million and the will to put it in place statewide. State Senator Alex Padilla introduced legislation in January that would require the Office of Emergency Services, “in collaboration with various entities, including the United States Geological Survey, to develop a comprehensive statewide earthquake early warning system in California.” read more
After Two Decades, L.A. Recognizes that Subway Freeloaders Need Incentive to Pay
Apparently it has come as somewhat of a surprise that early predictions by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) that 97% of rail users would voluntarily pay their $1.50 fares proved to be unrealistic. Trial runs last year using locked gates that required a paid fare for entrance reportedly raised between 18% and 22% more revenue. read more
Farmworkers Fired for Refusing to Work Amid Wildfires’ Smoke and Ash
Smoke and ash swirling about as wildfires swept the Oxnard area of Southern California this past week proved to be too much for a group of 15 farmworkers on Crisalida Farms who sought refuge indoors on Thursday, complaining it was hard to breathe.
That move cost them their jobs, according to NBC Bay Area. read more
L.A. Law Enforcement Sued over License Plate Scanners that Profile Drivers in a Database
Los Angeles-area law enforcement agencies, which have photographed and scanned 180 million license plate images into a database, say the information is innocuous, and only car thieves and other bad characters have anything to fear from it.
The ACLU and EFF are concerned that law-abiding people are having their movements tracked and stored without their permission for data mining purposes that have yet to be imagined. read more
Law that Eased 3 Strikes Is Being Implemented Slowly and Unevenly Across the State
An analysis of data from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation by the Associated Press has found the application of Prop. 36 to be slow and uneven, at best.
After five months, the law, which was approved by a majority of voters in every county, has resulted in only 16% of 2,847 eligible inmates being resentenced. The rate of resentencing varies wildly from county to county, where inmates apply for release based on where they committed their last crime. read more
Feinstein Derails Assertions that Husband Is Chief Bidder on High-Speed Rail
While there are literally hundreds of stories online castigating Feinstein for Blum’s alleged control of Perini—the word “alleged” is never in them—there are admittedly few mentions, like this Forbes story in March 2007 or this story, that Blum had sold his stake. Blum first became involved with what is now Tutor Perini in 1998 when he joined with Ronald Tutor to help recapitalize the troubled company. He reportedly sold his stock at a substantial profit in 2005. read more
Governor Brown Tells Court His Last-Minute Prison Plan Is “Ugly” but Will Have to Do
It what may not be the finest moment in the state’s history of problem solving, Governor Jerry Brown presented a self-described “ugly” plan—that he doesn’t support and the state Senate in unlikely to approve—to a federal court last week for relieving overcrowded prisons.
Brown submitted his 46-page plan to a three-judge panel in the U.S. District Court “under protest,” minutes before the deadline on Thursday after being threatened with sanctions for his ongoing intransigence. read more
Judge Won’t Let Los Angeles End Its Owens Lake Restoration
U.S. District Judge Anthony W. Ishii tossed out a lawsuit brought by DWP on behalf of L.A. that sought to avoid another $400 million in restoration work to the lake it famously sucked dry 100 years ago. The city has already spent $1.2 billion on mitigation measures to reduce the dangerous particulate pollution that blows off 40 square miles it has grudgingly accepted responsibility for. read more
State Unfazed by Order to Move Thousands of Prison Inmates in “Public Health Emergency”
The federal court monitor overseeing healthcare in California prisons has told the state that it must immediately move around 3,300 inmates out of two facilities where 8,200 are housed because of a “public health emergency” from Valley Fever.
A spokesman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) said that wouldn’t happen. At least, not quickly. read more