Controversies
PUC Puts off Investigation of San Onofre Finances
While it wrestles with a determination on the true extent of the problems at San Onofre that led to the release of radioactive steam from damaged tubes in one of its nuclear generators, weighs the possibility of extensive repairs and listens to arguments that the plant should be shuttered for good, the state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) must also decide who pays for it all. read more
San Onofre Hints at November Restart, then Denies It
The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, shuttered in January, cost the state $165 million during its first six months of down time. Most of that, $117 million, was to pay for substitute electricity. The rest was for inspections and repair costs. read more
State GOP Down So Low, Even Voter ID Push Doesn’t Appeal to Them
The California battle over voter ID began in earnest in 2009 when Republican state Senator George Runner unsuccessfully pursued getting the issue—which has been championed by Republican-controlled legislatures across the country—before the voters as a ballot initiative.
It apparently ended this past week when state GOP officials quickly backed away from comments that party Chairman Tom Del Beccaro recently made about pushing for an initiative in the next election cycle. read more
Alameda County First to Demand Drug Companies Pay for Disposal
Alameda County spends around $330,000 a year disposing of prescription drugs before they endanger public health or the environment. On Tuesday, it became the first county in the country to tell drug makers to pick up the tab for collecting their own product. read more
Prop. 13 Still Undefeated Champion after 34 Years
Proposition 13, the tax initiative that not only froze tax rates in 1978 but restructured California politics and how the state does business, withstood yet another, albeit innovative, judicial challenge.
Former University of California, Los Angeles, Chancellor Charles M. Young was challenging only that part of the initiative that required two-thirds majorities in the Legislature to raise taxes, not the property tax caps. read more
Cheating Scandal Erupts after Governor Calls for Less School Testing
The state Department of Education announced it is delaying the release of standardized test results for two weeks while it investigates the online posting of test booklet photographs. Students at 11 high schools and one middle school posted photos, most likely taken with cellphones, of various pages, including some with test questions. read more
Lawsuit Fights for Right to Mutilate Sharks to Make Fin Soup
When California passed a law last year banning possession and sale of shark fins, it joined a worldwide movement against the mutilation of sharks for their fins and decimation of shark populations in general.
Last week, two groups sued in federal court to have the law overturned. read more
1 Million Tenants Are Victims of Foreclosure Crisis
Although foreclosures in California continue to wreak havoc on the lives of homeowners for the fifth year in a row, 1 million tenants have also been directly impacted by the crisis, according to Tenants Together, a statewide organization for renters’ rights. read more
Some Regional Utilities Are Struggling to Find Renewable Energy
As California races toward a 2020 deadline for its utilities to generate 33% of their electricity from renewable energy sources, some of them are badly lagging.
A report by the Union of Concerned Citizens (UCS) analyzed the state’s top 10 utilities, which provide about 25% of California’s electricity, and found a wide range of accomplishment. Three utilities were singled out as having gotten off to a “false start.” read more
Judges Revolt Against Their Own Bureaucracy
Not a lot was known about the California judiciary’s central bureaucracy outside the judiciary itself until the spectacular abandonment in March of a billion-dollar computer system under development for 10 years.
But the failure of the Court Case Management System (CCMS), coupled with massive budget cuts, put the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) under the microscope and exposed to public scrutiny an uprising by judges against the system that governed them. read more
Reports on Nursing Home Fraud and Neglect Get Little Notice
An advocacy group for nursing home reform released reports on widespread abuse and neglect at 14 sites, compiled over a two-year period by the state but generally not publicized. read more
No Artists Left on Art Museum Board
Artists have been the core of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles since abstract painter Sam Francis led their spirited campaign to establish it in 1979, but there are no longer any artists on its board of directors following a mass resignation in protest of museum policies. read more
Before San Bruno Blast, PG&E Wanted to Downgrade Gas Leaks to Save Money
Two years before the San Bruno gas pipeline explosion killed eight people and leveled a neighborhood in 2010, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) was discussing internally a plan to downgrade 2,304 serious leaks to avoid repairs and save nearly $5 million, according to a memo uncovered by the San Francisco Chronicle. read more
Hands-Free Texting Could be a Touchy Situation
California is one of 39 states that bans texting while driving, but a new law that takes effect January 1 will allow people with voice-activated technology to send messages while they’re behind the wheel.
However, it’s not clear who will be able to take advantage of it. read more
Red-Faced Apple Returns to Green Registry
When Apple announced last month that it was withdrawing 39 of its products from a U.S. government-backed registry of environmentally friendly products, Steren Agee analyst Shaw Wu said, “At the end of the day in a business it’s really about what works.”
By the end of last week, what worked for Apple was to reverse its decision and rejoin EPEAT, the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool. read more
Cudahy Officials Cop to Pot Shop Bribery, Skate on Election Fraud
Less than one month after being arrested by the FBI, former Cudahy Mayor David Silva and one-time City Manager Angel Perales agreed to plead guilty to bribery and extortion for their roles in the opening of a medical marijuana dispensary, but won’t face additional charges about election fraud and other corrupt practices they have admitted. read more