Controversies
San Francisco Gives “Google Buses” the Right of Way
The controversial 18-month pilot Commuter Shuttle Program is officially permanent. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) board of directors unanimously voted Tuesday to adopt a plan that limits shuttle routes and discourages giant double-deck buses from driving on small streets, parking wherever they want and using all the MTA bus stops. read more
California Dumps Community College Accreditor after Fight over S.F. City College
It could take years for the state to find a replacement accreditor and would probably need approval from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). In the meantime, the private Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) is expected to move forward with its efforts to force changes at 80,000-student City College. Defenders of the school claim those changes are heavily influenced by politics. read more
Santa Barbara Oil Spill Follow-Up: Time to Clean the Decrepit Pipeline
Federal regulators ordered Plains All American Pipeline (PAAP) to purge Line 903 immediately because there is a “likelihood of serious harm to life, property, or the environment.” The unprocessed oil contains natural gas and a host of contaminants. “It does not appear that Plains has an effective corrosion control program,” the PHMSA wrote in its order. read more
3-Week-Old Noxious Gas Leak at Giant Storage Facility Unsettles Residents
The leak is located in the Santa Susana Mountains, one mile from San Fernando Valley homes and 1,200 feet higher. Nearby residents have been complaining of the godawful smell and headaches for nearly three weeks while the company tries to plug a leaking 40-year-old gas pipe at the bottom of an 8,750-foot-deep well. On Friday, they were warned to stay in their homes for hours in the afternoon to avoid an oily mist generated by the latest repair effort. read more
California Sixth–Grade Science Books on the Fence over Climate Change
The researchers did linguistic analyses of the books and found that 279 clauses containing 2,770 words discussed global warming. The books communicated that there is a chance the world was warming, humans may or may not have something to do with that and it was uncertain whether anything should or could be done about it. read more
Orange County Politics Give Regional Air Board a GOP Tilt
“This is definitely reason to celebrate,” Orange County GOP Chairman Fred Whitaker told the Orange County Register. He complained about AQMD treatment of gas stations and the prospect of regulations governing trucks carrying goods from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Councilman Robinson, the AQMD board member, is vice president and general manager of Los Angeles Harbor Grain Terminal. read more
State Education Officials Agree: Fake Classes Must Go
The class-action lawsuit, filed in May 2014, alleged that students in some Los Angeles County and Oakland schools attended sham classes, slogged through make-work assignments, performed menial tasks, ran errands for teachers and went home early. The schools are in disadvantaged, mostly minority areas. The settlement’s effect is expected to be widespread. read more
Time Runs Short for City to Avert “Catastrophe” from Collapse of 99-Year-Old Dam
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a report in June that said the dam was unsafe and could fail if rain ever returned to the area. They estimated it could take two years to make the needed repairs. But winter is upon us, and El Nino looms, with the potential to bring record precipitation and cause unprecedented damage. So, California’s Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) began work on a quicker fix and announced what it was doing and why this week. read more
Nunchucks Make a Comeback on Small, Rural California Police Force
Nunchucks, also known as nunchakus, are illegal in California. Only martial arts participants and law enforcement personnel are allowed to wield the weapon made famous by movie star Bruce Lee. They were pretty popular in the 1980s among police agencies, but fell out of favor about the time the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) got sued for using them on anti-abortion protesters in 1991. read more
State Says Doctors Don't Have to Tell Patients They Are on Probation
The Medical Board of California rejected a petition from Consumers Union to make doctors on probation give patients the same information they must provide to hospitals and insurance companies. But the board will think about it. First, they want a task force to investigate some of the issues raised. In the meantime, patients can find out about a doctor’s status by visiting the medical board’s website. read more
Dismal Chinook Salmon Run Brings State Extinction Closer
NMFS spokesman Garwin Yip told the San Francisco Chronicle, “We think it is temperature-related.” Since the salmon return after three years, a third bad year in a row in 2016 could spell extinction for them in California. Chinook, a mainstay of California’s $1.4-billion salmon fishing industry, vie for water with agricultural interests upstream. read more
Parent of Orange County Register Declares Bankruptcy, Again
It was the second Chapter 11 filing in six years for the company, which immediately became the subject of speculation that a bidding war was brewing between Tribune Publishing, which owns the Los Angeles Times, and a group headed by Freedom Newspapers’ current chief operating officer, former casino executive Rich Mirman. read more
L.A. Has Plan to Reclaim Campus for Vets, but Not for Getting Rid of Commercial Tenants
The new plan is significantly different from a proposed master plan in 2011 for the 387-acre property that retained the 21 existing “enhanced sharing agreements” with private Brentwood School, Sodexho Marriott Laundry Services and others. The plan calls for building 700 transitional housing units and 900 permanent units. A 200-bed inpatient hospital, the “New Bed Care Tower,” would be constructed by 2020. read more
Cities Battle Smartphone App that “Fixes” Tickets
At least three California cities—Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland—have allegedly blocked the smartphone app Fixed, which offers users a decent chance of beating a parking ticket. It launched in February 2014 and has reportedly gotten 10,000 tickets tossed. Fixed co-founder David Hegarty told TechCrunch, “Over 50% of tickets have an issue or error that makes them invalid.” read more
FBI Takes a Shot at Nursing Home Chain
FBI spokesperson Laura Eimiller told the Sacramento Bee the feds were “seeking evidence in relation to alleged criminal activity” at the 99-bed facility. No one was arrested and “patients were not removed or even disturbed,” but the FBI did take some documents. The Bee ran a series of stories last year on the center's owner, Shlomo Rechnitz of Los Angeles, cataloguing a litany of negligence and abuse at other facilities operated by his Brius Healthcare Services. read more
30 Sheriffs Want More High-Capacity Gun Magazines in L.A.
Folks, with exceptions for law enforcement, museum collections, gunsmiths, entertainment productions and others, are not allowed to possess the high-capacity gun magazines within L.A. city limits. People who have the magazines must surrender them by November 18 and those who get caught violating the law a year after passage will be subject to misdemeanor prosecution. read more