Articles tagged with jerry brown

 
Campus threat. A 19-year-old student has been detained as a “person of interest” in connection with threats to Santa Monica College and East L.A. College and lockdowns have been lifted at the schools. 

Police got a call around 8 o’clock this morning from a man identifying himself as a student, saying he was going to bring an assault weapon to the schools and shoot up …

Governor’s budget. Gov. Jerry Brown’s latest budget proposal includes more money for schools, and less money for just about everything else. Even with state revenues surging, Brown’s revised budget trims $1.3 billion from the plan he presented in January.
Brown says there’s no guarantee the surge in tax revenue will last. And he says California’s finances remain unstable because of the federal sequester budget cuts …

Dealing with defiance. The L.A. Board of Education is due to vote tomorrow on a landmark resolution that would ban suspensions for what’s called “willful defiance.” The move comes amid a growing belief in some quarters that suspending students for disruptive behavior is counterproductive.
“Willful defiance” can involve anything from cursing at a teacher to incessant talking or failing to wear a school uniform. The …

Home stretch. They weren’t exactly making nice, but when pressed both candidates for mayor of Los Angeles said their opponent was basically honest. Still, City Controller Wendy Greuel and City Councilman Eric Garcetti found plenty of other things to disagree about during their latest debate.
Moderator Jim Newton of the L.A. Times noted the sharply negative tone of the campaign in recent weeks and asked …

Fire danger. Warnings of an early and severe fire season are proving to be prescient.
The fast-burning, 10,000-acre Springs Fire in Ventura County is threatening up to 4,000 homes, with just 10 percent containment this morning. And there are fears that could it explode in size as a result of high heat, tinder-dry conditions and Santa Ana winds that are expected to blow until this …

Prison pinch. The clock is ticking for Governor Jerry Brown: Federal judges have given Brown until midnight tonight to explain how the state will further reduce its prison population.
California has already released tens of thousands of inmates or transferred them to local jails as part of Brown’s realignment program. But the courts say California needs to shed another 9,000 inmates to insure that remaining …

Prison problems. California is going to need to find a place to put more than 3,000 inmates currently serving time at the Pleasant Valley and Avenal prisons. The federal official responsible for overseeing healthcare in state lockups says prisoners who are at high-risk for contracting valley fever will have to be housed elsewhere. That includes inmates with chronic illnesses, such as HIV infection, but …

Jackson trial. Michael Jackson has been dead and buried for nearly four years. But the answer to the question of who bears responsibility for the pop star’s overdose on the narcotic propofol could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, or a billion, if you believe the Jackson family. Arguments are scheduled to begin today in L.A. in the family’s wrongful death lawsuit against concert …

Who’s in first? A new poll finds a dramatic turnaround in the L.A. mayor’s contest – with City Controller Wendy Gruel edging ahead of City Councilman Eric Garcetti by three percentage points. But not everyone is convinced it reflects the true state of the race. The poll by Survey USA It shows Greuel with 45 percent support, Garcetti with 42 percent, and 13 percent …

Patient dumping. L.A. is investigating allegations that Nevada’s main psychiatric hospital has been busing indigent patients to California cities. L.A. County mental health officials say no patients from Nevada have been identified so far. But they plan to take a closer look. The Sacramento Bee has reported that more than 200 patients released from the Nevada facility were given one-way bus tickets to L.A. …

Conversion therapy. In San Francisco today, a federal appeals panel will hear arguments on a new state law that outlaws so-called “conversion therapy.” The treatment, which is aimed at making gay and lesbian teenager straight, has been dismissed as ineffective and dangerous by many mental health professionals. But critics say the ban violates the civil rights of practitioners and parents. Governor Jerry Brown signed …

Meningitis scare. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation is offering free antibiotic vaccines today at its pharmacies and offices in West Hollywood and Hollywood. A 33-year-old West Hollywood man died after attending an annual Easter weekend gathering of gay men in Palm Springs known as the White Party. Brad Shaad is believed to have contracted meningities from other men attending the event from New York City. …

Opening salvos. Mayoral candidates Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti took a mostly upbeat tone in their first one-on-one debate. The two liberal Democrats spent much of their time attempting to distinguish themselves from one another. As expected, City Councilman Garcetti tried to make an issue of Greuel’s union support, insisting that he would be the more independent mayor. The City Controller pointed out that …

California Governor Brown is in the midst of a week-long visit to China, where he hopes to drum up trade and investment.
In Beijing, he talked to students, academics and energy officials about collaborating in a greener future.
Reporter Jocelyn Ford tagged along to see what kind of traction the governor’s clean ‘n green ideas are getting in the capital of the world’s most polluted country.
Governor …

Day of activism. Marches, rallies, prayer vigils and voter registration drives are taking place up and down California and nationwide today as activists work to shape the immigration reform debate.  A major rally is also scheduled in Washington, D.C., where bipartisan groups in the House and Senate are putting the finishing touches on reform proposals. The activists want to make sure those proposals include …

Gov. Jerry Brown is heading to China this week to promote California to Chinese investors and expand our economic ties.
On the agenda for the six-day trip is the opening of a California trade and investment office in Shanghai, the first since the state closed its two Chinese trade offices a decade ago.
Brown and his entourage will also visit electric car-maker BYD in the southern …

China bound. Governor Jerry Brown hopes his trip to China will yield California a bigger share of that country’s burgeoning foreign investment. Brown leaves today on his most high-profile overseas jaunt since retaking the governor’s office two years ago. Aides say Brown plans to sign deals establishing government research partnerships and will push California’s clean-technology sector. But a main goal will be attracting more …

Governor Jerry Brown is heading to China next week to promote California to Chinese investors and expand the state’s economic ties.
His office released details of the six-day trip, which will include stops in Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
In Shanghai, he’ll open California’s first foreign trade office since the state closed its two offices there a decade ago. And he’ll look for opportunities to …

Play ball! It’s Opening Day at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers will take on the World Series Champion San Francisco Giants at 1:10 this afternoon. The Dodgers are upping the ante in a big way this year: Their $230 million payroll is the highest in Major League history. Fans today will also get a look at a $100 million renovation of Dodger Stadium, completed just …

Pope Francis. Southern California Catholics are celebrating the selection of the new Pope. Former Archbishop of Argentina Jorge Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, is the first pontiff to hail from Latin America, and the first who is primarily a Spanish speaker. The ascension of Francis comes at a difficult time for the L.A. Archdiocese, which continues to be dogged by sexual abuse scandals. L.A. Archbishop …