The following are news stories of note from California and the 24th Congressional District. Remember that some sites require registration and some sites require a subscription. Posting of news stories, editorials, or opinion pieces here are informational only and do not imply an endorsement of the authors' views by Rep. Gallegly.
Los Padres National Forest relaxes fire restrictions
Staff Report | Posted: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 10:07 am
Campfires and charcoal barbecues will be allowed in all areas of Los Padres National Forest under relaxed fire restrictions, the U.S. Forest Service announced today.
Snow and rain across Los Padres has provided sufficient moisture levels to reduce fire restrictions in the forest effective immediately, according to the Forest Service. Smoking and target shooting prohibitions in Los Padres are also being lifted.
A free California campfire permit is required to build a campfire outside of designated campfire use sites. Visitors who build wood or charcoal fires outside of designated campfire use sites also must clear all flammable material for a minimum of 5 feet in all directions; have a shovel available for preparing and extinguishing the fire; have a responsible person in attendance at all times; and extinguish the fire with water, using the "drown, stir and feel" method. http://lompocrecord.com/news/local/article_bda83eec-f72c-11df-92d0-001cc4c03286.html
Charred acreage down significantly
By Marga K. Cooley/Associate Editor mcooley@lompocrecord.com | Posted: Saturday, November 20, 2010 10:30 pm
When people talk about fire season on the Central Coast, they usually talk about destruction.
This year, however, stands out for the lack of it.
It’s not that there have been fewer fires in the Los Padres National Forest, which encompasses most of Santa Barbara County. It’s just that they haven’t burned much.
http://lompocrecord.com/news/local/article_c43486fe-f537-11df-b651-001cc4c002e0.html
Unemployment rate drops in SB County
Staff Report | Posted: Friday, November 19, 2010 11:07 pm
The unemployment rate in Santa Barbara County has dipped below 9 percent, while San Luis Obispo County has slipped under 10 percent, according to data from the state.
In Santa Barbara County, the rate for October was 8.7 percent, 0.3 percent lower than a month earlier. The figure is third lowest among the state’s 58 counties.
For San Luis Obispo County, unemployment is at 9.4 percent — down from 10 percent in September. The county ranks eighth lowest in unemployment.
http://lompocrecord.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_9c506eda-f476-11df-9799-001cc4c03286.html
Support wanes for law on decommissioned offshore rigs
GARRY WORMSER, NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
November 22, 2010 6:34 AM
Even though offshore oil and gas platforms dotting the coast of Santa Barbara make excellent artificial reefs and have helped increase marine populations, the fishing industry opposes financial benefits that could accrue to energy producers if and when the rigs are decommissioned.
A 6-year study by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement released last week explained that commercially depleted species of juvenile and adult rockfish were found in abundance around California's offshore platforms. The investigation was designed to enhance the agency's scientific knowledge of fish populations, especially as drilling platforms are gradually decommissioned on the Pacific Outer Shelf.
"We initially supported a 'Rigs for Reefs' bill that was vetoed by Governor Gray Davis," said Bob Fletcher, a founding member of the Partnership for Sustainable Oceans. "It would have allowed the oil and gas industries to save hundreds of million of dollars by amputating decommissioned oil and gas platforms forty feet below the ocean's surface instead of removing them entirely from the sea floor," he explained.
http://www.newspress.com/Top/Article/article.jsp?Section=LOCAL&ID=565970566071320656
California Coastal Commission changes target agriculture
SONIA FERNANDEZ, NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
November 21, 2010 7:35 AM
The California Coastal Commission voted 10-2 to implement staff modifications in its update to the Santa Barbara County Local Coastal Plan, in effect creating a new Land Use Development Code and bringing the County's planning regulations in conformance with the Coastal Act. The vote was made after hours of discussion which was built upon months of contention between the county and the state body.
The update, made last Thursday, brings substantial changes to Santa Barbara County's way of planning and permitting projects, particularly in the agricultural Gaviota Coast area. What was initially seen as a relatively minor update by county staff when they presented the project to the Board of Supervisors in 2006 became major changes to the Coastal Commission staff. Simultaneously, lack of resources in recent years and the complications in the changes the county made, plus the modifications commission staff suggested, made for a very contentious topic over the last year.
"There is this built in tension between local government and the commission. There's nothing new about that," said Coastal Commission Executive Director Peter Douglas, who also pointed out that the uncertainty that the $28 billion state budget deficit may serve to complicate things further.
http://www.newspress.com/Top/Article/article.jsp?Section=LOCAL&ID=565970033495375935
Air Force Sgt. Butler, wounded in Kandahar, recovering in rehab - Sergeant survived blast that killed Airman Daniel Johnson
NORA K. WALLACE, NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
November 20, 2010 6:30 AM
Despite being just 10 feet from the detonation of an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan that also killed a friend, Tech. Sgt. Robert Butler wants nothing more than to come home to Vandenberg Air Force Base and get back to work.
The Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician is now being treated at a Veterans Affairs rehabilitation hospital in Palo Alto, after spending more than a month at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.
The Vandenberg man was seriously injured in the Oct. 5 blast that took the life of his squadron mate, Senior Airman Daniel Johnson, while on patrol in Kandahar.
http://www.newspress.com/Top/Article/article.jsp?Section=LOCAL&ID=565969466559692844
County unemployment drops to 8.7 percent - 19,000 in county still out of work
RAY ESTRADA, NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
November 20, 2010 7:02 AM
In what some experts say is ray of sunshine, Santa Barbara County's unemployment rate for October dropped to 8.7 percent, down one-third of a percent from September.
The state Employment Development Department said Friday the county's average unadjusted unemployment rate for October 2010 is also down one-tenth of a percent from the revised 8.8 percent rate recorded a year ago for September 2009.
"We're glad to see the county's unemployment rates drop, especially as we enter the holiday season," said Karen Dwyer, a director on the county's Workforce Investment Board. "We need to remember, however, that we're talking about real people, not just numbers, and we have more than 19,000 people unemployed in our county who want to work, and we still have a long way to go to make sure that everybody who can is back to work."
http://www.newspress.com/Top/Article/article.jsp?Section=LOCAL&ID=565969483739562032
Human error blamed for vote count errors
By Kathleen Wilson
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Human error led to incorrect tallies in a close race for the Ojai City Council and five races in Camarillo, Ventura County Clerk-Recorder Mark Lunn said Tuesday.
Lunn certified the vote as final and official Friday, but said he filed an amendment with the correct totals Tuesday after finding and correcting the mistakes.
He said the corrections did not change the finish for any of the races. But Ojai City Council candidate Leonard Klaif isn’t satisfied, at least not yet.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/nov/23/human-error-blamed-for-vote-count-errors/
Supervisors adopt new mulch rules to help prevent fires
By Kathleen Wilson
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
New rules limiting the use of mulch were approved Tuesday in an effort to prevent fires, with another round on the way to prevent mass dumping of yard waste.
Under the fire safety rules approved by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, gardeners will have to get permits if they want to store more than 200 cubic yards of mulch. But the board dropped a requirement that growers obtain permits before they could store more than 1,000 cubic yards of mulch for agricultural use.
The decision came after officials in the Ventura County Fire Department reached a compromise with the Farm Bureau of Ventura County, which said the original proposal would deter growers from using mulch at all.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/nov/23/supervisors-adopt-new-mulch-rules-to-help-fires/
County's unemployment drops to 10.5%
National, state jobless rates stay steady
By Stephanie Hoops
Originally published 09:48 a.m., November 19, 2010
Updated 07:24 p.m., November 19, 2010
Ventura County’s unemployment rate dropped significantly in October, falling from a revised 11.1 percent in September to 10.5 percent, state officials said Friday.
The slide was an improvement not seen in the state or nation as a whole. California’s unemployment rate stuck at 12.4 percent, and the national rate remained 9.6 percent.
Sung Won Sohn, an economist at CSU Channel Islands in Camarillo, does not believe the county’s shrinking unemployment rate is necessarily indicative of a significant recovery in the local employment market.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/nov/19/countys-unemployment-drops-significantly/
Campaign aims to attract companies to Ventura County
By Rachel McGrath
Friday, November 19, 2010
Two Ventura County business organizations have launched a campaign to promote the benefits of doing business in the region and help create jobs.
The “Grow Your Business, Live Your Life” campaign aims to persuade employers to locate or expand their companies here, based on the quality of life and business-friendly environment of Ventura County. The effort is being led by the Workforce Investment Board of Ventura County and the Economic Development Collaborative-Ventura County.
“Ventura County is a very well-kept secret,” said Cheryl Moore, the board’s executive director. “We have remarkable attributes, and employers don’t always know that we have them.”
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/nov/19/campaign-aims-to-attract/
E-mails reveal clashes over high-speed rail project
Two board members also have other transit responsibilities. Do their multiple roles enrich the board or set the scene for conflicting interests?
By Rich Connell, Los Angeles Times
November 24, 2010
The mayor of Anaheim was irate.
Planners at the California High-Speed Rail Authority were suggesting that local officials consider moving a proposed multimillion-dollar transportation mega hub to the other side of a freeway so it would be easier to connect tracks for a bullet train.
"This borders on complete incompetence," Mayor Curt Pringle fumed in a message to the state agency's top executive. "I am very angry.... I am NOT KIDDING!"
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-high-speed-rail-email-20101124,0,525426.story
California group pushes initiative modeled on Arizona's immigration-status law
Secretary of state says the proponents can begin collecting signatures. The law would require state and local officers to check status of those they lawfully stop and 'reasonably' suspect of being illegal immigrants.
By Abby Sewell, Los Angeles Times
November 24, 2010
Proponents of a California initiative modeled after Arizona's controversial immigration law may begin gathering signatures to place the measure on the ballot in 2012, California Secretary of State Debra Bowen announced Tuesday.
The measure would require state and local law enforcement officers to investigate the immigration status of anyone they lawfully stop and "reasonably" suspect may be in the country illegally. It would also make it a crime for illegal immigrants to seek work while concealing their legal status and for employers to "intentionally or negligently" hire them.
Initiative proponent Michael Erickson would need to collect signatures from 433,971 registered voters by April 21, 2011, to qualify it for the ballot. If it is validated, the measure could be placed before voters in February or June of 2012.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-1124-arizona-law-20101124,0,7284739.story
Judge may bar sale of 24 California buildings
A suit contends the state cannot sell court facilities without the approval of the state Judicial Council. The governor proposes selling the buildings for $1.2 billion and leasing the office space back.
By Maria L. La Ganga, Los Angeles Times
November 23, 2010
A San Francisco judge said Monday that she would consider whether to block the sale of more than 20 state buildings, including the home of the California Supreme Court, before the close of escrow next month.
A lawsuit, filed on behalf of two former members of the Los Angeles State Building Authority, contends the state cannot sell buildings that house the appellate courts without the approval of the state Judicial Council, the courts' policy-making body headed by Chief Justice Ronald M. George.
"The governor can't go selling the judiciary's buildings because of the separation of the branches of government," Joseph Cotchett, the lawyer who filed the suit, said outside Superior Court Judge Charlotte Woolard's courtroom Monday. "As to the other buildings, it's a waste … like going to a loan shark when you need money."
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-state-sale-20101123,0,1601490.story
State's stem cell agency seeks more time, money
After six years, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine has faced questions about leaders' pay and the lack of medical breakthroughs. But its chairman plans to ask voters for another $3 billion in bonds.
By Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times
November 22, 2010
When millionaire Silicon Valley real estate developer Bob Klein launched his ballot drive to create a $3-billion state fund for stem-cell research in 2004, he pitched it as a way of taking politics out of science and focusing on cures. One particularly heartbreaking campaign ad showed former big screen Superman Christopher Reeve paralyzed in a wheelchair, struggling for breath and imploring California voters to "stand up for those who can't."
Next month, Klein's six-year term as chairman of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine expires. Under his stewardship, the agency has funded research leading to hundreds of scientific papers, but scientists say marketable therapies for maladies such as cancer, Alzheimer's and spinal cord damage promised during the campaign remain years, if not decades, away.
In a recent interview with The Times, Klein said he plans to ask voters to approve another $3 billion in a bond measure on the 2014 ballot to keep the stem cell program going.
http://www.latimes.com/health/la-me-stem-cell-20101122,0,586087.story
California universities' tuition hikes raise concern
Students may take more time out, switch to other schools or drop out altogether because of the repeated increases at UC and CSU, experts say. But research on the issue is lacking.
By Carla Rivera, Los Angeles Times
November 22, 2010
Since he entered UCLA in 2006, Carlos Juarez has interrupted his studies at the Westwood campus four times in response to increasing fees.
At Cal State Fullerton, the rising cost of her education has caused Michelle Santizo to reduce her status to part time, and the health science major will leave the school next semester to complete her coursework at a less-costly community college.
The two students have come of age at a time of unprecedented change at California's public universities, when students and their families are being asked to pay a greater share of education costs because of declining state funding.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-tuition-impact-20101122,0,4769213.story
Task force wants Jerry Brown to create climate change panel
A group of business people, academics and environmentalists wants the incoming governor to coordinate data-gathering and monitoring of sea levels and water supplies.
By Margot Roosevelt, Los Angeles Times
November 22, 2010
A task force of California politicians, business people, academics and environmentalists is calling on incoming Gov. Jerry Brown to appoint a climate risk council within his office to focus statewide attention on adapting to the effects of global warming.
In a report to be released Monday, the 23-member California Adaptation Advisory Panel, a group convened by the Los Angeles-based Pacific Council on International Policy calls for stepped-up data-gathering, monitoring and coordination among state agencies and in the private sector to prepare for a steep sea level rise, diminishing water supplies and the spread of wildfire, as studies have predicted.
"Adaptation to climate change has been virtually ignored," said panel Co-chairman William K. Reilly, a former administrator with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-climate-california-20101122,0,4205899.story
Bay Area races increase scrutiny of ranked-choice voting
The method avoids runoffs by having voters pick candidates in order of preference. Some question its fairness, but all agree it will transform the nature of campaigning.
By Lee Romney, Los Angeles Times
November 20, 2010
Reporting from Oakland
Ranked-choice balloting, in which voters select candidates in order of preference instead of picking just one, is growing in popularity around the country.
Backers laud it for eliminating costly runoffs with historically poor turnout, discouraging negative campaigning and allowing voters to back candidates they believe in without fear of a spoiler effect.
But the results of this month's Oakland mayor's race and two San Francisco contests have heightened scrutiny of the system. Although some question its fairness, all agree it will transform the nature of campaigning.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ranked-choice-20101120,0,6759361.story
Federal agency failed to follow safety rules prior to desert crash, report finds
The Bureau of Land Management's state director says it is cooperating fully with the CHP investigation into the August crash during the California 200 in which eight people were killed and 10 hurt.
By Phil Willon, Los Angeles Times
November 20, 2010
The federal Bureau of Land Management failed to follow its own safety and regulatory procedures during an August off-road desert race in San Bernardino County in which eight spectators were killed after a racer crashed into a crowd, an internal agency report released Friday concluded.
Similar failures for permitted off-road events occurred throughout the 11 million acres of California desert under the federal agency's control, the report found.
"We are cooperating fully with the California Highway Patrol's ongoing investigation into the accident, but our own internal review found we did not follow agency procedures in permitting and overseeing the event," acting BLM State Director Jim Abbott said in a prepared statement released Friday. "We have swiftly taken corrective action … raising the bar for oversight and safety at all such events, and moving forward with a sense of shared responsibility and accountability."
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-desert-crash-20101120,0,2323602.story
Metrolink adding to fleet of crash-savvy cars
The commuter railroad is buying 20 more Hyundai Rotem Co. coaches, which will make up 137 of 160 passenger cars. Some of the state-of-the-art passenger units will be rolled out next month.
By Dan Weikel, Los Angeles Times
November 20, 2010
Bolstering the effort to improve safety at Metrolink, directors of the commuter railroad on Friday agreed to buy 20 more state-of-the-art train cars that can better protect passengers and crews during a crash.
The board of the Southern California Regional Rail Authority pushed aside financial pressures and unanimously voted to exercise an option to buy the cars made by the South Korean Hyundai Rotem Co. for $1.68 million each, about $1 million below the market value.
Rotem cars have energy-absorbing crush zones and other safety improvements now required by the federal government — measures that Metrolink has sought since a deadly crash on the border of Glendale and Los Angeles five years ago that killed 11.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-metrolink-20101120,0,939252.story
Challengers prevail in close elections
By Brian Bullock/Staff Writer bbullock@lompocrecord.com | Posted: Wednesday, November 24, 2010 9:36 pm
Even though the Santa Barbara County elections office won’t certify the
Nov. 2 general election results until next week, it appears closely contested races for two school boards and a water board are over.
By only eight votes out of 4,865 cast, Karen Carroll has won the at-large seat on the ID1 water district board now that all ballots have been counted, according to an updated tally from the Santa Barbara County Elections Division.
The Rev. Will Smith has unseated incumbent Jody Oliver on the Santa Maria-Bonita School District board and Eva Cedillo edged incumbent Mary Lou Sabedra-Cuello in the Guadalupe Union School District race.
http://lompocrecord.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_3bb2c1fc-f856-11df-9af5-001cc4c03286.html
Owner of Ojai quarry appeals decision on alleged violations
By Kathleen Wilson
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Quarry owner Larry Mosler filed an appeal Wednesday to take his fight over violations county officials say exist at his Ojai-area mine to the county Board of Supervisors, probably by early next year.
The Newbury Park resident said he still hoped to settle the dispute with county planning managers but is appealing to preserve his right to take legal action.
“I want to work with these people because it’s the cheapest way out of this problem and the fastest way out of this problem, but if they take a hard line and there’s no negotiating, what can I do?” he said Wednesday.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/nov/24/owner-of-ojai-quarry-appeals-decision-on-alleged/
County revises election results
candidates have five days to seek recount
By Kathleen Wilson
Originally published 05:56 p.m., November 24, 2010
Updated 05:58 p.m., November 24, 2010
County Clerk-Recorder Mark Lunn revised flawed election results for nine races in an amended certification Wednesday, allowing candidates in the contests another five days to seek a recount.
The amendment came less than a week after Lunn certified the results on Nov. 19, then discovered that elections workers had miscounted votes for races in Camarillo and Ojai.
The errors changed the vote totals but not the finish in the contests. The errors were confined to a couple of precincts, officials said.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/nov/24/county-revises-election-results-candidates-have/
High Speed Rail Authority seeks approval for first phase of construction
By Timm Herdt
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
SACRAMENTO — Officials at the California High-Speed Rail Authority said Wednesday they will ask board members next week to approve the first phase of construction — a 54-mile stretch of track that will run through the heart of Fresno.
The hope is that this initial phase, funded by $4.3 billion in federal stimulus money, will ultimately be connected to a high-speed system that will run from Los Angeles to San Francisco.
As a stand-alone section, the proposed segment would never be electrified and never actually carry trains. Officials are hoping, however, that by the time the initial segment is completed, funding will be secured to extend the track either north to Merced or south to Bakersfield, at which point the state’s first high-speed passenger service would begin.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/nov/24/high-speed-rail-authority-seeks-approval-for-of/
Steve Cooley concedes race for attorney general to Kamala Harris
The L.A. County D.A.'s action ends weeks of uncertainty in one of the closest statewide elections in California history. The San Francisco D.A.'s victory completes the Democrats' sweep of statewide offices.
By Jack Leonard and Seema Mehta, Times Staff Writers
November 25, 2010
Democrats completed a clean sweep of California's statewide offices Wednesday as Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley conceded the race for attorney general, ending weeks of uncertainty in one of the closest statewide elections in California history.
With the number of uncounted ballots dwindling and his rival's lead at more than 50,000 votes, Cooley telephoned San Francisco Dist. Atty. Kamala Harris early Wednesday to congratulate the Democratic victor.
Cooley's loss delivered yet another blow to state Republicans reeling from their failure to capture the governor's mansion or a U.S. Senate seat.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cooley-20101125,0,1866981.story
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta's ecological decline is breathing new life into bypass proposals
A plan for a huge tunnel is the leading contender as the state looks for a way to save the delta at the same time it slakes thirsts in Southern California.
By Bettina Boxall, Los Angeles Times
5:38 PM PST, November 24, 2010
Reporting from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
A drilling rig bit into the bed of California's biggest river, hauling up sage-green tubes of clay and sand the consistency of uncooked fudge.
The rig workers rolled the muck into strips, dried it in sugar-sized cubes and crushed them under their palms. They packed slices into carefully labeled canning jars for testing at an engineering lab.
They were taking the river bottom samples for a $13-billion project that would shunt water around — or under — the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the big aqueducts that ferry supplies south.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-water-delta-20101125,0,1440560.story
Airman’s name to be added to SM memorial
By Janene Scully / Associate Editor / janscully@lompocrecord.com | Posted: Friday, November 26, 2010 12:00 am
The name of Vandenberg Air Force Base’s first war casualty from Afghanistan will be added to the Freedom Monument Veterans Memorial in Santa Maria in December.
The plaque bearing Senior Airman Daniel Johnson’s name will be unveiled during an annual ceremony at 10 a.m. Dec. 7 in front of the Maldonado Community Youth Center, 600 S. McClelland St. In case of rain, the ceremony will move inside the youth center.
Johnson, a 23-year-old member of the Vandenberg’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, died Oct. 5 during an attack in Afghanistan.
http://lompocrecord.com/news/local/military/article_ebfdf486-f924-11df-89a8-001cc4c002e0.html
VAFB learning center moves toward reality
By Janene Scully / Associate Editor / janscully@lompocrecord.com | Posted: Friday, November 26, 2010 12:00 am
Airmen attending space and missile training at Vandenberg Air Force Base will soon have a new facility for studying outside the classroom.
The 381st Training Group recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new $716,000 Student Learning Center, which will join more than a dozen other buildings that make up the campus at Vandenberg.
The 2,000-square-foot building should be completed by August 2011, and will accommodate some 400 airmen a year.
http://lompocrecord.com/news/local/military/vandenberg/article_1f4a2710-f925-11df-91fd-001cc4c002e0.html
Santa Barbara County fire officials lower fire preparedness level
Angel Pacheco
November 26, 2010 6:16 AM
Residents can breath a sigh of relief, as Santa Barbara County will transition to low fire season Monday.
During the lowered preparedness level, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department's staffing will vary day to day, based on predicted weather patterns. Staffing will have the ability to be increased should the need arise.
The switch also means that the ban on controlled burns in state and local responsibility areas within county fire's jurisdiction will be lifted, and those with valid permits will be able to resume their burns.
http://www.newspress.com/Top/Article/article.jsp?Section=LOCAL&ID=565972765094576193
Fernandez to step down as director of Cabrillo Economic Development Corp.
By John Scheibe
Thursday, November 25, 2010
For Rodney Fernandez, it all began with his first job out of college in 1968, working for the Los Angeles Redevelopment Agency.
Now, 42 years later, Fernandez has decided to step down as executive director of the Cabrillo Economic Development Corp., a nonprofit organization that has provided affordable housing to thousands of low- and medium-income residents across Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
“I’m looking forward to the next phase of my life,” Fernandez, 65, said from his Santa Paula home this week as he ticked off a list of things he still wants to do. They include teaching nonprofit management and community development techniques so others can bring affordable housing to their communities.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/nov/25/fernandez-to-step-down-as-director-of-cabrillo/
Schwarzenegger making some scenes before making his exit
Accustomed to the spotlight, the actor-turned-governor is letting loose like never before in the sunset of his administration. 'I don't buy into the lame-duck thing,' he says.
By Shane Goldmacher, Los Angeles Times
8:17 PM PST, November 25, 2010
Reporting from Sacramento
It doesn't seem to bother Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that many Californians would prefer he just fade away.
Instead, with his days in office numbered and the limelight shifting to his newly elected successor, the former film star seems to be doing everything he can to keep the spotlight on himself.
He's made news jousting with Sarah Palin on Twitter. He settled into the big chair on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" to brag about signing a law downgrading smoking pot to the seriousness of a traffic ticket. And he's apparently abandoned political correctness, dropping a raw if colorful reference to male anatomy into an official condolence statement on the death of a Hollywood luminary.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-arnold-20101126,0,3509972.story
Riding for heroes
By Janene Scully/Associate Editor janscully@lompocrecord.com | Posted: Saturday, November 27, 2010 10:26 pm
When Senior Airman Daniel Johnson’s body was returned to the Central Coast in October, some strangers were present not only to pay their respects, but also to ensure that his family could mourn in peace.
Those strangers, members of the American Legion Riders and Patriot Guard Riders, were waiting at Vandenberg Air Force Base as Johnson’s body was removed from the plane. The explosive ordnance-disposal technician was killed Oct. 5 in Afghanistan.
They remained through the day as services were held at Vandenberg and in Santa Maria and returned the next day for his burial at Santa Maria Cemetery.
http://lompocrecord.com/news/local/military/article_c752bc1c-fab8-11df-a3ee-001cc4c002e0.html
County transitions to low fire season
By Samantha Yale Scroggin/Staff Writer sscroggin@lompocrecord.com | Posted: Friday, November 26, 2010 10:52 pm
The Santa Barbara County Fire Department will follow in the footsteps of other local public service agencies Monday when it transitions into the time of year with lower risk of wildfires and fewer burning restrictions.
Starting at 8 a.m. Monday, the county Fire Department will step down from a high-fire-season preparedness level to a lower one.
“Response levels may vary on a daily basis based on predicted weather patterns and local fuel moisture levels,” said Capt. David Sadecki in a press release.
http://lompocrecord.com/news/local/article_1311e3d8-f9f3-11df-bce0-001cc4c03286.html
California prison overcrowding case heads to Supreme Court
The state is appealing a 2009 federal judicial order to reduce the prison population by more than 40,000 in two years. Lawyers for 18 other states are backing the appeal.
By David G. Savage and Carol J. Williams, Los Angeles Times
November 29, 2010
Reporting from Washington and Los Angeles
The suicide rate in California's overcrowded prisons is nearly twice the national average, and one inmate dies every eight days from inadequate medical care.
These are just two indicators cited in the 15-year legal battle over whether the state's prisons are failing to provide humane medical care for the 165,000 inmates.
On Tuesday, the problems of California's prisons will move to a national stage when the Supreme Court hears the state's challenge to an extraordinary court order that would require the prison population to be reduced by about 25% in two years. That could mean releasing or transferring more than 40,000 inmates, state lawyers say.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-california-prisons-20101129,0,933672.story
Gang leader blamed in Ciudad Juarez violence arrested
Arturo Gallegos Castrellon is described as the main leader of the Aztecas street gang. Mexican authorities say he confessed to numerous killings, including that of a U.S. consular employee that was previously blamed on a different Aztecas leader.
By Ken Ellingwood, Los Angeles Times
November 29, 2010
Reporting from Mexico City
Mexican authorities said Sunday that they had arrested the main leader of the Aztecas, a Ciudad Juarez street gang blamed for much of the violence in the troubled border city.
Federal police officials in Mexico City said Arturo Gallegos Castrellon, 32, was arrested in Juarez on Saturday. They said he confessed to taking part in several high-profile slayings, including the fatal shootings of a U.S. consular staffer and two other people in March and the ambush of a teen party in January that killed 15 people.
Authorities said Gallegos told them he was responsible for 80% of the killings in the border city since August 2009. Since early 2008, more than 6,500 people have died in drug-related violence there, according to unofficial tallies.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mexico-arrest-20101129,0,6676756.story
Another marijuana tunnel and two more warehouses found
20 tons of pot seized, eight arrested in San Diego and Tijuana.
By Richard Marosi, Los Angeles Times
November 27, 2010
Reporting from San Diego
Federal authorities have unearthed another cross-border tunnel in a San Diego warehouse district, the second major tunnel discovery and multi-ton seizure of marijuana believed to be from Mexico's most powerful drug cartel in a month.
The tunnel, which started in a residence in Tijuana, stretched nearly half a mile and split into two passageways, with the branches emerging at separate warehouses nearly 800 feet apart.
The tunnel was within a block of a subterranean passage found three weeks ago, where authorities seized more than 25 tons of marijuana, the second-largest marijuana seizure in U.S. history.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-tunnel-20101127,0,416000.story
Southland defense firms would be hit hard by an earmark ban
Some would have to cut jobs or go out of business if a proposed moratorium on federal earmarks — money directed to specific projects — is approved.
By W.J. Hennigan, Los Angeles Times
7:34 PM PST, November 26, 2010
Hundreds of Southern California defense contractors may have to cut jobs or go out of business if Congress approves a moratorium on federal earmarks, industry executives warned.
More than $3 billion in earmarks — or money directed to specific projects — flowed into California this year for defense work, much of it funneled to Southland aerospace companies.
But with the federal government staring at a staggering $1.4-trillion deficit, the so-called pork-barrel spending has drawn fire from critics who see earmarks as a symbol of pay-to-play politics and wasteful government spending.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-earmarks-ban-20101127,0,4888669.story
Ojai residents seek election recount
One candidate lost by four votes
By Kevin Clerici
Monday, November 29, 2010
A group of Ojai residents dissatisfied with the county’s explanation for flawed election results on Monday requested a recount of votes that affect Ojai races.
The residents say they plan to raise funds to cover the cost of the machine count, which could take a few days and cost about $7,000 a day, according to what they were told.
The residents — Pat and Isabel McPherson, Deborah Moe, Carlon Strobel, Wendy Hilgers, Chris Hilgers, Chet Hilgers, Dale Hanson, Ron McCrea, Richard Hajas, Arthur Balchen and Robert Daddi — filed paperwork seeking the recount at Ojai City Hall about a half-hour before the 5 p.m. deadline Monday.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/nov/29/ojai-residents-seek-election-recount/
Fire restrictions lowered in Los Padres
By From staff reports
Monday, November 29, 2010
Fire restrictions have been reduced in the Los Padres National Forest due to recent rain and snow.
Moisture levels in the forest have increased enough to permit the use of campfires, charcoal barbecues, smoking and target shooting in the forest, U.S. Forest Service officials announced last week.
Visitors who build fires outside designated campfire sites must clear all flammable material in a five-foot radius, have a responsible person attending the fire at all times, have a shovel available to extinguish the fire and put it out with water, officials said. After drowning the fire with water, visitors must stir it with dirt and feel the area to make sure it’s cold.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/nov/29/fire-restrictions-lowered-in-los-padres/
Southland's cold snap is about to break
National Weather Service expects daytime readings to reach 70 degrees by Wednesday. Low-temperature records were matched or broken Monday from Ventura to San Diego counties.
By Robert J. Lopez, Los Angeles Times
November 30, 2010
Much of Southern California will begin experiencing powerful winds and a gradual warm-up Tuesday in the wake of record low temperatures across the region, forecasters said.
By Wednesday, daytime temperatures are expected to reach 70 degrees in coastal and valley areas for the first time in nearly two weeks, the National Weather Service said.
The rise in temperatures will be caused by strong northeasterly winds that will keep warm air closer to the ground and help heat up the area at night, according to the weather service.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cold-weather-20101130,0,3446911.story
California's largest health plans are fined nearly $5 million
The seven companies failed to properly pay medical claims submitted by thousands of doctors and hospitals over the last three years, state insurance regulators say.
By Duke Helfand, Los Angeles Times
November 30, 2010
California's seven largest health plans were fined nearly $5 million in total Monday for failing to properly pay medical claims submitted by thousands of doctors and hospitals over the last three years.
Insurance regulators said the companies also would pay "tens of millions of dollars" in restitution to medical providers whose claims were underpaid or incorrectly rejected.
The fines cap an 18-month investigation by the California Department of Managed Health Care into the payment practices of Aetna Inc., Anthem Blue Cross of California, Blue Shield of California, Cigna Corp., Health Net Inc., Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and UnitedHealthcare/PacifiCare.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-insurer-fines-20101130,0,3057171.story