Daily Briefs


Does California even need a lieutenant governor?

Lost in the ongoing battle to confirm Abel Maldonado as California’s next lieutenant governor is the move in Sacramento to abolish the office entirely. [Capitol Alert] Assembly Constitutional Amendment 30, introduced in late January, would abolish the office of lieutenant... (Continue reading)

More California women dying from pregnancy complications

The  number of California women who die from causes directly related to pregnancy has nearly tripled in the past decade. Equally disconcerting is the fact that for the last seven months, the state Department of Public Health has declined to... (Continue reading)

Maldonado: Is he, or isn’t he?

The question of whether or not Sen. Abel Maldonado is California’s next lieutenant governor remains unresolved and may have to be decided by the courts. [Los Angeles Times] The state Assembly failed to confirm Maldonado’s nomination in a Thursday afternoon... (Continue reading)

KYNS 1340 signs up controversial gay talk show host

KYNS 1340 AM radio, formerly home of Air America on the Central Coast, will introduce a controversial syndicated gay talk show host to local airwaves starting next week. Charles Karel Bouley, who broadcasts simply under the name “Karel,” bills himself... (Continue reading)

State constitutional convention movement near collapse

The populist movement to rewrite the state’s constitution by allowing voters to directly call for a convention is on the verge of collapsing. [Ventura County Star] Supporters claim they’re running short of money and face serious opposition from paid signature... (Continue reading)

LA Times covers Arroyo Grande union dispute

The long-simmering standoff between an old-fashioned ice cream parlor in Arroyo Grande and an out-of-town labor union has caught the eye of statewide media. [Los Angeles Times] The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, based in Ventura County,... (Continue reading)

Otter relocation program dubbed a failure

An attempt to draw a line in the ocean to separate sea otters from fisherman is not working because the otters have failed to cooperate, causing several different groups to fight over proposed changes to the 23-year-old policy. [ABC] Fish... (Continue reading)

Avila assault suspect is a registered sex offender

A man recently accused of slicing the throat of a man at a bar in Avila Beach is a Megan’s List sex offender as the result of convictions for “continuous sexual abuse of a child.” He was arrested Feb. 5... (Continue reading)

Waterfield has the $$$ in Assembly race

New campaign fundraising documents reveal that Etta Waterfield continues to raise more money than her opponents in the race to replace Sam Blakeslee in the 33rd Assembly District. [Lompoc Record] In 2009, Waterfield, a former Santa Maria planning commissioner, raised... (Continue reading)

Lawsuit filed in Pismo Beach Toyota accident

A Bakersfield man is filing a wrongful death lawsuit against a Pismo Beach restaurant and the Japanese automaker Toyota, stemming from an accident in 2007. As he was driving away from the Pelican Point Restaurant in Pismo Beach, Bulent Ezal,... (Continue reading)