Vaccination – CalWatchdog.com

CalWatchdog Morning Read – September 12

CalWatchdog Staff — Mon, 12 Sep 2016 16:28:24 +0000

What happened to CA oil exploration?
Did governor’s veto threat sink CPUC reform?
Out-of-state financial support for pot legalization causing controversy
Darrell Issa and Loretta Sanchez make strange bedfellows
Anti-Vax doctor under fire

Good morning. Hopefully everyone enjoyed the return of NFL football this weekend and is excited about the Rams/49ers game tonight.

But that’s tonight. This morning we’re talking about oil.

It took some time, but a 2011 report by the Federal Energy Information Administration that estimated that California’s Monterey shale underground land mass formation had 15.4 billion barrels of accessible oil and a follow-up study that put the figure at 13.7 billion barrels of oil — about twice as much as the rest of the nation combined — got plenty of folks’ attention.

Advances in hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, made extracting the oil cost-effective. … But it’s been all downhill ever since for those enthusiastic about oil exploration in the Golden State.

It’s not just that low oil prices have left energy companies facing a “world of hurt,” in the words of the Houston Chronicle, and without the resources to pursue large new drilling programs in California or elsewhere. It’s specific, daunting developments.

CalWatchdog has more.

In other news:

“When key bills aimed at reforming the California Public Utilities Commission died last month, much of the blame was placed publicly at the feet of a Republican floor leader — someone not typically seen as a make-or-break figure in a Democrat-dominated Legislature. It turns out, the CPUC itself had some last-minute concerns about the overhaul that contributed to its demise.” The San Diego Union-Tribune has more.
“In a sign that California’s pot initiative is getting national attention, a Pennsylvania millionaire has contributed $1.3 million to a nonprofit group that is raising money to oppose Proposition 64 on the November ballot,” reports the Los Angeles Times. Meanwhile, “California supporters of the statewide measure to legalize marijuana filed a complaint late Friday with the state’s political ethics watchdog alleging that an outside committee opposing Proposition 64 filed campaign finance reports months after the deadline,” reports The Sacramento Bee.
The Orange County Register looks at the curious alliance between Republican Rep. Darrell Issa and Democratic Rep. Loretta Sanchez. The two Southern Californians are gambling on bipartisanship helping them through tough races.
“Dr. Robert Sears is one of the leading voices in the anti-vaccination world, a hero to parents suspicious of childhood immunizations that public health officials say are crucial to preventing disease outbreaks. So when the Medical Board of California announced last week that it was moving to pull the Orange County pediatrician’s medical license, it immediately set the stage for a new battle in the long-running fight over whether schoolchildren should be vaccinated.” The Los Angeles Times has more.

Legislature:

Gone ’til December.

Gov. Brown:

Presenting Medal of Valor to eight public safety officers in his Capitol office at 11 a.m.

Tips: matt@calwatchdog.com

Follow us: @calwatchdog @mflemingterp

New follower: @Sachealth

CalWatchdog Morning Read – July 29

CalWatchdog Staff — Fri, 29 Jul 2016 17:40:04 +0000

CalSTRS v. Volkswagen
Congressional candidate issuing terrorist-hunting permits
What you need to know about the vaccine law
Earned Income Tax Credit misses estimates
Many voters skipping Senate race

Good morning!

The legislative summer recess is coming to an end, so enjoy the weekend because next week is the start of a long month.

And now to dig right into our Morning Read, The Sacramento Bee has our top story today about the Volkswagen scandal:

“California’s $188 billion teachers’ pension fund is stepping up the pressure on Volkswagen in a European lawsuit over the German automaker’s air-pollution scandal.

“The California State Teachers’ Retirement System, the second-largest U.S. public pension fund, has obtained a court order that will enable its attorneys to unearth potentially crucial corporate records relating to Volkswagen’s tainted diesel vehicles.

“The order came a month after CalSTRS joined other institutional shareholders in suing Volkswagen in Germany, claiming their investments in the company have been damaged by its diesel pollution scandal. CalSTRS’ shares of Volkswagen were worth $52 million as of Dec. 31.”

In other news:

One Southern California congressional candidate is giving out terrorist-hunting permits to donors, according to The Press-Enterprise.
In preparation for the upcoming school year, The Orange County Register tells you everything you need to know about the new vaccine law.
More from The Bee: “California’s new earned-income tax credit had put about $189 million in the pockets of the working poor as of earlier this month, well below the $380 million in claims the Brown administration and lawmakers had expected.”
And even more from The Bee: “Half of Republicans and 34 percent of nonaligned voters in California plan to sit out the U.S. Senate race this fall between Democrats Kamala Harris and Loretta Sanchez, according to a new poll.”

Legislature:

Back on Monday.

Gov. Brown:

No public events scheduled.

Tips: matt@calwatchdog.com

Twitter: @calwatchdog @mflemingterp

New followers: @gareth_lacy

CARTOON: Vaccination Referendum Failure

CalWatchdog Staff — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 14:30:30 +0000

Voter apathy

CalWatchdog Staff — Sun, 26 Apr 2015 13:00:00 +0000

Wolverton, Cagle Cartoons