[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

California attorney general Jerry Brown and officials from 17 other states are calling for the release of internal EPA papers arguing that greenhouse gas emissions end anger public health, reports the Contra Costa Times. In the latest in (EPA administrator) Stephen Johnson vs. the People, the former announced that he would pursue a public comment period instead of releasing the documents.

Led by President Pro Tem Don Perata, Democrats in the state Senate and Assembly are unveiling today a package of eight bills to fight autism, reports the Sac Bee. The bills address, among other things, improving diagnosis and treatment for autism, and improving access to health care for autistic individuals.

The Senate Health Committee has okayed a bill that would require the mandatory labeling of food from cloned animals, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. SB1121, sponsored by state Senator Carol Migden, "would require every merchant along the food supply chain, from livestock producers to grocery store operators, to tell their customers that a product came from a cloned animal or its offspring."

by Be_Devine [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

Bad boys, bad boys.  What'ca gonna do?  What'ca gonna do when they come for you . . .

The Fair Political Practices Commission today fined Senator Carole Migden $350,000 for 89 separate violations of California law. These included violations between 2003 and 2007, and it included allegations that she used campaign funds for her personal use.

In a separate dispute that has not yet been resolved, Carol Migden is accused of illegally using $1 million in funds for her Senate re-election campaign. After spending almost half of the funds, Migden filed a lawsuit against the FPPC in Federal Court alleging that the California law for which she voted (Prop 34) is unconstitutional. I'm planning to write much, much more about Carole's lawsuit over the weekend as we prepare for the hearing next week of Carol's Motion for Preliminary Injunction.

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

In a rather unsurprising move, Joe A. Veronese dropped out of the primary race for Senate District 3.  Joe Alioto Veronese was lagging behind  Asm. Mark Leno, former Asm. Joe Nation, and incumbent Carole Midgen.  With Nation's entry into the race, it gave the SF police commissioner a tough time trying to argue that he was the candidate for Marin. Nevertheless, we'll be seeing Joe Alioto Veronese again, of that I can assure you.

In terms of the SD-03 race, well, I have to imagine that this favors Mark Leno.  In Leno's recent David Binder poll, JAV was pulling about 7%. Given the  demographics, Leno will be in the best position to pick up those votes. Specifically, Leno is stronger in the Marina and North Beach neighborhoods where JAV was strong than Senator Migden has been in the past. This might even help him become the front-runner. I'm not sure the endorsement would make a huge difference, but it might help Nation to grab a few SF votes if he gets the JAV nod.

Press release over the flip.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Traci Sheehan
Executive Director
Planning and Conservation League

In the fall of 2007, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) began a series of aerial pesticide applications in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties to control the spread of the invasive light brown apple moth. Following the sprayings, more than 600 reports of health problems emerged, including respiratory difficulties, eye irritation, dizziness, severe skin rashes and headaches, nausea and intestinal pain. Residents also reported deaths of birds, aquatic species, and otherwise healthy pets.

CDFA plans to expand its spraying to the San Francisco Bay Area this August and continue spraying three times per month until the moth is eradicated.

Blanket spraying contradicts environmentally responsible pest management practices, and infringes on California law that protects the environment and the public’s right to consent to spraying. Less toxic approaches include using naturally occurring predators, parasites, and insect diseases as well as stationary pheromone bait traps, allowing the ecosystem to respond to the pest, and cleaning up plant debris during dormancy.