A.M. Splash: Calif. Dems Say They Have Supermajority; Mirkarimi Recall in the Works; Suit Seeks to Block Sex Trafficking Law

Democratic legislative leaders declared Wednesday that they had captured a supermajority of each house, the first time in more than 100 years that the party has wielded such power. With all precincts counted, Democrats led in enough races to clear that two-thirds threshold, which would allow them to pass tax increases without needing GOP votes. Such a supermajority would also allow Democrats voting as a bloc to place constitutional amendments on the ballot or override vetoes of Gov. Jerry Brown.

Veteran council members Ignacio De La Fuente and Jane Brunner weren't favored to win their bids for citywide office Tuesday. But nobody expected them to be losing by a combined 58 points with most of the votes counted. Their drubbing punctuated an election that will reshape Oakland's fractious council and potentially ease the personal acrimony and invective that have plagued city politics.

For a mayor who has led a fragile majority in a hard-fought quest to reduce mounting employee retirement costs, the outcome of Tuesday's two San Jose City Council races seemed to reaffirm that voters want pension reform and fiscal responsibility from their leaders... While about one-quarter of the county's vote-by-mail ballots still must be counted, by late Wednesday District 8 incumbent Rose Herrera retained her lead over challenger Jimmy Nguyen by about 10 points, while financial adviser Johnny Khamis led sportscaster Robert Braunstein in the District 10 race by about 5 points.Assuming their positions hold, and both are ultimately declared winners, Reed will have captured a solid 7-4 majority on the council, which he and others say will give him more leeway when it comes to implementing reforms.

Buoyed by the outcome of two San Francisco supervisor races that defied conventional wisdom, a group of women with major financial backing said it is preparing the groundwork for a recall of Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi and plans to make it official next week. "It's looking like yes," said political consultant Andrea Shorter, who is leading the effort. "The outcry is definitely loud and clear. We just cannot have a sheriff who was convicted of domestic violence."

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked enforcement of a provision of California's newly approved sex-trafficking law that requires 73,000 registered sex offenders to reveal their Internet identities to police. A day after voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 35, U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson of San Francisco said civil liberties groups had raised "serious questions" about whether the online disclosure requirement violates freedom of speech.

...(J)ust how fast lifers get a resentencing hearing before a judge -- and if they get out early at all -- is likely to depend on where they were convicted. The movement on cases might go more slowly in conservative places like the Central Valley, while in relatively liberal Los Angeles County and the Bay Area, things might move along more efficiently.

First, there was uncertainty over a U.S. Supreme Court challenge. Then came the race for the presidency.Now, California lawmakers say the uncertainty is over and nothing can stop them from bringing health coverage to millions of uninsured Californians under President Obama’s signature health care law. On Wednesday...California health leaders celebrated Obama’s re-election as a green light for fully implementing the Affordable Care Act. They also applauded the passage of Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax initiative, Proposition 30, saying its success may have prevented additional health cuts at the state level.

The Earthquakes' magic disappeared Wednesday night at the worst possible moment in a devastating 3-1 defeat to the Los Angeles Galaxy that ended their MLS Cup playoff run with a decisive blow from their rivals. The Galaxy unleashed a season's worth of frustration on the Quakes in the second leg of the Western Conference semifinals in front of a sold-out crowd of 10,744 at Buck Shaw Stadium. Los Angeles won the playoff series 3-2 in aggregate goals after the Quakes had scored a 1-0 victory in Carson on Sunday.