Neel Kashkari Faces Difficult Numbers Game in General Election
Neel Kashkari is the Republican who gets to face off against Governor Jerry Brown in November. It wasn't an easy win. Kashkari had to spend $2 million of his own money to get the chance to advance. Now, he faces a much tougher challenge.
State Caucus Leaders Propose to Erase Legacy of Prop. 187
Leaders of the state's Latino and Asian Pacific Islander Caucuses have announced a plan to formally erase Proposition 187 from California lawbooks. Twenty years ago, voters approved an initiative banning the use of public services by those without legal immigration status. The measure was blocked by the courts, but it remains law. Lawmakers also plan to try for a November ballot measure that would let California voters urge the federal government to enact immigration reform.
Budget Battle Looms Over In-Home Health Services
State lawmakers have until June 15 to pass a budget, and a sticking point is overtime pay for in-home care workers. Governor Jerry Brown says California can't afford overtime pay for these caregivers, and he wants to cap their hours. Families and disability rights advocates are terrified of the consequences, and say a cap on hours will force people to hire strangers to perform intimate care duties that they only trust their regular caregiver to do.
L.A. Program Failing to Enforce Upkeep of Foreclosed Homes
It's estimated more than 4,000 properties in Los Angeles are bank-owned, many of them blighted eyesores crumbling into safety concerns for neighbors. That situation is what a four-year-old foreclosure registry program was supposed to address; leaning on banks to do their duty. But the city controller reports that's just not happening.