While many states have chosen to legislate hate and division by approving anti-immigrant laws, California’s governor sends a strong message that investing in today’s student population, regardless of their immigration status, is smart, practical and the right thing to do.Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles leader Angelica Salas • Speaking favorably of Gov. Jerry Brown and the California State Legislature’s actions in passing a bill that allows illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition for their schooling. Eleven other states have laws comparable to California’s, while a dozen others block the practice outright. But considering California is on the literal front lines of the immigration debate, it’s of note. Two other border states — Texas and New Mexico — have similar laws. source (via • follow)
bsig asks: What is there to this rumor I hear of the southern half of California trying to become the 51st state. I'm guessing that would mean out of state fees for all So. Cal residents at Nor. Cal schools. And UCLA would become USCLA?
» SFB says: Basically, the idea would involve splitting 13 more-conservative counties from the mothership. It’s a long shot, but one that’s being explored. Also see our coverage of Baja Arizona, a similar idea floating around the Tucson area. EDIT: Seth points out to me that L.A. will not be part of South California; the biggest city in the proposed state would be San Diego. — Ernie @ SFB
» Power to some people! It’s congressional redistricting time in California, which can play as big a role in the outcomes of elections as the candidates themselves. By way of a 2008 ballot initiative against gerrymandering, that power has put in the hands of fourteen citizens. Criticism has come quickly — Latino advocacy groups are saying that the influence of their voters will be diminished by the first drafts of the new map, and retiring congresswoman Lynn Woolsey complains that her once compact Marin County district would stretch more than 350 miles up the west coast. Principally, we object to gerrymandering; it’s an unpleasant underbelly of American politics. That said, subjective judgments that will tilt the balance of power are a necessity of the system, as there isn’t really such a thing as an objectively honest state district map. So, can you really avoid this problem just by bringing in ostensibly less political people? We’re not so sure.
airzona asks: It also means people (including myself) can't make money off Amazon Associates. :(
(Insert anti-tax, anti-government rant here).
» SFB says: We’re torn about the issue. We think affiliate marketing like Amazon Associates is a great way to make money, and could be one potential way for Tumblr blogs to make money through the dashboard, for example. But at the same time, California’s in dire straits and has been for a while, and you gotta wonder if this was a last resort. We lean a little more towards your feeling on the matter, overall. — Ernie @ SFB
Not long after the woman taped this video, she was sexually assaulted. A 28-year-old Oakland, Calif. resident recorded video of the man shown here brazenly breaking into her home, stealing her electronics, and then, after she was done recording, coming back to assault her. And now, in hopes of catching the perpetrator, the Oakland Police Department released a video of the man stealing her stuff. “She was very much behind the release of the video,” said Oakland Police Officer Holly Joshi. ”She wants justice, she wants the public to be aware of this man so this doesn’t happen to another woman.” Here’s the video for you guys, in case you might know anything about this mess. source
» The lineups stay the same, though: The Coachella fest, which has earned itself many imitators since it started in 1999 (including a retooled Lollapalooza!), will offer music fans options for the next festival go-around. They pretty much need to: This year’s event sold out in six days, despite the fact that over 90,000 people bought tickets. The bands will sign on for two weekends, not just one, so don’t worry about missing anyone.
“Incompatible with the concept of human dignity”: So said Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the 5-4 Supreme Court majority that ruled California’s state prison system is so overcrowded that they say it violates constitutional rights (the level of health services available to inmates who sorely need them has been a relevant issue of late). As such, the ruling may force the state to release nearly 40,000 prisoners. “The release of prisoners in large numbers … is a matter of undoubted, grave concern, yet so too is the continuing injury and harm resulting from these serious constitutional violations,” said Kennedy. source
» This makes things even more awkward: According to birth records released regarding Mildred Patricia Baena’s child with the former governor, he was born less than a week after Maria Shriver had a child of her own. The actor has supported the child since his birth. The superstar actor, who is taking this hard, “is doing everything he can to take full responsibility to take all of the spotlight off his children and wife,” according to a CNN source close to Schwarzenegger. Still though, it’s kinda tough to do so with this kind of scandal. This is pretty weird, right?
So yeah, that was kind of an atomic bomb of a news story TMZ just dropped, eh? It says a lot that the revelation that Arnold Schwarzenegger had a child out of wedlock would be shocking if he was just a movie star. (Over a decade ago, but still.) Problem is, though, he’s a former California governor, and as a result, the standard is way higher. Plus, he was married to a Kennedy! Anyway, here’s the apology: “I understand and deserve the feelings of anger and disappointment among my friends and family,” he said. “There are no excuses and I take full responsibility for the hurt I have caused. I have apologized to Maria, my children and my family. I am truly sorry.” Considering he’s done with political life, will this hurt his career going forward? Or will his now-revived movie career survive the revelation? (photo via the Port of San Diego’s Flickr page) source
» Where’d it come from? Rising wages. The average Californian worker will see a $4,000 uptick in pay over the next two years, resulting in more tax revenue for the fledgling state than was originally projected. If Governor Jerry Brown gets his way, this unexpected surprise will net schools an additional $3 billion in funding and take a significant bite into the state’s $15 billion deficit.
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» California cities the worst: According to the American Lung Association’s “State of the Air 2011” report, released last week, eight of the ten worst metropolitan areas for pollution are based in California (though one county crosses the Nevada border), with Los Angeles being the worst and Sacramento and San Diego also making the list. Uh, yikes.
Developing: A shallow 3.8-magnitude earthquake rattled Pacific, California shortly before 3:00pm Monday.
Twitter users reported feeling “rolls” throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
Plane going down. Love you.Text message sent to a Sacramento woman by her husband on-board a troubled Southwest Airlines plane. The Sacramento-bound plane landed safely a few minutes later in Yuma, Arizona. An eyewitness said a loud bang was heard in the cabin, which caused rapid decompression in the plane. A total of 118 passengers were on-board the plane. A separate flight will take them to Sacramento around 8:30pm Friday. (via producermatthew)
It is decidedly unjust and unreasonable to expect California’s gay and lesbian couples to put their lives on hold and suffer daily discrimination as second-class citizens while their U.S. District Court victory comes to its final conclusion.Chad Griffin, chairman of The American Foundation For Civil Rights • Speaking on the rejected plea to lift the stay on the Proposition 8 ruling. The proposition, which was approved by voters in the 2008 election, was ruled unconstitutional by Judge Vaughn Walker last year, but a stay was put on his ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. This was broadly thought to be a delay on the resumption of gay marriage in the state so that if/when a higher court examined the issue, the marriages wouldn’t again have to be halted if Walker’s verdict was overturned. Gay rights advocates are understandably unhappy, as the stay could conceivably last a year, and if civil rights are infringed, we suspect that’s not the expedient remedy most people would feel entitled to. source (via • follow)
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