Lots of people in California Democratic circles have buzzed for years about Rick Jacobs, a former aide and longtime ally of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, being a major league asshole. But Yashar Ali has uncovered a mountain of fresh dirt on Jacobs that lays out all the various and sundry ways in which that may have been truer than anyone thought up until now. From Yashar’s newsletter (which, by the way, you should spend the money to subscribe to): In the fall of 2018, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti was talking to an adviser about his top aide, Rick Jacobs. Garcetti told the adviser: “I can’t believe Rick worked at City Hall for three years and we didn’t get sued.” … according to sources, Jacobs regularly engaged in sexual harassment and assault; displayed abusive behavior toward colleagues and underlings; and had questionable ethics. Also stunning, the adviser said, was…
March Madness and NCAA brackets may be done and dusted. But a clean air advocacy group is keeping brackets–and pollution–on the minds of California legislators by delivering these “Clean Air Madness” bracketology posters to each and every legislative office in Sacramento. As spotted Friday in Sacramento, live and in person: The issue, according to the website listed on the bottom of the poster: “California spends billions each year on air quality and climate change, yet none of our state’s Air Quality Districts meet the minimal federal clean air standards.” The underlying message: The California Air Resources Board has become all about climate change, and has lost its focus on clean air as judged by three standards: Worst year-round particulate pollution, worst short-term particulate pollution and worst ozone. The coalition delivering the posters is backing clean trucks and clean fuels legislation, in the form of SB 216, AB 1115 and AB 1406. SB 216 may be…
Los Angeles teachers began a strike Monday that could imperil LA Mayor Eric Garcetti’s possible run for president. Garcetti, looking happier than he probably is this morning. Photo via Wikipedia. The Los Angeles Unified School District is the second-largest school district in the country. It serves approximately half a million students. Parents want a short strike. Taxpayers want few to no concessions. And unions want higher pay and at least some concessions. If not resolved on its own and quickly, it’s a political conundrum for Garcetti. According to The Hill, “In internal debates about how to build a campaign, Garcetti’s aides have acknowledged he cannot possibly launch a bid while teachers in his own city are on the picket line, according to sources involved in the conversations.” However, Garcetti has little control over how this plays out. The Los Angeles Unified School District is an independent body. It is accountable to…
On Friday, California became the first state in the nation to mandate zero-emissions transit buses, with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) voting unanimously that by 2029, all new buses need to be carbon-free. The move will cheer the electric bus industry and some environmentalists. But critics say that as it stands, electric buses can’t do the job California needs from a transit perspective and that unless the technology dramatically improves, CARB just voted to force a slew of lemon vehicles onto the road. The AP quotes the California Transit Association expressing concerns about electric buses performance, as well as money available for the transition. CTA seems to prefer a deadline of 2040 for fully bus electrified fleets. That is probably in part because, while the AP cites proponents of all-electric fleets as saying “they have lower maintenance… costs,” that seems to be a dubious proposition given Los Angeles’ experience of…