Governor Newsom the New Climate Capped Crusader
This week Governor Gavin Newsom departed on his one week climate crisis tour, with his first stop being Hong Kong. According to the official press release, the Governor’s tour is “focused on advancing climate collaborations with key national and subnational partners, promoting economic development and tourism, and encouraging a cultural exchange between countries.” The Governor definitely has his work cut out for him as China ranks 13 in the world for the most polluted country. But if anyone can tackle the challenges of dangerous air quality, it’s California’s climate caped crusader. The Governor (and his lucky delegation) will travel throughout China, leaping the Great Wall in a single bound, to meet with leaders who share California’s commitment to addressing climate change. According to AP news, the trip seems to be going well, as Newsom has met with China’s Environment Minister Huang Runqiu, who said his country wants to strengthen cooperation with the US on combating climate change. Newsom has also met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, along with top diplomat Wang Yi and Vice President Han Zheng.
Butler Watch 2023
If you’re just coming out from under that rock, U.S. Senator Laphonza Butler declared last week that she will not be seeking the office in the upcoming election. When the announcement was made, a sigh of relief could be heard around the state by the current candidates vying for the coveted seat. From our straw poll around the water cooler, Butler’s decision was a wise one, as it opens many other possibilities for her in the future…of which we will be sharing as they arrive (so far the possibilities we’ve heard Governor, U.S. Labor Secretary, Vice President, and Ruler of the Universe). Stay tuned.
Is California Ready for an Eruption?
As if wildfires and earthquakes aren’t enough…not to mention Hurricane Hilary…it seems that we shouldn’t take volcanic eruptions off our natural disaster bingo card. According to the Los Angeles Times, beneath the Long Valley Caldera, located near Mammoth Lakes, lies a dormant supervolcano which has been getting a lot of attention lately due to seismic activity. Fortunately, according to a study published last week in the journal Science Advances, it seems the magma (that’s the hot, flowy stuff) is actually cooling down rather than gearing up for an eruption. However, you may be able to yell “BINGO” as Mount Shasta and Lassen Volcanic Center remain listed as “Very High” on the eruption rankings.
In Memory of Cindy Montañez
All of us at CalPeek would like to send our love to the family and friends of former California Assemblymember and San Fernando Valley City Councilmember Cindy Montañez, who passed on Saturday morning at the age of 49 after a long battle with cancer. To read more about this political and environmental icon, click here for the Los Angeles Times remembrance.
Go to the People
Always a good idea when your colleagues don’t support your ideas. San Francisco Mayor London Breed has proposed drug screening and treatment for welfare recipients, which is not a popular idea in liberal San Francisco, or at least not with the Board of Supervisors, which would need to approve her plan. So, she’s going to the people! Breed has announced she will put this proposal on the March 2024 ballot, according to Politico. Breed herself will appear on the November 2024 ballot as she seeks re-election.
Rendon’s Pursuit of Happiness
While some of those standing around the water cooler greatly appreciate any focus on happiness and applaud former Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon’s attention, others suggest that correctly implementing good policy will result in happiness. Politico reports “’…as Rendon sees it, happiness is just as existential: ‘There’s no point in giving people housing if they’re not happy,’ he said.” Again, some might argue that even unhappy people would prefer to be housed. In fact, having a home might even make some unhappy people happy. We hope the previous quote was taken somewhat out of context.
And, We’re Back
It won’t come as a great surprise to anyone that Sacramento City Councilmember Sean Loloee is in trouble. Again. According to reports in the Sacramento Bee yesterday, “Federal authorities closed supermarkets,” owned by Loloee. Those federal authorities included investigators from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Criminal Division of the Internal Revenue Service. That doesn’t sound like a minor infraction. Calpeek has no official information, but we guess it might be related to accusations that Loloee threatened employees with deportation if they cooperated with federal investigations. As Calpeek has discussed many times, Loloee seems to have trouble with rules and laws at every level of government. There are too many peeks to link here, so just go to Calpeek.com and search for Loloee. The Sacramento Bee has also put together a timeline of the investigations into Loloee’s “troubles.” Loloee’s council seat is up at the March 2024, election and it is unclear if he is actively seeking re-election although he has a campaign website. Former Assemblymember Roger Dickinson has declared his candidacy for Loloee’s seat.