California update

Some guidelines on how to be a true Angeleno. Don't fawn over celebrities, use your turn signals and, perhaps most important, appreciate legendary Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully. There are others, of course, and you can add your own. It's all part of loving L.A.

Ex-Vernon leader will continue receiving $500,000 pension despite pleading guilty to misusing city funds

Loophole allows officials convicted of public corruption to keep hefty pensions

Capitol Journal: An on-time budget for a change? As the political landscape shifts around them, California lawmakers have several compelling reasons this year to deliver a budget when the state Constitution says they must.

The landscape will be shifting at the state Capitol. Political dynamics are in transition. And the first unmistakable sign may be the Legislature's meeting its budget deadline for the first time in a generation.
The California Constitution says flat-out that "The Legislature shall pass the budget bill by midnight on June 15…." Yet, the lawmakers haven't completed their budget work on time since 1986.
Who cares? Teachers sweating layoff notices, not knowing whether there'll be enough money to fund their jobs in September. Vendors who sell to the state, wondering whether they'll be stiffed again this summer. There's a long list.
Then there are millions of disgusted people who don't feel directly affected by the budget, but just understand instinctively that well-paid elected officials with generous perks should do their work on time. No excuses. That's why the Legislature's job approval rating among voters is mired in the sorry teens.
I'm an eternal optimist who admittedly too often overestimates the common sense of politicians. But I do detect some rehab underway. I'm thinking they'll kick their habits of intransigence and vacillation and pass a final budget by the deadline.

Ridding the state of foam. Legislation that would ban foam in much of California is a big step forward, but it should be amended to allow a more gradual shift.

California authorities deny state's first medical parole case. A quadriplegic inmate serving a 150-year term for kidnapping, beating and raping a San Diego woman in 1998 will not be released to the care of family members under a new law, parole board rules.

Droughts and deficits in California. Whether it's rain or revenue, one good year doesn't mean California should be imprudent.

This Brand New $105 Million High School In Riverside, California Is Too Broke To Hold Any Classes