March 6, 2018
Orange County
OC Register: OC Animal Care’s new facility will be a big upgrade for animals and people, officials say
All the animals will start moving from the old facility on March 12, and city contracts won’t be changing immediately. It will be at least two years before any new cities can jump on board. The cost of the new shelter was shared between the county and the cities that use the service.
Voice of OC: Santa Ana voters could decide in June whether to switch to District elections
Proponents of the districting effort have argued it would reduce the influence of groups that can give lots of campaign money by offering grassroots candidates a less expensive way to campaign.
OC Register: Irvine City Council adds ballot measure to counteract growth control initiative
One will ask voters whether a super-majority, or two-thirds, vote of the City Council should be required for the city to impose new taxes. The second, if adopted by voters, would “require that no city procedures or requirements delay important revenue streams from development projects which provide a fiscal benefits to Irvine residents.”
OC Register: Need rental housing? California has 6th-fewest vacancies in the U.S.
Last year, empty rentals were more common only in Rhode Island, Washington, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Overall, the U.S. vacancy rate was 7.2 percent last year, up from 6.9 percent in 2016.
Labor
LA Times: Oklahoma comes closer to joining West Virginia in a major teacher strike
An education crisis was brewing across Oklahoma, and the district's school board had called a special meeting to hear from the community. By some measures, Oklahoma's teachers are the lowest-paid in the nation.
LA Times: Inclusion rider could make Hollywood more diverse, advocates say
The concept has its root in the NFL's Rooney Rule, the 2003 policy that requires teams to consider minority candidates for head coaching and other managerial jobs.
California
LA Times: Humans slapped and shouted at robot cars in two of six DMV crash reports this year
On Jan. 2, a General Motors' Cruise driverless car in San Francisco's Mission District was waiting at a green light for pedestrians to cross when a man "ran across Valencia Street against the 'do not walk' symbol, shouting, and struck the left side of the Cruise AV's rear bumper and hatch with his entire body," damaging a tail light.
Publication Date: March 6, 2018