May 14, 2018

Orange County

Voice of OC: Federal judge in homeless case keeps everyone running

Now, Judge David Carter wants city officials in south Orange County to find locations for new emergency shelters, or possibly face suspension of the anti-camping and anti-loitering laws that cities have used to police homeless people in public spaces.

 

OC Register: Concerns swell over the Administration’s proposed end of beach water-quality tests

The Environmental Protection Agency efforts to roll back vehicle-emission measures resulted in California and 16 other states suing to maintain the clean-air efforts. Pruitt has also attracted attention lately for putting an Orange County contamination site on the fast-track for Superfund consideration.

 

OC Register: Get the lowdown on 405 Freeway improvements and how construction could affect your travel

The Brookhurst, Slater, Warner and Magnolia bridges will remain open with a reduced number of lanes during construction. However, some bridges will need to be closed completely to traffic during construction, including the Ward, Talbert and Bushard bridges.

 

Daily Pilot: Newport to consider pedestrian bridges for busy corner at Superior Avenue and Coast Highway

Traffic studies showed that the intersection sees 48,000 vehicles a day on Coast Highway and 21,000 to 24,000 on the Superior Avenue-Balboa Boulevard legs. It also sees 600 pedestrians, with 470 of them crossing Coast Highway, and 90 cyclists, almost half of them crossing the highway.

 

Labor

NY Times: Making teachers’ strikes iIllegal won’t stop them

Labor’s most potent weapon is the strike, even when it’s illegal. Workers will often risk engaging in an illegal strike, even though it could mean getting fined, fired and conceivably jailed.A

 

Labor 411: Walmart to Use Tax Cut Benefits to Create Low Pay Jobs in India

Walmart’s Indian investment comes at a time when the company is closing stores in America, laying off thousands of workers. And that's upsetting some labor advocates.

 

California

LA Times: Gov. Jerry Brown's parting gift to his successor: ship-shape state finances

Brown deserves credit for being tight with a buck. Yes, there is one glaring exception: the troubled $77-billion bullet train project. But, generally, the centrist governor has kept a lid on fellow Democrats' spending.The turnabout in the business climate — by no means perfect, but a reversal that stunned by doubters — has created job opportunities, boosted salaries, overheated real estate markets and lifted numerous Californians out of poverty.

 

Publication Date: May 14, 2018