CA Governor Jerry Brown wants to add another $96 million to the budget to fight wildfires, CA court says paint companies are responsible for lead cleanup, DragCon heads to LA Convention Center
When Republicans go rogue: Immigration edition
Every week, Take Two dives deep on California politics on State of Affairs.
This week:
- California Republicans try to force a House vote on four immigration bills. Congressman Jeff Denham says it's about "finding solutions," not saving his seat.
The LA Times' Christina Bellantoni says the move isn't out of Denham's character, but it faces long odds.
Here's the thing: it's not as if he's flip-flopping on this issue. This is something he has championed for a long time. He has been an advocate of a Dream Act for people who have served in the military who are undocumented. He has made clear that he is for comprehensive immigration reform. On this issue, he has consistently been on the more moderate side of his party, in part because his district has a huge immigrant population, in large part, because of agriculture.
The issue here is that it's a procedural gambit that is hard to explain and impossible to prove. You're signing something; you're holding press conferences, you're calling on your party; nothing's going to happen. I mean, it just won't. It's not in Democrat's best interests to make sure this happens, and it's not in Speaker Ryan's best interests to make this happen.
Also on State of Affairs...
- The California Secretary of State is out with its voter registration report, and Republicans... aren't doing so hot.
- Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom was the man to beat Tuesday night in San Jose. But will one debate make a difference?
Guests:
- Christina Bellantoni, assistant managing editor of politics at the LA Times.
- Jack Pitney, Roy P Crocker professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College
Lead paint makers balk at huge bill for toxic cleanup—instead they want you to pick up the tab
Three companies found to have sold toxic lead paint for decades—despite knowing it posed health hazards for children—are waging a major battle to avoid paying the several hundred millions of dollars in liability that California courts have slapped on them.
And they’re asking you, the California voter, to help them get their way.
After losing an 18-year-long legal fight, ConAgra, NL Industries and Sherwin Williams are now working on two different fronts to overturn the ruling, which says they must pay to clean up lead paint in older homes in 10 cities and counties across California.
The companies have hired a slew of lobbyists to push their agenda in the state Legislature and
poured $6 million into a campaign to put an initiative on the November ballot that would shift clean-up costs to taxpayers.
Their argument: The ruling rewards landlords who have neglected their properties, and also
creates new burdens for homeowners whose houses have lead paint but do not qualify for abatement funding based on criteria set by the court.
The effort has kicked up an intense response from Democratic legislators who represent the cities and counties that sued the companies in 2000 over the hazards posed by lead paint.
“The lead paint companies are the new tobacco companies of 2018. After many, many decades of... knowingly and intentionally deceiving the public about their products, they are now trying to escape liability through whatever way they can,” said Democratic Assemblyman David Chiu, whose city of San Francisco was among the plaintiffs.
“We need to make sure that someone is going to pay for tens of thousands of children who are being poisoned by lead.”
Lead was a common paint ingredient in the early 20th century. Over time scientists found that lead exposure causes brain damage in young children. In 1951 manufacturers began putting a warning label on lead paint, and in 1978 stopped selling lead paint in the United States. But many old homes still have lead paint on the walls or windowsills. And it is dangerous when it deteriorates because children may eat paint chips or inhale toxic dust.
The court decision—which the state Supreme Court recently declined to review on appeal—requires the companies to pay into a fund that would be used to clean up lead paint in homes built before 1951 in seven counties (Santa Clara, Alameda, Los Angeles, Monterey, San Mateo, Solano, Ventura) and three cities (Oakland, San Diego and San Francisco). Those jurisdictions combined are home to almost half the population of California. The exact amount the companies must pay is still being determined. The trial court set it at $1.15 billion to cover homes built before 1981, but the appellate court ruled that only homes built before 1951 should be covered and directed the trial court to reduce the amount.
The ruling doesn’t require complete removal of lead paint from those homes, but says they must be fixed by sealing old paint or replacing parts of windowsills or doors. Priority for repairs goes to homes where children have been poisoned by lead, or where there’s a history of violating building codes and laws meant to prevent lead poisoning.
“Property owners who have neglected their responsibility to those families now get a windfall abatement plan,” said Tony Dias, a lawyer for Sherwin Williams. He added that the paint companies would appeal their loss to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, the ballot measure the paint companies have sponsored would reverse the ruling, block future lawsuits for similar claims, and create a bond using taxpayer funds to pay for repairing an array of environmental hazards in homes across the state—not just the 10 places that sued. The $2 billion bond could be used to remedy mold and asbestos in addition to lead paint. With interest, the bond would cost taxpayers$3.9 billion.
“It’s a broader solution to the problem we’re facing,” said Kendall Klingler, a spokeswoman for the ballot measure campaign.
The ruling is problematic for homeowners in the 10 municipalities whose houses were built between 1951 and 1981, the campaign contends, because it deems the lead paint in those homes a public nuisance but does not provide funding to abate it.
“Overturning the court ruling will obviously benefit the paint companies but it’s really beneficial to
homeowners. Right now their fates are tied as long as this court ruling stands,” Klingler said.
It’s rare for groups that lose in court to try to overturn an unfavorable ruling on the ballot. But it’s not uncommon for interest groups lobbying for a new law in the Legislature to simultaneously launch a ballot measure drive. The threat can be used as leverage to get what they want from the Legislature instead.
It’s not yet clear if that’s the goal of the paint companies here. They’ve submitted the signatures necessary to put their initiative on the November ballot and counties are now checking if they are valid. Initiative backers could pull their measure off the ballot up until June 28. They have launched a publicity campaign that calls on the Legislature to “craft a real solution”—but so far no bills have been introduced that advance their aim.
For now the paint companies are working with other business interests to kill a slate of bills introduced by legislators from the regions that brought the lawsuit. Their bills would expand the scope of the court ruling and make it easier for people to sue over lead paint.
If the companies have any shot of making a deal in the Legislature, one bloc of lawmakers will be critical: the moderate Democrats who are typically the swing vote in stand-offs between environmentalists and big business.
The paint companies’ campaign has reported making payments to David Townsend, a political consultant who has close ties to the caucus of moderate Democrats. He wouldn’t talk about the strategy he’s crafting but said that generally speaking, “most organizations would rather work it out in the Legislature than pay for a big ballot measure.”
The leader of the moderate caucus said he’s met with the paint company lobbyists but that conversation s are in early stages and the issue isn’t a huge priority for him.
“Hopefully we can come to a legislative solution that protects Californians, protects children and takes care of any homes that need to be abated,” said Assemblyman Adam Gray, a Merced Democrat. “But at the end of the day, the folks that are responsible for the lead paint ought to be the ones who pay.”
CALmatters.orgis a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California’s policies and politics.
3 binge-worthy shows to watch in May
It's Friday, which means it's time to binge watch. Every month we take a look at what movies or TV shows are deserving of your binge time with Mark Jordan Legan. Here's what he's got for the month of May.
Sneaky Pete (Amazon Prime)
Synopsis: Giovanni Ribisi plays a professional con man named Marius who is currently serving a prison sentence for his various scams but is going to be released in a few days. Once Marius is out, he gets a heads up that a vicious gangster he ripped off wants him dead.
So, Marius decides to temporarily take on the identity of his cellmate Pete and hide out at Pete's grandparents' upstate New York farm. Marius/Pete gets deeper and deeper with his newfound family — all the while trying to stay one step ahead of the crime boss who is looking everywhere for him.
Why MJL picked it: It's dark, funny and compelling with complex characters and intriguing story lines. But "Sneaky Pete" also insists you pay attention, which is one of the things I like about it.
Why you'll love it: The crime boss is played by none other than Bryan Cranston who co-created the show with David Shore, who gave us the hit medical drama, "House." "Sneaky Pete" is currently run by the creator and head writer of "Justified," Graham Yost. There are two seasons streaming on Amazon Prime and they are well written, expertly acted and thoroughly entertaining.
Hap & Leonard (Netflix)
Synopsis: "Hap & Leonard" is about two lifelong friends -- one black, one white -- struggling to make it through hard times in 1980s East Texas. James Purefoy plays Hap and the great Michael Kenneth Williams — who many know as Omar Little in "The Wire" -- plays Leonard, a gay Vietnam War veteran with anger issues.
Why MJL picked it: It comes from the amazing mind of legendary Texas crime author Joe R. Lansdale. Season one involves the duo trying to find this lost money and each following season is a different adventure. Season two involves trying to clear Leonard’s Uncle after something disturbing is discovered buried under his dilapidated home.
Why you'll love it: The best part of the series is the friendship and chemistry between Hap and Leonard. The show is a darkly funny slice of Southern noir.
The Terror (AMC)
Synopsis: In 1845, two British ships set out on a treacherous journey to find the Arctic Northwest Passage and the ships disappeared. That's a fact. This series offers what may have happened to them.
Why MJL picked it: Ridley Scott executive produced this and it's got his vibe. In fact, you could pitch this as "Alien" on an 1847 Royal Naval expedition. The show does an amazing job capturing the time period and the rough, harsh environment once the ships become stuck in the frozen ice.
Why you'll love it: You'll love how "The Terror" captures the day-to-day existence of life on a ship only with a supernatural twist. Jared Harris and Ciarán Hinds play the two captains, and their performances are just superb. There are ten episodes and this show is an eerie, gripping and harrowing thriller.
Boring Company plans to give free rides in a few months
L.A. traffic being the worst in the world -- literally, according to INRIX -- there's been a lot of talk about how to escape it, either by flying above it with air-bound Ubers or burrowing below it with a tunnel. Both ideas got some traction this week.
Following Uber's announcement on Tuesday that it would bring flying taxis to L.A. by 2023, Elon Musk declared on Twitter Thursday night: "First Boring Company tunnel under LA almost done!"
And it could be giving "free rides to the public in a few months," Musk said.
Musk also posted a video on Instagram that gives a preview of what it will be like to travel through the underground tube.
The tunnel is pending final regulatory approval, but the LA City Council has already approved an environmental review exemption for the project.
The Boring Company tunnel is expected to be 2.7 miles long and run through West L.A., parallel to Sepulveda Boulevard from Pico to Washington Boulevards in Culver City. It will be 30 to 70 feet underground.
The company said the tunnel's entrance will be in what is presently a lumber yard.
Details about how the public will experience these tunnel rides have yet to be revealed, but the way the tunnel is supposed to work is sort of like an elevator. A car steers onto a platform on the street, which lowers into the tunnel and shuttles it through.
But you wouldn't have to have a car to use it. Bicyclists and pedestrians would also have access through a pod that can carry as many as 16 people.
It's pretty fast progress for Musk, who is notoriously late with meeting his own deadlines. Musk first proposed burrowing under the city in a tweet he sent out just 18 months ago.
DragCon brings thousands to DTLA this weekend. We have your guide.
Start your engines!
RuPaul's DragCon starts this weekend at the L.A. Convention Center, and outside of fantasy and sci-fi, it's one of the biggest conventions in the country centered around a TV show.
DragCon was created for fans of "RuPaul’s Drag Race" and of drag queens in general, and last year attendance numbers swelled to approximately 40,000 people. Those fans spent up to $9 million on merch.
"Drag queens are moving from the kids’ table to the big table in the world of entertainment," says Randy Barbato, co-creator of "Drag Race," and of the company that hosts DragCon. "They are like formidable entertainers. It’s like a new industry."
Queens especially resonate among young teenage girls who, before "Drag Race" hit TV screens, would've rarely seen a drag queen in real life.
Those girls look to drag queens for tips on exuberant fashion, make-up and more as they develop their own sense of style.
Here are some tips for going this weekend:
How do I get in?
Tickets start at $40 for a single-day pass, $70 for the whole weekend and kids 10 and under are free.
After the floor wraps up each day, you can splurge on nighttime performances, too, at theatres and bars throughout downtown L.A.
Who will be there?
RuPaul, of course, who gives a keynote speech on Sunday afternoon.
Many past contestants from the show will be there, too. You might also meet some future contestants (we took pics of season 9's Valentina before she was cast on the show).
Celebrities like comedians Nicole Byer and Billy Eichner will be on hand, as well, and Yeardley Smith, the voice of Lisa Simpson on "The Simpsons."
But expect to see tons of excited, young fans who've dressed up for the occasion.
What kind of programming can I expect?
On Saturday, Brian McCook (a.k.a. Katya) talks about the business of drag, queens give advice on removing body hair, and queer gamers discuss how drag and video games intertwine.
On Sunday, queens chat about ending online hate speech and harassment, Miss Congenialities from past "Drag Race" seasons talk nice, and there's also a panel on body positivity.
Stick around the convention floor, too, where high-energy performances will happen throughout the whole event.
How should I prepare?
With some good shoes. Lines to get into panels can be long.
And the line to meet some of the most popular queens can stretch on for hours...unless you buy a fast pass.