State & U.S. News: July 2009

Four men accused of attempting to blow up two New York synagogues and shoot down military planes plead “not guilty” to the charges in a White Plains, New York City court. 

A federal grand jury indictment accused the men of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction and conspiracy to acquire and use anti-air craft missiles.  U.S. citizens James Cromitie, David Williams and Onta Williams, along with Laguerre Payen, a Haitian national, were also indicted on charges of conspiring and attempting to kill officers and employees of the U.S.  The men (Muslims) face life in prison if convicted.  

 

Immigrant rights activists hope to counter efforts by a national Latino clergy group wanting to persuade one million illegal immigrants to boycott the 2010 U.S. census.  If successful, it affects California’s federal funding as well as political representation. The Washington, D.C. National Coalition of Latino Clergy & Christian Leaders, says it represents 20,000 Latino churches in 34 states, and a quarter of its four million members will join the boycott to put pressure for legalization and protect themselves from government scrutiny.  Not all Latino organizations are in on the boycott wagon, however.  La Opinión, a highly read Latin news- paper in an editorial called the effort, “dangerous mistake” and for Latinos it “verges on political suicide.”   

 

California could become the first state in the economic downturn to eliminate student financial aid if  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is successful in dismantling the Cal Grant program. The governor’s proposal would end all new Cal Grants, eliminating the state’s main financial aid program for college students, and prevent existing awards from increasing. Grants awarded to 118,000 freshmen starting college in the fall would be canceled, as well as hikes in 82,255 continuing awards promised when University of California and California State University raised fees this month by 10% and 9.3%, respectively.  At the University of California, among other options, students with university grants could see some of their money shifted to those who have lost their Cal Grants, say officials. California State University and schools in California Community Colleges System have yet to decide how to respond to the potentially devastating aid cuts. The proposal would save an estimated $173 million in 2009-10 and $450 million in 2010-11, state officials reported.

 

The overseer of healthcare in state prisons will dramatically scale back an $8-billion plan to build inmate medical facilities.  The controversial construction plan led to a battle with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Attorney General Jerry Brown and legislators over how much to spend on healthcare for prisoners while the state is out of money.  On the agenda now are plans to build two new facilities, one in the northern and southern part of California, each with 3,400 beds for sick and mentally ill inmates.  Originally, funds were sought for seven projects and 10,000 beds.

U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson seized control of the prison medical system in 2006, saying inmates died because the care they received was so poor it violated their rights.

 

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger readies a proposal to cut the state worker salaries by an additional 5% as local officials criticize his aim to take $2 billion from counties and cities to help the state deficit.  The  reduction affects 235,000 state workers must  take unpaid furloughs because of the state’s $24.3 billion budget gap.  The proposed cut reduces wages by 15%, and won’t affect state Legislature or court system employees.

 

The California Supreme Court seems unlikely to OK employers to spy on their workers with hidden cameras.

However, state high court members were skeptical of two women who said they discovered a surveillance camera in their office and because of it had suffered serious harm.  The court considered a lawsuit brought by the women against their employer for installing a hidden camera in their office.  Court justices’ noted that they thought workers had a right to expect some privacy in their offices, but did question whether these two women who were suing had enough evidence of wrongdoing to win their case.  The employer of the women stated that the camera never recorded a view of the women.  A state appeals court in Los Angeles ruled that the women had a viable lawsuit. The court said employees need not show they were actually viewed or recorded by a hidden camera to prevail in an invasion of privacy lawsuit.

 

Car companies race to the finish line to offer electric vehicles to the public.  One company is forgoing any high-tech electronics, and making its cars energy source out of the air.  Zero Pollution Motors hopes to bring a car to the U.S. roads by 2011 that will be powered by compressed air and a small conventional engine.  ZPM Chief Executive Shiva Vencat reported that  their price range goal ranges between $18,000 and $20,000, with a fuel economy of 100 miles per gallon. Some car authorities are skeptical.  ”Air compressors are one of the least efficient machines to convert electricity to work,” says Harold Kung, professor of chemical/biological engineering at Northwestern University. “Why not use electricity directly as in electric cars? From an energy utilization point of view, the compressed (air) car does not make sense.”

 

Hundreds of same-sex couples march through California farm towns to protest the battle over gay marriage.

Days after California’s highest court upheld the ban on gay marriages, gay advocates refused to give up their fight and hope to win over objectors to their side.   The march into rural towns brought out well-known activists and a huge group of celebrities including Charlize Theron.  The organizer of the march was a lesbian mother in Fresno, California who was removed from her son’s Catholic school parent-teacher association because she had publically spoken out against the gay marriage ban.

 

Democratic leaders in the House put major environmental legislation on a fast-track, boosting a climate change  bill. Sources said the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved a bill reducing industrial emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases 17 percent by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050, from 2005 levels.  The climate bill, in addition to other healthcare reform, have become top priorities of President Barack Obama, and House Democrats and are looking to pass them before the August recess.  The legislation would be a big success for activists hoping to halt the accelerating global warming that is occurring.

 

Lawmakers in New Hampshire approve a gay marriage bill to legalize same-sex marriage. But the ongoing 

debate in New York rages on.  Senator Rev. Ruben Diaz, an opponent of the bill, stated that Senator Tom Duane “should release the names of Senators who are supporting the bill.  If not, he should shut up.” Diaz accused the undecided and undeclared politicians of being “ashamed to be publicly associated with the gay community.”

New York Governor Paterson said he’s still optimistic the bill will pass.