Here's your daily briefing...
Cost Of Housing CA Prisoners Expected To Reach Record: Since 2005, the price of incarceration has doubled even though the state’s inmate population has been reduced by about one-quarter. The Associated Press reports the cost of housing each of California's 130,000 inmates is expected to reach $75,560 in the next year. That’s enough to cover the annual cost of attending Harvard University, and is the highest per-inmate cost in the U.S.
Single-Payer Health Care Passes Senate: That’s left opponents and supporters now asking if the bill would actually make it easier to get healthcare in California. According to Capital Public Radio’s Sally Schilling, some lawmakers say it would indeed solve the state’s problem of having nearly 3 million people uninsured. Others site issues like access to care as cause for concern.
Lawmakers Pass Hundreds Of Bills Before Deadline: Passed in the senate were bills that would let local governments decide whether bars could stay open until 4 a.m. and one that would require presidential candidates to disclose their tax returns to qualify for the California ballot. Bills passed in the Assembly included one to abolish daylight savings time and one that would ban employers from initially asking whether a job applicant has any criminal convictions. All bills now cross over to the opposite chamber.
Governor Brown Appoints New UC Regents: The appointments filled four positions on the 26-member University Board of Regents. Brown’s appointees included: Democratic Congresswoman, Ellen Tauscher; Hollywood entrepreneur, Peter Guber; one of Brown’s senior policy advisors, Lark Park; and a longtime UC official, Maria Anguiano. Brown has lately been critical of the UC leadership and his recent regent appointees have been said to take a similar tone.