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California Secretary of State
DB14:065
September 15, 2014
Contact: Nicole Winger
(916) 653-6575
California Elections Chief Invites Schools
To Participate in Statewide Student Mock Election
SACRAMENTO - As the fall election season gets under way, Secretary of State Debra Bowen and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson once again are partnering to give California students the chance to test-drive democracy and vote on mock ballots that mirror some of the choices the state’s voters will face this November.
"High school and middle school students are the voters of the future," said Secretary Bowen, the state’s chief elections officer. "Mock elections are a great tool for teaching the value of civic engagement and encourages students to make a voting a life-long habit."
The mock election, which will be held on hundreds of school campuses throughout California on October 28, will give students the chance to voice their opinions on the gubernatorial candidates, as well as the six ballot measures on the November ballot. Once their votes are counted, students can compare their choices to those of their peers around the state, and then to the decisions made by adult voters in the statewide election held a week later.
The California Student Mock Election provides engaging, standards-based lesson plans and activities designed especially for students participating in the mock election. Participating schools will receive printed ballots and other materials, and report their results to the Secretary of State’s office.
In 2012, students from 735 schools cast ballots in California’s mock presidential election.
Schools that register by September 19 will receive printed ballots, posters, stickers and other materials by mail. After September 19, schools can download materials from the mock election website. For more information about the mock election, including teacher resources and prior-year results, visit www.sos.ca.gov/elections/studentmockelection.htm.
For more information about the November 4 General Election, go to www.sos.ca.gov/elections
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California Lt. Governor's Office
LT. GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM CALLS FOR UC REGENT VOTE ON NEW "LOWER-THAN-LAST" STUDENT-ATHLETE ACADEMIC STANDARDS
01-21-2015
(Sacramento) - Ahead of the University of California (UC) Board of Regents meeting on Thursday, California Lieutenant Governor and UC Regent Gavin Newsom today called for further scrutiny and a vote on the "lower-than-last" student-athlete academic performance policy, adopted by the Office of the UC President in December, in order to pursue higher standards.
The new policy ties the UC's standards to the NCAA's minimum benchmark, which is lower than all but one of the UC athletic programs' most recent academic progress ratings. The standard is also lower than the academic progress rating posted by UC Berkeley's football program, already ranked last in the Pac-12 by the NCAA's most recent academic progress ratings.
"This conversation started after the football program at UC Berkeley ranked last in the Pac-12 for academic performance, yet the new policy sets a standard beneath that failing grade," said Lt. Governor Newsom. "This lower-than-last benchmark clearly requires the UC's Regents, as the university's oversight and governing body, to step in and set a more ambitious direction for the University of California and ensure that these students receive a solid education in addition to their athletic experience."
Lt. Governor Newsom also opposed a proposal to surrender Regents' oversight of student-athlete policy by removing Regents from the process of approving the multi-million dollar contracts awarded to UC athletic personnel. The proposal was rejected by UC Regents in September 2014 but returns for a vote again on Thursday.
"This proposal is troubling on two fronts. First, it would abdicate the Regents' oversight over the contractual clauses that force Athletic Directors and coaches to take the academic performance of its student-athletes seriously. I remain unwilling as a Regent to consider ceding oversight until there is a change in organizational culture. It has not, and the underlying policy does not address that," said Lt. Governor Newsom. "Second, the UC is a public education system with economic challenges. Paying individual state workers with salaries worth millions of dollars needs more oversight, not less."
Background
The student-athlete academic policy, adopted by the Office of the President in December includes a "gatekeeper clause" in athletic contracts to establish a minimum level of academic performance for coaches to be eligible for performance incentive awards, a principle that Lt. Governor Newsom supports.
However, the UC's proposed gatekeeper clause would be tied to the minimum-required NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR), currently set at a four-year average APR of 930. Every Division 1 UC campus program, except men's basketball at UC Riverside, already surpasses the 930 APR. UC Berkeley, where the football program registers a Pac-12 lowest APR (at 938) according to the most recent NCAA report, would not be impacted by the benchmark.
The Office of the President also recommends that UC Regents cede its responsibility to the UC President to approve all Athletic Director and coaches' contracts above the indexed compensation level, which would include academic-performance related clauses. To emphasize the scale and importance of such contracts, it should be noted that UCLA's men's football coach is set to earn $21 million in a six-season contract, before bonuses of up to $930,000 annually.
Regents will not have an opportunity to vote on the new policy (available here) adopted by the Office of the President. The Board of Regents will vote on authorizing the UC President authority over athletic personnel contracts on Thursday January 22, 2015
California Highway Patrol
Josh Ehlers, Commander Contact: Fran Clader Office of Community Outreach & Media Relations Director of Communications 601 North 7th Street, Sacramento, CA 95811 (916) 843-3310 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 27, 2015 15-05 CHP: DRIVE ALERT, ARRIVE ALIVE SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Daylight Saving Time is fast approaching, which means we will be losing an hour of sleep as we set clocks forward on Sunday, March 8, 2015. Losing even one hour of sleep can affect a person’s internal clock and consequently impact their ability to safely drive. In an effort to reduce the number of fatigue-related collisions, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) is joining with the National Sleep Foundation in observing National Sleep Awareness Week, March 2-8, 2015. “Fatigued drivers can be just as dangerous as an alcohol- or drug-impaired driver on our roadways,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “A lack of sleep will decrease a driver’s awareness, slow reaction time, and impair judgment. All of these behaviors can result in serious or even deadly consequences for the driver, their passengers or others on the roadway.” According to the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System, in 2012, the most recent year that finalized data is available, more than 4,000 collisions occurred in California involving a drowsy driver. Those collisions resulted in 36 deaths and injuries to more than 2,400 people. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that, nationally, more than 100,000 collisions each year are the result of drowsy driving. Drivers who experience any symptoms of drowsy driving should stop driving and rest. Drivers who are far from home should use a rest stop, parking lot, or hotel to take a quick nap. Twenty minutes of napping may help to clear fatigue. “Many people under estimate the dangers associated with driving drowsy,” added Commissioner Farrow. “This week is the perfect opportunity to educate the public on the associated with drowsy driving.” The mission of the California Highway Patrol is to provide the highest level of Safety, Service, and Security to the people of California.
Los Angeles
Press Releases
Home → Media → Press Releases →
Mayor Garcetti Releases DWP Benchmarking Study Results
Posted by Mayor Eric Garcetti on March 17, 2015 · Flag
Study finds DWP offers among lowest rates compared to its peers, scores 1st and 2nd quartile on reliability and 1st quartile on operating costs, but must make customer service improvements
LOS ANGELES – Mayor Eric Garcetti announced today the results of an initial benchmarking study at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to find efficiencies that will improve operations and save money for ratepayers. To promote transparency and ensure the Department is focused on the most pressing needs of ratepayers, Mayor Garcetti directed the Department to conduct an independent evaluation of its operations and costs, which was performed by PA Consulting and Strategy&, based on a wide range of performance metrics, including water and power reliability, operating costs, and customer service.
"One of my top 'back to basics' priorities is to ensure that the Department of Water and Power delivers affordable and dependable water, power and customer service," Mayor Garcetti said. "The results of this independent benchmarking analysis show that the DWP scores in the first and second quartiles on reliability, is in the first quartile on operating costs, and offers among the lowest rates compared with our peers. The study finds a need for customer service improvements, reinforcing our work to hire 190 customer service representatives since April 2014 to drive call hold times down to under 5 minutes. Under our new leadership at the DWP, we are changing the culture to focus more on customer service, because that’s what our customers deserve."
LADWP General Manager Marcie Edwards said the wide-ranging, 3-Phase Benchmarking study offers the baseline comparison metrics for future analysis that will continue drilling down into areas that need improvement. "I am very pleased with the initial results of this study, which will help us find and achieve real cost savings and greater efficiencies within LADWP’s operations," Edwards said.
"It is also important to note there are some costs that rank high compared to our peers, such as power distribution operations and maintenance costs——but this highlights the need for greater capital investments in replacing aging infrastructure," Edwards adds. "The performance metric for power Total O&M costs per customer also reflects LADWP’s continued low rates relative to our California peers."
Compared to major California electric utilities, LADWP’s electric rates are below those of investor owned utilities in the State. Water rates are competitive with those of other water utilities in the region.
The key findings of the initial phase of benchmarking analysis will be presented to the Board of Water and Power Commissioners today by Jeffery Peltola, Director of LADWP Corporate Performance, a position established by Edwards within her first months on the job. The initial high-level analysis is the first of three phases of the benchmarking study being led by LADWP’s Corporate Performance Division, focusing on operating and capital costs using audited financial information from fiscal year 2012-2013. Phase 2 of the benchmarking will include more in-depth analysis of staffing levels and resulting costs in the various functions and sub-functions, with additional focus on Customer Service, Power Distribution, energy losses, and uncollectible expenses. Phase 3 of the benchmarking will be business process improvement studies in specific areas that are found to be outside of industry norms. As a result of the findings from Phase 1 of the benchmarking studies, LADWP is now in the process of obtaining 3rd party experts to assist in business process improvement studies for reducing energy losses, accounts receivable balances, and related noncollectable expenses.
The study compares LADWP’s performance to other large utilities nationwide as well as within the Western region, including 36 investor owned and publicly owned electric utilities with more than 1 million customers in the U.S., and 26 private and publicly owned electric utilities with more than 100,000 customers in the West. The comparison data for water utilities is based on information provided the American Water Works Association which is comprised principally of publicly owned utilities. The results are shown as rankings within four quartiles, with first being best, for both the nationwide peer utilities and regional peer utilities.
A summary and full report are available athttp://www.ladwpnews.com/go/doc/1475/2479870/
San Francisco
News Releases
The latest news and announcements from Mayor Lee
Mayor Lee’s Statement on Police Department Investigation Into Racist and Homophobic Text Messages
Posted Date: 3/16/2015
“It is both shocking and disturbing to hear that four San Francisco police officers are under investigation for such heinous and despicable statements. The content of these text messages displays a bias that is incompatible with the values of our City and incompatible with the ability to perform sworn duties as a police officer.
If these statements are attributable to any San Francisco Police officer, I join Police Chief Greg Suhr in seeking nothing less than termination.
San Francisco is a City that embraces and celebrates diversity. This kind of disrespectful, hateful behavior will not be tolerated. The San Francisco Police Department is one of the best in the nation, and we will continue to work to ensure that the police force represents the diversity of our City.”
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