Could fracking the Monterey Shale lead to the next Big One?

Michael Kiparsky quoted in The Bay Nature Institute, September 17, 2013

“When a hole is drilled, it creates a conduit through which oil, gas, and fracking fluids could move upwards,” Kiparsky says. “If there was a casing failure, that movement into the bottom of the aquifer could happen within hours or days, but wouldn’t necessarily be expressed at the surface, or be visible, for decades or centuries.”… Kiparsky warns of the risks of irreversible contamination of surface and groundwater near wells, unless the method is carefully monitored and controlled.

FBI report: Violent crime up in Bay Area, California in 2012

Barry Krisberg quoted in San Jose Mercury News, September 16, 2013

Barry Krisberg … said the FBI data doesn’t mean much. He noted factors such as a law enforcement agency dropping out of the voluntary reporting system or a reworked definition of a crime can skew statistics. “People are trying to make much out of a one-year trend,” Krisberg said. “But there are so many problems in regards to the data.”

What does opposition to war in Syria tell us about the state of international law?

Saira Mohamed writes for Justia, Verdict, September 16, 2013

The gaping holes in international law continue to be an embarrassment: Syria has been ravaged by violence for years, but it is only now, after the “red line” has been crossed, that world leaders are thinking seriously about what it means to “flout fundamental international rules.”  Nonetheless, there is reason for hope.

Oakland’s aim

Franklin Zimring quoted in the Los Angeles Times, September 14, 2013

“It doesn’t isolate the big cities in California, it isolates one city in California,” said … Franklin Zimring. “It says, ‘OK, Oakland, you’ve got a big problem now, let’s see what you want to add to the existing California policy that responds to the nature of firearms violence Oakland-style.'” The Oakland experiment, Zimring said, could serve to “test the waters of local control and to see whether the political process that produces city-level gun policy can get inclusive and responsible, and whether it can get specific and selective in ways that can solve the problem.”

Bumps in the road as Hawaii plugs in

Ethan Elkind quoted in Plugincars.com, September 13, 2013

According to Ethan Elkind … (a co-author of the report) “Hawaii has easily solvable problems. We went island by island to see where the problems were…. The defacto cap has to be addressed because it’s preventing people from buying EVs,” he said.

Obamacare: California can use the ACA to improve its economy and people’s lives

Ann O’Leary and Jeffrey Selbin write for San Jose Mercury News, September 13, 2013

Under the ACA, California has created a health care marketplace, Covered California, where individuals and families can enroll in Medi-Cal, get financial assistance to purchase health coverage or compare private health plans. Obamacare will extend health care coverage to millions of uninsured Californians, but it also is a chance to increase participation in other safety net and work support programs.

In compromise, Brown and Steinberg announce hybrid prison plan

Barry Krisberg quoted in Daily Journal, September 10, 2013 (registration required)

Barry Krisberg … said the court could be wary of a delay given past efforts by the state to avoid the deadline. “My guess would be that the courts are going to look at this and say, ‘This has been coming for four years,'” he said. “They’ve delayed, they’ve postponed, they’ve appealed, and now, once again, they are proposing another delay.”

Deukmejian had it right – rehab, not cells

Barry Krisberg writes for San Francisco Chronicle, September 10, 2013

Deukmejian had it right. California needs fundamental sentencing reform and to shorten prison stays for carefully selected non-dangerous convicts. Probation and county parole agencies need to implement proven programs to manage lower risk offenders in the community. Providing adequate mental health, literacy and substance programs in our state prisons must top our agenda.

Can we save our urban water systems?

Michael Kiparsky article cited in TerraDaily, September 9, 2013

The article, entitled “The Innovation Deficit in Urban Water,” contends that for new innovations to be implemented successfully, engineers must understand the social, economic, institutional, and political mechanisms that underlie the human-technology interface.