SoCal (News, Events, etc.)

[Orema]

San Diego Bay Parade of Lights

The San Diego Bay Parade of Lights is a time-honored holiday tradition with more than 80 boats lavishly decorated sailing by the shores for all to see.

Join us for the 46th annual San Diego Bay Parade of Lights, brought to San Diego by the boating community. Held on two consecutive Sundays in December, the parade proceeds from Shelter Island past Harbor Island, the Embarcadero, Seaport Village, Pier at Cesar Chavez Park and the Ferry Landing in Coronado. Whether you're a participant or spectator, the Parade of Lights is a festive and delightful experience for all!

2017 Theme - Arrrgh! A Pirate’s Christmas

Parade Dates and Times

The San Diego Bay Parade of Lights is held two consecutive Sundays:

– Sunday, December 10, 2017
– Sunday, December 17, 2017

Approximate Times at Locations Around the Bay

The parade takes approximately one hour to one and a half hours to pass any given point along the parade route. The approximate arrival time of the parade at various locations are:

– Shelter Island (start of parade): 5:00 PM
– Harbor Island: 5:30 PM
– The Embarcadero: 6:00 PM
– Seaport Village: 6:30 PM
– The Pier at Cesar Chavez Park: 6:45 PM
– Ferry Landing on Coronado: 7:00 PM

Best Viewing Locations

For those viewing the parade from the water, the best vantage point for viewing is where the parade turns west to Coronado, near the 10th Street Terminal. For those on land, try the north and south ends of the Embarcadero, as well as the pathway along Coronado, as these areas tend to be less crowded. Other excellent viewing points are the park behind Seaport Village, Harbor Island, Shelter Island and the new pier at Cesar Chavez Park. If you plan on viewing the parade from Harbor Island, get there early as available parking spaces fill up quickly.

https://www.sandiego.org/explore/eve...of-lights.aspx

[Orema]

Here is a link that includes map and locations of the recent fire activity.

http://www.fire.ca.gov/general/firemaps

[*Anya*]

California Online
(Please note: We regularly highlight articles on news sites that have limited access for nonsubscribers)

･ The Trump administration is requesting that the 2020 census include questions about immigration status. There are fears this could lead to a massive undercounting of the California Latino population, which could have consequences ranging from the reapportionment of legislative seats to the distribution of federal funds. The decennial census has not asked all respondents whether they were citizens since 1960. [The New York Times]

･ The number of workers complaining that their bosses are threatening to get them deported is on the rise in California. The cases include instances in which employers allegedly threatened to report workers to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after workers raised issues over working conditions, including wage theft. [Los Angeles Times]

･ President Trump on Tuesday declared a major disaster in California over the Thomas fire in Southern California. The declaration means that the federal government may cover 75 percent of firefighting costs, which approached $200 million. The federal government may also cover costs of recovering from the blaze, including the removal of vast amounts of debris in fire-denuded areas. [Associated Press via Mercury News]

･ Los Angeles prosecutors are reviewing two cases brought by the Beverly Hills Police Department against Harvey Weinstein. [Associated Press via The New York Times]

･ There’s a growing debate over whether someone should replace San Francisco’s acting mayor, London Breed, in the lead up to the election that will choose a replacement for the late Ed Lee. But it’s unclear whether a majority of the notoriously fractious Board of Supervisors will coalesce behind any one candidate. [San Francisco Chronicle]

･ Highway politics: Drivers entering California from Arizona and Nevada saw fake signs welcoming them to an “official sanctuary state” that’s home to “felons” and gang members. The signs, which were removed, appeared just under the official “Welcome to California” signs. [Associated Press via The New York Times]

･ As the New Year arrived, twins were born in Kern County 18 minutes apart. That was enough to give them different birth years. Warning: adorable photos of the sleeping twins. [Sacramento Bee]

･ Sex Parties of the Tech and Famous. “At normal tech parties, there are hardly any women. At these kinds of party, there are tons of them.” [Vanity Fair]

･ Is Jon Gruden the right choice to coach the Raiders? Yes, says everyone. [San Francisco Chronicle]

And Finally …
William M. McCarthy, an armament expert for the U.S. War Department, lived in San Francisco during the first half of the 20th century. An avid and able photographer, Mr. McCarthy documented his travels around California with his wife, Grace. The result is a collection of photographs that give us a remarkably diverse record of the key moments in the state’s history — the devastation of the Great Fire in San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake; the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge — and historical street views of Los Angeles, Yosemite and the Mexican border, among many other places. The collection, preserved by the California State Archives, is available here. Here’s a small sampling:

California Today goes live at 6 a.m. Pacific time weekdays. Tell us what you want to see: CAtoday@nytimes.com.

California Today is edited by Julie Bloom, who grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from U.C. Berkeley.

[Orema]

New California Laws You Need to Know for 2018

Here's a look at some of the new California laws for 2018:

LGBT RIGHTS FOR LONG-TERM CARE FACILITY (Senate Bill No. 219): This new law strengthens an existing law and makes it unlawful for a facility to act against an individual on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or their HIV status. Facilities cannot deny admission, transfer, refuse transfer, discharge or evict LGBT residents. Facilities must use a resident’s preferred name or pronouns. Get to know the bill here.

SALARY INFORMATION (Assembly Bill No. 168): Under the new bill employers are prohibited from asking salary information of an applicant. Employers are also prohibited from relying on salary history as a factor in determining salary for a new employee. View the new bill here.

EMPLOYERS BANNED FROM ASKING CRIMINAL HISTORY ON APPLICATIONS (Assembly Bill No. 1008): This new law bans employers, state agencies, and public utilities with five or more workers from including, on any application, any questions about an applicant’s conviction history. Employers are not to consider a person’s criminal background until the applicant has received an offer. And if an employer then decides to take back the offer, the employer is required to notify the applicant in writing, with specific information, as to why the offer is being rescinded. Applicant is allowed to challenge, and the employer is required to review that challenge. Check out the bill here.

AMMUNITION SALES (Assembly Bill No. 693): Under this law all ammunition sales and transfers has to be made in person through a licensed vendor – approved by the State’s Department of Justice. Out of state purchases and internet purchases must also go through a vendor. The law does not apply to police officers, and law enforcement officers of a city, county, city and county, and state or federal government. View the bill here.

WORK SITE IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT AND PROTECTIONS (Assembly Bill No. 450): This law protects workers from immigration enforcement while on the job. An employer or someone acting on behalf of an employer is not allowed to let an immigration agent enter non-public areas of a work place unless the agent has a warrant. Public and private employers can face fines up to $10,000 for each violations. Read the bill here.
MINIMUM WAGE: Minimum wage increases to $10.50 per hour for employers with 25 or fewer workers, $11 per hour for employers with 26 or more employees. More info here.

RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA: The legal use of recreational marijuana goes into effect Jan. 1. While it’s up to individual cities to create their own rules, the state has some broad rules, such as pot shops have to be at least 600 feet away from schools and must close by 10 p.m. The state’s website is under construction, but there is some information on there – check out the “Marijuana goes legal in California on Jan. 1 — what you need to know.” View the website here.

[Orema]

Science & Engineering Expo Day at Petco Park.

Saturday, March 3-11, 2018



It's FREE to the public and open from 10a.m. – 5p.m. Parking is available for $5 in the Tailgate lot and Padres Parkade, but the trolley is a great way to visit, too.



And, here is a link to the Science and Engineering festival acitivies in March.

[Lyte]

Ugh... I'm so.. California Dreaming ... right now! It's cold 'n' wet 'n' foggy 'n' gloomy here in Texas.

Missin' my home state...

[girl_dee]

i can’t wait to experience SoCal!