Vallejo Times-Herald: Benicia Progressive Democrats pick endorsements

Repost from the Vallejo Times-Herald
[Editor: A similar article ran in the print edition of the Benicia Herald on May 17, 2018, but has not appeared online.  – RS]

Candidates, measures for June 5 election

Times-Herald staff report, online 05/15/18, print 05/26/18

BENICIA >> The Progressive Democrats of Benicia have announced their endorsements for the June 5 primary. The organization presented its research on each issue and candidate to the steering committee and then the committee took a final vote on who or what to endorse.

P.D.B. supports the following candidates: U.S. Senate, Kevin de Leon; U.S. Congress District 5, Mike Thompson; Governor, Delaine Eastin; Lieutenant Governor, Eleni Kounalakis; State Assembly District 14, Tim Grayson; Attorney General, Dave Jones; Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Thurmond; State Controller, Betty Yee; Insurance Commissioner, Ricardo Lara; Secretary of State, Alex Padilla; State Treasurer, Fiona Ma; and Solano County Superior Court Judge, Steve Gizzi.

As for measures and propositions, here is where they stand:

Proposition 68 — Support

Parks, Environment, and Water Bond: Authorizes bonds for funding parks, natural resource protection, climate adaptation, water quality and supply, and flood protection.

“The committee finds this to be in alignment with the organization’s policies regarding the environment.”

Proposition 69 — Support

Transportation Taxes and Fees Lockbox and Appropriations Limit Exemption Amendment: Requires that certain revenues generated by a 2017 transportation funding law be used only for transportation purposes and generally prohibits legislature from diverting funds to other purposes.

“This measure protects any diversion of transportation revenues for other purposes. There’s an estimated $16.1 million per year for local street and road maintenance, and $6 million per year for the state.”

Proposition 70 — Oppose

Vote Requirement to Use Cap-And-Trade Revenue Amendment: Requires a legislative supermajority vote to approve the use of the cap-and-trade reserve fund. It is a legislative constitutional amendment.

“This proposition … would seriously jeopardize future progress on pollution reduction and climate change mitigation.”

Proposition 71 — Support

Effective Date of Ballot Measures Amendment: Sets up an effective date for ballot measures. Legislative constitutional amendment. Provides that a ballot measure approved by a majority of voters shall take effect five days after the Secretary of State certifies the results of the election.

Proposition 72 — Support

Rainwater Capture Systems Excluded from Property Tax Assessments Amendment: Rainwater capture systems would not be counted as new construction after Jan. 1, 2019.

“The potential for this proposition to encourage rainwater capture systems to reduce potable water consumption can ease some of the severe water consumption issues cities face.”

Regional Measure 3 — Oppose

Bay Area Traffic Relief Plan: Building major roadway and public transit improvements via an increase in bridge tolls on all Bay Area toll bridges except the Golden Gate. “Residents of Solano County would shoulder the burden of paying this toll without any future relief of a public transit solution. More benefits will go to larger urban areas, and not equal benefits to Solano County.”

Learn more about the Progressive Democrats of Benicia and their stands at progressivedemocratsofbenicia.com

Eight mass shootings in California this year (1/1/18 – 5/18/18)

By Roger Straw

California has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation.  And yet, in less than 5 months  so far in 2018, California has seen 8 mass shootings, killing 7 and injuring 32.  Three of these incidents took place in the Bay Area (source: Gun Violence Archive).  Even California’s laws need to be strengthened.  For California legislative issues, see bayareastudentactivists.org/resources/.

Incident Date City Or County # Killed # Injured More info
27-Jan-18 Los Angeles 0 5 View
13-May-18 Stockton 3 2 View
9-Apr-18 Vallejo 0 4 View
20-Apr-18 San Francisco 1 5 View
12-Mar-18 Modesto 0 4 View
7-May-18 San Diego 0 5 View
21-Mar-18 San Francisco 1 5 View
13-May-18 Los Angeles 2 2 View
Total 2018 as of 5-19-18   7 32

High school students react, comment on latest mass school shooting

From National Public Radio, NPR:

The students behind the March for Our Lives movement, which started after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Florida, sent a note of support, saying, “This is the most fatal shooting since the one at our school and tragedies like this will continue to happen unless action is taken.”

One of the leaders of the group, Emma Gonzalez, added via Twitter, “Santa Fe High, you didn’t deserve this.”

Video of student reaction, comments: Youth Radio.

Here is a post from March For Our Lives on Twitter:

71 Mass Shootings in the US since Parkland Florida: 70 killed, 277 wounded

By Roger Straw, May 18, 2018

Just 93 days ago, 17 were killed in the deadly mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Florida.  In the 13 weeks since, there have been 71 mass shootings in the US, killing 70, including the 10 who were murdered today in Santa Fe Texas.  Another 280 suffered gunshot wounds in those 71 mass shootings.  #NEVERAGAIN

Can you catch a bullet like you can catch a cold? Intriguing study looks at gun violence under epidemiology lens zmescience.com/science/gun-violence-contagious

69 dead in 71 mass shootings in 93 days – all incidents where 4 or more are shot or killed. #ENOUGH

These shocking statistics are kept by the Gun Violence Archive (More about the Gun Violence Archive below.)

[Editor: The following table was taken from the Gun Violence Archive early on 5/18, with only preliminary count on the victims in Santa Fe Texas.  LATER: updated the Santa Fe numbers.  – RS]

Mass Shootings since Parkland, Florida on 14 Feb 2018 (Source: gunviolencearchive.org)
Incident Date State City Or County # Killed # Injured
18-May-18 Texas Santa Fe 10 13
16-May-18 Texas Ponder 5 1
14-May-18 Maryland Baltimore 0 4
13-May-18 California Stockton 3 2
13-May-18 Mississippi Byhalia 0 4
13-May-18 California Los Angeles 2 2
12-May-18 Nebraska Omaha 0 6
12-May-18 New Jersey Paulsboro 0 4
11-May-18 Oklahoma Talihina 1 4
11-May-18 Missouri Saint Louis 0 4
9-May-18 Nebraska Omaha 0 4
9-May-18 Missouri Saint Louis 0 4
7-May-18 California San Diego 0 5
6-May-18 Oklahoma Stillwater 0 4
6-May-18 Tennessee Memphis 2 4
5-May-18 Georgia Columbus 0 5
4-May-18 North Carolina Henderson 0 4
4-May-18 Illinois Chicago Heights 0 4
2-May-18 Illinois Chicago 1 4
2-May-18 Minnesota Minneapolis 0 6
2-May-18 New York Brooklyn 1 4
1-May-18 Louisiana New Orleans 0 5
30-Apr-18 Florida Pompano Beach 0 4
30-Apr-18 District of Columbia Washington 0 4
29-Apr-18 Tennessee Wartburg 0 4
29-Apr-18 Washington Seattle (Skyway) 2 2
29-Apr-18 North Carolina Monroe 1 3
29-Apr-18 Florida West Palm Beach 1 3
28-Apr-18 North Carolina Maxton 0 5
25-Apr-18 Arkansas Pine Bluff 0 4
25-Apr-18 Missouri Saint Louis (Spanish Lake) 3 1
24-Apr-18 Michigan Flint 0 4
22-Apr-18 Tennessee Antioch 4 3
22-Apr-18 Louisiana New Orleans 1 5
21-Apr-18 Pennsylvania Philadelphia 2 2
20-Apr-18 California San Francisco 1 5
18-Apr-18 North Carolina Asheville 4 3
15-Apr-18 Louisiana Shreveport 0 6
9-Apr-18 California Vallejo 0 4
8-Apr-18 North Carolina Hickory 1 3
8-Apr-18 Florida Miami 2 2
6-Apr-18 Florida Jacksonville 0 4
6-Apr-18 Virginia Virginia Beach 1 3
4-Apr-18 Louisiana New Orleans 2 2
2-Apr-18 Texas Houston 1 3
1-Apr-18 Alabama Mobile 1 4
1-Apr-18 Michigan Saginaw 0 5
31-Mar-18 New Jersey Asbury Park 0 5
29-Mar-18 Texas Plano 1 3
29-Mar-18 New Jersey Camden 0 4
24-Mar-18 Utah Salt Lake City (West Valley City) 0 4
21-Mar-18 California San Francisco 1 5
17-Mar-18 Kentucky Louisville 0 7
17-Mar-18 Illinois Harvey 0 4
13-Mar-18 Florida Macclenny 0 4
12-Mar-18 California Modesto 0 4
11-Mar-18 Illinois Champaign 1 3
11-Mar-18 Indiana South Bend 0 6
11-Mar-18 Michigan Saginaw 0 5
9-Mar-18 North Carolina Wadesboro 3 1
7-Mar-18 Alabama Hurtsboro 2 2
4-Mar-18 Illinois Rockford 1 4
3-Mar-18 Florida Miami 0 4
3-Mar-18 New York Brooklyn 1 3
27-Feb-18 Connecticut Bridgeport 0 4
26-Feb-18 Michigan Detroit 5 0
23-Feb-18 Florida Palm Beach Gardens (Riviera Beach) 1 3
18-Feb-18 Texas San Antonio 0 5
17-Feb-18 Kansas Kansas City 1 7
17-Feb-18 Tennessee Memphis 0 5
16-Feb-18 Oklahoma Oklahoma City 1 3
Feb 15 to present
70
280


ABOUT GUN VIOLENCE ARCHIVE:

Mission Statement

Gun Violence Archive (GVA) is a not for profit corporation formed in 2013 to provide free online public access to accurate information about gun-related violence in the United States. GVA will collect and check for accuracy, comprehensive information about gun-related violence in the U.S. and then post and disseminate it online.

What GVA considers Gun Violence…and why

Our definition of gun violence is intended to be fully inclusionary of disparate elements of gun related incidents…in that, all types of shootings are included, whether officer involved shooting (OIS), accidental, children shooting themselves, murders, armed robberies, familicide, mass shootings, defensive gun use (DGU), Home Invasions, drivebys and everything else. We derive our definitions from CDC, FBI, NIH, and other organizations who have established standards.

Only by being totally inclusionary in our definitions is our data accurate, allowing the researcher to decide which parts of the complete dataset they need for their work. Our goal is to provide a complete picture of impact. Users then glean what they need from the whole. We intentionally have no GVA POV on the subject… but put in more real terms, GVA is against gun violence, not guns or gun owners and in that we strive to provide an unbiased, complete view of the subject.

Why are GVA Mass Shooting numbers higher than some other sources?

GVA uses a purely statistical threshold to define mass shooting based ONLY on the numeric value of 4 or more shot or killed, not including the shooter. GVA does not parse the definition to remove any subcategory of shooting. To that end we don’t exclude, set apart, caveat, or differentiate victims based upon the circumstances in which they were shot.

GVA believes that equal importance is given to the counting of those injured as well as killed in a mass shooting incident.

In that, the criteria are simple…if four or more people are shot or killed in a single incident, not involving the shooter, that incident is categorized as a mass shooting based purely on that numerical threshold.

How does GVA define School Shootings?

Gun Violence Archive defines a school shooting as an incident that occurs on property of the elementary, secondary or college campus where there is a death or injury from gunfire. That includes school proper, playgrounds, “skirt” of the facility which includes sidewalks, stadiums, parking lots.  The defining characteristic is time…Incidents occur when students, staff, faculty  are present at the facility for school or extracurricular activities.  NOT INCLUDED are incidents at businesses across the street, meetings at parking lots at off hours.

In those incidents where someone is injured/killed we include any gunfire, whether intended to shoot/kill students or not.  Those can be sorted by extra characteristics  such as suicide or accidental.

Suicides

Because of the way Law Enforcement and Coroners report suicides, they cannot be collected in near real time so they DO NOT appear on our Daily Summary Ledger. They ARE added to our End of Year totals in AGGREGATE when they become available.