Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/309663
ByJimKuhnhenn TheAssociatedPress LOS ANGELES They come from different worlds — the buttoned-down political cul- ture of Washington and the entrepreneurial, socks-op- tional, let's-do-this-faster ethos of Silicon Valley. But where those worlds overlap, that's where you find President Barack Obama and a wealthy segment of his Democratic donor base. Obama was to attend two high-dollar Democratic Party fundraisers Thursday hosted by Silicon Valley ex- ecutives, drawing attention to the complicated relation- ship between the president and the high-tech industry. The revelations of Na- tional Security Agency data collection made public by former NSA contractor Ed- ward Snowden have created an outcry from tech compa- nies whose data have been gathered by the government. Obama has had to reassure Internet and tech executives that he is committed to pro- tecting privacy. Still, Obama remains a popular political figure in Silicon Valley, and the wealthy tech entrepreneurs appear willing to part with their money to support the party, especially if the pres- ident is making the pitch. Obama was to attend a fundraiser hosted by Anne Wojcicki, a biotech entre- preneur who founded the personal-genomics startup 23andMe. The event is ad- vertised as a tech round ta- ble, with 30 guests and tick- ets set at $32,400 — a nearly $1 million potential haul for the Democratic National Committee. He also was scheduled to be the featured guest at an event hosted by Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and Sam Alt- man, the 29-year-old presi- dent of Y Combinator, a ven- ture capital firm that seeds tech startups. "One of the dynamics that people on the East Coast and particularly in Washington, D.C., may not fully appre- ciate is that these folks are in a space that is growing," said California-based Dem- ocratic consultant Chris Le- hane, a former aide to Presi- dent Bill Clinton. "That adds an entire pool of fresh donor blood into the mix." Obama was spending two nights in California. On Wednesday he was the star attraction at a fund- raiser for House and Senate Democrats at the Los An- geles home of Disney Stu- dios Chairman Alan Horn. On Thursday he attended a Democratic National Com- mittee fundraiser in Los An- geles that was closed to the media and was headed to an- other DNC event at the La Jolla home of billionaire and former Qualcomm Chair- man Irwin Jacobs. The role of the computer and Internet industry in politics has grown sharply over the past 10 years, in- creasing political contri- butions and expanding its lobbying presence. Execu- tives and employees in the industry favor Democrats, yet the political action com- mittees set up by individual tech firms tend to split their money more evenly. So far this election cycle, computer and Internet in- dustry political action com- mittees have contributed about $3.5 million, with about 54 percent of it going to Republicans, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks politi- cal money. Counting political action committees and indi- vidual donors, the industry has donated more than $14 million to federal candidates, giving $3 to Democrats for every $2 to Republicans, ac- cording to the center. In addition to cyberse- curity, Silicon Valley exec- utives also have been push- ing for an overhaul of im- migration laws, partly to secure more H1B visas for high-tech workers but also in support of giving immi- grants who are living in the country illegally a chance to achieve citizenship. They have also weighed in on new "net neutrality" regulations being fashioned by the Fed- eral Communications Com- mission and have raised fears that the rules would allow telephone and cable Internet providers to im- pose fees on Internet com- panies. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the tech executives were donating be- cause they support Obama's policies, and he rejected sug- gestions that the tech exec- utives were getting financial leverage to affect Washing- ton issues of concern to the industry. "There's no reason to think that that the policy- making process is affected by those involved," Earnest said. SILICON VALLEY Obamatapstechworldforcashamidprivacydebate SUSANWALSH—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS President Barack Obama speaks at the USC Shoah Foundation's 20th anniversary Ambassadors for Humanity gala in Los Angeles on Thursday. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, le , and Sen. Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles look over Steinberg's smartphone on Thursday. By Don Thompson The Associated Press SACRAMENTO On a second attempt, California lawmak- ers advanced a bill Thurs- day that would require elec- tronics manufacturers to in- stall a shut-off function in all smartphones as a way to de- ter what one senator called a crime wave of thefts. The legislation by Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Fran- cisco, requires companies to produce smartphones with technology that makes them inoperable if the owner loses possession. It fell two votes short of passing the 40-member Sen- ate two weeks ago, but Leno said amendments since then removed opposition from Ap- ple and Microsoft. It now ap- pliestosmartphonesmanufac- tured and sold after July 2015 andnolongerincludestablets. However, the wireless in- dustry opposes the measure as unnecessary. "We have a crime wave sweeping our state," Leno said in urging support for his bill. He said two of three rob- beries in San Francisco now include the theft of a smart- phone, and one of four rob- beries in Oakland. "These crimes are up at double-digit rates," he said. "We're trying to keep our constituents safe on the streets." It advanced as a San Francisco supervisor pro- posed legislation this week that would require smart- phones and other mobile de- vices sold in the city to be equipped with a "kill switch" to render them inoperable if they're lost or stolen. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Los Angeles, noted recent re- ports that some smart- phone owners are endan- gering themselves by using phones' tracking software to confront thieves to retrieve their phones. SB962 passed the Senate on a 26-8 vote on its second attempt and now goes to the Assembly. Leno said more amendments will be consid- ered there, including several offered by Apple this week. Several lawmakers of both political parties ex- pressed concern that fines of $500 to $2,500 for selling phones that don't include kill switches could unfairly penalize retailers. Sen. Lou Correa, D-Anaheim, voted for the bill, but he and sev- eral Republicans argued that those who didn't man- ufacture the phones or in- stall the software should not be held liable if the phones don't include the required kill switch. "These are good citizens in the business world," Cor- rea said. Leno said state law re- quires that fines could only be issues for "unlawful, un- fair, fraudulent conduct," but agreed to consider add- ing specific language to the bill that fines could only be imposed if there is malicious intent. Jamie Hastings, vice pres- ident for external and state affairs at CTIA-The Wireless Association, said in a state- ment that the industry has already taken significant steps to protect consumers, including voluntarily includ- ing such software on phones nationwide starting next year. The industry objects to having confusing state- by-state laws. Leno said the voluntary action isn't enough because owners would have to find and activate the software. His bill requires that a kill switch be included as the de- fault setting. Smartphone 'kill switch' bill advances in state Legislature SACRAMENTO The Associated Press SACRAMENTO The lawyer for a California man facing a terrorism charge says his client has a mental illness that made him vulnerable to a confidential informant. Nicholas Michael Teau- sant allegedly talked to the informant and an un- dercover FBI agent about joining a terrorist group and fighting in Syria. But his attorney, As- sistant Federal Defender Benjamin Galloway, says in court papers that Teau- sant's talk was "all hot air," and he took no action to support terrorism other than boarding a train to Washington state, where he was arrested in March. Investigators say he planned to travel to Canada before heading to Syria. Teausant has pleaded not guilty to a charge of at- tempting to provide sup- port to a foreign terrorist organization. The charge carries a maximum pen- alty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The Sacramento Bee re- ported on Wednesday that a federal magistrate or- dered Teausant's release on $200,000 bail to the custody of his grandpar- ents, but she then granted a federal prosecutor's re- quest to keep him in jail pending a government ap- peal. Federal prosecutor Ja- son Hitt opposes Teaus- ant's release before trial. Hitt questioned whether the grandparents could care for the suspect, espe- cially if he quit taking his medication. Hitt said Tea- susant could become vio- lent without his medica- tion. Teausant's terms of re- lease before trial include that he continue taking his prescription medica- tion and refrain from al- cohol or illegal drug use. He would also be confined to his grandparents' home and required to wear an ankle monitor so author- ities can track his move- ment. Teausant is scheduled to appear before a district judge on Tuesday. CALIFORNIA La wy er : Te rr or is m su sp ec t men ta ll y il l The Associated Press SACRAMENTO Lawmak- ers in the Assembly have approved a bill that updates birth certificates to reflect the status of same-sex par- ents. AB1951 passed Thursday on a 51-13 vote, with a few Republicans joining in sup- port. The bill is sponsored by Equality California, a gay rights group, and was car- ried by Democratic Assem- blyman Jimmy Gomez of Los Angeles. The current design of Cal- ifornia birth certificates re- quires parents to identify as one mother and one fa- ther. Bill supporters say that forces gay and lesbian par- ents to inaccurately identify themselves on their chil- dren's documents. This bill revamps birth certificates to allow parents to identify as a mother, fa- ther or parent. It would take effect in 2016 if approved by the Senate and signed into law. No Republicans spoke in opposition. SACRAMENTO Bill would revamp birth certificates The Associated Press SACRAMENTO California lawmakers have approved a bill that would force po- litical nonprofits to reveal their donors. SB27 by Democratic Sen. Lou Correa of Anaheim passedtheSenateonThurs- day after it was amended to limitdisclosuretodonations made after July 1. It now goes to Gov. Jerry Brown. The bill responds to $15 millionofanonymouscontri- butions that were funneled through conservative non- profits before the 2012 gen- eral election. The amended bill passed 28-7, with four Republicans in support. An initial version fell one vote short of the superma- jority it needed in March, when Republicans objected that it would reveal donors retroactively. The bill requires tax-ex- empt nonprofits involved in politics to report their do- nors and campaign com- mittees that raise more than $1 million to list their top 10 contributors. SACRAMENTO Nonprofit campaign disclosure bill OK'd By Fenit Nirappil The Associated Press SACRAMENTO Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative lead- ers on Thursday agreed to replace the rainy day fund measure on the November ballot with a bipartisan plan that would set aside revenue of up to 10 percent of California's general fund and dedicate money to pay- ing down the state's mas- sive debts and liabilities. The Legislature is ex- pected to vote on the re- placement measure next week. It would then super- sede the measure already slated to go before voters in the general election. The governor's office an- nouncedthedealjointlywith all four Democratic and Re- publican legislative leaders. GOP support was essential because a ballot measure requires two-thirds votes in both houses of the Legis- lature, and Democrats have lost their supermajority in the Senate because three members of their party who areensnaredinlegaltrouble have been suspended. Assembly Minority Leader Connie Conway said the deal that emerged Thursday reflects long- standing GOP priorities. "It will ensure that money is actually saved, that it cannot be siphoned offtogrowgovernment,and that we will have resources to pay down debt and pro- tect core priorities in tough years,"theRepublicanfrom Tulare said in a statement. Republicans also wanted toensurethatextrataxreve- nueduringgoodyearswould not be siphoned off to create new,ongoingprogramsthat the state can't afford when the economy sours. The measure now on the ballot, Assembly Con- stitutional Amendment 4, grew out of a 2010 bipar- tisan budget compromise that included then-Gov. Ar- nold Schwarzenegger. That version creates a rainy day fund requiring a 3 percent annual contribution from the state's general fund. The new version cuts that to 1.5 percent but calls for the fund to be re- plenished with additional revenue from capital gains taxes during boom years. At any time, the rainy day fund could grow to a max- imum of 10 percent of the general fund. For the next 15 years, half of the rainy day fund would be dedicated to pay- ing down state debt and li- abilities, estimated at $340 billion. SACRAMENTO Compromise made on rainy day fund www.redbluff.mercy.org /veincare GetaLeguponYour Health With the St. Elizabeth Center for Vein Care. 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