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ByEllenKnickmeyer and Juliet Williams TheAssociatedPress SACRAMENTO Califor- nia Gov. Jerry Brown has launched a campaign to ex- tend some of the most am- bitious climate-change pro- grams in the country and ensure his environmental legacy when he leaves of- fice in two years. The centerpiece of the push is a cap-and-trade pro- gram that aims to reduce the use of fossil fuels by forcing manufacturers and other companies to meet tougher emissions limits or pay up to exceed them. The program has been one of the most-watched efforts in the world aimed at the climate-changing fuels. The four-year-old pro- gram, however, is only au- thorized to operate until 2020 and faces a litany of challenges, including a law- suit questioning its legality, poor sales of credits, and lukewarm support among Democratic legislators to extend it. On Tuesday, the Califor- nia Air Resources Board will release a proposed blueprint for continuing the cap-and-trade program until 2030, with a vote ex- pected next year. Supporters credit the strategy — born under pre- vious Gov. Arnold Schwar- zenegger, a Republican, and stemming from other cli- mate change programs ini- tiated under Brown — with helping to cut California's overall output of emissions by 1.5 percent in its first two years, despite the mas- sive energy demands of the state's thriving economy. With Brown set to leave office in 2018, a state ap- peals court is considering a challenge from the Cal- ifornia Chamber of Com- merce contending the pol- lution-credit program is an illegal tax, not a fee. Environmental groups say the lawsuit and over- all uncertainty about the survival of the program are undermining the mar- ket for pollution credits. A May auction saw compa- nies buy only one-tenth of the available credits, leav- ing the state billions of dol- lars short in projected rev- enue from the sales. Meanwhile, groups rep- resenting oil interests con- firmed last week that they are in direct talks with the Brown administration over cap-and-trade. California oil companies have long sought to alter or repeal the state's low-car- bon fuel standard. By 2020, those companies would be required to reduce the car- bon content of gasoline and other fuels by 10 percent, a significant jump from the current 2 percent. Any deal-making on cli- mate change would reflect a pragmatic approach to the oil industry by Brown, who took office encouraging im- mediate boosts in oil and gas drilling to spur Califor- nia's economy, even as he promoted incentives that would reduce long-term re- liance on fossil fuels. "What you're seeing now is an all-hands-on-deck ef- fort to formulate the most responsible way forward." said Derek Walker, an as- sociate vice president of the Environmental Defense Fund. "They're talking to the oil industry, talking to environmental groups, to organized labor — they're talking to everybody." Brown has leveraged his position as governor to help draw attention to the battle against climate change. He has set non-binding man- dates for increased use of so- lar,windandotherrenewable energy sources in California in the decades to come while signing accords and global support statements aimed at easing climate change. At home, though, Brown has encountered trouble from moderate Democrats in the state Assembly who last year blocked his plan to slash statewide petroleum use in half within 15 years. The same lawmakers refused to endorse legis- lation by Sen. Fran Pav- ley, D-Agoura Hills, seek- ing to dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions through 2050. Pavley was forced to scale back her proposal that now would extend only to 2030. She has since compromised even further, agreeing last month to merge parts of her plan with legislation man- dating that revenues from such programs be spent in low-income communities affected by pollution. Winning legislative sup- port could be key for Brown in ensuring the survival of the cap-and-trade program, said Jessica Levinson, a po- litical science professor at Loyola Law School. "His ability to solidify cap and trade is a big part of being able to say to other governors, to other coun- tries, 'We're doing some- thing big and specific and real and it works,'" Levin- son said. CALIFORNIA Gov.Brownlookstoextendclimate-changeefforts RICHPEDRONCELLI—THEASSOCIATEDPRESSFILE California Gov. Jerry Brown gestures during a community event in Sacramento. The Associated Press SACRAMENTO Two police officers fa- tally shot a knife-wav- ing man who witnesses said also had a gun dur- ing a confrontation Mon- day on a street in Sacra- mento, California, author- ities said. The shooting occurred after witnesses called po- lice to report that a man was waving a knife over his head, had a gun in his waistband and was showing "very threaten- ing, erratic behavior," po- lice spokesman Sgt. Bryce Heinlein said. Heinlein said the man charged the first arriving officer, who locked himself in his squad car to escape. Two more officers ar- rived and shot the man when he turned toward them with the knife, Hein- lein said. "He was non-compliant throughout the whole or- deal," refusing repeated commands to drop the weapon, Heinlein said. "I'm not sure if he came at the officers ... but he turned toward the officers in a threatening manner and at that point the offi- cers fired." Witness Alton Ford told The Sacramento Bee that officers tried to calm the man without success. "He was cussing at them," Ford said. "They gave him plenty of oppor- tunity." The man was not im- mediately identified. Po- lice described him as a black man in his 50s or 60s. The shooting came amid high tensions nationwide over recent police shoot- ings of black men in Min- nesota and Louisiana, and the slaying of five Dallas police officers during a Black Lives Matter rally last week. There was no indica- tion that the man in Sac- ramento was targeting po- lice officers, Heinlein said. "It's more erratic behav- ior," he said of the circum- stances. "At this point I don't know what his men- tal stability was." SACRAMENTO Police shoot and kill knife-waving suspect By Elliot Spagat The Associated Press SAN DIEGO A man who police had identified as the sole suspect in a spate of at- tacks on homeless men that left three people dead was released from jail Monday and not charged with any crimes, authorities said. Anthony Padgett, 36, was arrested Thursday near a trolley stop in the suburb of Chula Vista on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and arson. He was accused of attacking four homeless men over four days last week, including two who were set on fire. Police said at least three victims were sleeping alone. Police gave no immedi- ate explanation for why investigators never pre- sented a case to the San Diego County district at- torney's office for prosecu- tion. It was unclear if they no longer consider Padgett a suspect or if they ran out of time to build a case. In California, suspects must be charged within 72 hours of their arrest. "We need the public's as- sistance to provide addi- tional tips and leads to help us solve these crimes," the department said in a state- ment. In announcing the arrest last week, San Diego Police Capt. David Nisleit said the investigation was in its "very early stages." "We have probable cause to arrest Mr. Padgett for these crimes. With that said, we have a lot of work still to be done," Nisleit said at the time. "We still have wit- nesses we need to interview and locate. We still have ev- idence that needs to be pro- cessed in the crime lab. This all takes some time." In 2010, a jury convicted Padgett of lighting a sleep- ing homeless man on fire in a supermarket parking lot in National City, a San Diego suburb. The victim suffered burns on about 30 percent of his body. All four victims in last week's crime spree suf- fered major trauma to the upper torso, setting the city's homeless population on edge. The violence began July 3, when police found the badly burned remains of Angelo De Nardo between Interstate 5 and some train tracks. The 53-year-old died before his body was set on fire. The next day, officers re- sponding to a 911 call found Manuel Mason, 61, with life-threatening injuries to his upper torso. A few hours later, police discovered the body of Shawn Longley, 41, who bled from the upper torso and died. Dionicio Derek Vahidy, 23, died Sunday at a hospi- tal, four days after he was set on fire downtown. A wit- ness pulled away a burning cloth that the attacker put on him before fleeing. SAN DIEGO Suspect in homeless killings is freed, no charges The Associated Press OAKLAND A subsidiary of health care giant Kaiser Per- manente has filed a lawsuit in California accusing an employee responsible for in- vestigating insurance fraud claims of embezzling $7 mil- lion, a newspaper reported. The suit by Kaiser Foun- dation Health Plan accuses Michael Albert Quinn of submitting invoices for in- vestigative services that were not performed or were not justified over a 16-year span after he joined the company in 1998, the San Francisco Chronicle re- ported on Sunday. Quinn, 45, was respon- sible for hiring investiga- tors to conduct surveil- lance on people who were suspected of filing fraudu- lent claims, He was autho- rized to approve charges up to $50,000. The newspaper said Quinnwasfiredin2014.Kai- ser filed the lawsuit last year. CALIFORNIA Report: Kaiser accuses employee of embezzling $7M Amazing Finds New & Consigned Furniture, Mattress, & More Redding • 1551 S. 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