KOM Mentions:

Drug Enforcement Adminstration will reduce the amount of opioids manufactured in

2017: 23ABC News Bakersfield (Zuriel Loving)
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has reduced the amount of almost
every Schedule II opiate and opioid medication that may be manufactured in the United States by
25 percent or more in 2017. Some medicines were reduced by more, like hydrocodone, which
will be reduced to 66 percent of last year's level. Video: According to Congressman Kevin
McCarthy over the past 6 years more than 160 people have been sent to the emergency room for
opiod overdoses in Kern County. Its what motivated McCarthy to pass several bills in the House
aimed at helping local law enforcement crack down on the sale of pills on the streets.
CA-23:
Criminal Justice
County given human trafficking grant: Porterville Recorder
Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward announced Monday that a $1.4 million, three-year
federal grant was awarded to the Tulare County District Attorneys Office, Family Services of
Tulare County and the Tulare County Sheriffs Department. The grant is part of $49 million
worth of grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime in
September to law enforcement and victim service agencies in 25 states, including California.
Education
As Prop 51 support weakens, advocates hit campaign trail: Bakersfield Californian
(Harold Pierce)
Just weeks after polling numbers showed that Proposition 51 is losing support statewide, a group
of state and county educational leaders gathered Monday at Horace Mann Elementary School
advocating for the passage of the $9 billion school construction bond. Locally, more than $1.2
billion in bond measures will show up on the November ballot, but Kern educational leaders are
calling for voters to pass an additional statewide bond that would provide matching funds to
many districts.
Law Enforcement
Disgraced cop's 5-year sentence a fraction of prosecution's recommendation: Bakersfield
Californian (Steven Mayer)
Disgraced former Bakersfield Police Department detective Damacio Diaz was sentenced
Monday in U.S. District Court to five years in federal prison a far more lenient sentence than
prosecutors had urged for offenses including drug trafficking, taking bribes and lying on his
tax return. In a highly charged hearing packed with family members and supporters of the former
cop, U.S. District Judge Lawrence ONeill indicated during the nearly two-hour hearing that the
case was among the most difficult and emotional hes encountered in all his years on the bench.
Water

Residents urged to attend water meeting Wednesday: Porterville Recorder

East Porterville homeowners eligible for a free connection to a new, sustainable water supply are
urged to attend an informational community meeting Wednesday on the East Porterville Water
Supply Project. Hundreds of homeowners whose wells went dry during Californias five-year
drought are eligible for the project, which is being financed by the State of California to end East
Portervilles drought emergency. By completing a three-step sign-up process, homeowners can
avoid a connection cost of at least $10,000.
California:
Economy
"Silicon Valley, East Bay gain wealthy households while middle-income dwindles":
Mercury News (George Avalos)
Silicon Valley and the East Bay are gaining upper-crust households, while middle- and lowincome households are dwindling indicating the regions income gap is growing wider. The
Bay Area is becoming like Manhattan West, said Russell Hancock, chief executive officer of
Joint Venture Silicon Valley, which on Monday released the report from its Institute for Regional
Studies. In 2015, the number of households with median annual income and benefits totaling
$150,000 or more grew by 36,000 in Silicon Valley, defined as Santa Clara County and San
Mateo County. At the same time, the number of households with median incomes below that
level shrank by 17,400. In the East Bay, the number of households with $150,000 or more in
median income increased by 37,700, while those households with incomes below that threshold
dwindled by 16,500
Environment
"San Jose oil company hit with $75,000 penalty for environmental violations": Mercury
News (Paul Rogers)
Worried about the risk of an oil spill fouling San Francisco Bay, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency on Monday announced $75,000 in penalties against a San Jose oil distribution
company for failing to safely manage dozens of large tanks of diesel fuel and other oil products.
The company, SC Fuels, based in Orange County, operates a facility three miles from downtown
San Jose, at 2075 Alum Rock Ave., which its trucks have used to deliver petroleum products to
gas stations, oil change shops and other businesses. In a settlement agreement released Monday,
the EPA said its inspectors found during a site visit in March 2015 that the plants operators
failed to construct adequate dikes and berms around the facilitys above-ground oil tanks to
prevent oil from pouring into the creek in the event of a spill. The company also did not have
records that accurately showed the locations and contents of the tanks, as required under the
federal Clean Water Act. Further, the plants operators failed to complete safety tests to confirm
the tanks integrity as required under federal law, the EPA said.
Sacramento

"Why the medical marijuana community is split over legalizing recreational use": Los
Angeles Times (Patrick McGreevy)
Come November, medical pot dispensary operator Lanette Davies wont be joining others in her
industry in voting for Proposition 64, a measure that would legalize the recreational use of
marijuana. The initiative could create a flood of new customers for Davies nonprofit Canna Care
pot shop, which is located in the back of an industrial park on the outskirts of Sacramento. But
Davies fears the Nov. 8 ballot measure will result in big corporations driving out small operators,
and the government setting steep taxes and fees on cannabis that will put it out of reach for many
of her mostly low-income customers. Proposition 64 has split the medical cannabis community,
with some seeing new opportunity and others fearing it will wreck a system that is working for
nearly 800,000 medical pot card holders.
Water
"Another dry year on Californias books as drought continues": San Francisco Chronicle
(Kurtis Alexander)
October is the time for optimism about water in California. The forecasts start calling for rain as
the coming winter offers hope of relief for the states thirsty rivers and reservoirs. Just this
weekend, parts of Northern California saw up to three quarters of an inch of rain, while the first
big snow shut down Highway 120 in Yosemite. Hydrologically speaking, Oct. 1 also marked the
official start of the state water year. But as much as the milestone brought the prospect of
drought-busting storms ahead, it highlighted the grim reality of the past 12 months.