Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. The first half of 2014 was the hottest on record in California, the Mercury News$ reports. Experts say the drought is making the state hotter. This year’s record heat topped 2013 — which set a record as the state’s warmest ever.
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2. Chevron has agreed to cap greenhouse gas emissions as part of its overhaul of the Richmond refinery, the CoCo Times$ reports. The oil giant is promising to limit the amount of dirty, high-sulfur crude it will process at the facility. Chevron made its decision in an effort to win city council approval of its upgrade project. The Richmond council is scheduled to vote on the issue next week.
3. Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation that bans homeowners’ associations in the state from fining residents who have stopped watering their lawns during the drought, the LA Times$ reports. However, the new law does not apply to cities that are threatening to fine residents who let their lawns turn brown.
4. Brown also signed a bill that will limit football practices in all middle and high schools in the state in an effort to cut down on the number of head injuries, the Chron reports.
5. The City of San Francisco’s chief economist has concluded that a two-cents-per-ounce soda tax measure on the November ballot would slash consumption of sugary beverages by 31 percent in the city, the Chron reports.
6. The City of Berkeley cleared a homeless encampment on Gilman Street, underneath I-80, the Trib$ reports. The encampment grew larger earlier this year after the City of Albany cleared a homeless encampment at the Albany Bulb.
7. State Assemblymember John Pérez abandoned his request for a partial recount in the state controller’s race — a move that ensures that fellow Democrat Betty Yee will square off against Republican Ashley Swearingen in November, the LA Times$ reports.
8. Companies that do business with Drakes Bay Oyster Company have filed suit to keep the controversial oyster farm open, arguing that the federal government failed to fully examine the impacts of letting the farm’s lease expire at Point Reyes National Seashore, the Marin IJ$ reports. The oyster farm is scheduled to close next week after it lost its appeal in front of the US Supreme Court.
9. And a state appellate court in Los Angeles has ruled that bicyclists can be convicted of reckless driving, the Chron reports. The decision stemmed from a case in which a drunken bicyclist severely injured a pedestrian.
