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SEE PAGE 3 for california’s new paid sick leave law MONDAY, JANUARY 5, 2015 - JANUARY 11, 2015
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Improved Conditions for Hens Increase Egg Prices By JENNIFER SCHLUETER As of January 1st, eggs sold in California must come from hens that live in a space of at least 116 square inches in which they are able to stretch their limbs and turn around, which means about 70 percent more space compared to the previous minimum. This new law, Proposition 2, resulted from a voter initiative and was passed in 2008 with a majority of over 60 percent. Because of the changes farmers were forced to make, consumers now see an increase in egg prices. The president and CEO of the California Grocers Association Ronald Fong told NPR: “We can confirm that egg prices have gone up at least 35 percent. Some have reported going up 70 percent.” With California being the largest consumer of eggs nationwide, according to the Los Angeles Times, farmers all over the US have adjusted to the new regulation because challenging it in court failed. California’s state veterinarian, Dr. Annette Jones reported to NPR that egg producers have switched to newly constructed
against the men and women working to enforce our laws and keep our nation safe,” declared NLEOMF Chairman and CEO Craig W. Floyd. “Enough is enough. We need to tone down Please see page 2
Please see page 2
hens to exhibit more natural behaviors,” NPR quoted her. However, the website also notes that even though “[f]reerange houses allow chickens Please see page 4
California Leads in Law Enforcement Officer Fatalities Nationwide in 2014 Firearms-related fatalities spiked 56 percent while ambush attacks remained the leading cause of felonious deaths Law enforcement fatalities in the U.S. rose 24 percent in 2014, reversing what had been two years of dramatic declines in line of duty deaths, based on preliminary data compiled and released today by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial
Fund (NLEOMF). “With the increasing number of ambush-style attacks against our officers, I am deeply concerned that a growing anti-government sentiment in America is influencing weak-minded individuals to launch violent assaults
Greater Los Angeles Municipal Employees Earned Average of $119,000 in 2013 Transparent California released previously unseen 2013 public employee compensation data – complete with names, pay, and benefits – for 400 cities and 826 special districts statewide on TransparentCalifornia.com, the state’s largest public sector compensation database. The data show that average full-time compensation for employees of 150 Greater Los Angeles cities was $119,462 in 2013, with thousands earning more than $200,000 a year and thousands more making at least $50,000 in overtime alone. City of Los Angeles employees are not included in the average, because while LA employee pay data are now on Transparent California, LA didn’t provide the cost of pension benefits provided to its employees. In the nearby City of Orange, the cost of benefits for a full-time employee is $30,573. Excluding the cost of benefits, the average LA government employee made $92,575 in pay. Such compensation is significantly higher than that of peers in the private sector. Notable 2013 statewide findings include: Average full-time municipal employee compensation statewide was $120,569. 11,203 municipal employees
-Courtesy Photo by Matt MacGillivray
free-range henhouses, built larger cages, or cut down the number of hens in already existing ones. “In general, poultry farmers are trying to move in that direction, to provide more space and the ability for their
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