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This year’s budget calls for a $56 million state subsidy — a compromise between the Legislature and Gov. Michael J. Dunleavy’s original proposal of $21.8 million, which would’ve resulted in shutting the system down in October.
The city estimates the tax would generate about $54 million annually that would be used to help build more affordable housing units and provide services and programs for the city’s thousands of homeless residents.
California State Sen. Scott Wiener is proposing a bill for early 2020 to require PG&E to become a government-owned utility. This bill is in direct response to PG&E’s planned blackouts to reduce wildfire risk, an unprecedented move that has received wide backlash from customers and government officials alike. Some cities have already offered bids to buy the power lines within their limits. (Bloomberg - November 12, 2019)
The number of people who have retweeted a recent Twitter post by Joshua Maddux who identified a Facebook bug for iOS devices that opened the user’s iPhone camera and ran the app in the background. Facebook responded to the discovery, saying, “We have seen no evidence of photos or videos being uploaded due to this bug. We’re submitting the fix for this to Apple today.” This comes as yet another blow to Facebook as the company has been under severe scrutiny regarding privacy concerns.
Everyone’s upset in St. Louis County because “we just blew $1 million” over a website app. Some officials say the code language was unfamiliar, but tech company argues it was chosen specifically for the familiarity.
Middletown residents may now be contacted by the local police through the Neighbors Portal, an extension of Amazon’s Ring. The collaboration will help “with mitigation and effective and quick investigations.”
The money comes as a part of the federal BUILD grants and will expand short, existing routes in Lake Nona, Fla. Officials believe “this is about looking ahead to new technologies and innovative transportation solutions.”
San Diego Gas & Electric will place 340 electric vehicle charging stations across 52 sites. The city hopes to make charging more accessible to reduce greenhouse emissions and improve the health of its residents.
By capping the value of eligible cars, the state hopes the rebate will benefit buyers from low-income communities. Some hope that the “rebates will encourage those who have never owned an electric car to make the switch.”
Last week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer went from being hopeful a budget deal was in sight to disappointed the effort had fallen through. Political leaders had been working on a supplemental deal but it fell apart too.
Municipal leaders have filed a legal challenge in Superior Court to the new "financially irresponsible lifetime contracts law.” Gov. Gina Raimondo signed the law at the behest of the state's public employee unions.
The city’s transit system, known as RTD, is struggling to boost passengers and is considering some unconventional fare strategies to keep ridership from sagging further while it opens a new rail line.
Mayor Bill Peduto wants the state to take over the city’s school district finances. He was speaking in response to a proposal to raise taxes by 2.3 percent to help the schools maintain a reserve fund.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer wrote in a letter to Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy about his concerns over the U.S. military using the social media platform TikTok to recruit American teenagers. TikTok has recently been under scrutiny over its close ties to China and the potential technology and data transfers. (Reuters - November 12, 2019)
The amount of voting systems in the United States that are provided by just three companies, according to a new report by The Brennan Center for Justice. These systems sometimes include voter registration databases and electronic pollbooks. Lawrence Norden, a co-author of the report, said “much of the focus within election security has been on the machines and how best to secure them but critical questions remain about how secure the vendors themselves are.”
The new car technology is small and affordable so that “it could become standard equipment in all vehicles.” The sensor would prevent car doors from locking and sound an alarm if a child or pet is left unattended.
The state’s Attorney General’s office found that there have been 1,002 cases of “computer database misuse” within law enforcement agencies in the past decade. Of that, only 40 misdemeanors and 14 felony cases were filed.
The money will go to a project “aimed at increasing access to solar technology in low-income communities.” Officials are excited to “improve our technology but also increase the use of clean energy across our state.”
Gavin Newsom will be “pushing back” against state legislators’ plans to divert the high-speed-rail into their districts for extra money. The rail will run through the San Joaquin Valley and cost almost $80 billion.
The company is receiving sharp backlash after users realize that its new card seems to discriminate against women. The issues continue as the card requires an iPhone and actually operates through Goldman Sachs bank.
A common issue with rural broadband expansion is small towns not having enough leverage to establish better Internet service. But legislation could turn the tables, giving communities the authority to form a unified district.
Markham McIntyre, director of the PAC that was supporting candidates in the Seattle City Council race, said a few days after the election results did not go in favor of the PAC’s endorsements. The election was a significant loss as Jeff Bezos and other Amazon staff members had put approximately $1.5 million into the race. (Reuters - November 10, 2019)
The weight of each of the 60 mini satellites that SpaceX launched yesterday morning out of Cape Canaveral, Fla. This is the second set of satellites that have been launched — the first was launched in May, and there are an anticipated 22 more to go. SpaceX’s CEO Elon Musk hopes to provide global Internet coverage through these satellites.
Florida Power & Light is using drones to streamline its maintenance and repair efforts, as they can provide a 360-degree view that is otherwise hard to get. “Drones offer a huge advantage.”
Charlie Beck, retired chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, will serve as police interim superintendent as Chicago searches for a permanent replacement. Beck has a history with Chicago police, helping establish their technology centers.
T-Mobile could take the lead with a Dec. 6 launch of 5G services in select cities, including free service to low-income customers and other low-cost plans. However, all is contingent on a proposed merger with Sprint.
The city’s 4,200 streetlights have video sensors that collect data on weather, vehicle and pedestrian counts. While city officials say they will not sell the data to third parties, many are still concerned about privacy.
A letter from the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus highlighted worries about the upcoming census and possible points of misinformation on Facebook, and other social media platforms.
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How can an innovative approach to retiree health care help solve a city’s financial liabilities? The CFO of the City of Memphis shares lessons learned.
A National Transportation Safety Board report concluded that the Uber self-driving SUV that hit and killed a jaywalking Arizona pedestrian in March 2018 “could not determine whether [the victim] was a pedestrian, vehicle, or bicycle.” Uber has committed to prioritizing future safety for their vehicles but many believe that “We need smart, strong safety rules in place for self-driving cars to reach their life-saving potential.” (Associated Press - November 7, 2019)
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