400 Murderers to Be Re-Sentenced in Florida?; N.C. Governor's HB2 Emails Revealed
![A guard stands watc, ... ]](https://cdn.route-fifty.com/media/img/cd/2016/10/18/death_row/860x394.jpeg?1627523966)
A guard stands watc, ... ] Eric Risberg / AP Photo
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Also in our State and Local Daily Digest: Donald Trump's Chicago street sign stolen; Washington struggles to cover basic school costs; L.A.'s 'ground zero' for gentrification.
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA
DEATH PENALTY | After the state Supreme Court ruled last week that Florida executions will require unanimous jury votes, there’s uncertainty among lawyers and lawmakers over what is next for the state’s death penalty. Some say the ruling in Hurst v. Florida could lead to sentences getting tossed out for nearly 400 convicted murders awaiting execution in state prison. “This is so big,” said Martin McClain, a Broward County lawyer who represents death-row inmates. “I don’t know of a way to overstate the significance.” [Miami Herald]
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA
HB2 | A steady stream of emails calling for a special session began to trickle into Gov. Pat McCrory’s office following the passage of Charlotte’s non-discrimination ordinance. Support for McCrory in the November election was threatened if the ordinance, allowing transgender people to use the bathroom of the gender they identify with, was not overturned. The day after the governor signed the bill, at least one state department head requested McCrory provide an official statement so officials had talking points to handle the flood of calls supporting or protesting the decision. [The Charlotte Observer]
Other state and local government stories that caught our eye ...
Donald Trump’s honorary brown street sign, outside his downtown Chicago hotel, has disappeared less than a week after Mayor Rahm Emanuel and 47 alderman began pushing to have it removed because of disparaging comments the Republican presidential nominee has made about the city’s crime rate. [Chicago Mag]
A 2012 ruling in Washington state found that the state had violated its constitution by underfunding schools. In trying to comply with the state Supreme Court’s decision, Washington has poured billions of dollars into K-12 education. But four years later, school districts are still spending millions in local property-tax money to cover basic costs. [The Seattle Times]
Some residents are knocking a plan Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Bonin is backing to address homelessness in Venice. About 1,000 homeless people live in the neighborhood, some sleeping in tents and on bedrolls in alleys and on sidewalks. Once an edgy enclave known for artists, the oceanside community is fast changing. “Venice is ground zero of the city’s gentrification,” said City Administrative Officer Miguel A. Santana. [Los Angeles Times]
Not everyone on New York City Council is happy they were circumvented by Mayor Bill de Blasio, who ordered $500 million in taxpayer funds go toward covering the Superstorm Sandy recovery shortfall—despite a no vote from the body. [The Wall Street Journal]
The city of Detroit will receive $42 million in federal and state funding to keep its anti-blight program going, with the understanding new financial controls will be implemented. [WDIV-TV]
Salt Lake and Davis counties—as well as a portion of Weber, Utah, Duchesne and Uintah counties—exceeded Environmental Protection Agency ozone pollution standards, prompting Gov. Gary Herbert to request that the feds designate three new nonattainment areas in Utah. [The Salt Lake Tribune]
Maps showing where future subway lines could be built in San Francisco were shared Monday with a Board of Supervisor’s committee. [San Francisco Examiner]
What once seemed like an open-and-shut case against two brothers—accused of buying a Huntington Park City Council member’s support for higher towing fees to benefit their towing business—has unraveled with the revelation the FBI may have been pressuring them to becoming public corruption informants. [Los Angeles Times]
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