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Context: Land-use change, including agricultural expansion, is one of the major drivers of biodiversity loss globally. Given the rapid pace of land-use change, data-driven, strategic, and dynamic conservation planning is imperative. Objectives: We present an exemplar application of using existing data to inform conservation planning. Specifically, we developed a systematic approach for identifying areas of conservation concern due to cannabis cultivation in California, USA. Methods: We used three existing datasets: (1) camera trap data from ten projects (n = 1186); (2) the locations of cannabis cultivation sites eradicated by law enforcement (n = 834); and (3) the locations of cultivation licenses (n = 4366). We analyzed this data using multi-species occupancy models to estimate the occupancy and richness of 30 species, and maximum entropy models to estimate the risk of unlicensed and trespass cultivation. We then identified areas of overlap and determined the percent of suitable habitat potentially impacted by cannabis cultivation. Results: Cannabis cultivation was estimated to overlap 39–74% of suitable habitat for special status species. Private land cultivation tended to have a larger influence on generalist species whereas trespass cultivation had the largest potential influence on fisher (Pekania pennanti), a special status species. Conclusions: Our results can be used to prioritize eradication, restoration, and remediation activities; to target mitigation efforts; and to guide the placement of new, licensed cultivation. Our approach demonstrates the utility of aggregating existing biological and socioeconomic data to inform conservation planning and is broadly applicable to other data sources and ecological stressors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines how Chinese women and men used habeas corpus proceedings in California to contest transpacifi c relations of gender, commerce, law, and power. The fi rst section looks at habeas hearings about runaway or allegedly kidnapped Chinese women already in the United States. The second chronicles how these hearings correlated with and diverged from the habeas proceedings involving the detention of Chinese women immigrants upon arrival. The California judges' approach to these cases mirrored Congress's concern over "the enormous diversity of domestic arrangements" in slavery by the end of the Civil War, when lawmakers introduced monogamous marriage and dependency on a male head of household as the most acceptable conditions for a nonwhite woman's freedom. The habeas proceedings concerning Chinese women thus revealed a Pacifi c, subnational practice of governance that was consonant with the national trend of reconstructing nonwhite women's sociolegal status in the Civil War era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Restrictive US immigration laws and law enforcement undermine immigrant health by generating fear and stress, disrupting families and communities, and eroding social and economic wellbeing. The inequality and stress created by immigration law and law enforcement may also generate disparities in health among immigrants with different legal statuses. However, existing research does not find consistent evidence of immigrant legal status disparities in health, possibly because it does not disaggregate immigrants by generation, defined by age at migration. Immigration and life course theory suggest that the health consequences of non-citizen status may be greater among 1.5-generation immigrants, who grew up in the same society that denies them formal membership, than among the 1st generation, who immigrated as adolescents or adults. In this study, we examine whether there are legal status disparities in health within and between the 1st generation and the 1.5 generation of 23,288 Latinx immigrant adults interviewed in the 2005–2017 waves of the California Health Interview Survey. We find evidence of legal status disparities in heart disease within the 1st generation and for high blood pressure and diabetes within the 1.5 generation. Non-citizens have higher rates of poor self-rated health and distress within both generations. Socioeconomic disadvantage and limited access to care largely account for the worse health of legally disadvantaged 1st- and 1.5-generation Latinx adults in California. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research about undocumented college students detailed structural barriers and derailed academic trajectories. However, education access policies in states like California have lowered barriers and increased enrollment. Research has presumed that undocumented students all view their legal status as a barrier which may now be more complex given changes in the policy landscape. I draw upon interviews with 30 students enrolled in a University of California campus to analyze how undocumented students perceived the extent to which legal status shaped their academic experiences. I argue that divergent perceptions were shaped by immigration policies, exposure to prevalent narratives, and the extent to which immigration status seemed consequential in students' experiences and identified three types: 1) students with disassociated perceptions ascribed to meritocratic views about academic success and did not consider their legal status a salient barrier; 2) students with dynamic perceptions demonstrated how perceptions can shift through an increased awareness of inequality following experiences with barriers and immigration policy changes; and 3) students with perceptions informed by an awareness of power understood that inequities are produced alongside multiple marginalized social locations. Importantly, perceptions informed by an awareness of power translated to navigational strategies with increased access to academic and socioemotional support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To date, little research has taken a mixed-methods strategy to consider the ways in which living "in the shadows" without recognized legal status may affect mental health. In this study, we took this approach, to examine how legal status, as well as stressors (deportation worries, financial concerns) and potentially protective factors (faculty support, peer support), affect anxiety levels of undocumented Latinx undergraduates from colleges across California. We surveyed 486 participants including both standardized measures as well as open-ended responses. We found that rates of self-reported anxiety between undocumented females were 4 times that of the norm population and that of male undocumented students were 7 times higher as measured by the GAD-7 in the moderate and severe ranges. Our predictive models suggested that participants' rates of anxiety were in large part related to worries about financing their education and their daily living expenses as well as detainment and deportation; having an institutional agent such as a professor whom they can turn to for support served to buffer the effects of anxiety. Qualitative findings triangulated the quantitative findings and provided further insights into the experience of living with the stresses of social exclusion and liminal status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

California law to have big impact on boards [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses education reform efforts in the U.S. and the criticism and scrutiny that is associated with America's educational policies and issues such as teacher tenure. The Supreme Court of California for Los Angeles County's ruling in the case Vergara v. State of California, which deals with the tenure rights of public school teachers in the state, is examined. California's education-related statutes are assessed, along with Last-in-First-out (LIFO) teacher lay off laws.

The article discusses the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit's ruling in the case Dahlia v. Rodriguez which deals with the legal rights of Burbank, California Police Department officer Angelo Dahlia, allegations of police misconduct, and free speech protections for public employees in America. It states that Dahlia was placed on administrative leave after reporting that several of his fellow officers had physically and verbally abused individuals during suspect interviews.

The article discusses various medical screening and testing mechanisms for adult motion picture actors and actresses in places such as California, focusing on the County of Los Angeles, California's passage of the Safer Sex in the Adult Film Industry Act (Measure B) by way of a referendum in 2012. Permits and a requirement regarding the use of condoms while filming scenes involving sexual intercourse are mentioned. HIV and efforts to prevent sexually transmitted infections are examined.

The article discusses the Alberta Court of Appeal case Kikino Métis Settlement vs. Métis Settlements Appeal Tribunal which deals with level of deference and the term "substantial agreement." It was held that the tribunal erred in its interpretation and application of the principle of "substantial agreement," thus making its decision unreasonable, and was therefore reversed and returned for rehearing.

The article discusses the advancement of low-wage worker organizing through legal representation in relation to eighteen hospitality workers at the Hilton Long Beach Hotel and Executive Meeting Center who reportedly settled their denial of meal and rest break claims with the hotel's owner HEI Hotels and Resorts LLC on November 27, 2012. The California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement and employee injuries are examined, along with the Unite Here labor union and California labor laws.

The article discusses the Los Angeles, California Superior Court case filed by a player of National Football League (NFL) against NFL alleging negligence, fraud and loss of consotium. It reports that the NFL do not protect their players from concussion-related injuries which may lead to several health related problems which include sleeplessness, dementia and headaches. It discusses the introduction of workers compensation Act and its transformation n California.

The article analyzes the imposing of duty on the owners of stadiums for protecting violence by fans. History related to violence by fans in the U.S. and Europe and measures taken by the authorities are also mentioned. Also a lawsuit filed by Bryan Stow, baseball team San Francisco Giants' fan, related to violence against him when he went to Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California is mentioned.

The article discusses elder abuse in California nursing homes as of January 2012. It examines the roles of various individuals, including certified nursing assistants (CNAs), ombudsmen, and state agencies such as the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Several state and federal laws are examined, including California's Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act, the U.S. Older Americans Act, and California's Health and Safety Code §1250(c).

The article discusses the 19th century California Supreme Court case of "In the Matter of Sic." According to the article, the court struck down an opium law that it found violated the California Constitution of 1879. The article examines anti-Chinese legislation in California in the late 19th century, the drafting and passage of the California Constitution of 1879, and a San Francisco, California, ordinance prohibiting the operation of opium rooms in the city.

The author discusses the problems related to the dangerous and invasive actions of the paparazzi in California and the need to impose drastic measures to counteract them. She offers a review of the state's common law and statutory provisions on public safety and privacy rights. She recommends the development of a paparazzi-free zone to address the issue without compromising the First Amendment principles under the U.S. Constitution.

Examines gender issues that arose when California created and passed a law related to substance-exposed infants in 1990. Clarification on the reportable form of child abuse; Interviews conducted with those who created and implemented the law; Creation of a model protocol; Collection of documents relevant to the project; Discourse about the law; Issues on drug testing.

The article discusses various reactions on the report written by Joaquin Avila, an authority on minority voting rights on the increase of noncitizen adult populations in California cities. He recognized the need for political integration in the state, but asserted further research and debate on noncitizen participation in local government. The UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center, which released this report, was accused of being an advocate of allowing voting rights for illegal aliens. While some criticize this report, Julian Nava, who is a former U.S. ambassador to Mexico has expressed support to the cause of the center.

The article reports that California lawmakers have approved the Researcher Protection Act of 2008 to protect scientists from animal rights extremists. The law makes it a criminal offense in the state to enter a researcher' home property with the intent of preventing the exercise of or interfering with the researcher's academic freedom. It would also make it a misdemeanor to publish personal information about researchers or their immediate family members to facilitate violent crimes.