Florida’s Pricey Pitbull Tourism Promotion; La. Gov.’s LGBT Protections Order Blocked
Pitbull performs at the 4th Annual "We Can Survive" Concert held at the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016, in Los Angeles. John Salangsang / AP Photo
Connecting state and local government leaders
Also in our State and Local Daily Digest: Kauai repeals GMO disclosure bill; drought persists in Southern California; and Ohio’s proposed medical marijuana rules.
TOURISM PROMOTIONS | Pop music star Pitbull received $1 million to promote Florida online, during concerts and in a music video titled “Sexy Beaches.” The Florida House of Representatives filed a lawsuit earlier this week to force the musician to disclose the terms of his contract. Pitbull had previously kept his contract under wraps, claiming it contained trade secrets. But he revealed details about it over social media on Thursday. [Miami Herald]
LGBT | Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards’ executive order protecting LGBT people in state government was quashed by a Baton Rouge judge at state Attorney General Jeff Landry’s request. Judge Todd Hernandez ruled that the governor was trying to create a new law in the face of the state legislature repeatedly voting down LGBT protections. An appeal is expected, but in the meantime the order can’t be enforced. Perhaps more importantly, Hernandez gave Landry the authority to reject governor-appointed legal counsel, though it remains unclear who has the upper hand in a disagreement. [The Times-Picayune]
PESTICIDES | In Hawaii, the Kauai County Council voted 6-0 to repeal a bill requiring disclosure of GMO and pesticide use by large agricultural businesses and prohibiting open air testing of those that are experimental, after a federal court ruled the Hawaii Pesticides Law preempts it. “Just like any sports team—when you go to a game, you don’t know if you’re going to win or lose. You try your best,” said Councilman Ross Kagawa. “The game is over. They’ve played twice in fact. Two judges ruled, and let’s move on. Let’s kill this bill and help in ways we can. Let’s work with the state and federal government.” [The Garden Island]
DROUGHT | Northern California’s drought recovery has been significant in the last two months. But Southern California is a different story. Two storm systems moving in should help the north out further, less so the south. “If we can get a couple these types of storms back to back to back, that would really help us out,” said Jay Lund, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Davis. [Los Angeles Times]
MARIJUANA | The Ohio Board of Pharmacy announced proposed rules for the licensing of medical marijuana dispensaries at a meeting on Tuesday in Columbus. The proposal’s rules would authorize 40 shops across the state to dispense medical marijuana and licensing requirements, “based upon the state population, patient population and geographic distribution of dispensary sites to ensure patient access.” [The Dispatch]
ENVIRONMENT | Towns in New Jersey will get only a fraction of the $355 million received from polluters under a legal settlement to clean up the Passaic River. The share the towns will receive is just $53 million. The rest of the cash was diverted by Gov. Chris Christie toward other costs in the cash-strapped Garden State. "It is shameful that less than a third of the settlement has been directed to clean up and restoring the environment," said U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. [The Record / NorthJersey.com]
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