Ruling Blocks CA Gov's Prison Parole Initiative:  The Sacramento County Superior Court blocked California Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed November ballot initiative Thursday.  As written, the initiative would allow non-violent felons with multiple violent priors to be eligible for parole with good behavior after serving the base term for the current crime.  Keith Carls of KEYT reports that the judge ruled that California Attorney General Kamala Harris did not comply with state law and "abused her discretion" when she approved the filing of Brown's initiative as an amendment to a different measure, but that "the changes are so dramatic they, in effect, create a new proposal."  Opponents of the initiative, including the California District Attorney's Association, have applauded the court's decision for not only stopping a bad policy but also calling out the manipulation of the initiative system.  The proponents of the initiative have appealed the ruling.  Here is columnist Dan Walters' take.

Three Killed in KS Workplace Shooting:  Three people were killed and several other injured Thursday during a shooting rampage in Kansas by their co-worker who had been served a restraining order just two hours before.  Fox News reports that 38-year-old Cedric Ford, after being served the protection order, went to the Excel Industries plant where he was an employee, shooting three people on the way there and 15 more when he stormed the lawnmower parts factory.  Ford, who was killed in the attack by police gunfire, had several felony convictions in Florida and misdemeanor in Kansas.  He reportedly showed no indication he would go on a killing spree when the retraining order was served, but it is likely what triggered the tragic event.

Obama Admin to Crack Down on Sanctuary Cities:  Marking a major shift in policy, the Obama administration promises to begin cracking down on sanctuary cities, planning to bar them from receiving federal grant money for refusing to cooperate with immigration laws.  Stephen Dinan of the Washington Times reports that U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch told Congress on Wednesday that in addition to withholding federal grant money from cities and counties that refuse to deport illegal immigrants, the federal Bureau of Prisons will no longer release illegal immigrants to sanctuary cities, instead turning them over to immigration authorities for deportation.  The Justice Department says a city or country could not only lose money, but also face criminal prosecution for failing to comply with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.  In 2014, sanctuary cities refused approximately 15,000 requests to hold illegal immigrants for deportation and released them into communities.