California Government News Archives

The chances of California voters being asked to repeal the state's ban on same-sex marriages next year are looking more remote after another prominent political group said that more time is needed to build a winning campaign.

John Marcotte discusses his proposed initiative to ban divorce Nov. 21 as Ryan Platt, left, signs the petition to get the measure on the ballot, in Sacramento, Calif.

The State Board of Equalization said it was reminding Californians that while online shopping is a convenient way to quickly take care of holiday gift needs, use tax may be owed on those purchases made online or from out-of-state retailers.

Just days before Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislators finalized a water package, including an $11.1 billion bond issue, state Treasurer Bill Lockyer warned them not to do it.

California's Air Resources Board on Tuesday raised the curtain on a preliminary framework for a first-in-the-nation "cap and trade" program designed to make deep cuts in the emissions of greenhouse gases.

The blame game is a contagious one, a new study reports, even when the target is innocent.

Eds: APNewsNow. No. 3 Ohio St. 83, No. 22 California 71. AP Photo OHJL105, OHJL104 By RUSTY MILLER AP Sports Writer COLUMBUS, Ohio Jantel Lavender broke out of a shooting lump to score 11 points during a big second-half surge, and No.

California has received $60 million from the federal stimulus package to upgrade its 23-year-old unemployment benefits system even though previous federal funding to improve the same system has not been fully spent.

Authorities say four members of a family, including two children, were killed when their minivan was hit broadside by a car that ran a red light in west-central California.

Protesters chanted, marched and even took over buildings at University of California campuses last week.

NALEO Urges Swift Confirmation of Appointment LOS ANGELES, Nov. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials issued the following statement regarding Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's nomination of State Senator Abel Maldonado to serve as California's Lt.

As Meg Whitman has been introducing herself to California voters, she retells a line that usually generates a chuckle: "The next governor of California needs to know exactly what SHE believes." The statement conveys the kind of confidence the former eBay executive displayed in her trailblazing role as the female head of a Fortune 500 company.

The celebrity gossip website TMZ.com posted a document reportedly from the Internal Revenue Service that shows California's Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger owes nearly $80,000 in unpaid taxes.

Indiana has lured a green startup from California that says it has the technology to capture wind energy in urban settings.

He presides over a state that is billions of dollars in debt and recently began issuing IOU notes to creditors after its coffers ran dry.

Inside the green neon sign, which is shaped like a marijuana leaf, is a red cross.

A California woman was the victim of a head-on collision that happened about 4 p.m. Tuesday on Interstate Highway 94, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.

We're pleased Assembly Speaker Karen Bass decided to reconvene the body in December to consider an education reform measure that would make California eligible for a share of federal Race to the Top stimulus funds.

Before the economy went bust, California voters authorized multibillion-dollar charges on the state's infrastructure credit card.

California has taken a major step toward creating a broad-based trading system to limit emissions of pollutants blamed for harmful climate change.

More than 1,200 acres of scenic meadow land and a spectacular waterfall in California have been bought by the U.S. Forest Service.The property in the Sierra Nevada mountains near Truckee is considered valuable for recreation and wildlife.It was obtained through four separate transactions totaling $3 million.

A California startup company that will make windmills to supply power for businesses and residences is moving to southern Indiana.

THE University of California now says it will ask state legislators for $913 million more next year than it received in this year's budget.

When Mac Taylor, the California Legislature's chief budget adviser, declared last week that the state budget enacted just four months ago is already billions of dollars upside down, no one in the Capitol should have been surprised.

Gov. Schwarzenegger's choice of moderate Republican Abel Maldonado for lieutenant governor is unwelcome news for two valley politicians seeking the same job in the 2010 election.

Investigators found more charred human remains at the home of one of two missing Southern California boys as a third teen turned up safe Wednesday.

The State Compensation Insurance Fund, the workers' compensation insurer, is shopping for 600 new hybrid vehicles for its automobile fleet - an expense that could top $14 million.

Californians who want to find out how some green fueling options are cleaning our environment and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels can visit the San Francisco International Auto Show to learn more about the technology from Linde North America that's making it happen.

Actor Sylvester Stallone arrives at the UK gala premiere of 'Rambo' at the Vue cinema, Leicester Square on February 12, 2008 in London, England.

Already grappling with one multibillion-dollar budget deficit, cash-strapped California now is facing a crisis in its unemployment insurance fund - source of the tens of millions paid each week to jobless residents.

For Abel Maldonado, the son of migrant farmworkers who rose from the strawberry fields to become land barons, Tuesday morning's tableau was another chapter in his own American dream.

Police in Southern California say a man has been caught on surveillance videotape stealing a nun's purse at a Los Angeles-area supermarket.

Californians who travel to Oregon's Curry County to get Douglas fir trees for Christmas won't be able to bring them back.

Supporters of a proposed $11 billion water bond say the money is urgently needed to fix California's water supply problems, yet billions of dollars in previous bond money still hasn't been spent, according to the California treasurer.

Monday, November 23, 2009 California has an oil boom under way, but it's not what you might think: The state's farmers are planting olive trees to boost production for the extra virgin olive oil market.

State auditors said Monday that California corrections officials overstated how many jobs they saved using more than $1 billion in federal stimulus money, listing thousands of jobs that were never in jeopardy.

Just weeks after California first lady Maria Shriver apologized for parking in a red zone, her husband appears to have violated the same law.The Web site TMZ.com on Monday posted photographs of Gov.

A central California woman convicted of abandoning her three newborns, one of whom froze to death, has been sentenced to 22 years to life in prison.

THE CALIFORNIA Voting Rights Act of 2002 was signed into law by Gov. Gray Davis with little fanfare or protest.

California may be known as the cradle of computer innovation, but several state agencies can't get their computers to perform essential functions despite hundreds of millions of dollars in cost overruns for repair and upgrade work.

California is investigating whether 30 Southern California churches were bilked of tens of thousands of dollars by companies that leased computer equipment.

An oil boom is underway in the state's agricultural heartland, as evolving tastes and a trend toward healthy fare have transformed a profession as old as civilization: olive production for the extra virgin market.

In this May 8, 2007 file photo, Dr. Jay Chapman holds a human skull from Nepal that has been hand decorated with silver at his home in Napa, Calif.

The dollar chase never stops for California incumbents and challengers alike, who keep busy raising campaign funds for themselves and for others.

Three percent of California voters favor some other gubernatorial candidate, and 14% are undecided.

Read the polls and you'd think the end was near for this, America's largest state.

A paralyzed University of California law student has passed the bar exam after a legal battle to take the test.

Authorities arrested a Sacramento fisherman Saturday in connection to shooting a sea lion in the head.

State Treasurer Bill Lockyer has delayed plans for issuing bonds to pay for the expansion of death row at San Quentin State Prison.

California regulators have adopted the nation's first energy-efficiency standards for televisions, a move that will eventually ban power-hungry sets from the state's store shelves.

Lawmakers must share in sacrifice before asking others to accept cuts. Published online on Saturday, Nov.

One of the most common phrases in broadcast news this week was " Attorney General Jerry Brown says ...". In a single week, Brown went after lead-filled toys, those he said scammed African-American churches out of millions of dollars, and to top it off, Wells Fargo , who he says misreprentated an investment opportunity, which cost California ...

Attorney General Jerry Brown has decided that an independent state pay commission can reduce the salaries of California elected officials during the middle of their terms in office.

California on Wednesday became the first state to pass energy-efficiency standards for new TV sets, putting manufacturers on notice and positioning itself to start a national trend.

The governing board of the University of California approved a $2,500 student fee increase Thursday after two days of tense campus protests across the ...

California tax officials say an interior designer's false disability claim was uncovered when he was spotted on a home improvement television show.

The governing board of the University of California approved a $2,500 student fee increase Thursday after two days of tense campus protests across the state.The 32 percent increase will push the cost of an undergraduate education at California's premier public schools to over $10,000 a year by next fall, about triple the cost of a decade ago.

During a news conference, Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor says Calif. could be facing a nearly $21 billion budget defict over the near year and a half.

Los Angeles Business from bizjournals - by Kathy Robertson of the Sacramento Business Journal California is facing a $20.7 billion deficit in the General Fund budget over the next 18 months, the Legislative Analyst's Office announced Wednesday.

Listen to the report The state's Legislative Analyst says the state's financial condition is worse than when the governor and lawmakers patched together a budget for the balance of this fiscal year.

California is telling skinny-dippers to put some clothes on, and the message is sending a chill through lovers of sunning-in-the-buff across the country.

California will face a nearly $21 billion budget gap over the next year and a half, extending a fiscal crisis that already has led to steep cuts to public schools, social services and health programs.

In a Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009 photo, Doug Pongrazc checks out a large screen television while shopping at a Best Buy store in Elk Grove, Calif.

Reporting from Sacramento - Less than four months after California leaders stitched together a patchwork budget, a projected deficit of nearly $21 billion already looms over Sacramento, according to a report to be released today by the chief budget analyst.

The California Milk Advisory Board is planning new commercials touting California milk from California cows.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has wrapped up a two-day visit to California soldiers in Iraq.

Published: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 9:03 a.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 9:03 a.m. A former University of California lineman who spent time in the Tennessee Titans' camp in 2001 has been sentenced to 57 months in federal prison for his role in a $5 million Ponzi scheme.

While the Assembly takes a leisurely look at education reform, California may miss its chance to compete for a share of $4.35 billion in education stimulus funds.

Gay marriage advocates on Monday launched a campaign to try to overturn California's same-sex marriage ban, hoping to become the first U.S. state to convince voters to approve gay people's right to wed.

Death penalty opponents have vowed lengthy legal battles if the state adopts a three-drug cocktail to carry out death sentences.

As America's trade with the Far East - principally China - expanded massively during the 1980s and 1990s, California reaped the benefits as the gateway for both exports and imports.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has dropped in on U.S. troops in Iraq, thanking them for the sacrifices they and their families are making.

Healthcare overhaul bills working their way through Congress could jeopardize laws in California and other states that require insurers to pay for treatments such as AIDS testing, second surgical opinions and reconstructive surgery for breast cancer patients.

When Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was promoting a complex legislative package to rebuild California's water system, he often appeared alongside farmers who were unable to cultivate their land amid a third year of drought and federal pumping restrictions.

It's not surprising that California's courts are having trouble developing a massive new computer system.

MEMBERS OF the California Legislature face significant, yet fair cuts in their salary and perks, scheduled to take place in December.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will visit troops in Iraq next week, according to The Sacramento Bee .

Every lawsuit filed or even threatened under a California law aimed at electing more minorities to local offices - and all of the roughly $4.3 million from settlements so far - can be traced to just two people: a pair of attorneys who worked together writing the statute, The Associated Press has found.

With a huge number of residents who buy health care on their own and relatively few companies selling them coverage, California is just the kind of market in need of a new government-run insurance plan, supporters of the controversial proposal dominating much of the health reform debate say.

For California's limping finances, there was some good news Tuesday: Monthly tax revenues exceeded projections for only the sixth time in more than two years.

California coach Jeff Tedford says star tailback Jahvid Best is resting at home after his scary concussion and there has been no talk about when he could return to the field.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office says the governor will visit U.S. troops in Iraq next week.

California could be eligible for up to $700 million in federal education stimulus funds under guidelines scheduled to be released today by the U.S. Department of Education.

The California Attorney General's office said that more gay and Jewish people were the victims of hate crimes last year even though the overall number of bias-related crimes declined slightly.

Some of California's famous "Happy Cows" are being put out to pasture for bovines that will work for much less money and are probably younger, maybe even cuter -- a move so typical of the cruel world of Hollywood.

He's on board, too, with more than $430 million in planned improvements to Cal's venerable Memorial Stadium.

NEW YORK In what could be one of the biggest counterterrorism seizures in U.S. history, federal prosecutors sought to take over four U.S. mosques and a New York City skyscraper owned by a Muslim organization suspected of being controlled by the Iranian government.

Reporting from Sacramento and Los Angeles - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger quietly spiked an effort last month to win $1.1 billion in federal high-speed rail stimulus funds for 29 projects to improve the safety, speed and capacity of heavily traveled commuter corridors through Southern California.

Share + Nov 13, 2009 1:10 am US/Pacific SACRAMENTO Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration said Thursday it can comply with a court order to sharply reduce California's prison population if federal judges bypass the state Legislature and pre-empt state laws.

When Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was promoting a complex legislative package to rebuild California's water system, he often appeared alongside farmers who were unable to cultivate their land amid a third year of drought and federal pumping restrictions.

California officials say they can comply with a court order to ease prison crowding if federal judges bypass the state Legislature and pre-empt state laws.

A California man pleaded not guilty Thursday to wearing military medals that he never earned.

Joan Zuniga of Oakland had high hopes when she sent her daughter to San Francisco State University four years ago.

The head of the state Department of Administration on Wednesday blasted a report that indicated Wisconsin government may be heading toward fiscal peril.

California's continuing budget problems are raising concerns that cuts in funding for higher education will hurt the chances of qualified people to attend college.

California's marriage activists maintain Maine's referendum that nullified the state's law that allowed gays and lesbians to wed only have only re-energized their efforts to overturn Prop 8. For supporters of marriage for same-sex couples in California, last week's successful Maine referendum was certainly a painful disappointment.

A 61-year-old California man has been arrested in Oklahoma on charges of coming to the state to have sex with an 8-year-old girl.

A study released Wednesday warns that nine states are barreling toward an economic disaster similar to California's ongoing fiscal crisis that has been marked by IOUs and budget-busting deficits.

A man who was arrested but later released in connection with the rape of a 16-year-old girl outside a high school homecoming dance in California says he didn't take part in the attack, but was trying to help the girl.

In this file photo taken Saturday April 25, 2009, Attorney General Jerry Brown is seen speaking at the California Democratic Party convention in Sacramento , Calif.

The race for the 14th District California Senate seat will be wide open in 2010, as Senator Dave Cogdill has announced that he will not seek re-election. Cogdill has issued a statement reading, "Representing the citizens of the Central Valley and the Sierra Nevada for almost a decade has truly been an honor and a blessing.

SEMA, working on behalf of California enthusiasts of specialty vehicles and in cooperation with the Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Automotive Repair, Air Resources Board and Attorney General's office has resolved a complex and threatening issue to this market segment and the industry it serves.

A report by California Attorney General Jerry Brown's office says a spokesman secretly recorded phone calls with five reporters, even though he was explicitly warned not to do so.

Californians may still be in love with President Barack Obama but this year's gubernatorial candidates don't have what it takes to save a sinking ship, according to a new poll.

An $11.1 billion water bond approved this week by California lawmakers is filled with special interest earmarks that reward legislative districts in nearly every corner of the state, from $20 million for economic development in a rural northern county to $10 million to a University of California climate change institute.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a far-reaching water bond passed last week by the California Legislature intended to restore the ailing estuary at the heart of the state's water system.

Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner said Monday he's rejecting a second consecutive request by the Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau to significantly increase California's workers' compensation benchmark rate, this time by nearly 23 percent.

Last June, the Public Policy Institute of California released a highly critical report on California's "enterprise zone" program that provides big tax breaks to businesses for supposedly hiring workers in areas of high unemployment.

A trucker died Monday after his big-rig plummeted 200 feet from a new section of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge that has seen more than 42 crashes since it opened, authorities said.

Authorities are reporting a staggering jump in the number of plants seized in California's annual anti-marijuana eradication effort.

California Attorney General Jerry Brown is by far the most popular candidate for governor in next year's election, but most voters in his party are unhappy that he is the only major Democrat running, according to a new poll on Sunday.

A bill that could bring millions of dollars for conservation work in the Sierra Nevada cleared the state assembly Wednesday, lining it up to go to voters in 2010.

Kirk Douglas was stunned to be presented with a top movie award by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday night - because he coached the muscleman on his first ever film.

California lawmakers on Wednesday approved a series of bills that would vastly overhaul the state's troubled water system.

The choices seem endless as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ponders his pick to fill the now-vacant lieutenant governor's job.

CHILL winds and blustery showers may be ushering in the British winter, but James Robinson and fellow members of alternative funky soul popsters Two Spot Gobi have their memories of a glorious Californian summer to keep them warm.

A small majority of California voters supports the right of gay couples to marry, but a much larger portion of voters opposes efforts to place the issue back on the ballot next year, a new Los Angeles Times/USC poll has found.

California prison officials have submitted a construction plan intended to expand medical and mental health treatment for inmates.

Up to one-fourth of the 110,000 jobs reported as saved by federal stimulus money in California probably never were in danger, according to a review of the statistics by the Sacramento Bee.

Results from the latest Capitol Weekly/Probolsky Research California Poll were released today.

The election of John Garamendi to represent the 10th Congressional District filled one void and created another.

With three days left in the session, Democrats and Republicans still are struggling to reach a deal on legislation to overhaul the state's water system.

Reporting from Sacramento - Lawmakers capped months of discussions, weeks of tedious negotiations and years of chasing a water deal with approval of major legislation in a marathon session that ended Wednesday as the sun rose.

After years of gridlock and failure, California lawmakers reached a historic agreement in Wednesday's pre-dawn hours to address one of California's most vexing problems: its vulnerable water supply and a dying Delta ecosystem.

A Northern California bus driver involved in a crash that killed 11 people last year has been sentenced to more than 26 years in prison.Quintin Watts was sentenced by a Colusa County judge to 26 years and four months Wednesday.

Californians both young and old are contracting H1N1, with infants the most likely to be hospitalized and adults over the age of 50, once hospitalized, the most likely to die, a new study shows.

A new report finds that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation failed to properly supervise parolee Phillip Garrido and missed opportunities to discover the alleged kidnapping victim held for 18 years.

California lawmakers on Wednesday passed an $11 billion overhaul of the state's antiquated water system in a bid to supply a soaring population while preserving a fragile environment.

The stars seemed aligned for supporters of gay marriage. They had Maine's governor, legislative leaders and major newspapers on their side, plus a huge edge in campaign funding.

California Lt. Gov. John Garamendi has won a special election to a Northern California congressional seat, keeping the district in Democratic hands.

Calif. debt firm settles Pa. class-action suit Eds: APNewsNow. Will be led. By DAN NEPHIN Associated Press Writer PITTSBURGH A California debt collection company has agreed to pay $2.55 million to settle a lawsuit brought by thousands of Pennsylvanians who claim they were wrongly led to believe they had to pay costly fees to avoid criminal charges ...

The search for bodies and wreckage continues. Coast Guard Lt. Josh Nelson says searchers will also try to locate the aircraft black box recorders.

A state watchdog group says elder abuse may be underreported, in part because of budget cuts to ombudsman programs.

Authorities in southwestern North Dakota searched Monday for three Dickinson State University softball players reported missing after a friend received late night telephone calls that mentioned water and indicated the women needed help.

Gov. Schwarzenegger's finance director is stepping down after four years, leaving the administration to fill a key vacancy as the state faces what is expected to be another multibillion dollar deficit.

Published: Monday, November 2, 2009 at 5:54 p.m. Last Modified: Monday, November 2, 2009 at 5:54 p.m. An attorney for the man who assassinated Robert F. Kennedy said Monday his client was transferred from a prison that houses high-risk offenders to a new facility where his life could be in danger.

Legislation designed to provide long-term solutions to California's water challenges is scheduled to go before both houses of the Legislature on Monday, although the prospects for passage remain uncertain.

California wage earners will soon notice a little less money in their paychecks.

State financial experts testified that imposing taxes and regulations could bring in hundreds of millions to more than a billion dollars to state coffers, but several law enforcement officials also told the Assembly Public Safety Committee that legalizing marijuana under state law likely would lead to an increase in violence.

Police were searching Saturday for a person who shot and killed a 16-year-old girl and wounded two men following a football game at a high school in Southern California.

Attorney General Jerry Brown is facing accusations that he cleared the way for a ballot measure summary that was favorable to an insurance company that has contributed to his campaign coffers.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is in Washington D.C. Friday, for a meeting with vice President Joe Biden to discuss the benefits of the federal stimulus program.

The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge remains closed and commuters are being urged to find alternative ways to work.

"There is still a lot of work that needs to be done," Bart Ney, a spokesman for the California Department of Transportation , said Friday evening.

Maybe it's time to call your state legislator to admit "It's not you, it's me." A recent Field Poll, designed by a panel of political scientists from Stanford, Berkeley and yours truly from California State University Sacramento, asked Californians a series of questions about proposed reforms to state government and various constitutional ...

ONE OF the more obscure - and probably more important - of California's many political conflicts pits an organization called EdVoice against the California Teachers Association and other school unions.