Judges rule three-strikes sentence unconstitutional -- The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals says a 28-years-to-life penalty for a sex offender who failed to register at the proper time is cruel and unusual punishment. Carol J. Williams in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/31/08
Booze tax taken out of mix -- California's long-running effort to crack down on sugary alcoholic beverages popular among young drinkers apparently has fizzled. Dan Smith in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/31/08
George Skelton: Majority-rule plan could break GOP budget blockade -- State Senate leader and Assembly speaker devise a deficit reduction plan that needs only majority approval, not the two-thirds rule now crippling state government. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/31/08
No Budget: Day 56 -- It’s been 56 days since the governor called the first special session of the Legislature to address the state’s projected $42 billion budget shortfall. Every day the state goes without an approved revised budget, it loses $40 million and every hour, $1.7 million, the Office of the Governor says. Kim Lamb in the Ventura Star -- 12/31/08
California lawmakers would top list of state IOUs -- Controller John Chiang sends a letter to government agencies advising them who will not be paid if the state's cash runs out. Also on the list? Californians expecting tax refunds. Evan Halper in the Los Angeles Times Matthew Yi in the San Francisco Chronicle Steve Wiegand in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/31/08
Dan Walters: California got a wake-up call in 2008 -- This has been a year that most Californians – and especially those in elected office – would wish never happened, a year of severe economic decline that pushed hundreds of thousands onto unemployment rolls, and a year of monumental, ever-growing and intransigent budget deficits. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/31/08
Spending to fight California wildfires tops $1 billion -- About 1.4 million acres burned in 2008 in one of the worst fire seasons in the state's history. But no meaningful reforms are enacted at the state or federal level. Bettina Boxall in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/31/08
Many California health workers not checked for criminal pasts -- The Department of Consumer Affairs estimates that nearly a third of the state's 937,100 licensed healthcare workers have not been screened through fingerprinting. Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/31/08
A year of triumphs and scandals for SEIU -- Union members and President Andy Stern helped put Obama in the White House. But a former top California leader is under federal investigation and a Bay Area local is feuding with the top brass. Paul Pringle in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/31/08
San Francisco to fight bias in health insurance costs -- The city of San Francisco is challenging state legislation that allows insurance companies to charge women more than men for health coverage. Erin Allday in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/31/08
Texting in the fast lane becomes illegal on Thursday -- When California becomes the seventh state in the nation to ban text messaging Thursday, dispatches from the fast lane will become a violation of the state vehicle code, subjecting drivers caught writing them or reading them to a $20 fine for the first offense and $50 for repeat offenses. Bruce Newman in the San Jose Mercury -- 12/31/08
Drivers ignoring stop sign on cell phones -- It looks like California drivers are having a tough time loosening their grips on their cell phones. Six months after the state ordered the use of only hands-free devices while talking on the phone, law enforcement officials and others say many motorists appear to be ignoring the edict. Steve Schmidt in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 12/31/08
Creative borrowing catches up with California cities -- Financing schemes that sidestepped voter approval have put local governments deeper in hock. William Heisel in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/31/08
As unemployment grows, more low income residents qualify for free health care -- The number of low income residents qualifying for free health care through the Inland Empire Health Plan has nearly doubled since September and should continue to grow through 2009, officials say. Joe Nelson in the San Bernardino Sun -- 12/31/08
Firm says it can't pay money it collected for Little Leagues -- About 220 sports organizations, including more than half a dozen in California, are facing substantial losses. Some have sued the online payment company. Alexandra Zavis and Kate Linthicum in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/31/08
California newsmakers in 2008 -- From Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his ongoing attempt to reform state government and solve California's financial woes to Ed Jew and his forgettable run as a San Francisco supervisor, there were memorable folk behind this year's headlines. Here's a sampling of some of the best-known people making news in 2008. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/31/08
Jim Boren: Announcing this year's Jimbo recipients -- For those of us who believe strongly in the role of government, this past year made our optimism seem downright foolish. The arrogance of the political leadership in California made government bashing easy. Jim Boren in the Fresno Bee -- 12/31/08
Gaza Strip airstrikes trigger three protests in L.A. -- About 600 people on both sides of the conflict demonstrate on Wilshire Boulevard. Police form lines to separate rivals. Raja Abdulrahim in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/31/08
Sierra snowpack below normal, surveyors find -- Despite recent storms, state surveyors reported Tuesday that snow levels in the Sierra Nevada are below average for this time of year, making water rationing almost certain in 2009 with California's water supply in crisis. Kelly Zito in the San Francisco Chronicle Mike Taugher in the San Jose Mercury -- 12/31/08
Even In San Francisco, People Don’t Want to Pay to Drive Downtown -- Are environmental initiatives too important to be left to voters? That’s the issue raised by the squabble over congestion pricing in San Francisco. Keith Johnson in the Wall Street Journal -- 12/31/08
California sues federal government over changes in Endangered Species Act -- The state attorney general's office says new rules put California's threatened and endangered wildlife in greater danger and could cost the state more to protect the plants and animals on the list. Julie Cart in the Los Angeles Times Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/31/08
Advocacy group criticizes California transportation wish list -- California officials are counting on Washington to inject billions of dollars in transportation money to help revive the state economy. But a public advocacy group said the state's wish list of projects would undermine efforts to repair and modernize the state's crumbling infrastructure and reduce U.S. dependence on oil. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/31/08
Deal reached to unload bridge parts from ship -- A tense union labor standoff at the Port of Oakland was brought to a quiet end Tuesday, putting aside fears of potential clashes between workers or larger work stoppages at the docks. Demian Bulwa in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/31/08
PG&E to trim rates slightly as of Jan. 1 -- Come Thursday, your electricity will cost a little less. Pacific Gas and Electric Co. will cut its electricity rates by an average of 0.6 percent on the first day of the new year, the utility reported Tuesday. David R. Baker in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/31/08
Feinstein in letter: Air safety is at risk -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein this week reiterated her safety concerns involving a San Diego air traffic control hub, but this time to what may be more receptive ears. In a letter to the incoming Obama administration, Feinstein wrote that a controller shortage at the San Diego facility and Los Angeles International Airport pose an alarming risk to air safety. Steve Schmidt in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 12/31/08
Carpoolers want to put the brakes on bridge toll plan -- News that Bay Area car-pool drivers could have to pay a bridge toll set off a storm of indignation among car-pool riders near the North Berkeley BART station this week. Janis Mara in the Oakland Tribune -- 12/31/08
Journalist killing still unraveling -- As 2008 ends, more questions than answers remain about the brazen slaying of journalist Chauncey Bailey 17 months ago, and they raise increasing concerns about this city's beleaguered police force — questions that some officers say are now being asked within their own ranks. Thomas Peele, Bob Butler and Mary Fricker in the Oakland Tribune -- 12/31/08DUI checkpoints ineffective, group says -- A roving police officer swooped down on Bradford, who registered at more than the legal limit, police say. By the time the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum-based patrol called it a night five hours later Dec. 21, 14 suspected drunken drivers had been apprehended. In a similar time period, an estimated zero to four offenders might get caught in a DUI checkpoint. Janis Mara in the Contra Costa Times -- 12/31/08
Cops accused of wrongful search in second suit -- San Francisco police are facing a second $1 million federal civil rights lawsuit over an allegedly unwarranted and invasive search of two men in the South of Market neighborhood. Henry K. Lee in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/31/PG&E records still sought in Rancho Cordova blast -- One week after a deadly natural gas explosion rocked Rancho Cordova, a federal accident investigator is still waiting for Pacific Gas and Electric Co. to provide records that will help determine whether the utility responded adequately to complaints of leaking gas. Chris Bowman and Robert Lewis in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/31/08
San Jose task force wins credit in cops' fight against gang crime -- When police in the spring busted "Shorty" Sanchez and other men they identified as leaders and soldiers of one of San Jose's most powerful and violent street gangs, law enforcement felt they had taken off the street major players in the city's troubling trend of rising gang violence. Sean Webby and Mark Gomez in the San Jose Mercury -- 12/31/08
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