California News Roundup- January 5, 2009

Back in town-The Legislature officially reconvenes today after the holidays. The budget's still pretty much the only game in town. In fact, one agency -- Cal-EPA -- is planning to shut its offices on the first and third Fridays of each month to comply with ...

Group gives bad scores to leaders-New year. New leadership. That's the theme emerging in our local political parties, which in coming weeks will elect the leaders they hope will help them secure victory in the 2009 and 2010 elections.

More new driving laws to know- If you're driving along the Golden Center Freeway today, better tell your friends 'CUL8R' before hitting one of the on-ramps.

Nuclear waste in Stockton?- Nuclear waste could be shipped through Stockton if a group of Fresno-area businessmen succeeds in its plan to build the state's first nuclear plant in more than two decades.

No Budget: Day 61-It's been 61 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 ...

Cities Worried About Proposed Quarry's Impacts-A plan to create a hard rock quarry in eastern Sacramento County has some local officials worried about huge amounts of truck traffic.

Cable flips channel on public access TV- A new California law allows Time Warner to close 12 studios that provided community programming in Los Angeles. Critics say a valuable 1st Amendment platform is lost.

Dan Walters: California Capitol's 2009 prospects look grim- Most bills enacted by the state Legislature take effect on Jan. 1, so traditionally, California's major newspapers each December publish lengthy articles about new laws that the state's residents will have to follow. Those articles are a rough ...

The Buzz- Need more evidence that the Legislature is a polarized collection of politicians from the left and the right incapable of finding common ground on which to forge agreements? Pro gay rights group Equality California has released its annual rating of ...

Jerry Brown wins praise, criticism for stance on Proposition 8- A generation ago, then-Gov. Jerry Brown's conscientious stand against the death penalty prompted a revolt in the Legislature and eventually spurred voters to throw out his appointee as chief justice of the California Supreme Court.