California budget negotiations hit a new snag As California's government continued its grinding downshift toward insolvency, efforts to close the state's nearly $42-billion budget gap hit a new snag late Tuesday as Republicans in the state Senate ousted their leader.
Legislature adjourns with no budget; governor prepares to lay off 10,000 With lawmakers still unable to deliver a budget after three days of intense negotiations, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger prepared to lay off 10,000 government workers and his administration said it would halt the last 275 state-funded public works projects still in operation.
Cervical cancer vaccine gains acceptance in California The cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil is gaining widespread acceptance in California despite its newness and some controversy over its safety, UCLA researchers have found.
Insurers exceed state-issued rates for last-resort health coverage Two of California's largest insurers have been selling health coverage intended to be a safety net for the state's sick and jobless at premiums that exceed state-issued rates, in some cases by thousands of dollars a year.
California's budget held hostage His demands have merit, but Sen. Abel Maldonado can't put politics above what's good for California.It must be pretty heady, having people who never used to remember your name suddenly realize you're the most important person in the universe. It must be like being the lead character in one of those teen dramas about the mousy kid who (surprise) becomes the head cheerleader or the homecoming queen and dishes out comeuppance to the kids who used to make fun of her. What would you do if you suddenly had that power?
Q&A: Poizner explains views on California budget Steve Poizner made a fortune in Silicon Valley by developing global positioning receivers for cell phones. Now the state insurance commissioner is writing big checks in an exploratory bid to secure the 2010 Republican gubernatorial nomination.
California's Prop. 8 legal challenge harkens back to 1966 housing measure As Derald Granberg follows the legal challenge to Proposition 8 now before the California Supreme Court, he thinks back to 1966.
The BuzzSome lawmakers took Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg's "bring your toothbrush" warning more seriously than others. Assemblyman Bill Emmerson, right, R-Redlands, an orthodontist, handed out a free toothbrushes and toothpaste to every member of the Assembly on Tuesday to ensure good hygiene – and good breath – during the standoff and any long-winded floor speeches.
SEIU employees may escape Schwarzenegger layoffs Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration began the process of laying off thousands of state workers on Tuesday, but there's a big loophole.
Agencies seek to preserve water behind Calif. dams With California's major reservoirs at woefully low levels, state and federal water agencies on Tuesday made a pitch to keep more water behind their dams this month.
Dan Walters: Budget deficit package not a full solutionThe political Sturm und Drang over billions of dollars in spending cuts, new taxes and borrowing to close a huge budget deficit masks the most important question: Would it resolve, even partially, California's chronic fiscal malaise?
Daniel Weintraub: GOP leaders can claim a win on budget California lawmakers were still debating the budget late Tuesday night, but Republicans should have declared victory a week ago.
Capitol Alert: Schwarzenegger, Steinberg to Capt. Sully: Help! Captain Chesley Sullenberger, who landed a plane on the Hudson River last month, was honored in the state Capitol today.
Capitol Alert: What the tax hikes would mean for you The Bee's Phillip Reese has created a handy tax calculator for you to roughly determine what the tax hikes being considered by the state Legislature would mean for your wallet.
Capitol Alert: Cox, Maldonado cancel fundraisers Both the key swing Republican budget votes in the state Senate -- Abel Maldonado and Dave Cox -- had fundraisers scheduled for today. Both canceled them.
Do GOP senators value no-tax vow more than their oath of office? For observers outside the Capitol bubble, California's free-fall toward the abyss must seem baffling.
Whitman makes first public pitch for governor Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, in her first public campaign appearance as a 2010 Republican gubernatorial candidate, warned Tuesday that the state's top political job is "not a popularity contest" and said that California desperately needs an experienced business executive to rescue it from what she called the "insanity" of its current budget crisis.
Whitman opposes new taxes; seeks 2 million California jobs by Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, in her first public speech since announcing her intent to run for governor last week, on Tuesday said she opposes raising taxes to balance California's budget and would set a goal of creating 2 million jobs by 2015.
Industry tax break goes too farEven in hard times, California should be creating tax incentives for companies to add jobs and build plants in the state.
Pull the plug Bullet train's numbers don't add up – stillThese are giddy times for advocates of a state high-speed rail system linking Northern and Southern California. First, in November, voters approved Proposition 1A, providing $9.95 billion in public bond funds for the “bullet train,” a public-private partnership expected to end up costing $45 billion-plus. Then, in its $787 billion stimulus bill, Congress provided $8 billion more for high-speed rail projects. While most of the $8 billion is expected to go to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's pet project – a high-speed train linking Anaheim and Las Vegas – the state High Speed Rail Authority can expect $2 billion or so for its scheme.
Timm Herdt: The lost GOP victory speech Republicans could claim a win in state budgetAt this writing, it is still not clear whether California's fiscal train wreck will be averted any time soon. It all depends on whether a lone Republican senator decides to cast his lot for a bipartisan, $41 billion package that would balance the state's books through June 30, 2010.
Water on our mindIt's not easy persuading people to start conserving water, especially when heavy rain has been pelting the state for days, but that's the task facing local and state water officials.
Murrieta state Senator takes GOP helm Members of the state Senate GOP picked Riverside County Republican Dennis Hollingsworth as their new leader late Tuesday after days of growing opposition to the budget deal negotiated by their former leader.
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