World’s Most Powerful Laser Unveiled
The world’s most powerful laser was dedicated at the Livermore National Laboratory in California. It’s designed to shore up the nation’s aging nuclear weapons.
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California Supreme Court upholds state’s gay-marriage ban
California’s Supreme Court upheld the state’s gay-marriage ban, but said the 18,000 same-sex weddings that took place before the prohibition passed are still valid.
Activists Protest Prop 8 Ruling
Activists are protesting the California Supreme Court’s decision to uphold a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage. Flag-waving demonstrators are blocking intersections with banners and signs as they vow to continue their fight.
The California Supreme Court backs the legality of Proposition 8, endorsed by voters, banning same-sex unions in the Golden State.
Calif. High Court: Gay Marriage Ban Stands
The California Supreme Court backs the legality of Proposition 8, endorsed by voters, banning same-sex unions in the Golden State.
Dad Bites Son’s Eye Out
A 4-year-old California boy may be permanently blinded after police say his father bit out one of his eyes and mutilated the other.
Carrie Prejean keeping Miss California title – for now
Officials of the Miss California USA pageant are criticizing some of the actions of title-holder Carrie Prejean but say only Miss USA pageant owner Donald Trump can make that decision.
Gavin Newsom Announces His Candidacy for California Governor
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom formally declared his 2010 campaign for California governor Tuesday with a tech-savvy approach – simultaneous announcements on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube – and a message of “generational” change aimed at the influential young “millennial” voters who helped elect President Obama. Newsom, in an interview with The Chronicle, said his announcement dramatizes his intention to offer voters a far different vision, and resume, than other potential candidates. The mayor said his campaign represents “an opportunity to – I want to use the phrase ‘turn the page’ – but it is an opportunity to spin to the future. That’s something you’ll hear me promoting a lot in the next year and a half.” – from SFgate
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom officially launched his bid to become the next California governor today, marketing himself as a much-needed change to the Sacramento status quo. “We’ve gotten things done in San Francisco by putting politics aside and focusing on finding solutions to tough problems,” the 41-year-old said in a statement announcing his candidacy. “State government is failing because the politicians in Sacramento spend all their time fighting each other instead of fighting for Californians. We can’t keep returning to the same old tired solutions and expect a different result.” – from USAtoday
Sunday School Teacher Booked in Child Death
A 28-year-old Sunday school teacher who lives in the same mobile home park as Sandra Cantu has been charged with killing the 8-year old California girl. Police say they haven’t determined the motive.
Four accused of kidnapping, torturing teen for year
Four Californians are accused of kidnapping a 16-year-old boy and torturing him for nearly a year before he escaped captivity wearing only boxer shorts and a shackle on his ankle, according to an indictment released Wednesday. Anthony Vincent Waiters, 34; Caren Ramirez, 43; Kelly Layne Lau, 30; and her husband, Michael Luther Schumacher, 34, were charged with a slew of offenses, including torture, aggravated mayhem, child abuse and false imprisonment by violence that allegedly occurred from January 2008 to December 2008. Authorities said the teen was shackled in the home of Lau and Schumacher in Tracy, about 65 miles east of San Francisco. During his captivity, the teen was tortured with a bat, knife and belt, according to court documents. The teen escaped December 1 and walked into a fitness center about 500 feet away from the home. He was bruised and battered, wearing only boxer shorts and with his bloody ankle shackled, police said. – From CNN
California teachers see mass pink slips
Debbie Winsteen received California’s Teacher of the Year award last year. This year, the Burbank Elementary School teacher received a layoff notice, according to KFWB Radio. She has taught in the district for five years. “My immediate anger, right now, is with our state legislators and the governor, and my board of education,” Winsteen told KFWB. “Our fate, and the fate of our kids, is in their hands. The third-grade teacher received the notice on the same day educators wore pink clothing and rallied outside of schools as part of a statewide protest against the wave of “pink slip” layoff notices sent to teachers as a result of the state budget crisis. Several rallies are scheduled for “Pink Friday.” School districts have handed out more than 25,000 pink slips statewide in the face of about $11 billion in state cuts to education funding, according to the California Teachers Association. – From MSNBC
Bread Lines Seen in California
Many say a depression doesn’t have to be great, that the economy can sink into a milder depression. The Salvation Army says it’s happening now, and in San Diego County, people are standing in line outside a Salvation Army waiting for donated bread. – from Fox
California assemblyman introduces bill to legalize weed
We have to admit that this has some appeal. Not that I want a bunch of retards driving around smoking weed all the time – but is it really that different than alcohol? Think of the tax revenues. Think of the money saved prosecuting pot dealers and smokers. Think of the jobs it could create. Oh well, just thinking.
Could Cannabis sativa be a salvation for California’s fiscal misfortunes? Can the state get a better budget grip by taxing what some folks toke? An assemblyman from San Francisco announced legislation Monday to do just that: make California the first state in the nation to tax and regulate recreational marijuana in the same manner as alcohol. – From LA Times
California would become the first state in the nation to legalize marijuana for recreational use under a bill introduced Monday by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano of San Francisco. The proposal would regulate marijuana like alcohol, with people over 21 years old allowed to grow, buy, sell and possess cannabis – all of which is barred by federal law. Ammiano, a Democrat in his third month as a state lawmaker, said taxes and other fees associated with regulation could put more than a billion dollars a year into state coffers at a time when revenues continue to decline. – From SFgate.com
A California legislator today proposed making the state the first to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. The legislation, by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, a Democrat from San Francisco, would allow people 21 and older to grow, buy, sell and possess pot. It would be sold, regulated and taxed similar to alcohol. The state would collect $50 an ounce from sellers, and growers, too, would be taxed. He estimates that the cash-strapped state could reap more than $1 billion a year. – From USA Today
California budget takes it on the chin
California is the model for the rest of the nation: spend too much, borrow too much, get your ass kicked eventually. The Golden State is a prime example of state’s living beyond their means – meeting budgets through tricks and borrowing – things that come to fruition with a vengeance. Now, Californians are facing higher taxes and fewer services as they struggle to balance a $42 billion deficit. The same thing is happening all over the nation, but not as extensively. But states need to heed this example and get their houses in order to avoid collapse.
From Tinseltown to Thousand Oaks, California has been crushed by the financial crisis. The state has the nation’s second-highest foreclosure rate, near-double digit unemployment and the country’s lowest bond rating. The state’s economy has teetered on the brink of total collapse for weeks. Facing a $42 billion deficit, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger sent state workers home unpaid and stopped income tax refunds. Lawmakers finally reached a compromise Thursday morning but only after being locked in the state capitol all week to work out a deal. – From ABC News
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will sign an emergency spending plan into law today that promises to solve the largest deficit in California history after 106 days of contentious negotiations.The spending plan, which the Legislature approved early Thursday after a Republican senator from Santa Barbara County cast a breakthrough vote, is intended to keep the state in the black through June 2010. But the agreement exacts a toll: Californians will pay higher taxes and get less in return; education, transit and services for the poor, disabled and elderly will take deep cuts. – From SFgate.com
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a former movie actor, has been trying for years to get tax credits to keep California’s signature industry at home. He got his wish early Thursday when the Legislature approved tax credits for film and television productions as part of an economic stimulus provision of the new state budget. The credits — capped at $500 million over five years — are modest compared with those offered by other states. – From LA Times
California lawmakers come to terms after nasty fight
The Republicans may have their rallying cry in the next election – taxes. It’s a sturdy crutch, but in the wake of the massive taxes that are being imposed by states to cover shortfall, it could be even more effective in two years depending on how the economy is faring.
After five days of intense, nearly nonstop negotiations over how to close a $41 billion gap, California state senators agreed early Thursday morning on a budget that raises taxes, cuts deeply into services and borrows far into the future, leaving nearly every person in the state scathed in some way. The leadership of the state, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, agreed several weeks ago to a plan to address the state’s severe budget issues, but the plan failed to gain the two-thirds majority approval required by California state law to pass through the legislature. This left Democrats trying to woo a single Republican vote out of the state senate, where Republicans were staunchly against new taxes. – From NY Times
Why did it take California lawmakers so long to pass a budget to close the state’s $42 billion deficit? To find one reason, look about 3,000 miles east to an office in Washington. In a campaign whose flames have been fanned by conservative bloggers and commentators such as Rush Limbaugh, anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist has been persuading lawmakers across the country to sign a pledge to vote against any and all tax increases. “Serve and protect the state — not loot it,” the president of Americans for Tax Reform said in an interview this week. – From AP
alifornia lawmakers approved on Thursday a state budget package to close a $42 billion deficit, ending a lengthy standoff with a slate of bills that aim to raise taxes, slash spending and increase borrowing with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s signature. Both houses of the Democrat-led legislature passed the package and Schwarzenegger, a Republican, is eager to sign it. “Certainly as soon as we can,” said spokesman Aaron McLear. – From Reuters
California budget crisis continues with stalemate
Da governator is having issues. Watch for this to remain ugly.
Despite a long night of frantic negotiations, legislative leaders are still struggling to find enough Republican votes to pass a bill that would close California’s $42 billion budget gap and end 102 days of partisan gridlock. Only a single Republican, Senate Minority Leader Dave Cogdill, voted for the budget bill when it came up in the Senate Saturday evening, while state Sen. Roy Ashburn, R-Bakersfield, did not vote. Senate leaders left the bill open for possible vote changes, but it will only pass if Cogdill can somehow find two more GOP votes. – from SFgate.com
California’s Senate halted a middle- of-the-night vote on a $40 billion package of tax increases, spending cuts and borrowing aimed at a closing a record deficit, after the plan fell one vote short needed for passage. Senate Democrats used a procedural motion to suspend balloting while Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Senate leaders worked behind closed doors to secure an additional Republican approval. Lawmakers adjourned shortly after 10 a.m. Sacramento time after meeting through the night. They were to reconvene in the early afternoon. – From bloomberg.com
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger tried Sunday to salvage a proposal to close California’s $42 billion deficit after an all-night legislative session failed to produce a new budget. The governor and legislative leaders from both parties warned that California faces insolvency unless the Legislature enacts a midyear budget fix. Blame for the inaction was fixed on the state Senate, where Republicans were refusing to put up the three votes necessary to reach the required two-thirds majority. The Assembly appeared ready to pass the mix of deep spending cuts and tax increases but was awaiting signals that the Senate would do the same. – From AP
Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman to run for California governor
If the economy is still stalled next year (not a bad guess), you might see Californians warm to the idea of a business person in the top seat.
Former eBay chief Meg Whitman put an end to months of speculation today when she announced that she intended to seek the Republican nomination to replace Arnold Schwarzenegger as governor of California. In a statement released today, Whitman said: “California faces challenges unlike any other time in its history – a weak and faltering economy, massive job losses, and an exploding state budget deficit. California is better than this, and I refuse to stand by and watch it fail. Now is the time for people across the state to join in a cause for change, excellence and a new California.” – From Guardian UK
Former eBay chief executive Meg Whitman has taken the first step toward running for California governor in 2010. Whitman on Monday launched an exploratory committee to seek the Republican nomination for governor, a move that allows her to raise campaign funds. She says on her Web site that California faces unprecedented economic challenges and that she refuses “to stand by and watch” the state fail. The 52-year-old political neophyte began testing her affinity for politics after leaving the online auction site after 10 years last January. She served as finance chairwoman for Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign and then as a national co-chair of John McCain’s. – From AP
Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, 52, a billionaire Republican businesswoman who built the online marketplace into a household name, is now looking to tackle the considerable financial problems of the Golden State: She has announced an exploratory committee to make a 2010 run for governor. The entry of Whitman into the race heralds what is expected to be a crowded and expensive contest on both sides, highlighted by the presence of three GOP moderates from the Silicon Valley: Whitman, State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, and former Rep. Tom Campbell of San Jose. – From SFgate.com
Judge allows Schwarzenegger to furlough workers
A state court has ordered government officials to immediately implement Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s executive order requiring state employees take two days off without pay each month, denying claims by unions and the state controller that the order is illegal. The decision by Sacramento Superior Court Patrick Marlette clears the way for 238,000 state employees to be furloughed on the first and third Fridays of each month starting Feb. 6. Marlette said in his ruling that the governor has the authority to implement such cuts during an emergency. – From LA Times
A Sacramento County Superior Court judge on Thursday gave Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger a victory in his attempt to deal with California’s budget deficit, ruling that he has authority to furlough tens of thousands of state workers. The order forcing government employees to take off two days a month without pay is scheduled to start Feb. 6. It would apply to 238,000 workers, although many of those would be exempt. – From SFgate.com
The ruling means state employees will be taking unpaid leave on the first and third Fridays of each month, starting next week. The Times says the furloughs equate to a 9% pay cut and will save the state $1.3 billion through June 30, 2010. The bad news comes in a state already promising to issue IOUs instead of state income tax refunds starting next week. – From USA Today
Someone not named Homer Simpson sells Daughter for Beer & Meat
Definitely not a candidate for the Father of the Year Award…
Police have arrested a Greenfield man for allegedly arranging to sell his 14-year-old daughter into marriage in exchange for $16,000, 100 cases of beer and several cases of meat. Police said they only learned of the deal after the 36-year-old man went to them to get his daughter back because payment wasn’t made as promised. The man was arrested Sunday on suspicion of human trafficking. – from WTOP
They say it’s part of a collision of American law and indigenous Mexican customs — and that many such cases may exist in south Monterey County. In some rural parts of Mexico it is not uncommon for families to allow their underage daughters to marry a suitor in exchange for goods or services to be used toward a wedding. “We have heard rumors and third-party hearsay of girls as young as 12 years old and younger, and men as old as their 60s, in some of these transactions,” Greenfield police Chief Joe Grebmeier said. “She doesn’t think anything wrong has happened,” he said, adding, “Everyone involved considered this (arrangement) to be normal; the only issue was the deal was not completed.” – from Californian
The girl’s father was arrested Sunday and booked into county jail on a charge of accepting something of value in exchange for placing a person into cohabitation. A man who acted as a broker in the would-be marriage was cooperating with police, Grebmeier said. “This is the most evidence we’ve had on this type of transaction,” he said. The girl was returned to her family, and police have reported the case to child welfare officials, he said. – from Chron