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• Friday, September 5, 2008 6:36 AM • Please refresh your browser (F5) to update •
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California nears record in spending plan stalemate -- With California on the verge of another dubious record in the Great Budget Debacle of 2008, it would seem prudent for state officials to be preparing for a worst-case scenario. Trouble is, no one seems to know what that might be. Steve Wiegand in the Sacramento Bee Howard Blume and Ben Welsh in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/5/08
State falling way behind No Child Left Behind -- California schools, required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act to lift more students over a higher academic hurdle this year, instead stumbled and slipped back, as nearly 1,400 fewer schools met test-score targets. The number of schools making "adequate yearly progress" plunged from 6,488 to 5,113 since last year, according to state educators who released school progress reports Thursday. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/5/08
Walters: Lots of reasons to be nervous as Legislature keeps churning -- Gideon J. Tucker's famous warning that "No man's life, liberty or property are safe while the Legislature is in session" takes on new meaning now that the California Legislature has, in effect, extended its 2008 session because of the budget stalemate. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 9/5/08
State gets serious about deepening drought -- Anticipating another bone-dry winter, California is preparing to act as a water go-between next year, buying from water-rich districts in the north and selling to cities and farmers hit hard by drought. Kelly Zito in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/5/08
Auditor blasts state over lab work, oversight -- The California state auditor has issued a scathing report on the state's laboratory testing and certification office in Richmond, saying officials there have not been inspecting laboratories every two years, as mandated, and have failed to adequately respond to complaints of shoddy lab work. John Koopman in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/5/08
State report on wildfires cites 'pole overloading' -- The 10-month state investigation into three wildfires that scarred San Diego County last year has prompted new concerns over potential safety hazards across the electricity grid. The investigation report, released this week by the California Public Utilities Commission, raised alarms over the discovery of a number of broken lashing wires identical to the Cox Communications wire found to have ignited the deadly Guejito fire. Jeff McDonald in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 9/5/08
Part of state's financial privacy law upheld -- A federal appeals court reinstated part of California's financial privacy law Thursday, allowing consumers to prevent banks from sharing information with affiliated companies about a customer's savings account or buying habits. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/5/08
Workers to bear burden of rising health costs -- Nearly 60 percent of employers nationwide plan to curb rising health premiums by making their employees pay more, according to a survey released Thursday by Mercer consulting firm. In an effort to reduce costs next year, 59 percent of companies surveyed said they will raise deductibles, co-payments, the share of premiums that employees pay, or out-of-pocket spending limits. Victoria Colliver in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/5/08
CalSTRS board makes health a stock factor -- California State Teachers' Retirement System board members on Thursday added human health as a risk factor that must be considered before it invests in stock sectors such as tobacco. Jon Ortiz in the Sacramento Bee -- 9/5/08
Jobless rate jumps to 5-year high of 6.1 percent -- The nation's unemployment rate zoomed to a five-year high of 6.1 percent in August as employers slashed 84,000 jobs, dramatic proof of the mounting damage a deeply troubled economy is inflicting on workers and businesses alike. AP -- 9/5/08
Tribes refuse to accept state's minimum security guidelines for casinos -- In a startling surprise, Attorney General Jerry Brown's representatives voted with the tribes against the guidelines developed by the California Gambling Control Commission. James P. Sweeney in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 9/5/08
A housing flip-flop -- San Diego, which three years ago had one of the most overvalued housing markets in the country, is now the most undervalued in California, the economic and financial analysis company Global Insight reported yesterday. The market has improved because housing prices have fallen about 32 percent from their peak, while incomes have continued to increase. Roger Showley in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 9/5/08
Cities have second thoughts about ID cards for undocumented -- After months of drumming up support for a plan to provide city ID cards to Richmond residents, regardless of their immigration status, advocates are taking a more cautious approach: Let a bigger city try it first. Matt O'Brien in the Oakland Tribune -- 9/5/08
'Change is coming,' McCain tells conventions -- Republican Sen. John McCain - aiming to separate himself from his party's unpopular two-term president, George W. Bush - accepted the GOP presidential nomination Thursday by portraying himself as a maverick warrior and an agent of change who will "get this country back on the road to prosperity and peace." Carla Marinucci in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/5/08
McCain tries to re-create party in his image -- Republican presidential nominee John McCain had to demonstrate Thursday night that he, not his new rock-star running mate, is at the top of his ticket. But he intends to be the anti-rock star of this race. Carolyn Lochhead in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/5/08
California schools study finds black, Latino performance catching up to whites, Asians -- The state released an array of data Thursday showing how California public schools are measuring up in educating children. Deb Kollars in the Sacramento Bee -- 9/5/08
Silicon Valley schools score high in annual API tests -- South Bay schools are doing better than before — and better than most schools in the state. But they're not getting better fast enough, according to Uncle Sam. Academic scores released by the California Department of Education on Thursday showed that the state's 6.3 million public school students continued to make progress in math and English. But fewer schools met separate, tougher federal benchmarks. Sharon Noguchi in the San Jose Mercury -- 9/5/08
East Bay schools struggle to meet state, federal standards -- Although many California schools meet or exceed state achievement hurdles, some continue to stumble over standards set by the federal No Child Left Behind Act and could find themselves on probation in the next couple of years, according to data released Thursday by the State Department of Education. Kimberly S. Wetzel in the Oakland Tribune -- 9/5/08
Students do cutting-edge biotech work -- Biotechnology companies are often born from the groundbreaking work of seasoned scientists. In the next-generation field of synthetic biology, venture capitalists may someday line up to fund ideas that originated with a student project during a short summer break. Bernadette Tansey in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/5/08
State student aid board disbands loan agency -- The California Student Aid Commission voted Thursday to oust the board of directors of EdFund, a troubled state agency that guarantees student loans. The commission and EdFund together administer $2.4 billion in grants and loan guarantees for California college students. Matthew Yi in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/5/08
12 San Diego comeback campuses in county taken off watch list -- Years of low state test scores had landed them on a federal watch list that some say brands schools as failing. Not many schools get off the list. These did. Chris Moran in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 9/5/08
California 'drought water bank' in the works -- Hedging against the risk of a third dry year in 2009, state officials on Thursday unveiled a "drought water bank" to help thirsty cities and farms cope. The water bank, managed by the Department of Water Resources, will be prepared to move as much as 600,000 acre-feet of water from willing sellers in the north to buyers in the south. Matt Weiser in the Sacramento Bee Nancy Vogel in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/5/08
Cal gets go-ahead for sports training center -- A state appeals court refused Thursday to block UC Berkeley's plans to build a sports training center next to Memorial Stadium, denying a request from oak tree advocates and a neighborhood group for a new order stopping the project. Carolyn Jones in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/5/08
Suit targets Chevron's Richmond refinery plan -- Environmental groups filed suit Thursday to derail Chevron's plan to upgrade and expand its Richmond refinery to process lower-grade crude oil. Communities for a Better Environment and three other groups, in a lawsuit filed in Contra Costa County Superior Court, asked a judge to overturn the city of Richmond's environmental impact report on the refinery project, saying it inadequately considered the likely increases in pollution. Carolyn Jones in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/5/08
Oakland mayor's wife now his top adviser -- ost Oakland residents don't know it, but Mayor Ron Dellums' wife, Cynthia, has become increasingly involved in the daily affairs of her husband's office at City Hall. Chip Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/5/08
Legislators OK bill that tightens oversight on EMTs -- For the second time in two years, state legislators have passed legislation to require California's emergency medical technicians to undergo mandatory criminal background checks. In 2007, a similar bill was zapped by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who disliked last-minute changes that would have kept secret details about rescuer misconduct. Andrew McIntosh in the Sacramento Bee -- 9/5/08
Legislature OKs resolution urging protection of Hmong -- The Hmong Human Rights Resolution – asking the U.S. government to protect Hmong in Thailand and Laos from communist persecution – has unanimously passed the Legislature. Stephen Magagnini in the Sacramento Bee -- 9/5/08
Sacramento police fail to reflect diversity of community they serve -- Racial diversity within the Sacramento Police Department has not kept pace with a city that increasingly is a rich melting pot of cultures. Three-fourths of sworn officers are white in a city with a population that is 45 percent white. Kim Minugh in the Sacramento Bee -- 9/5/08
Investigators turn St. HOPE report over to U.S. attorney -- A spokesman for the agency conducting the probe said he could not comment specifically on the case. But, any " referral means that it's our opinion that there is some truth to the initial allegations, backed up by our investigation of the matter," said William O. Hillburg, spokesman for office of inspector general for the Corporation for National and Community Service. Dorothy Korber and Terri Hardy in the Sacramento Bee -- 9/5/08
7 Inglewood officers are placed on leave -- Four days after officers fatally shot a homeless man who had a toy gun in his waistband, Inglewood Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks broke her silence on the shooting Thursday, expressing concerns about the officers' tactics and saying she had placed seven of them on administrative leave. Andrew Blankstein and Ari B. Bloomekatz in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/5/08
Lopez: Inglewood -- a town in which accountability is a stranger -- I didn't get very far Thursday at City Hall in Inglewood, the town whose public officials keep filling the pages of this newspaper, often without saying a word. Mayor Roosevelt Dorn, or someone at his house, hung up the phone when one of my colleagues called the other day to ask about a string of fatal shootings involving officers from the city's Police Department. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/5/08
LAX tightens security measures after alleged smuggling -- Airport officials and federal authorities said Thursday that they have tightened security at Los Angeles International Airport because of the recent arrest of an elevator mechanic suspected of smuggling illegal immigrants into the United States. Dan Weikel in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/5/08
