California News Archives

A new poll released Wednesday shows that Californians are worried about the budget crisis' impact on public schools. via KXTV

LOS ANGELES - A former hospital worker implicated in the theft of medical records for "Charlie's Angels" star Farrah Fawcett, Gov. via Reuters

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Organizers of a major California music festival are offering a $10,000 reward and four festival tickets for life in exchange for ex-Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters' two-story inflatable pig, which was lost on Sunday night.

Waters' signature pig was seen floating away during his closing set at the three-day Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival, held in the desert east of Los Angeles.

The giant flying pig, part of Pink Floyd's stage show since their 1977 album "Animals" featuring the song "Pigs on the Wing," broke free from its tethers above the Coachella crowd and drifted off. Read more

“It wasn't like one of those rolling earthquakes. It was just a jolt.”

A moderate earthquake hit a mountainous region of Northern California on Tuesday night. There are no immediate reports or injury or damage.

The magnitude-5.2 temblor struck at 8:03 p.m., centered about 11 miles southeast of the town of Willow Creek in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Willow Creek is about 320 miles north of San Francisco.

The quake originated about 11 miles below the surface on an unmapped fault, said David Oppenheimer, a USGS seismologist based in Menlo Park. Read more

California Attorney General Edmund Brown Jr. accused H&R Block, Inc. of unlawful predatory lending practices and recently asked the San Francisco Superior Court to issue an injunction against the ...

SAN DIEGO : A shark expert says an autopsy has confirmed it was a great white that killed a 66-year-old swimmer in the waters off San Diego last week.

“We have a lot of California homes that are in early stages of default that may not be salvageable because either there's no market or financing available, or both.”

The number of U.S. homes heading toward foreclosure more than doubled in the first quarter from a year earlier, as weakening property values and tighter lending left many homeowners powerless to prevent homes from being auctioned to the highest bidder, a research firm said Monday.

Among the hardest hit states were Nevada, Florida and, in particular, California, where Stockton led the nation with a foreclosure rate that was 6.6 times the national average, Irvine, Calif.-based RealtyTrac Inc. said. Read more

A bill seeking to ban helium-filled metallic balloons in California has failed on its first attempt to clear the state Senate. via Cbs5.com

“Right now, we have approximately, altogether, $20 billion of deficit”

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Monday that California faces a budget gap that could approach $20 billion through June 2009, a dizzying projection that adds further confusion to the depth of California's ... via Cbs5.com

California's top higher education officials are warning that inadequate state funding is bleeding the quality from one of the world's most celebrated college and university systems.

The leaders of the University of California, California State University and California Community College systems teamed up Monday to warn that cuts in the governor's proposed budget would have dire consequences for higher education.

Together, the three systems have been told they can expect $1.2 billion less than they say they need for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Read more

The percentage of vacant homes for sale in the U.S. set a new record high in the first quarter of this year, the government said Monday.

The Census Bureau report shows that shows that 2.9 percent of U.S. homes-excluding rental properties-were vacant and up for sale, compared with 2.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007. It was the highest quarterly number in records going back to 1956.

That works out to 2.28 million properties, up from 2.18 million in the same quarter last year, according to the report. Read more

“The main thing a challenger like Franken has to do is make the incumbent the issue, and this cuts directly against that”

After a series of revelations about unfiled taxes and government fines involving Al Franken's personal corporation, officials with his Senate campaign said Friday that accountants are working to determine ... via KSAX

“It was definitely something that worried me throughout my pregnancy”

LOS ANGELES : The number of pregnant women with pre-existing diabetes has more than doubled in seven years, a California study found, a troubling trend that means health risks for both mothers and newborns. via International Herald Tribune

“The project's significance lies not only in its supplying additional power for a thriving and growing region but in doing so in way that truly moves California into the future”

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reportedly is pushing for approval of a project that would run a high-voltage power line through California's largest state park for 20 miles.

San Diego Gas & Electric's proposal would build industrial-style towers up to 160 feet tall to carry the new line through Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, east of San Diego. The line would carry renewable power from yet-to-be-built plants in the Imperial Desert.

Currently, wooden poles carry low-voltage lines through the park. Read more

A Nye County sheriff's investigator says authorities have uncovered a scheme involving 11 people in California and Nevada who allegedly siphoned money out of business bank accounts. via KOLO-TV Reno

“I was told the victim was pushed up out of the water in a violent attack”

Hunger is a common side effect when you're trying to manage your weight. Here are over 50 tips that will help keep you full. via WEWS

Officials in Southern California say it may be days before a wildfire that's burned 270 acres is under control. via WLOS

“Some don't have a clue what's going on. They just say that California has bad air.”

Thousands of people living near a busy San Bernardino railroad switching yard and cargo hub face a greater risk of developing cancer because of diesel pollution from locomotives and other equipment, a state ... via Press-Enterprise

“We support sustainable fisheries. We think it can be accomplished, while still keeping people out there on the water fishing”

California may enact a fishing ban in a network of protected marine areas that cover 80 square miles of coastal waters stretching from Half Moon Bay to Mendocino, following a recommendation this week from a ... via Inside Bay Area

“It points you in the right direction, but then you've got to prove it.”

California Attorney General Jerry Brown said Thursday he is changing state policy to expand the use of DNA results, a shift he said could rekindle some cases where other leads have gone cold. via The Press-Enterprise

Modesto police are blaming a scratching cat for an accident that toppled a power pole and shut down a street for nearly an hour. A police sergeant said Friday that a woman was driving with a cat in her lap. The animal scratched her, and she drove into the pole.

The woman suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital. The cat was taken to a vet to treat an injured eye.

On Wednesday, the Assembly Appropriations Committee approved a bill by Assemblyman Bill Maze that would make it illegal to drive with a pet in your arms or in your lap. Read more

“There will be a million beautiful weekends _ what's one less?”

Authorities kept watch Saturday over a stretch of Southern California beaches, scanning the waters for a shark they believe killed a triathlete a day earlier.

While authorities advised against going in the ocean from north San Diego to Carlsbad, but said they expect to see people heading into the water to escape the region's summery temperatures.

'We're not going to make any arrests or anything' if they spot people going into the water, 'but we'll go talk to them,' said David Ott, Solano Beach's public safety director. Read more

“The CPUC had to act to increase the available telephone numbers to serve consumers”

The California Public Utilities Commission Thursday approved a plan to change the 760 area code for residents in the North County to 442 to help ease a telephone number shortage. via KGTV

“This area is under constant threat”

Along the U.S.-Mexico border, the fragile Tijuana Estuary is clinging to life as one of the last vestiges of undeveloped California coast, where marsh grasses sway gently in the breeze and rare birds stop to ... via Buffalo News

“It is my concern that if these issues are not addressed immediately, that a major incident will happen with possible loss of life”

More than a decade before a fiery, 34-vehicle pileup last fall killed three people inside a curving, dimly lighted tunnel, state police and a California transportation official warned that the stretch of ... via The Macon Telegraph

Britney Spears has been dragged into yet another financial mess - one of her brand companies owes more than $23,000 in taxes for earnings dating back four years. via The Post Chronicle

“All the cost estimates for all water projects get higher the more you study them”

The price tag for addressing the declining health of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta while providing a reliable water supply to California cities and farmers keeps getting higher. via Tahoe Daily Tribune

The finances of many states have deteriorated so badly that they appear to be in a recession, regardless of whether that's true for the nation as a whole, a survey of all 50 state fiscal directors concludes.

The situation looks even worse for the fiscal year that begins July 1 in most states.

"Whether or not the national economy is in recession - a subject of ongoing debate - is almost beside the point for some states," said the report to be released Friday by the National Conference of State Legislatures. Read more

“The light brown apple moth is a serious threat to California's forests and agriculture. If left uncontrolled, the moth would have a devastating impact on our state's environment and economy”

A California judge dealt a major setback to the state's campaign against an invasive moth on Thursday, ruling that aerial sprays must halt over Santa Cruz County until agricultural officials do a full ... via San Francisco Examiner

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger predicted Thursday that California would face a budget deficit of more than $10 billion in the fiscal year that starts July 1.

"This is why we have to make all kinds of cuts across the board," he told a group of prosecutors and criminal investigators at a conference near the Capitol.

"I hate making those kinds of cuts, but we have no more money," he added later in comments to reporters. "We have to live within our means. We are out of whack every one of the next few years by $10 (billion) to $12 billion. You cannot tax your way out of that." Read more

“The documents Apple has produced provide critical details about Apple's backdating practices and confirm that all of Apple's directors were aware of and participated in the backdating scheme.”

The Boston Retirement Board is pursuing a stock option backdating lawsuit against Apple, and has issued summons to testify to CEO Steve Jobs as well as several other current and former board members from the ... via The Mac Observer

“We don't think there is a shortage, it is just increased shopping by customers who think there is.”

Economic News: Get the latest news, video, and polls! U.S. consumers have begun stocking up on food staples to beat inflation, causing rice shortages in some stores, various retailers said. via The Gater 98.7 FM

“Californians can now continue to enjoy this exciting game and the more than $834 million in cash prizes since the California Lottery began offering Mega Millions in 2005.”

Californians who have a winning Mega Millions lottery ticket in their sock drawer will soon get another six months to cash it in. via Los Angeles Times

Nearly 40,000 acres of protected habitat in Orange County has been designated as a state landmark. via The Press-Enterprise

“Most of those rounded up and sent to Mexico were American citizens or legal immigrants, critics say.”

State Sen. Gil Cedillo is trying to shine some light on a shocking but little known episode in American history. via Free Republic

Alpacas prepare for warm weather Guilty verdict in ice pick murder You've Been Spotted: Paramore More... UC Santa Cruz slated to get archives of Grateful Dead SAN FRANCISCO - Dancing bears, meet the Banana ... via Dayton Daily News

Two California lawmakers are sponsoring a proposal that would create a hatchery to breed a threatened fish that's native to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. via My58.com

“New, increased and expanded corporate tax breaks and the 1996 corporate tax rate reduction are responsible for the decline in the share of state revenues provided by the corporate income tax”

California income taxpayers, who just faced their annual deadline, are financing more than half of state government operations, while corporate income tax percentages have declined, a new report reveals. via Contra Costa Times

The governors of Arizona, California and New Mexico have written congressional leaders urging that Congress extend and fully fund the National Guard's stay along the Mexican border. via Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Foreclosure proceedings against California homeowners jumped by more than 140 percent in the first quarter, the result of risky loans during boom times, a real estate research firm said Tuesday. via San Francisco Examiner

A man accused of a triple shooting in a Concord supermarket parking lot is back in California, after being arrested in New Orleans. via CBS 2

“I don't think the people would like to see all the salaries stay the same when some people are out on the streets and jobs have been eliminated”

With California facing multibillion dollar deficits and deep budget cuts, the state's elected officials may be in for some belt-tightening of their own. via Press-Enterprise

The governors of California, Oregon and Washington are asking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for help in securing financial aid for West Coast salmon fishermen and fishing communities. via San Jose Mercury News

“They're attacking very small areas of the law that have a very big impact”

The bill by Sen. Jack Scott, D-Pasadena, is intended to close a loophole in California's teacher licensing system. via SF Gate

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is meeting with eight governors from Afghanistan as part of a U.S. State Department exchange program. via ABC7 - KGO-TV/DT

Supporters of an initiative that would outlaw same-sex marriage in California say they have enough signatures to qualify the measure for the November ballot. via Santa Cruz Sentinel

“I have been wearing more skirts and pants with heels”

Business casual: It's one of the most dreaded word combinations in the office. What was supposed to be simple has turned out to be wildly complex. via SouthCoastToday.com

“This might set the trend where other states begin to examine the statutes that allow home schooling in their states.”

Parents of an estimated 166,000 children in California are eagerly awaiting a state appellate court ruling on whether they have a constitutional right to home-school their children without a teaching ... via Carlsbad Current-Argus

“That would be another tragedy upon a tragedy. ... The way to avoid that is through education.”

State Sen. Gil Cedillo is trying to shine some light on a shocking but little known episode in American history. via KOLO-TV Reno

“Behind the record-high pump prices are other record highs that are less visible to the naked eye of the motorist, including record high crude oil prices and a record number of regulations that are adding costs to refining”

U.S. drivers are paying record prices to fill their gas tanks and they could see prices surge as much as 30 cents more per gallon over the next few weeks, according to an industry analyst. via 94.5 The Fox

A state lawmaker wants motorists to stop driving with pets on their laps. Republican Assemblyman Bill Maze said he doesn't have anything against pets. via My58.com

A state lawmaker wants motorists to stop driving with a pet on their lap. Republican Assemblyman Bill Maze said he doesn't have anything against pets. via 10News

“They've been saying in the press they have places for 19 to 20 of them, but we've been told that's in fact not true”

An animal rights group isn't giving up on blocking the government and two states from harming California sea lions that are feasting on the spring chinook salmon run at a dam on the Columbia River. via Marin Independent Journal

“Through these advertisements, we're trying to build on our existing conservation programs with an outreach campaign to reinforce to Southern Californians just how serious our water challenge is”

A new conservation campaign is publicizing the fact that Southern California residents could dramatically reduce the region's water use if they water the lawn one day less a week, Metropolitan Water District ... via KNBC Los Angeles Channel 4

“If these two projects work, as we believe they will, the scale of opportunity could be enormous”

Diversified Irish utilities group NTR is to invest $100m in Arizona -based solar energy company Stirling Energy Systems, signalling a major foray into the sector. via Irish Independent

The head of a California-based Cambodian resistance movement was found guilty on Wednesday of orchestrating a coup attempt in 2000 against Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's government. via Reuters

“Although we don't yet know the full effects that today's decision by Judge Wanger may have on the state's water deliveries, it is further evidence that the Delta is teetering on the brink of collapse.”

The federal permit meant to protect the most imperiled salmon runs in California rivers where other salmon populations are collapsing is illegal, a federal judge ruled Wednesday. via Inside Bay Area

“We don't have an ocean but we have a very good climate, and for a teacher's salary we're considerably more affordable than what San Diego or California is”

Fort Worth ISD is one of the school districts using billboards and signing bonuses to attract teachers from San Diego and other California cities. via WFAA-TV Dallas

“It's definitely looking like a recession, but it's mild compared to the early '90s and the dot-com bust”

California's unemployment rate shot up half a percentage point to 6.2 percent in March, as the number of people looking for work swelled by 84,000 - the biggest monthly jump since 1976, the state said Friday. via LA Daily News

“But there is a need for the country as a whole to move forward”

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger predicted Friday that an international deadlock over how to deal with global warming will end once President Bush leaves office, while a leading expert warned of dire ... via The Hartford Courant

California prison officials say five employees have been cleared of misconduct in the premature release of 1970s radical Sara Jane Olson. via WLOS

California's never-ending budget crisis is especially irksome to Democrats who get themselves elected to the Legislature for relatively brief tenures, thanks to term limits, and then learn that they can't do ... via Press-Telegram

A judge has refused to dismiss charges against a former southern California slaughterhouse worker caught on video abusing sick cows. via WSVN-TV Miami Beach

A splinter group of Republicans with ties to Governor Schwarzenegger and financed by six-figure donations will recruit candidates with hopes of reversing the party's disappointing record in recent statewide ... via KNBC Los Angeles Channel 4

“We point to where the disease was introduced in the wild and where it spread from those introduction points.”

Tamalpais in Marin County before spreading out to eventually kill millions of oaks and tanoaks along the Pacific Coast, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. via UC Berkeley NewsCenter

Three of the state's largest health insurance companies could be forced to reinstate thousands of dropped policies after a state regulatory agency ordered an independent review. via KCOY-TV Santa Maria

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will head to the East Coast this week for a high-profile trip to promote infrastructure spending, address climate change and mingle with deep-pocketed donors at two New York City ... via KCOY-TV Santa Maria

“Are we the owners of our own work?”

A three-day trial over an unauthorized Harry Potter encyclopedia ended Wednesday with a flash of anger from J.K. Rowling. via WFAA-TV Dallas

Franken's corporation faces unpaid corporate taxes in Calif. ST. PAUL -- Democratic Senate candidate Al Franken's personal corporation didn't file corporate income tax returns in California from 2003 to 2007. via KARE 11 TV

The Los Angeles City Council has endorsed a resolution asking Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to ensure that former Symbionese Liberation Army member Sara Jane Olson serves her full sentence and any parole in ... via KSAX

A California jury has convicted an elderly woman of murdering two homeless men. She and a co-defendant have been found guilty of conspiracy. via Guardian Unlimited

“The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling opens the door for us to proceed with the Morales case in California.”

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Wednesday's U.S. Supreme Court decision to allow lethal injections for death row inmates affirms California's capital punishment procedure and would allow executions to resume. via KNBC Los Angeles Channel 4

“We do not want to see another DDT”

Dozens of Bay Area residents of all ages gathered at the steps of San Francisco City Hall this afternoon to demonstrate their support for a resolution that opposes a state plan to conduct aerial chemical ... via Fog City Jouranl

“If their goal is to help us achieve a principled Republican majority, then that's to be applauded and I welcome them”

Published 12:00 am PDT Wednesday, April 16, 2008 Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A3 Building on Gov. via Sacramento Bee