California News

“Unfortunately, EPA has refused to disclose the substance and extent of its communications with the White House”

A House committee chairman issued a subpoena Wednesday seeking records of contacts between the White House and Environmental Protection Agency officials concerning California's tailpipe emissions law. via MLive.com

Republican state Senator Tom McClintock has raised $316,000 in his bid to replace Representative John Doolittle in Congress. via News10.net

State Assemblyman Kevin De Leon wants to let private sector employees invest in the state's public employee retirement plan. via KCRA.com

“Winky's death was not unexpected, but it is heartbreaking nonetheless.”

Winky, a popular but ailing elephant that had been transferred from the Detroit Zoo to a California refuge, has died.

The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press report the 56-year-old elephant was euthanized Monday.

Winky was one of two Asian elephants moved in 2005 to the Performing Animal Welfare Society shelter in the Sierra Nevada foothills, about 50 miles east-southeast of Sacramento.

She and her companion, Wanda, had been moved to the PAWS sanctuary due to their arthritis and foot problems. Read more

“Perhaps we should subject the whole electoral process in the country for president to some review and say, maybe it's regional primaries, but there must be a more orderly way to do this”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday she favors a reduction in the number of superdelegates -- and their oversized influence -- in choosing the Democratic Party's nominee. via ABC7 - KGO-TV

The state of California has a tax bill it would like to discuss with O.J. Simpson. via KNBC Los Angeles Channel 4

California would become the first state to ban helium-filled metallic balloons under a bill unanimously advanced Tuesday by a legislative committee.

Sen. Jack Scott, D-Altadena, said the party balloons frequently break free and float into power lines, where they can cause electric wires to arc.

He said they cause millions of dollars in losses for utility companies and businesses that lose electricity. Pacific Gas and Electric Co., the main utility in Northern California, says the balloons caused more than 200 power outages last year in its coverage area. Read more

“I was shocked at the range of her voice”

Carly Smithson may have snagged a big-time record deal as a teen, but her co-workers at an Irish pub in San Diego didn't even know the raven-haired, tattooed chanteuse could sing. via KLEW-TV Lewiston

“We found that the JAK2 mutation was necessary and sufficient, by itself, to drive the disease”

A unique partnership between industry and academia has led to human clinical trials of a new drug for a rare class of blood diseases called myeloproliferative disorders , which are all driven by the same ... via Newswise

“Leaving Washington was a relief at the time. I really had no interest in returning.”

Jackie Speier may be heading back to Washington, nearly 30 years after she was shot and left for dead on a Guyana airstrip while on a fact-finding trip into the Jim Jones cult.

Speier, a Democrat and former California state legislator, is the favorite to win a special election Tuesday to fill the House seat left vacant by the death of Rep. Tom Lantos, a San Mateo Democrat who was the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress.

It is Speier's second try for the seat once held by her former boss, the late Rep. Leo Ryan. Read more

“We wanted to (clarify) what they are being used for, and what they aren't being used for”

Last Updated 12:15 am PDT Friday, April 4, 2008 Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A4 A Los Angeles County deputy assembles a battery-powered SkySeer spy plane for testing. via Sacramento Bee Newspaper

“Senators should pursue policies that help businesses, not hit workers with a payroll tax increase and employers with mandates that make it harder to do business”

New Jersey may be poised to become the third state to require companies to offer six weeks of paid leave to workers wishing to care for a new child or sick relative. via KFMB-TV San Diego

“While the intent of this rule is to protect U.S. flagships, it is likely instead to result in unintended, disastrous consequences and cause wide-ranging economic damage in Hawaii, California and throughout the rest of the country”

Gov. Linda Lingle has joined forces with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to urge rejection of proposed federal rule changes for cruise ships that they contend would have 'disastrous consequences' for the two states.

In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, the Republican governors said the Office of Management and Budget should require an economic impact statement be completed before any rule changes are implemented.

Under a proposal by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, foreign-flagged ships would be required to spend 48 hours in a foreign port between U.S. port stops. Read more

“Studies have found that having paid sick days actually saves money for businesses by reducing turnover, by reducing the spread of illness in the workplace and improving workers' morale and productivity.”

Assemblywoman Fiona Ma wants to provide some relief for the millions of California workers who face losing pay if they stay home sick. via Monterey County Herald

California first lady Maria Shriver is among 32 celebrities and high-profile patients that had their confidential records breached at UCLA Medical Center, medical officials said.

The woman responsible is the same employee who sneaked into actress Farrah Fawcett's medical records, officials told the Los Angeles Times on Sunday.

That worker was fired in May 2007 after UCLA learned of the widespread breaches, the hospital said.

The head of the UCLA Hospital System, Dr. David Feinberg, apologized for the breaches and said the woman behind them had been a 'rogue' employee. Read more

The United States Supreme Court is permitting the release of a convicted killer while California Gov. via CBS 2

“We're thrilled that British Columbia is developing innovative solutions for a low-carbon economy”

- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's green team has taken notice of British Columbia's plans to fight climate change, lauding legislation that makes the province the first in Canada to introduce a cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The day after B.C.'s Liberal government introduced its cap-and-trade legislation, Schwarzenegger's Environmental Protection Agency said Friday it was pleased with the province's efforts to support innovative solutions to fight climate change. Read more

It looks like Nevada basketball coach Mark Fox is staying put. California reportedly has turned to its biggest rival to find its new basketball coach, agreeing in principle with former Stanford coach Mike ... via KTVN Reno

“I already want to go. "South America probably. "I want to go see volcanoes and ice climbing and stuff like that.”

Robert Schneider, the young Australian tourist bashed and thrown in a Californian beach fire pit, has left hospital and will soon be back in Australia, but is already planning another overseas adventure. via The Sydney Morning Herald

“Last year we started out with 95 to 100 percent of reaction being negative. Once people found out what we were trying to do with the bill, that was reduced to 85 percent negative. So we want to continue to move the discussion along.”

The legislator who tried to ban spanking children - only to get spanked by public opinion herself - is back for more. via San Jose Mercury News