California on Tuesday May 06, 2008

Archive of California on Tuesday May 06, 2008

California may run out of cash by August
By Judy Lin, The Sacramento Bee (registration)
California is facing a cash crisis this summer, putting pressure on elected officials to submit an on-time state budget or risk asking taxpayers to pay a premium on loans.
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Plan to upgrade courthouses is pushed
By Patrick McGreevy, Los Angeles Times (registration)
Higher fees for parking tickets, traffic school, criminal convictions and civil court filings would pay for $5 billion in improvements to California's deteriorating courthouses under a proposal announced Monday by the chief justice of the state Supreme Court and legislative leaders.
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Health care providers challenge cuts to Medi-Cal
By Judy Lin, The Sacramento Bee (registration)
Doctors, hospitals and other health care providers filed a class-action lawsuit Monday seeking to block the state from cutting payments to them for treating the poor.
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Capital One sues to stop Calif. credit card probe
By The Associated Press, The San Diego Union-Tribune
LOS ANGELES - Capital One Financial Corp has sued in an effort to keep its records out of the hands of California Attorney General Jerry Brown, who is investigating whether the bank's credit card business violated state false advertising and unfair competition laws.
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Vegetable oil fuels cars - and tax bills
By Evan Halper, Los Angeles Times (registration)
Dave Eck, a Half Moon Bay mechanic, had attracted a media spotlight with his fleet of vehicles fueled by used fryer grease from a local chowder house. So when Sacramento called, he figured officials wanted advice on promoting alternative fuels.
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$50 million donation to community colleges
By Kevin Yamamura, The Sacramento Bee (registration)
The Bernard Osher Foundation today will commit $50 million toward a permanent scholarship endowment for low-income California community college students, believed to be the largest donation for a public two-year system in U.S. history.
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Court voids inmate's death sentence
By Amanda Covarrubias, Los Angeles Times (registration)
In a unanimous decision, the California Supreme Court found Monday that a San Quentin inmate was wrongly sentenced to death in 1982 for murder because Los Angeles district attorneys -- including current Superior Court Judges Lance A. Ito and Frederick Horn -- withheld a confession to the killing by their star witness.
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State invests $1 billion to rebuild path over Sierra
By Daniel Weintraub, The Sacramento Bee (registration)
TRUCKEE, Calif. - High on the Sierra crest above this old railroad town, the granite rocks are scarred with ruts carved by the wheels of the wagons pioneers hauled over Donner Summit 150 years ago.
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Bill would take pets off driver's laps
By Jim Sanders, The Sacramento Bee (registration)
No more dogs behind the steering wheel. Canines don't have to be back-seat drivers, but they'd better stay away from the gas pedal under legislation passed Monday by the Assembly.
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CA Supreme Court overturns sentence for death row inmate
By The Associated Press, The Orange County Register
LOS ANGELES -- Adam Miranda still could face execution even though the California Supreme Court threw out his death sentence.
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Will states fix 2012 primary process?
By Pamela M. Prah, Stateline.org Staff Writer

While voters in Indiana and North Carolina go to the polls today (May 6) to help Democrats pick Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama as their nominee and Republicans rally behind John McCain, party insiders and state election officials are in informal talks to improve the presidential nominating contests for 2012 and beyond.
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Oh say, is that banner made in the U.S.A.?
By Kim Mendelsohn, Special to Stateline.org
Lawmakers in 10 states have taken steps to require that American flags bought with state funds be manufactured in this country. While not all the legislation has passed, one state’s new law even bans the sale of foreign-made American flags in that state.
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Fairness of death-penalty panels questioned
By John Gramlich, Stateline.org Staff Writer
Death-penalty supporters are raising questions about the fairness of state commissions charged with studying how capital punishment is carried out in Maryland and Tennessee, claiming the panels will issue reports that ignore their views.
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WORTH NOTING: Voters' guide promotes phone sex
By Pauline Vu, Stateline.org Staff Writer
An Oregon voters’ guide lists a very wrong number. California’s governor insults rural legislators. And Pennsylvania considers selling wine in vending machines. In case you missed those stories this week, “Worth Noting” fills you in.
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Gasoline tax holiday out of reach in Nevada
By Francis McCabe, Las Vegas Review-Journal (registration)
Motorists in three states, including Nevada, might never see the savings of the gasoline tax holiday touted by two presidential candidates.
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Fed ruling resurrects prospects of Orange County toll road
By The Associated Press, Contra Costa Times (registration)
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. - A federal review has found a toll road proposed to run through a popular coastal state park in Orange County would not jeopardize sensitive wildlife species.
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Richmond DNA lab's sample processing to double
By Henry K. Lee, San Francisco Chronicle
The state Department of Justice's DNA laboratory in Richmond will double the number of DNA samples it processes starting next year when its newly expanded lab begins receiving samples from everyone arrested for a felony in California, Attorney General Jerry Brown said Monday.
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Food prices on a roll
By Ellen Simon, The Associated Press, Portland Press Herald
Americans may be getting another helping of food inflation, thanks to higher prices for chicken and pork.
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Reports find racial gap in drug arrests
By Erik Eckholm, The New York Times
More than two decades after President Ronald Reagan escalated the war on drugs, arrests for drug sales or, more often, drug possession are still rising.
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Parents turn to states for autism help
By Daniel C. Vock, Stateline.org Staff Writer
(UPDATED 4 p.m. EDT, Thursday May 1) One of the toughest problems facing autism patients, their families and policymakers is paying for treatment. Families are increasingly relying on states to help them cope with the financial, medical and educational needs.

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Seeds of social issues dot 2008 elections
By Louis Jacobson, Stateline.org Columnist

With a sagging economy and a divisive war occupying Americans’ minds, will social issues be overshadowed in state elections in 2008?
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Legislators prod Congress on Medicaid, Real ID
By Pamela M. Prah, Stateline.org Staff Writer
As some states tumble into what they fear is a recession, state lawmakers from across the country are pushing Congress for relief from impending federal rules that would force states to pick up more Medicaid costs and spend billions to make drivers’ licenses more secure.
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With justices' OK, voter ID moves ahead
By Daniel C. Vock and John Gramlich, Stateline.org Staff Writers
A decision Monday (April 28) by the U.S. Supreme Court to let Indiana demand photo identification from voters paves the way for other states to do the same during November’s presidential election, experts say.
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More states offer choice in long-term care
By Christine Vestal, Stateline.org Staff Writer
More states are poised to offer a successful alternative to traditional Medicaid plans that allows elders and the disabled to avoid moving to a nursing facility by hiring friends, neighbors or family members to look after them in their own homes.
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WORTH NOTING: Phantom voter stalks Ala. State House
By Christine Vestal, Stateline.org Staff Writer
An Alabama lawmaker says someone’s been using his voting machine. Florida’s House Speaker locks the doors and turns off Internet access to make legislators pay attention. And Mayberry’s Sheriff Taylor endorses a North Carolina gubernatorial candidate. In case you missed those stories this week, "Worth Noting" fills you in.
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Credit crunch hits states' college loans
By Pauline Vu, Stateline.org Staff Writer

(Updated 11:55 a.m. EDT, April 23, 2008)

The credit crisis has led some state lending agencies to suspend their federal and private student loan programs, forcing thousands of students to search elsewhere for money to pay for college.

Turf wars rage over fake grass
By Eric Kelderman, Stateline.org Staff Writer
State legislators are used to political turf wars. Now, debates in a handful of states really are about turf, pitting those who back the artificial variety against supporters of natural grass for playgrounds and athletic fields.
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Partisan mix in R.I., Conn. poses challenges
By Louis Jacobson, Stateline.org Columnist

The blue states of Connecticut and Rhode Island have had a long tradition of electing Republican governors. But in both states, the combination has led at times to difficult — even chaotic — policymaking.
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Will Democrats grow legislative edge in '08?
By Louis Jacobson, Stateline.org Columnist

For the past several election cycles, the Democrats have been on a roll in legislative elections. This year, the party is well-positioned to hold its majority of chambers — but greatly expanding Democratic control may not be in the cards.

'Purple' states turn a little more 'blue'
By Louis Jacobson, Stateline.org Columnist

The national polls point to a tight presidential race in November. But Democrats have a bit more to cheer about than Republicans do, regardless of who wins the Democratic primary, according to the latest state-by-state electoral-vote projections by “Out There.”
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Governors pitch ambitious programs
By Pamela M. Prah, Stateline.org Staff Writer

Billion-dollar deficits in California, New York and Arizona haven’t stopped governors there and elsewhere from proposing big-ticket items for 2008. Stateline.org looks at proposals from governors’ 2008 "state of the state" speeches and provides an exclusive summary of all the addresses so far.

Summary of the State of the State Address

Facing a projected $14 billion budget deficit, Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger urged lawmakers to "face our budget demons" and approve a constitutional amendment to rein in spending.
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A tale of two comebacks
By Louis Jacobson, Stateline.org Columnist

Not long ago, the approval ratings of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Alabama Gov. Bob Riley were in the dumps. Both managed to climb back to popularity. Their stories hold lessons for other politicians.

Iraq casts shadow on 2008 state races
By Louis Jacobson, Stateline.org Columnist

Not a single governor or state legislator wields authority over the conduct of the Iraq War, yet a broad range of party strategists and political analysts agree that state races in 2008 will be shaped, mostly indirectly, by public attitudes towards that conflict. Unless there’s a sea change in public opinion, that’s bad news for Republicans.
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