May 9, 2012, 12:05 AM
Wherever the developmentally disabled live, abuse is their neighbor. It comes as deliberate assault by caregivers and sometimes relatives. It comes as acts of frustration, when people exhausted from the relentless difficulties of caring for patients with intellectual disabilities shove and hit...
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May 3, 2012, 12:05 AM
A report that warned of huge operating deficits for California’s bullet train was based on “the wrong numbers,” an official of the state High-Speed Rail Authority claims. Rail board member Mike Rossi told a legislative hearing this week that incorrect data undergirds a...
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April 30, 2012, 12:05 AM
By hitting the reset button, Gov. Jerry Brown bought some time for the embattled California high-speed rail plan. In recent months, the CEO of the controversial project resigned. Brown installed Dan Richard, an official with political and transportation industry connections, as new board...
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April 20, 2012, 5:50 PM
State lawmakers have introduced two bills to increase the number of agencies alerted about injuries and alleged crimes against patients at California’s institutions for the developmentally disabled. The law now requires developmental center officials to report patient deaths and serious...
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April 17, 2012, 12:05 AM
The fee to become a credentialed teacher would increase 27 percent under budget recommendations by Gov. Jerry Brown and the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office. The state Commission on Teacher Credentialing faces a $5 million deficit in the upcoming fiscal year. Credential...
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March 20, 2012, 6:31 PM
The state will not appeal a court ruling that rejected its attempt to divert $1 billion from First 5 commissions, California Watch has learned. The state informed First 5 commissions of its decision Monday, the deadline for appeal. Its decision ends a yearlong budget battle and frees up...
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February 27, 2012, 12:05 AM
The Legislature should reject Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to cut funding for child care centers that serve poor children, according to the state Legislative Analyst’s Office. The cuts could lead to the closing of many subsidized child care centers, which collectively serve more...
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February 14, 2012, 12:05 AM
California schools will no longer lose $248 million in transportation funding under legislation Gov. Jerry Brown signed Friday – a move applauded by many education officials and school districts that had decried the loss as a disproportionate burden on rural schools. But for some,...
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January 30, 2012, 4:50 PM
California's high-speed rail project will cost far less than the state's current estimate of nearly $100 billion, and environmental fees paid by carbon producers will be a source of funding, Gov. Jerry Brown said in an interview aired in Los Angeles on Sunday. The Democratic...
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November 29, 2011, 12:05 AM
California's attempt to divert $1 billion from First 5 commissions to state health services is illegal, a Fresno County judge ruled last week. Lawmakers and Gov. Jerry Brown had sought First 5 funds in March to help close what was then a $26 billion budget shortfall. After...
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November 21, 2011, 12:05 AM
California needs to pay attention to potential strains on county services as it implements Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to shift nonviolent criminals and parolees to counties, a RAND Corp. study says. The study [PDF], “Understanding the Public Health Implications of Prisoner Reentry in...
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November 18, 2011, 12:05 AM
UPDATE, Dec. 6, 2011: Gov. Jerry Brown announced today that he has selected Chester “Chet” Widom as the new state architect. An ex-designer and supervisor of building projects at UC Berkeley, two former national presidents of an architectural organization, and the state architect...
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October 11, 2011, 12:05 AM
California has imposed fines on retailers and suppliers that sell lead-tainted jewelry since 2007, but because of a provision in state law, dozens of companies have not had to pay. Come January, under a bill Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law last week, all violations of the state's jewelry...
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October 11, 2011, 12:05 AM
The economics of California’s sobriety checkpoints will change next year, as Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation intended to reduce the number of cars police impound at roadway operations. More than 100 city and county law enforcement agencies in the state run checkpoints. The operations...
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October 6, 2011, 12:05 AM
Two bills on Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk seek greater accountability and transparency for corporate tax breaks. Under current law, California has no standard process for reviewing the efficacy of tax breaks and deciding whether to continue them. Brown has until Sunday to sign or veto the...
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