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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September 30, 2011, 12:05 AM
The California Public Utilities Commission's president will push to continue fully funding energy efficiency programs, despite the Legislature’s recent failure to extend a special surcharge on utility bills. In a letter dated Wednesday to Gov. Jerry Brown, commission President...
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September 23, 2011, 12:05 AM
A new study provides support for a bill on Gov. Jerry Brown's desk that would stop the state's policy of fingerprinting food stamp recipients. California's policy is meant to deter fraud, but it keeps people from seeking aid and creates high administrative costs, according to a...
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September 20, 2011, 12:05 AM
California public schools are not allowed to charge students for educational activities or supplies. That’s been the rule since the state Constitution was ratified more than a century ago, and it was reaffirmed in 1984 by the State Supreme Court. But if a student’s family is told...
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September 19, 2011, 12:05 AM
Compensation for executive directors of an early childhood development program in California counties ranged from $47,803 to more than $240,000 in fiscal year 2009-10, according to a California Watch analysis. Median compensation for the executive directors of First 5 county commissions...
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September 14, 2011, 12:05 AM
Bills written to shield illegal immigrants in California from losing their cars to impound have been stalled, vetoed or voted down for years. In the past two weeks, however, two such pieces of legislation reached the governor’s desk with minimal political scuffling. Sobriety...
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September 9, 2011, 12:05 AM
As Gov. Jerry Brown heralded a last-minute tax deal yesterday, a Senate report warned of the unexpected ballooning costs of corporate tax breaks. Brown and a couple of legislators announced bipartisan agreement in the state Assembly on a plan to tighten corporate tax calculations, generating...
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September 6, 2011, 12:05 AM
The California High-Speed Rail Authority is facing increased scrutiny from lawmakers as the legislative session draws to a close. Lawmakers proposed several reforms meant to strengthen state oversight of the autonomous rail agency, but with just a week before the end of the 2011 session, the...
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September 2, 2011, 12:05 AM
In the jobs package that Gov. Jerry Brown announced last week, there was only one industry-specific tax break – to big cable companies. The special provision would save cable companies – and cost the state – $83 million over the next three years, according to state Department...
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August 25, 2011, 12:05 AM
The governor's office has been working with the American Institute of Architects to help find a new leader for the embattled state office responsible for the seismic safety of school buildings. Gov. Jerry Brown has taken a special interest in the position of state architect in light of...
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August 24, 2011, 12:05 AM
Frank Quan is 85 years old, and he has lived nearly his entire life in one place – a tiny wooden shack perched on the shore of San Pablo Bay. But by next summer, Quan could be forced to move: His house is in a state park slated for closure. In an unusual arrangement with...
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