East County News Service

May 20, 2015 (Sacramento)--Governor Brown has unveiled a $115.3 billion proposed budget for California. If approved by the Legislature, his plan would create a new state tax credit to help the working poor. It would also boost funding for the California State University system and free tuition at the University of California for in-state students. The Legislature has until June 15^th to approve a budget for the Governor’s signature.

May 15, 2015 (Sacramento) - Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA) announced all Veterans and dependents using USDVA’s GI Bill benefits shall receive temporary in-state tuition status through the end of the year, regardless of their state of residence.

By Miriam Raftery

April 28, 2015 (Sacramento) – The tobacco industry has succeeded in snuffing out strict limits proposed on tobacco at ballparks.  Legislators on the Assembly Governmental Organization Committe, many of whom took hefty contributions from tobacco interests, voted overwhelmingly to water down a bill that originally would have banned all tobacco products at every ballpark in California—from Little League to Major League ballparks.

Photo: Wildlife officer Kyle Kohl saved two lives after a car plunged into river rapids

April 23, 2015 (Sacramento)--Six wildlife officers from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) were awarded the California Medal of Valor, the state's highest honor. The six are among 52 state employees receiving the medal for demonstrating extraordinary acts of bravery and heroism in order to save the life of another.  Governor Brown's Executive Secretary Nancy McFadden presented the awards at a ceremony today.

East County News Service

April 18, 2015 (Sacramento)—First came craft beer, a booming business in California. Could craft cannabis be next?

East County News Service

April 7, 2015 (Sacramento)--Newspapers and the public have the right to access state legislative meeting records and writings by public officials, a Sacramento judge has ruled.

By Miriam Raftery

March 29, 2015 (Sacramento)—The Courage Campaign has mounted a campaign asking the state to stop Nestlé from bottling scarce California water during the drought and selling it out of state for profit. The activist group has an online petition asking the state to intervene.  Nestle’s operations are impacting public, private and tribal water supplies.

By Miriam Raftery

March 23, 2015 (Sacramento) – A shocking California ballot initiative proposal calls for legalized murder of gay and lesbian people by “bullets to the head” or “any other convenient measure.” If the state does not act on the measure within a year, the measure would further empower the public to take the law into their own hands—effectively sanctioning murder.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Michael Picker, CPUC Chairman

March 4, 2015 (Sacramento)--The California Public Utilities Commission needs criminal defense lawyers amid state and federal investigations of corruption allegations, the Commissions new chairman, Michael Picker told a legislative panel this week.

East County News Service

February 17, 2015 (Sacramento)—A clear partisan divide separates Congress on immigration issues. But in a rare show of bipartisan unity, California’s State Senate unanimously approved a strongly worded resolution asking Congress to provide undocumented immigrants with a path to citizenship.

By Miriam Raftery

January 27, 2015 (Sacramento) – E-cigarettes could soon be prohibited in restaurants, bars, workplaces and hospitals.  State Senator Mark Leno has introduce a measure, Senate Bill 140, that would ban e-cigarettes everywhere that standard cigarettes are currently prohibited.

By Miriam Rafttery

January 21, 2015 (Sacramento) – Babies and people of all ages who have not been vaccinated for measles should temporarily avoid Disneyland and all public places likely to have many foreigners, due to a growing number of measles cases linked to the amusement park in Anaheim.

By Miriam Raftery

January 4, 2015 (Sacramento) – Businesses that falsify records to cheat on the amount of sales tax they owe cost the state of California an estimated $214 million in 2010.  Many of them did so by using sales suppression software known as “zappers” to make sales appear lower, often by not reporting cash transactions.

November 14, 2014 (Sacramento)--In response to public requests, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), California Energy Commission (CEC) and California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) will extend the public comment period for the draft Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) for 45 days.  The comment period, originally scheduled to close on January 9, 2015, will be extended through February 23, 2015.

By Miriam Raftery

October 13, 2014 (Sacramento)--Why did Covered California award $184 million in no-bid contracts – including millions to consulting companies with ties to executives on the Covered California board?   For instance, $4.2 million went to the Tori Group, whose founder once worked with Covered California’s executive director, Peter Lee, and other contracts went to a subsidiary of a firm  that Lee once led.