California

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Feds Reject Plea for Calif. Bailout

Aid ruled out for now as state warns of fiscal meltdown

(Newser) - The federal government has rejected pleas for emergency aid from top California officials, reports the Washington Post. State officials warn that its budget crisis is approaching the point of a "fiscal meltdown" that will cause massive cuts and deepen the state's recession. But the Obama administration fears bailing out...

Huckaby Pleads Not Guilty in Murder of 8-Year-Old Girl

(Newser) - Melissa Huckaby, the Sunday school teacher accused of kidnapping, raping, and murdering an 8-year-old girl in California, pleaded not guilty today, KPIX-TV reports. Sandra Cantu, a playmate of 28-year-old Huckaby’s daughter, was found in a suitcase in a nearby pond in April. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for September....

Legal Pot Backers Target 2010 Calif. Vote

Advocates step up efforts to have legalization put on next year's ballot

(Newser) - Advocates of marijuana legalization—and taxation—have stepped up their efforts to include the issue on California's November 2010 ballot, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Backers say the tide of public opinion has turned strongly in favor of legalizing and taxing pot for personal use, especially in light of its...

Dude Busted for Smuggling Pot on Surfboard

(Newser) - A Mexican surfer off a California beach was busted for trying to smuggle 24 pounds of pot on his board, reports the Los Angeles Times. When suspicious cops on the beach close to the Mexican border ordered the surfer to come ashore, he heaved a duffel bag into the water....

Cities Saddled With the Most Credit Card Debt

Florida, California have credit problem, Forbes shows

(Newser) - The recession has many Americans tightening their belts, but some just can’t seem to put away the plastic. Forbes checked in with Equifax and compiled a list of the country's most credit card-happy cities. Conclusion? Florida might have a problem.
  1. Miami: Average household credit card debt: $9,797, or
...

Gay Marriage Debate Key to SF Mayor's Future

Focus on issue could mount with new ballot initiative

(Newser) - As San Francisco’s mayor looks to become California’s next governor, his gay-marriage activism may threaten his success—especially if voters are again asked to decide the issue for themselves, the AP reports. Though all the Democratic candidates support gay marriage, Gavin Newsom has a particularly strong association with...

Calif. Branches Into Forests to Fight Climate Change

(Newser) - The California government is preparing to enter into the "forest bank" business in a bid to save woodlands and battle carbon pollution and climate change, reports the Los Angeles Times. The state is expected to roll out a California "cabon market" that may be expanded elsewhere in the...

Anti-Chemo Mom Duped Into Calif. Trip: Filmmaker

He flew them back to Minnesota after they were abandoned

(Newser) - The film producer who flew Daniel Hauser and his anti-chemotherapy mom back to Minnesota says they were lured to California by a lawyer who promised to sneak them into Mexico for alternative cancer treatment. Alan Pezzuto tells the Minneapolis Star Tribune that Susan Daya abandoned the Hausers as soon as...

Battle Over Prop 8 Moves to Federal Court

(Newser) - California’s gay marriage battle continued today as lawyers for the American Foundation for Equal Rights announced a lawsuit challenging Proposition 8 and called for the restitution of marriage rights while the suit is decided, the Los Angeles Times reports. The lawyers—Theodore Olson, then the solicitor general, and David...

Celebs Likely to Fight Harder for Gay Marriage in 2010

Lessons learned from last year's Prop 8 fight will need to be applied

(Newser) - For those who believe Hollywood came too late to California’s “No on Prop 8” party during last year’s election, yesterday’s Supreme Court decision to uphold the voter-approved ban on gay marriage brings a question: Will Tinseltown get it right this time around? “I think the...

Gay-Marriage Supporters Take to Streets After Ruling

Opponents of marriage ban sad but not surprised

(Newser) - Supporters of same-sex marriage were disappointed but not surprised by the California Supreme Court’s decision today to uphold Proposition 8, the San Francisco Chronicle reports, as a crowd that had gathered at the state courthouse moved through city streets, blocking traffic and prompting arrest. “This is a serious...

How Many Cigarettes for a Cell Phone?
How Many Cigarettes for
a Cell Phone?
May 26, 2009 12:40 PM CDT

How Many Cigarettes for a Cell Phone?

Prisons awash in smuggled phones as authorities crack down

(Newser) - We know the kind of thing that gets traded on the prison black market: weapons, alcohol, drugs, cigarettes. Now add cell phones to the list, Time reports: Authorities say there is an epidemic of smuggled cell phones, which have been used to orchestrate crimes, plot escapes, and harass witnesses, in...

Calif. Court Upholds Gay-Marriage Ban

Existing marriages still valid

(Newser) - California’s Supreme Court today upheld a state ban on gay marriage, but ruled that same-sex marriages that took place before voters approved the measure will stay valid, the Los Angeles Times reports. A court rejection of Proposition 8, which passed 52% to 48% in November, was considered highly unlikely....

Atlantis Lands Safely in Calif.
 Atlantis Lands Safely in Calif. 
May 24, 2009 10:46 AM CDT

Atlantis Lands Safely in Calif.

Stormy Florida weather prompted NASA to go to Plan B

(Newser) - With weather conditions in Florida remaining too soggy for a safe shuttle landing, Atlantis instead touched down at Edwards Air Force Base in California this morning. This was the 53rd west-coast landing for a space shuttle, a $2 million decision made easy by the balmy conditions in the Mojave Desert....

44 States Shed Jobs in April
 44 States Shed Jobs in April 
May 22, 2009 3:07 PM CDT

44 States Shed Jobs in April

Job shedding continued last month

(Newser) - Instead of May flowers, April showers brought a flood of job losses, with 44 states notching declines, the Wall Street Journal reports. California led the pack with 63,700 positions cut, but its 11% unemployment rate trailed those of Michigan (12.9%), Oregon (12%), South Carolina (11.5%), and Rhode...

Sea Lion Saved on Highway
 Sea Lion Saved on Highway 
May 21, 2009 2:46 PM CDT

Sea Lion Saved on Highway

(Newser) - Cops near San Francisco made an unusual rescue today on a local expressway: They saved a wandering sea lion, the Chronicle reports. After a brief chase, they corralled the 30-pound confused critter, probably only about a year old. The sea lion, named Moody in honor of a fallen officer, is...

School Censors Tween's Report on Harvey Milk

(Newser) - The ACLU is threatening to sue a California school district that restricted access to a 12-year-old’s report on gay-rights activist Harvey Milk, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. When the school learned of the subject, it delayed the presentation and sent letters to parents requiring permission slips for their children...

Schwarzenegger Blew Chance for Real Reform
Schwarzenegger Blew Chance for Real Reform
OPINION
May 21, 2009 7:59 AM CDT

Schwarzenegger Blew Chance for Real Reform

Would-be savior turns out to be just another lying politician

(Newser) - Arnold Schwarzenegger came into politics with an uncommon opportunity to tell Californians hard truths about taxes and governance, using his surprising mandate to press for reform. Instead, he became just another governor repeating "the same lies and the same nostrums," pretending citizens can have good public services without...

Obese People Have More Flu Complications

In H1N1 patients, fat had same effects as diabetes, heart disease

(Newser) - Scientists at the CDC have noticed a new trend in cases of swine flu: "We were surprised by the frequency of obesity among the severe cases that we've been tracking," says an epidemiologist, adding that it might be cause to make obese people a priority for a...

Calif. Voters Torpedo Budget Crisis Measures

Defeat leaves Governator facing massive service cuts

(Newser) - Californian voters soundly rejected five ballot measures that would keep the hard-hit state economically solvent until the end of the year, on a turnout of little more than 10%. The vote against extended tax increases and capped spending is a sharp rebuke to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state legislators who...

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