September Court Hearing Scheduled in CA State Worker Pay Cut Dispute

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California’s state employees won’t see big cuts in their August paychecks. A Sacramento judge on Wednesday scheduled a Sept. 12 hearing into Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s attempt to slash the pay of nearly 180,000 state workers as lawmakers debate how to erase a $15.2 billion budget deficit. State officials say that means a [...]

Villines Walks Out of California Budget Negotiations

SACRAMENTO (AP) - A top Republican lawmaker has walked out of budget negotiations with Democrats and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger because he is upset about their plans to raise taxes. Assembly Minority Leader Mike Villines abruptly left Tuesday’s budget negotiations in the governor’s office. Villines says he’s tired of being in meetings where the conversation focuses [...]

Some Good News for CA Housing Market

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Housing data show home sales in California surged more than 12 percent in July from a year ago - the biggest sales jump in four years. MDA DataQuick says in a report released Tuesday that 39,507 new and preowned homes were sold statewide last month. That’s up 12.3 percent from July [...]

Assemblywoman Nicole Parra told to Move Out of Capitol Office

SACRAMENTO (AP) - A Democratic member of the Assembly is being kicked out of her Capitol office for not supporting her party leaders on their state budget proposal. Assemblywoman Nicole Parra of Hanford says she’s not surprised about being punished Monday for abstaining from Sunday night’s budget vote. Parra says she wants lawmakers to approve [...]

State Republicans Shoot Down Democrats Budget Plan

     SACRAMENTO (AP) - State Assembly Republicans Sunday night rejected a Democratic proposal for $6.6 billion in tax increases on the wealthy and corporations despite an offer to boost the state’s
rainy day fund.
     The failed vote now pushes California’s budget impasse into its eighth week with no compromise in sight.
     Assembly Minority Leader Mike Villines, R-Clovis, said [...]

Democrats Could Put CA Budget to a Vote this Weekend

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Assembly Speaker Karen Bass says Democrats will put a budget up for a vote Sunday even though they haven’t reached a compromise with Republicans or the governor. Bass says she feels compelled to put a spending package up for a vote before the filing deadline to get a measure on the November [...]

Fire Forum Today at the State Capitol

The state Capitol the focus this morning of a problem that California has seen plenty of this year. “California Burning–It’s Time to Clear the Air” is the name of a hearing to call attention to the fires this year and maybe a call for immediate action. Co-host and Assemblyman Doug LaMalfa says it might be [...]

California Lawmakers Consider Chemical Restrictions

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California lawmakers are considering the first statewide restrictions on a chemical found in plastic baby bottles and infant formula cans. The bill would require that all products or food containers designed for children 3 years and younger contain only trace amounts of the chemical, bisphenol A. There is little dispute that bisphenol [...]

Finger Pointing at the State Capitol Over Budget

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California lawmakers frustrated over the state budget impasse are pointing fingers and accusing each other of failing to get serious about closing the $15.2 billion deficit. A rancorous debate erupted on the Assembly floor Thursday after Republicans attempted to bring the Democrats’ tax-raising budget plan to a vote that surely would have [...]

Connecticut Becomes Latest State to Sue Countrywide

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Connecticut has become the latest state to sue Countrywide Financial Corporation over its lending practices. State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal alleges Countrywide misled borrowers into taking on risky home loans they could not afford. He says hundreds and possibly thousands of Connecticut homeowners were affected. California, Illinois, Florida and the city [...]