More than half the federal rebate money in the program has been either paid out or is being processed, reflecting increased demand since the state expanded the program in late July. (more…)

(From the sacbee.com) Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s latest tax reform idea would probably result in higher costs for low- and middle-class taxpayers based on an initial review, the nonpartisan legislative analyst said Wednesday. (more…)

(From the nytimes.com) Senator Barbara Boxer of California and her Republican opponent, the businesswoman Carly Fiorina, sparred in their first – and perhaps only – debate on Wednesday night, with jobs taking a front seat in a state rife with economic problems. (more…)

(From the AP) A new study says nearly a quarter of the nation’s illegal immigrants live in California, despite a nearly 4 percent drop in the state’s illegal population. A Pew Hispanic Center report released Wednesday estimates California had 2.55 million illegal immigrants in 2009, a 3.8 decrease from the year before. The state accounts for 23 percent of illegal immigrants in the United States. (more…)

(From the sacbee.com) A measure to ban plastic carryout bags in supermarkets, drug and convenience stores was defeated late Tuesday in the state Senate, where key lawmakers said it could prove too costly for consumers. (more…)

(From the latimes.com)  California lawmakers passed wide-ranging public compensation reforms inspired by the Bell municipal salary scandal in the waning hours of the 2010 legislative session, but a closely watched, first-in-the-nation ban on plastic grocery bags was defeated Tuesday night. (more…)

(From sacbee.com) Legislation to toughen penalties against sex offenders in honor of Chelsea King, a murdered 17-year-old San Diego teen, cleared its final legislative hurdle Monday and was sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Assembly passed the measure, dubbed “Chelsea’s Law,” without a dissenting vote. (more…)

(From the AP) California, birthplace of Hells Angels and home to legions of weekend motorcycle warriors, has taken its latest step to subdue the state’s boisterous two-wheeled culture. The state Senate on Monday voted 21-16, the bare majority needed, to pass a bill aimed at quieting the earsplitting roar from modified motorcycles. (more…)

(From the vcstar.com) Two blocks from an Oxnard City Hall targeted in an investigation on possible misuse of public funds, 52-year-old Rudy Perez laughed at the question, eyes widening, as if he were being asked if pigs fly. Trust government? “Hell, no. Would you trust them?” he said, voice rising. “They’re the biggest crooks in the world. You know that.” (more…)

(From the sacbee.com) California has gone nearly two months without a state budget as Republicans and Democrats struggle to find agreement. That has meant varying degrees of pain for residents who rely on state dollars. Courts have ruled that the state must make certain payments, such as those to K-12 schools and welfare-to-work recipients. Without a budget, however, the state has no legal authority to pay other bills. (more…)

(From the AP) A moderate earthquake has rattled eastern San Diego County but there have been no reports of damage or injuries. The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude 4.1 quake struck at 8:53 a.m. in a rural area about 130 miles east of downtown San Diego. A sheriff’s dispatcher says there have been no calls about the earthquake. The Imperial Valley region has been shaken frequently since a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck just south of the border in Mexicali on Easter Sunday, with moderate aftershocks sometimes occurring four or five times a day.

(From the sacbee.com) In a bid for more support, legislators made late amendments Friday to a proposal that would make California the first state to ban single-use plastic grocery, convenience and drugstore bags. The proposal by Assemblyman Julia Brownley, D-Santa Monica, was amended to address concerns that the bill would cost jobs and burden consumers with a nickel charge for paper bags. The bill would ban single-use plastic carryout bags from supermarkets and large drugstores starting in 2012, and smaller grocers, convenience and liquor stores in 2013. (more…)

(From the AP) A bill approved by the state Senate on Friday would prohibit local governments from keeping some of the money collected in traffic tickets written under local ordinances. The bill sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Friday would bar local authorities from enforcing their own ordinances that regulate moving violations, such as speeding, if they are already regulated by state law. (more…)

Los Angeles County Supervisors Zev Yaroslavsky and Mark Ridley-Thomas today demonstrated their commitment to protect Southern California from plastic marine debris by reaffirming their support of a ban on plastic bags in Los Angeles County if the State fails to enact Assembly Bill 1998 (Brownley) —The Single-Use Bag Reduction Act. (more…)

(From the sacbee.com) The cost of getting married in California may soon go up to shelter women whose marriages turn violent. The Senate gave final approval Thursday to Senate Bill 662, which would allow county boards of supervisors to boost the portion of marriage license fees that support women’s shelters from $23 to $33. Advocates say it’s needed to keep shelters for victims of domestic abuse from closing. (more…)

(From the sacbee.com) Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Tuesday the state should lower its sales tax rate and apply it to “all services” that now go untaxed. The Republican governor, speaking to business leaders at the Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce, framed the change as a way to stabilize California’s tax system, which he said relies too heavily on income taxes paid by wealthy earners. (more…)

(From the AP) The nation’s first energy-efficiency standards for televisions would be delayed by six months if Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signs a bill approved by the California Senate. The bill sent to his desk Wednesday would push the regulations adopted last year by the California Energy Commission back to July 2011. (more…)

(From the AP) As a triple-digit heat wave in Southern California broke records Tuesday, residents gave thanks to the area’s cooling centers and the advent of air conditioning. “I wouldn’t live here if I didn’t” have air conditioning, said 91-year-old Esther DeDecker, who has lived in Blythe near the California-Arizona state line since 1940. She said she thought of moving over the years, but her family’s work was there so she stayed in the city, which is about 270 miles east of Los Angeles. (more…)