http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/ca-news/ en-us Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:20:50 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051000/posts The owner of a downtown Los Angeles sushi restaurant facing wage payment claims by two alleged undocumented workers has launched a novel counterattack by filing a class-action lawsuit against the California labor commissioner for defying federal immigration law. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- July 24, 2008 California Employer Sues State Over Wage Claims for Illegal Workers The owner of a downtown Los Angeles sushi restaurant facing wage payment claims by two alleged undocumented workers has launched a novel counterattack by filing a class-action lawsuit against the California labor commissioner for defying federal immigration law. Masayoshi Kaji of Sushi Sharin argues that the commissioner’s policy... Workforce Management http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051000/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:20:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050978/posts An indignant Don Perata made fun of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for his brigade of "13 armed escorts" today. The Senate president pro tem was mocking Schwarzenegger as out of touch with the average Californian at a rally protesting the plan to temporarily slash the pay of state workers to $6.55 an hour. Visibly fired up, the Oakland Democrat declared he had only one question for Schwarzenegger now that the governor had revealed his plan to conserve cash during the budget crunch by cutting workers' pay. "Who in the hell do you think does the work around here?" he shouted to... SacBee: CapitolAlert http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050978/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 03:59:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050873/posts SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The scene repeats itself daily on city streets: a driver gets stuck bumper to bumper, blocking an intersection and preventing another car from turning left. But authorities say that was enough to cause Edwin Ramos to unload an AK-47 assault weapon on a man and his two sons, killing them. The deaths immediately drew public outrage, which intensified when authorities revealed that Ramos, 21, is an illegal immigrant who managed to avoid deportation despite previous brushes with the law. my way http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050873/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:03:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050772/posts SAN DIEGO – The parent company of The San Diego Union-Tribune announced Thursday that it has hired an investment banker to look into the possible sale of the company. Copley Press engaged the New York-based investment banking firm Evercore Partners, which also represented the publishing company in the sale of newspapers it owned in Los Angeles and in the Midwest in 2006 and 2007. In a statement, The Copley Press, Inc., cited the tough times in the newspaper industry as its motivation in deciding to explore the company's strategic options. “The last couple of years have been a difficult period... San Diego Union-Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050772/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 21:11:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050771/posts His legal troubles behind him, famed investment banker Frank Quattrone was back in his old role Wednesday as corporate adviser and tech industry sage. At the AlwaysOn technology conference at Stanford University, Quattrone opined about market reforms enacted after the dot-com bust, equity markets, the state of initial public offerings and the outlook for innovation in the technology industry. Along the way, he dispensed advice to executives of three start-up companies lucky enough to have an appointment with 'the doctor," as the conference billed Quattrone. "It feels great," he said. "I feel like I'm a kid in a candy store."... Mercury News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050771/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 21:11:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050742/posts I was listening to Rush Limbaugh at lunch today, and he mentioned that Ms. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA) was castigating the President for failing to release any of the "700 million barrels" of oil in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (our emergency supply). Guess what? Nancy has been preventing the production of a lot more than 700 million barrels of our oil, and she has been doing it for years. Take a look here: http://www.mms.gov/omm/pacific/offshore/oil-gaspdfs/2000-063.pdf"Unproved reserves are estimated to be 1,316 million barrels of oil and 922 billion cubic feet of gas, in 25 fields."That's ONE BILLION, THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTEEN... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050742/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:17:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050739/posts SAN FRANCISCO — The head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Wednesday called on Mayor Gavin Newsom to allow the federal agency full access to information about local inmates, saying the city should rescind its policy that prohibits ICE agents from reviewing jail logs and records. A letter sent to Newsom from ICE director Julie Myers urging more access to inmate records was the latest flare-up following accusations that a San Francisco policy to shield undocumented immigrants also caused the city to shelter felons charged with serious crimes. Eileen Hirst, chief of staff for San Francisco County Sheriff Michael Hennessey,... Contra Costa Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050739/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:12:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050712/posts Score one for the Berkeley tree-sitters. Hours after UC Berkeley won a court decision Tuesday allowing a long-blocked athletic training center to be built next to Memorial Stadium, supporters of illegal tree-sitters occupying the project's site commandeered a new tree on the main campus and strung ropes from it to the besieged aerial protesters. But late in the day, campus officials reached an agreement with the protesters to remove the lines and abandon the newly occupied tree, UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof said. Campus officials were stunned Wednesday morning to find two more tree-sitters able to travel with ease and,... San Francisco Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050712/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 19:31:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050619/posts Former Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown is waging war on California suburbs because of global warming, says Joel Kotkin, a presidential fellow in urban futures at Chapman University. Brown is concerned about the alleged environmental damage caused by the suburbs. He wants to compel residents to move to city centers or to high-density developments clustered near mass transit lines: • Brown has threatened to file suit against municipalities that shun high-density housing in favor of building new suburban single-family homes, on the grounds that they will pollute the environment. • He is also backing controversial legislation -- Senate bill 375 --... National Center for Policy Analysis http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050619/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:37:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050608/posts California, six other Western states and four Canadian provinces launched plans on Wednesday for one of the world's largest carbon-trading systems, a sweeping effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. The North American program, like a similar market-based system in Europe, focuses on heavy polluters such as electric utilities, oil refineries and large industrial and commercial facilities. Environmental groups immediately questioned whether the plan will be tough enough on polluters, while industry groups said the program lacks details. California officials said the proposal will be an integral part of the Golden State's ambitious goal of reducing... SFGate.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050608/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:20:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050598/posts Jon asked me to comment on the debate over the "water" bond currently being proposed in the Legislature. Since there really is no water bond being proposed, the debate is a false one. We are already in a water crisis it is true. Democrats have done nothing to alleviate that crisis since sometime in Jerry Brown administration in the 70's, that is true as well. About 6 bonds have passed since 1996 claiming to be water bonds, and they got Republican votes to get on the ballot because somewhere in the language of the bond, someone wrote the word water.... FlashReport http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050598/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:01:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050594/posts When Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed a statewide drought in June and then urged passage of a $9.3 billion water bond, Democrats and environmental critics became suspicious. They still are. “Last year we did have record low rainfall, but whether or not there is a drought is somewhat debatable,” said the Sierra Club’s Jim Metropulos. “The governor calling it a drought--that carries no legal significance. It’s interesting he calls for a drought, and couple of weeks later, he calls for a water bond.” The Republican governor proposes a $9.3 billion dollar water bond for the November ballot, arguing that passage of... Capitol Weekly http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050594/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:57:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050587/posts One year after California Air Resources Board Chairwoman Mary Nichols decided to sell off some energy stocks that showed a potential conflict of interest with her role as a state regulator, records show her diverse investment portfolio still contains many energy interests. Nichols also sold stock in a company that stands to profit from new diesel regulations that the ARB is set to adopt this fall, and other companies that have business before the board, according to financial disclosure documents filed with the Fair Political Practices Commission. But FPPC records show that she and her husband, attorney John Duam, sold... Capitol Weekly http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050587/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:52:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050543/posts How is it possible that chronic behavioral malcontent George Miley assaulted a female police officer three weeks ago, but only ended up spending four days in jail? After all, his July 6 attack on Officer Lisa Frazer was followed by his 106th arrest since 2001. Most everyone says the system for punishing quality-of-life crimes like public drunkenness and aggressive panhandling is broken in San Francisco, but Miley seems like an extraordinary case. How can he be on the streets today? The answer is both complicated and simple: Lenient San Francisco juries, clogged courts, and judges who are more willing to... San Francisco Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050543/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:56:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050536/posts SACRAMENTO — Resurrecting negotiations between Vallejo employee unions and city negotiators could be the next step in Vallejo's Chapter 9 bankruptcy saga, attorneys for the city and unions agreed Wednesday. The attorneys disagreed, however, on what that move would mean for Vallejo's future. Opening arguments on Vallejo's bankrupt status were heard in U.S. Bankruptcy Court before Chief Justice Michael McManus on Wednesday. McManus must first decide if the city meets the criteria for bankruptcy before considering voiding employee union contracts, set to expire in June 2010. The city filed for bankruptcy protection May 23, with the unanimous backing of the... MediaNews via CoCo Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050536/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:45:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050508/posts n 2005, I asked Angelenos to join me in re-imagining their city as a dynamic world capital defined by its flexibility and mobility, not by traffic and smog. I challenged them to imagine communities connected not by bigger, wider highways but by a real network of public transit options -- rapid buses, trains and subway lines -- connecting every neighborhood in our county's 88 cities. I asked them to imagine cleaner and greener neighborhoods where we each pitch in to combat global warming and create a more sustainable city. Today, when I take the helm as chairman of the Metropolitan... LA Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050508/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:47:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050464/posts SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is threatening to pay thousands of state employees the federal minimum wage of $6.55 an hour until lawmakers reach a deal on California's overdue state budget. Democrats and Republicans have so far been unable to compromise on a solution to the state's $15.2 billion budget deficit for the fiscal year that started July 1. As the stalemate continued, Schwarzenegger has ratcheted up his rhetoric. Spokesman Aaron McLear said the Republican governor is contemplating signing an executive order next week that would pay about 200,000 state workers the federal minimum wage, which is $1.45 an hour... Yahoo news http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050464/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:37:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050370/posts Attorney General Jerry Brown sued the county in April 2007, charging that a general plan update approved a month earlier would worsen global warming. The general plan, a blueprint for growth through 2030, projects more homes and increased traffic as the county's population continues to increase. It was the first time the state sued a public agency for not taking into account global warming. State and county officials hailed the greenhouse reduction plan that the county agreed to as groundbreaking. Julie Rynerson Rock, the county's director of land-use services, said the county's plan will be the most far-reaching in the... Press Enterprise http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050370/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 04:37:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050346/posts FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Media inquiries: contact@aipnc.com Fenton, MI – July 23, 2008 – In a statement released today by America’s Independent Party, Chairman Tom Hoefling welcomed California’s American Independent Party to the growing ranks of AIP state affiliates. Hoefling, commenting in the wake of a statement from the office of the California Secretary of State recognizing Edward C. Noonan as the rightful chairman of the American Independent Party and the legitimacy of the actions of the July 5th State Convention in Sacramento, said, “We gratefully accept the AIP State Central Committee’s decision to affiliate nationally with us. We share a... America's Independent Party http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050346/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 03:29:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050338/posts LOS ANGELES Authorities are offering a $50,000 for information in the drive-by shooting death of a U.S. Navy reservist outside an El Sereno liquor store in 2007. Jesus Guevara, 24, a U.S. Navy reservist, was walking from the liquor store at 3:15 p.m. on Aug. 18, 2007 toward his parked car when someone fired at him from a dark-colored, mid-size car, wounding him in the back, police said. He died three hours later at a hospital. "It's not fair to lose him, to not have him around," Guevara's aunt, Maria Corona said. "We miss him terribly every day.... The irresponsible... cbs2.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050338/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 03:08:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050253/posts Barack Obama's VP shortlist might have gotten shorter: The National Enquirer yesterday published a story claiming it had caught John Edwards meeting with an alleged mistress and illegitimate child. Then again, the Enquirer hasn't been able to produce quotes, photos or even eyewitness accounts. And the mainstream media seems to be ignoring it, for the most part. TalkLeft, among others, hopes it isn't true. And thus far, the claims don't seem to have hurt Edwards politically — although the Corner has something worth noting: ...after first seeming to take himself out of the running, he put himself back in the... LA Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050253/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:31:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050256/posts Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is planning to cut the pay of about 200,000 state workers to the federal minimum wage of $6.55 an hour until a budget is signed, according to a draft of the governor's order obtained by The Times. Administration officials said Schwarzenegger is expected to sign the order early next week as part of an effort to avert a cash crisis. The controversial move, likely to be challenged in court by public-employee unions, would save the state about $1 billion a month, the officials said. Workers would be repaid their lost earnings once a budget was in place.... LA Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050256/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:35:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050231/posts Commission approves financing plan for toll lanes on Highway 101, other Bay Area freeways A Bay Area transportation commission took a step today toward creating an 800-mile network of toll lanes on parts of Highway 101 and other local freeways for car pools and drivers who pay a toll. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission approved a 25-year financing plan that allocates $6.1 billion for the lanes. Transportation planners say the money for the project will come from the tolls collected from motorists who use the lanes. The commission also approved a set of principles for developing the network. The profits from... San Jose Mercury News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050231/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:45:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050182/posts California, six other Western states and four Canadian provinces will launch a market-based carbon trading system in a major North American effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming, according to a draft proposal released today. When it officially begins in four years, the program would first target heavy polluters such as electric utilities, oil refineries and large industrial and commercial facilities, which would be required to begin reporting emission levels beginning in 2011 to allow participating governments to agree on the maximum level of emissions for the region. The plan also includes an offsets system, part of... San Francisco Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050182/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:25:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050142/posts LAPD Police Chief William J. Bratton has come out -- in favor of gay marriage. As a wedding gift to friend and celebrity publicist Howard Bragman and his longtime partner, Chuck O'Donnell, Bratton made it official: He and his wife, former Court TV diva Rikki Kleiman, strongly believe that gays have a right to marry. And in honor of Bragman and O'Donnell, who wed this past week in Norwalk, the chief and Kleiman have made a donation to Equality California, a group seeking to stop a state ballot measure this November that would ban same-sex marriages. "The Constitution guarantees life,... Los Angeles Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050142/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:11:37 GMT