Profile
ambee
- Politics:Democrat
- Location:Sacramento, California
California lawmakers' schedules kept private
When California lawmakers prepare to take a key vote — say when deciding state spending or last year's $11 billion water bond — how often are they meeting with lobbyists, special interest groups or others who have a stake in the outcome? Read More »
Steve Poizner targets Meg Whitman's media dodging
Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Poizner has seized on Meg Whitman's penchant for skirting open news conferences, mocking Whitman in a new Internet video. Read More »
Can Jerry Brown shed 'Gov. Moonbeam' label?
Democrat Jerry Brown, at 71 years old, is offering himself to California voters as the pragmatic, moderate and mature gubernatorial candidate. But with four decades in public service and a reputation as a political chameleon, he must try to shake the one word that critics have aimed at him for the past 35 years: "Moonbeam." Read More »
Marijuana could face strict regulation, big taxes
Legislation is in the works at the state capitol that would dramatically change how marijuana is regulated in the state and bring in a good chunk of cash to California's beleaguered state budget. Read More »
Boxer, potential opponent pay visits to San Diego
Sen. Barbara Boxer and one of her potential Republican opponents made appearances in San Diego yesterday, offering starkly contrasting views of how to rescue a struggling economy and create jobs. Read More »
Arnold. Sigh. Ah, the missed opportunities
Mention Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger - you need only say his first name - and many Californians respond with a long sigh, then with words like "squander" or "waste" or "missed opportunity." Those in the political class look at Schwarzenegger and see what might have been. Read More »
Local bankruptcy rise is double the U.S. rate
The number of consumer and business bankruptcy filings in Southern California rose at more than double the rate of the rest of the nation in the first nine months of 2009, according to the federal bankruptcy courts. Read More »
Bill Cavala was a master of California politics
Democratic strategist Bill Cavala, heralded by Capitol insiders as a driving force in California politics, died Saturday. He was 66. The nearly 40-year political veteran brought his expertise on campaigns and reapportionment to the staffs of countless Assembly Democrats. Read More »
Small Businesses Stand To Benefit From Proposed Health Care Bills
L.D. Schmidt is a working man who arrives, in sickness and in health, at his small midtown Sacramento electronics shop to repair audio equipment. Read More »
Target workers in Walnut Creek quit after questions about immigration status
More than 40 employees at the downtown Target store quit their jobs after an internal probe raised suspicions about their immigration status, according to lawyers who have met with the workers. Read More »
Santa Monica launches program to turn cooking grease into biofuel
Santa Monica, known for its eco-friendly initiatives, is launching a new effort to collect cooking grease and turn the waste into biofuel. Read More »
Villaraigosa urges limit on medical marijuana dispensaries
The Los Angeles mayor declines to say what the cap should be, but says it should be a level that can be adequately monitored by city officials and the Police Department. Read More »
UC’s massive student-fee hikes go in part to finance construction
Students of the University of California, already reeling from annual fee hikes, have been hit by a new, 32 percent increase that a leading critic says is partly intended to provide UC with funds to finance long-planned construction – a contention the university denies. Read More »
Hospitals absorb millions of dollars in care for uninsured
While the debate rages nationwide over the impact of undocumented immigrants on health care and hospitals, it is the overall number of uninsured who use emergency rooms that is most stressing the system. Read More »
Settlement in lawsuit could accelerate citizenship applications
Carmen Reyes is anxious to become a U.S. citizen. But the 22-year-old Colton resident has not applied for naturalization because she believes the process takes too long and is too expensive. Read More »
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Will U.S. learn its healthcare reform lesson from California?
A House bill that calls for an insurance exchange has been crafted free of gaps that led to a plan's failure in the state earlier this decade. But will it get through Congress without loopholes? Read More »
Home Front: Median price rising toward $200K again in Sacramento County
August's median sales price for existing single-family homes rose to $190,000 in Sacramento County and the city of West Sacramento. That figure is well up from bottoming out at $167,000 in March. Read More »
Median price rising toward $200K again in Sacramento County
August's median sales price for existing single-family homes rose to $190,000 in Sacramento County and the City of West Sacramento - after three straight months parked at $180,000, the Sacramento Association of Realtors is reporting this afternoon. Read More »
Anderson Forecast: Unemployment could hit 12.2 percent by Dec. 31
Although the nation's recession appears to be easing, California will feel its effects well into 2010, with a stagnating economy and worsening unemployment in the coming months, a forecast released today says. Read More »
PG&E doubles down again vs. local energy choice
Now comes the serious money. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. on Friday contributed $1.5 million to its somewhat euphemistically named “Californians to Protect Our Right to Vote,” doubling the $1.5 million with which it already had seeded the committee in July and August. Read More »
Hidden Costs of State Furloughs in California
The present budget deficit faced by the State of California is around $26 billion and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is seeking a solution to bridge this deficit gap through three furlough days a mont Read More »
After Schwarzenegger's help, Monrovia oasis for disabled is saved
When Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Friday that eviction notices sent to about 20 developmentally and physically disabled residents of a Monrovia apartment complex were “terminated,” some tenants and advocates were cautiously optimistic. Read More »
CIRM, Maryland sign stem cell deal
As the World Stem Cell Summit opened in Baltimore, California’s stem cell research funding organization and the Maryland Technology Development Corp. say they signed a deal that could fund teams of researchers in both states. Read More »
Three shot as border agents fire on vans at port of entry
Three federal agents fired shots Tuesday as three vans filled with illegal immigrants tried to run the border at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, and four people were injured, three by gunfire, authorities said. Read More »
Supervisors approve layoffs for 300 workers
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved layoffs for about 300 county workers effective at the end of this week. While the number could drop as some of those workers find jobs in other departments or fill vacant positions, even more cuts are likely next week. Read More »
University of California campuses protest cuts, fee hikes
From Davis to San Diego – and on eight campuses in between – the University of California erupted Thursday in protests, pickets, walkouts and teach-ins. About 7,000 people participated in rallies that were generally peaceful and resulted in no arrests. Read More »
Northern California bankers want boost for FDIC
Northern California's community bankers support a plan to bolster the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. as the financial system continues to reel from the ripple effects of the collapsing credit bubble. Read More »
Support Is Building for a Tax Credit to Help Hiring
The idea of a tax credit for companies that create new jobs, something the federal government has not tried since the 1970s, is gaining support among economists and Washington officials grappling with the highest unemployment in a generation. Read More »
Whitman camp seeks to verify voting history
After publicly apologizing for what she called her "atrocious" voting record, GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman is now going on the offensive, saying she recalls voting "on numerous occasions" in the past. Read More »
Governor presided over birth of Latino Water Coalition
The California Latino Water Coalition, often described as a grassroots group representing the Latino community, was born in a closed-door meeting of Gov. Schwarzenegger and local officials at Selma City Hall on March 21, 2007—and was “suggested” by the governor himself, according to a coalition brochure. Read More »
State lawmakers approve Obama school reforms
This is a step in the right direction. Considering we are such a progressive state it is a shame that our public education is in the mess that it is!
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Sheriff wants expansion of cameras near border
After spending hundreds of millions on cameras, it will have little effect. They already have thermal cameras on the border and illegals have found a way to beat that system. There is just too much incentive for them to come over, they will always be one step ahead. This issue must be addressed through immigration reform and guest worker permits.