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July 24, 2008 2:28:54 PM CDT



California Dreamin' track this thread

Started by S Goldstein; Last updated Feb 24, 08 10:02 PM CST by K Schwartz | View history

California Dreamin'

"I have seen purer liquors, better segars, finer tobacco, truer guns and pistols, larger dirks and bowie knives, and prettier courtesans here in San Francisco than in any other place I have ever visited; and it is my unbiased opinion that California can and does furnish the best bad things that are available in America." - Hilton Helper

California, the state where fortunes are made and lost in a weekend, muscle-bound movie stars become governors, and box office takes carry as much weight as football scores. Lesser regions may affect to snub the Golden State, but with the largest GDP in the country and the eighth largest in the world, California doesn't care.

Stories

Stories 1 - 20 of 184

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  • July 2008
    • Sans Budget, Arnold to Slash Calif. Workers' Pay

      Sans Budget, Arnold to Slash Calif. Workers' Pay

      Arnold Schwarzenegger is threatening to ease California's cash-flow crisis by slashing the pay of 200,000 state workers to the federal minimum wage of $6.55 an hour, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. A draft executive order obtained by the Chronicle also ends overtime pay for all but emergency employees and lays off 22,000 temporary workers. The proposal, aimed to pressure the deadlocked Legislature into passing an overdue budget, has enraged labor groups. More »

    • UC-Berkeley Can Chop Sitters' Trees: Judge

      UC-Berkeley Can Chop Sitters' Trees: Judge

      After a year and a half of wrangling, a California judge gave UC Berkeley the green light yesterday to cut down dozens of trees in order to build an athletic training center next to its football stadium. Three protesters are still living in one tree at the site and are refusing to leave, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. More »

    • Paps Nabbed Near Brit's Pad

      Paps Nabbed Near Brit's Pad

      Los Angeles police busted two photographers near Britney Spears' home Monday on loitering charges. After ignoring warnings to leave the city-owned road near the exclusive gated community that is also home to Ed McMahon, the paps were arrested and their car impounded.   More »

    • Calif. Against Gay Marriage Ban: Poll

      Calif. Against Gay Marriage Ban: Poll

      A small majority of Californians polled would vote against a state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in November, the Los Angeles Times reports. A Field Poll of 672 voters found that 51% oppose Proposition 8, while 42% support it. The ballot measure would define marriage as being exclusively between a man and a woman. More »

    • No Kidding: Bush Sewage Plant Makes Nov. Ballot

      No Kidding: Bush Sewage Plant Makes Nov. Ballot

      San Francisco voters will decide in November not only who will succeed President Bush but also how they will remember him. A group calling itself the Presidential Memorial Commission has pushed through a ballot initiative to rename an area sewage plant after the outgoing president, the Chronicle reports. A White House spokesman told the LA Times the measure "doesn't dignify a response." More »

    • Methodist Ministers Defy Ban on Marrying Gays

      Methodist Ministers Defy Ban on Marrying Gays

      Methodist ministers in California are revolting against religious edicts that forbid them from performing same-sex marriages, the Los Angeles Times reports, in a struggle that many consider "the civil rights cause of their generation." Dozens of Methodist pastors have officiated at gay and lesbian weddings since they were legalized in California, and 82 retired ministers signed a statement offering to stand in for ministers who don't want to put their careers at risk. More »

    • Calif. Court Leaves Gay Marriage Ban on the Ballot

      Calif. Court Leaves Gay Marriage Ban on the Ballot

      A voter initiative to ban gay marriage is staying on California’s ballot this November, the state’s supreme court ruled unanimously yesterday, setting the stage for a bitter November battle. Gay rights groups had argued that the proposition was an illegal constitutional revision, and that petitions for the initiative had been misleading. The vote is expected to be a close one. More »

    • Social Responsibility Costs Calif. Pension Funds Billions

      Social Responsibility Costs Calif. Pension Funds Billions

      California's plan to put state pension funds in socially responsible investments means those funds are worth billions less than they would be if they'd been allowed to invest in tobacco companies and emerging markets, BusinessWeek reports. The initiative, launched in 2000, also pushed investment in California real estate—where the funds are on the hook for some big losses in a down market. More »

    • Calif. Mulls Pay-as-You-Drive Insurance to Cut Costs, Miles

      Calif. Mulls Pay-as-You-Drive Insurance to Cut Costs, Miles

      An alliance of insurance companies and environmentalists are pushing to bring  pay-as-you-drive auto-insurance, available from a handful of companies in other states, to California in a big way, the Los Angeles Times reports. The system, which charges premiums based on mileage, as recorded by a GPS tracking device, gives drivers financial  incentives to conserve, and has multiple benefits on roadways and for the environment. More »

    • Calif. Pol Aims to Burst Balloons

      Calif. Pol Aims to Burst Balloons

      A California lawmaker is pushing to ban helium-filled foil balloons, blaming the globe-shaped menaces for flying into power lines and causing more than 800 blackouts in the state last year. The bill easily passed the state's senate, but it’s facing an uproar from balloon artists and balloon lovers alike as it awaits an assembly vote, the Wall Street Journal reports. More »

    • San Francisco Pioneers Smart Parking Spots

      San Francisco Pioneers Smart Parking Spots

      The streets of San Francisco will be getting smarter this fall, reports the New York Times . The city is pioneering a program to add sensors to thousands of parking spaces; drivers will be alerted to empty spaces through displays on street signs or via their smartphones. City officials hope the experiment will help clear Frisco's clogged traffic by cutting down on drivers circling to look for a place to park. More »

    • Celebs Face Off in Green Arms Race

      Celebs Face Off in Green Arms Race

      It could only happen in California—a pair of celebrity neighbors, actor Ed Begley Jr. and "Science Guy" Bill Nye, are involved in a contest of environmental one-upsmanship, the AP reports. Since Nye moved onto Begley’s block in Studio City 2 years ago, the two have been competing to see whose house can leave a smaller carbon footprint. More »

    • San Diego Vows to Dress Down SoCal Nudists

      San Diego Vows to Dress Down SoCal Nudists

      Officials in San Diego County are drawing battle lines over those who give up tan lines. For years, naturists have flocked to San Onofre State Beach to skinny dip in seclusion—but after Labor Day, park rangers will issue citations to nudists at the iconic getaway, which even Richard Nixon praised, the Los Angeles Times reports. More »

    • Firefighters Face 'Critical' Day

      Firefighters Face 'Critical' Day

      Today will be “critical” for battling the Goleta fire, one of more than 330 still raging across California, a fire commander told the Los Angeles Times . The blaze has already scorched 8,300 acres, sparked more than 2,500 evacuations, and razed four buildings—but it is now 24% contained. "We want to be vigilant, we want to stay persistent," the commander said. "Our hope is to close this off." More »

    • Wind Keeps Wildfires Spreading Throughout Calif.

      Wind Keeps Wildfires Spreading Throughout Calif.

      A pair of out-of-control wildfires roared along California's central coast today, chewing through opposite ends of a parched forest and threatening a total of more than 4,500 homes. While flames from the stubborn fire inched closer to Big Sur's historic vacation retreats, state emergency officials said hot winds had caused a newer blaze 200 miles south in Santa Barbara County to double in size overnight.  More »

    • Fires, Spiking Gas Aside, Calif. Tourism Still Sunny

      Fires, Spiking Gas Aside, Calif. Tourism Still Sunny

      Near-continuous wildfires and soaring gas prices don’t seem to have made much of a dent in California’s tourism industry, the San Jose Mercury News reports. California's AAA reports only an 0.8% drop in Fourth of July domestic tourism, and a jump in visitors from abroad more than makes up the difference, travel officials say. More »

    • Sticker Shock: Calif. Puts Emissions Rating on '09 Cars

      Sticker Shock: Calif. Puts Emissions Rating on '09 Cars

      A state-mandated sticker showing vehicles' global-warming rating is starting to show up in California showrooms, the San Jose Mercury News reports. "We are forced by the nature of our economy to drive vehicles to work and play. This gives people a tool to lessen their carbon footprint," a state spokesman said of the label showing autos' 1-10 rating on greenhouse gas emissions. More »

    • SF Mayor Exploring Bid For Governor

      SF Mayor Exploring Bid For Governor

      San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is exploring a bid for governor of California in 2010, the Los Angeles Times reports. Arnold Schwarzenegger is prevented from running again by term limits, making for the state's first open governor's race in 12 years. Newsom has made a name for himself as a high-profile champion of issues like same-sex marriage and health care. More »

    • Celluloid's Sexiest Swimsuits

      Celluloid's Sexiest Swimsuits

      Break out the coconut oil, it’s National Bikini Month. From Alba to Andress, Entertainment Weekly offers a cinematic retrospective of Hollywood’s splashiest swimsuits. Halle Berry, Die Another Day Ursula Andress, Dr. No Jessica Alba, Into the Blue More »

    • Hands-Free Phones Still Dangerous Driver Overload

      Hands-Free Phones Still Dangerous Driver Overload

      California motorists are now banned from using cell phones, but scientists say the move won't make the freeways any safer, reports the Los Angeles Times . Research shows that it is the lack of attention rather than occupied hands that impacts safety, and that drivers chatting on phones with both hands on the wheel may be just as much of a hazard. More »

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Related Threads

Gay Marriage    Gay Rights    Land of Broken Dreams    Environment    Tinseltown    Gay News    San Fran    Going Green    California Wildfires    So You Like Lists?

Background

California
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition

California , most populous state in the United States, located in the Far West; bordered by Oregon (N), Nevada and, across the Colorado River, Arizona (E), Mexico (S), and the Pacific Ocean (W). Facts and Figures Area, 158,693 sq mi (411,015 sq km). Pop. (2000) 33,871,648, a 13.8% increase ...

» Read more about California at Encyclopedia.com

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