California

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Charles Manson Reaches Out to Spector in Prison

(Newser) - Charles Mason has reached out to former music producer Phil Spector, sending the actress-killer fan mail in the California prison they now share, reports the New York Post. Manson, a mediocre musician before he turned cult leader, sent Spector a note via a guard that he wanted to meet and...

Collectors Eye California IOUs
 Collectors Eye California IOUs 

Collectors Eye California IOUs

(Newser) - California's recently issued IOUs are only the latest in a long history of dollar substitutes in America, the Wall Street Journal reports, and they're already being eyed by collectors of  temporary currency on everything from leather to plywood to old tires to clamshells. Schwarzenegger's scrip is plain in comparison to...

Recession Sparks Efforts to Legalize Pot

Full-scale regulation and taxation on the table in Calif.

(Newser) - The recession has given marijuana-legalization advocates an unexpected boost, Time reports, as cash-strapped states are tempted by possible revenues from pot taxes. With an existing medical-marijuana market and cuts to education and health services pending due to a huge budget deficit, California advocates are preparing both legislation and ballot initiatives...

Calif. Assembly OKs Budget Plan; Schwarzenegger Next

(Newser) - California's state assembly today approved a plan to close most of its $26 billion budget deficit, sending the package of financial fixes to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who's expected to sign it by Monday. The Assembly rejected two of the most controversial measures, a plan to take about $1 billion in...

Pranksters Crash Lecture by Torture Memo Writer

(Newser) - If ex-Justice Department hand John Yoo thought he could fade into obscurity after writing infamous memos justifying the government’s use of torture and warrantless wiretapping, he was wrong. An Australian comedian crashed his class at Chapman University School of Law in California last week, dressed up like a detainee...

This Guy's Getting $60K to Tweet About Wine

Winner will live in California, Tweet about wine

(Newser) - Hardy Wallace recently lost his job—but he’ll soon be making $10,000 a month promoting Murphy-Goode winery on the Web, as the winner of the much-touted “Really Goode Job,” the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The Atlantan, who has a wine blog and has taken sommelier education...

Plan to Free 27K Inmates Threatens Calif. Budget Deal

(Newser) - A plan to slash the number of inmates by 27,000 could sink California's long-delayed budget deal, the Los Angeles Times reports. Angry Republican state lawmakers threatened to back out of the agreement after learning of the plan, which would give prison officials authority to let any inmate over 60...

West Coast, Alaska Could Be Due for Monster Tsunami

(Newser) - Alaska and the US West Coast could be pounded by a tsunami far more powerful than researchers had previously thought, LiveScience reports. Analysis of soil samples shows evidence of two earthquakes in the past 2,000 years capable of producing waves that dwarf a 1964 tsunami one researcher calls “...

Calif. Finally Forges Budget Deal
Calif. Finally Forges
Budget Deal

Calif. Finally Forges Budget Deal

Plan calls for massive cuts to close $26B budget hole

(Newser) - After weeks of wrangling, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has made a deal with state lawmakers to close the $26 billion hole in California's budget, the Sacramento Bee reports. Leaders believe the plan—which involves massive spending cuts and borrowing from city governments—is solid enough to secure billions of dollars in...

Calif. Stoked About Pot Profits
 Calif. Stoked About Pot Profits 

Calif. Stoked About Pot Profits

Some call for legalization; others say it makes no difference

(Newser) - Even if they’re not legal without a doctor’s recommendation, marijuana sales are far from clandestine in California, and some say the state should finish what it started and just legalize pot for everyone, the AP reports. “The culture has gone so far beyond the law,” says...

Surf's Up for Rover, Too
 Surf's Up for Rover, Too 
SLIDESHOW

Surf's Up for Rover, Too

Pooches put down the bone and ride the waves

(Newser) - See spot run—not to catch a Frisbee, but to ride waves on a California beach. Surfing pooches are the latest trend in Southern California, where sunny skies and golden beaches gave birth to '60s surf culture, NPR reports. Dogs can take surfing classes and even enter surfing competitions. “...

Calif. Budget Crisis Cripples UC System

(Newser) - California's budget crisis has taken an $813 million toll on its famed UC system, Time reports. The University of California's 10 campuses are attempting to deal with the 20% budget cut by instituting mandatory furloughs for 80% of staff, drastically cutting or even freezing new hires, and increasing tuition by...

Calif. Strawberries May Turn Toxic
 Calif. Strawberries 
 May Turn Toxic 
glossies

Calif. Strawberries May Turn Toxic

(Newser) - California appears close to producing strawberries that induce side-effects such as neurological damage and fetal loss, Gourmet reports. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is under industry pressure to approve a fumigant called methyl iodide, which rids soil of all living organisms without hurting the ozone layer. But a group of 50 scientists...

Pez Sues Calif. Museum Over Outsized Dispenser

(Newser) - Pez is suing a California store and museum over an 8-foot-tall dispenser custom-made for the establishment—and thus not sanctioned by the Austrian candy-maker, the San Jose Mercury News reports. “From a branding perspective, I think Pez should embrace the Dosses and the museum, instead of trying to attack...

Deal Near on Calif. Budget Gap
 Deal Near on Calif. Budget Gap 

Deal Near on Calif. Budget Gap

(Newser) - The California Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger are just steps away from an agreement that would close the state’s $26.3 billion deficit, the Los Angeles Times reports. Talks are expected to conclude today. “I don’t think there is anything that would make negotiations shut down at...

First Chinese-American Woman Elected to Congress

Dem Chu wins Calif. runoff to replace Solis

(Newser) - Democrat Judy Chu will become the first Chinese-American congresswoman after winning yesterday’s runoff House election in California, Xinhua reports. She fills the Los Angeles county seat vacated when Hilda Solis became secretary of Labor. Chu, 56, handily defeated her Republican opponent, cousin Betty Chu, with 62% of the vote.

SF Porn King's Son Busted in Girlfriend's Murder

Mitchell brother's son beat lover with baseball bat: cops

(Newser) - The son of a legendary San Francisco killer porn king has been charged with beating his girlfriend to death with a baseball bat and running off with their screaming baby daughter, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. James Raphael Mitchell, 27, was arrested on a highway near his girlfriend's Marin County...

Chick Splits Up Gay SF Penguins

(Newser) - A male penguin couple that raised a hatchling at the San Francisco Zoo has been split up by the attentions of the amorous widow Linda, UPI reports. Magellanic penguin Harry was apparently smitten by the lovesick female, and he deserted Pepper, his partner of six years. Linda has "her...

Female DUIs Surge in Calif.
 Female DUIs Surge in Calif. 

Female DUIs Surge in Calif.

(Newser) - Men aren't the only ones drinking and driving in California these days, the Sacramento Bee reports. Female DUI arrests and alcohol-related crashes are on the rise, leaving a trail of fatal car wrecks, prison sentences, and women undergoing treatment programs. "Males are still the major knuckleheads, but females for...

Arnold: Budget Crisis Is Not a Game of Chicken

Gov defends stance amid standoff

(Newser) - Tensions are soaring in California as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger faces off against Democratic lawmakers in the state’s budget crisis. But the governator is keeping calm as he defends his position, the Financial Times reports. He’s calling for welfare reform before he’ll sign off on a budget, but...

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