Free grocery bags targeted for extinction in California…
The plastic grocery bag is fighting for its crinkly life. From the city of San Francisco to Los Angeles County, more than a dozen local governments around the state have proposed or passed plastic-bag restrictions, ranging from recycling mandates to outright bans. Jim Downing in the Sacramento Bee
Thousands of California children are in danger of losing health insurance…
Increased premiums for low-income families are expected to put the program out of reach for many. A new Medi-Cal policy is also expected to cut enrollees, further weakening the healthcare system. Jordan Rau in the Los Angeles Times
California churches plan a big push against same-sex marriage…
Early on a late September morning, if all goes according to plan, 1 million Mormons, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, evangelical Christians, Sikhs and Hindus will open their doors, march down their front walks and plant "Yes on Proposition 8" signs in their yards to show they support repealing same-sex marriage in California. Jessica Garrison in the Los Angeles Times
Could 1-cent sales tax raise be the last straw…?
After six years without a state sales-tax hike, Gov. Schwarzenegger is proposing a temporary 1-cent increase. For some, the tax is reasonable, but for others, it could make things rough in an already-tough economy. Modesto Bee
Economy forcing many to let go of luxury toys…
With paperwork in hand, Ashley Sparks set off in search of his newest target – a 2005 Winnebago motor home. Sparks, an adjuster for ABA Recovery Service, found the vehicle on a well-manicured street in Point Loma, surrounded by homes nearing the million-dollar mark. David Hasemyer in the San Diego Union-Trib
Drinking age at 18; Sacramento State president says no…
Turning 21 is treated as a rite of passage by most Americans. Friends are called to hit a bar, or several, and proceed to get the celebrant smashed. But a growing collection of high-powered academics is challenging the norm – suggesting there is nothing magic about the age 21. Ed Fletcher in the Sacramento Bee
Democrats stage ‘faith-filled‘ convention in Denver this week…
"At the first official event Sunday of the Democratic National Convention, a choir belted out a gospel song and was followed by a rabbi reciting a Torah reading about forgiveness and the future. Helen Prejean, the Catholic nun who wrote Dead Man Walking, assailed the death penalty and the use of torture. Young Muslim women in headscarves sat near older African-American women in their finest Sunday hats. Four years ago, such a scene would have been unthinkable at a Democratic National Convention. In 2004, there was one interfaith lunch at the Democratic gala in Boston. (The) same year, 'values voters' helped re-elect President Bush, giving Democrats of faith the opening they needed to make party leaders listen to them. The result was on display at Sunday's interfaith service, staged in a theater inside the Colorado Convention Center, and will be evident throughout the convention agenda and on the sidelines." Boston Globe
