"Day of Action" for Education
Years of pent-up frustration and anger over K-12 funding cuts and rising college tuitions spilled into the streets of California this week. It was part of a National Day of Action for Public Education. Up and down the state, demonstrations targeted larger class sizes, teacher layoffs and higher student fees.
Chasing Drop Outs
One possible source of school funding dried up this week when California failed to make the final cut for federal education funding from the Obama administration's 'Race to the Top' reform program. President Obama is also pushing charter schools. But they're controversial, in part because they don't always reach students who need help the most. We report on one charter school working to get high school diplomas in the hands of students who've all but given up trying.
Sitting Down With Jerry Brown
Jerry Brown's name is a kind of political Rorschach test in California. He's a flaky treehugger to some, and a brilliant visionary to others. In 1974, at the age of 36, Brown became the youngest person ever elected governor of California. This week the 71 year old attorney general set out to win back his former job. If he does, he'll become the oldest governor ever elected here. Sacramento Bureau Chief John Myers caught up with Jerry Brown in Santa Monica this week, and asked about the roots of California's budget mess.
Bear Hunting in California
The Department of Fish and Game is proposing changing regulations to expand where and how Californians can hunt bears. Lisa Morehouse went to a bear hunting clinic in Diamond Springs near Placerville to find out more.
California Songs: Loudon Wainwright III's 'Grey in L.A.'
Our occasional series on California Songs continues with Loudon Wainwright III. The Grammy winner and sometime actor famously draws inspiration from just about everything, from his life and family to politics. On "Grey in L.A.," Wainwright looks at the upside when bad weather hits sunny Southern California.