With Surplus in Hand, Democrats Look to Expand Transitional Kindergarten
Governor Jerry Brown is expected to deliver his budget plan for the next fiscal year on Friday. With state tax revenues coming in well above expectations, there is a lot of discussion in Sacramento about where the windfall might be spent. State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg announced he wants to spend roughly $200 million in the first year alone on expanding transitional kindergarten, to make it available to all four year olds in public schools by 2020.
Opponents of Fracking Speak Out at Public Hearings
On Wednesday in Salinas and Bakersfield, state regulators will take public comment on their new rules for hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking." The oil industry anticipates a natural gas boom in California -- but fracking is highly controversial, and the state is getting an earful in these meetings.
L.A. Sheriff Lee Baca Retires Amid Federal Investigation
The next election for Los Angeles County Sheriff just blew wide open following the stunning step down of the current sheriff, Lee Baca. The longtime leader of the nation's largest sheriff's department says he's leaving at the end of this month, following the recent federal indictment of 18 former sheriff's deputies over alleged abuse in L.A. County jails.
Wearable Tech at CES: Fashionable Electronics or 'Popcorn Products?'
The Consumer Electronics Show this week in Las Vegas is the place for companies big and small to showcase what they're working on or planning to sell in 2014. This year, wearable technology is one of the hottest trends, although it's anybody's guess how much of it will catch on with consumers. Just the same, you have to be in the game to win it -- and California startups are in the game in Las Vegas.