California's Budget Cop
On Tuesday, Controller John Chiang stopped paying legislators because they failed to pass a balanced budget. The decision was the first use of last November's "no budget, no pay" initiative, Proposition 25. But it raises a new set of questions about fact-checking budgets, and whether the state needs something akin to a budget cop.
San Diego's Surprising Mayoral Race
San Diego may be thought of nationally as a conservative town with a long military tradition, not as a political groundbreaker. But that could change in next year's mayoral race, which includes three gay candidates -- all with a legitimate shot at the office.
Music Supervisor Sets the Mood for 'True Blood'
Fans of HBO's "True Blood" are counting down to Sunday night, when the sexy, spooky vampire show's fourth season premieres. The show has won all kinds of awards, not least for its music, which is chosen by veteran music supervisor Gary Calamar. We spend some time with Calamar to find out just how a music supervisor does what he does.
Brain Scan Research Could Help War Vets
This week's announcement by President Obama that combat troops will soon be withdrawn from Afghanistan means a different kind of surge is on the way -- a surge of veterans suffering the invisible wounds of war. Even though mental scars can be harder to see than missing limbs, new research measures the physical evidence of traumatic brain injury.
Solar Boom Creates New Jobs for Biologists
A huge solar energy project is generating plenty of construction jobs where green energy plants are being built. That in turn is generating another job boom among a very specialized group: field biologists. As these giant solar and wind plants go up, a community of biologists roves from project to project, measuring potential environmental damage from the developments.
