Eric Hogue

Pastor Robert Jones went to the Capitol last Wednesday hoping to make his voice heard. What he got instead was a swear-word laden rebuke from Democratic Sen. Pat Wiggins, who interrupted Jones' testimony to say, "I think your arguments are bull---." Courtesy of Shane Goldmacher SacBee Capitol Alert

The Culligan Man could soon join the Maytag repairman in California, as regional water agencies seek more authority to remove home water softeners if they threaten local water supplies. Assembly Bill 2270, by Assemblymen John Laird and Mike Feuer, D-Los Angeles, would allow cities, counties and special districts – whichever entity oversees wastewater – to ban water softeners. Daniel Zarchy in the Sacramento Bee

The parade of capital spending cuts may feed the economy's downturn. Many firms' optimism for 2009 evaporates. Martin Zimmerman in the Los Angeles Times Here is an interesting twist; more government spending (more tax money raised, spent) actually helps the economy. Cutting taxes, spending hurts the economy. If this is true, we now have a socialized government, right?

A few weeks back, Time magazine was musing that John McCain was in danger of sliding from “a long shot” to a “no-shot.” Around the same time, a hard-nosed former Hillary Clinton insider declared the race “effectively over” thanks to the McCain campaign’s ineptitude, the tanking U.S. economy and Obama’s advantages in cash, charisma and hope. And Obama, up by three to six points nationally, was about to leverage a much-anticipated trip to Iraq, Afghanistan and Europe into a pre-convention poll surge. Politico

Fremont may double its bus fees, to $700 a kid. In Gilroy, elementary students must now live a mile away from school before they can board a school bus. And transportation directors everywhere are working the phones to find the best price on diesel fuel. With classes just a few weeks from resuming, the fuel crisis is heading to school. And while businesses and families have been struggling to handle the costs, schools have a few special issues. Most of those big yellow buses are fueled by diesel. With diesel at $4.56 a gallon, those 96-gallon tanks cost $438 a fill-up. Dana Hull in the San Jose Mercury

The Republican Party, which overtook Valley Democrats in voter registration totals eight years ago, is losing ground for the first time in at least a decade. After peaking just ahead of the 2004 presidential election, Republican registration numbers are down in Fresno, Tulare, Kings, Madera, Mariposa and Merced counties. John Ellis in the Fresno Bee

Joann Gardner sat forlornly on her living room floor, waiting for the final step in her home's foreclosure process. The lender's representative was due any moment to give her "cash for keys," a transaction in which she would deliver her family home vacant in exchange for an incentive payment. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle

When Michele Frost and Mary Helen Walker enrolled their 3-year-old daughter Shea in preschool, it required a change in the school application form. But it was no big deal: Officials simply substituted the words "mother" and "father" with "Parent 1" and "Parent 2." Rob Hotakainen in the Sacramento Bee

Sometimes the joy of gay marriage is followed by the pain of gay divorce, but Peter Zupcofska is there to help. Rob Hotakainen in the Sacramento Bee

African Americans are leaving San Francisco because of substandard schools, a lack of affordable housing and the dearth of jobs and black culture, according to a report by a committee looking into the exodus. The African American Out-migration Task Force, put together by the mayor's office last year to figure out what can be done to preserve the city's remaining black population and cultivate new residents, presented its findings at a public hearing Thursday called by Supervisor Chris Daly. Leslie Fulbright in the San Francisco Chronicle. Is the most liberal city in America racist?

They also would have to wait three days before they are paid by check under legislation intended to reduce the theft of valuable metals. The ACLU sees an invasion of privacy. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times. This is a perfect solution…we have all of this theft for copper, silver and precious metals…let’s make them wait for a few days to make sure they didn’t steal the metal to get the cash.

Reader Comments

• Email
• Print
• Discuss

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed a temporary, one-cent increase in the state sales tax along with long-term budget reforms in an effort to break the stalemate in budget negotiations that have been stalled for more than a month, legislative sources close to the talks said Monday. Matthew Yi in the San Francisco Chronicle Jim Sanders in the Sacramento Bee Evan Halper and Nancy Vogel in the Los Angeles Times Ed Mendel in the San Diego Union-Trib Mike Zapler in the San Jose Mercury

If voters approve a November ballot measure banning same-sex marriages in California, thousands of gay and lesbian weddings conducted since the state Supreme Court legalized the unions on May 15 will probably remain valid, Attorney General Jerry Brown said Monday. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle

Dakin is founder of Citizens for Civil Discourse, a nonpartisan group in Washington, D.C., working to promote a new "National Political Do Not Contact Registry" that includes such "robocalls," which are used in political campaigns ranging from school board elections to the race for president. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle

After analyzing kids' items offered by 13 of the nation's 25 largest restaurant chains, the Center for Science in the Public Interest concluded that 93 percent of the meals provide too many calories. Carrie Peyton Dahlberg in the Sacramento Bee

San Francisco took a major step Monday to cement its reputation as the most environmentally progressive city in the United States, as Mayor Gavin Newsom signed into law stringent green building codes for new construction and renovations of existing structures in the city. Wyatt Buchanan in the San Francisco Chronicle

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed a temporary one-cent increase in the state sales tax for the next three years in exchange for long-term fixes he believes would solve the state's perennial budget woes, several sources familiar with the negotiations said Monday. The governor's proposal comes as he and lawmakers are 35 days into the fiscal year with no approved spending plan. Jim Sanders and Kevin Yamamura in the Sacramento Bee Evan Halper and Nancy Vogel in the Los Angeles Times

Crude oil futures drop, meaning more relief for consumers could be on the way. The Energy Department says the average gas price dipped to $3.88 a gallon nationally and $4.205 in California. Martin Zimmerman in the Los Angeles Times

Is Democratic San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom already putting together his team for that 2010 gubernatorial run? The newlywed mayor and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, were spotted in Malibu Saturday, honeymooning deep in lengthy conservation over frappucinos -- with Democratic uber-political consultant Garry South. Carla Marinucci Chronicle Politics Weblog

The first wave of Americans to default on their home mortgages appears to be cresting, but a second, far larger one is quickly building. New York Times

California bullet-train enthusiasts risk losing support from key environmental groups because of a dispute over the train's route. Unless resolved soon, the conflict could pose problems for a high-speed rail bond measure on the November ballot. The Sierra Club and the Planning and Conservation League have not yet taken a position on Proposition 1, which would authorize $9.95 billion in state borrowing to jump-start the 800-mile rail. E.J. Schultz in the Sacramento Bee

Reader Comments

• Email
• Print
• Discuss

We’ve discussed this on a previous show and I still believe it is the right method of ‘introduction’ for your children. From the story: if kids actually drank with their parents, they were about half as likely to say they had drunk alcohol in the past month and about one-third as likely to say they had had five or more drinks in a row in the previous two weeks. As Foley and her colleagues wrote in a 2004 Journal of Adolescent Health paper, "Drinking with parents appears to have a protective effect on general drinking trends." TIME

In case you missed it: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger did what he said he was going to do: He signed an executive order today eliminating jobs for as many as 22,000 temporary state employees and reducing pay for about 200,000 state workers to the federal minimum wage. Most of these workers can borrow their paychecks from a credit union, without any interest - yet, a few will have to add the cost of some interest over the next 30-60 days.

Proponents of Proposition 8, a ballot initiative that would ban same-sex marriage, raised about $3.7 million from Jan. 1 through June 30, according to state filings. In contrast, gay-rights activists who oppose the measure raised about $2.5 million through June 30. Wall Street Journal

Paula Rodriguez, who lives in the San Fernando Valley, got so disgusted with soaring fuel prices last spring that she stopped driving, sold her SUV and bought a bike. But pedaling the 15 miles home from her job, the 30-year-old Ms. Rodriquez has encountered something more frightening than $4.50-a-gallon gasoline: the mean streets of L.A., home of the nation's most entrenched car culture. Wall Street Journal

Garbage collectors would inspect San Francisco residents' trash to make sure pizza crusts aren't mixed in with chip bags or wine bottles under a proposal by Mayor Gavin Newsom. And if residents or businesses don't separate the coffee grounds from the newspapers, they would face fines of up to $1,000 and eventually could have their garbage service stopped. San Francisco Chronicle Sounds like a nice job for someone, ugh!

A state appeals court upheld California's 12-year-old medical marijuana law Thursday, rejecting two counties' arguments that allowing patients to use the drug with their doctor's approval condones violations of federal narcotics laws. The Fourth District Court of Appeal in San Diego dismissed challenges by San Diego and San Bernardino counties, which objected both to the 1996 marijuana initiative and to recent legislation requiring counties to issue identification cards to users of medical pot. San Francisco Chronicle

Operators of area food banks say the weakening economy and higher food costs are changing the patterns of demand for free groceries. Not only are there noticeably more first-time clients, the timing of demand also has changed. Sacramento Bee

That controversial new ad for John McCain called ''Celeb,'' uses images of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton to jab at Democrat Barack Obama for being just too much of a celebrity - and is being credited to the saavy Steve Schmidt, John McCain's chief strategist. But didn't Schmidt - whose spot asks whether voters can trust such a star to govern -- manage that successful effort to re-elect the world's biggest celebrity, the action hero governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger? Weblog Maybe he learn something from his last session, here in California - celebrities can’t govern regular people.

As gas prices remain above $4 a gallon in most of the Bay Area, Californians are more open to the idea of offshore drilling for oil than they have been in the past. A slim majority — 51 percent to 45 percent — approve of offshore drilling, according to a survey by the Public Policy Institute of California. It's the first time since the institute began asking the question in 2003 that more residents favor drilling than oppose it. A year ago, only 41 percent favored drilling. Steven Harmon in the Contra Costa Times Jane Kay in the San Francisco Chronicle

About a dozen members of the Minutemen, a group that patrols the U.S.-Mexican border to keep illegal immigrants out, stood on the San Francisco City Hall steps Wednesday to decry the city's sanctuary policy and demand that Mayor Gavin Newsom resign. San Francisco Chronicle

As many as 5.4 million working Californians don't get any paid sick days - and they tend to be both sicker and poorer than employees who do receive sick leave, according to a report released Wednesday. San Francisco Chronicle

With a stagnating economy and hundreds of miles of new fences along the Mexican border, the United States - and California - may have become a less inviting destination for illegal immigrants from Latin America. Two key signals - an unprecedented slowdown in money sent by immigrants back to Mexico, and a new report that claims the nation's illegal immigrant population has dropped significantly since last summer - indicate a possible change. San Jose Mercury

But starting this year in Elk Grove, in a trend spreading throughout the region, parents have a new option for making sure their children get fed at noontime: They can prepay online through a service called myLunchMoney.com. Instead of sending checks or cash to school, they can use debit or credit cards to make payments, and monitor online when accounts need replenishing. Students punch in personal identification numbers to trigger food purchases. Sacramento Bee I have a thought here; how long until the Internet and the computer become a “utility” that people will need for the basics of their lives? If so, should the government be offering ‘help’ to those who are impoverished? Should we have tax dollars going toward the gap called the “digital divide”?

Authorities should tolerate an initiative to place ads about Islam in New York subway cars, said a Christian theologian with expertise in Islamic strategies. Several Muslim groups, including main sponsor Islamic Circle of North America, are supporting a campaign to feature 1,000 ads promoting Islam in New York’s subway trains in September to coincide with the Islamic holiday of Ramadan. The ads feature phrases associated with Islam such as “Head Scarf?” or “Prophet Muhammad?” and the phrase “You deserve to know” along with the Web site address WhyIslam.org, according to CNN. Critics of the ads have accused its backers of having ties with terrorists, and urged the Metropolitan Transit Authority to reject the ads. Christian Post

Earlier this year, Chad Smith, a pastor from Tuscaloosa, and his wife, Marti, began looking for a non-denominational church to lead. However, Pastor Smith found that his résumé was one of hundreds that many churches were looking through. So Smith says he began praying, asking God for a novel way to get his name out there. "So I was riding my motorcycle - yes, I ride a Harley Davidson - was riding down the road, and came up with the idea of putting my wife, myself, and my kids for sale on eBay," Smith explains. One News Now

Children have lost touch with the natural world and are unable to identify common animals and plants, according to a survey. Half of youngsters aged nine to 11 were unable to identify a daddy-long-legs, oak tree, blue tit or bluebell, in the poll by BBC Wildlife Magazine. The study also found that playing in the countryside was children's least popular way of spending their spare time, and that they would rather see friends or play on their computer than go for a walk or play outdoors. The Independent News

Jennifer Rein is due in August to deliver twin girls. She works 50 hours a week as a hospital administrator in Manhattan and has a supportive husband, but just doesn't believe she has enough time to get adequately prepared for her babies' arrival. So Rein hired a company called inBloom Baby Planners to help set up her baby registry and nursery, arrange private CPR classes for Rein and her husband, do product research to make sure her babies' new toys are safe from things like lead. And, last but not least, the company will help Rein find the right baby nurse and nanny. ABC News Nightline

Reader Comments

• Email
• Print
• Discuss

The story notes “Materials and labor were donated for the home, which would have cost about $450,000 to build. Beazer Homes' employees and company partners also raised $250,000 in contributions for the family, including scholarships for the couple's three children and a home maintenance fund.” But the family used the house for a $450,000 business loan and the business failed. Later from the story: Some of the volunteers who helped build the home were less than thrilled about the family's financial decisions. "It's aggravating. It just makes you mad. You do that much work, and they just squander it," Lake City Mayor Willie Oswalt, who helped vault a massive beam into place in the Harper's living room, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. MSN News Should we ever “feel” (believe) we ’own’ someone, and their decisions, because we gave something to them…? This seems a bit toxic to me; should we care that they tried a business model and it failed. Does God expect us to murmur and grumble because they tried something and it failed? After watching the video you are left with a feeling that this is educational at the core - the wife offers some very remedial excuses as to why they took out $450,000 15-months ago and have nothing left today to pay the mortgage payments. What a sad state of affairs here. Here is the video link.

Breast-feeding, what many believe to be the most intimate act between a mother and child, is also generally believed to be an act exclusively between a mother and child. According to experts, however, there is a growing trend of cross-nursing, in which a mother will allow another woman to breast-feed her baby. "I think that it's just not been our social norm," said Morgan McFarland, who has been breast-feeding her friend Sarah Griffith's son since he was just 3 months old. "In some cultures, it is, and you would think nothing of, you know, nursing your neighbor's child if something happened, or nursing your sister's baby if she has to go to work." GMA and ABC News

Upholding the death penalty of an Army private convicted of a series of rapes and murders more than two decades ago. As commander in chief, the president has the final authority to approve capital punishment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and he did so on Monday morning in the case of Pvt. Ronald A. Gray, convicted by court-martial for two killings and an attempted murder at Fort Bragg, N.C., the White House said in a statement. NY Times Tough call until you read about this man’s crimes. With “responsibility comes more responsibility, and a harsher judgment of righteousness. This seems to be the correct call by the President.

The Rev. Brian Kluth thinks Christians can figure that out for themselves - after 40 days of prayer, meditation and study of his devotional-style booklet. Kluth, a former fundraiser for Bethel University, has been shipping Twin Cities churches sample copies of "40 Day Spiritual Journey to a More Generous Life," which claims to make tithing a little easier on the heart and the wallet. Among his ideas is that in tough times, donations actually help givers get out of debt by forcing careful budgeting. Twins Cities News And another column inside of the Sacramento Bee today states; Manning praised churches for promoting financial education but cautioned that religious groups also are acting out of self-interest. "If these people are in debt, they can't tithe, and that means the church feels it," he said. "These programs teach that you should tithe first." Sacramento Bee

The new movie will offer churches a unique opportunity this fall to underscore the importance of a biblical view of marriage. It opens in theaters Sept. 26, but churches already are thinking ahead about ways they can use the movie to help their congregation. Officials with Sherwood Pictures - which made the film - are emphasizing the importance of Christians watching the movie on opening weekend and not waiting until the second weekend. Baptist Press News The skeptic asks; is this movie ‘really’ that good, or is this a ploy to manipulate the Christian marketplace to buy tickets to a movie that is average at best? As one told me, “nothing to see here but marketing greed and church manipulation by guilt over a proclaimed ‘must use (see) ministry’ tool.” Thoughts?

Christian broadcaster and author Tom McMahon says evangelical pastor Rick Warren's belief that the church must take the lead in solving the world's problems of poverty, disease, and war cannot be reconciled with the scriptures. Pastor Warren will be hosting an interfaith meeting next month with 30 Christian, Jewish, and Muslim leaders "to discuss cooperation for the common good of all Americans." Warren's P.E.A.C.E. plan mobilizes churches to address global problems. But McMahon, president of The Berean Call ministry, says the popular Christian author is introducing evangelical Christianity to the social gospel that he learned from his mentor, social scientist Peter Drucker. One News Now

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will wait until Thursday to sign an order slashing state workers' pay to the federal minimum wage and laying off thousands of other employees to save money during the impasse over the state budget, a spokesman for the governor said Monday. San Francisco Chronicle

Proponents of a ballot measure to ban same-sex marriages in California plan to appear in court today to challenge state Attorney General Jerry Brown's rewording of the measure's ballot summary. On the petitions circulated last year to qualify the measure for the Nov. 4 ballot, it was described as a "Limit on Marriage." Sacramento Bee

The bulky aircraft are reassuring sights to those in harm's way, but their use can be a needless and expensive exercise to appease politicians. Fire officials call them 'CNN drops.' Los Angeles Times I’ve been told they cost nearly $25,000 a drop. If this is true, then we need to scream about this “show”.

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain preached offshore oil drilling, nuclear energy, victory in Iraq and school vouchers to a well-heeled crowd of Bay Area donors at a fundraiser Monday night. Oakland Tribune

GOP presidential candidate John McCain, fundraising in the San Francisco Bay Area, one of the nation's technology capitals, acknowledged Monday that he isn't a "tech freak" or entirely comfortable with the Internet, BlackBerrys or e-mail. But he strongly disputed criticism that he is "out of the loop" as unfair. San Francisco Chronicle Is this a problem? Should our President be “tech savvy” in 2008? Consider that a majority of our economy rests within the highway, tools and software of the computer and the Internet, you might be a bit bugged by this weakness.

This year's record-shredding spike in gasoline prices has finally ended, with prices throughout the country falling by more than a penny per day. And American drivers can thank themselves for the drop. San Francisco Chronicle Keep driving less, and less, you are helping to make it more, and more, affordable for me and my car.

But as commuters park gas-guzzling vehicles and opt for scooters, seasoned riders and safety experts worry these drivers are not prepared for a lifestyle change and an entirely different approach to driving. Some worry that the ease by which someone can plunk down cash and hit the road might quickly get some riders in over their heads. Fresno Bee Do we need to force scooter drivers to get a training permit?

Tiny town takes sides - This hideaway farm town east of Modesto seemed too small to be torn in two. But that was before a truck sped down a dirt road, past cornfields and nut trees, and flopped into an irrigation canal. That was before people started exploring the bond between the men inside the cab. San Francisco Chronicle

The new John McCain TV ad hitting key states throws Barack Obama some kidney punches in that traditional liberal soft spot: Disrespecting the troops. It is a classic example of what makes modern political advertising alive, well and noxious to the apolitical: It is factually true and contextually misleading. Weblog

Yes, folks... they actually research this. Not sure how they qualify their research, but none the less, they do, somehow. Here's the premise: The closer your walk with God, the better your sex life. Although I wonder if it's the other way around: the better your sex life, the closer you feel to God. Regardless, here's part of the article and findings over at WorldNetDaily...Contrary to popular notions of Christians as sexual prudes, 15 years of study have convinced a psychologist and professor that "knowing" your spouse "in the biblical sense" can be scientifically verified as a fulfilling and spiritual experience. I agree; I believe “knowing” is deeper than just having sex with your spouse. It takes the world’s sleaze out of intercourse, and adds the excitement. World Net Daily and Monday Morning Insight 

Reader Comments

• Email
• Print
• Discuss