Naturalized citizens are poised to reshape California's political landscape
More than 1 million immigrants became U.S. citizens last year, the largest surge in history, hastening the ethnic transformation of California's political landscape with more Latinos and Asians now eligible to vote.

SEIU may be linked to ultimatum on withholding stimulus funds
Reporting from Sacramento -- Officials in the governor's office say a politically powerful union may have had inappropriate influence over the Obama administration's decision to withhold billions of dollars in federal stimulus money from California if the state does not reverse a scheduled wage cut for the labor group's workers.

Prospect of high-voltage power lines dims enthusiasm of some Californians for green energy
In the summer heat, Rockney Compton's spring-fed koi pond doubles as a swimming hole for his three kids, and in the spring it is a water bowl for his dogs.

GOP six feel heat for vote on taxes
Just before state Sen. Roy Ashburn cast the vote that would subject him to a recall drive and cloud his political future, he recalled his hero, Ronald Reagan. He told of Reagan's painful decisions as California governor to twice abandon a no-taxes pledge.

What effect will ballot measures have on state workers?
The Bee's Dan Walters answers readers' questions about the state budget and the budget-related measures on the May 19 special election ballot.

The Buzz
President Barack Obama and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger are BFF ("best friends forever"), at least when it comes to federal stimulus efforts. That could come in handy. Some Obama minions say California risks losing $6.8 billion in health care funds unless it rescinds cuts made by the guv and legislators last February in pay rates for home health care workers. A fed lawyer wrote last week that the cuts, made to help balance the state budget, violated the stimulus act. The guv says they did not and is asking the Obama administration to overrule.

Dan Walters: Fiscal crunch provides opening to overhaul California school finance
Few Californians have ever heard of the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, also called FCMAT, much less know what it does.

Calif. bill would give young killers rehab chance
State Sen. Leland Yee believes that wayward kids should have a second chance to make good - even when they commit murder or other serious crimes.

Pot bill passes, U.S. laws change, then what?
Imagine walking into a coffee shop, corner market or any grocery store with a state-approved cannabis license and buying a joint or an ounce of pot, plus tax.

Pot proposal's impact depends on federal law
When California became the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996, the federal government responded by closing down pot clubs, prosecuting suppliers, threatening doctors who recommended the drug, and successfully battling co-ops and patients in cases that reached the U.S. Supreme Court.

Matier & Ross: Local teams go to bat for Prop. 1A
We can't remember the last time the usually nonpolitical San Francisco Giants and the Oakland A's were on the same page, let alone the same team - so it really sparked our interest when the California secretary of state's records showed both ballclubs had ponied up $25,000 to help Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger pass Proposition 1A.

California's cash crisis
The numbers just keep getting worse. On Friday, state Controller John Chiang revealed that tax revenues for this fiscal year were running $2.1 billion behind the projections that were built into the budget. Also last week, the legislative analyst's office said the state's cash-flow crisis will require the borrowing of billions in the first few months of the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, to pay its bills.

Greens join GOP in opposing ballot measures
Make a note on your calendars: This was the day on which the Green Party of California and the California Republican Party were on the same page. Well, sort of.

Excess at the top of the UC system
DESPITE A SALARY freeze for UC employees and a 9 percent, $693 increase in tuition (euphemistically called fees), regents approved huge pay increases for two new chancellors.

Ominous signs for California's budget
WITH A $14 billion state budget shortfall looming, we wait anxiously to see whether Republicans in the state Legislature intend to be part of the solution or the obstacles to rational compromise.

Candidates vary on propositions
The candidates for governor of California in 2010 have about as many positions on the May 19 special election ballot propositions as there are candidates.

California's failed statute
California's ban on using hand-held cell phones while behind the wheel has been a resounding flop – not because the law isn't sensible, but because so many motorists flagrantly ignore it. It's hard to imagine any statute that is flouted with such impunity as the cell phone law. So, this editorial is for those many millions of you who routinely talk on the phone while driving.

Bill would apply caged hen rules to out-of-state eggs
California's upcoming ban on small cages for egg-laying hens would be extended to out-of-state egg producers if a bill moving through the Legislature becomes law.