GOP leader stomps out of state budget talks -- Budget negotiations between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and four Legislative leaders fell apart Tuesday when one of the Republican leaders stormed out of the meeting, angrily charging that the talks "are not helpful." "Frankly, I was very frustrated when leaving that meeting," Assembly Republican leader Mike Villines from Clovis (Fresno County), said in an interview. "I'm tired of walking into (these meetings) and the only thing that's being talked about is more tax increases."

 

Schwarzenegger's push to hike sales tax riles GOP -- ov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has taken on an unlikely role as one of the Capitol's most steadfast champions of a tax hike, spurning his fellow Republicans' uncharacteristic effort to borrow their way out of budget trouble. The GOP lawmakers, preferring debt to a tax increase, say Democrats might have agreed to close the $15.2-billion budget gap with loans by now if not for Schwarzenegger.

 

Judge blocks state's cut in Medi-Cal fees -- A federal judge has blocked California's 10 percent cut in Medi-Cal fees for doctors, dentists and pharmacies, saying the money-saving measures appear to violate federal law and would worsen medical care for millions of poor people. In her ruling Monday, U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder of Los Angeles said she was aware of California's gaping deficit, now $17.2 billion (including $2 billion in reserves) with the budget 50 days overdue and legislators still deadlocked.

 

Dan Walters: This week's pivotal for state Capitol's budget, water battles -- This is shaping up as a make-or-break week not only on the long-stalled state budget but on other major issues, such as water bonds, that are tied to the Nov. 4 ballot.

 

Budget before conventions, governor says -- Presidential conventions? Not until California passes a state budget, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told legislative leaders Tuesday. "I told the legislative leaders that it's extremely important not to leave before we have a budget done," Schwarzenegger said.

 

Parra wins praise for political gumption -- A day after she was booted from her Capitol office, Assembly Member Nicole Parra on Tuesday showed no signs of backing off her demand that lawmakers approve a water bond before she votes on the state budget, now 51 days late.

 

Bill would make hybrids heard on streets -- Electric and hybrid vehicles may be good for the environment, but a California lawmaker says they're bad news for the blind. State Sen. Alan Lowenthal, a Long Beach Democrat, is pushing a bill aimed at ensuring that the vehicles make enough noise to be heard by the blind and visually impaired when they're about to cross a street.

 

San Franciscon cuts misuse of disability parking fine -- hile the prices of many parking infractions in San Francisco are going through the roof, there's one violation that has become a relative bargain - misusing a parking placard for people with disabilities. That used to cost miscreants $500 a pop. Now, the fine is a mere $100.

 

Indian tribes, charities reach deal on bingo fundraisers -- California's politically powerful Indian casino tribes and the state's major charities have worked out a "win-win" deal that would allow the charities to expand their bingo operations while preserving the tribes' constitutional monopoly on slot machines. But the compromise, which has attracted a swarm of lobbyists in the waning days of the Legislature's session, might be a lose-lose for some small charities, particularly in the Sacramento area, and for manufacturers of electronic games that look and play like slot machines but are advertised as "electronic bingo" machines.

 

State Senate sends bills on guns, traffic and bandit taxis to Schwarzenegger -- Among the bills is one that would close a loophole on carrying loaded firearms in unincorporated areas. Another would fine bandit cab operators $5,000 and disconnect their phones.

 

Twice as many in state can now afford a home -- A pair of reports released Tuesday highlighted the upside of the real estate downturn: Housing is becoming more affordable for more people across California and the Bay Area. The percentage of households able to buy an entry-level residence in the state reached 48 percent during the second quarter, double the level from a year ago, according to the California Association of Realtors.

 

Federal foreclosure-purchase program may fall flat in California -- To Congress, it looked like a way to both ease blight and provide affordable housing: give local governments $4 billion to buy, repair and resell homes lost to foreclosure. But the program -- included in the landmark housing bill signed by President Bush last month -- faces growing doubts among real estate experts and economists, who point out that the government will now be competing with lenders and private homeowners who have been struggling to sell in a depressed market.

 

Algebra 1 requirement highlights teacher shortage -- Now that the state has mandated Algebra 1 for all eighth-graders within three years, a deeply entrenched problem has become even more urgent: California does not have enough qualified teachers of mathematics. Districts recognize the problem and are doing what they can to cultivate more teachers. So are universities. The number of new math teachers emerging from colleges has been going up.

 

USD revokes invitation to feminist theologian -- A University of San Diego decision rescinding a prestigious position to a Catholic feminist theologian has thrust it smack in the middle of a national debate over academic freedom versus adherence to church teachings.

 

Dan Weintraub: For builders, clean-air rules' timing is tough -- Mike Shaw didn't want to be caught by surprise when the state starting cracking down on diesel engines. He owned more than 100 of them - powering the scrapers, graders and bulldozers that are the backbone of his San Diego construction business. So he paid close attention when the state's air pollution regulators wrote new rules requiring the owners of diesel-powered equipment to clean up their fleets. And as he thinned the oldest, dirtiest engines from his stock, Shaw thought he was well on his way to satisfying the state's requirements.