The California Cancer Research Act (CCRA), a statewide June 5 ballot initiative, aims to increase the tax on cigarettes, and a recent University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) study says the initiative would create thousands of jobs and significantly boost the state's overall economy. more ›

Data released by the U.S. Census Bureau last week ranks public employees in California as some of the nation's highest paid in 2010. Some residents feel that public workers' pay rates are completely justifiable due to the state's higher cost of living, but others believe they're simply paid too much. more ›

Congratulations, California. Although you've been dubbed The Golden State, seven of your cities made the top ten list for the worst cities to seek employment. After clicking through the jobless "winners," one thing is certain: Do not move to California's Central Valley. more ›

Among the ten wineries named the best in our grape-producing state that happen to offer some sumptuous landscape to lap up while sipping down a few glasses, Frommers selected Semler Malibu Family Wines, the lone SoCal selection in the bunch. more ›

Just like last year, L.A., or WeHo, didn't make The Advocate's third annual list of the "Gayest Cities in America." The alternative publication takes an alternative look at the typical census data to make their rankings, by examining "the per capita queerness of some less expected locales." more ›

Maybe someone in the Department of Finance didn't get the memo: The California State Budget was supposed to be kept under wraps until next Tuesday, but since it was accidentally already posted online, they're going to publish it ahead of schedule this afternoon. more ›

Nearly 2,000 nurses are striking today at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. They began their walkout at about 7:00 a.m. and won't be allowed back in the hospital until Tuesday. City News Service reports that the group of nurses, who are part of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United, haven't had a contract for months, in part because they say that their employer is trying to jack up the amount that they pay for health insurance when the rate that the hospital pays isn't going up at all. more ›

Official population estimates released today in a state demographic report by the Department of Finance show that California's population growth continues at a slow rate and that L.A. County still boasts the most residents. more ›

Californians have had their fingers, toes and eyes crossed for a high-speed rail system that connects NorCal to SoCal, promising a more convenient and efficient means to travel the Golden State without ever preparing for take off. But recent news from the state's legislative analyst indicates that this transportation dream may be merely that - a dream. more ›

Well, well, well, Manhattan Beach and La Cañada Flintridge... Looks like you both made the list among eight NorCal cities as two of the Golden State's most educated cities. We tips our hats to you both. Thank you for shining. more ›

The short answer: You betcha. Now for the longer answer. A study released today found that while in some counties, including Los Angeles, the childhood obesity rate is showing some decline, there has been an increase in more than half the state's counties. more ›

A new audit of the California foster care system has revealed that over 1,000 foster homes and facilities in the state match addresses on the state sex offender registry. This means that sex offenders are living and/or working in said foster care establishments. more ›

Imagine climbing aboard your trusty two-wheeler and traversing the mountains, farmland, and largely-unspoiled landscape of California in 1896. To help "cyclers" do this, mapmaker George Blum made this map of California roads for cyclists, as published today by the Big Map Blog. more ›

California is broke, so if people aren't paying their old traffic tickets, what kind of incentive can the state offer to get them to pony up at least some of the cash? How about a 50% off deal! As we previously reported, the idea behind the state's "Amnesty Program" is to encourage delinquent ticket-holders to pay up at a discount, rather than perhaps not pay up at all. more ›

Before the Governator left office, he signed into law a statewide plan that could permit over 4,000 females inmates to finish their sentences in the comforts of their own homes. Obviously a controversial incentive, the Alternative Custody Program may or may not benefit the children. more ›

A bill was approved last night by the California State Senate that will require the testing of all rape kits in counties where fewer than 12% of forcible rape cases result in arrests, reports the Pasadena Star News. more ›

Word on the street, via a plaid 1971 Volkswagen van dubbed Lucy, is that Sir Richard's condoms are the world's finest. The Boulder-based company has developed the first buy-one-give-one condom model. more ›

California mental hospitals are becoming increasingly dangerous zones. During an Assembly committee hearing in Sacramento on Tuesday, safety issues at the Golden State's mental hospitals were examined. Accounts of "faulty alarm systems, daily assaults and an increasing number of patients with criminal histories" were testified to lawmakers, reports LA Times. more ›

While cigarette smoking declines dramatically in California, another method of puffing is on the rise, especially among young adults - hookah use. A study by the American Journal of Public Health released last week states that between 2005 and 2008, hookah use by California adults spiked to more than 40%. more ›

Although cities and counties in California are creating legislation to ban the distribution of single-use plastic shopping bags by stores and restaurants, one group has seen to it California's students will read a section in their textbooks about the positives about the bags. more ›

"Eureka...I have found it!" Yesterday at Unique LA we spotted a trend towards celebrating our sunny Golden State. Check out these California designs that feature the state map, state bears and more make us feel like the most lucky of West Coast dwellers. Unique LA's first summer show at Barker Hanger in the Santa Monica Airport is open today from 11am - 6pm. Happy shopping! more ›

Today's announcement by the California Office of Historic Preservation (OHP), a division of California State Parks, delivered highly favorable news for California parks and historic sites. Ten cities and counties will receive $184,500 in federal grants to assist local historic preservation programs. more ›

California plans to borrow a tidy $5 billion from private investors should the federal government fail to raise its debt ceiling, as reported by KABC. The current limit on U.S. borrowing is $14.3 trillion. more ›

As temperatures reach into the triple-digits, it's more and more dangerous for those laboring outdoors to do their work safely. And some, it seems, have already succumbed: the Huffington Post reports that officials are investigating six deaths that may be heat-related. more ›

Medical marijuana, though legal in sixteen U.S. states and in Washington, D.C., classifies as a dangerous drug with no therapeutic value, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The federal government has imposed an aggressive mission to mitigate the legality of marijuana, and Los Angeles has witnessed the local effects of a crack-down on dispensaries in recent months, notably in Lake Forest, Venice Beach, West Hollywood and Glendale. more ›

To help explain Amazon.com Inc.'s shut down of their affiliate program in California, the debate over the new sales tax law and the current petition, Next Media Animation, a Taiwanese subsidiary of Next Media, has produced a short animation entitled "Amazon takes on California over sales tax." Animated Californian voters are shown checking "YAY!" in support of a tax-free online market. more ›

A new law requiring online retailers to collect California sales tax from shoppers has stirred up controversy, and now Amazon.com Inc. is saying they are looking for voters to take the matter to the ballot. more ›

Over 220 campaigns aiming to section California into halves or even thirds have been defeated since the 1850s. Supervisor Jeff Stone of Riverside County introduces the latest secession proposal. Blaming left-wing Sacramento for the state's economic crisis, Stone’s proposal gathers thirteen conservative Republican counties, including Riverside, and forms them into the nation’s 51st state - “South California.” more ›