Results tagged “california”

California State Parks director Ruth Coleman said that the agency faces a total of about $39 million in cuts after the new budget, which directly states a $14.2 million cut, was signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today. Additionally, $2.4 million was siphoned from a cigarette tax fund because less people are smoking. Furloughs and salary cuts round out the large number (Note: a full budget fact sheet is embedded below).

Oversized wristwatch connoisseur, former Hollywood thespian, and Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has some news: "@Schwarzenegger: Budget passed. Thanks to the legislature for the hard work last night and today. Plan to sign next week." But wait, there's more! "@Schwarzenegger: I will be going live @ www.gov.ca.gov in a few minutes to discuss the budget. Tune in!"

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and your legislative leaders came to a tentative agreement this evening to (finally!) "balance California's $26 billion deficit by cutting broadly across state government, shifting costs into the future and capturing funds from cities and counties." According to goes on to explain, "includes spending cuts to programs ranging from schools to welfare-to-work to prisons. It takes money from local governments, including borrowing $2 billion that the state will repay starting in 2013 and taking gas taxes that normally go toward local road projects." By the numbers: 6 billion in cuts to education, 3 billion slashed to higher education, and 1.2 billion pruned from prisons. (Cuts to prison funding, however, will not mean that prisoners would get released early.) Some things that were spared? Cal Grants and most state parks. Please standby for fallout.

The endearingly batshit auteur who brought us Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks and most recently, Inland Empire, is up to something new: a web-based series of interviews that appears to be a kind of video portrait of America, maybe in a Walker Evans or Diane Arbus vein. In the 'About' video, Lynch gives little elaboration about Interview Project, and deadpans things like, "The people who were interviewed each was different." The first episode, which premiered yesterday, is an interview with Jess, a wizened old dude who was just sitting by the road in Needles, California waiting for his trailer to be repaired. We're imagining more Lynchian characters like him, straight out of a non-sequitor moment from one of his films, but this project is being helmed by Austin Lynch, David's 26-year-old son and maybe will take on bigger themes as it progresses. It was shot over 70 days and 20,000 miles as the team went across the country and back again, and there will be a new episode up on the site every three days.

KRON4 has this coverage from earlier this morning of protesters at the ready outside the court where the Prop 8 announcement is set to be announced in just over an hour. They also have a separate video from last night's telecast featuring a quick talk with former SF Assistant D.A., Jim Hammer. Over at the Chron, they're pulling at heartstrings with the story of John Callaway, who was married to his husband of 25 years last summer and whose marriage is one of 18,000 that may face invalidation by the court today -- though likely will not.

Last night, SF Mayor Gavin Newsom "officially kicked off his campaign" for governor of California 2010. That is to say, you'll see even less of Newsom over the next year or so. If that's even possible. Which is fine with us. Because "Mayor Nathan Ballard" has a nice ring to it. Oh, come now. Ballard is a funny guy. Period. And a smartypants too. And that's good enough for us.

Yesterday in Sacramento, the State of California returned three paintings to the heirs of Jakob and Rosa Oppenheimer, which were recently discovered to have been the subject of a “judenauktionen,” a coerced sale of Jewish assets by the Nazis, in 1935.

It is done. (Well, almost done.) By 7 a.m., both houses of the Legislature passed the shiny budget plan. The 33 bills include "$15 billion in spending cuts, $11.4 billion in borrowing, $12.8 billion in taxes and about $2 billion of federal funds from the federal stimulus package that President Obama signed on Tuesday." Also, a 1-cent on the dollar sales tax, vehicle license fee, and an increase in the state income tax are tacked on for good measure.

The above image -- showing just how large scale Saturday's national Prop 8 protest will look -- is from the flyer used to promote the big event. All of the demonstrations start at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow unless noted otherwise.

According to a handy zip-code-searching tool at the Chron, about 200 San Franciscans have stuck their noses into their neighbors' marriages by giving money to the anti-marriage campaign. Voting to end your neighbor's marriage? That's messed up. But here's what's even messier: less than 9,000 San Franciscans have donated to No On 8. Seriously, folks? How much easier could it be, especially now that they're matching donations?

While Sarah Palin held her own last night during last night's debate, more or less, and Joe Biden shed an effeminate tear that touched millions, both team McCain-Palin and team Barack-Biden bit it hard when it came to human rights. Take, for example, their stances against same-sex marriage, which both candidates, it seems, are 100% against. (But Palin doesn't mind the queers doing her hair and makeup; she's very "tolerant" of people, you see. All of them.)

Hey gay couples! You're in terrible danger. Fortunately, we can help. Well, not exactly -- SFist_Matt, to be specific, has taken a break from writing stern emails to Muni, and is now working on a really neat online video project to protect marriage equality.

Pesky environmentalists gave the thumbs up to the Pacheco Pass route for the high-speed train that will whisk Californians from the Bay Area to Los Angeles in, like, five minutes. Or something like that. Wonderful news. An according to the California High Speed Rail Authority's recently released press release:

• No. 25 is alive. Again. [WhatImSeeing]
• "OMGROFL" [Jameth]
• Breaking news: Danielle Steel's "glazed" Stinson Beach home for sale. [Curbed]

While his Holiness is more or less meh when it comes to non-consensual sex between a man and a boy, same-sex marriage just ain't cool in his book. So stop, says Pope Benedict.

Heads have been exploding throughout California ever since this morning's delightful news about same-sex marriage was announced. City Attorney Dennis Herrera, in particular, is beaming--at least according to a press released sent out an hour after the ruling was announced.

According to ABC 7--who just mercifully brought The View to a screeching halt to inform viewers--the California State Supreme Court struck down the gay marriage ban. So: same-sex marriage is now legal, at least according to the California Supreme Court.

We're getting word that something chaotic is going down right now at Presidio & California. If you know anything, let us know in the comments.

This morning we ran north on Arguello to the Presidio. When we reached California Street, it struck us that there were no pedestrian signals at that intersection, which is rife with pedestrians, on a crowded bus line, and right near a couple of schools and a huge synagogue.

Yesterday we mentioned the delightful work trip/vacation San Francisco supervisor Bevan Dufty and city treasurer Jose Cisneros took to Australia for Sydney's Gay Mardi Gras. Trannyshack founder Heklina was there, too. And many readers fretted about whether or not city tax dollars went to pay for this trip down under -- an excursion, it should be mentioned, that will reportedly bring in much-needed tourist dollars to SF. Anyway, according to Dufty's office:

The Library Tower (AKA the U.S. Bank Tower) in Los Angeles could soon be the second tallest building west of the Mississippi thanks to San Francisco's proposed Transbay Terminal. While the Library Tower, located in downtown Los Angeles, stands at an alluring 1,018-feet tall, the Transbay Terminal is primed to win the measuring contest at 1,200-feet.

Although last week's test on the American tap water by chemists claims to have detected the sex hormone estradiol -- found such vertebrate animals as birds, reptiles, and fish -- a more recent test conducted by the American Waterworks Association Research Foundation, says that San Francisco's "best tasting" H20 has come up sparkling clean.

It looks like Mayor Gavin Newsom will take a stab at running for Governor of California in 2010. In addition to the gaggle of Democratic hopefuls looking to succeed Gov. Schwarzenegger after his reign comes to an end -- which include former governor Jerry Brown, former state controller Steve Westley, and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, just to name a few -- San Francisco's very own mayor wants the title as well.

Ha ha. Our mayor is better than yours. Why? Because Gavin Newsom wrote a thoughtful post for the Daily Kos regarding today's state Supreme Court gay marriage percolation. Cool, right? Sure, we're confused, jealous, and sad that he didn't turn to SFist first. But while we go hit the bottle to squelch this ego blow, we urge you to read his words of inspiration and shocking clarity:

We just received word, via a former student who has asked to remain anonymous, that New College of California has allegedly lost its accreditation. It should be noted that we have yet to confirm the validity of this letter from either WASC and New College But the full letter that was sent to SFist can be found after the jump.

• You think Muni is bad? [Nature abhors a vacuum]
• Hawthorne Street in shambles. [Curbed]
• Our college dormroom soundtrack, Kate Bush's "The Kick Inside," turns 30. [SFBG]

Although we're only occasional smokers (read: when we're drunk or feeling awkward at a party), we sympathize with the need to have a cigarette. And while the smoking ban at bars and everywhere else has kept everyone relatively secondhand smoke free, the constant browbeating smokers receive from non-smokers is enough to make the anarchists in us want to light up in front of all the naysayers.

Tinkering with and/or eliminating rent control in California

State Senator Leland Yee introduced a bill in the State Legislature this morning that, if passed, would see traffic fines double for violations occurring along the deadly strip of San Francisco road known as 19th Avenue. (Shudder.)

Oh dear.