California NewsLocal, regional, and statewide news continually updated from thousands of sources on the web.Smoky air leaves Californians straining to breathe- July 2, 2008 A mixture of fog and smoky haze is seen over the San Francisco skyline Tuesday, July 1, 2008, from Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay.http://www.topix.net/state/ca/2008/07/smoky-air-leaves-californians-straining-to-breathe?f... World and National News: Election '08, California Wildfires,...- July 1, 2008 Obama to Support Expanding Bush's Faith-Based Programs; McCain Heads to Colombia to Address Fair Trade, Will Also Visit Mexico to Address Illegal Immigration; Gov.http://www.topix.net/state/ca/2008/07/world-and-national-news-election-08-california-wildf... Calif. Starts Fiscal Year Without Budget- July 1, 2008 California lawmakers have missed the deadline to approve a state budget for the fiscal year that starts Tuesday.http://www.topix.net/state/ca/2008/07/calif-starts-fiscal-year-without-budget?fromrss=1 Report: Calif. death penalty system deeply flawed- July 1, 2008 California's 30-year-old death penalty system that costs more than $100 million annually to administer is 'close to collapse,' according to a new report issued Monday.The California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice, appointed by the state Legislature to propose criminal justice reforms, issued a 117-page report detailing a deeply flawed system with the biggest backlog of cases in the nation.The commission stopped short of calling for the abolition of the state's death penalty....http://www.topix.net/state/ca/2008/07/report-calif-death-penalty-system-deeply-flawed?from... California offers tax break to keep Tesla in state- July 1, 2008 Electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc said on Monday it will manufacture the lower-priced follow-up to its Roadster sports car in California after the state offered a tax break to keep the operations there.http://www.topix.net/state/ca/2008/07/california-offers-tax-break-to-keep-tesla-in-state?f... Calif. firefighters battle more than 1,400 blazes- July 1, 2008 The good news in northern California is that more than a thousand wildfires aren't growing. The bad news: There's no relief in sight.No new major fires had broken out Sunday as fire crews inched closer to getting some of the largest of 1,420 blazes surrounded, according to the state Office of Emergency Services. Some 364,600 acres _ or almost 570 square miles _ have burned.A 'red flag warning' _ meaning the most extreme fire danger _ was still in effect for Northern California until 8 a.m. EDT..http://www.topix.net/state/ca/2008/06/calif-firefighters-battle-more-than-1-400-blazes?fro... |