California Cities

Los Angeles is at a disadvantage competing with Las Vegas, New York and Miami for tourists who want a lively nightclub scene because of a California law that cuts off alcohol sales at 2 a.m., a state lawmaker contends. State Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) has introduced legislation that could extend the last call for alcohol in some California cities until 4 a.m. "This legislation would allow destination cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego to start local conversations about the possibility of expanding night life and the benefits it could provide the community by boosting jobs, tourism and local tax revenue," Leno said.

SACRAMENTO - A "Made in USA" label has long been seen as an advantage in marketing a product. Now there are in-state manufacturers that want to see the adoption of an official label that declares Made in California. State Sen. Ellen M. Corbett (D-San Leandro) has introduced legislation to require Go-Biz, the governor's business development office, to come up with a plan - including the new label - to promote California-manufactured products. The bill, now before the Senate Appropriations Committee, would enhance California's reputation for making environmentally safe and energy efficient products, Corbett said.

While voters in Colorado and Washington opted to legalize recreational marijuana use, a host of California communities moved instead to curtail the booming cannabis industry. In San Diego County on Tuesday, measures to permit and regulate medical marijuana dispensaries were rejected in Del Mar, Solana Beach, Lemon Grove and Imperial Beach. The closest of the measures was in Del Mar, supported by 44% of voters. In the Bay Area, a proposal that would have allowed up to three dispensaries in Palo Alto went down to defeat as well.

The last time Manuel Cardenas fell ill, the 24-year-old single father had no choice but to report for work. His employer, a security contractor, doesn't offer sick pay to part-timers like Cardenas, he said, and he can't afford to lose a day's wages. "I probably shouldn't have, but I had to," said Cardenas, a security guard in San Jose. He is among California workers for whom labor groups and others are fighting to secure paid sick leave. Currently, 4.5 million workers in California, about 40% of the state's workforce, don't have sick-pay benefits.

California should draw more than its share of tourists for the July 4 holiday, according to an analysis of the top 10 destinations for the Independence Day week. San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego were among the top 10 destination cities for the week of July 2 to July 6, according to a study of bookings made through the travel website Hotwire.com. The report offers more good news for the Golden State, which had a 3% growth in visitors in 2011 and is expecting an additional 2% increase in 2012, according to a study commissioned by Visit California, the nonprofit created to promote tourism to the state.

SACRAMENTO - Although many of California's cities and counties have been struggling financially, putting off road repairs, cutting back library hours and reducing police patrols, there is one way in which they have not held back: hiring Sacramento lobbyists. Local governments' spending on advocacy in the Capitol has surged in recent years, topping $96 million during the two-year legislative session that ended last fall - an increase of nearly 50% from a decade ago. The sum dwarfs the lobbying bills of the state's largest labor unions, big oil companies and other energy interests combined, according to the California secretary of state's office.

Re "A tale of two cities," Opinion, July 25 Harold Meyerson blames banks and big business for the collapse of our economy, especially for the bankruptcies of California cities hit hard by the bursting of the housing bubble. Rather, the federal government encouraged the irresponsible lending to increase homeownership. Banks would never have been successful in making so many subprime loans if Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae weren't buying them. Wall Street also bought these toxic loans and rated them as AAA securities.

A Sacramento County Superior Court judge Wednesday ruled against a group of California cities in their battle with the state over hundreds of millions of property tax dollars that used to flow to local redevelopment agencies. Judge Timothy M. Frawley said he would not grant the request from Glendale, Pasadena, Huntington Beach and other cities for an injunction that would have prevented the payout of property taxes on Friday to schools and counties. Cities believe some of the money belongs to them and should be used to pay for such projects as parks, affordable housing and freeway intersections that had been agreed upon before Gov. Jerry Brown won his battle to eliminate California's 400 municipal redevelopment agencies late last year.

The jagged foothills, withered pastures and a web of horse trails along the Santa Ana River give the state's newest city a hint of the Wild West. Jurupa Valley's money troubles, though, are pure modern-day California. Jurupa Valley may be broke in a year, even though the city is so new that it has no permanent employees, no generous employee pension plan and runs City Hall out of a leased strip-mall storefront next to the Lucky Wok Chinese restaurant. Without a financial rescue, the city will have to shut its doors, sending the mishmash of Jurupa Valley communities back into the ether of unincorporated Riverside County.

More than two-thirds of California's cities will be forced to go without liability coverage by midyear because insurers no longer are willing to risk losses from a growing number of injury suits, a top executive of the nation's largest municipal insurance brokerage warned Thursday.

What does it look like when a city goes bankrupt? The answer was sharp and clear at a contentious Stockton City Council meeting the day after a judge declared the city of 300,000 eligible for bankruptcy. The meeting began at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday and ended shortly after 2 a.m. Wednesday. The council opposed a sales tax intended to pay for more police officers, which could imperil the city's standing in Bankruptcy Court. PHOTOS: California cities in bankruptcy The chambers were packed with people who said that crime in California's second-most violent city was eating away at their lives.

SACRAMENTO -- California businesses and other special interests quickly learn that playing politics in the ornate chambers of California's Capitol building is more like a barroom brawl than a civics lesson about how bills become laws. Most days, businesses large and small dispatch squads of hired-gun lobbyists to vie for lawmakers' attention and votes. And that lobbying doesn't come cheaply. Last year special interests reported spending $277.5 million on such advocacy, according to the Secretary of State's office.

A bill proposed by a California state legislator would extend last call to 4 a.m. in some California cities. Do we really need two extra hours of drinking?  ALSO: Photo gallery: Ted Rall cartoons The 'feminist housewife' vs. Beyonce Fuming over the assault weapons ban's failure Follow Ted Rall on Twitter @TedRall

SACRAMENTO - Although many of California's cities and counties have been struggling financially, putting off road repairs, cutting back library hours and reducing police patrols, there is one way in which they have not held back: hiring Sacramento lobbyists. Local governments' spending on advocacy in the Capitol has surged in recent years, topping $96 million during the two-year legislative session that ended last fall - an increase of nearly 50% from a decade ago. The sum dwarfs the lobbying bills of the state's largest labor unions, big oil companies and other energy interests combined, according to the California secretary of state's office.

Los Angeles is at a disadvantage competing with Las Vegas, New York and Miami for tourists who want a lively nightclub scene because of a California law that cuts off alcohol sales at 2 a.m., a state lawmaker contends. State Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) has introduced legislation that could extend the last call for alcohol in some California cities until 4 a.m. "This legislation would allow destination cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego to start local conversations about the possibility of expanding night life and the benefits it could provide the community by boosting jobs, tourism and local tax revenue," Leno said.

If Los Angeles ever wants to join the ranks of Las Vegas or Miami in attracting tourists who want to party, it needs to free its night spots from having to make the last call for alcohol by 2 a.m., according to one state lawmaker. State Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) has introduced legislation that would allow California cities to seek permission from the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to allow their nightclubs, restauraunts and bars to sell drinks until 4 a.m. "Many cities in California have dynamic social activities that are vital to their economies, but they lack the flexibility to expand their businesses,” Leno said.

Earth to Southern California: You can't go on drinking this way. The most populous section of the nation's most populous state is getting notice that its long happy hour--a half-century of free-flowing water from the Colorado River--is almost over. The Southwest now soaks up, on paper at least, more water than the river carries most years. Told they must stop "borrowing" other states' water, Californians are eyeing each other's entitlements.

California was home to all but one of the nation's 10 most expensive rental cities, according to "Housing Costs of Renters: 2000," a new Census Bureau report. Irvine, Santa Clara and Fremont topped the list with median gross rents of more than $1,200 a month. Other Southern California cities on the list were Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley and Huntington Beach. To the north, high-rent cities were Sunnyvale, San Jose and Daly City. Stamford, Conn.

Thousands of Los Angeles homeowners covered by State Farm General Insurance Co. will see their annual premiums drop an average of $102, or 12.3%, beginning April 15. The reduction is part of a statewide markdown that will benefit 85% of State Farm's 1.6 million homeowner customers in California, the company said. The lower prices are expected to be announced at a 10:30 a.m. news conference in Los Angeles held by state Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones and State Farm Chief Executive Tom Conley.

A leading measure of home prices in the biggest American cities posted strong year-over-year growth in November. The S&P/Case Shiller 20-city index rose 5.5% from the same month a year earlier, rising in 19 out of the 20 metro areas tracked by the gauge. According to the index, from October to November, prices declined 0.1% -- a normal seasonal slowdown. The data are the latest indication that home prices continued to rise through the end of last year as housing inventory dwindled and demand surged.