NATIONAL
May 16, 2013 | By Michael A. Memoli, Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON - President Obama's nominee to lead the Energy Department won unanimous confirmation by the Senate on Thursday while two other Cabinet choices narrowly advanced out of committee, amid complaints from Democrats over Republican delaying tactics. Ernest J. Moniz, an MIT physics professor who becomes the new Energy secretary, is the fifth Cabinet appointment confirmed since Obama won a second term, and the first without any Republican dissent. By comparison, all but one of President George W. Bush's 11 initial second-term appointments were confirmed by the end of April, even though his party held no more Senate seats than Democrats control now. Republicans had delayed consideration of Thomas E. Perez, Obama's choice to lead the Labor Department, and Environmental Protection Agency nominee Gina McCarthy before Thursday's party-line committee votes to recommend them to the full Senate.
SPORTS
May 12, 2013 | By Diane Pucin
ESCONDIDO, Calif. - Lieuwe Westra, red-faced and shaking, was the winner of Sunday's first stage at the Amgen Tour of California, on a day when temperatures on the route were recorded as high as 105 degrees. James Stemper, of the 5-hour Energy/Kenda Racing team, who was awarded the title as most courageous rider for helping lead an early breakaway, said, "Heat was probably the biggest factor of the day. Eventually you could not pedal very hard. " Carter Jones, who rides for the Bissell Pro Cycling team and who earned the most points toward winning the King of the Mountain title as best uphill rider, said, "The heat was brutal.
BUSINESS
May 7, 2013 | By Tiffany Hsu
San Francisco City Atty. Dennis Herrera has sued Monster Beverage Corp., accusing the company of pitching highly caffeinated drinks to minors as young as 6 years old. The lawsuit, filed Monday in San Francisco Superior Court, is the latest twist in a battle between Herrera and the Corona company about the caffeine content of Monster energy drinks and how the beverages are marketed. Herrera's move followed Monster's opening salvo April 29, when the company sued Herrera in federal court in Riverside, alleging that he was singling out the beverage maker and threatening to block sales of its drinks in their current form.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
May 7, 2013 | By Abby Sewell, Los Angeles Times
California energy officials are preparing for another summer without the San Onofre power station while facing the growing possibility that the nuclear plant will never return to service. The nuclear plant, one of only two in the state, was powered down more than a year ago when a small amount of radioactive mist leaked from one of the thousands of tubes in the plant's steam generators. Southern California Edison officials said in financial statements last week that if federal regulators do not agree to the utility's proposal to restart one of the plant's two units at partial power, they might elect to retire the plant completely by the end of the year.
BUSINESS
May 6, 2013 | By Marc Lifsher, Los Angeles Times
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.
BUSINESS
May 4, 2013
Re "Sci-fi worthy of Malthus," Opinion, April 30 So, does "human imagination" to find new sources of energy apply only to fossil fuels? Doesn't it also extend to the ingenuity needed to develop clean, sustainable energy from the sun and other alternative sources? Maybe before Jonah Goldberg promotes fracking and asteroid mining (did I read that correctly?), he might first consider supporting solar energy. That's not pessimism because we think we are depleting our source of energy (fossil fuels)