Notification

Tina Jacobson has a close relationship with her teenage daughter. Shireen Miles and her daughter are close too. Jacobson believes her teen, Karissa, would come to her for help if she became pregnant. Same goes for Miles. But that's where the common ground ends for these two California mothers, who stand on opposing sides of what may be the most emotional -- and littlenoticed -- measure on the state's Nov. 8 special election ballot.

A November ballot initiative that would require parental notification for minors seeking abortions sparked its first public fireworks this week, as supporters and opponents accused one another of lying. In lawsuits filed in Sacramento County Superior Court, foes and promoters of Proposition 73 said information submitted for the official voter ballot pamphlet was false or misleading, and asked a judge to intervene.

Gov. Jeb Bush signed legislation in Tallahassee that required physicians to tell parents when a minor daughter sought an abortion. The law applies to girls 17 and younger who aren't married and don't have children. Unless it's a medical emergency, doctors are required to notify a parent in person or by phone 48 hours before the abortion or, if that's not possible, by certified mail 72 hours in advance.

After Army Pfc. Joel K. Brattain was killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad a year ago, the painful task of notifying his family got underway thousands of miles from his hometown of Yorba Linda. Officers from Brattain's unit in Iraq, the 82nd Airborne Division, contacted their rear detachment at Ft. Bragg, the division's home base. A soldier here alerted the post casualty assistance center, which then telephoned the Army base nearest to Yorba Linda -- Ft. Irwin. There, Sgt.

The Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly approved legislation assuring that crime victims would have specific rights in court cases after sponsors determined that their efforts to pass a constitutional amendment on the issue would fail yet again. The legislation would ensure that crime victims were notified of court proceedings, told when defendants were released and informed that they were allowed to speak at sentencing hearings. "The scales of justice are today out of balance," said Sen.

If you care about your privacy or your pocketbook, ask whether your rental car has electronic tracking equipment and what it's used for. The answers may surprise you -- if you can get them. Since I last wrote about this issue in 2002, more rental cars have been fitted with such systems, which can instantly relay information on your car's speed, route and position to the rental company. This is done by wireless devices and Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers that pinpoint location.

An 18-year-old man was killed and another injured Monday when their sport utility vehicle crashed into a lamppost at the corner of Bake Parkway and Jeronimo Road, authorities said. The driver, who died at the scene of the 1:54 a.m. crash, wasn't identified pending notification of family. There were no details on the injuries to Joel Anthony Martin, 18, of San Jose. The investigation was continuing late Monday.

Visa International Inc. and MasterCard International Inc. can place notices in newspapers and monthly credit card bills telling customers how to claim $800 million in refunds, a California judge said. Judge Ronald Sabraw's tentative ruling in Oakland was a partial victory for Visa and MasterCard, the two largest credit card companies, in a case over refunds for foreign exchange fees collected since 1996.

The Moreno Valley Unified School District will launch an investigation to determine how a middle school teacher accused of molesting two boys, including a former student, remained on staff despite a similar case a decade earlier, district officials said Thursday. "The issue is that if the district was derelict, we need to know how and why," Supt. Nick Ferguson said. "What we're asking ourselves is how we can fill in the blanks. We are looking to explain this." Thomas Lee West Jr.

A 29-year-old Ontario man died Saturday after losing control of his motorcycle and hitting a jeep on the Ortega Highway. The victim's name was not released pending notification of relatives, said Rod Thomas, a deputy coroner for Orange County. The accident occurred about 2:40 p.m. just outside San Juan Capistrano. Its cause is under investigation, Thomas said.