CAlifornia

National

Criminal Law Says Minors Can't Consent — But Some Civil Courts Disagree

9:00pm November 16, 2014

by NPR Staff

No state has an age of consent lower than 16. But in some civil cases, attorneys argue that children can make decisions about whom they have sex with — and, in some courtrooms, those attorneys win.

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In one of Access Health CT's new video commercials, a barber explains to his clients why getting health insurance should be a priority.

State Health Insurance Exchanges Hope To Woo Urban Minorities

10:34am November 14, 2014

With Obamacare signups resuming this week, California and Connecticut have deployed new strategies to reach people who resisted signing up last year. Step one: Avoid previous cultural gaffes.

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An image from the San Diego Police Department shows members of the McStay family whose abandoned SUV was found along the Mexico border near San Diego last November. Police say they have arrested a suspect.

National

Suspect Arrested In 2010 Killing Of Family Of 4 In California

4:39pm November 07, 2014

by Scott Neuman

Joseph and Summer McStay and their two young sons were found last year in shallow graves in the desert near Victorville.

The majority of voters in San Francisco and Berkeley, Calif., voted in favor of a soda tax, but the measure didn't gain the required two-thirds majority required in San Francisco.

Berkeley Decides To Try Taxing Away Its Soda Habit

5:46pm November 06, 2014

by Lisa Aliferis

Many cities and states have tried, but Berkeley, Calif., is the first to pass a penny-per-ounce tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. The goal is to reduce sugar consumption to improve public health.

Proponents of the taxes say that if the measures pass, the money would be directed, in San Francisco, toward childhood nutrition and recreation and, in Berkeley, into the city's general fund.

Soda-Makers Try To Take Fizz Out Of Bay Area Tax Campaigns

10:35am October 31, 2014

by Sarah Varney

Voters will decide on a penny-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks in Berkeley and a 2-cent-per-ounce tax in San Francisco. But the soda industry's lobbying group has spent millions blasting the measures.

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The San Luis Reservoir in central California is the largest "off-channel" reservoir in the U.S. It is currently at less than 30 percent of its normal capacity.

Coping In A Drier World: California's Drought Survival Strategy

7:44pm October 22, 2014

by Kirk Siegler

The dearth of water in this state is showing no signs of easing. Officials have introduced plans to revamp the water rationing and distribution systems until the rains come. If they ever come.

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Members of the California Nurses Association rallied in Sacramento, Calif., in May, in anticipation of contract negotiations with Kaiser Permanente that began this fall.

California Nurses' Union Pulls Ebola Into Contract Talks

8:23am October 20, 2014

by April Dembosky

Ebola training, staffing and protective gear are bargaining chips as nurses in California hammer out a new contract with Kaiser Permanente. Their requests mirror the concerns of nurses nationwide.

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Alana and Troy Pack died in 2003 when a woman abusing pain pills hit the children with her car. The accident has led to a ballot measure that, among other things, would put new constraints on physicians.

California Ballot Measure Pits Doctors Against Lawyers

6:41pm October 14, 2014

by April Dembosky

Proposition 46 tackles painkiller abuse, malpractice caps and mandatory drug and alcohol testing of doctors. Backers say the law would enhance patient safety, but doctors say the cost is too high.

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California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed the nation's first statewide ban on single-use plastic bags. Here, mixed plastic items are seen at a recycling plant in Vernon, Calif., earlier this year.

Ban On Single-Use Plastic Bags Is Enacted In California

4:23pm September 30, 2014

by Bill Chappell

Gov. Jerry Brown has signed SB 270, the first statewide ban on single-use plastic bags in the U.S. It requires a 10-cent fee for the use of compostable or paper bags.

Michael Granillo and his wife Sonia await treatment at an emergency room in Northridge, Calif.

Avoid The Rush! Some ERs Are Taking Appointments

12:19pm September 27, 2014

by Anna Gorman

Nobody looks forward to sitting in the waiting room. So some hospitals are trying to improve customer satisfaction by offering online appointments. The pitch: "Wait for the ER from home."

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