In spite of an increase in the number of commercial food processors and a rise in foodborne illness outbreaks – one of the largest a result of Central Valley spinach producers – the number of food facilities the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has inspected has declined significantly over the last decade. The number of violations identified by inspectors has also fallen.

The Reason Foundation is a libertarian, non-profit, public policy organization that was established "to advance free minds and free markets." This month, they published a report by David Osborne, a policy analyst and former Clinton Administration official, who says he has a solution to California's budget problems.

In his report, entitled "The Next California Budget" (you can read the whole thing here), Osborne quickly assesses the problem:

On Tuesday April 6, Senate candidate Tom Campbell shared his vision for the economic future of California. Campbell unveiled his plan “A New Direction for American Prosperity,” and explained that in order to get the economy back on track, “We need to return to free market principles and return fiscal responsibility to Washington.”

According to a report from a Santa Barbara television station, the immigration debate is making its way onto a local UC campus, becoming a prominent concern with students seeking to hold President Obama accountable on the issue.

“[Immigration reform] is an urgency” said one student. “Families are getting separated, students are being barred from education [...],” said one high school student in the report.

Despite the rising number and growing influence of California’s Decline to State voters, the major political parties can still shut out them out of the primaries if they choose. 

Operating on what is known as a modified closed party system, the state's six official political parties - American Independent Party, Democratic Party, Green Party, Libertarian Party, Peace and Freedom Party, and the Republican Party  - determine 135 days prior to the date of the primary for each election cycle whether or not Decline to State voters can participate in their primary. 

With the California Senate race getting closer and closer to Election Day, and with the candidates still stuck in a philosophical back-and-forth, different candidates are beginning to place their trump cards on the table.

The Fiorina Campaign especially, having been dogged by charges of unseriousness in the face of its unconventional campaign ads, and shaky debate performances by its candidate, and now facing an increasingly well-funded opponent in Tom Campbell, has begun taking more and more serious steps.

The California Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) passed in 2002 and was accelerated in 2006. It mandates that electricity providers get at least 20% of their retail sales from renewable sources by the end of this year and 33% by 2020.

A significant – and often overlooked -- result of what’s been dubbed the Great Recession is that in just over half of the 50 states, the programs that pay unemployment insurance to workers who’ve lost their jobs are insolvent, leading states to borrow more than $39 billion from the federal government to keep writing checks.

In just a little over two months, the Coffee Party movement has evolved into a media powerhouse.  Viewed as a less emotional, more left-leaning competitor to the Tea Party, the Coffee Party continues to draw the attention of concerned citizens seeking a new vision for American politics.

As of March 31, the Coffee Party had racked up the following impressive stats:

1.  192,850 fans on Facebook

Obama's proposed 2011 budget has California conservationists fretting. Several agricultural conservation programs initiated in the 2002 Farm Bill (whose funding has declined each year since then) are now facing drastic cutbacks. The concerned groups argue that the proposed cuts could result in further damage to California’s rural economy and halt the steady progress being made to make the state's farms more sustainable and ecologically sound.