It's April 20th (or 4/20) and already the search term "4/20" has shot up Google's trends along with "4/20 meaning." With so many myths surrounding "National Weed Day," or "Marijuana Appreciation Day," as it's also called, this is an important opportunity to clear up the facts about 4/20 while pondering its meaning for California.

Palin and Paul are rapidly emerging as the Tea Party favorites, despite critical differences on certain foreign policy, fiscal, and social issues. 

Ah, the perennially despised lobbyist: always a convenient whipping boy, and just vague enough of a term not to incite specific rancor. For many years, politicians have blamed the nameless, faceless “lobbyists” for corruption and stagnancy.

Amazingly, three of California’s major gubernatorial candidates agree on one thing – we need more charter schools. 

John Gardner- who shocked the nation this March when he was arrested for the rape and murder of 17 year old Chelsea King- pleaded guilty Friday for the murders of Chelsea King and Amber Dubois.

Chelsea was a "Straight A" high school student and avid jogger. While out running near her home in San Diego in late February of this year, she was assaulted by Gardner, who forced her to go with him to a remote area near Lake Hodges. There he raped and strangled her.

Failure to report leaving foreign objects in patients or operating on the wrong person or body part, among other preventable medical errors in hospitals, cost the lives of approximately 10,000 Californians each year. 

In 2006, however, with the intent to improve care through increased hospital scrutiny, hospitals became subject to fines of a $100 per day for failing to report these and similar incidents.

Assembly member Bill Emmerson is looking to move from the 63rd to the 37th district. Riverside, which is shaping up to be a political laboratory this year, has a number of qualified candidates for an open California State Senate seat. We recently profiled former Assembly representative Russ Bogh, who is campaigning to become the area’s next Senate member.

Now, meet Bogh’s fellow Republican competitor, Bill Emmerson.