Let'shear it for Pittsburgh, which Tuesday made dirtyair not just California'sproblem.

The Pennsylvania city topped the American LungAssociation's annual list for the worst short-term air pollution fromparticles and was barely second to Los Angeles for year-round levels.

It's thefirst time in 10 years that a city outside California has headed any list in the yearlyState of the Air report, the lung association says.

A minorlegislative scandal has rocked California, and from the looks of it,all that pro-Proposition 1F sentiment wasn't just sentimental. Despitethe pleasant 60 degree weather, the winter of California's discontentcame rushing to Sacramento after Speaker Karen Bass and Minority LeaderMike Villines proposed pay increases for their staffers numbering close to half-a-million dollars.

Approximately 300,000 Californians are expected to enter their names on the rolls for food stamps next year.

Federal stimulus money is providing more than 13% of funding for additional food stamp provisions, offering approximately $40 additional dollars to food stamp recipients in California, for every month. This will amount to more than $300 million additional dollars worth of food stamps, to be handed out every month.

Having finally realizedtheir exceedingly precarious situation, it appears that many ofCalifornia's counties have finally decided to reject unfunded, unjustified mandates,even if it tugs at a few of the administrators' heartstrings.

Anthony Woods, a gay African-American Army veteran, who won one of the nation'shighest medals for bravery, has announced that he will add his name tothe growing list of Democrats seeking to replace the outgoing U.S. Rep.Ellen Tauscher in the 10th Congressional District.

Woods, who announced his candidacy late Monday, immediately joins a crowdedcandidate field includes Lt. Gov. John Garamendi and freshmanAssemblywoman Joan Buchanan.

Even criticsof President Obama would have to admit that America now has anambitious, smart leader at the helm who is not afraid of takingproblems and issues head-on. After all,the Obama Administration has acted quickly to resuscitate a gravely illeconomy while at the same time continues to deftly prosecute atwo-front war against terrorism. Obama also fights pirates off Somalia,has begun taking steps to reform our broken healthcare system and, oh,yes, told the CEO's in Detroit to get off their overstuffed duffs andbegin producing cars that Americans actually want to buy.

As if the prison expansion mandates weren't enough, California's people now face yet another unfairly created, unfunded liability.

The Los Angeles Times reports:

Following a battle that some likened to a struggle between "machine" and "grassroots," Democratic state politics, Prop. 1A-- the core of a six-measure initiative package on the May 19 specialelection ballot -- failed to receive the official endorsement of theCalifornia Democratic Party at its annual convention this weekend inSacramento.

A glimmer of light hassuddenly entered the oppressive darkness of California's specialelections prospects, though it is a feeble one indeed. Against allexpectations by politicians both Left and Right (to say nothing ofcommentators), one of the ballot measures is beginning to gather speed.Ordinarily, such a thing is hardly cause for celebration (bills arewritten with the express intention of being appealing, after all), butin this case, the choice of propositions reveals aninteresting moral trend in California voters, a trend which is eithercommon sensical or profoundly dangerous.

ALAMO -- Not able to withstand the mighty gravitational pull thatis the chance of attaining higher office, freshman Assembly Member


Joan Buchananannounced Thursday that she too would be vying to replace U.S. Rep.Ellen Tauscher, who has accepted an appointment as Undersecretary ofState in the Obama Administration.

Elected last November to represent the 15th Assembly District,Buchanan (D-Alamo), said the opportunity was just too good to pass up.