Anthem-Cigna deal tightens CA health care market

Anthem has made public its plans to acquire Cigna, tightening further California’s already narrow market for health insurance. “In a deal that would create the nation’s largest health insurer by enrollment, Anthem announced Friday that it made a $48 billion bid for rival Cigna,

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Greens targeting last CA nuclear plant

Environmentalists who hope to shut down California’s last remaining nuclear power plant are expected to attend a State Water Resources Control Board meeting on Tuesday in Sacramento to make their case that the Diablo Canyon facility is unsafe. The board

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Californians slash water use by 27.3 percent in June

Motivated by a fourth year of drought — and mandatory water cuts — Californians reduced urban water use by 27.3 percent in June, compared with the same month two years ago, the state reported on Thursday. The results are the first since state-ordered

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CA judge scraps assisted suicide suit

In another potent setback for California’s right-to-die advocates, a judge threw out a lawsuit brought by three residents trying to compel the courts to scrap the state’s ban on assisted suicide. A reticent judge “San Diego Superior Court Judge Gregory

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Bill rewrites state travel policy to include sharing economy

Sacramento once again has its eye on the sharing economy. This year, state lawmakers have targeted ride-sharing companies and short-term accommodation services for more regulations that, some fear, could kill the burgeoning industry. But, at least one state lawmaker has

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Poll: 64% of Californians link drought to global warming

A strong majority of Californians say they support tougher limits on greenhouse gas emissions and more ambitious renewable energy goals to combat climate change, according to a statewide poll released late Wednesday. Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds of those surveyed said global

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NFL exec has mixed take on San Diego plan

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, San Diego County Supervisor Ron Roberts and Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, told a senior NFL executive on Tuesday about the city’s plans to pay for and expedite the building of a new $1.2

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Newsom-led report pushes pot regulations

Chairing a panel on California’s would-be approach to legal marijuana has tamped down his enthusiasm for pot permissiveness, said Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, as the blue-ribbon panel released a sweeping new report on the question. The commission included Stanford University professor

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Electric car sharing program rolls out in L.A.

As many as 7,000 low-income Los Angeles residents could eventually take part in a state-funded electric car sharing program that rolled out last week. State and city officials celebrated the soft launch of the endeavor — which aims to improve

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San Diego County’s odd pension saga ends

The San Diego County government has long held itself in high regard, boasting of its fiscal reserves, reasonable labor contracts and stable services. This attitude was reflected in 2012, when county Chief Administrative Officer Walt Ekard used his retirement announcement

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