The Sacramento Bee

In the face of a carpool system that many say is failing, highway planners in Sacramento, California, are proposing a major facelift to the carpool lane system -- creating 50 miles of new carpool lanes on dedicated road bridges.

California's governor supports infrastructure funding and fights global warming, but he has no love for high speed rail. His proposed budget may kill a high speed rail agency, and he wants a $9.95 billion rail bond removed from the 2008 ballot.

Interest-only loans and ARMs once touted as a panacea have now become the vehicle for massive foreclosures as financially distressed owners can no longer afford their expensive homes.

The tragic death of a tri-athlete student while bicycling in southern California has sparked a bill to create a three-foot buffer for any vehicle passing a cyclist – but will it create more problems than it attempts to solve?

Findings from a new study on air pollution found that notwithstanding lower traffic volumes, "heavily traveled secondary highways" may be just as toxic as freeways laden with diesel trucks or major railyards.

In a bold, creative attempt to bring more federal and state funds to solve the air pollution problem in California's Central Valley, local leaders hope to declare the region an "air quality empowerment zone".

Elk Grove, CA has one of the nation's fastest growing and cleanest bus systems, but has experienced a form of "hybrid melt-down" as a result of using the hybrid buses for regional rather than local trips.

The proposed measure, which would raise taxes on petrol to fund conservation and alternative energy efforts, is under fire due to benefits it would provide one of its major backers.

The council will work with city officials and developers identify workable sites for infill housing as an alternative to sprawl.

Voters in the Central Valley and other parts of California are fed up with traffic and air pollution. Can Angelides tap into that frustration in his race for governor?

Political columnist Dan Walters opines on the failure of northern Santa Barbara County to break away and form Mission County. Walters suggests that counties may no longer be relevant and suggests replacing them with regional entities.

California's November transportation bond is $20 billion, with $4 billion for transit. Yet Gov. Schwarzenegger proposes to use a public transit account for the same amount, to help pay off the bond's debt payments.

The world's largest oil company takes heat from major state government pension fund investors for not owning up to an obligation to address global warming.

While praising California's long ethos of conservation, which separates it from most of the country, Sacramento Bee columnist Peter Schrag laments that conservation was not included in the $37 billion bond issue scheduled for the November ballot.

California's changing political make-up can be traced to its growth patterns: the fastest growth in the Inland Empire and Central Valley has made those areas more Republican, while the slower growing coastal, urban centers remain Democratic.

Headed to the governor, then the voters, November ballot is the largest bond issue ever -- four bonds totaling $37.3 billion, consisting of billions for transportation, schools, levees, and affordable housing.

In the event of a flu pandemic, the federal government will be largely unavailable to cities across the country. Municipalities should prepare for a long disruption, relying on schools, churches and other social networks to develop response plans.

The California Governor rejects pleas from advocates for a steady income stream; bond measures may continue to be the only source.

Governor Schwarzenegger's new strategic growth plan does not include any funding for the ambitious 700-mile route.

A deputy district attorney charges she was fired after protesting a Lennar development project. The lawsuit uncovers a series of questionable payments from the city of the developer.