Rules keep Ventura County air pollution agency from inspecting residences

Nearly all of California’s 35 air pollution control districts respond to air quality complaints at homes and often send an inspector onto the property or into a house to verify the problem.

But the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District is one of three that will not allow inspectors, even those invited by the homeowner, to set foot onto residential property — whether to do something such as enter private land to check on accumulating dust, go into a backyard to watch a neighbor burn toxic fumes or check to ensure asbestos is removed safely.

Adult education programs see major cuts in state’s largest districts (California Watch

State budget cuts, combined with more spending flexibility for school districts, are reducing adults' options for learning English, earning their GED or high school diploma, and training for jobs.

Term limits ballot measure attracts big-money donors, little else (California Watch)

More than 17 million Californians took the time to register to vote. About 726,000 of them stopped long enough to sign a petition putting Proposition 28 on tomorrow's ballot.

But in a signal of just how insular the state's political process has become, not a single person who could be considered a run-of-the-mill, "ordinary" voter has donated to Prop. 28, recent campaign filings show.

Kids' access to health care a concern under Brown's budget (California Watch)

Low-income children in rural California communities are in jeopardy of losing their doctors and health care plans under Gov. Jerry Brown's budget proposal, state lawmakers, doctors and health advocates say.

Open primary 'business as usual,' observers say (California Watch)

When voters passed a 2010 initiative to move the top two candidates in each race on to the general election regardless of party affiliation, the goal was to give moderate voters the opportunity to cross party lines in primary elections to elect more moderate lawmakers. 

But for the majority of districts in Tuesday's open primary, political observers said, that was not the case.

Report: Arizona’s very poor face very hard time finding affordable housing (Cronkite News)

There is a growing shortage of affordable housing in the country and the situation is even more severe in Arizona, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

As Supreme Court reviews health care law, Arizona’s position is clear (Cronkite News)

In case it didn’t make its position clear by joining 25 other states arguing against the health care reform law before the U.S. Supreme Court this week, Arizona has taken its opposition one step further.

It is the only state to adopt both a constitutional amendment and state law saying its residents cannot be forced to participate in a health care system, according to the American Legislative Exchange Council.