GOVERNOR DAVIS NAMES MEMBERS TO THE CALIFORNIA EXPOSITION AND STATE FAIR

Governor Gray Davis today announced the appointments of Randy Paragary and Willie Pelote as members of the Board of Directors for the California Exposition and State Fair.

GOVERNOR DAVIS ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENTS TO CENTRAL VALLEY SUPERIOR COURTS

Governor Gray Davis today announced the appointments of Superior Court Commissioners Robin Appel and Cinda Sanchez Fox as Judges of the San Joaquin County Superior Court, and Ricardo Cordova and Jack M. Jacobson as Judges of the Stanislaus County Superior Court.

GOVERNOR DAVIS MEETS WITH NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS DEPLOYED AT LAX

Governor Gray Davis today met with National Guard troops deployed at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The troops, under a new mission ordered by Gov. Davis this past Tuesday, supplement the already extensive security at the world's third busiest airport.

FIRST LADY SHARON DAVIS PRESENTS BOOK FUND GRANTS TO SIX LOS ANGELES-AREA SCHOOLS

California First Lady Sharon Davis, a longtime advocate for children's literacy, today presented $5,000 Library Enrichment Grants from the Governor's Book Fund to Mark Twain Elementary School, Lawndale High School, O'Melveny Elementary School, Lankershim Elementary School, McKinley Primary Learning Center and Roosevelt Elementary School.

GOVERNOR DAVIS ANNOUNCES RULING PROTECTING CALIFORNIA TAXPAYERS FROM LIABILITY OVER WARD VALLEY

Governor Gray Davis announced that a San Diego County Superior Court ruled in favor of the state today in US Ecology v. State of California. The court held that California taxpayers are not liable for US Ecology's losses arising from its efforts to build a low-level radioactive waste dump in Ward Valley. US Ecology has sued the State of California for nearly $223 million.

GOVERNOR DAVIS ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENTS TO INLAND EMPIRE COURTS

Governor Gray Davis today announced the appointments of Riverside Deputy District Attorneys Richard A. Erwood and Michele D. Levine as Judges of the Riverside County Superior Court, and civil litigator David Cohn as a Judge of the San Bernardino County Superior Court.

GOVERNOR DAVIS NAMES CHAIR TO THE FAIR POLITICAL PRACTICES COMMISSION

Ms. Randolph, 37, of Oakland, has been an Attorney/Principal for Meyers, Nave, Riback, Silver & Wilson since 2000, and has worked for the firm since 1997. She has served as City Attorney for the City of San Leandro since 2001, and served as City Attorney to the City of Suisun from 1998 to 2000. Before joining the firm, Ms. Randolph was Staff Counsel for the California Fair Political Practices Commission, where she provided advice regarding conflict of interest issues. She received the Benjamin Banneker Award from the African American Business Council in 2002. Ms. Randolph earned bachelor of arts and juris doctorate degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Growers get chance to influence feds
USDA will discuss future of marketing programs with farmers.

Valley growers of peaches and nectarines will meet in the months ahead to decide the fate of their federal marketing and research programs after a vote of growers fell short of a needed two-thirds majority.

New wage rules posed
Overtime may change for lowest-paid and highest-paid workers.

WASHINGTON -- New federal regulations proposed Thursday could drastically change, for the first time in half a century, which workers qualify for overtime wages.

Dole Foods will focus on health
Chairman takes $4.4b company private so he can pursue his vision.

After clinching control of the world's largest fruit and vegetable company earlier this week, billionaire David H. Murdock said he can now move forward with a slightly more ambitious plan -- telling the planet what to eat.

Outlook grim for single moms

One of America's leading prescriptions for poverty -- single motherhood -- is about to boom in California. And if recent jobless trends hold firm, the newest generation of single moms is in for a dose of economic pain.

CalPERS lists lagging businesses

The California Public Employees' Retirement System named Xerox, JDS Uniphase and four other companies to its annual list of businesses that have poor track records for financial performance and corporate governance.

SBA loan fund gets a $4.6B budget boost

Congress restored $4.6 billion in lending authority to the U.S. Small Business Administration's 7(a) loan program and directed the agency to lift its $500,000 cap on individual loans.

PFF Bank to open Sacramento office

PFF Bank & Trust of Pomona will open a regional lending office in Sacramento April 1 to tap into the rapid growth of the area, offering financing for residential tract construction and commercial real estate lending.

Recession may loom on horizon
Economists fear the ailing economy, hindered further by war in Iraq, could slip into reverse.

WASHINGTON -- The economy that turned sluggish at the end of last year isn't doing much better now -- and may well be doing worse -- as war uncertainties and the stagnant job market make consumers and businesses more cautious. Some analysts worry about a slide back into recession.

New policy limits access to Santa Cruz high school student records by military recruiters

Risking the loss of federal funds, the Santa Cruz school board has approved a new system that will make it harder for military recruiters to gain access to information about high school students

School for deaf stages musical

That's right. For its annual theatrical production scheduled this weekend, students at the Fremont school are staging ``Grease,'' the Broadway musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey.

Survey: Private college costs slow

Out-of-pocket costs for tuitions at private universities and colleges have grown more slowly than inflation during the past decade, according to a survey published Thursday -- information of interest to parents who are thinking of sending their kids to one of the private colleges that may set up shop in the Sacramento area.

HMOs' profits up 74%; rate hikes ahead

Double-digit percentage premium increases continue to pay off for the three big for-profit HMOs in Greater Sacramento — their combined net profits for 2002 are up 74 percent from 2001.

Sony Music Entertainment to ax 1,000 jobs

NEW YORK (AP) - Sony Music Entertainment said Friday it is eliminating 1,000 jobs in a move that had been expected as the company seeks to become more efficient.

AOL slashes 170 positions in Utah call center

OGDEN, Utah (AP) - America Online has laid off 170 workers at its Ogden facility, part of 425 terminations at AOL call centers across the country.

United's pilots agree to pay cuts
Yearly savings of $1.1 billion in tentative deal

United Airlines' 8,200 pilots Thursday said they would accept $1.1 billion in annual pay cuts to help the carrier emerge from bankruptcy.

Pink slips keep coming
Bay Area companies planning more layoffs

With the economy stuck in low-gear, local businesses are continuing to shed thousands of jobs, according to the latest layoff notices filed with the state Employment Development Department.

Mondavi, forecasting loss, to cut workforce by 10%

OAKVILLE - Shares of Robert Mondavi, the maker of Woodbridge and Opus One wines, fell in their biggest drop in six months after the company forecast a third-quarter loss and said it would lay off 10 percent of its workers.

Post-holiday slowdown boosts jobless rate

Unemployment in Greater Sacramento surged to 5.75 percent in January, up from a revised regional jobless rate of 5.24 percent in December but still below the rate for California as a whole.

Fleming to cut 1,800 jobs; local effect unknown

Grocery distributor Fleming Cos. Inc. said it will cut 1,800 positions, or about 15 percent of its work force, and close facilities by the end of the year as it reduces costs in anticipation of a revenue decline.

Barstow veterans home to be closed

More than 80 residents of a nursing home at the state veterans home in Barstow will be moved to other homes by October as part of the state's plan to close the troubled facility.