Daily Headlines

Lawmakers voted Thursday to increase the state's ability to borrow from dedicated funds to cover day-to-day expenses, part of a strategy to keep California from falling into the red.Los Angeles Times

Gov. Jerry Brown laid out a detailed plan to alter California's state and local public retirement systems on Thursday – and immediately drew fire from his core labor constituency.The Sacramento Bee

The number of states with a clear Republican advantage doubled in 2011, part of a larger trend of states shifting into the GOP column, according to new Gallup data.Los Angeles Times

Not only does California have more than 2 million unemployed workers, but nearly half of them have been jobless for 27 weeks or more, according to new data assembled by the state Department of Employment Development.The Sacramento Bee

Poor, urban and minority residents are most at risk for health problems linked to climate change, according to a new California Department of Public Health analysis of Los Angeles and Fresno counties.California Watch

Like alcohol and tobacco, sugar is a toxic, addictive substance that should be highly regulated with taxes, laws on where and to whom it can be advertised, and even age-restricted sales, says a team of UCSF scientists.San Francisco Chronicle

The United States economy gained momentum in January, adding 243,000 jobs, the second straight month of better-than-expected gains.The New York Times

In his State of the Union address, President Obama called for a wide-ranging package of policies to help create American manufacturing jobs, including trade enforcement measures, business tax breaks and worker training programs.The New York Times

Garrity and others say the coming tsunami surrounding Facebook's initial public offering will impact that startup "ecosystem" in a number of ways.San Jose Mercury News

Westlands Water District is suing the federal government for $1 billion, claiming the Interior Department failed to deliver a court-ordered cleanup of salty irrigation drainage. The Fresno Bee

According to a recently published USDA report, California had less vegetable production in 2011 than it did in the previous year.Fresh Plaza

Everyone on the Central Coast seems to want cleaner water but can't agree on how to get it. That message was clear at a public debate on water quality Wednesday night at Salinas City Hall.The Californian

In his State of the Union address, President Obama requested new powers to force a consolidation of government trade agencies under a yet-to-be-named new department.Independent Voter Network

Greece’s fight to win its second international bailout may only open a new chapter in its struggle to remain in the euro area.Bloomberg

Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said Thursday that China would consider working with the International Monetary Fund to help shore up Europe’s finances.The New York Times

Parents and educators said they were relieved Thursday after state lawmakers changed their minds and voted against targeting school bus service in a midyear budget cut to education.Associated Press in The Sacramento Bee

A key House panel late Thursday gave the back of its hand to California's embattled high-speed rail program.The Sacramento Bee

The board overseeing the nation's second-largest public pension fund on Thursday lowered the fund's investment forecast for the second time in 14 months in a move that acknowledges the financial strain of lower market returns in the years ahead.San Francisco Chronicle

Many years of partisan wrangling over the state budget reached a climax in 2010 when public employee unions and Democratic politicians persuaded voters to pass Proposition 25, eliminating the two-thirds vote for budgets.Dan Walters in The Sacramento Bee

A few days ago, Governor Brown made the surprising statement that our state’s massive loss of manufacturing jobs is not a unique California problem because we have “lost manufacturing at about the same rate as the rest of America.”Jack Stewart in Fox and Hounds Daily

Facebook will not fix California’s budget, no matter how much tax the state might reap from the company’s stock sales.The Press-Enterprise