[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Californians can be proud that our state has one of the nation's highest minimum wage rates —nowat $8 per hour as of the New Year—and with marginal indexing, we willdo a better job of keeping up with cost of living, the Sacramento Beereports. This isn't always the story we hear out of the business lobby,some of whom had to be dragged along kicking and screaming, but we areconfident in the resilience of the California economy.

Governor Schwarzenegger signed more than 700 bills last year—and vetoed over 200—many of which went into law yesterday,the Bee reports. In addition to the minimum wage increase, we can lookforward to eased restrictions on kangaroo skin, increased use of solarwater heaters, new consumer rights concerning gift cards, big fines forlighting up in a car with minors (sorry, smokers) and an anti-classroomdiscrimination bill that has drawn the ire of the right.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

A bill by Assemblymember Fiona Ma aimed at banning a potentially dangerous chemical in toys fell short five votesyesterday due to in part to the efforts of a group of moderateDemocrats. The chemical, phthalates, is used in rubber duckies, playbooks and other products for children under 3. A number of countriesand prominent companies have already eliminated its use. Ma, a SanFrancisco Democrat, was granted reconsideration for another vote, butit seems like a hill to climb both in her chamber and in the Senate.

Assembly members did pass a measure that would mandate the "microstamping" of pistol cartridges,which creates an identifying mark that makes it easier to trace thesource of a bullet. Despite a lengthy and rather heated debate, thebill passed by a comfortable 44-29 margin, with no Republican support.

The Senate voted to lift a restriction on kangaroo skin imports,following years of lobbying from Adidas (and hundreds of thousands ofdollars). Soccer players covet the leather but have thus far beenunable to buy it in California. Animal rights activists are concernedabout endangering the kangaroo, but Australian officials said not toworry.