Today's Fresh Meat

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Governor Schwarzenegger today signed a bill banning minors from using cellphones while driving.The bill, authored by Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), will fineviolators $20 for a first offense and $50 for subsequent infractions.

An editorial in the SF Chronicle praises the recent decision by state energy regulatorsto allow landlords to charge tenants by the amount of electricity theyuse. "In the fight to reduce our carbon footprint, it's not just aboutassembling a cap-and-trade system or levying a carbon tax. It's aboutgetting every single Californian to rethink the way we consume energy -and how much we're really willing to pay for it."

Congress may be poised to approve a federal ban on job discriminationagainst gay, lesbian, and transgender employees. The San Jose MercuryNews reports that while Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) predicts the banwill pass the House, the Senate is anyone's call. Conservatives aren'thappy about the proposed discrimination ban. "It would force Christian,Jewish, Muslim business owners to leave their faith at the workplacedoor," said Matt Barber, policy director for cultural issues forConcerned Women for America. Everyone knows that it's one's sexualorientation that must be left at the door.

There's more... 

Image courtesy of the San Jose Mercury News.