to the state of california and the citizens of california, to represent the state of california along -- >> who -- who would appoint him? the same governor that didn't want to defend the plebiscite? >> well, that happens all the time. as you recall in the case of -- well, let's not spend too much time on independent counsel provisions, but -- [laughter] >> the governor -- the government of the state of california frequently appoints an attorney where there's a perceived conflict of interest -- >> i suppose -- >> -- and that person would have a responsibility for the state and might have responsibility for the attorneys' fees. >> i suppose there might be people out there with their own personal standing, someone who performs marriages and would like that to remain open to everyone but would prefer not to perform same-sex marriages, or other people. we seem to be addressing the case as if the only options are the proponents here or the state. i'm not sure there aren't other people out there with individual personalized injury that would satisfy article iii. >> there might well be in --

to the state of california and the citizens of california, to represent the state of california along -- >> who would appoint him? the same governor that didn't want to defend the plebiscite? >> well, that happens all the time. as you recall in the case of -- well, let's not spend too much time on independent counsel provisions, but -- [laughter] >> the governor -- the government of the state of california frequently appoints an attorney where there's a perceived conflict of interest -- >> i suppose -- >> and that person would have a responsibility for the state and might have responsibility for the attorneys' fees. >> i suppose there might be people out there with their own personal standing, someone who performs marriages and would like that to remain open to everyone but would prefer not to perform same-sex marriages, other people. we seem to be addressing the case as if the only options are the proponents here or the state. i'm not sure there aren't other people out there with individual personalized injury that would satisfy article iii. >> there might well be in a different case

of california. they made a professional judgment, given their obligations as officers of the state of california. the california supreme court has said that proponents -- and by the way, only four of the five are here. dr. chamowitz drew from the case because of some things he said during the election -- dr. camp which drew from the case because of some of the things he said during the election process. is it true that if the attorney general and the governor do not like the ballot initiative, it will go undefended? correct one of your colleagues? >> in one of your colleagues have suggested there could be an appointee of the state of california who had a fiduciary responsibility to the state of california and the citizens of california to represent the state of california. >> who would appoint him, the same governor who did not want to defend the? >> it happens all the time, as in the case of -- let's not spend too much time on an eventual counsel provisions. -- on individual counsel provisions. [la

of california. they made a professional judgment, given their obligations as officers of the state of california. the california supreme court has said that proponents -- and by the way, only four of the five are here. dr. chamowitz drew from the case because of some things he said during the election -- dr. camp which drew from the case because of some of the things he said during the election process. >> is it true that if the attorney general and the governor do not like the ballot initiative, it will go undefended? correct one of your colleagues? >> in one of your colleagues have suggested there could be an appointee of the state of california who had a fiduciary responsibility to the state of california and the citizens of california to represent the state of california. >> who would appoint him, the same governor who did not want to defend the? >> it happens all the time, as in the case of -- let's not spend too much time on an eventual counsel provisions. -- on individual counsel provisions.

they've all gone to california. they all started digging for gold, and suddenly his brothers realize very quickly that the way to make a secure living was not to dig for gold and lose your shirt, but to sell things to the guys who dig for gold. so the stanford brothers open a series of little shops in the sierras selling pick axes and bags of rice and camp gear and liquor to the miners. stanford, leland stanford in wisconsin is exchanging letters with his brothers. they're saying come out here, the getting is good. stanford's law office burns in a fire, he loses his files, he loses his law books, and he decides i don't want to be a lawyer, i'm going to california. he goes to california and joins his brothers. he borrows money from them, he opens a shop in the mountains called stanford and smith and sells to miners. stanford is a taciturn businessman. he's practically wordless. anybody who met him reported the same thing, he has five words an hour. he is laconic to the point of pathology. [laughter] but he's an amiab

welcome to this week in northern california. next tuesday, more than four years after california voters approved proposition 8, the state's ban on same-sex marriage, it gets a hearing from the u.s. supreme court. it will hear arguments for the defense of marriage act known as doma. we discuss the issues before the u.s. supreme court. it's the final stop on a long and winding legal road. let's begin with a look at how it all started. the week of valentine's day, 2004, newly elected san francisco mayor gavin newsom, boldly, some said recklessly orders to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples. >> we reignited a fundamental debate. >> scott: outside city hall, gays and lesbians lines up around the block. about 4,000 couples tied the knot. it was not to last. at the urging of then governor schwarzenegger, the supreme court stopped the marriages. over the years, it snaked its way through the judicial system. in 2008, ruling banning gay unions violated the state constitution. it cannot be denied based on it. >> so goes the rest o

that california permits that. and the court, there is something like 37,000 children in same-sex households in california today. there are also 18,000 same-sex marriages which are not at issue in this case. it's easy to say that children would be better off in that relationship but if you have heterosexual relationships permitted in california and marriages between persons of the same sex, it doesn't change where the children will be raised. if a child is a product of a biological relationship between a man and a woman, that's up to that man and that woman to keep them together. i think judge reinhardt suggested that a better remedy for that would be to prohibit divorce. but that's not something that californians are interested in doing. >> are we free to use anything other than the rational basis test in the ninth circuit? >> oh, yes. i believe very strongly that you are. the hernandez case talks about immutability. thatif to the extent you're, that you're referring to any other aspect of the, the doctrine of hei

trout man, california grand jurors association, president.applause) >> well, finally, i want to thank all of you for being here for this event and for helping to shine light on what i've begun to call california's best kept secret. so, from the bottom of my heart and on behalf of the california grand jurors association, thank you for all your help. and please, on your way out, take advantage of some of the literature, the san francisco gazette from your past jury is available. and other brochures and information about the california grand jurors association and the works we do. our support doesn't stop with just the preliminary training for grand juries, but provide resource he throughout the year on the website. the information is there in the packets. thanks again for being here. >> thank you, too. (applause) >> i do want to just acknowledge ken malley. you mentioned, bill mentioned everything he did. he did mention that he picked me up and drove me -- called me 10 times and make sure -- [laughter] >> so, i did want to express my appreciati

california got an f. coming in at the bottom of the pack. i asked her why. >> with all due respect to some of these states, we got lumped in with alabama, montana, nebraska, north dakota. i mean, these are hardly -- you could hardly compare these on other levels to california when people consider us to be an innovation hub. >> yeah. >> in the country and yet we're lumped in with these other states. >> yeah. we are lumped in with some of the lowest-performing states in the country because if you look at the public education in california, we are not -- we used to have the best public education system in the country and we've gone from first to worst and it's astonishing, actually, to see how little progress the state has made compared to where other states across the country are that have prioritized this issue. >> so nobody got an a? >> i'm a tough grader. nobody got an a. we had a couple states that had b minuses. a few cs but quite frankly, lots of ds and fs. lots of people came up to me and said, you were so harsh. i said, well, let's loo

prop 8 only speaks to california and bans same-sex marriage in california. >> scott: vik, they are different, but intersect. we will learn about what the justices feel about doma on tuesday when they ask questions about prop 8. what are the legal even tantangs here? >> jane is correct. the supreme court could strike one down without affecting the other. their way is to do that. both at the procedural level and substantive lae substantive level, there are comm commonalities. how do we defend a statute, the president and attorney general and governor, decline to defend? in both of these, the elected executive officials declined. that is a common question. on marriage, at base, the cases ask a fundamental question of protection under the 14th amendment. how skeptical should the court be on the laws that discrimination on sexual orientation. >> scott: they could strike down doma and not allow anybody to get married. >> if they strike doma down on certain grounds, doma violates basic rights of equality, that leaves a lot that ban same-sex marriage dangling. >> scott: there is a question of standi

what does california tell us about america?n prop 8 passed, the state's biggest and historically most liberal counties approve of it. in january of 2000, only 39% of squalled liberal californians supported same-sex marriage. by the time proposition 8 landed on the ballot, same-sex marriage had gained significant support. 48% of californians voted in support of marriage equality in the 2008 election. by may of 2012, californians had an official change of heart. as of last spring, 54% supported same-sex marriage and support continues to grow. as the supreme court debates whether law making must catch up to social science, prop 8 seems to have outstayed its welcome on the left coast. how far behind is the rest of the country? let us bring in david sarota, salon.com contributor. david, have you a great piece in salon talking about california. it is dramatic to me. we talk a lot about the national shift in moods and feelings over marriage equality in california, which as you say is sort of vilified and celebrated as this haven of li

from farm to feast, stay tuned for more of the tempting tastes of california. >> welcome back to "california country." >> at the kitchen in sacramento, chefs are busy preparing tasty dishes using a vegetable that's increasing in popularity. california endives are showing up on more and more dinner plates. >> i mean, you see a lot of people use, uh, the endive as vessels. so they'll take just the leaf off and put things in it and serve it that way. uh, i think it has a lot of different uses. >> the chances are if this vegetable's on your plate, it's probably grown by california vegetable specialties, a company headquartered in the tiny hamlet of rio vista, between san francisco and sacramento. the first thing the owner did was give us a lesson in pronunciation. >> so what we grow here at cvs is spelled e-n-d-i-v-e. however, it'pronounced quite differently, and the correct pronunciation is this--on-deev. >> obviously, uh, rio vista, where rich works, is about as far away from france as you can get, so we tend to call it en-dive. now, i know rich is cringing in his seat as i say this, as he has

a california focused option. i -- they asked whichs about that and obviously whatever decision they make and how they fashion it, whether it's an eight state solution, as the solicitor general has talked about or a california focused decision or a broad ruling, the legal reasoning, lying beyond that, equal protection is fundamental to any of the remedies regardless of how broad they may fashion it. i'm not going to predict exactly how the court is going to come out but we think that the equal protection argument is strong and will have vitality not just in california but across the country. >> andy your final response. >> well, i think this has been a very long road and your program earlier detailed the many years and many twists and turns this case has taken and i think it'll be good for the initiative process and for the people's confidence in their system of government, hopefully in june we will have a ruling from the court, saying this is something that the court shouldn't -- impose on the people of californi

this is why we live in california, right?>> and he brought his tie to match. >> always signals. >> thanks. >>> okay, you know the drills, among the biggest sporting events of the year, and many of us watch march madness wherever we can, yes, even at work, in fact, so much basketball is watched at work that the band width at many offices gets clogged up. scott budman found a company that could help. >> reporter: march madness is everywhere these days. on your laptop, on your tablets, and on your smartphone. all that basketball streaming over wi-fi connections, is quickly bringing offices all over the country to their knees. >> so you see the spikes up and down, taking up more band width. >> reporter: those spikes, caused by people streaming the march madness, causes the data to move more slowly through the office. >> and stopping people from sending out e-mails, or moving files. >> reporter: it is what keeps sunnyvale's blue coat system going. think of a pipe, if it gets clogged up thanks to multiple devices due to high defini

>> comg up next on "california country.. it's crunch time as we dig up what goes into one of our favorite snacks... and you don't even have to leave your car to see how farming is blossoming in one part of the state this time of year... then we put the "fun" back ifungi with tips from an expert. it's all ahead and starts now. [captioninmade possible by california farm bureau federation] >> welcome to the show. i'm your host tracy llers. we're in the beautiful mountains of el dorado county today, which is just a short drive away from sacramento. andhat brings us to our first story. if you're anything like me, you've probably consumed this next produce item at let once this week. that's because it's been called america's favorite vegeble. but we like to call it a reason to get our hands dirty and meet some real potato pioneers. with their adaptability and versatility, it's wonder potatoes are a fan favorite. bad, mashed, diced, or scalloped, no matter how you slice it, from potato chips to french fries d almost anything in bet

[captionibg made possible by california farm bureau federation] >> coming up on "california country," see how one farmer is breaking bread with his customers, literally. then we offer an ode to olives thanks to this historic company. and see how salads are getting a makeofer thanks to these long-time farmers. plus see how your flowers get from the field to the florist. it's all ahead, and it starts now. nestled into the hills of the quiet little town of ojai is where you'll find the rio gozo farm. "rio," which means river in spanish, and "gozo," which means joy, is run by former chef and now full-time farmer john fonteyn. and if you watch him work long enough, you'll realize just how much gozo is actually flowing around these parts. >> good morning. >> you, too. how are you all? i mean, my first love qith food wap really preparing food and cooking it. i just kind of felt like since food was a relationship i'm gonna have my whole life, and one i check in with 3 times a day, that it'd be good to really kind of explore it deeper. >> and john gets to explore his love f@r food every day, n

activities report, a, status update on clean power sf program, b, status update on proceedings at the california public utilities commission. >> thank you very much and we have presentations from barbara hale of the pcp and nancy miller from lafco, i didn't see you over there. >> barbara hale, assistant general manager for power, we provided some handouts that are available to the public and to the commissioners, i just wanted to give you a quick update on three items, where things are at with the sfpuc and the california public utilities commission, the status of our customer notification and education plan and an update on our legislation related to clean energy and ms. radica fox will provide the legislative update for you, with respect to the first item, the sfpuc activities, we are progressing as planned, we are on time as our time schedule, we have rated options possible at our commission on march 12th, at that time, we'll be presenting our commission with a customer poll results, we'll be presenting the not to exceed rate for adoption and possible adoption, consideration and possible adop

the snowpack provides about a third of california's drinking water. the state officials are encouraging all of us to start to conserve water, taking shorter showers and going easier on lawns. the final survey will be next month. the confrontation, you have been telling us the snowpack is just too low. >> looks very slim. we got rainfall today, but here is the horrible part, the storm system is so warm that it didn't even produce anything in the way of major snow across sierra, we got a nice amount of rain, quickly early on this afternoon. rainfall totals, well, impressive in the short time. but overall this is just really way off the mark from the kind of totals we should be picking up this time of year. just 1100th in santa rosa, and east bay, 600 as well. when you take a look at the south bay, san jose, just one in 8800th of an inch of rainfall, and for the rain today, at least for the calendar year, we're six and a quarter inches behind, one of the driest years on record as we continue the dry spell throughout march. as we head into april, may, we

we were plaintiffs in the california state pays for equal marriage rights to society in 2008 by the california supreme court, so we were proud to be at the supreme court standing with the plaintiffs in these historic cases and with the legal teams. really with the community. like our case in california, these are the community's lawsuit. as my husband said, it feels like our very lives are before the court, but there is no mistaking this historic moment, the momentum leading up to these hearings is incredible. every day when we turn to the headlines, there is some new poll showing increased majority support nationwide for equal marriage rights. we have come to washington at several other historic juncture is to protest the hours vs. hardwick decision upholding sodomy laws to celebrate the lawrence versus texas decision in 2003, which overturned sodomy laws. and we came back in 2004 after we exchanged vows in san francisco city hall. we came here on a bus tour across the country with other same-sex couples, married in city hall and our friends and loved ones and supporters to rally in washingto

it was the first mega fire that california really experienced. and we thought, well, it will be, that's a career fire, that will be it. then 2007 came around. in 2007 we had another fire siege, same weather scenario, but we didn't have one cedar fire, we had five of them just in my county alone so we were inundated by a large scale disaster in 2007. as an example of our agreement and the efficiency of that agreement is we had orders to (inaudible) at 0000 that day. that's a 4 hour activation time and that shows the dedication and effort to leaning forward to the mission with these agreements that we can have a 4-hour activation. i've been in this business a while and i'll say that's unprecedented with any civilian emergency services agency going to a dod asset and having it engage in 4 hours. >> commander, anything you want to share? >> more recently in 2012, two squadrons provided 3 aircraft and the notification process was approximately 2 to 3 hours. we have expanded the capability in the navy, as i said earlier, and that allows for that rapid

than other states because california gives you a rebate.ncentive to help reduce emission and clean up the air. but critic question using tax dollars to subsidize those with can already afford green technolog technology. annette has the story tonight from sacramento. >> they are going like hot cake. >>reporter: state 43 million dollar rebate program for plug inhybrid and other zero emission vehicle nearly empty. so the california air resource board and the energy commission pumped 10 and half million dollars more into the account. enabling more resident to take advantage of getting up to 2500 dollars back. combined with federal rebate program of up to 7500 dollars consumer can save as much as 10 grand off the sticker price. plus they qualify for the car pool lane with special permit. >> this is prius came in last year. >>reporter: state says california is still having trouble meeting clean air standards. >> the only way that we can keep our air clean and fight smog and fight climate change te of these zero emission vehicle. >> another boone

california has not dropped into the sea. nothing is -- as happened to california. we were called an experiment and the supreme court. we are not an experiment. we are a civil rights and open and a look -- and as our sole rights and i hope they come down on the right side of history because it is not a matter of if we're going to be married. it is a matter of when this issue is solved. we will win eventually because the public is on our side. thank you. >> that is robin tyler. spouse also diane olson, who is the granddaughter of a former governor of california, governor olson. also i filed an amicus in brief inan amicus this case. >> please identify your cells. >> my name is charles cooper. i represent the petitioners in this case. the parties and their lawyers have litigated this case for almost four years. finally, at this point, the case, as you have seen, which presented to the court. the court asked some penetrating, majored questions of both sides, and now it is in the hands of the court. we're looking forward to a prompt response. a difficult,is is controvers

schools and pro california. >> california educates one of every eight children in the entire nation. if we can move california, the entire dynamic changes. >> says she'll need an uprising to do it. >> and i hope that everybody else becomes a radical, too. >> don't count on everyone. the california teachers association, the largest teachers union in the state with more than 300,000 members, is ready to take on rhee. giving us a statement, it reads in part, "it looks like her real agenda it s to exploit our underfunded schools raise more money to back unproven reform ideas like more standardized testing and private school vouchers, or attacking experienced teachers." "you don't put students first by putting teachers and parents last." ironically, this morning nine california school districts including san francisco and oakland announced that they'll use student achievement data in a proposed new accountability system. and it's part of their move to get a waiver from the federal no child left behind legislation which, in turn, would give them more access to $100 million in federal funds

of california. they made a professional judgment given their obligations as officers of the state of california. the california supreme court has said that proponents -- and by the way, only four of the five are here. dr. tam withdrew from the case because of some -- many things he said during the election campaign. >> well, mr. olson, is it your position that the only people who could defend a ballot, a law

marriage can resume in california. or the court will find some way to say the prop 8 proponents never had a right to be here. the result would be the same. i think it's fair to say that marriage is going to resume in california because prop 8 will somehow be struck down. but the exact mechanism for that is not at all clear. in any event, chris, it seems quite likely it's not going to be any kind of sweeping ruling about same-sex marriage. it may end up not being about gay rights at all. >> and pete, i find that the oral arguments here, we're getting this stuff coming to us, moment by moment. we have a little bit of sound of chief justice john roberts talking about the labelling of marriage. let's play that and we'll come back and talk about it. >> if you tell a child that somebody has to be their friend, i suppose you can force the child to say this is my friend. but it changes the definition of what it means to be a friend. and that's, it seems to me, what supporters of proposition 8 are saying here. all you're intere

what covered california is? how is that going to work?s it going to overlay with our employers from one employee to the 99 employee, which is our purview. and then eventually how that will overlay with the healthcare security ordinance? so i just want to extend my appreciation for really taking the time and helping us think through this. >> welcome, tangerine. >> thank you, commissioners. thank you so much regina. so before getting into the intersection between the affordable care act and the health care security ordinance, i wanted to give a brief, as brief as possible synopsis of the affordable care act and the provisions around health care expansion. so the affordable care act requires many, but not all individuals in the united states to actually have insurance, or pay a penalty. that is what you will hear referred to as the individual mand yet. mandate. there are other requirements, people who are incarcerated and people who have religious exempt ions, but for the most part individuals in the united states will get coverage as a resu

march is a great month for skiing here in california.you go down the mountain whether it's on a board, a sled, or skis, you know there are safety risks but now potential hazards are documented. ski resorts are under the microscope. we show you the first ever ski resort report card. >> reporter: going up, taking off and tearing down. but do the dangers go beyond the inherent risks of skiing and snowboarding. >> this is a steal fixed cable. >> reporter: from cables at neck height. run down chair lifts, to exposed metal poles. nick can find it. he's a former ski patroller and expert witness against the industry. >> you need to give the people the information they need. >> reporter: he led a team of researchers who made unannounced visits to every california ski area. his findings became the basis for this safety report card by the california ski and snowboard safety organization. the group gave areas grades from a b to an f. >> it was put together on a single day. >> reporter: the lowest gray in lake tahoe, a d given to donner ski ravage. t

yup, you guessed it, southern california. kids like us southern california isn't just a megaregion, it's also mega fun. all right, let's go riding. let's go ride. let's go riding, babe. whoo! elizabeth: southe rn california, or socal includes several cities including los angeles and san diego. in l.a., fun in the sun is the way to go because the beaches are awesome and it's warm all year long. plus, everybody loves checking out hollywood the santa monica pier, the shopping on rodeo drive and the adventures from archery...