- Newsmaker: "Road Rage" Dog Killer Gets Three Years - There was international outrage when Andrew Burnett snatched a small dog and tossed it to its death in San Jose traffic. Convicted of felony animal cruelty, he was recommended for probation but today received the maximum sentence of three years in prison. Frank Zimring, of Berkeley's Boalt Law School, calls the decision understandable but regrettable.
Alternative Plan to Rescue Edison
Reeling from California's misguided deregulation scheme, northern California's Pacific Gas & Electric declared bankruptcy. Southern California Edison made a deal with Governor Davis, but consumer groups called a bailout. Their threat to put an initiative on the ballot made the plan a political hot potato. Now, a deadline is drawing near, so the state Assembly will hold special hearings next week. Is Edison worth saving, or should it go the way of the PG&E;? We'll hear both sides, in a conversation with two State Assemblymen and an attorney for the largest utility advocacy group in California.