The folks who run 99 Cents Only Stores have often relied on humor—advertising being open 9 days a week, celebrating the 99th birthday of famous people, briefly selling television sets for 99 cents—to help move merchandise and brand their stores as the spunky little guy taking on the mega-retailers.   read more

Grass roots efforts to stem the tide of rising tuition or, perhaps, ban tides entirely have begun the process of bringing the issue to a vote at the polls. One initiative, submitted to the Secretary of State’s office in April, would prohibit increases in tuition or general fees for all students in good standing at the University of California, California State University or a community college. It needs 807,615 signatures by September 6, 2012.   read more

U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers had a novel idea when she released Otis Mobley, Jr., on $150,000 in May. Mobley, who was accused of trying to rob undercover agents while they were buying a grenade launcher from him, could remain free as long as he wore a GPS ankle bracelet, spent an hour a day reading books and another half-hour writing book reports. The judge would provide the reading list.   read more

“Do as I say, not as I do.” Not exactly the lesson one wants their children to learn in their early, formative years, but one the parents at Lenicia B. Weemes elementary school are no doubt hoping will stick after a brawl erupted at the Los Angeles pre-school graduation ceremony.   read more

Harvard graduate Ted Kaczynski, the so-call Unabomber whose 20-plus known victims include five in California (including two deaths), upgraded his alumni directory entry to include these “awards”: “Eight life sentences, issued by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, 1998.”   read more