Free Republic

Telephone companies can dive into California's $5.3 billion-a-year cable TV industry under a law signed Friday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. He said the measure, backed by millions of dollars in corporate contributions, will offer consumers better service and lower prices. Rushing to beat a midnight Saturday bill-signing deadline, the Republican governor joined with Democratic legislative leaders Friday to also back programs lowering the cost of prescription drugs for poor Californians and to test thousands of volunteers for possible toxic contamination. All three bills could serve as models for other states and the nation, supporters said. AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications...

As many as 6 million Californians would benefit from legislation sent Wednesday to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that would impose mandatory prescription drug discounts. Schwarzenegger has said he will sign the bill, the result of negotiations between his staff and the Legislature's Democratic leadership. "With prescription drug costs contributing to more than 8 percent of health care inflation, this is a critical step in addressing access to affordable health care," Schwarzenegger said in a statement. The bill, by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, passed a final Assembly vote 42-28, with lawmakers sticking to party lines. "This is an opportunity to...