The proposal faces significant hurdles, particularly obtaining a U.S. Department of Transportation waiver of federal highway regulations. The governor sees the plan as a way to generate revenue and improve the technology of the warning signs, but critics fear the new signs would distract drivers and lead to more accidents.

The Secretary of State's office has authorized signature collection for a November ballot initiative that would make several changes to California's budget process, including passage by a simple majority instead of the current two-thirds requirement. It would, however, retain the two-thirds vote needed to raise taxes and allow the governor to make unilateral budget cuts during a fiscal crisis if the Legislature fails to act.

In a display of bipartisanship as rare as a dodo's egg, the Assembly Budget Committee today scorned a proposal to give the governor blanket authority to defer payments when the state has a cash flow problem.

But a variety of groups testified against the idea, from the Teamsters union to the Automobile Club of Southern California. Teamsters lobbyist Barry Broad warned that cities could manipulate the length of traffic light sequences to encourage more speeding drivers – and more revenue.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Among states, California arguably has the most to gain from an overhaul of its health care system: it has the greatest number of uninsured residents in the country and the largest public insurance program for the poor, which struggles to serve 6.5 million people while reimbursing doctors at one of the nation's lowest rates.