NORTHERN CALIFORNIA RECORD

Checks and Balances Project (C&BP), a investigative watchdog website, filed two lawsuits Aug. 10 against Bakersfield politicians, alleging that some have been in cahoots with a realtor lobbyist to discontinue a residential energy financing plan, PR Newswire has reported.

Although the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a district court's decision to dismiss Nordstrom employees' labor lawsuit, one plaintiff's lawyer said the case has still made strides in narrowing the definition of the ''day of rest'' law and improving employee fairness.

Members of the California Assembly's Committee of Labor and Employment are attempting to pass a bill that will require state employers to provide existing employees with more work hours before hiring new workers.

The Human Rights Defense Center (HRDC), a Florida-based nonprofit that aims to protect the rights of U.S. inmates, has filed a lawsuit in a federal court against the Los Angeles County Jail, alleging the facility has been withholding criminal justice magazines and court documents from inmates.

A San Francisco property owner has won an appeal against tenants who refused to leave an apartment unit.