

Gun control initiative launched in California
In the wake of recent mass shootings in Oregon and Arizona campuses, anti-violence advocates launched on Oct. 15, 2015 a ballot initiative aimed at requiring background checks gun purchases and reporting on lost or stolen guns in California. Called Safety for All, the historic ballot initiative is a package of gun reforms that include instant and tighter background checks for purchases of guns and ammunitions, as well as prohibiting possession of large detachable military sty


In California, a dignified death
Four attempts since 1995, all in vain — until 20 years later. All it took the fifth time around was for a dying California woman to move out of state to Oregon — where she was allowed to end her pain on her own terms — for terminally ill Californians to be accorded their right to die with dignity. California Gov. Jerry Brown on Oct. 5, 2015, signed the End of Life Option Act into law, just a few weeks after the state Assembly and Senate approved the bill in a whirlwind specia