Alison Vekshin

Pot Shops Can’t Take American Express or Deposit in Banks

bloomberg.com — Every month, Elliott Klug or one of his business partners walks into the Colorado Revenue Department with a messenger bag holding thousands of dollars in cash and watches as state employees start counting.

Soaring Rate of Immigrant Parents Imperils Overhaul Boon

bloomberg.com — Robert Liang and his wife, Alice, are living arguments for backers of an immigration-law revision: Though undocumented, they're hardworking small-business owners who don't want government help. The immigrants from Taiwan also embody an argument for its opponents: They're older than 50.

Bratton Says Oakland Lacks Police for Murders, Robberies

bloomberg.com — Oakland, California 's police investigations are ineffective in solving shootings, robberies and burglaries, and should be decentralized into five neighborhood districts, former New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton recommended. Robbery investigators are slow to respond and interview victims, while one part-time robbery detective was assigned to 10,000 cases last year, according to the report by The Bratton Group LLC released today.

California Fracking Rules Plan Stirs Trade Secrets Fight

bloomberg.com — A California proposal to regulate the chemicals used by oil companies in hydraulic fracturing is stirring a battle over industry assertions of trade secrets protection and environmentalist calls for disclosure to shield public health. State officials developing rules for fracking say they have to walk a fine line to avoid lawsuits by both the public and the industry, circumscribing their proposal.

Stockton Retirees Worry Pension Cuts Follow Health Losses

bloomberg.com — Retired public employees in bankrupt Stockton, California, who saw health-care coverage shrink last year may see their pensions decrease next as the city wrangles with creditors. The biggest U.S. city in bankruptcy, Stockton is preparing a plan for paying debt that may propose compensating some creditors less than the principal owed, setting up a likely court challenge from the creditors that the city's pension contributions be subject to cuts as well.

SF Mayor Rises From ‘Bureaucrat’ to Twitter’s Savior

bloomberg.com — A month after being named San Francisco's interim mayor, Ed Lee was ushered into a small conference room at Twitter Inc. headquarters, his first visit to a technology company. The social networking startup, which had about 400 employees and was planning to add at least 2,000 more, was considering leaving the city, its executives said.

Californians Favor Same-Sex Weddings as Court Weighs Ban

bloomberg.com — Two weeks after being sworn in as San Francisco mayor in 2004, Gavin Newsom found himself sitting in the the U.S. Capitol gallery watching then-President George W. Bush tell the nation that a constitutional change defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman might be needed.

California Fracking Fight Has $25 Billion Taxes at Stake

bloomberg.com — California's reputation for environmental protection may be jeopardized by the lure of a $25 billion tax windfall that depends on how the state permits oil companies to take advantage of vast deposits lying two miles beneath its golden hills.

States Legalizing Pot Race to Define Market’s Regulation

bloomberg.com — Colorado and Washington are racing deadlines to set up a framework for regulating the sale of marijuana for recreational use, even as federal authorities weigh the future of the new industry. Colorado has given its Revenue Department until July 1 to draft rules for pot farming, distribution and retailing after voters legalized possession by adults and sales in stores.