
A Year in Review
Our top 10 most popular stories of 2015
It’s been quite a year! Now that the champagne has been popped, gone flat and you’ve had time to recover, take a look at our most widely read local stories from 2015:

Status Check: Bridging the Divide
West Sac makes progress on transportation upgrades
Last year we reported on the massive transportation shift taking place in West Sacramento (“Bridging the Divide” by John Blomster, October 2014) Check out some of the progress that has been made since then:

Chevron CEO Blasts California Environmental Laws Governor Touts
As Governor Jerry Brown is in Paris urging other political leaders to follow his lead in curbing global warming, the chief executive of California’s largest oil company said the state’s policies “unambiguously raise energy costs and do nothing about greenhouse-gas emissions.”

Banks May Balk at Financing $68 Billion California Bullet Train
California is counting on private companies to kick in as much as $35.5 billion toward the most expensive public-works project in U.S. history, a proposed high-speed rail line linking San Francisco with Los Angeles. Banks and other contractors who’ve studied the plan say not so fast.

Good Eats Made Easy
Caviar delivery service launches partnerships with Sacramento restaurants
Sacramento dining is about to get a little more convenient.

California Teachers’ Pension Scolds Volkswagen on Emissions Dupe
California’s $184-billion pension fund for school teachers chided Volkswagen AG for rigging some diesel engines to cheat on U.S. emission tests and said it is evaluating its exposure to losses from the scandal.

Brown Drops 50% Gasoline Cut in California Amid Big Oil Protests
California Governor Jerry Brown abandoned a plan to cut gasoline use in half as part of an ambitious bill to combat climate change, after oil companies and business groups waged a multi-million dollar campaign against the effort.

Road Rage
Brown’s $3.6 billion California transit plan angers Republicans
“The administration’s ideas call for more than doubling the vehicle-registration fees and raising the price of fuel on all Californians,” Assembly Republican Leader Kristin Olsen said in a statement. “We disagree and think Californians have paid enough. Funds exist to fix our roads.”

Flyer Beware
Where’s the love gone, Southwest?
You don’t have to fasten a seatbelt and you don’t have to bring your seat to the fully upright and locked position. These are just two reasons why a root canal may now be less painful than your average commercial airline experience.

Startup of the Month: Road Finch
Stockton-based startup uses pedal power to promote businesses
When car accident totaled Pedro Avila’s beloved ‘87 Volkswagen Cabriolet, he found himself desperate for money to repair the damage. A transportation industry veteran, Avila came up with Road Finch: eco-friendly and interactive marketing — by bicycle.