SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee today announced the formation of a Technology and Innovation Task Force at the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) that will demonstrate how cities can support growth of technology and new economy jobs and foster innovation in local governments through technology and transparency.

COMPTON, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Congresswoman Janice Hahn announced her endorsement of Assemblymember Isadore Hall’s campaign today. Hall is running for reelection in California’s newly created 64th Assembly District. Hall is a former two-term President of the Compton Unified School District Board of Trustees. He was elected to the Compton City Council in 2003 where he served in various leadership positions including Mayor pro Tempore.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Assemblymember Isadore Hall, III (D – Los Angeles) will lead fellow legislators in honoring Los Angeles County Reserve Deputy Sheriff Shervin Lalezary for his acts of bravery during a ceremony in the Assembly Chambers on Thursday, January 19, 2012.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — In his 2012 State of the State speech, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. said California is “on the mend” and laid out an ambitious agenda for economic growth in the year ahead. The full text of the speech follows: (Remarks as prepared)

SAN RAMON, Calif. /California Newswire/ — EPIC Programs Group, a managing underwriter and program administrator providing leading-edge risk management and insurance solutions nationally, announced that they have expanded the menu of coverage available in their newest program for Pizza Restaurants and Delivery Operators. Dubbed ‘SLICE’ (safety, loss control, insurance, coverage, expertise), the program now includes customized Commercial Excess Liability Coverage designed specifically for Pizza Delivery Operators.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — MCT Trading, Inc. (MCT), a leading hedging and risk management firm, announced that its COO, Philip Rasori, will speak on a panel session on the subject of risk management advisory in the secondary market at the Texas MBA’s Southern Secondary Market Conference. The panel is being held at the Marriott Woodlands Waterway Hotel and Convention Center in Woodlands, Texas on Wednesday, January 18 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the following appointments. First, John Banuelos, 67, of Elk Grove, has been appointed to the California Boating and Waterways Commission. Banuelos worked at the California Conservation Corps from 1997 to 2004 and from 1977 to 1992 in multiple positions, including program and evaluation manager.

IRVINE, Calif. /California Newswire/ — PowerGuard Specialty Insurance Services announces that leading global provider of solar energy services, SunEdison, a client of retail insurance broker Lockton Companies, has joined the growing number of solar energy providers to adopt PowerGuard’s unique PowerClip extended warranty protection.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Remo Software, a leading software company who provides consumer software utilities today has announced the availability of a RAR file repair utility for repairing corrupt or damaged RAR archive files created by WinRAR.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — California Governor Edmund G. Brown issued a Proclamation declaring January 15th 2012 as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Voices.com, an online marketplace connecting businesses with voice actors, is pleased to announce their sponsorship of The VoiceOver International Creative Experience (VOICE 2012). Voices.com supported VOICE 2007 and 2010 in previous years through sponsorship, social media reporting and editorial coverage, extending the reach of the conference to a global audience hungry for the latest news, information and trends observed during the industry conference.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — According to The Futon Shop, conventional mattresses are very likely to contain chemicals, some potentially toxic to humans and/or harmful to the environment. Most of these chemical compounds have a cloud surrounding the information on the possible harms they can cause. The way to go green is to choose a mattress with fewer chemicals or no chemicals. The ideal mattress would have low VOCs, no PBDEs, no formaldehyde, and no phthalates.

SANTA ANA, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Santa Ana City Councilwoman Michele Martinez announced today that she will host a grand opening event this Saturday, January 14 at her new campaign headquarters in Santa Ana. The office is located at 217 N. Main Street, #116, Santa Ana, CA.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today signed an agreement to expand a state and federal partnership that has, over the last two years, paved the way for more than a dozen utility-scale solar energy projects and more than 130 renewable power projects in California.

LONG BEACH, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Since 1974, Dr. Marc Spitz of the Foot Pain Center has been helping patients to beat peripheral neuropathy. After observing epidemic numbers of people developing peripheral neuropathy in their feet, he decided to make this his practice’s focus.

IRVINE, Calif. /California Newswire/ — PowerGuard Specialty Insurance Services announces that leading solar manufacturer, Talesun, has joined the growing number of global solar panel manufacturers to choose PowerGuard’s unique PowerClip extended warranty protection.