California lawmakers are expected to vote Friday on an on-time Democratic spending plan that includes a historic education funding shift to boost the fortunes of school districts with high numbers of poor and minority students while restoring some social services that fell victim to the recent recession.

State lawmakers sent Gov. Jerry Brown a pair of consumer protection bills Monday that prevent health insurance companies from discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions and limit how much more insurers can charge older residents.

A Democratic lawmaker introduced a package of bills Wednesday to address an expected doctor shortage as California prepares to insure millions of new patients under federal health care reforms.

Set on a gritty corner of Oakland's International Boulevard, the nonprofit Street Level Health Project offers free checkups to patients who speak a total of 22 languages, from recent Mongolian immigrants seeking a doctor to Burmese refugees in need of a basic dental exam.

Gov. Jerry Brown says he's firmly committed to making national health care reform work in California, but he also is wary of potential costs that could affect state spending for years to come.

Riding a wave of new tax revenue, California's spending plan for the coming fiscal year will rise by nearly $5 billion, a powerful indication that the state that came to symbolize fiscal mismanagement during the heart of the recession is emerging into brighter days.

Oakland's leaders took a risk by borrowing $213 million to cover pension payments, betting that the fund's investments will earn more than the bonds cost.

The nation's largest teachers' pension fund announced Tuesday that it was reviewing all its firearms holdings after one investment with ties to last week's Connecticut school massacre slipped through the pension's own ethics review.