Loco Steve / Flickr

Earlier this month we told you how a study looking at geolocation data and key words on Twitter found that California has some of the happiest towns in America, including a few in Southern California.

The latest Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index seems to confirm that assertion, although the Golden State didn't make the Index's list of 10 happiest states.

Here's the deal:

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Lyft

For anyone who has ever fretted about what driving long distances without passengers during rush hour is doing to the environment and to your wallet, there's Lyft.

Launched in San Francisco in 2012, the mobile-app based ride-sharing program allows members to find drivers in their areas who will shuttle them and others nearby for a fee that's reportedly cheaper than most cab rides.

The program hit the Santa Monica area last week.

Not surprisingly, traditional taxi and limo companies are not pleased. The California Public Utilities Commission -- which regulates the state's transportation systems -- has issued fines against the company and even sent it a cease-and-desist.

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SNL / Hulu

See also:
*Jose Barrientos Pranks Speech Class By Using Fake Mexi Accent.

Part of the joy of watching Saturday Night Live's "The Californians" (video on the next page) is hearing the ridiculously exaggerated Spicoli accents that seem to make even the show's own cast members, many of whom hail from L.A., quiver with giggles.

The bit is a fantasy of high-end, champagne-sipping Westside life dominated by infidelity discovered through Los Angeles society's constant talk of the best way to get somewhere in local traffic.

Or is it so fantastic?

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jenn ster / Flickr

Why is California so liberal, you ask? Why is it so broke?

Some folks are having a little fun with Google's autocorrect search function, finding that top questions about our beloved Golden State included ones that weren't so flattering. You can try it yourself by typing "Why is California so" in your search box.

According to venture capitalist and occasional blogger Renee DiResta (via Slate), people want to know, in this order, why we're so liberal, broke, anti-gun and expensive. But ...

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Jerry Brown / YouTube

Updated at the bottom with Brown's slash-and-burn budget. First posted at 6:06 a.m.

Gray Davis? Arnold Schwarzenegger? Jerry Brown II? It's deja vu all over again.

Brown took to YouTube over the weekend to deliver the bad news that the state deficit has hit $16 billion, far greater than the $9 or so billion he predicted at the beginning of the year.

Despite the alleged economic recovery, it looks like extra revenues haven't been flowing to Sacramento at the rate the governor expected:

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