Flickr/Payton Chung

When it comes to proximity to good food, not all court locations are equal. If you're lucky (well, relatively so), you'll be assigned to Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center on Temple Street the next time you receive a summons calling you to your civic duty. It's adjacent to the new-ish Grand Park that extends north to south from Grand Avenue to Spring Street, well-suited for a quick outdoor lunch for one. It's also within reasonable walking distance to Little Tokyo or Bunker Hill, home to some pretty exciting new restaurants.

You'll want to opt for the latter, because you might as well take advantage of your circumstances, turning lemons to, well, you know. Best to avoid the courthouse cafeteria altogether, which rated two and a half stars among Yelpers. To help you steer away from lukewarm lunches sanctioned by governmental agencies, we gathered four noteworthy spots with one eye on your watch and the other on your wallet. Turn the page.

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Flickr/vwb5

Coke

California lawmakers are considering a bill this week that would tax sugary drinks to the tune of one cent per fluid ounce. That would add 12 cents to your typical can of Coke -- but not Diet Coke.

It would also affect the price of sweet tea, but not tea that you add sugar to yourself. Yes, this is making more and more sense.

The measure passed its first hurdle, clearing a tax committee on Wednesday, KTLA reports.

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G. Snyder

Sushi at Urasawa

California Labor Commissioner Julie A. Su has issued citations to restaurants across the state for violating various state labor laws. Urasawa, the famed sushi restaurant in Beverly Hills, was among those cited.

According to the Commissioner, the government's investigation found that Urasawa's kitchen staff often worked 10.5 hours a day without receiving overtime pay or proper rest and meal breaks. The restaurant also failed to issue wage statements itemizing the number of hours employees worked and their rate of pay, another violation of the California Labor Code.

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jbrisch/Flickr

Subway

Recently a teenager in Australia discovered that his Subway "Footlong" sandwich did not measure up to 12 inches; it was, rather, a mere 11. Which, on this side of the hemisphere, is the sort of discrepancy that forms the basis for both great Stephen Colbert bits and false advertising lawsuits. And Reuters reports that three lawsuits indeed were then filed in Illinois, New Jersey and Philadelphia against Subway, each claiming that the chain's "Footlong" sandwiches come up short.

As the lawyer for the Illinois plaintiffs tells Reuters, "This is no different than buying a dozen eggs and getting 11. You're buying a dozen inches and only getting 11."

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Chris Gold, via Flickr

Bread for sale

On Saturday, Jan. 5, the Silverlake Library held a public meeting for people to learn more about the new cottage food law, ABA 1616. The law allows homemade, non-potentially hazardous food to be sold by home cooks to the public.

When bread baker Mark Stambler's homemade bread operation -- he was selling in a few local markets -- was shut down by health inspectors in 2011, Stambler decided to do something about it. Instead of crying in to his spilled spelt, Stambler researched cottage food laws, which led him to the Sustainable Economies Law Center. After some discussion, Stambler and the folks at the Center decided that a California cottage food law needed to be written. More than 20 other states have cottage food laws, why shouldn't we?

Thanks to the help of Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-CA) the law -- which includes two types of permits -- was written, passed and went in to effect on Jan. 1.

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Flickr/Pauline Mak

Homemade brioche

One of the biggest legislative surprises of the year was the California Assembly's passage of the California Homemade Food Act, which was officially signed in to law by Governor Brown in September. The act legalized the sale of homemade "non-potentially hazardous foods," which, according to the bill, included things like breads, dried fruit and nuts, jam, nut butters, granola, popcorn, teas, homemade cookies, and pies. Cottage food activists like Mark Stambler, a long time backyard baker, championed the bill despite opposition from some influential members of the food industry.

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Felicia Friesema

A very fresh oyster

If you, like some of us, were in the vicinity of Point Reyes in Northern California last week and did not enjoy some fresh oysters, you, like us, will be kicking yourself. And possibly U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, too. Salazar just announced that he is shutting down a historic oyster farm along Point Reyes National Seashore, designating the site as a wilderness area. As of tomorrow.

"After careful consideration of the applicable law and policy, I have directed the National Park Service to allow the permit for the Drakes Bay Oyster Co. to expire ... and to return the Drakes Estero to the state of wilderness that Congress designated for it in 1976," Salazar said in a statement. Salazar visited the oyster farm last week and said he did not make the decision lightly, according to the Associated Press. Point Reyes National Seashore was added to the national parks system by Congress in 1962, including protection for more than 80 miles of California coastline in the area.

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Flickr/homard.net

Monster Beverage Corp.'s energy drinks have been cited in the deaths of five people -- including a 14-year-old girl -- in the last year, according to incident reports submitted to the Food and Drug Administration.

The reports said the victims consumed Monster drinks prior to their deaths, Shelly Burgess, an FDA spokeswoman, told Businessweek. The FDA said the voluntarily reported incidents are under investigation. Shares of Corona, Calif.-based Monster plummeted to a four-year low after the reports surfaced.

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Flicker user Pillowhead_Designs

Cottage Food Law Cookies

Breaking homemade brownie news: Governor Jerry Brown signed the California Homemade Food Act (AB 1616) into effect today. If you've been following the bill, backed by local Assemblyman Mike Gatto, it allows the "limited" sale of "non-potentially hazardous foods."

According to a statement from the Governor's office, the bill aims to "help small and fledgling businesses produce and sell food made out of their homes under a more streamlined regulatory structure." Get more after the jump.

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Flickr/veggiefrog

Popcorn

If you thought popcorn was dangerous just because of those hard little things that get stuck between your teeth, think again. A jury has awarded a Colorado man $7.2 million in damages because he developed a chronic condition known as "popcorn lung" from a chemical used to give microwave popcorn its butter flavor, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Wayne Watson, 59, ate microwave popcorn every day for years before developing the obstructive lung disease formally known as bronchiolitis obliterans. The irreversible condition makes it difficult for air to flow out of the lungs. He was diagnosed in 2007 after years of inhaling the smell of artificial butter. The Denver resident was the first consumer of microwave popcorn diagnosed with the disease, his attorney Kenneth McClain said.

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