A former military prosecutor, a Democrat, and a conservative San Diego-area, a Republican, are jointly authoring legislation that would bar the state — and private companies that do business with the state, including utilities — from helping the NSA collect so-called “metadata” or electronic data on Californians without a warrant.
State Sen. Ron Calderon, whose Capitol offices were raided as part of an FBI undercover sting, says federal authorities illegally leaked information and pressured him to wear a hidden microphone in a purported corruption probe of Senate Leader Darrell Steinberg (above) and a colleague. Calderon said he refused, prompting retaliation from federal agents. On Thursday, a judge ordered federal authorities to respond to Calderon’s allegations. (Photo: Rich Pedroncelli/AP)