Radioactive legacy. A new report from the Environmental Protection Agency finds that 50 years after the partial meltdown of a nuclear reactor at the former Rocketdyne lab in the Santa Susana Mountains, radioactive levels still exceed standards outlined in a 2010 agreement between state and federal agencies. Activists who have been fighting for years to have all the radiation removed say the new EPA report shows that Boeing Co. is not living up to its commitments. The aerospace company purchased Rocketdyne seven years ago and then sold it, but kept the Santa Susana lab. Boeing officials say the survey results show the radiation is low-level and poses no significant health risk. L.A. Daily News
Governor’s cancer. Governor Jerry Brown will stay on the job while he’s being treated for early-stage prostate cancer. Aides say the prognosis is excellent for the 74-year-old governor. Brown is expected to begin a four-week radiotherapy regimen in early January. It’s the governor’s second cancer diagnosis. He underwent minor surgery last year to remove a cancerous growth on his nose. San Jose Mercury News
Golden Globe nods. Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” was top dog today at the Golden Globes. The film received nominations for Best Drama, Best Director for Spielberg and acting honors for Daniel Day Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones. “Argo” and Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained” each received five nominations, including Best Drama. The other films in that category are “Life of Pi” and “Zero Dark Thirty.” For Best Musical or Comedy, the finalists are “Les Miserables,” “Moonrise Kingdom,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” and the British retiree adventure “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.” L.A. Times
Blue customers. Health insurer Blue Shield is proposing to raise rates by between 12 and 20 percent on 300,000 California customers. The request comes as the San Francisco-based insurer sits on a record surplus of nearly $4 billion. Some consumer advocates say the surplus is excessive and should be used to hold down premiums. Blue Shield insists the two issues are unrelated. The company says the rate hikes are needed because of higher costs anticipated as part of the national healthcare law that will take effect in 2014. L.A.Times
Prison layoffs. The federal receiver who controls healthcare in California prisons is handing out layoff notices to more than 2,200 employees as inmate crowding eases. The notices come as Receiver J. Clark Kelso begins returning control of the prison healthcare system to the state. Officials say the goal is to reduce the prison system’s medical staff by 800 positions by spring. Sacramento Bee