As you read this, journalists in Europe are getting their first taste of the Ferrari California, flogging the new coupe/convertible through the rolling hills of Italy, and periodically stopping to snack on shaved white truffles and sip Brunello di Montalcino. Jealous? We are. But rest assured our time will come. If it doesn't, then at least we know what we'll have to remove from our tanking 401k to get a California of our own... in Europe.

California recently banned talking on cellphones, and then followed up by making texting illegal, while driving. For a moment there, it was looking like all you were going to be able to do behind the wheel in California was, you know, drive. But thanks to the dedication of Governor Schwarzenegger, individual freedoms have not been extinguished. Promising to only sign bills that are "the highest priority for California," Arnie vetoed a bill that would ban driving with dogs in your lap.

What's up with California's lawmakers?

After wiping the egg off his face for approving legislation earlier this year that banned cell phone use yet still allowed texting behind the wheel, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger hurriedly signed legislation today banning drivers from sending, writing, or reading messages on electronic devices. If you are one of those text-messaging morons in the fast lane, no need to worry as the law doesn't go into effect until January. Even when it does, the fine for a first offense is only $20 (what, a mere 5 gallons of gas?), and the second offense is just $50. Considering it is still legal to type in a phone number on a keypad while driving...

Click above to watch the video

Click above for high-res gallery of the Ferrari California

Some of the more hard-core tifosi have been whining that Ferrari has gone soft with the new California. It's pretty hard to justify that a car able to hit 60 mph in the three-second range is soft, but so be it. The nay-sayers point to the inclusion of a folding hard-top as a sign that Ferrari has grown more concerned with pleasing its poseur clientele than developing genuine performance vehicles. Never mind that the innovative rapid-deployment roof, according to Ferrari, actually weighs 5kg less than an equivalent soft-top and still only takes 14 seconds to raise or lower.

Click for more of the Ferrari California in San Francisco

This was bound to happen sooner or later, and sooner it is: still over a month before its official public unveiling at the Paris Motor Show in October, the new Ferrari California has been spotted in its element: the streets of San Francisco.

The car was ostensibly there for a promotional photo shoot, but its presence in Northern California this close to Pebble Beach makes us wonder if Ferrari isn't planning an early peek on the putting green in Monterey. Whether at Pebble or Paris, we'll be there to bring you the latest, so stayed tuned. In the meantime check out the (admittedly blurry) photos in the gallery below.

Officials are hard at work trying to alleviate the notorious traffic congestion in California. Across the state, drivers sit still in traffic while carpool lanes sit empty, underused by public transit and vehicles carrying multiple passengers. The solution for the Bay Area, as the Metropolitan Transportation Commission sees it, is to allow solo motorists to pay for using the carpool lanes.

Click above for high-res gallery of Schumacher and the California

Michael Schumacher may have departed the Formula One grid, but he has most definitely not left Ferrari. The seven-time world champion, widely credited with building Ferrari into the power house it is today, still comes around the paddock at various tracks around the world to give the Prancing Horse's latest creations - whether racing cars or road vehicles - a healthy dose of Schuey-trademarked punishment.