Schwarzenegger takes aim at political district boundaries -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Thursday he would try for a second time to reform rules at the heart of how California selects legislators and members of Congress — a system he says has all the fairness of loaded dice. MICHAEL R. BLOOD AP -- 8/23/07

Governor's plan to trim Medi-Cal called gimmick -- In what one Republican said was an "accounting gimmick" that would not affect services, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will cut over $300 million in funding to California's health insurance program for the poor as part of his vetoes. Judy Lin in the Sacramento Bee -- 8/23/07

DiFi calls for al-Maliki to resign -- Answering a question at a press conference today at a Northrop Grumman plant in Palmdale, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., called for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to resign as head of the Iraqi government. Josh Richman Political Blotter weblog -- 8/23/07

States Decry Children's Insurance Policy -- State health officials are decrying new federal guidelines that require many children to be uninsured for a full year before they have access to government-subsidized coverage. KEVIN FREKING AP -- 8/23/07

New redistricting push -- At a news conference in Los Angeles, the governor called on the Legislature to place a proposition on the Feb. 5 presidential primary election ballot that would take the power to redraw congressional, legislative and Board of Equalization districts every 10 years away from the Legislature and give it to an independent commission. John Marelius San Diego Union-Trib weblog -- 8/23/07

Slightly more seniors pass California high school exit exam -- Nine of every 10 seniors passed California's high school exit exam in time to graduate with their class last May, with black and Hispanic students making the greatest strides, according to figures released Thursday. JULIET WILLIAMS AP -- 8/23/07

Poll finds seniors unclear on candidates' positions -- The first in an upcoming series of issue polls of AARP members gives a very poor report card to the candidates of both parties for explaining their views on issues of importance to people over 50. Candidates beware because these are the folks who vote more conscientiously than others. Andrew Malcolm LA Times Top of Ticket weblog -- 8/23/07

Romney Presses for States' Rights -- GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney took a strong states' rights stance Wednesday on Western issues of water, mining and public lands, saying he's against "heavy-handed" intrusion by the federal government. BRENDAN RILEY AP -- 8/23/07

Biden, Richardson Court Nevada Labor -- Democratic presidential hopefuls Joe Biden and Bill Richardson courted Nevada's union workers Wednesday, pledging to end the war in Iraq and spend the billions of dollars in savings on health care and rebuilding U.S. infrastructure. SCOTT SONNER AP -- 8/23/07

U.S. wants more truthful sunscreen ratings -- The government today proposed new "truth in labeling" requirements for sunscreen that are intended to give consumers clearer and more complete information on which products offered the best protection against cancer-causing ultraviolet rays from the sun and indoor tanning beds. Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar in the Los Angeles Times -- 8/23/07

Podcast: Happy Hour Postmortem -- A California budget postmortem is the focus of an early edition of this week's Capital Notes Podcast. Actually, we're calling it a happy hour postmortem. John Myers Capitol Notes weblog -- 8/23/07

Most voters suspicious of ballots' accuracy, Field Poll finds — Fewer than half of California voters are firmly convinced their votes are being accurately counted, either on paper ballots or electronic systems, a Field Poll released today reported. Only 44 percent of the state's likely voters said they had a great deal of confidence in the vote count, while 14 percent had little or no confidence that their votes are being tabulated correctly, the poll showed. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle Dan Smith in the Sacramento Bee Steven Harmon in the San Jose Mercury — 8/23/07 Link to the poll here

Brown mulls run for governor in 2010 — Riding high on a global warming action plan he wants to take statewide, California Attorney General Jerry Brown said Wednesday he's thinking about running for governor when the job opens up again in 2010. Andy Furillo in the Sacramento Bee — 8/23/07

Schwarzenegger criticizes Democrats' health plan — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger took a firm stand Wednesday against the Democratic healthcare proposal moving through the Legislature, saying for the first time that he would not support an expansion of medical insurance if it were financed solely by new requirements on employers. Jordan Rau in the Los Angeles Times Kevin Yamamura in the Sacramento Bee — 8/23/07

Governor optimistic he can get health care overhauled this year — Just one day removed from a near-record state budget impasse caused largely by a dispute with members of his own party, Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger expressed optimism Wednesday about finding GOP support for health care overhaul legislation this year. Tom Chorneau in the San Francisco Chronicle Timm Herdt in the Ventura Star — 8/23/07

Budget siphons gas sales tax revenues from mass transit — For a state with so many traffic problems, transportation ended up getting little respect when lawmakers forged a budget compromise in Sacramento. The budget takes $1.3 billion of the sales tax on gasoline revenues away from local transportation agencies to balance the general fund budget. Rong-Gong Lin II and Jeffrey L. Rabin in the Los Angeles Times — 8/23/07

Senate Republican holdout accomplished little — Tuesday's resolution of a 52-day stalemate over the state budget proved once again that California's government is almost immune to partisan pressures. The 14 Republicans who withheld their votes for nearly two months, paralyzing the Capitol, relented this week. But in the end their blockade accomplished little except for some tinkering around the edges. Daniel Weintraub in the Sacramento Bee — 8/23/07

Enviro issues raised in long-delayed state budget — For environmentalists, the long-awaited state budget may not have been much worth waiting for. John Howard in Capitol Weekly — 8/23/07

Power plays and payback were real bottom line in state budget standoff — Anyone who has followed the bizarre budget brawl in Sacramento must be asking,What was that all about? It surely wasn't about the budget, based on the final result. The $145-billion budget hardly changed from the time it passed the Assembly July 20 until it was sent by the Senate to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday, 51 days late. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times — 8/23/07

Budget revision panel urged — One day after putting to bed another budget, California's political leaders began mulling ways to fix a "fatally broken" spending schedule that tends to keep them up late at night — sometimes until the crack of dawn. Judy Lin in the Sacramento Bee — 8/23/07

Budget impasse likely to recur next year given projected deficit -- The nearly two-month standoff over the state budget this summer certainly took a toll: It delayed millions of dollars owed to nursing homes and community colleges, and strained relations between Senate Democrats and Republicans so badly that one legislative leader openly doubted whether they'll be able to accomplish much of anything in the coming weeks and months. Mike Zapler in the San Jose Mercury -- 8/23/07

Guard investigates soldier who advocates violence — The California National Guard placed on leave the personal assistant to its top general on Wednesday and launched an investigation hours after the Times questioned a Web site he maintains called "Howtokillpeople.com" that advocates mass violence. Thomas Peele in the Contra Costa Times — 8/23/07

Under the radar, behind the scenes — Though August in Sacramento is typically synonymous with political thumb-twiddling, there is an election afoot this month, and it has all the usual suspects: labor group endorsements, shoe-leather campaigning, and even an independent expenditure committee. But you'd never know it. Christine Mai-Duc in Capitol Weekly — 8/23/07

Officers union spurns latest offer by state — The state made a new contract offer Wednesday to the California correctional officers union, which all but rejected the proposal out of hand. Under terms of the three-year proposal, the 31,000 members of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association would receive annual 5 percent raises through the 2009-10 fiscal year. Andy Furillo in the Sacramento Bee — 8/23/07

Wage gap in state widens, study says — The divide between rich and poor in California has been growing for decades, with most of the jobs created in the state paying wages at opposite ends of the spectrum and the top earners pulling down the biggest gains, according to a report from a nonprofit research group. Leslie Earnest in the Los Angeles Times Sam Zuckerman in the San Francisco Chronicle Mike Swift and Niraj Sheth in the San Jose Mercury Steve Geissinger in the Contra Costa Times — 8/23/07

Sweeping reforms of state's juvenile justice system get green light from Legislature — After years of struggling to reform the state's deeply troubled juvenile justice system, the Legislature has agreed on a potentially historic realignment that would slash by half the number of youths in juvenile prisons and place the inmates in their home counties. James Sterngold in the San Francisco Chronicle — 8/23/07

Pension commission meets in San Jose — The commission, which was created by Gov. Schwarzenegger in February, has held monthly meetings around the state, listening to testimony from stakeholders in the pension debate. Anthony York in Capitol Weekly — 8/23/07

Same-sex pension benefits won for ILWU members — Marvin Burrows of Hayward simply wanted what he believed his late partner of 51 years had left him, but by pursuing it, he apparently has won new rights for about 5,500 union members and retirees across Northern California. Josh Richman in the San Jose Mercury — 8/23/07

State Supreme Court to decide if San Francisco violates Prop. 209 — The California Supreme Court took up San Francisco's program of preferential treatment for companies owned by minorities and women Wednesday, agreeing to decide whether the city can override a voter-approved ban on granting advantages to contractors based on their sex or race. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle — 8/23/07

Thieves target Monster.com users — Hundreds of thousands of job seekers are at risk of being ripped off through a sophisticated scheme concocted by Internet criminals who have penetrated the resume database at Monster.com, one of the nation's largest recruitment websites. Joseph Menn in the Los Angeles Times — 8/23/07

Is there life after journalism? — The shrinking press corps might strike fear into reporters' hearts, but many journalists who change professions are happy with the career change. In recent weeks, the Capitol press corps has been reduced significantly with the departure of at least nine reporters from various news-media organizations who were laid off or took buyouts. Winnie Andrews in Capitol Weekly — 8/23/07

Bank of America Invests $2 Billion In Countrywide — Bank of America Corp. acquired a $2 billion equity stake in Countrywide Financial Corp., a move aimed at dispelling a crisis of confidence among creditors and investors in the nation's largest mortgage company. JAMES R. HAGERTY, VALERIE BAUERLEIN and LINGLING WEI in the Wall Street Journal E. Scott Reckard, Elizabeth Douglass and Tom Petruno in the Los Angeles Times — 8/23/07

Accredited cutting 1,600 jobs — San Diego's Accredited Home Lenders yesterday slashed 1,600 jobs throughout the nation and stopped making new mortgage loans in its struggle to survive the meltdown in the subprime mortgage market. Mike Freeman in the San Diego Union-Trib — 8/23/07

Giuliani talks Minutemen, Iraq in Anaheim visit — Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, the leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination, was in town Tuesday and Wednesday for a ballgame and a fundraiser. Before leaving, he spoke with the Register at the Hilton Anaheim about immigration, border safety and Iraq. Here are some excerpts. MARTIN WISCKOL in the Orange County Register — 8/23/07

Indian presidential forum attracts few candidates — American Indian leaders vowed 2008 would be different — Indian country would be one of the stops on the road to the White House. But a historic presidential forum at the Morongo Band of Mission Indians’ reservation in Southern California has attracted only three of the eight Democratic candidates: Bill Richardson, Mike Gravel and Dennis Kucinich. Diana Marrero in the Desert Sun — 8/23/07

Tribes meet to train in politics -- Standing amongst his people, Frank LaMere urged the room filled mostly with wannabe political candidates to take those dreams as far as they could travel. George Watson in the San Bernardino Sun -- 8/23/07

White House Declares Office Off-Limits — The Bush administration argued in court papers this week that the White House Office of Administration is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act as part of its effort to fend off a civil lawsuit seeking the release of internal documents about a large number of e-mails missing from White House servers. Dan Eggen in the Washington Post — 8/23/07

Pat Tillman widow's quiet presence — In the three years since Pat Tillman was killed on an Afghanistan ridgeline - from his emotional memorial service to the heated congressional hearings investigating his death - his widow has shunned cameras and microphones. Julia Prodis Sulek in the San Jose Mercury — 8/23/07

Family loses 2nd son in Iraq -- Another native son of Clovis died Wednesday in Iraq -- another sacrifice for the city and a double tragedy for one family. Nathan Hubbard, who joined the U.S. Army after his brother Jared died in Iraq three years ago, was killed Wednesday in the crash of a U.S. Blackhawk helicopter in Iraq. The military said the aircraft was lost due to mechanical problems and not by hostile fire. James Guy and Marc Benjamin in the Fresno Bee -- 8/23/07

Bush has a new angle on Iraq debate — In anticipation of progress report, the president is addressing veterans groups and setting up new effort to cast war in historical light. Maura Reynolds and James Gerstenzang in the Los Angeles Times — 8/23/07

Architect of Register's rise stepping down — Amid falling profit and failing efforts to lure readers with breezy tabloids, the Orange County Register's top executive announced Wednesday that he was leaving the paper he had transformed from a sluggish daily to a Pulitzer Prize winner known for its bold graphics and design. N. Christian Anderson III, 57, named in May as publisher of the year by industry magazine Editor & Publisher, will leave Orange County's largest newspaper Sept. 15. William Heisel, Ashley Powers and David Reyes in the Los Angeles Times — 8/23/07

New publisher’s focus is local — Terry Horne, who takes over as publisher of the Orange County Register on Sept. 15, thinks the best response to the newspaper’s drop in advertising and other challenges is a renewed emphasis on local news. MARY ANN MILBOURN in the Orange County Register — 8/23/07

UC regent calls for operations overhaul — n a sharp critique of University of California operations, Board of Regents Chairman Richard C. Blum called Wednesday for a major overhaul of the "outmoded and dysfunctional" way the UC administration operates. In a six-page paper sent to his fellow regents, Blum called for restructuring the UC president's office to eliminate arcane procedures that have existed for decades and often hinder decisions, costing the university millions of dollars. Richard C. Paddock in the Los Angeles Times Leslie Fulbright in the San Francisco Chronicle Eleanor Yang Su in the San Diego Union-Trib Matt Krupnick in the Oakland Tribune — 8/23/07

Faculty, students seek ouster of school principal — A beleaguered Los Angeles high school is awash again in controversy as teachers, students and parents continued Wednesday to demand the removal of the school's hard-driving principal amid allegations that he improperly meddled with academic courses. Joel Rubin and Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times — 8/23/07

State Senate panel gauges equity between sexes in college athletics — A month after the University of California paid $3.5 million to settle a female coach's discrimination lawsuit, a state Senate committee will hold a hearing Friday in Berkeley to see if bias against female athletics is widespread. Carolyn Jones in the San Francisco Chronicle — 8/23/07

Enrollment surge for Los Rios — The Los Rios Community College District is preparing for record enrollment when classes begin Monday, and students aren't even finished signing up for classes yet. By Wednesday, nearly 78,000 students had registered at the district's four campuses — about 8,000 more than last year at this time. Los Rios officials say they're expecting another 5,000 by the fourth week of the semester. Bill Lindelof in the Sacramento Bee — 8/23/07

Tighter rules for charter schools? — In a political maneuver aimed at giving local districts more power over the burgeoning charter-school movement, California lawmakers have crafted a bill tying increased funding to restrictions on opening new charters. HARRISON SHEPPARD in the Los Angeles Daily News — 8/23/07

Diabetes diagnoses rise in California's adults — The number of adults in California diagnosed with diabetes rose from 1.5 million in 2001 to 1.8 million in 2005, with Native Americans, Latinos and Asians showing the biggest increases. Overall, a report released Wednesday found that 7% of California adults were diagnosed in 2005 with the chronic disease that, if not managed, can lead to blindness, kidney failure, heart attack and leg or foot amputations. The item is in the Los Angeles Times — 8/23/07

Mexican candies tainted with lead — After finding potentially harmful levels of lead in Barrilito and Miguelito Mexican candies, the California Department of Public Health on Wednesday warned consumers not to eat them. Dr. Mark Horton, director of the public health agency, said tests on the candies imported from Mexico found levels of lead that could cause health problems. Sandra Gonzales in the San Jose Mercury — 8/23/07

Regional climate pact sets limit — Stepping in where the Bush administration has refused to tread, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and five other Western governors, joined by two Canadian provincial leaders, pledged Wednesday to enforce a tough regional cap on greenhouse gas emissions. Margot Roosevelt in the Los Angeles Times Matthew Yi in the San Francisco Chronicle — 8/23/07

Will Anaheim project touch off an uncivil war? — In what will probably be a test of political might and financial resources, housing advocates will do battle with Disneyland and tourist leaders next summer in an election that could change the once cozy relationship between the entertainment giant and the city that Walt Disney helped define. David McKibben in the Los Angeles Times — 8/23/07

A taller L.A.? He's making it happen — Christopher Pak's vision for the city has been preached by others. His knowledge of the area has helped him succeed. K. Connie Kang in the Los Angeles Times — 8/23/07

Report details the effects of massive development — A mammoth housing project slated for Santee could irrevocably change the city, drawing thousands of new residents and adding traffic to already busy streets, a new report suggests. Michele Clock in the San Diego Union-Trib — 8/23/07

Mussels put squeeze on water officials — Escondido officials extended a hastily called boat ban on Lake Wohlford from five to six days Wednesday, as state, regional and local officials expressed shock at how fast a tiny, but expensively invasive mussel has raced through California waterways. GIG CONAUGHTON in the North County Times — 8/23/07

Cost questions put damper on Salton Sea plan — A key Assembly committee has raised concerns about the cost and viability of a sweeping plan to restore the Salton Sea. Legislation by state Sen. Denise Moreno Ducheny, D-San Diego, would release $47 million in voter-approved borrowing to begin paying for the first phase of a sea restoration effort announced in May. JIM MILLER in the Riverside Press — 8/23/07

Riverside County sheriff resigns — Riverside County Sheriff Bob Doyle announced his abrupt resignation Wednesday to accept a gubernatorial appointment to the state parole board, county officials said. Maeve Reston in the Los Angeles Times — 8/23/07

Drill instructor charged in abuse of Marine recruits — A San Diego drill instructor was arraigned yesterday on 244 counts of abusing recruits in what could be the worst case of such maltreatment in modern Marine Corps history. Rick Rogers in the San Diego Union-Trib — 8/23/07

Fearing the Nazis again — Rachel Kane is among the aging Holocaust survivors whose postwar resilience is crumbling under the weight of long-buried memories. Maria L. La Ganga in the Los Angeles Times — 8/23/07