Top legislative staff high on salary list -- Legislative staff members are more likely than most state workers to earn six figures, though Senate and Assembly staffers typically make about the same as their peers elsewhere in state government. The item is in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/15/08

Lame duck Nuñez still king of the pond -- Maintaining his tight grip on the California Assembly even as a lame duck, Speaker Fabian Nuñez on Thursday abruptly stripped two Democratic assemblymen from the Los Angeles area of their powerful committee leadership posts. Nancy Vogel in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/15/08

Deputy in fatal crash gives blood sample -- The Santa Clara County sheriff said Friday that her department has provided criminal investigators with a blood sample taken from the deputy whose patrol cruiser crossed the center line of a two-lane road and killed two competitive bicyclists. Jaxon Van Derbeken in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/15/08

A matter of 'county protocol' in fatal crash involving deputy -- County prosecutors say sheriff's officials violated a law enforcement protocol when they failed to notify the district attorney's office Sunday after a deputy's patrol car slammed into a group of bicyclists, killing two of them. Brandon Bailey and Sean Webby in the San Jose Mercury -- 3/15/08

Developer is foe of same-sex marriage -- Developer Doug Manchester and other prominent San Diego County businessmen have given significant financial support to an initiative that would ban same-sex marriage targeted for the November statewide ballot. Bill Ainsworth in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 3/15/08

Wiegand: Sam Yorty would not sit for it -- For the next week or two, I'll be what we in journalism call "out of pocket." I believe you in the real world call it "goofing off." So the next few columns will offer historical perspective (what we in journalism call "filler") on perennial political issues in California. Steve Wiegand in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/15/08

McCain adds Bay Area high-tech titan to team -- Arizona Sen. John McCain, who has promised a serious bid to win California in the fall presidential election, bulked up his dream team of Silicon Valley managers and advisers Friday by naming Atherton billionaire and outgoing eBay chief executive Meg Whitman co-chair of his national campaign. Carla Marinucci in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/15/08

McCain has the stage to himself -- With no Democratic nominee to compete with yet, he plans an overseas trip and a biographical tour. Maeve Reston in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/15/08

Obama renounces his pastor's remarks -- The candidate writes a Huffington Post column condemning his church leader's incendiary statements. Scott Martelle in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/15/08

Obama: Let's split disputed delegates -- Democratic presidential front-runner Barack Obama said Friday that it is "just not realistic" to conduct do-over primaries in Michigan and Florida to end a standoff with Hillary Rodham Clinton over disputed nominating delegates from those states. Stewart M. Powell in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/15/08

Clinton Gets Her Irish Up -- Senator Hillary Clinton, facing criticism this week for allegedly overstating her role in some of the successes of her husband's administration, today defended campaign statements from her campaign that she helped along the peace process in Northern Ireland and the creation of a health care program for low-income children here in the U.S. Perry Bacon Jr. in the Washington Post -- 3/15/08

Rep. Costa revels in his 'super' role in election -- The phone just keeps ringing for Democratic Rep. Jim Costa of Fresno, whose popularity has soared this presidential campaign season. Michael Doyle in the Fresno Bee -- 3/15/08

On day of Bear bailout, economy's cracks widen -- It started with subprime mortgages, spread to the rest of housing, moved on to stocks and worked its way into virtually every corner of U.S. financial markets. Sam Zuckerman in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/15/08

This big rescue may be just the beginning -- Throughout Wall Street's history, major financial system upheavals often have culminated with the spectacular failure of a marquee name. Tom Petruno in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/15/08

Fed's innovative - or hazardous - strategy -- The Federal Reserve dusted off a tool it hasn't used since the Great Depression Friday, then tweaked it to rush financial aid to one of the nation's biggest investment banks. Tom Abate in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/15/08

Fed Chief Shifts Path, Inventing Policy in Crisis -- As chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben S. Bernanke has long argued that a central bank should base its policies as much as possible on consistent principles rather than seat-of-the-pants judgment. EDMUND L. ANDREWS in the New York Times -- 3/15/08

FHA to lower lifeboats to drowning borrowers -- Lenders say the Federal Housing Administration is poised to resume its role as a major player in the U.S. mortgage market by coming to the aid of tens of thousands of distressed borrowers who could face foreclosure in the months ahead. Emmet Pierce in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 3/15/08

The wireless trap -- Cellphone bill larger than you expected? Regulation is urged to increase disclosure and curb added charges. Jim Puzzanghera in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/15/08

Farm Bill stalled by funding -- A new Farm Bill is crashing on the rocks of the Democratic-controlled Congress' vow of fiscal responsibility. Most of the policy differences guiding federal farm policies for the next five years have been settled. It is paying for them that's the problem. Hank Shaw in the Stockton Record -- 3/15/08

Bad Timing For Blueprint To Help Schools -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's blue-ribbon committee on education released a list of sweeping recommendations Friday to overhaul California's public school system at an additional annual cost of $10.5 billion - a staggering amount even if the state's budget weren't already hemorrhaging red ink. Matthew Yi in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/15/08

Governor backs report on education changes -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger promoted an education report Friday that recommends $10.5 billion in new programs, including teacher incentive pay and universal preschool for low-income children, even as he said the state faces a "financial disaster." Kevin Yamamura in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/15/08

Study says California needs sweeping education reforms -- California's public schools are fundamentally flawed and need deep changes — as well as more money — to properly serve the state's 6.3 million students, according to a report released Friday by a panel advising Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Laura Kurtzman AP -- 3/15/08

Governor's plans to cut school aid turn quiet parents into firebrands -- Julie Davine, a mother of two in West Hills, has never considered herself politically active. But she is hopping mad and drafting a letter to Arnold Schwarzenegger - her first letter to a California governor - over proposed state budget cuts that she considers theft from resources and funding for her kids' schools. Barbara Correa in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 3/15/08

Education reforms must wait, Schwarzenegger says -- California's public schools are fundamentally flawed and need deep changes – as well as more money – to properly serve the state's 6.3 million students, according to a report released yesterday by a panel advising Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Laura Kurtzman AP -- 3/15/08

Dixon district cuts to take toll on students -- The Dixon Unified School District is making deep reductions in programs and services to stop a trail of red ink that turned up after the former superintendent, Roberto Salinas, negotiated a retirement buyout and left the district. Deb Kollars in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/15/08

School cuts spark campus protests -- Martinez teachers donned black Friday to mourn the loss of colleagues whose jobs evaporated in the face of a statewide fiscal crisis. In Dublin, parents rallied around Nielsen Elementary School — before the school board voted last week to shut it down to save money. Shirley Dang in the Oakland Tribune -- 3/15/08

L.A. Unified payroll woes linger, teachers and others say -- Patricia Albrecht died of gallbladder cancer in December 2006. The former Los Angeles Unified School District cafeteria worker's next paycheck arrived several months later and paychecks kept coming until this January. Jason Song in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/15/08

Malibu High vandalism targets black students -- The names were scrawled on a single tile in a boy's restroom at Malibu High School, all seven of them male African American students. Written next to them was the note, "On April 14th . . . boom." Francisco Vara-Orta in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/15/08

Tax class gives students lessons in real life -- Irma Carabez didn't want to do her own taxes. The single mother of three girls worried she'd get something wrong, possibly cheating herself out of a federal refund. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/15/08

Santa Clara University president to depart for Rome -- Father Paul Locatelli radically changed Santa Clara University during his 20-year presidency. He eliminated the football team, phased out the Greeks. He pushed students and professors to look outside the serene and elite campus "to make the world more humane, ethical and just." Kim Vo in the San Jose Mercury -- 3/15/08

Generics: Just as good? -- As generic drugs become more widely used, some doctors and patients question whether they are as effective as brand names. Melissa Healy in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/15/08

New EPA rules target diesel train and ship emissions -- The regulations, which call for up to a 90% soot reduction by 2030, are praised by environmental groups and industry. But a Southland official laments that large marine vessels were not included. Janet Wilson in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/15/08

A full tank, but an empty wallet -- We've been here before. It's March, and gasoline prices are soaring. In the San Diego region, the average price for regular gas has set a record every day since March 3. Bruce V. Bigelow in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 3/15/08

Salmon may be off-limits -- Salmon fishing off California and Oregon may be banned. Shrinking numbers prompt consideration of the unprecedented step, which would hurt an already beleaguered industry. Eric Bailey in the Los Angeles Times Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle Matt Weiser in the Sacramento Bee Mike Taugher in the San Jose Mercury ROBERT DIGITALE in the Santa Rosa Press -- 3/15/08

As downtown revives, so do congregations -- The congregation at New City Church of Los Angeles -- downtown's newest house of worship -- is a microcosm of the burgeoning downtown itself. The parishioners, who gathered for a recent service improvised in an Italian restaurant near Walt Disney Concert Hall, included some local loft dwellers. K. Connie Kang in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/15/08

Tree-sitter comes down, is cited -- A protester who had been perched in an oak tree at UC Berkeley for 17 days declared victory Friday and climbed down, where he was promptly handcuffed by UC police and cited for trespassing. Steve Rubenstein, Carolyn Jones in the San Francisco Chronicle Kristin Bender in the Oakland Tribune -- 3/15/08

Kickoff for stadium planning -- By cutting a $14,113 check, the San Francisco 49ers this week launched the municipal planning review process for construction of a 68,500-seat stadium on Tasman Drive in Santa Clara. Mike Swift in the San Jose Mercury -- 3/15/08

Residents oppose development -- Property owners rallied against a proposed multimillion-dollar development this week at a forum backing eminent domain reform. Tania Chatila in the San Gabriel Tribune -- 3/15/08

Judge is asked to dismiss most of the charges against Carona -- Defense attorneys say there is no federal jurisdiction in the case against the former Orange County sheriff. Stuart Pfeifer in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/15/08

Castro Halloween may be a ghost of the past -- San Francisco's tradition of celebrating Halloween with one massive party in the Castro neighborhood would be a thing of the past under plans quietly being made by city officials. Robert Selna in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/15/08

Woodland in line for 're-entry' prison -- Yolo County has positioned itself to receive potentially millions in state money for jail expansion by agreeing to locate a new "re-entry" prison for inmates ticketed for home. Andy Furillo in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/15/08

Courtroom surprise: Paper, not cash, in evidence envelope -- The Sacramento County District Attorney's Office, the Sheriff's Department and Grant school district police have launched a criminal investigation into how more than $3,000 in seized drug money disappeared from a sealed evidence envelope that was opened in court last week. Crystal Carreon in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/15/08

State panel calls for change to fix dependency court system -- A state commission concluded its two-year study of California's juvenile dependency courts Friday by calling for sweeping reforms to make sure children and parents caught in the system are better informed and better served. Karen de Sá in the San Jose Mercury -- 3/15/08