Mormon aid to Prop. 8 investigated -- California officials are planning to investigate whether the Mormon church gave an accurate accounting of its role in the campaign that succeeded in getting a same-sex marriage ban approved in the state. AP -- 11/24/08

Senate Democrats to start new session shorthanded -- While legislative Democrats dreamed for much of 2008 of pulling within one seat of a supermajority in the state Senate, they will find themselves even further away than they started when the new Legislature convenes on Dec. 1. Shane Goldmacher SacBee Capitol Alert -- 11/24/08

A Vote Tomorrow On… Ummm… Ummm… The headline pretty much says it all. Legislative leaders say they expect to vote tomorrow on some kind of proposal to address the $11.2 billion breach in the state budget, but they won't confirm what is... or is not... in the proposal. And at this point, it seems unlikely that an actual deal is at hand. John Myers Capitol Notes weblog -- 11/24/08

Villaraigosa unveils solar plan for city of L.A. -- The mayor's proposal aims to have solar power meet one-tenth of L.A.'s energy needs by 2020. But skeptics wonder if the plan will be cost-efficient and friendly to private enterprise. David Zahniser and Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/24/08

State high court opens door for prosecuting some medical pot suppliers -- Someone who supplies marijuana to a patient who has a doctor's approval for it can be prosecuted for drug-dealing, the state Supreme Court ruled today in a narrow interpretation of California's medical marijuana law. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/24/08

Minorities fear trend from California gay marriage ban -- California's gay marriage ban could open the door to legal discrimination against unpopular groups if the state Supreme Court allows the voter-approved measure to stand, blacks, Latinos, Asians and other minorities said. Peter Henderson Reuters -- 11/24/08

Prop. 8 backers splinter as court fight resumes -- The group that persuaded California voters this month to pass Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage, now is fighting its friends as well as its foes. Other conservative groups that loudly backed Prop. 8 are being targeted as too extreme and off-putting by ProtectMarriage.com, which put the constitutional amendment on the Nov. 4 ballot and hopes to help persuade the state Supreme Court to uphold the measure. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/24/08

Demand for social services rises as funding falls -- An ailing economy is threatening the success of welfare reforms that in the past decade moved millions of people off the public dole and into jobs. Caseloads are shooting up in Sacramento County and across the state as the economy slumps and unemployment rises. Cynthia Hubert in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/24/08

Walters: 3 California budget approaches fall short -- California's politicians – and the political media – are engaged in a great debate over whether closing a yawning budget deficit should entail new taxes, deep spending cuts or some combination of the two. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/24/08

Retiring Perata ready to be outside looking in -- Sitting in a leather chair in his state Capitol office, his feet up on an ornate wooden table, Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata said he's ready to leave his post as the second most-powerful official in state government. Matthew Yi in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/24/08

The Buzz: It's no surprise that party frowns on governor's tax plan -- It probably didn't come as a surprise to a governor who seems to be more and more estranged from his party's hierarchy, but the California Republican Party board on Friday voted 14-2 to condemn Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's tax increase proposals. The item is in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/24/08

Proposed merger of California healthcare union locals -- SEIU aims to create one massive local representing the entire state, saying it will give all members a bigger voice. Leaders of one local are waging a sophisticated opposition campaign. Evelyn Larrubia in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/24/08

Few women at top in Silicon Valley -- Women in the top rungs of California's major corporations are a rare breed. According to a UC Davis survey, women comprised just 11 percent of directors and senior executives in the state's 400 largest public companies. Guess which California county ranks the worst? Santa Clara, home to "cutting edge" Silicon Valley. Andrew S. Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/24/08

Small businesses debate, write policy agenda to pitch to Sacramento -- A "top 11" list doesn't have the zing of a "top 10," but that's how many items were squeezed onto the wish list voted on last week by small-business owners and others who met to decide how California can refuel its economic engine of 3.2 million small firms. Cyndia Zwahlen in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/24/08

Obama testing ways to use Internet to govern -- During the campaign, the Obama team showed how new media tools can be used to win the White House. Now, the president-elect's advisers and allies are previewing how they intend to use the power of online organizing to govern. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/24/08

U.S. rescues giant Citigroup -- The federal government rushed to the aid of faltering banking giant Citigroup Inc. late Sunday night, agreeing to invest $20 billion more and accept the lion's share of losses on more than $300 billion worth of the firm's troubled mortgage-backed assets. Peter G. Gosselin in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/24/08

Foreclosures, delinquencies skyrocketing among 'prime' borrowers -- By this year, the bleeding housing market had drained the equity from Judy Jones' home in Murrieta, but her life still seemed secure. She had a government job, after all, and a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage at 5.875%, unlike the shaky, variable-rate loans of many of her Inland Empire neighbors. Then her employer, the city of Corona, decided to deal with the economic slump by eliminating 112 positions, including Jones' job as a code enforcer. Last month, at age 61, she joined a surge of once-solid borrowers who no longer could afford their mortgages. E. Scott Reckard in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/24/08

Shopping malls are running on empty -- Shopping center owners are struggling to fill an increasing number of vacancies. Roger Vincent and David Pierson in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/24/08

Owed Back Pay, Guest Workers Comb the Past -- Here comes Abraham Franco now, 86 years old, skin leathery and bronzed from decades of work in the fields, slowly bending his small but sturdy frame into a metal chair at a faux wood office table at the Mexican Consulate here. RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD in the New York Times -- 11/24/08

UC students protest proposed funding cuts -- The undocumented student from Peru recounted a gloomy tale: She had to quit UCLA this fall because her family fell on hard times. She needed to earn enough money to re-enroll in her political science courses. Ari B. Bloomekatz in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/24/08

UC to review rehired but pensioned retirees -- The university's use of retirees drew attention in April after UC Berkeley Police Chief Victoria Harrison left with a lump sum $2.1 million retirement package and then was immediately rehired for her old job - with a pay raise. Some months later, UC's governing Board of Regents adopted stricter regulations on who may be rehired and for how long. Tanya Schevitz in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/24/08

Santa Clara University senior is named school's first Rhodes Scholar -- Noelle Lopez arrived at Santa Clara University almost four years ago with cross-country shoes in her luggage and a list of social problems she'd like to tackle after graduation. But she wasn't sure that studying philosophy would give her the right tools. Joe Rodriguez in the San Jose Mercury -- 11/24/08

Stimulus package could earmark billions for roads, rail improvements -- The nation's economic crisis has produced plenty of losers, but Bay Area road projects could prove to be winners. A federal stimulus package may be in the works; only this time it's not failing banks and auto companies on the receiving end of a bailout but hundreds of highway and transit projects across the United States, including dozens in the Bay Area. Gary Richards in the San Jose Mercury -- 11/24/08

California bulks up defenses against tide of global warming -- California is building a second line of defense against global warming, one that will prepare the state for a harsher environment while the other continues to cut climate-changing emissions. The two-front approach acknowledges that rising sea levels, bigger floods, greater loss of species and other harsh effects of warming are inevitable, if not already occurring – no matter the state's success in slashing greenhouse gases. Chris Bowman in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/24/08

San Francisco congestion charge -- The idea of making San Francisco the first city in the nation to combat congestion by imposing a toll on motorists who drive on the local roads is "totally doable" from an administrative standpoint, a top city transportation official deemed. But clearing the necessary political and public opinion hurdles is another matter altogether. Rachel Gordon in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/24/08

Hard rock mining project -- A 583-acre open stretch south of Folsom could become home to Sacramento County's first hard rock quarry. The proposal, which promises a new local source of quality material for foundations and road construction, has received little countywide notice to date. Loretta Kalb in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/24/08

Fire-prone, tax-wary -- Voters in backcountry areas most affected by wildfires provided least support for boosting firefighting funds, creating regional authority. Tony Manolatos and Craig Gustafson in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 11/24/08

Private fire crews -- Some residents whose homes were saved in the recent blazes credit response teams dispatched by their insurers. But public firefighters express uncertainty about the private sector. Catherine Saillant and Jia-rui Chong in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/24/08

Common ground over a besieged wetlands -- After fighting for decades over its oil and land, conservationists, developers and Long Beach city planners are joining forces to let the Los Cerritos Wetlands grow wild again. Louis Sahagun in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/24/08

Rock threat danger closes part of Yosemite lodging -- The National Park Service said Friday it will close part of a popular lodging complex at Yosemite National Park because an unstable cliff has created the potential for deadly rockfall. AP -- 11/24/08

EPA, with White House nudge, eases rule on lead emissions -- Critics say the change, which leaves out dozens of factories from regular emission checks, undermines efforts to guard children's health. Michael Hawthorne in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/24/08

Airfares fall as oil prices drop -- Prompted by a plunge in jet fuel prices, airfares have been dropping just in time for the holidays, offering a relatively bright spot amid the economic gloom. But don't get giddy yet. Steve Johnson in the San Jose Mercury -- 11/24/08

It's a buyer's market for land preservation -- Back when it seemed the county's real estate prices would just keep rising, land-preservation groups struggled to keep pace with their goals for protecting habitat from bulldozers. How times have changed. Mike Lee in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 11/24/08

Belinda Barbara Newsom dies at 73 -- Belinda Barbara Newsom, who was born into one politically prominent Bay Area family and married into another, died Saturday at her home in San Francisco at the age of 73. She was surrounded by friends and family who on Sunday recalled her love of adventure, her courage to persevere through tragedy, and her refusal to be defined by anyone else's accomplishments. Julian Guthrie in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/24/08

Peter Camejo honored by Nader, others at UC Berkeley tribute -- Hundreds gathered Sunday to honor the memory of Peter Camejo, champion of the Green Party, at the university from which he was expelled years ago. Sean Maher in the Oakland Tribune -- 11/24/08

Our mayor has friends in high places -- In politics, it is often a case of who you know as much as what you know. And, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and his team are doing pretty well in the who-you-know department. Rick Orlov in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/24/08

Former gang member finds redemption by fire -- Where forest fires are raging, Ramon Maestas is a heroic firefighter and a respected leader; in Echo Park he's Little Ray, the ex-convict. He hopes the new persona will someday eradicate the old. Esmeralda Bermudez in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/24/08

Los Angeles County juvenile probation camps may try charter schools -- Dissatisfied with the students' performance, county supervisors vote to create three charters within the system. Camp teachers question whether the shift would bring improvement in students' skills. Molly Hennessy-Fiske in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/24/08

Counting the cost of staging U.S. Open -- The city of San Diego spared little expense in hosting the U.S. Open golf tournament in June. A tally of expenditures and lost revenue related to the event totals $10.7 million, according to a San Diego Union-Tribune analysis. That includes capital improvements to the city's blufftop Torrey Pines Golf Course, thousands of hours of police overtime and a contract with a media relations consultant. Eleanor Yang Su and Brent Schrotenboer in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 11/24/08