Analysis: Dysfunction dominates failed California budget vote -- With the state's budget gap growing each day, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger likened lawmakers to kindergartners and gave them an "F" for their budget performance in November. Tuesday's budget vote was considered a crucial opportunity to solve the state's massive budget gap. Yet five Assembly members and two senators were absent, some overseas, ensuring the session would be a futile exercise. Kevin Yamamura in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/27/08

Legislature fails to act on state budget crisis -- Emergency session ends in bickering. 'It's like a kindergarten,' Schwarzenegger says. Evan Halper and Jordan Rau in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/27/08

Redistricting victory a big win for governor -- It took more than three weeks, but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger finally can celebrate the Proposition 11 victory he claimed the day after the Nov. 4 election, opening the way for an overhaul of the way California draws its political boundaries. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/27/08

2 termed-out Dems given plum waste board posts -- Santa Cruz Assemblyman John Laird and Santa Monica state Sen. Sheila Kuehl both will join the state board, long a comfortable landing strip for out-of-work politicians. San Francisco state Sen. Carole Migden had been rumored for the appointment Kuehl received from outgoing state Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland. John Wildermuth, Wyatt Buchanan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/27/08

Boren: California's worthless Legislature -- As the final embarrassing days ofCalifornia's special legislative session slip away with no state budget solution in sight, the 40 members of the state Senate and 80 members of the Assembly have once again proved the wisdom of my call to abolish the Legislature. They are a worthless group that individually and collectively have ignored the state's toughest problems. On Tuesday's budget vote, some lawmakers didn't even bother to show up. Jim Boren in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/27/08

Huber comes from behind to defeat Sieglock for Assembly -- Jack Sieglock's nameplate unceremoniously was stripped by Capitol staffers and hurriedly replaced by Alyson Huber's outside a fifth-floor Assembly office Wednesday. Perhaps that said it all. Jim Sanders in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/27/08

Strickland beats Jackson by fewer than 1,000 votes -- Republican Tony Strickland claimed victory in a hard-fought race with Democrat Hannah-Beth Jackson for the 19th District Senate seat Wednesday as she conceded the loss. Strickland, 38, said he would celebrate by dining with his family Wednesday night, enjoy Thanksgiving, then get to work. Kathleen Wilson in the Ventura Star -- 11/27/08

State Worker: Nepotism poisons the workplace -- Strong personal ties during the holidays can be a joy. In the workplace, they're a killer. Exhibit A: The California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board. The state auditor last week said that nearly half of the employees surveyed there believed that nepotism has compromised hiring and promotions. Jon Ortiz in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/27/08

Food prices still high, but will fall slowly -- A turkey dinner with all the trimmings will cost more this year as food prices remain stubbornly high despite an economic crash that has, among other things, driven down the price of gas. But after this day of thanks, experts say, the cost of eating will slowly decline now that the commodity bubble that had driven up food prices continues to subside. Tom Abate in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/27/08

Alcatraz Thanksgiving, perfect start to the day -- Morning Star Gali, a member of the Pit River Indian Tribe and a student at Mills College, celebrates Thanksgiving by starting her morning on Alcatraz Island, offering a prayer as dawn breaks. C.W. Nevius in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/27/08

Wells Fargo ordered to pay whistle-blower -- Federal regulators have ordered Wells Fargo & Co. to pay $75,000 in back wages and damages to a Bay Area employee who was wrongfully transferred after alerting management about potential fraud by a co-worker. Verne Kopytoff in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/27/08

Service union bans former California local president for life -- The Service Employees International Union also orders Tyrone Freeman to repay more than $1 million that it says he misappropriated from the labor organization. Paul Pringle in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/27/08

Homebuyers jump at falling mortgage rates -- Stuart Stenhouse has been watching the housing market for some time. On Wednesday, lured by a plunge in mortgage rates, the 40-year-old Sacramentan jumped in. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/27/08

Mortgage rates fall, but many borrowers will have trouble qualifying -- The biggest savings for shoppers this holiday season may be in home mortgages, thanks to a decline in interest rates spurred at least in part by the latest federal financial rescue effort. But it's an open question whether consumers will actually want to take advantage of the cheaper loans -- or will be financially able to do so. Peter Y. Hong in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/27/08

FDIC, failing to find buyer for IndyMac, lets nonbanks bid -- Should you have to be a bank to bid for Pasadena mortgage lender IndyMac Federal Bank or any other failed financial institution? The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., which has been unable to sell IndyMac since it was seized four months ago, said Wednesday it didn't think so. E. Scott Reckard in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/27/08

Silicon Valley Indian-Americans react with horror to Mumbai attacks -- It was about 10 p.m. in Mumbai, India, and the blast shook the windows at Rajan Mehra's home. Mehra, a venture capitalist with Clearstone Ventures, later described the carnage in a phone call to Vish Mishra, one of his Silicon Valley-based partners. "He said, 'This is like 9/11. The Taj Mahal Hotel is burning,' " Mishra recalled. Scott Duke Harris in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/27/08

Severance, new UC job for aide in pay scandal -- The University of California's governing Board of Regents, struggling last week to avert drastic state budget cuts and forestall tuition increases, approved a $100,202 severance package for Linda Williams, a close aide to former UC President Robert Dynes and a figure in the university's 2005 salary scandal. Jim Doyle in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/27/08

Rising travel costs lead to more college students skipping family Thanksgiving gatherings -- Samantha Roper sometimes dreams about the mashed potatoes her mother makes on Thanksgiving, from potatoes grown at an uncle's farm 10 minutes from her Southern Idaho home. But today, with airfare costs and distance making a trip home impractical, the Chapman University freshman will go without the creamy spuds on the holiday for the first time. Instead, Roper, 18, is staying at her Fullerton dorm as classes shut down for the long weekend. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/27/08

L.A. Unified settles dispute over payroll system -- Deloitte Consulting agrees to pay $8.25 million and forgive up to $10 million in unpaid invoices after its software under- and overpays teachers and staff. The district had millions in other losses. Mitchell Landsberg in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/27/08

Pass law to cut delta water use, panel says -- Over the next two years, California should pass laws cutting water consumption by 20 percent, shore up strategic levees, study new reservoirs and pass Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's $9 billion-plus water bond, according to a set of preliminary recommendations released Wednesday by a Cabinet-level panel. Kelly Zito in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/27/08

San Francisco releases draft study on city's bike plan -- San Francisco planners kept their promise to release a draft environmental study on the city's bicycle plan by Thanksgiving - with a few hours to spare. The long-awaited document, if approved, will uncork implementation of a far-reaching proposal to make biking in the city safer and more convenient. Rachel Gordon in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/27/08

Recount weighed as BART extension through San Jose squeaks to victory -- A two-thirds majority of Santa Clara County voters -- 66.67% -- was needed to pass local Measure B, which would raise the sales tax 0.125 of a cent to pay for running and maintaining Bay Area Rapid Transit trains along 16.1 miles of track proposed for the region. Maria L. LaGanga in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/27/08

Project brings unusual merger of union bosses and environmentalists -- Environmental activists and union bosses are known for their rancor. They have historically held opposite positions on key issues -- drilling in fragile environments, nuclear power, logging ancient forests -- pitting jobs against the environment. But that was before the values of the environmental movement were adopted by mainstream society, before union membership began to plunge and manufacturing jobs were exported overseas. Evelyn Larrubia in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/27/08

Gas price bust is a boon, but will it stick? -- Those dreaded trips to service stations this summer to get gas at more than $4.50 a gallon were repeated body blows to consumer confidence, but the dramatic collapse of prices may help resurrect buying habits and salve the sagging economy. Gasoline not only has dropped below $2 a gallon nationally, it has fallen 48% since Labor Day. That's by far the biggest plunge from the last major summer weekend to Thanksgiving the Energy Department has ever recorded. Ronald D. White in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/27/08

Not so fast: Valley high-speed rail plan still needs cash -- Now that California voters have approved $9 billion for a network of 220-mph trains, the system's sponsors are aiming at an even bigger prize -- $12 billion to $16 billion from the federal government. Russell Clemings in the Fresno Bee -- 11/27/08

At Farmers Market, taking time to give thanks -- There's still plenty to be thankful for, right? Sure, your life savings are shrinking, unemployment is rising and the Dodgers could lose Manny Ramirez. But it could be worse. You could be sick or alone, or risking your life in Iraq and Afghanistan while Pentagon officials look for new ways to deny medical coverage to injured soldiers. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/27/08

Turkeys for Thanksgiving -- as friends, not feast -- One woman's vegan meal will include two rescued birds as guests. The holiday season can be challenging for those who abide by the diet free of all animal products, but the soy 'meat' will be bountiful. Carla Hall in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/27/08

Charities can't keep up with deepening poverty -- Catholic Charities of Orange County assembled Thanksgiving dinners for 500 families this week, filling plastic bags with frozen turkeys, cranberry sauce and other fixings. But word of the free food attracted 920 families, many of whom left empty-handed when the Santa Ana agency doled out the goods. Duke Helfand in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/27/08

Food banks overwhelmed by demand -- For a decade, Jim Kwiat's landscaping business has treated all of its clients to a poinsettia plant delivered on Thanksgiving week. This year is different. There are no bonuses for employees of Sequoia Landscape Specialties, and no holiday potted plants for its commercial clientele. Instead, Kwiat took a trip on Wednesday to deliver what was left of the Martinez firm's annual "poinsettia fund" to a cause he felt was more important: Food for people in need. Matt O'Brien in the Contra Costa Times -- 11/27/08

Tough economic times reflected in giving on Sundays -- Pinched by a faltering economy, parishioners are dropping fewer donations into collection plates, and local churches and synagogues say that's forcing them to trim their budgets. BETHANY J. LEACH in the North County Times -- 11/27/08

Political watchdog testifies that she educated Michael S. Carona on campaign finance laws -- A fiery political watchdog in Orange County testified Wednesday that she schooled former Sheriff Michael S. Carona on campaign finance laws during his first run for office and warned him to look out for laundered contributions aimed at circumventing the local donor limit of $1,000. Christine Hanley in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/27/08

Reward offered in hit-run that killed bicyclist -- The city of Martinez offered a $5,000 reward Wednesday for information leading to the arrest of the hit-and-run driver who struck and killed Mark Pendleton, a resident of the city. Pendleton, 49, was hit Monday at about 5 p.m. as he rode south on McEwen Road near Highway 4 south of Port Costa, according to the California Highway Patrol. He was a longtime electrician for The Chronicle and is survived by his wife, Denise, and two sons. Jim Doyle in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/27/08