Debt-laden Tribune Co. prepares for possible bankruptcy filing -- The company that owns the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and Chicago Cubs baseball team is preparing for a possible bankruptcy filing as it attempts to renegotiate $12 billion in debt obligations with banks and other creditors, a Tribune Co. official said Sunday. James Rainey in the Los Angeles Times RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA and MICHAEL J. de la MERCED in the Los Angeles Times DENNIS K. BERMAN, SHIRA OVIDE and MATTHEW KARNITSCHNIG in the Wall Street Journal Frank Ahrens in the Washington Post -- 12/7/08

Governor looking to reclaim reformer mantle -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is looking to get his reform mojo back. Buoyed by the passage of a redistricting overhaul he had sought for years, the governor who famously promised to "blow up the boxes" of state government is expected to press ahead next year with a broader government reform agenda that could include curbs on political fundraising and a plan to do away with partisan primary elections. Mike Zapler in the San Jose Mercury -- 12/7/08

Bickering Republicans clamor over party's heart -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger opposed Proposition 8, has openly hoped that courts will now overturn it and has encouraged opponents to "never give up." In the process, he's ignited a battle within his own party. Christian conservatives are using him as a foil, to claim that they, not the Republican governor, represent the party base. Matthai Kuruvila in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/7/08

Despite deficit, Steinberg sure he can get all state's kids insured -- In his inaugural session as head of the California Senate, Darrell Steinberg singled out health care for all children as one of the issues he plans to tackle in his first 120 days. Aurelio Rojas in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/7/08

Walters: Governor's cultivating a new buddy -- One of the peculiar – but very important – aspects of state Capitol life is the three-way interplay among the governor, the president pro tem of the Senate and the speaker of the Assembly. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/7/08

Willie Brown: This dinner crowd was the show -- Then, in walks Jerry Brown and his wife and campaign manager, Anne Gust, and Joe Trippi - Howard Dean's guru of online campaigning. A few minutes later Peter Coyote walks in. I say to myself, "Forget 'Beach Blanket Babylon.' Nothing is going to compare to this show." Willie Brown in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/7/08

Pot clubs, seized plants, new president -- marijuana's future is hazy -- Off the coast of Baja California, a Coast Guard cutter seized 137 bales of marijuana two weeks ago as they were being dumped by the crew of a speed boat. In San Francisco there are more registered pot clubs than middle schools, police stations or Taco Bells, according to the federal government. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/7/08

Orange County's Vietnamese American political scene comes of age -- Just 16 years ago, Tony Lam was the first Vietnamese American elected in the U.S. at a time when few were even registered to vote. Now, his countrymen and women are transforming Orange County politics. My-Thuan Tran in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/7/08

Vacaville could get new prison facilities -- The federal receiver appointed to deal with state prison crowding is making plans to build a 1,400-bed inmate medical and mental health facility on land behind Vacaville's two state prisons. Robin Miller and Melissa Murphy in the Oakland Tribune -- 12/7/08

Hard times hit Bay Area restaurants -- Bay Area waiters have a nickname for many of their customers these days: the non'trée. Non'trée (pronounced "non-tray") refers to the folks who order appetizers rather than a pricier entree - a popular practice in economic hard times. Stacy Finz in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/7/08

Disability checks slow in coming, not enough -- Jeff Molina never had to ask anyone for help. The single dad from Sunnyvale held down two jobs to provide for his son, opening a gym at 5 a.m. three mornings a week and driving a truck for FedEx Freight. Meredith May in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/7/08

Unions battle over health care workers -- A major California health care workers' union and its parent union are locked in a barbed and distracting struggle that could end early next year in a takeover, with the state labor leaders dismissed and replaced by leaders of the larger group. George Raine in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/7/08

Soft landings in home loan crash -- Having trouble paying your mortgage? The public and private sectors keep coming up with foreclosure prevention programs, and last week, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke urged them to devise even more. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/7/08

November job losses could set off new wave of foreclosures -- Evidence that the recession is feeding on itself grew Friday as the U.S. Labor Department reported the worst monthly job losses in a generation, and economists warned of a resulting wave of foreclosures from homeowners now out of work. Jim Wasserman and Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/7/08

Condo calamity -- Speculators snapped up converted units at Cityscape in Normal Heights, but now most dwellings are bank-owned or in default. Mike Freeman in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 12/7/08

Dreyer's CEO keep cool in tough times -- Tim Kahn is the Willy Wonka of CEOs. As head of Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream in Oakland, he helps develop new flavors, think up new forms for frozen treats and oversee the distribution of America's favorite feel-good product. The item is in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/7/08

Megaplex a gamble for Richmond -- It is a plan that alternately stirs dreams of a more prosperous Richmond and fears of gambling away the community's future. Katherine Tam in the Contra Costa Times -- 12/7/08

Norco approves loans to help out two auto dealers -- The City Council, acting as the Community Redevelopment Agency board, last week approved $1 million in loans to keep two local auto dealership running during a financial crisis that has seen at least 14 Inland Empire dealerships shut their doors or file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the past year. Mark Petix and Liset Marquez in the Inland Daily Bulletin -- 12/7/08

Local arts groups look for ticket to survival -- Even executives with long-stable arts and entertainment organizations in the Sacramento region have a case of the nerves as ticket sales wither in the face of plunging stock prices, a weak job market and inflated food costs. Debbie Arrington in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/7/08

Silicon Valley companies looking to reprice underwater stock options -- Glug, glug, glug. As the trading price of many tech stocks has plummeted in recent months, thousands of Silicon Valley workers have seen the value of their employee stock options sink rapidly underwater. Brandon Bailey in the San Jose Mercury -- 12/7/08

Families' cutbacks in hard economic times are felt across many industries -- When Arlain Lewis learned she would be laid off from her job as a mortgage loan processor for Washington Mutual, she was stunned. Peter Rowe in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 12/7/08

Teetering on the edge of homelessness in RVs -- Three years ago, Dave Gilkey's mother died and he found himself homeless. So he moved into a 15-foot 1972 Dodge motor home and began looking for safe places to park around town. "I had no place else to go," said Gilkey, 55. Paula Lloyd in the Fresno Bee -- 12/7/08

An estimated 40% of local homes bought in past five years are worth less than purchase prices -- Brian Hill jokes about his uncanny timing. He finely calibrated the moment in the spring of 2006 at which he bought his $630,000 home on Thames River Drive at RiverPark in Oxnard. Scott Hadly in the Ventura Star -- 12/7/08

Obama Warns of Further Economic Pain -- Saying that the United States economy was likely to worsen before it improves, President-elect Barack Obama on Sunday pledged to pursue a recovery plan “equal to the task ahead,” including the creation of a vast public works program built just not around bridge and highway projects, but on creating “green jobs” and disseminating new technologies. BRIAN KNOWLTON in the New York Times -- 12/7/08

Lopez: LAUSD flounders as superintendent rakes it in -- I had lunch with Los Angeles Unified School District Supt. David Brewer earlier this year at a restaurant near downtown Los Angeles and almost choked. Not on the food, but the prices. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/7/08

Gonzalez: Proposed cut threatens CSU quality -- If California fails to support higher education during this time of incredible need, we risk losing entire generations of talented workers and innovators. We are dangerously close to seeing that happen. Alexander Gonzalez in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/7/08

Boren: State investment in education repays great dividends -- When I was in college in the early 1970s, California taxpayers made a deal with me. They'd subsidize my education at Fresno State and I'd return that investment by getting a job and paying taxes to the state during my working lifetime. Jim Boren in the Fresno Bee -- 12/7/08

L.A. union workers rally in support of auto industry bailout -- Scores of electricians, nurses and other workers gather at the federal courthouse downtown. 'If the Big Three go down,' one says, 'we all go down.' Robert J. Lopez in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/7/08

National Hispanic University team wins third, fourth in regional ethics bowl -- Luis Ruelas is not the kind of guy you'd want to get into an argument with — that is, if you expect to win. Sharon Noguchi in the San Jose Mercury -- 12/7/08

Weintraub: Something in the air -- California's commitment to limiting its emission of carbon and other greenhouse gases in hopes of fighting global warming is about to get real with the adoption as soon as Thursday of a sweeping plan that might ultimately represent the biggest government intervention in the economy in the history of the state. Daniel Weintraub in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/7/08

Riding local Metrolink rails risky? -- As concerns mount about the safety of Metrolink trains, a Daily News analysis has found the commuter rail system has a far higher fatality rate than most larger systems throughout the country and was responsible for nearly two-thirds of the nation's passenger deaths over the past six years. Troy Anderson in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 12/7/08

Revolving-door health system failed family -- “Sorry” was the last thing Diane Carpenter said before she was stabbed to death by the mentally ill son she desperately tried to help for more than a decade. Ray Huard in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 12/7/08

Child Abuse Central Index offers no way out, even for the innocent -- An accusation is enough to land people on California's list of child abusers, but only long legal battles can clear their names. Carol J. Williams in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/7/08

Borenstein: Healthcare must be fixed -- I was lucky. I had a job and excellent health insurance when I needed it most. The same cannot be said for Sarah, my friend and fellow cancer survivor who has no job, serious health problems and medical bill collectors calling her daily. Whenever her condition worsens, she worries about the cost of the treatment, lab tests and drugs before calling the doctor. Daniel Borenstein in the Contra Costa Times -- 12/7/08

New piece of Bailey slaying puzzle surfaces -- The leader of Your Black Muslim Bakery expressed satisfaction on the morning Chauncey Bailey was killed, saying the journalist got what he deserved for taking on the troubled organization in his reporting, a bakery member told Oakland police in a recently discovered account given the day after the slaying. Jaxon Van Derbeken in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/7/08

Diaz: Open the windows to the state Capitol -- It should not take a lawsuit to open the windows into the legislative activity within the state Capitol. These are the people we elect, operating with the money we provide them, to perform the people's business. John Diaz in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/7/08

Matier & Ross: Anatomy of a tragedy -- Raymond Gee, the 22-year-old who stalked a young San Mateo mother of two and killed her after breaking into her home, had been caught twice by police in San Francisco with a gun in his possession within the past year. Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/7/08

Long commute better than living in Oakland -- I'm lost amid boxes strewn about my apartment in Oakland, packing. This wasn't my intent when I moved here three years ago. Far from it. Susan Gluss in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/7/08

Violence is why Oaklanders forsake the city -- Susan Gluss may be one of the most recent Oakland residents to move on to safer, saner confines in the Bay Area, but she is by no means alone in her decision to call it quits. Chip Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/7/08

Federal judges weighing solutions to California's prison overcrowding crisis -- A sweeping order to release prisoners is one possible outcome; at issue is whether overcrowding is the cause of poor healthcare that violates their constitutional rights. Michael Rothfeld in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/7/08

Saunders: Drug warriors against the war -- Last week saw the 75th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition. In Washington, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) - a group of former cops and drug-war veterans who have soured on America's war on drugs - gathered to celebrate the anniversary, and to argue for an end to America's current prohibition on marijuana and more serious drugs. Debra J. Saunders in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/7/08

L.A.'s police chief says he still has plenty to prove -- But for Bratton, the most influential cop in America today, the numbers are everything. They are the hard evidence he has spent a career trying to amass: proof that he has the blueprint for fighting crime in urban America. Joel Rubin in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/7/08