Gottschalks moves closer to shutting down -- The Fresno department store chain designated a consortium of liquidating firms as the "stalking horse" or lead bidder in an upcoming auction, according to papers filed this week in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/6/09

Famed newspaper editor Jim Bellows dies at 86 -- Jim Bellows, a famed editor who thrived on controversy, transformed struggling newspapers in Los Angeles, Washington and New York, nurtured the careers of Tom Wolfe and Jimmy Breslin and helped make a hit of a flailing TV show called "Entertainment Tonight," has died. He was 86. AP -- 3/6/09

The Twitter Factor: It's Newsom by a landslide -- Twitter is fast becoming a highly competitive battleground for voter attention in California politics -- so fast that the 2010 gubernatorial primary could be the first "new media primary'' and "the first Twitter election,'' according to Eric Jaye, political consultant for San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Carla Marinucci in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/6/09

Schwarzenegger administration rolls out new ethics policy -- Under the new rules, a review of senior advisors' economic statements will be conducted to rout out conflicts of interest. Officials' travel expenses will be posted on the state website as well. Evan Halper in the Los Angeles Times Amy Chance SacBee Capitol Alert -- 3/6/09

Orange County getting $4 million in stimulus for cops -- Orange County and its 34 cities will share in nearly $4 million in stimulus money targeted to law enforcement, the White House announced today. Dena Bunis in the Orange County Register -- 3/6/09

Chiang starts releasing delayed payments -- State Controller John Chiang has started releasing more than $2.8 billion in payments that should have gone out last month but were delayed by California's cash crunch. The money includes tax refunds, student aid, senior care assistance and other payments delayed during the month of February. Jon Ortiz in the Sacramento Bee Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times BRIAN JOSEPH in the Orange County Register -- 3/6/09

Obama plan not the solution -- It's pretty clear now that President Barack Obama's mortgage relief program isn't the answer to the nation's housing crisis. Sandy Nax Fresno Bee News Blog -- 3/6/09

Podcast: The Budget Burrito -- Would you really want to pull out the separate ingredients of a burrito, or keep them all snugly wrapped inside the tortilla for easier consumption? John Myers Capitol Notes weblog -- 3/6/09

Peninsula pair get their own chance to make a law -- A pair of Peninsula residents will get a chance to prove that not all bright ideas come from politicians, interest groups and lobbyists. John Wildermuth Chronicle Politics Weblog -- 3/6/09

Obama to sign stem cell executive order Monday -- CNN has learned that President Obama is planning to sign at least one executive order on Monday that will overturn Bush-era policy that limited the types of embryonic stem cell research that can receive federal tax dollars, according to administration officials familiar with the deliberations. Ed Henry CNN Rob Stein in the Washington Post -- 3/6/09

Unemployment soars to 8.1% in February -- The jobless rate is at its highest point since 1983. More than 650,000 people lost their jobs last month, Mark Silva in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/6/09

Medi-Cal funding targeted in new bills -- A move to capture billions of dollars in federal stimulus money for health care has begun in the Legislature, where Democrats hope to fend off potential Republican opposition with special-session legislation that requires only a simple-majority vote. John Howard in Capitol Weekly -- 3/6/09

New Lake poll: Brown, Newsom strong against GOPers for 2010 -- A new California statewide poll has some interesting news on an upcoming 2010 Democratic gubernatorial primary: that both San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and state Attorney General Jerry Brown handily beat possible GOP gubernatorial challengers Steve Poizner, the state Insurance Commissioner, and former eBay CEO Meg Whitman in head to head contests. Carla Marinucci Chronicle Politics Weblog -- 3/6/09

Cosco Busan pilot pleads guilty in deal -- The pilot of the container ship that struck the Bay Bridge in 2007 and spilled 53,000 gallons of fuel oil pleaded guilty today to federal water pollution charges in an agreement that calls for him to serve two to 10 months in prison. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle PAUL ELIAS AP -- 3/6/09

California GOP head to lead state party chairs -- Ron Nehring, the chairman of the California Republican Party, has been named by national party Chairman Michael Steele to head the state party chairs around the country. Carla Marinucci in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/6/09

LA Mayor's big re-election victory not a guarantee of governor's job -- It didn't take long for Team Antonio to start firing out e-mails touting Villaraigosa's 30-point re-election victory in the Los Angeles mayor's race, suggesting that the win, along with a good showing in a new Field Poll, puts their guy well on the road to Sacramento. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/6/09

Schwarzenegger cabinet member resigns after accepting speaking fees -- Rosario Marin, head of the State and Consumer Services Agency, received income from speeches to private companies, including some that lobby her agency. Michael Rothfeld in the Los Angeles Times Kevin Yamamura in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/6/09

Ballot measures' labels changed after complaints -- Ballot labels on two measures in the May 19 special election were altered Thursday after complaints that the Legislature's wording was misleading and biased in favor of their passage. The item is in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/6/09

Federal funds could ease state budget cuts -- State financial officials could announce today when they will begin mailing income tax refunds and payments for social services that were held up last month as a result of the budget stalemate. Wyatt Buchanan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/6/09

Walters: Locals set revenue trap for non-local motorists -- The newest ploy to soak out-of-towners is being promoted by an Indiana company called Emergency Services Billing Corp., which is telling local governments with fire departments and other emergency services that they can extract a lot of money from visitors who have accidents and need those services. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/6/09

Schwarzenegger ends 'Furlough Fridays' -- The announcement ends the state's policy of furloughing 238,000 employees on the first and third Friday of each month. Instead, they'll individually pick their furlough days with management approval. And the state's massive government will return to its regular schedule. Jon Ortiz in the Sacramento Bee MICHAEL COIT in the Santa Rosa Press -- 3/6/09

Boxer has big lead over potential GOP Senate challengers in poll -- U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer has a comfortable lead over potential Republican challengers for her job in 2010, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, though voters are divided in their enthusiasm for her re-election, according to a Field Poll released Thursday. Kevin Yamamura in the Sacramento Bee Carla Marinucci in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/6/09

Loudly and colorfully, opposing sides debate Proposition 8 -- Attorneys argue, demonstrators shout and entrepreneurs hawk as the debate over same-sex marriage fills the San Francisco Civic Center Plaza. Maria L. LaGanga in the Los Angeles Times Lisa Leff and Paul Elias AP Peter Hecht in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/6/09

Legal analysts say justices seemed partial to Prop. 8 -- Gay marriage advocates have a steep climb to invalidate the ban voters approved in Proposition 8, according to legal experts who Thursday watched California Supreme Court justices cast a skeptical eye on their case during three hours of oral arguments. Susan Ferriss in the Sacramento Bee Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/6/09

Lots of finger-pointing outside the courtroom -- Hundreds of people gathered in San Francisco's Civic Center Plaza on Thursday as the California Supreme Court met across the street to hear arguments on the constitutionality of the new state law banning same-sex marriage. Rachel Gordon, Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/6/09

Retail Sales Show Signs of Life -- Americans finally started spending again in February -- largely at discounters such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. -- leading to the first monthly gain in retail-industry sales since September. ANN ZIMMERMAN in the Wall Street Journal -- 3/6/09

CalPERS: Thinking the unthinkable -- Last spring CalPERS doubled the amount of a program that uses the pension fund’s gold-plated credit rating to help state and local governments borrow more cheaply, moving the cap from $5 billion to $10 billion. Now as the economy crumbles, CalPERS is taking a look at what seemed unimaginable last year: What happens if the government borrowers default on their debts and CalPERS has to repay the loans? Ed Mendel Calpensions.com -- 3/6/09

Jobless rate in San Diego County at 8.6 percent -- The jobless rate in San Diego County jumped to 8.6 percent in January – matching its highest level in at least two decades – as retail clerks, restaurant waiters and temporary workers hit the unemployment lines, according to data released yesterday by the state. Dean Calbreath in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 3/6/09

Bay Area unemployment jumps higher -- Unemployment rates in the Bay Area jumped into record territory in January, reaching 9.4 percent in the San Jose area, 9.2 percent in the East Bay and 7.5 percent in San Francisco and its vicinity. Tom Abate in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/6/09

Silicon Valley unemployment rate jumps to 'frightening' 9.4 percent -- Silicon Valley's jobless rate leapt more than a full point to a stunning 9.4 percent in January, the biggest jump since at least 1990. Pete Carey in the San Jose Mercury -- 3/6/09

Sacramento-area unemployment soars to highest level in a generation -- Unemployment in Sacramento soared to 10.4 percent in January, a level not seen in a generation, as practically every economic sector faltered. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/6/09

Inland jobless rate jumps to 11.8 percent -- January was brutal to the Inland Empire's job market. The 25,500 jobs slashed from local businesses in the month adds to the growing number of positions that have been cut since the region's employment peaked in June 2007. Matt Wrye in the Inland Daily Bulletin -- 3/6/09

Fresno Co. joblessness hits 15.7% -- Unemployment in the central San Joaquin Valley lurched upward more than two percentage points in a month as businesses of every kind laid off workers. Tim Sheehan in the Fresno Bee -- 3/6/09

Canadian owner of Santa Anita racetrack files for Chapter 11 -- Magna Entertainment files for bankruptcy protection after defaulting on conditions of a bank loan. The company may be forced to sell its storied venues including Pimlico, home of the Preakness Stakes. Hanah Cho and Roger Vincent in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/6/09

Golden Gate Fields' owner files for bankruptcy -- The owner of Golden Gate Fields and other horse racetracks in the United States filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Thursday, saying it will continue with uninterrupted operations while beginning a process to sell assets and implement reorganization. George Raine in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/6/09

Obama plan to prevent foreclosures won't help many California homeowners -- The Obama administration's plan to stave off foreclosures could fall flat in California, where nearly one-third of mortgage holders are underwater on their loans -- many of them by amounts that would disqualify them for government-sponsored refinancing. E. Scott Reckard and Peter Hong in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/6/09

Surviving Recession: Mortgage relief program has homeowners hopeful -- Mortgage lending institutions reported high call volumes Thursday and thousands of Internet inquiries from struggling borrowers eager to find relief in President Obama's $275 billion housing rescue plan. Jim Wasserman in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/6/09

House OKs court-approved mortgage relief -- The bill would allow bankruptcy judges to reduce principal amounts on loans for primary residences. It faces a stiffer test in the Senate. Jim Puzzanghera in the Los Angeles Times Renae Merle in the Washington Post -- 3/6/09

San Jose to receive $6.8 million in federal housing stimulus funds -- Federal stimulus money is making its way to San Jose, with an announcement expected Friday of at least $6.8 million in additional housing funds to help prevent foreclosures, provide rental assistance and improve infrastructure. John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury -- 3/6/09

U.S. to Invite The Wealthy To Invest in The Bailout -- The government is seeking to resuscitate the nation's crippled financial system by forging an alliance with the very outfits that most benefited from the bonanza preceding the collapse of the credit markets: hedge funds and private-equity firms. David Cho in the Washington Post -- 3/6/09

Vons stores collecting donations for food banks -- Adding an extra box of macaroni and cheese to the grocery list won't burn a hole in a person's wallet - but it could feed a family in need. Mediha Fejzagic DiMartino in the Inland Daily Bulletin -- 3/6/09

San Diego Chief investment officer for pension fund resigns -- The county pension board's chief investment officer has resigned a week after a second hedge fund collapse in which employee retirement investments could lose as much as $78 million. Craig Gustafson in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 3/6/09

Noted economist notably downbeat on economy -- When Republicans and Democrats in the nation's capital want to make a point about the economy, they often cite Mark Zandi. A middle-of-the-road economic forecaster who speaks in plain English, Zandi increasingly has become the economic oracle of record. Kevin G. Hall in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/6/09

Ross: Many 'admired' companies call California home -- Don't hate us because we're beautiful. Fortune magazine came out with the "World's Most Admired Companies" this week, and guess where most top U.S. corporations on the list call home? California. Andrew S. Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/6/09

Corporate-Tax Break Revives in Budget Plan -- President Barack Obama's proposed budget is breathing new life into a major tax break that could be a particular boon for struggling home builders, large retailers, newspapers and manufacturers. MICHAEL CORKERY and JESSE DRUCKER in the Wall Street Journal -- 3/6/09

Obama kills controversial nuclear program in budget proposal -- President Barack Obama's fiscal year 2010 budget proposal calls for an end to the Reliable Replacement Warhead program, a controversial project involving scientists at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory that supporters said was essential for maintaining the reliability of the country's nuclear arsenal. Suzanne Bohan in the Contra Costa Times -- 3/6/09

Two union candidates win L.A. school board races -- New UTLA-backed members increase labor's presence but probably won't tip political balance. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/6/09

Davis school fundraising drive may encounter donor fatigue -- When Davis public schools hit a financial crisis last year, retired teacher Mohini Jain donated $100,000. It was the largest contribution to a $1.8 million fundraising campaign that saved the jobs of music, science and language teachers. Hudson Sangree in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/6/09

State's proposed emissions rule sparks firestorm -- California regulators Thursday issued a far-reaching proposal to slash carbon emissions from transportation fuels, setting the stage for a national battle over how to reduce the damage to the global climate from gasoline and diesel combustion. Margot Roosevelt in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/6/09

State emissions proposal quickly attacked -- A proposed state regulation designed to promote alternative fuels and cut greenhouse gas emissions from cars drew fire Thursday from ethanol producers, who say the rules discriminate against them. David R. Baker in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/6/09

A clash over auto emission standards -- California wants its own limits, saying carmakers can hit the mark. Others support a national standard. Jim Tankersley and Ken Bensinger in the Los Angeles Times Zachary Coile in the San Francisco Chronicle Frank Davies in the San Jose Mercury -- 3/6/09

6 firms stop sales of hard-plastic baby bottles -- Bending to growing public and legal pressure that began in San Francisco, six major companies have agreed to stop selling hard-plastic baby bottles containing bisphenol A, an industrial chemical suspected of harming human development. Jane Kay in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/6/09

Deadly Australian wildfires give state fire officials pause -- Blazes that killed about 210, including many who tried to protect their own homes, cause California fire chiefs to rethink a proposed flee-or-fight policy for residents. Catherine Saillant in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/6/09

Another legal loss for environmentalists -- A federal court in San Francisco today turned thumbs down to an environmental lawsuit challenging farm dust control measures adopted by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. Mark Grossi in the Fresno Bee -- 3/6/09

Farms, smelt hang in the balance in the face of the drought and its effect on the Valley water supply -- Over the next six weeks, the fortunes of farmers in the Valley depend on a 3-inch fish and the weather 250 miles away. Mark Grossi in the Fresno Bee -- 3/6/09

California high speed rail project needs cash to keep going -- California will have to halt work on its high-speed rail project if it does not get an infusion of cash soon from the state's frozen infrastructure fund, the project's executive director said Thursday. STEVE LAWRENCE AP -- 3/6/09

Official: Nuclear waste won't go to Nevada site -- For two decades, a ridge of volcanic rock 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas known as Yucca Mountain has been the sole focus of government plans to store highly radioactive nuclear waste. Not anymore. H. JOSEF HEBERT AP -- 3/6/09

Bill proposes 25-cent fee on plastic bags -- A group of Democratic lawmakers is planning a coordinated, anti-litter assault on California’s beaches, seeking to rid them of some of the leading sources of manmade debris that wash downstream after storms and ultimately make their way into the ocean, threatening marine life. Timm Herdt in the Ventura Star -- 3/6/09

Granite Bay residents riled by review of growth plan -- Mention a "community plan update" most places, and you'll draw blank stares. But in one Placer County community, those are fighting words. Cathy Locke in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/6/09

John Muir diabetes center in Concord to close -- Patients who attend diabetes education and support groups at the Concord campus of John Muir Medical Center will soon need to travel to the Walnut Creek hospital to continue such services. Sandy Kleffman in the Contra Costa Times -- 3/6/09

Stricter rules on fertility industry debated -- Some doctors worry that octuplet mom Nadya Suleman's case may be used as a pretense to pass laws restricting abortion rights. Others fear a confusing patchwork of regulations. Kimi Yoshino and Jessica Garrison in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/6/09

Cancer threat removed from stem cells, scientists say -- Borrowing a biological cut-and-paste trick from bacteria, scientists have created the first personalized stem cells for patients that are free of the cancer-causing viruses and genes needed to make them, according to a study published today in the journal Cell. Karen Kaplan in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/6/09

KB Home ex-CEO Bruce Karatz accused of stock option fraud -- Karatz, 63, served as chairman and chief executive of Westwood-based KB Home from 1986 to 2006, when he resigned under fire. Over a three-year period ending in 2005, Karatz garnered more than $232 million in compensation. William Heisel in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/6/09

House bill seeks to toughen food oversight -- Picking up from last year's effort, Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, on Thursday joined a Florida Republican in announcing an industry-backed bill that would impose stricter safety requirements on imported foods. The bill would also extend nationwide some strict rules already applied in California and Florida. Michael Doyle in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/6/09