California Policy and Politics This Morning

Paul Conrad dies at 86; Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist helped bring The Times to national prominence -- His unyielding liberal stance, delivered as savage black-and-white harpoons, bedeviled Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and others in power while shedding an uncompromising light on social injustices. He drew for The Times for nearly 30 years. James Rainey in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/4/10

Whitman demonstrates the power of her money -- Having given her campaign $104 million, the GOP candidate buys TV, direct mail and a Web presence. Yet she and Jerry Brown are in a competitive race. Michael J. Mishak in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/4/10

Jerry Brown says he'd be a frugal governor -- Jerry Brown said Friday that if elected governor he would have to "do things that labor doesn't like," including cutting pension benefits for public employees and asking labor leaders to "put everything on the table" to get California's bloated budget under control. Carla Marinucci in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/4/10

Brown, Chamber of Commerce prepare new campaign ads -- It may still be 100 degrees outside in Sacramento, but you can feel the change in the air. Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/4/10

Community college chief quits California Chamber of Commerce board to protest Whitman endorsement -- The chancellor of the California community college system has resigned in protest from the California Chamber of Commerce board of directors after the organization backed Meg Whitman's bid for governor. Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/4/10

Bid to suspend California global-warming law gets $1 million from billionaire brothers' firm -- The donation to the Proposition 23 campaign comes from a subsidiary of Kansas-based Koch Industries, which owns refineries and controls 4,000 miles of oil pipelines. Margot Roosevelt in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/4/10

Fiorina decides she has a position on Prop. 23 -- Republican Senate candidate Carly Fiorina, who repeatedly refused to take a stand on Proposition 23 during a Wednesday debate, said today she is backing the measure. Rob Hotakainen SacBee Capitol Alert JUDY LIN AP -- 9/4/10

CalBuzz: Memo to Pundits; Carly Comes Clean; Don’t Miss TV -- Jeez, it’s not even Labor Day and your austerity-based Calbuzz pundits are already deep in despair from listening to East Coast pundits-for-hire punditize for big bucks about California’s campaigns, as if they actually knew something about the state. But we don’t complain. Jerry Roberts and Phil Trounstine CalBuzz -- 9/4/10

Assembly candidate faces scrutiny over residency -- The L.A. County district attorney's office is looking into whether GOP candidate Sunder Ramani indeed lives in the 43rd Assembly District, as he reported on voter registration and candidacy papers. Jean Merl in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/4/10

Ballot Watch: Vehicle fee for state parks -- As California's fiscal fortunes have waned, state park advocates say the physical condition of California's 278 state parks has worsened. Dan Smith in the Sacramento Bee -- 9/4/10

In wake of Bell scandal, CalPERS may change pension calculation rules -- Former city manager Robert Rizzo's latest contract divided his nearly $800,000 salary between his main job and various city boards. Excluding the side pay could drastically cut his retirement income. Jeff Gottlieb and Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/4/10

Bell cancels contract to manage Maywood -- Decision leaves the small city with the choice of shutting down operations or bringing in contractors. Ruben Vives in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/4/10

Waters forms legal defense fund to wage fight against ethics charges -- Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) has established a legal defense fund to pay for any expenses associated with her full-throttled battle against ethics charges that she used her position to help a bank in which her husband owned stock. Susan Crabtree The Hill -- 9/4/10

Sanchez, Tran split on economy, immigration -- With jobs gone and homes lost, central Orange County faces a choice this fall between two Congressional candidates who have staked out opposite positions on how to get from here to prosperity. DOUG IRVING in the Orange County Register -- 9/4/10

Morrison: Zev Yaroslavsky: The orchestrator -- The county supervisor, soon entering his final term, discusses local politics and rumors of a possible L.A. mayor candidacy. Patt Morrison in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/4/10

   Tax Measures

Pleasant Hill utility tax ballot measure draws support, derision -- The battle over raising the utility tax in Pleasant Hill pits residents who believe the city needs more money for police and road maintenance against those who say the council should instead cut spending. Lisa P. White in the Contra Costa Times -- 9/4/10

   Economy - Jobs

Long-haul unemployment - a reality for nearly half of job seekers -- Words such as "opportunity," "goals," and "change" beam from the inspirational posters hanging on the walls of San Bernardino County Employment Resource Center in Rancho Cucamonga. Mediha Fejzagic DiMartino in the Inland Daily Bulletin -- 9/4/10

   Education

State appeals court blocks school drug tests -- In a ruling by California's chief justice nominee, a state appeals court has barred a school district from drug testing all students in extracurricular activities such as choir, the school band and Future Farmers of America. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 9/4/10

   Environment

Nuclear cleanup at Santa Susana facility would finish by 2017 under settlement -- The plan would remove soil contaminated with carcinogenic dioxins, heavy metals and radioactive materials. Local activists say the site has been a health risk since a partial meltdown in 1959. Louis Sahagun in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/4/10

Reducing Emissions with Inflated Tires -- The state Air Resources Board passed a new regulation this week designed to increase fuel efficiency and reduce the state's greenhouse gas emissions. It requires auto shops to check the tires on their customers' vehicles and to inflate them to proper levels whenever they are doing an oil change or providing any other service. Gretchen Weber KQED Climate Watch -- 9/4/10

State board wants Sacramento to reduce sewage in river -- Sacramento may not be able to rely on nature to wash away its sewage problems much longer. Instead, residents might have to pay for treatment system upgrades that could add $40 to a monthly utility bill. Matt Weiser in the Sacramento Bee -- 9/4/10

   Immigration

Rise in public benefits to children of illegal immigrants in L.A. County has supervisor 'very concerned' -- Welfare payments to children of illegal immigrants in Los Angeles County increased in July to $52 million, prompting renewed calls from one county supervisor to rein in public benefits to such families. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/4/10

Arizona colleges accused of immigrant discrimination -- Before this year, Phoenix-area community colleges asked legal immigrants to show a green card before hiring them. The Justice Department calls the policy 'document abuse' and seeks damages. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/4/10

   Also..

Medical marijuana dispensary wins court order allowing it to stay open -- A medical marijuana dispensary that Los Angeles was seeking to shut down under its three-month-old ordinance has won a court order allowing it to stay open, the first ruling from a local judge to favor one of the hundreds of stores affected by the new law. John Hoeffel in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/4/10

Baca: Almost all pot clinics are criminal enterprises -- The Los Angeles County sheriff has escalated his war of words against California medical marijuana dispensaries, saying as many as 97 percent operate as criminal enterprises. Thomas Watkins AP -- 9/4/10

Is Glenn Beck's rise good for Mormonism? -- Like conservative commentator Glenn Beck, Stephen Owens is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His in-laws traveled from Utah to Washington last weekend to join Beck's rally at the Lincoln Memorial. Felicia Sonmez in the Washington Post -- 9/4/10

   POTUS 44

Obama to propose new incentives to spur employment -- Pressure on President Obama to do something about the weakening economy intensified Friday with new government data showing that hiring remains lackluster, nudging the nation's unemployment rate up to 9.6%. Don Lee, Peter Nicholas and Jim Puzzanghera in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/4/10

The brain behind Obama's speeches -- Adam Frankel, a 29-year-old responsible for oratories on healthcare, the West Virginia mine explosion and more, dismisses criticism that the president's prose has become uninspiring. Peter Nicholas in the Los Angeles Times -- 9/4/10

   Beltway

Dems have few options on economy -- With another tepid jobs report in the books Friday, Democrats desperate for quick policy action to boost the economy face an excruciating dilemma, experts say. BEN WHITE Politico -- 9/4/10