California Policy and Politics This Morning

Brown ordered firing of regulator who took hard line on oil firms -- The dispute centered on a risky method of extraction. California's governor has sued oil companies throughout his career, but he now talks of tossing cumbersome regulations to revive the economy. Michael J. Mishak in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/29/12

Oakland to assess damage after Occupy protests -- Oakland officials assessed damage to City Hall caused by Occupy protesters while leaders of the movement claimed Sunday that police acted illegally in arresting hundreds of demonstrators and could face a lawsuit. TERRY COLLINS AP -- 1/29/12

Mayor Villaraigosa says divisive GOP rhetoric turning off Latinos -- Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa faced off Sunday with former U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez about what both Democrats and Republicans need to do to win over Latino voters in the presidential election. Carlos Lozano in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/29/12

Walters: Strength of California economic recovery still hazy -- The big news in Stanislaus County these days is that a big Internet retailer – almost certainly Amazon – will establish a huge distribution center in Patterson that would employ at least 1,500 workers. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/29/12

Morain: Tax campaign targets Capitol's inside game -- More often than not, big money players with high-priced lobbyists win the inside game, especially when the stakes reach $1 billion. Dan Morain in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/29/12

Ballot measure: Is Calif. death penalty worth the cost? -- To death penalty opponents, cases like Stankewitz's illustrate an issue: It can take decades before appeals run their course, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill for special housing at San Quentin, plus all that court jockeying. Pablo Lopez in the Fresno Bee -- 1/29/12

California could matter in the GOP presidential race after all -- For months, nobody figured California Republicans would have a say in picking their party's 2012 presidential contender -- the state's June 5 primary was just too late to matter. Josh Richman in the Oakland Tribune -- 1/29/12

   Occupy

Day of clashes at Occupy Oakland ends with at least 200 arrests -- Occupy Oakland protesters broke into City Hall, stole an American flag from the City Council chamber and set it on fire Saturday night, punctuating a wild day in which police deployed tear gas, arrested more than 200 marchers and dodged hurling objects. Matthias Gafni and Chris De Benedetti in the Oakland Tribune David R. Baker, Vivian Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle Lee Romney in the Los Angeles Times SARAH MASLIN NIR in the New York Times -- 1/29/12

Food Shift aims to save wasted food and feed the hungry -- It's near freezing, and Dana Frasz is bundled in sweatshirts, a beanie cap topping her blonde hair and a red scarf twirled around her thin neck. She's also sporting a coal miner's headlamp and a pair of rubber gloves used in hospitals. Kristin J. Bender in the San Jose Mercury -- 1/29/12

   Economy - Jobs

Death of redevelopment draws closer -- As California cities shut down their redevelopment agencies after losing a war for survival with the state, the battlefield assessment has begun. The casualties are extensive. Layoff notices have gone out in advance of a Feb. 1 court-imposed dissolution deadline. Lisa Vorderbrueggen in the Contra Costa Times -- 1/29/12

Shutting down agencies hardly a simple process -- California's 425 redevelopment agencies will disband Wednesday in the wake of a state Supreme Court ruling. But dissolving a 62-year-old government institution deeply embedded into city and county governments won't be easy. Lisa Vorderbrueggen in the Contra Costa Times -- 1/29/12

Suit claims Silicon Valley anti-poaching scheme -- A lawsuit filed in federal court in San Jose claims senior executives at Google, Intel, Adobe, Intuit, Lucasfilm, Pixar and Apple violated antitrust laws by entering into secret anti-poaching agreements not to hire each other's best workers. In doing so, the suit contends the companies were able to keep wages artificially low by preventing bidding wars for the best employees. Marcus Wohlsen in the San Jose Mercury -- 1/29/12

Airport development agency likely to survive redevelopment law, official says -- A controversial state Supreme Court ruling is forcing 400 redevelopment agencies throughout California to close, but officials overseeing redevelopment at the former Norton Air Force Base say work there will continue. Josh Dulaney in the San Bernardino Sun -- 1/29/12

Borenstein: Pension funds should stop siphoning off investment returns -- Pension plans depend on investment returns to help fund workers' retirement payments. Systems for public employees assume that good years will outweigh the bad and over time provide average annual growth of 7 to 8 percent. Daniel Borenstein in the Contra Costa Times -- 1/29/12

Old Techies Never Die -- They just can't get hired after 40 in Silicon Valley. AARON GLANTZ Bay Citizen -- 1/29/12

   Education

California community colleges prepare to ration their offerings -- Faced with state budget cuts since the recession – annual funding is now 12 percent below its 2008-09 high-water mark – community colleges have pared back course offerings. Yet demand remains sky high as costs at four-year universities shoot upward and unemployed Californians seek retraining. Kevin Yamamura in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/29/12

UCI faculty: Quality eroding as class sizes swell -- Instead of two teaching assistants for a class of about 50 students, UC Irvine professor Mark LeVine now gets one. Instead of being able to lead intimate seminar classes of just a dozen or so students, LeVine is under pressure to teach more large, lecture-style classes. SCOTT MARTINDALE in the Orange County Register -- 1/29/12

CSU tries to avoid $400K presidents -- It was a scandal last year when the California State University trustees hired a new president at an annual salary of $400,000 a year – at the very same meeting they hiked student tuition by 12 percent. Teri Sforza in the Orange County Register -- 1/29/12

Donations to UC Davis climb despite pepper-spraying incident -- The infamous pepper- spray incident at UC Davis in November brought a lot of negative attention to the campus. But it didn't hurt fundraising – at least not yet. Phillip Reese in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/29/12

   Also..

Oakland welcomes more pot dispensaries -- Federal officials have forced the shutdown of more than 200 medical marijuana dispensaries throughout California since fall, and the state Supreme Court agreed last week to hear a case that could throw the industry into chaos - but is that discouraging the city of Oaksterdam? Hardly. Kevin Fagan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/29/12

Lopez: It's time for a crackdown on abusers of disabled placards -- Los Angeles needs to take tough action, and California should at least require that the drivers get a doctor's signature every two years. Physicians could be more discriminating too. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/29/12

Ross Mirkarimi's attorney a veteran defending cops -- San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi's selection of veteran criminal defense attorney Lidia Stiglich to help him in his domestic violence case is going to tie conspiracy theorists in knots. Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/29/12

Lawmakers OK study of Buffalo Soldiers trail through Valley -- The House has approved legislation to study establishing a new national historic trail that could range from Los Banos and Madera to Yosemite and Sequoia national parks. The trail would commemorate Buffalo Soldiers, the African-American cavalrymen who made the dusty trek around the start of the 20th century. Michael Doyle in the Fresno Bee -- 1/29/12

Willie Brown: San Francisco is place to be for Lunar New Year -- The red envelopes are out all over Chinatown - wonderfully embossed packets containing carefully folded, crisp new dollar bills that everyone from the banker to the busboy hands out as a Lunar New Year greeting. Willie Brown in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/29/12

   POTUS 44

Obama in weekly address rails against gridlock -- President Barack Obama turned up the heat on the GOP Saturday, sounding a now-familiar refrain about obstructionist tactics by congressional Republicans and holding up as an example a pledge by one senator to block presidential nominations until the president gives in to his demands. DONOVAN SLACK Politico -- 1/29/12

   Beltway

Herman Cain endorses Newt Gingrich in Florida -- Herman Cain endorsed Newt Gingrich for president here on Saturday, injecting some energy into the campaign with two days to go until Florida’s primary. ALEXANDER BURNS and JUANA SUMMERS Politico -- 1/29/12

Five things Gingrich must do to come from behind and win -- For Newt Gingrich, the window to disrupt the Republican primary and upset Mitt Romney for the presidential nomination is rapidly closing. Justin Sink The Hill -- 1/29/12