* Updates

Jerry Brown's pick for LA district attorney poised to lose -- Gov. Jerry Brown hardly involved himself in the statewide primary election Tuesday, but in the few contests in which the Democratic governor did endorse a candidate or issue public praise, his record wasn't great. David Siders SacBee Capitol Alert -- 6/6/12

Todd Spitzer wins Orange County supervisor seat -- again -- In an easy victory, former state Assemblyman Todd Spitzer won a seat on the Orange County Board of Supervisor in Tuesday's election, reclaiming an office he had previously held. Nicole Santa Cruz in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/6/12

Nearly 800,000 CA ballots left to count in largest counties -- Preliminary election results may be in, but some races won't be called until officials can count provisional ballots and mail-in votes that were dropped off at polling places Tuesday. Hannah Madans SacBee Capitol Alert -- 6/6/12

Democrats' chances of big California congressional gains dim -- San Francisco's Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic House leader, has said that "the road to the majority runs through California," and she and her colleagues have entertained hopes of picking up a half-dozen or more seats in California while seeking the 25-seat national gain they need to make her speaker once again. Dan Walters SacBee Capitol Alert -- 6/6/12

Jerry Brown names union rep to Personnel Administration post -- Gov. Jerry Brown has appointed a labor union representative to be deputy director of legislative affairs at the Department of Personnel Administration. David Siders SacBee Capitol Alert -- 6/6/12

Voters go to bat for lawmaker who missed his first term for war -- For Republican Assemblyman Jeff Gorell, the best route to re-election may be through Afghanistan. Jim Sanders SacBee Capitol Alert -- 6/6/12

Bleary-eyed Prop. 29 campaigns in wait-and-see mode -- Tobacco companies have reason to be confident after waking up with a 51-49 lead against an initiative that would raise cigarette taxes by $1 per pack in California, but neither side was prepared to declare the Proposition 29 race over this morning. Kevin Yamamura SacBee Capitol Alert -- 6/6/12

U.S. agriculture secretary wants Brown to drop wildfire proposal -- The U.S. agriculture secretary has joined federal prosecutors in opposing Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to limit legal liability for people responsible for wildfires. Chris Megerian in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/6/12

San Jose unions sue to block pension reform -- San Jose police officers Wednesday made good on promises to legally challenge San Jose's voter-approved pension reform with a lawsuit filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court. John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury -- 6/6/12

Unions lament local pension votes, turn focus to Sacramento -- Voters in San Diego and San Jose overwhelmingly voted to pare back retirement benefits for city employees, setting the stage for a showdown over public pensions in Sacramento later this year. Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/6/12

Ethics panel moves ahead on Maxine Waters investigation -- The House Ethics Committee will move forward with its case against Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters, continuing its probe after an outside counsel investigated the secretive panel’s handling of the matter. JOHN BRESNAHAN Politico -- 6/6/12

Surprises shake up congressional races in the Inland Empire -- One of the biggest upsets in Tuesday’s “top two” primary came in a San Bernardino County congressional race where the top Democratic candidate, Redlands Mayor Pete Aguilar, appears to have failed to collect enough votes to make it to the November runoff election, according to the preliminary ballot count. Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/6/12

Nearly two-thirds of local tax and bond measures pass -- Nearly two-thirds of the 87 local government and school tax and bond measures on Tuesday's ballot passed, according to a compilation by the League of California Cities. Dan Walters SacBee Capitol Alert -- 6/6/12

Primary election night: Winners and losers -- California’s electoral experiment, the first test of independently drawn district maps and new election rules, led to the most unpredictable state election in years. Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/6/12

Nearly two dozen races to feature same-party candidates in fall -- The oddity was created by California's new top-two primary system, in which voters could cast ballots for candidates of any party and the two highest vote-getters advance to the general election. Jim Sanders SacBee Capitol Alert -- 6/6/12

Fox: Union Power Challenged with Pension Reforms -- The political landscape shifted yesterday with decisive votes on pension reform in two major California cities and the gubernatorial recall result in Wisconsin. Public employee union power, which has come to dominate the state political process, especially here in California, was found vulnerable. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 6/6/12

Google unveils new Maps features amid fight with Apple -- Facing a threat of new competition from a former ally, Google on Wednesday unveiled plans to offer 3D maps of major cities and other new features for its popular Google Maps and Google Earth services. Brandon Bailey in the San Jose Mercury -- 6/6/12

 

   California Policy and Politics This Morning

California voters overwhelmingly approve term limits change -- California voters overwhelmingly agreed Tuesday to alter the state's term limits law by allowing lawmakers to serve longer in one house, adding another new wrinkle to the Legislature's way of business. Kevin Yamamura SacBee Capitol Alert Marisa Lagos in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 6/6/12

Tobacco tax initiative narrowly falls behind -- After leading throughout the night in early returns, a $1 per pack tobacco tax initiative is now trailing with just over half of the state's vote in. With 65 percent of precincts reporting, 50.3 percent opposed Proposition 29 and 49.7 percent supported it. The gap is hovering around 10,000 votes out of 3.1 million cast. Kevin Yamamura SacBee Capitol Alert -- 6/6/12

2 California cities voters approve pension cuts -- Voters in two major California cities overwhelmingly approved measures to cut retirement benefits for city workers Tuesday in contests being closely watched as states and local governments throughout the country struggle with mounting pension obligations. ELLIOT SPAGAT Associated Press John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury -- 6/6/12

Elizabeth Emken to challenge Dianne Feinstein in November -- Republican Elizabeth Emken will go head to head with Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein on the November ballot. Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol Alert -- 6/6/12

Walters: California's shrinking electorate -- Four years ago, scarcely 1 percent of the 46th Assembly District's residents – 4,905 of them, to be precise – voted for John A. Pérez, a veteran soldier in Los Angeles' political/labor machine. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 6/6/12

Shift in voting rules shakes up primary elections -- The potentially dramatic effects of two landmark ballot measures approved by California voters in recent years began to emerge Tuesday with a primary election that could lead to shifts in the state's legislative profile in Sacramento and Washington. Carla Marinucci in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 6/6/12

New map, new rules shake up California primaries -- Primary voters in California on Tuesday began to remake the face of Congress as a redrawn electoral map and new balloting rules promised a significant overhaul of the state’s delegation, which accounts for about 12 percent of the House of Representatives. Paul Kane in the Washington Post -- 6/6/12

Tough battles mark US House contests in California -- Two long-serving Democrats headed Tuesday for a November showdown in a bitterly contested Los Angeles County House district, a marquee matchup among congressional races across California. Reps. Howard Berman and Brad Sherman were closely matched in their fight for the 30th District seat in the San Fernando Valley, a race that has seen more than $5 million in spending. MICHAEL R. BLOOD Associated Press -- 6/6/12

Round 2 looms for Brad Sherman, Howard Berman in contentious San Fernando Valley House race -- Veteran congressmen Howard Berman and Brad Sherman appeared headed for a runoff in the highly competitive, closely watched race for the newly redrawn 30th Congressional District. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Daily News Jean Merl in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/6/12

Stark's next opponent appears to be set; McNerney eyes challenger -- Democratic challenger Eric Swalwell was well ahead of independent challenger Chris Pareja for the right to take on Rep. Pete Stark in November's general election for the newly drawn 15th Congressional District, early returns showed Tuesday. Josh Richman in the Oakland Tribune -- 6/6/12

Hahn-Richardson congressional primary just the first round -- With just two candidates on the primary ballot for a newly drawn Los Angeles County congressional seat, the only real question that Tuesday's voting would settle was how wide a margin separated Democratic Reps. Janice Hahn and Laura Richardson as they head into the November general election. Jean Merl in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/6/12

Tony Strickland, Julia Brownley winning heated Ventura congressional race -- Democratic state Assemblywoman Julia Brownley of Oak Park emerged from Tuesday's rancorous primary to win a place on the November ballot against Republican state Sen. Tony Strickland of Moorpark. Jean Merl in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/6/12

Doug LaMalfa, Jim Reed win spots in congressional runoff -- Republican Doug LaMalfa and Democrat Jim Reed will advance to the November runoff in the 1st Congressional District. Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol Alert -- 6/6/12

Denham and Hernandez win in Central Valley congressional race -- Central Valley voters were choosing Republican Rep. Jeff Denham and former NASA astronaut Jose Hernandez, a Democrat, to compete for a newly drawn congressional district this fall. Jean Merl in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/6/12

Capps and Maldonado win in Central Coast House district -- Republicans and Democrats will battle this fall over a newly drawn congressional district where Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) and former Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado (R-Santa Maria) were the top vote-getters in Tuesday's primary election. Jean Merl in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/6/12

Miller, Dutton top two in Dem-leaning district -- Republicans appear to have stolen the Democrat-leaning 31st Congressional District, dealing a serious blow to Democrats' effort to seize control of the House this year. Ben Goad in the Riverside Press -- 6/6/12

California House races present dilemma for Dems -- Some of the most competitive House races in California in November could pit Democrats against Democrats, analysts said. But while state Democrats are likely to pick up a couple of seats in Congress in the general election, Tuesday's primary results will also force left-leaning organizations to think hard about where - and where not - to focus their resources this fall. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 6/6/12

Galgiani and Berryhill emerge in key Central Valley state Senate race -- Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani (D-Stockton) and Assemblyman Bill Berryhill (R-Ripon) emerged from Tuesday's primary and will face off in November in the Central Valley’s 5th state Senate District, seen as a swing area that could help shift the balance of power in Sacramento. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/6/12

Candidates backed by leaders ahead in CA Senate -- State Senate candidates favored by the Legislature's leaders were ahead late Tuesday in the two primary election contests expected to help determine whether Democrats can win a super majority in that upper chamber. DON THOMPSON Associated Press -- 6/6/12

Democrats dominating Legislature primaries -- But California's new "top two" primary, where the top vote-getters move on to the election regardless of party, appeared to be setting the stage for several Democrat versus Democrat battles in November. The Bay Area is a hot spot for such results. Wyatt Buchanan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 6/6/12

Assembly: Runoff likely for Richard Alarcón and former aide Raul Bocanegra in 39th District; other contests shape up -- After winning five elections in the San Fernando Valley over the past two decades, City Councilman Richard Alarcón appeared headed into a tough runoff for the 39th Assembly District seat with his one-time aide, Raul Bocanegra. Rick Orlov in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 6/6/12

Jackie Lacey leads in L.A. County DA battle; Carmen Trutanich in struggle to make runoff -- In what could be a surprising upset, Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich was lagging in early returns in his bid for district attorney -- and may not even make the runoff election -- with Chief Deputy DA Jackie Lacey leading the race. Christina Villacorte in the Los Angeles Daily News Jack Leonard in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/6/12

Johnson cruises; coalition in doubt -- Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson was elected to a second term Tuesday, but the results of his effort to secure more allies on the City Council produced mixed results. Ryan Lillis in the Sacramento Bee -- 6/6/12

DeMaio, Filner head toward runoff -- Republican City Councilman Carl DeMaio and Democratic Rep. Bob Filner on Tuesday appeared headed toward a runoff in the San Diego mayor’s race, potentially setting up a classic left-versus-right battle in November. Craig Gustafson UT San Diego -- 6/6/12

Sanders spokesman predicts recall of next mayor -- A couple hours before polls closed, mayoral spokesman Darren Pudgil tweeted a prediction about San Diego's next mayor. "There will be a mayoral recall election by 2014." Reached by phone later in the evening, Pudgil said he made the observation because front runners Carl DeMaio, a Republican, and Bob Filner, a Democrat, are so far apart on the political spectrum. Karen Kucher UT San Diego -- 6/6/12

San Diego Proposition A passes by wide margin -- Proposition A, a measure that would ban San Diego from using labor-friendly development contracts on city-funded projects, passed by a wide margin Tuesday, which could put San Diego at risk of losing hundreds of millions of dollars in state funds. Jen Lebron Kuhney UT San Diego -- 6/6/12

Recalls appear successful against 3 Fullerton council members -- The beating death of a mentally ill homeless man by Fullerton police appeared to be upending local politics Tuesday as voters were on pace to recall three City Council members criticized for their tepid response to an incident that garnered national headlines. Mike Anton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/6/12

Gov. Walker survives recall in Wisconsin -- Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker won a vote to keep his job on Tuesday, surviving a recall effort that turned the Republican into a conservative icon and his state into the first battleground in a bitter, expensive election year. David A. Fahrenthold and Rachel Weiner in the Washington Post -- 6/6/12

Final hurdle cleared for top court showdown on California's gay marriage ban -- A federal appeals court Tuesday refused to revisit its February ruling striking down California's ban on gay marriage, marking another in a series of legal victories for gay rights proponents and setting up a possible U.S. Supreme Court showdown. Peter Hecht in the Sacramento Bee -- 6/6/12

GOP urges court to uphold Defense of Marriage Act -- Denying federal benefits to same-sex spouses is a rational way to preserve federal funds, promote responsible child-rearing and leave the volatile marriage debate to the states, House Republicans maintain in arguments to a federal appeals court in San Francisco. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 6/6/12

Proposition 8 moves closer to Supreme Court -- The prospect of a U.S. Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage within the next year increased Tuesday when a federal appeals court, over an indignant dissent by conservative judges, reaffirmed its ruling that struck down California's Proposition 8. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 6/6/12

PG&E ignored corrosion danger on gas pipes -- Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is conducting emergency leak surveys on 180 segments of its natural-gas pipeline system after acknowledging it had ignored their vulnerability to corrosion, in some cases for years, the company said Tuesday. Jaxon Van Derbeken in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 6/6/12

   Economy

San Francisco, others seek temporary halt in foreclosures -- San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and the mayors of Oakland, San Jose, Sacramento and Fresno will release a letter Wednesday asking the nation's five largest banks to temporarily halt foreclosure proceedings against some of their customers. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 6/6/12

Stockton Moves Closer to Bankruptcy -- The City Council, by a 6-to-1 vote, passed a resolution authorizing City Manager Bob Deis to declare Stockton bankruptcy if the city can't reach an agreement with creditors that prevents insolvency by the time a state mediation process is set to expire June 25, said Stockton spokeswoman Connie Cochran. JIM CARLTON in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 6/6/12

   Taxes - Fees

Hercules voters approving half-cent sales tax -- Hercules voters were approving an emergency sales tax Tuesday intended to ease the financial struggles of the East Bay city as it hovers near bankruptcy. Carolyn Jones in the San Francisco Chronicle Tom Lochner in the Contra Costa Times -- 6/6/12

LAUSD may postpone vote on $298-a-year parcel tax -- Los Angeles Unified Superintendent John Deasy said Tuesday he wants to postpone a vote on a $298-a-year parcel tax because there are too many competing measures on the November ballot. Barbara Jones in the Los Angeles Daily News Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/6/12

   Education

California budget proposal would end a science requirement -- Under Gov. Jerry Brown's revised budget proposal, a second year of science would no longer be required for high school graduation. The aim is to save the state money. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/6/12

Lopez: A dirge for treasured arts programs that L.A. schools plan to cut -- We're headed for a day when public education in Los Angeles is little more than constant drilling on the three Rs all morning, and nothing but testing after lunch. Steve Lopez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 6/6/12

Suit challenging Prop. 98 allocation formally rejected -- A San Francisco Superior Court judge has made final his ruling rejecting claims by a coalition of school groups that last summer’s state budget illegally diverted tax revenue from the General Fund, reducing by some $2 billion what districts were guaranteed under Proposition 98. Kimberly Beltran SI&A Cabinet Report -- 6/6/12

Judge ready to rule on teacher evaluations -- A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has promised to finish up this weekend his decision on whether state law requires school districts to consider student test scores in evaluating teachers. John Fensterwald educatedguess -- 6/6/12

Ramirez: Foster youths’ financial climb through college getting even steeper -- The last time Lerone Matthis was released from the Division of Juvenile Justice, in April 2008, he feared he had reached bottom. Rosa Ramirez TopEd -- 6/6/12

Voters support school bond measure ...but margin lags -- A new round of returns by the Riverside County Registrar of Voters shows Measure M still winning, but falling just short of the 55 percent it needs to pass. Measure M is a $125 million bond measure placed on the ballot by the Jurupa Unified School District. SANDRA STOKLEY in the Riverside Press -- 6/6/12

   Environment

Agency offers more transparency in land deals, but critics say not enough -- A state conservation agency's new policy on transparency and public disclosure is drawing mixed reviews, from lukewarm approval to condemnation. Susanne Rust California Watch -- 6/6/12

   POTUS 44

Obama popping back into San Francisco for 2 fundraisers -- Two weeks after his last fundraising foray to the Bay Area, President Obama is back Wednesday for a four-hour trip to pick up more than $2 million in San Francisco, prompting Republicans to criticize his many money calls to the region without events that are open to the public. Carla Marinucci in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 6/6/12

Matier & Ross: Obama San Francisco stop to include sports, political stars -- Giants legend Willie Mays, Gov. Jerry Brown and Mayor Ed Lee are all scheduled to be on hand when President Obama blows into San Francisco on Wednesday for a pair of sold-out fundraisers. Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 6/6/12

   Beltway

Fact Check: Romney misses a mark on Solyndra claim -- Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney has revived charges about the failed solar company Solyndra as he assails President Barack Obama' green energy policy. But he didn't get the story completely straight when he accused the administration of favoring "cronies." MATTHEW DALY Associated Press -- 6/6/12