Vice president arrives in California to boost three GOP campaigns -- Vice President Dick Cheney arrived Monday in Sacramento to begin a two-day tour designed to boost the campaigns of three Republican congressional candidates facing challenges in next month's primary election. Cheney and his wife, Lynne, were met at Sacramento International Airport by Rep. John Doolittle, R-Rocklin, state Sen. Sam Aanestad, R-Grass Valley, and Republican state assemblymen Tim Leslie of Tahoe City and Alan Nakanishi of Lodi. LAURA KURTZMAN AP -- 5/22/06

Costly, nasty race reflects fierce fight for House seat -- The millions spent, the nasty ads and the big-name outside help are a testament to the tight, high-stakes California special election to replace Republican Randy "Duke" Cunningham, the disgraced former lawmaker doing time for accepting millions in bribes. ALLISON HOFFMAN AP -- 5/22/06

House called open to deal on immigration bill -- The man who would be the chief House negotiator on an immigration-overhaul bill said Sunday he was not ruling out discussing any provision in the Senate proposal, including letting millions of illegal immigrants eventually become citizens. DENA BUNIS in the Orange County Register -- 5/22/06

Senate plan would make English "national language" -- Despite the commotion the Senate has caused with its immigration bill, making English the "national language" of the United States will not change current laws, Attorney General. Alberto Gonzales said Sunday. Hope Yen AP -- 5/22/06

Immigration Deal Is Likely -- Citizenship is a sticking point, but members of Congress say a bill could be worked out this year. The item is in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/22/06

Staying Put When Visas Expire -- About 3.6 million people who arrived in the U.S. legally don't leave when they should. They are targeted as the nation debates its immigration policy. Anna Gorman in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/22/06

Immigration debate again on L.A. streets -- Ted Hayes, a Los Angeles homeless advocate, and Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist marched shoulder to shoulder Sunday as they led more than 100 anti-illegal-immigration activists through the city's Fashion District. The group traveled 12 blocks along Broadway from Olympic Boulevard to the south lawn of City Hall, where they held a rally. ERIKA I. RITCHIE in the Orange County Register -- 5/22/06

Reviews could spell end for bills -- Hundreds of bills, including measures dealing with the death penalty, minimum wage and cable television competition, face a major hurdle this week as the Legislature's appropriations committees screen spending bills. The votes on the two committees' "suspense files" will determine if the measures reach the full Assembly or Senate and have a chance to move to the other house and eventually to the governor's desk. STEVE LAWRENCE AP -- 5/22/06

Angelides, Westly toil in Schwarzenegger's shadow -- Voters know Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants a second term in office, but who are those Democrats seeking to oppose him? Polls show Californians just do not recognize the names Phil Angelides and Steve Westly very well, despite their stints in statewide elected posts. And what they are seeing of them in their bitter TV ad battle and debates is turning off many voters. Moreover, Schwarzenegger's popularity — with some help from state Senate President Pro-Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, and other Democratic lawmakers — is rebounding. For the record, Angelides is state treasurer and Westly is state controller. Steve Geissinger in the Oakland Tribune -- 5/22/06

Schwarzenegger Sits Pretty as Democrats Duel -- Treasurer Phil Angelides has caught up with Controller Steve Westly, the previous front-runner, in their race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, both sides agree. In fact, on any given night in private polling, Angelides may be running ahead. That's the good news for the liberal Democrat. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/22/06

Anita Yu Westly stumps for husband in Cantonese -- Anita Yu Westly, wife of state Controller Steve Westly, has a life story that could be the antidote for the critics who say her husband, the former eBay executive, is just a rich guy trying to buy the governor's seat. Carla Marinucci in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 5/22/06

Democrats' Fast-Paced Ad Duel -- The closely fought Democratic gubernatorial primary is taking on the aspect of a brutal fencing match. Today Phil Angelides does a coastal swing, touring Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz, emphasizing his environmental record and hitting offshore oil drilling. A few nights ago, rival Steve Westly launched his latest attack ad, hitting Angelides for having raised money from oil companies. Bill Bradley NWN weblog -- 5/22/06

Out in front, Brown runs against his past -- On a quiet afternoon a few weeks ago, Jerry Brown walked into a nearly empty coffee shop across from the state Capitol looking for something to eat. Only one table was occupied. As luck would have it, several seated there were old friends of the former governor. A woman who hadn't yet met him, quickly produced a camera to capture the moment. James P. Sweeney in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 5/22/06

Moonbeam vs. Rocky -- Election Central is back to be your primary source for the primary elections. (No, the eight months since the governor's special Special Election has not dulled our taste for hokey jokes, bad puns and easy alliterations one whit.) EC is particularly excited by today's entry, and not just because she's wearing her favorite new DKNY brown summer wedges. No, we are atwitter because today's featured race includes the first politician EC ever met: Jerry Brown. Brian Joseph in the Orange County Register -- 5/22/06

Candidates fly under the radar -- One candidate is trying to win by losing -- weight. Another's Web site unfolds to Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash tunes, while a third suggests he's the best -- well, only -- qualified candidate. This year's contest for state insurance commissioner is notable thus far for its slight lineup of candidates and offbeat campaigning, if little competition for now. Only Democrats have a contested race in the June 6 primary. A Republican and four minor-party candidates are unopposed. Michael R. Blood AP -- 5/22/06

AD 16 -- The five candidates running to replace Wilma Chan in the 16th Assembly District offer similar platforms catering to East Bay voters concerned about failing schools and rising health care costs, and pundits say the winner in a tight race will be the candidate who best sells their message. Christopher Heredia in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 5/22/06

De La Fuente knows his business as a candidate -- Oakland City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente's run for mayor is getting big-time help from his friends in the city's business community. Some of whom have very close ties to City Hall. Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 5/22/06

Years in politics give candidate an edge -- What is it about the Oakland mayor's job? After eight years of having a two-time governor in charge, the city now has an ex-congressman vying for the job. Michelle Locke AP -- 5/22/06

Blast from GOP's past -- McCloskey attacks Pombo on ethics, environment. Herbert A. Sample in the Sacramento Bee -- 5/22/06

Doolittle gets spanked on baby sitter issue -- Rep. John Doolittle, R-Roseville, took a hit from the Washington Post last week for using his campaign treasury to pay baby sitters for his daughter, now 14. Kevin Yamamura in the Sacramento Bee -- 5/22/06

Energy surge kicks up Pombo's campaign cash -- In the 31/2 years since Rep. Richard Pombo became chairman of the House Resources Committee, he has emerged as one of the Congress' loudest cheerleaders for expanding domestic energy supplies. Pombo's efforts have been rewarded. Hank Shaw in the Stockton Record -- 5/22/06

Big donor revivies abortion notification initiative -- A San Diego newspaper publisher who bankrolled last year's unsuccessful parental notification initiative on abortion is opening up his checkbook again, strongly boosting chances the measure will qualify for the ballot a second time. James Holman, publisher of the San Diego Reader weekly and a chain of Catholic newspapers, has loaned nearly $2.2 million since the start of the year to pay for a petition drive on behalf of the so-called "Parents' Right to Know and Child Protection Measure." Peter Hecht in the Sacramento Bee -- 5/22/06

A Restive Base Throws the GOP Off Balance -- Republican leaders, worried that their party's conservative base is demoralized, lean hard on one reed of hope these days: Election day is almost six months away, leaving lots of time to get voters mobilized. Janet Hook in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/22/06

GOP strays from path -- Republican candidates' mudslinging attacks forsake the holy words brought down by Ronald Reagan. Is it a sign of the end times? Martin Wisckol in the Orange County Register -- 5/22/06

Google's Search for Political Influence -- The Internet firm has been slow in learning how to get things done in Washington. Jim Puzzanghera in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/22/06

A bid to sidestep Electoral College -- Six years after Democrat Al Gore won the popular vote but lost the presidency to Republican George W. Bush, there's a new move afoot in the California Legislature and other states to ensure that such things never happen again. The linchpin is a proposed "interstate compact," designed to guarantee that presidents will be selected by popular vote, without amending the U.S. Constitution or eliminating the Electoral College. Jim Sanders in the Sacramento Bee -- 5/22/06

Corps' Levee Work Is Faulted -- Report says barriers in New Orleans may fail again and mistakes by federal engineers raise questions about their competence nationwide. Ralph Vartabedian in the Los Angeles Times JOHN SCHWARTZ in the New York Times -- 5/22/06

Rising prices for gasoline and diesel fuel trigger surcharges, fears of inflation -- The growing expense has triggered a range of reactions. Some companies have begun making extra efforts to conserve fuel ---- for example, by insisting that drivers turn off motors rather than letting them idle while vehicles are parked. Others have tried to whittle expenses across the board. Many companies have responded by raising their prices or tacking on fuel surcharges they hope will be temporary. CHRIS BAGLEY in the North County Times -- 5/22/06

Securing the Home Front by Degree -- San Diego State awards first master's diplomas in pioneering homeland security program. Larry Gordon in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/22/06

Fewer foreigners attend U.S. colleges -- Rita Mutyaba was accepted to three universities in England four years ago, but the Ugandan native ultimately settled on the United States. She enrolled at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks as a business administration major. What made the difference for Mutyaba, 22, was the university's attractive financial aid package. The schools in England offered no financial help. John Scheibe in the Ventura Star -- 5/22/06

Outbreak puts universities on mumps alert -- Inland universities are offering vaccinations and asking students about their mumps immunizations as precautions against the kind of mumps outbreak striking Midwest colleges. Cal State San Bernardino is holding a mumps vaccination clinic June 1 for students. DOUGLAS E. BEEMAN in the Riverside Press -- 5/22/06

Road to LAUSD takeover rocky for Villaraigosa -- Maybe it's a case of people wanting Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to show them a little love. Because it turns out that taking control of Los Angeles Unified School District is proving more trouble for Villaraigosa than he ever imagined. And he has a good imagination. Rick Orlov in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 5/22/06

Gays' place in textbooks: Debate is on -- Lance Chih first read Walt Whitman's inspiring poetry in his state-approved 10th-grade literature textbook. It was easy for the newly out-of-the-closet teen to connect with the beloved poet's messages, particularly those about celebrating one's own individuality and identity. "The ones we read in class, it meant something to me," said Chih, now 18 and about to graduate from Folsom High School. Judy Lin in the Sacramento Bee -- 5/22/06

Their 'O.C.' Is About Striving, Not Glitz -- The student documentary covers immigrant marches, life in working-class neighborhoods -- and hope. Jennifer Delson in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/22/06

Giving Aid, Gaining Insight -- Loyola High School students deliver food and water to homeless people and come away with some lessons about life, loss and misery. Louis Sahagun in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/22/06

Big food fight on Bay Area's school menus -- It's war at the Santa Clara Unified School District. But parents aren't fighting over the curriculum, or over bilingual education or even over school closures. They're brawling over cupcakes -- and chocolate bars, and hamburgers and candy. Stacy Finz in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 5/22/06

State high school soda ban expected on books by 2009 -- State lawmakers -- seeing a link between obesity and the diabetes epidemic, hypertension, heart disease, cancer and depression -- were the first in the country to ban the sale of soda in elementary and middle schools in 2003. A new law, sponsored by state Sen. Martha Escutia, D-Whittier (Los Angeles County), is expected to eliminate soda sales in California high schools by 2009. Stacy Finz in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 5/22/06

As social-networking Web sites soar in popularity, schools struggle to draw boundaries around students -- Zach Fuller, 18, held up a sign recently in front of Etiwanda High School proclaiming "We don't need no thought control." He was protesting the school's decision to suspend five of his friends for their profane online postings made off-campus. Wendy Leung in the Inland Daily Bulletin -- 5/22/06

DRIVING LESS, AND LOVING IT -- Gas at $3.37 a gallon is painful, but some plucky commuters are finding ways to beat the record prices -- and are coming away more relaxed and proud of themselves. Instead of idling in traffic and burning up precious fuel, they are taking the train and working on laptops, jumping on bikes and shedding unwanted pounds or easing off the accelerator and boosting their mileage. Gary Richards in the San Jose Mercury -- 5/22/06

Clean skies hang over Orange County' s smog problem -- Orange County skies are cleaner than most in the Los Angeles basin, but air quality experts say we still have a big problem. It's true that on any given day, the county's air quality usually meets the standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the South Coast Air Quality Management District. Air in Orange County violated federal ozone standards only one day in 2005. PAT BRENNAN in the Orange County Register -- 5/22/06

City considers seizing land from Wal-Mart -- The Hercules City Council will decide Tuesday whether to launch the process of stripping Wal-Mart of a tract near the waterfront through eminent domain. Tom Lochner in the Contra Costa Times -- 5/22/06

All's fare for flying mayor -- After months of galloping across the city at a frenetic pace, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa now has accelerated his trotting across the country. In the last month alone, one of the nation's most recognizable and effervescent mayors has jetted to the East Coast three times - nearly as many major trips as he took during his entire first six months in office. BETH BARRETT in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 5/22/06

L.A. bid set for debate by NFL -- A dozen years after the NFL broached returning professional football to the Southland, team owners will meet this week to debate the merits of locating a franchise at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum or in Anaheim, although - once again - they're unlikely to make the definitive decision for which local officials have hoped. BILLY WITZ in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 5/22/06

City Seeks Answers to LAPD Delay -- Failure to fulfill a court mandate for tracking officer conduct doesn't compute for council officials, set to meet today with police panel. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times -- 5/22/06

Shuttle mission awaits astronaut -- Astronaut Tracy Caldwell, a Cal State Fullerton graduate who spent much of her youth dreaming about the cosmos, has been assigned to a space shuttle mission that will expand and service the International Space Station next year, NASA announced. Caldwell, 36, will be part of a six-member crew that is expected to use shuttle Endeavour to carry a 3,900-pound section of space station framework that was built at Boeing-Huntington Beach. The shuttle also will transport supplies to the station, which is only half- finished. GARY ROBBINS in the Orange County Register -- 5/22/06

Can sex predators be reformed? -- At a mental hospital on California's central coast, a team of doctors works to achieve what many people think is impossible: teaching violent sex offenders to curb their ugliest impulses. Dana Littlefield in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 5/22/06

Prison funding locked up -- A federal prison under construction here has lost its funding, hurting efforts to fight poverty and double-digit unemployment. The federal Bureau of Prisons in Washington, D.C., has confirmed that it doesn't have $87 million to complete the medium-security prison planned for 960 acres near Mendota High School at California Avenue and Highway 33. Pablo Lopez in the Fresno Bee -- 5/22/06