AP Exclusive: Reid got $1M in land sale -- Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid collected a $1.1 million windfall on a Las Vegas land sale even though he hadn't personally owned the property for three years, property deeds show. JOHN SOLOMON and KATHLEEN HENNESSEY AP -- 10/11/06

McClintock doesn't take the bait on right-wing talk radio show -- State Sen. Tom McClintock, the GOP candidate for lieutenant governor, is generally the darling of the conservative "hot talk" radio crowd, but he's been taking his lumps lately for daring to defend Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, his erstwhile running mate. John Wildermuth Chronicle Politics Weblog -- 10/11/06

Nurses Turn Tables on Schwarzenegger "Tonight Show" Appearance -- Supporters of Proposition 89, the campaign-finance initiative spearheaded by the California Nurses Assn., have purchased advertising time Wednesday and early Thursday on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" to counter the appearance of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Robert Salladay LA Times weblog -- 10/11/06

SoCal Man Indicted on Federal Charges of Aiding Al Qaeda -- A Southern California convert to Islam who has appeared in five incendiary Al Qaeda videos became the first American since the World War II era to be charged with treason, law enforcement sources said today. Greg Krikorian in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/06

Schwarzenegger: No quid pro quo for donors -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today insisted that he has kept a 2003 campaign promise not to be beholden to special interests, saying he is above the pay-to-play politics of his predecessor. Marisa Lagos in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/11/06

Claude Parrish and the Repo Man -- Oh, Claude Parrish, we thank the gods for thee. The campaign for state treasurer wouldn't be the same without you. Robert Salladay LA Times weblog -- 10/11/06

Ruling on tuition fees to be appealed -- A Yolo County judge's ruling upholding a California law that allows public colleges and universities to extend resident fees to illegal immigrants will be appealed, lawyers for the plaintiffs said Wednesday. Aurelio Rojas in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/11/06

Political bribery? -- There is nothing more American than freedom of speech, which is why it is difficult to impose limits on political expression, including campaign contributions. If I want to spend my hard earned thousands to support a candidate who will shake up the order in Washington, why should the government be allowed to stop me? Marc Sandalow Chronicle Politics Weblog -- 10/11/06

"The Governor's Axe" -- That's the title of a new magazine profile of Governor Schwarzenegger's former budget director Donna Arduin, a profile that does nothing to change the perception she left among many Capitol veterans about her view on the proper role-- and size-- of government. John Myers KQED weblog -- 10/11/06

'Tonight Show' has a heckler -- After jousting with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in a debate full of one-liners, Democratic challenger Phil Angelides thinks he's ready for late-night television. The state treasurer complained Tuesday that NBC's "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" booked Schwarzenegger as a guest for tonight's show without giving him equal time as required by federal law. Kevin Yamamura in the Sacramento Bee Robert Salladay LA Times weblog Laura Kurtzman AP -- 10/11/06

Bipartisan Arnold Resumes As Angelides Rocks On -- Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger yesterday resumed bipartisan infrastructure bonds campaigning with Senate President Don Perata and weathered a mini-storm over tonight’s appearance on The Tonight Show with buddy Jay Leno. His trailing Democratic challenger Phil Angelides launched the first bio TV spot of his campaign, a nice ad with loud ‘70s rock music that seems best pitched to a Democratic primary audience. Bill Bradley NWN weblog -- 10/11/06

Business hedges bets by donating to Pelosi -- Traditionally Republican big business interests are hedging their electoral bets this year by increasing their campaign contributions to Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, whose party is given a healthy shot at taking House control in the Nov. 7 elections. Edward Epstein, Kimberly Geiger in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/11/06

Prop. 87 campaign spending sets record -- Proposition 87 may perplex Californians wary of higher gas prices at the pump, but weary of having little choice but to fill up. Michael Gardner in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 10/11/06

'Orphan' Initiatives Left to Fail -- Bankrollers stopped giving to Prop. 88 because of inadequate support. Abandoned measures are crippled. Evan Halper in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/06

Riverside County Absentee Ballots Need Two Stamps -- Riverside County voters have some hefty issues to decide in the November election — so many that voters will need an extra stamp when mailing their absentee ballots because the envelopes will be so heavy, elections officials said. Sara Lin in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/06

Tax Panel Official Parrish in Uphill Fight Against Atty. Gen. Lockyer for Treasurer -- The GOP candidate casts himself as an advocate for taxpayers while the Democrat cites his experience in the capital. Steve Chawkins in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/06

L.A. Ethics Panel Urged to Wait on Public Campaign Funding -- Campaign reform advocates who pushed for full public financing of Los Angeles election campaigns reversed course Tuesday and urged the city Ethics Commission not to rush a proposal to the ballot next spring. Jeffrey L. Rabin in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/06

AP Exclusive: Records suggest Abramoff, Pombo lobbying contacts -- California Rep. Richard Pombo has insisted he was never lobbied by Jack Abramoff. Records show the disgraced lobbyist billed a client for at least two contacts with Pombo a decade ago. The lobbying records released by the Northern Mariana Islands show that Abramoff billed once for calls to Pombo, chairman of the House Resources Committee, and a second time for a discussion with him, while lobbying in 1996. ERICA WERNER AP -- 10/11/06

Parental notice of abortion on ballot -- The question of whether doctors must notify the parents of minors who ask for abortions is back on the ballot this November, one year after a nearly identical proposition was narrowly defeated. Barbara Feder Ostrov in the San Jose Mercury -- 10/11/06

Doolittle, Brown charge into debate -- Rep. John Doolittle and Democratic rival Charlie Brown will face off tonight in a debate that is certain to set the tone for the remaining weeks of the red-hot 4th District congressional battle. David Whitney in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/11/06

Mailbox is today's war zone -- Technically, Election Day is still nearly four weeks away, but voting begins this week as millions of absentee ballots are mailed out to Californians who prefer, for whatever reason, to do their voting at home. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/11/06

Adwatch: Taking aim at sale of insurer -- State Sen. Tom McClintock, running for lieutenant governor against state Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi, has a new ad attacking his opponent. Amy Chance in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/11/06

Viet-Americans embrace lawmaker -- Assemblyman Van Tran, donning a city of San Jose construction hat, digs his ceremonial shovel into the ground, turning the earth alongside dozens of local dignitaries on what will become the Viet Heritage Gardens in San Jose. Edwin Garcia in the San Jose Mercury -- 10/11/06

Voting Machines get report's vote of confidence -- Alameda County supervisors Tuesday approved an outside report saying the county's electronic voting systems are secure — despite complaints the county didn't look hard enough for potential problems. Michele R. Marcucci in the Oakland Tribune -- 10/11/06

Democrats Aim at the Red -- Rural areas of Missouri and other states in Bush country could hold the key to a Senate turnover. Ronald Brownstein in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/06

Two pages approached by Foley were from San Diego County -- Two of the former pages who have been identified in news reports as having been showered with attention by former Congressman Mark Foley are former San Diego County residents, and one of them lived and worked in Carlsbad, a former employer of the young man said Tuesday. WILLIAM FINN BENNETT in the North County Times -- 10/11/06

Hastert Says Any Coverup in Foley Scandal Merits Firing -- House speaker says he thinks his aides handled the case properly. The GOP is left hard-pressed to shift subjects ahead of the midterm election. Noam Levey and Richard Simon in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/06

Lettuce Co. Says Its Greens Are Safe to Eat -- The Salinas company that issued a recall of green-leaf lettuce said Tuesday that neither the greens nor its irrigation water tested positive for the potentially deadly strain of E. coli that has sickened nearly 200 people and killed three in a separate spinach outbreak. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times Sabin Russell in the San Francisco Chronicle Dorsey Griffith in the Sacramento Bee Brandon Bailey in the San Jose Mercury -- 10/11/06

Not-guilty pleas in HP case -- Three private investigators implicated in the Hewlett-Packard spying scandal pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of fraud, identity theft and conspiracy. Benjamin Pimentel in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/11/06

High court won't hear appeal on Orange County gay marriage -- The two-year long quest by two Mission Viejo men to be married in the eyes of the law ended Tuesday when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear their case. Arthur Smelt and Christopher Hammer have been in court since the Orange County Clerk rejected their marriage license applications in 2004. JOHN MCDONALD in the Orange County Register -- 10/11/06

The A's and Yankees: Big league morality tales -- Anyone relishing old-fashioned morality tales couldn't do better than last week's American League playoffs. The low-budget Oakland A's swept their series with Minnesota while George Steinbrenner's all-star team, a.k.a. the New York Yankees, had yet another ignominious finish, this time against the improbable Detroit Tigers. Peter Schrag in the Sacramento Bee -- 10/11/06

U.S. Banks Woo Migrants, Legal Or Otherwise -- As U.S. leaders craft policies to curb illegal immigration from Mexico, the U.S. Federal Reserve is devising programs to extend banking services to undocumented immigrants. A new remittance program aims to bring Mexican migrants who send money home into the mainstream U.S. financial system, regardless of their immigration status. MIRIAM JORDAN in the Wall Street Journal -- 10/11/06

Illegal Immigrants Are Briefly Trapped After Man Becomes Stuck in Pipeline -- More than a dozen illegal immigrants were briefly trapped inside a cross-border pipeline structure Tuesday after a man got stuck in the narrow passageway and had to be rescued by San Diego firefighters. Richard Marosi in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/06

Two More Finalists Disclosed in Search for L.A. Schools Chief Job -- The finalists for the job of Los Angeles schools chief include a retired Navy vice admiral and a former district insider who became a superintendent elsewhere, rounding out an eclectic mix of five candidates. Joel Rubin and Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/06

LAUSD files suit challenging bill hiking mayor's authority -- Los Angeles Unified and a coalition of powerful groups filed suit Tuesday challenging the bill giving Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa partial control over the nation's second-largest school district - a move that could tie up the measure past its Jan. 1 implementation date. NAUSH BOGHOSSIAN in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 10/11/06

A guiding light for students -- Help she did. She explained to the FBI agent that her classroom was not the business that agents had intended to raid. The agent left apologetically. He returned later and spoke to Moorehead's students about careers in law enforcement. Chris Moran in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 10/11/06

Stanford begins big fundraising drive -- Stanford University, already one of the world's wealthiest and most elite campuses, wants to raise $4.3 billion in its largest fundraising campaign ever. The university announced Tuesday it will use the money to build new laboratories, to encourage professors in diverse disciplines to work together, and to attract more undergraduate students from all over the world. Carrie Sturrock in the San Francisco Chronicle Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury -- 10/11/06

First discount health plan card OK'd -- Some consumers have fallen prey to similar deals operating without California oversight. Rebecca Vesely in the Oakland Tribune -- 10/11/06

Suit Focuses on Delays by Medi-Cal -- Lawyers say patients are often waiting months, instead of the 90 days required by law, to get authorization for healthcare. Jessica Garrison in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/06

A brain trust forms in La Jolla -- Building on their world-class reputations for brain research, four La Jolla institutions have landed a $12.7 million federal grant to join forces in their quest for ways to treat neurological disorders and diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Lou Gehrig's. Bruce Lieberman in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 10/11/06

Kaiser Left Dead Patients' Names on National Kidney Transplant List -- Kaiser Permanente's disgraced San Francisco kidney transplant program had failed to remove the names of 90 dead patients from the national waiting list for organs, state officials discovered after the program shut down amid scandal in May. Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/06

School takes precautions after 11-year-old dies of meningitis -- An 11-year-old San Francisco girl died Monday of what health officials strongly suspect was a form of meningitis, a disease carried by many people, but which is fatal to few. Jill Tucker, Sabin Russell in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/11/06

County would take partial control in $2.7 million plan to help hospital -- Contra Costa County supervisors voiced support Tuesday for giving Doctors Medical Center in San Pablo at least $2.7 million in exchange for gaining partial administrative control over the financially ailing hospital. Jason B. Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle Ryan Huff in the Contra Costa Times -- 10/11/06

Cleaner Diesel Fuel Is Set to Pump -- Ultralow-sulfur diesel fuel will start hitting U.S. fuel pumps this month, opening the door for auto makers to expand the use of European diesel technology in U.S. cars and light trucks. MIKE SPECTOR in the Wall Street Journal -- 10/11/06

Drivers welcome low price at pump -- California's gasoline prices have reached their lowest levels since March, falling to $2.60 for a gallon of regular, according to the AAA of Northern California auto club. David R. Baker in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/11/06

Danger: Drivers who type -- Still complaining about drivers talking on their cell phones? That's nothing compared with the ones who are typing. Kimra McPherson in the San Jose Mercury -- 10/11/06

Hetch Hetchy restoration a heated topic at hearing -- Environmentalists clashed with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and other water agencies Tuesday over the cost -- and advisability -- of tearing down the dam that bottles up Hetch Hetchy Valley and provides the Bay Area with much of its water supply. Greg Lucas in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/11/06

Appraiser disciplined; taxpayers paid millions -- The appraiser whose report helped set the $100 million price taxpayers paid in the 2003 Cargill salt ponds deal has been disciplined on allegations that he made numerous errors and violated federal standards when he set a value for the property. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury -- 10/11/06

State forum to focus on renewable energy -- As California commits to fighting global warming, foreign companies that specialize in clean, renewable energy are flocking here to hunt for customers and cash. David R. Baker in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/11/06

Senator fights the tide, calls warming by humans a hoax -- Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., has argued repeatedly that the idea that humans are warming the climate is a hoax. In a speech on the Senate floor last month, he declared that the "greatest climate threat we face may be coming from alarmist computer models." "We're going through a warming period. No one's denying that," Inhofe said on CNN last week. "The question is, is it due to man-made gases? And it's not." Zachary Coile in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/11/06

Irvine Ranch Acreage Gets Landmark Status -- The governor is among those at a ceremony to announce the national designation, shared by Diamond Head and the La Brea Tar Pits. David Reyes in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/06

Biologist Bushwhacks His Way to Court -- He has spent decades working to protect Los Angeles' endangered Ballona Wetlands. But did environmentalist Roy van de Hoek go too far when he took his pruning shears to a nonnative tree and plants in the Westside nature preserve? Bob Pool in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/06

Pet-cloning business closes -- not 'commercially viable' -- The Sausalito biotechnology company that charged a bereaved pet owner $50,000 to clone her cat two years ago is going out of business, associates confirmed Tuesday. Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/11/06

Newport Beach, Airport Sign Deal to Block a 2nd Runway -- The city, targeting jet noise, may soon get final approval to curb John Wayne expansion. That irks L.A. officials seeking ways to cushion soaring passenger demand. Ashley Powers in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/06

Region to Step Up War Against Smog -- New regulations and fees on development, boats and jet-skis are sought under an AQMD plan to reduce pollutants by 50% in 10 years. Janet Wilson in the Los Angeles Times DAVID DANELSKI in the Riverside Press Andrew Silva in the San Bernardino Sun -- 10/11/06

$576 million Bradley Terminal upgrade approved -- A $576 million upgrade of the Bradley International Terminal - the largest single public-works project in Los Angeles' history - was approved Tuesday as part of a $4 billion program to modernize LAX. RICK ORLOV in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 10/11/06

Villaraigosa Gets 'Grade A Treatment' -- and 30 Minutes With Kissinger -- What's a trip to the capital of China without running into Henry Kissinger? Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, in the midst of a 16-day trade mission to East Asia, has been staying in the same hotel as the former secretary of State — the St. Regis in Beijing's embassy district. A businessman in the mayors' delegation who has a connection to Kissinger arranged a meeting between the two. Duke Helfand in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/06

Nonprofit with close ties to mayor names backers -- A San Francisco nonprofit with close ties to Mayor Gavin Newsom disclosed its list of donors Tuesday after initially refusing to live up to its promise to be transparent. The donors to SF Connect, which encourages San Francisco residents to give time and money to a variety of social issues, represent a broad range of philanthropists, San Francisco-based companies, people who have donated to Newsom's mayoral campaign and one of his political appointees. Cecilia M. Vega in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/11/06

Orange County's 'Ring' Cycle Is Heaven for World's Opera Buffs -- By some estimates, performance of Wagner's masterpiece, and the travelers it brings, can have a total economic impact of more than $30 million. Christopher Reynolds in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/06

Meet Sheriff's Department Inc. -- A new reality show in the works and plans to hawk merchandise to cadets are the latest splashy promotional bids by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The Board of Supervisors approved the two proposals Tuesday, both of which will bring the department revenue and exposure. Susannah Rosenblatt in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/06

Police say they've been told to roust homeless -- Nobody at the top is copping to it, but San Francisco police patrolling around Westfield's new megamall say they've been told to make sure the bums don't bother the paying customers. Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/11/06

Report Cites Breakdown in Oversight of LAPD -- Police Commission is told that most of the officers told to undergo re-training for violating use-of-force guidelines may have not done so. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/06

San Francisco Mayor's plan to curb sex trafficking -- San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is developing a plan to fine and possibly jail landlords who let massage parlors operate as brothels in their buildings. His proposal is modeled after a similar effort in New York state that stemmed the illegal trafficking of women from other countries to work as sex slaves. Meredith May in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/11/06

Sexual abuse case could upend state's sentencing rules -- A former Richmond police officer's appeal of his 16-year prison term for sexually abusing his son goes before the U.S. Supreme Court today in a case that could rewrite the criminal sentencing rules that California has used since 1977. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/11/06

Officers Had Basis to Kill Shoplifting Suspect, Police Say -- The Riverside officers say the man, while resisting arrest, was desperately reaching for something in his car, making them think he had a weapon. He didn't. Maeve Reston in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/06

L.A. Liquor Store Owner Dares to Stand Up to Gangs -- His hunt for the men who robbed his store 10 times yields two arrests. Now he fears payback. Hector Becerra and Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/06

Making a bold stand for peace -- The law-abiding, God-fearing residents of the Iron Triangle, a tough neighborhood in central Richmond, have pitched their tents in a bold and unusual stand against a deadly wave of violence that swept through the city like an end-of-summer wildfire. Chip Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/11/06

Black Panthers' legacy at 40 -- Former Black Panther Party members plan to reflect on the black power movement, their experiences and their work in the black community when they celebrate the 40th anniversary of the controversial organization's founding Friday through Sunday in Oakland. Leslie Fulbright in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/11/06

HUD cash off-limits for suits -- The $15 million owed by the San Francisco Housing Authority to two victims of sexual harassment and the relatives of victims who perished in a house fire can't be paid with federal money used to fund the local housing agency, a top U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development official said Tuesday. Heather Knight in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 10/11/06

Nuclear Test Turns Gaze to Distant Homeland -- Concern percolating for weeks through the local Korean American community came to a head Tuesday as news of North Korea's purported test of a nuclear weapon sparked anger, worry — and a small measure of hope — in Koreatown markets and cafes. Sandy Banks in the Los Angeles Times -- 10/11/06