Governor, GOP say their spat is over / Hiring of Democrat after election defeat angered Republicans -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Republican leaders, after three weeks of rancor stemming from the governor's hiring of a prominent Democrat as his chief of staff, appear to have patched up their differences in a series of closed-door meetings that ended Thursday. Mark Martin in the San Francisco Chronicle Andy Furillo in the Sacramento Bee Tom Chorneau AP Laura Kurtzman in the San Jose Mercury -- 12/16/05

April Election Set for Seat That Campbell Left -- A special primary election will be held April 11 in coastal Orange County to fill a vacancy in the state Senate caused by the election of Sen. John Campbell (R-Irvine) to Congress. Jean O. Pasco in the Los Angeles Times Jim Sanders in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/16/05

'Girlie men' remark began Schwarzenegger's battle and downfall -- It was mid-July 2004. The constitutional deadline for enacting a state budget had passed a month earlier, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, eight months into his governorship, was squabbling with Democratic lawmakers over a spate of budget-related issues. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/16/05

Execution may cause loss of Schwarzenegger moniker -- Political parties in Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's hometown have started a petition drive to remove his name from a sports stadium. AP -- 12/16/05

Immigration May Again Drive a Wedge Between GOP, Latinos -- California Republicans lost much ground with the key voting bloc after Proposition 187. But some say border security must be today's focus. Ronald Brownstein in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/05

House Moving to Tighten Immigration -- The Republican bill focuses on border security and law enforcement and omits a guest-worker plan favored by Bush. Mary Curtius in the Los Angeles Times Lisa Friedman in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 12/16/05

Rally targets sheriff's plan for migrant checks -- A coalition says training deputies to enforce federal laws will cost millions. PEGGY LOWE in the Orange County Register -- 12/16/05

Ralphs Indicted in Hiring Dispute -- The grocer is accused of placing locked-out workers on the job during a union action. James F. Peltz in the Los Angeles Times Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee Dan Laidman in the Los Angeles Daily News ANDREW GALVIN in the Orange County Register Matt Krasnowski in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 12/16/05

Hearings Planned on Title Insurance Costs -- California Insurance Commission John Garamendi said Thursday that he would hold hearings in January as a first step toward forcing title insurers to cut rates. Marc Lifsher in the Los Angeles Times Rachel Osterman in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/16/05

San Joaquin: The new Appalachia? -- The San Joaquin Valley really may be the new Appalachia after all, a new congressional study suggests. Michael Doyle in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/16/05

Minorities 'gouged' on home loans, study finds -- Latinos and African Americans in Sacramento, especially residents of lower-income neighborhoods, joined consumers in rural communities statewide in paying more for mortgages than white city dwellers did in 2004, a new report said Thursday. Andrew McIntosh in the Sacramento Bee James Temple in the Contra Costa Times -- 12/16/05

Deaths propel safety rules -- Eleven suspected heat-related deaths among agricultural and construction workers this year have swept away opposition to strict new rules for workers laboring under California's scorching summer sun. Hank Shaw in the Stockton Record -- 12/16/05

City's holiday fest bars 'Jesus Christ Dancers' -- At the city's annual holiday celebration, a rabbi lighted a menorah. A dance troupe performed a traditional prayer to the gods. But six young girls were told they they couldn't perform because they were wearing shirts emblazoned with a silver cross and the words "Jesus Christ" on the front. Shannon McMahon in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 12/16/05

'Black Nativity' a holiday joy -- Allen Temple Baptist's 24th annual show offers feast of sights, sounds. Brenda Payton in the Oakland Tribune -- 12/16/05

Oakland Green to take on Feinstein in Senate race -- An Oakland man declared himself a Green candidate for the U.S. Senate on Thursday, accusing incumbent Democrat Dianne Feinstein of supporting the Iraq war and agreeing with President Bush on other issues. Josh Richman in the Oakland Tribune -- 12/16/05

Good Samaritan's plight sparks local outpouring -- Residents across the state are offering cash, tools and even cars to a Good Samaritan whose landscaping truck was stolen Tuesday while he rescued a family from their overturned vehicle on Highway 4. Kelli Phillips in the Contra Costa Times -- 12/16/05

Fresno Co. may cut retirees' benefit -- Fresno County retiree Vic McKinney says he can't afford to have more money taken out of his monthly pension check of $1,056. Kerri Ginis in the Fresno Bee -- 12/16/05

FBI Questions High School Student Over 'PLO' Doodle -- Civil rights groups criticized the FBI and a suburban school district Thursday for allowing federal agents this fall to question a 16-year-old high school student who had doodled "PLO" on his binder two years ago. Eric Bailey in the Los Angeles Times Elizabeth Hume in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/16/05

McCain Held All the Cards, So Bush Folded -- By refusing to agree to an all-out ban on the torture of terrorist suspects held in U.S. custody, President Bush in recent months was triggering political problems for his administration at home and around the world. It took the assistance of an unlikely ally — Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a rival in the 2000 Republican primaries — to give the White House the chance to repair the damage on both fronts. Peter Wallsten in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/05

Army Is Enlisting More Low-Scoring Recruits -- The service hits its mark for November, but many observers worry about the quality of soldiers. Tom Bowman in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/05

Critics of Patriot Act Gaining Momentum in Senate -- A filibuster is planned as Republicans struggle to avoid a year-end embarrassment, and a bipartisan alliance seeks a compromise version. Richard B. Schmitt in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/05

NFL's pat-down policy challenged -- Two longtime 49ers season ticket holders have sued the football organization over the pat-down searches it has implemented before games at Monster Park this season. Cicero A. Estrella in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/16/05

Community college enrollment plummets -- California community college enrollment plunged by 314,000 students in the past two years partly because of a 136 percent increase in student fees, a Legislature-mandated report says. Keay Davidson in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/16/05

State education officials get an earful -- Angry critics suggest alternatives for students who fail the exit exam - but concede it's probably too late to help the class of 2006. Laurel Rosenhall in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/16/05

Settlement helps schools to shape up -- Legal mandates have superintendents scrutinizing materials, teachers, facilities. Jill Tucker in the Oakland Tribune -- 12/16/05

HARD LINE, TOP SCHOOL -- At the end of the American Indian Public Charter School's front hall hangs a sign quoting French actor Jean-Louis Trintignant: "There's never any talent without a little stain of madness." Simone Sebastian in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/16/05

Principal's philosophy shaped by upbringing, formal education -- Ben Chavis credits his upbringing and education in rural North Carolina as part of the Lumbee tribe of Indians for shaping his philosophy as director of Oakland's high-scoring American Indian Public Charter School. Simone Sebastian in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/16/05

Pair get prison for racist crimes -- At an emotional hearing Thursday a Sacramento federal judge sentenced two young men to nine months in prison for race-based intimidation of two African American students at a Sutter County high school. Denny Walsh in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/16/05

Oakland Teachers ramp up talk of a strike -- Angry words fly at city school board meeting; district, union will return to table after winter break. Alex Katz in the Oakland Tribune -- 12/16/05

Feds take hard look at UCI hospital -- Inspection of all programs comes after shutdown of medical center's liver transplant center last month. KIMBERLY EDDS and BLYTHE BERNHARD in the Orange County Register -- 12/16/05

8 Mexican Firms, 23 People Are Indicted Over Sales of Illegal Steroids -- Federal prosecutors Thursday unsealed the indictments of eight Mexican companies and 23 people suspected of selling more than 80% of the illegal anabolic steroids used in the U.S. Tony Perry in the Los Angeles Times Onell R. Soto in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 12/16/05

Facility Halts Use of Oral HIV Test -- L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center says the swab is producing too many false positives. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/05

Central Valley sets smog fees on builders -- Central Valley air quality officials, looking for ways to battle deteriorating air quality in the fast-growing region, voted unanimously Thursday to place an air pollution fee on new large-scale residential and commercial development -- the first action of its kind in the country. Greg Lucas in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/16/05

Builders pleased with salamander plan; environmental group critical -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has endorsed a local conservation plan for Sonoma County's endangered tiger salamanders, a decision that has split environmentalists, some of whom charge that it will speed the wily amphibian's extinction, not recovery. Jim Doyle in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/16/05

PUC Approves 11-Year Solar Power Plan -- State regulators OK spending $300 million in subsidies to install up to 1 million rooftop generating systems. Marc Lifsher in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/05

Southland Housing Sustains Solid Gains -- The median price rises 15.4% on robust demand and fears of higher interest rates, data show. Bill Sing in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/05

Bay Area boom easing -- Bay Area home sales in November edged down for the eighth month in a row, but price growth remained strong -- signs of a market that is easing from its frenzied state. Kelly Zito in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/16/05

Home prices continue climb as sales slide -- Bay Area median hits record, but fewer buyers are biting. Eve Mitchell in the Oakland Tribune -- 12/16/05

Air Quality Regulators Impose Rule on Developers -- San Joaquin Valley builders will have to pay fees or take actions to help reduce pollution. Miguel Bustillo in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/05

Wineries pressed to clean up act -- Air regulators on Thursday approved the nation's first air quality controls on wineries in an effort to clamp down on the smog-forming chemicals that drift into the atmosphere during fermentation. Juliana Barbassa AP -- 12/16/05

Plunging gas prices from Katrina-caused highs cited as main factor -- The Labor Department reported Thursday that the Consumer Price Index took its sharpest one-month dive in 56 years in November, pushed down by gas prices that have fallen almost as sharply as they rose after Hurricane Katrina. Tom Abate in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/16/05

Reservoirs Banned as Tap Water Source -- Long-awaited federal regulations require L.A. to modify treatment and storage practices. The city has already begun to work on compliance. Bettina Boxall in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/05

State OKs Plan to Replace 4 San Onofre Generators -- Regulators limit what Edison can collect from customers to pay for the project. Without the revamp, the plant might have to close in 2009. Dan Weikel in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/05

2005 Vying With '98 as Record Hot Year -- Many scientists say a rapid global warming trend stems largely from human activity, but some say the evidence is not conclusive. Usha Lee McFarling and Miguel Bustillo in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/05

Road Tax Campaign Deemed Within Law -- Ventura County transportation officials may have been overzealous in pushing passage of a highway tax last year, but they didn't break the law, Dist. Atty. Gregory Totten said Thursday. Catherine Saillant in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/05

3 L.A. County Rail Projects Move Ahead -- Mayor visits crews working on Gold Line extension. Reports on Red Line expansion and a line to Culver City win approval. Caitlin Liu in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/05

Great Park Design: Tough Choice -- An Irvine board agonizes for hours over three impressive design finalists. Stumped for a winner, it puts off a decision until January. Jean O. Pasco in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/05

Arctic Drilling Paired With Military Spending Equals Conflict -- GOP leaders take steps to link plans allowing energy exploration in the Alaskan tundra with a bill funding Defense Department operations. Richard Simon in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/05

'Threatened' status sought for polar bears -- Arctic polar bears deserve protection under federal law because their frozen habitat is disappearing in a warming world, three environmental groups argue in a lawsuit filed Thursday in San Francisco. Jane Kay in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/16/05

$700,000 fine proposed in Tahoe spill -- Water quality officials plan to assess a penalty of $700,000 for a massive sewage spill at Lake Tahoe in July, caused when a contractor drove a piling into an underground sewer line while building a pier. Matt Weiser in the Sacramento Bee -- 12/16/05

It's a dirty, endless job -- putting kibosh on illicit trash dumping -- The streets of San Francisco, which once had their own TV show, are now home to hundreds of old car tires. Also paint cans, concrete chunks, microwave ovens and shattered windowpanes. Steve Rubenstein in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 12/16/05

Wascally wabbits need foster homes -- Awww, the iddy biddy cuuuute widdle bunny wunnies ... No. No, stop it! This is serious business. It's nowhere near spring, but the Oakland animal shelter is awash in baby bunnies — about 30 little critters that were confiscated from a local flea market where they were being sold a couple of weeks ago. Angela Hill in the Oakland Tribune -- 12/16/05

Liquor store glut at heart of matter -- The third in a series of town hall meetings precipitated by the trashing of two West Oakland liquor stores drew well over 200 people to Olivet Institutional Baptist Church on 27th Street on Thursday evening. The question, every speaker wanted to know, was why West and East Oakland have so many liquor stores when other parts of Oakland and other Bay Area cities have far fewer. William Brand in the Oakland Tribune -- 12/16/05

L.A. Animal Services Chief Fired -- Despite employees' protests, mayor replaces Guerdon H. Stuckey with Ed Boks, the agency's fourth director in four years. Patrick McGreevy and Richard Fausset in the Los Angeles Times Rick Orlov and Dana Bartholomew in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 12/16/05

Football Players Killed in Crash -- Former Raider Darrell Russell and ex-USC receiver Michael Paul Bastianelli die in La Cienega Blvd. accident. Hector Becerra and Sam Farmer in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/05

A Library's Overdue Return -- Forty years after being removed from Santa Monica's old library, a series of 1930s murals is on view again in the new one. Martha Groves in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/05

When guest list turns to ghost list -- Sometimes fundraising must take a back seat to the nation's business, even if it is the last party of the season. Tina Daunt in the Los Angeles Times -- 12/16/05