California election returns here

L.A. Times editor to leave the paper -- Dean Baquet was forced to resign as editor of the Los Angeles Times at the request of the publisher after he refused to agree to further cuts of his editorial staff. Baquet's departure was to be announced Thursday but word leaked out this afternoon and the 50-year-old editor confirmed to his staff that he would be leaving the paper Friday. James Rainey and Jesus Sanchez in the Los Angeles Times GARY GENTILE AP -- 11/7/06

Exit polls: Iraq hurt Republicans, but scandal hurt worse -- The Iraq war hurt Republican candidates in the midterm elections, but corruption and scandal were bigger problems for them, exit polls found. Will Lester AP -- 11/7/06

State Republicans confident of down ballot wins -- If there's any sign that the Arnold Schwarzenegger camp is ready to celebrate, and celebrate big on Tuesday night, it's the balloon: hundreds and hundreds of green, orange and white balloons in Arnold campaign colors, which are arranged lovingly in nets above the stage of the International Ballroom here at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Carla Marinucci Chronicle Politics Weblog -- 11/7/06

Recast, Schwarzenegger primes for a second act -- The governor, leading Angelides comfortably, also pushes ambitious public works package. Michael Finnegan and Scott Martelle in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/7/06

Final rallies pump up the faithful -- California's gubernatorial candidates on Monday spent the last day of the campaign pumping up their loyalists, with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger asking for "a vote of confidence" and challenger Phil Angelides stumping with U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Laura Mecoy in the Sacramento Bee Bill Bradley NWN weblog Josh Richman in the Oakland Tribune Kate Folmar and Mike Zapler in the Contra Costa Times -- 11/7/06

Dems plod on with campaign despite Angelides -- California's top Democrats spent the waning hours before Tuesday's election trying to boost voter turnout amid fears that their weak gubernatorial candidate, Phil Angelides, could be a drag on the ticket, even as Democrats are expected to surge nationwide. Juliet Williams AP -- 11/7/06

Races to watch if the top contest is over early -- If Democrat Phil Angelides defeats Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today, it will be the greatest comeback in California political history, solid proof that public opinion polling can't keep up with modern lifestyles, or both. Assuming such an upset doesn't happen, though, the actor-turned-chief executive will easily win re-election, and the result will be apparent soon after the polls close at 8 p.m. Daniel Weintraub in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/7/06

Man says he made Arnold change ways -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger OK'd a minimum wage hike, infrastructure bond spending and a greenhouse gas emissions reduction bill this year all because of the recall effort against him, a Berkeley physician claimed Monday. Um ... wasn't Schwarzenegger put into office by a recall, you ask? Josh Richman in the Oakland Tribune -- 11/7/06

Ballot security to be watched -- Despite predictions of low turnout for today's election, officials are bracing for potential problems related to new voting equipment and heightened scrutiny over the integrity of voting systems. TROY ANDERSON in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 11/7/06

Governor plans trip to Mexico -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, in his first official act after today's election, will travel to Mexico on Wednesday to begin a two-day trade mission that includes events to promote California business and meetings with President Vicente Fox and President-elect Felipe Calderon. Carla Marinucci in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/7/06

Who votes will decide election -- There are about 37 million Californians and almost two-thirds of us are eligible to vote -- that is, we're over 18 years old and citizens of the United States. The secretary of state's office says that 15.8 million Californians are registered to vote in today's election and estimates that 55 percent of registered voters, or some 8.7 million, will have cast ballots by the time the polls close tonight. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/7/06

Pollster predicts only 51.5% in state to vote -- no suspense in the top races -- The election excitement sweeping across much of the nation isn't flowing into California, where the turnout for today's statewide general election isn't expected to be much better than 2002's record low, according to a Field Poll estimate released today. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle Jim Sanders in the Sacramento Bee John Marelius in the San Diego Union-Trib JIM MILLER in the Riverside Press -- 11/7/06

Dirty politics or mailer goof? -- Challenger Bill Durston cries foul as 'Democratic' slate lists GOP's Dan Lungren. Clea Benson in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/7/06

Radio glitch rips Feinstein -- Northern California radio stations got something extra Monday with the monthly emergency alert system test transmitted by fellow station KFBK -- and at least one of them was none too happy about it. The test, complete with raspy alarm and tone, didn't end with the familiar words, "This concludes the test of the Emergency Alert System ... " John Hill in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/7/06

College students register 42,000 voters -- California college students working together since the summer have registered more than 42,000 of their peers for today's election, in some cases using tools unique to their demographic: Web sites, text messages and dormitories. Michelle Maitre in the Oakland Tribune -- 11/7/06

Voting in a neck-and-neck nation -- The 2006 campaign, one of the nastiest battles and the most expensive ever for control of Congress, came to an end Monday amid indications that months of debate over Iraq, political corruption and the Republican dominance of Washington could produce the highest voter turnout in decades for a midterm election. Ronald Brownstein in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/7/06

Pombo's struggle to keep seat a reflection of national trend -- It's Election Day, and candidates in California's three fiercely fought congressional campaigns can do little except scramble for last-minute votes and wait to see if the widely predicted Democratic wave washes over the West Coast. Lisa Vorderbrueggen in the Contra Costa Times -- 11/7/06

East Bay a stepping stone for politicians -- A key outcome of Tuesday's election is already clear -- the East Bay's growing political jackpot of swing voters has now turned it into a permanent campaign magnet in a polarizing state. Steve Geissinger in the Contra Costa Times -- 11/7/06

Pelosi poised to shatter Capitol's 'marble ceiling,' seen as inspiring other women -- If women face a "glass ceiling'' preventing success in business or politics, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco has had to deal with what she and other women call a "marble ceiling'' in the august, historic halls of Congress. Edward Epstein and Kimberly Geiger in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/7/06

Dems confident, but some polls see GOP trimming gap -- Democrats headed confidently into election day with polls showing them poised to gain control of the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate, but Republicans remained hopeful that a superior turnout effort today could prevent a Democratic sweep. Zachary Coile in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/7/06

No matter who wins, reshaping Iraq policy won't be easy -- whoever wins today to do something about Iraq. What that something might be is far less clear. Congress isn't exactly in the driver's seat when it comes to Iraq, although both incumbent and newly elected lawmakers, when they convene in January, will have a strong desire to find fresh solutions to the voters' No. 1 concern -- somehow. Matthew B. Stannard in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/7/06

Abortion method returns to justices -- Supporters of a law banning `partial-birth' procedures are counting on Alito to provide the key vote in the case. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/7/06

White House bids are now accepted -- Tonight, the presidential prospects start politicking for themselves when they flood the airwaves with their assessment of today's vote. "That's the starting gun," said GOP strategist Scott Reed. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/7/06

Arizona plan offers chance to cast a vote, win a million -- It has been called "electoral Powerball'' by the New York Times, a "tawdry idea'' by USA Today and "a wretched abomination" by the Arizona Republic, but if Arizona voters pass Proposition 200 on Tuesday, one of those voters will win $1 million for casting a ballot. Prop. 200 would authorize the nation's first ballot box lottery, in which a $1 million prize will go to one randomly selected Arizona voter. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/7/06

A's ready to move to Fremont -- The Oakland A's are set to announce a major step forward next week in their plans to move down the Nimitz Freeway and build a 36,000-seat ballpark in Fremont. After months of negotiations, A's officials are ready to declare their intention to acquire the rights to a 143-acre site near the former Baylands racetrack, city-owned land that is now leased to Cisco Systems, sources close to the negotiations said Monday. Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle Barry Witt in the San Jose Mercury Paul T. Rosynsky and Chris De Benedetti in the Oakland Tribune -- 11/7/06

Fremont looking to score status points if A's head down 880 -- If the Oakland A's baseball team packs up and moves 23 miles south, Fremont will join the ranks of major-league cities along with Chicago and Houston and New York. And Arlington, Texas, home of the Texas Rangers. And Foxborough, Mass., home of the New England Patriots. John King in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/7/06

Name game sure to follow A's move south -- Finding a new home for the A's is complicated enough. The next challenge: Figure out what to call the team. Not even the mayor of Fremont expects the franchise to end up as the Fremont A's if that's where owner Lew Wolff decides to develop a new stadium complex. David Pollak in the San Jose Mercury -- 11/7/06

8 submit papers for L.A. school board race as filing opens -- Next year's Los Angeles school board elections already are shaping up as competitive and expensive races — with results that could affect Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's intervention in local school reforms. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/7/06

Class helps kids pick high school -- One San Francisco high school sends a group of students on monthly camping trips. Another offers after-school skateboarding. A third brings in professional chefs to teach students to cook. And yet a fourth guarantees a college acceptance letter upon graduation. The district's 17 public and charter high schools offer students a wide range of academic and extracurricular options, yet many of the city's eighth-graders don't even know some of the schools exist. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/7/06

Pasadena campus savors role in Kerry flap -- Students at City College, where the senator told his controversial joke, are pleased the school has attracted attention. David Pierson in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/7/06

When you can't afford to go buy the book -- College student Rob Christensen has tried nearly every trick in the book to save money on the books. Last year, Christensen said, he borrowed a psychology text from his university library and kept it all semester. It dawned on him that the fines (which turned out to be $8) would be less than the price (around $40). Stuart Silverstein in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/7/06

Race, politics and medical care -- When its doors opened seven years after the 1965 Watts riots, the Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center was a symbol of pride and achievement in the largely segregated black enclaves of South L.A., galvanized by a thirst for more jobs, education and healthcare. John L. Mitchell in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/7/06

Kaiser: Critical need to cut rising costs -- HMO giant Kaiser Permanente could lose as much $7 billion over the next two years if its operating expenses continue to rise at the current rate, according to internal projections made earlier this year. Victoria Colliver in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/7/06

Cities get warning to save now -- For years, people have been hearing about staggering health care costs looming in retirement and the need to start saving right away. Now, San Jose and cities across the country are grappling with those same warnings. Deborah Lohse in the San Jose Mercury -- 11/7/06

Diesel trucks target of port plan -- The Los Angeles and Long Beach facilities want all of the vehicles replaced as part of an effort to cut pollution in the harbor area by 45%. Janet Wilson in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/7/06

Transportation planners cheer bus rapid transit -- But buses are getting a makeover in the Bay Area and nationally. Transit officials are not only buying sleek, low-floored buses, they're in some cases giving them dedicated lanes, priority at traffic signals and fewer stops. Two speedy bus lines are already running in the Bay Area -- one in the East Bay, one in the South Bay -- and San Francisco is deep in the planning stages for fast-and-fancy Muni lines along Van Ness Avenue and Geary Boulevard. They're expected to be in service by 2010 and 2011, respectively. Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/7/06

Federal judge halts 9 renovation projects in Yosemite Valley -- National Park Service also is ordered for a third time to produce a management plan to protect the Merced River. Eric Bailey in the Los Angeles Times Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/7/06

Haze over Saturn moon mirrored on early Earth -- When Earth was very young a few billion years ago, a thick smoggy haze shrouded the planet -- a haze much like the one that kept astronomers from seeing the surface of Saturn's moon Titan until last year, when the Huygens space probe parachuted through the moon's atmosphere onto its tarry landscape. David Perlman in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/7/06

New leash rules installed to protect rare bird -- Dogs will no longer be allowed off-leash during much of the year on parts of San Francisco's Crissy Field and Ocean Beach, under a new emergency rule aimed at protecting a rare shorebird. Patrick Hoge in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/7/06

Challenge to habitat rejected -- A U.S. district judge has rejected the bulk of wide-ranging legal challenges to federal designation of nearly 860,000 acres in California and Oregon as critical habitat for 15 imperiled plants and animals that depend on seasonal wetlands -- also known as vernal pools -- to survive. Denny Walsh in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/7/06

Two San Francisco events support environmental awareness -- Being a green business goes beyond environmentalism, according to those in the movement. It encompasses companies that practice social and economic justice, and try to walk their talk in the way they conduct their affairs, they say. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/7/06

Asbestos dust case settled in El Dorado --Prosecutors have reached a $350,000 settlement with a pair of El Dorado Hills developers and a construction contractor accused of numerous public health offenses in blasting open hillsides that bear a particularly toxic form of asbestos. Chris Bowman in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/7/06

Traffic work to start early -- Arguing that Sacramento County's traffic congestion is getting too snarled to wait any longer, officials are selling $100 million worth of Measure A sales tax bonds two years early to speed work on sorely needed transportation projects. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/7/06

Owners cheer flood relief -- Nearly two years after the Guadalupe River flood control work was completed, about 4,200 San Jose and Santa Clara property owners are finally off the hook for flood insurance. Mary Anne Ostrom and S.L. Wykes in the San Jose Mercury -- 11/7/06

Deal to clean up tainted Alameda lagoon -- Federal and state officials signed an agreement laying out plans to clean up what is described as one of Alameda Point's most contaminated areas — land where the city would like to see a commercial marina. Kelly Rayburn in the Oakland Tribune -- 11/7/06

Boeing letter refutes 'flawed' conclusions of report -- Boeing Co. has officially refuted the conclusions of a study released last month that found a partial meltdown of a sodium-cooled nuclear reactor at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory in 1959 caused hundreds of cases of cancer, according to a letter dated Nov. 3 from the company to the group that conducted the study. Teresa Rochester in the Ventura Star -- 11/7/06

Preparing for Proposition 83 -- Call it a head start. San Bernardino County supervisors are expected to pass an ordinance today expanding upon Proposition 83, a state ballot initiative that would prohibit sex offenders from moving to homes within 2,000 feet of schools and parks and allow local jurisdictions to impose further restrictions. Jeff Horwitz in the San Bernardino Sun -- 11/7/06

L.A. firefighter seeks ouster of union leader over contract deal -- Contending that his union is making unreasonable demands in contract talks with the city, a member of the team negotiating a new contract for the United Firefighters of Los Angeles wants to oust the labor organization's well-known president. Joe Mathews in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/7/06

2 LAPD officers sue city over their transfer -- They allege that they were moved out of anti-gang duty because criminals complained. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/7/06

Woman's role in sailing pair's fate is debated as her trial starts -- Couple selling their yacht out of Newport Harbor disappeared. Defendant's husband is the alleged mastermind. Christine Hanley in the Los Angeles Times GREG HARDESTY in the Orange County Register -- 11/7/06

This customs job requires extra fortitude -- Agents fighting a cyber war on internationally trafficked child porn must wade through the images in building cases against makers or users. H.G. Reza in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/7/06

San Francisco to pay $75,000 to settle lawsuit over police conduct -- The city of San Francisco will pay about $75,000 to a San Francisco State student to settle a lawsuit in which he said a police officer had manhandled him for no reason, authorities said Monday. Omari McGee, 26, of Daly City, sued the city in federal court, saying his civil rights had been violated and seeking at least $50,000 in punitive damages. Jaxon Van Derbeken in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/7/06

Alameda Supes weigh solutions for homelessness -- Alameda County supervisors are set today to decide on an ambitious plan to end chronic homelessness in the county. The plan calls for pulling together both existing and new housing for 15,000 of the county's extremely poor and homeless, at an estimated cost of $2.1 billion. Michele R. Marcucci in the Oakland Tribune -- 11/7/06