100 hours down, two years to go -- The energy bill’s passage this afternoon marked the end of the House Democrats’ agenda for the first 100 working hours of their reign. Here’s a handy tally of what the Democrats have put through so far. Josh Richman Political Blotter weblog-- 1/18/07

Senate Passes Democrats' Ethics Bill -- The Senate, responding to voter frustration with corruption and special interest influence in Washington, on Thursday overwhelmingly approved far-reaching ethics and lobbying reform legislation. JIM ABRAMS AP -- 1/18/07

Prosecutor: Ohio County Rigged Recount -- Three county elections workers conspired to avoid a more thorough recount of ballots in the 2004 presidential election, a prosecutor told jurors during opening statements of their trial Thursday. M.R. KROPKO AP -- 1/18/07

Mistrial declared in California Vioxx lawsuits after deadlock -- A hung jury forced a mistrial Thursday in lawsuits by two men who blamed their heart attacks on Vioxx, the once-popular painkiller made by pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. ALEX VEIGA AP -- 1/18/07

Obama getting some help from California consultants -- The Barak Obama train is officially rolling in California -- and we mean both fundraising and organizing -- with some key Californians lining up to take a role in the Illinois junior senator's exploratory presidential effort. Carla Marinuci Chronicle Politics Weblog -- 1/18/07

Lawmakers urge swift reform to California prison sentences -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger should use his executive powers to end parole supervision for thousands of ex-convicts, without waiting for a sentencing commission that by law cannot begin to address prison problems until next year, two Senate Democrats said Thursday. DON THOMPSON AP -- 1/18/07

AP Enterprise: Prison-reform offices cost taxpayers millions -- California taxpayers will be asked to spend billions of dollars to reform the state's overcrowded and mismanaged prison system. Before they do, however, they are spending millions to employ the federal overseers who will direct those reforms and their staffs. An Associated Press review of spending within the various federal offices guiding prison reform found that California is spending more than $10 million a year for their advice, most of which goes to salaries. DON THOMPSON AP -- 1/18/07

UC postpones vote on taking tobacco money -- A proposal to ban University of California researchers from taking tobacco company money stirred fiery debate but no decision Thursday, as system leaders wrestled with the merits of academic freedom versus good corporate citizenship. MICHELLE LOCKE AP-- 1/18/07

Lawyer: Plea offered to Dunn, all others in HP spying case -- State prosecutors offered to drop felony charges against former Hewlett-Packard Co. Chairwoman Patricia Dunn and the four other defendants in the company's boardroom spying scandal if they agree to plead guilty to a misdemeanor, a defense lawyer said Thursday. JORDAN ROBERTSON AP -- 1/18/07

MARK BALDASSARE PPIC CEO -- The board of directors of the Public Policy Institute of California today announced the selection of Mark Baldassare as PPIC's next president and chief executive officer. Baldassare, currently the institute's director of research, will assume his new role on March 7, 2007. Press release, Josh Richman Political Blotter weblog Dan Weintraub SacBee Weblog -- 1/18/07

Lynda Gledhill -- a longtime Sacramento bureau reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle is leaving the newspaper to join the communications staff of state Senate President Don Perata. Robert Gammon East Bay Express Blog -- 1/18/07

Art Buchwald -- Columnist and author Art Buchwald, who for over four decades chronicled the life and times of Washington with an infectious wit and endeared himself to many with his never-say-die battle with failing kidneys, is dead at 81. DARLENE SUPERVILLE AP -- 1/18/07

Lessons from past freezes include insurance to defray some losses -- As the chill air descended on California last weekend, citrus farmers were already prepared for the worst. Past freezes in 1990 and 1998 taught the state's growers to insure crops that are one frigid night, hail storm or pest infestation away from disaster. OLIVIA MUNOZ AP -- 1/18/07

Governor blames public indifference for prison ills -- Overcrowding is not a 'sexy' problem that directly affects voters, Schwarzenegger says. He seeks $10.9 billion to expand the system. Jordan Rau in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/18/07

Governor: Wait on '08 -- After declaring himself a proud Republican last week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger hedged his answers Wednesday when asked whether he will endorse a Republican in the 2008 presidential race. Kevin Yamamura in the Sacramento Bee Timm Herdt in the Ventura Star -- 1/18/07

Governor wants presidential primary in February to give state more clout -- Prohibited from running for president, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is nonetheless pushing to give California -- and himself -- a more important role in the 2008 presidential election. Mark Martin in the San Francisco Chronicle Bill Bradley NWN weblog -- 1/18/07

Governor's budget could permanently alter Prop. 98 -- January budgets often are rife with creative accounting tricks. Because of the constitutional requirement that the governor introduce a balanced budget in January, the early year proposals are often about as balanced as a well-played Jenga tower. Anthony York in Capitol Weekly -- 1/18/07

No-spank bill on way -- The state Legislature is about to weigh in on a question that stirs impassioned debate among moms and dads: Should parents spank their children? Assemblywoman Sally Lieber, D-Mountain View, wants to outlaw spanking children up to 3 years old. If she succeeds, California would become the first state in the nation to explicitly ban parents from smacking their kids. Mike Zapler in the San Jose Mercury -- 1/18/07

Capitol clout, by the square foot -- Political status usually is reflected in endorsements, donations and legislative victories. But inside the Capitol, there's a pecking order measured out in square feet and nice views. Malcolm Maclachlan in Capitol Weekly -- 1/18/07

Arnold Schwarzenegger and the road to national health care -- Ted Kennedy, the nation's most persistent backer of nationalized health care, must be smiling at the irony. Almost four decades after he first proposed the idea, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Kennedy relative by marriage, is touting his own version of universal coverage, and, if adopted, the idea could go nationwide quickly. It's no wonder critics are already dubbing the ostensibly Republican chief executive "Schwarzenkennedy." JOHN FUND in the Wall Street Journal Laura Kurtzman AP -- 1/18/07

Appeals Court Rules for Wal-Mart in Maryland Health Care Case -- But yesterday, after a second court found that the Maryland’s fair-share health care rule violated federal labor laws, the concept that states can compel companies to offer more generous health care is suddenly in doubt, experts said. MICHAEL BARBARO in the New York Times -- 1/18/07

No GOP health plan -- yet -- The nice people in Senate President Pro Tempore Don Perata's office recently provided the running dogs of the media with a side-by-side-by-side comparison of the three Democratic health care reform plans put forth by Perata, Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. OK, make that two Democratic plans and a "centrist" plan. Though thoughtful, the effort clearly lacked a certain breadth in that there was no Republican plan. Steve Wiegand in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/18/07

Governor's fall appears to lift his oratory skills -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger hasn't lost a step with his broken leg. In fact, he probably has gained ground on crutches. That isn't a measurement based on polls or any progress toward achieving his new No. 1 priority: healthcare for all Californians. It is based on his improved verbal communication — not so much in content, although that's fine, but in upgraded delivery. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/18/07

Gambling tribes courting labor's political friends -- Seeking to reverse recent setbacks and improve their long-range political position, California's gambling tribes moved yesterday to establish common ground with labor-backed Democrats who blocked five new gambling compacts last summer. James P. Sweeney in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 1/18/07

UC labor studies' funding coming, Nunez says -- Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez assured University of California leaders Wednesday that the state would permanently fund beleaguered labor studies centers on the Berkeley and Los Angeles campuses. Matt Krupnick in the Contra Costa Times -- 1/18/07

A's owner hints at finance plan -- Oakland A's owner Lew Wolff this week dropped the first hint of the type of public financial aid he'll be seeking to move the team to Fremont: a rebate of some of the new taxes his ballpark village would produce. Barry Witt in the San Jose Mercury -- 1/18/07

3 cities still want to win Chargers -- The Chargers' run to the Super Bowl is over, but that hasn't dampened the interest of National City, Chula Vista and Oceanside – the three cities pitching possible stadium locations for the team. Ronald W. Powell in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 1/18/07

House delegation breaks recent trend: meets -- wasn't exactly the Israelis and Palestinians, or even Donald Trump sitting down with Rosie O'Donnell, but California's House delegation -- Democrats and Republicans -- met Wednesday for the first time in several years. Frank Davies in the San Jose Mercury -- 1/18/07

Lam's exit draws scrutiny by Dems -- Two prominent Democratic congressmen asked the U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday whether the Bush administration forced San Diego U.S. Atty. Carol Lam to resign because of her vigorous prosecution of public corruption cases, including that of a longtime Republican lawmaker. Greg Krikorian in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/18/07

Lam departure called 'no surprise' -- As U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales prepared to testify today about the pending departure of San Diego U.S. Attorney Carol Lam and other top federal prosecutors, Department of Justice officials said nothing out of the ordinary is happening. Onell R. Soto in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 1/18/07

Times/Bloomberg Poll: Most oppose troop buildup -- As he seeks to chart a new course in Iraq, Bush also faces pervasive resistance to and skepticism about the U.S. commitment — more than three-fifths of those surveyed said the war was not worth fighting, and only one-third approved of his handling of the conflict. Ronald Brownstein in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/18/07

Congress unleashes antiwar proposals -- A Senate resolution opposes Bush's troop increase. A House plan calls for withdrawal. Noam N. Levey in the Los Angeles Times Carolyn Lochhead in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/18/07

Bay Area Dems move to cut troop surge plan -- The war in Iraq became a war of dueling legislation Wednesday on Capitol Hill, as two Bay Area lawmakers introduced a bill to choke off the war's funding even while Republicans introduced one to ensure that can't happen. Josh Richman in the Oakland Tribune -- 1/18/07

Judge lets charges against Army officer stand Trial to proceed on refusal to deploy, criticism of Bush -- An Army officer who refused to go to Iraq can be prosecuted not only for missing a troop movement but also for conduct unbecoming an officer because he publicly criticized President Bush and questioned the war's legality, a military judge has ruled. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/18/07

Thomas to plead guilty in Hamdania killing -- A 25-year-old Marine corporal is expected to plead guilty Thursday to a charge of murder in the death of an Iraqi civilian last year. TERI FIGUEROA in the North County Times -- 1/18/07

Candidates and voters relying more on Internet -- Sen. Barack Obama updated the world on his presidential aspirations this week by posting a video to his new Web site, where the online response to the Illinois Democrat has been "overwhelming," aides said Wednesday. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/18/07

L.A. Mayor posts his strategy for schools -- The education blueprint — drawing heavily from reform ideas already underway in Los Angeles and elsewhere — amounts to Villaraigosa's fall-back position if the courts rule against his efforts to gain a measure of control over the Los Angeles Unified School District. Duke Helfand and Joel Rubin in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/18/07

Santa Cruz dean gets Merced chancellor job -- Sung-Mo "Steve" Kang, dean of engineering at UC Santa Cruz, was named the new chancellor of UC Merced on Wednesday by the university's Board of Regents. Tanya Schevitz in the San Francisco Chronicle MICHELLE HATFIELD in the Modesto Bee -- 1/18/07

Community colleges head to 2008 ballot over Proposition 98 -- California's community colleges, the nation's largest higher-education system with more than 1 million full-time students, want to change the state's Constitution to protect their funding. John Howard in Capitol Weekly -- 1/18/07

Acting out -- Scott Himelstein is still something of an unknown around the Capitol. He was the governor's deputy secretary of education for the last 18 months. But he just took the office of the acting secretary of education on December 20, taking the reins from his former boss and longtime associate Alan Bersin. Cosmo Garvin in Capitol Weekly -- 1/18/07

Christmas is a time for taking -- from schools -- Burglaries and vandalism climb during holiday breaks, and the L.A. Unified police have too few officers to patrol 1,000 campuses. Charles Proctor in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/18/07

House passes student-loan interest bill -- The Democrats' scaled-back plan would cut the rate for Stafford funds from 6.8% to 3.4% over five years. Johanna Neuman in the Los Angeles Times Zachary Coile in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/18/07

Boalt Hall dean says hefty student fee hike essential to standards -- The dean of UC Berkeley's law school warned Wednesday that he and his top faculty will probably leave if he doesn't get a commitment for hefty student fee increases to keep improving his school, already one of the best in the country. Tanya Schevitz in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/18/07

Student stunned with Taser sues UCLA -- The UCLA student who was shocked repeatedly with a Taser gun in November by campus police filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday in Los Angeles against the university. Eric Stern in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/18/07

UC debates tobacco-funded research -- The proposal, scheduled to be voted on by UC's governing Board of Regents today, has stirred debate over the pedigree of research grants, an increasingly pressing subject as traditional federal funding sources have shrunk. Michelle Locke AP -- 1/18/07

UC fee autonomy for professional schools proposed -- University of California regents considered a radical plan yesterday that would raise professional student fees to address the diminishing quality of instruction. Eleanor Yang Su in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 1/18/07

DEA raids 11 marijuana outlets -- Federal agents Wednesday raided 11 medical marijuana outlets in Los Angeles County, seizing several thousand pounds of processed drug, hundreds of marijuana plants, an array of guns and bagfuls of cash. Tami Abdollah in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/18/07

Study: Half of California hospitals will miss seismic work deadline -- By 2013, under law, hospitals must stay standing after a strong quake. But the enormous expense could force closures. Stuart Silverstein in the Los Angeles Times Victoria Colliver in the San Francisco Chronicle Gilbert Chan in the Sacramento Bee Rebecca Vesely in the San Jose Mercury -- 1/18/07

Hospitals welcome rumblings of earthquake relief -- California hospitals may be off the hook for billions of dollars in seismic upgrades, thanks to a new technology that zeroes in on structural quake risks. Cosmo Garvin in Capitol Weekly -- 1/18/07

Animal tests provide insight into 1918 flu virus -- Scientists who infected monkeys with a resurrected version of the 1918 Spanish flu virus reported Wednesday that the animals became mortally ill with symptoms similar to those reported among humans during that pandemic, which killed an estimated 50 million people nearly 90 years ago. Sabin Russell in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/18/07

Genes linked to aggressive cancer cells -- Stanford University scientists have identified a specific set of active genes that exist in cancer stem cells, providing a new way to identify which patients are at the greatest risk of dying. Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury -- 1/18/07

Medical Marijuana Program card fee will jump to $142 -- State-approved medical marijuana use is about to get much more expensive as the state raises its voluntary identification-card fee almost elevenfold. Josh Richman in the Contra Costa Times -- 1/18/07

Millionaire tax to go toward mental health programs -- A wave of good fortune for some California residents has left San Joaquin County with an extra $2 million for new mental health programs next year, officials said this week. Greg Kane in the Stockton Record -- 1/18/07

Lung damage probe grows -- An ongoing health investigation of California's flavor manufacturing industry has found another six workers who have lost nearly all use of their lungs. The six are in addition to two cases that sparked the investigation nine months ago, according to the state's occupational health chief, Barbara Materna. Chris Bowman in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/18/07

Feinstein, Boxer differ on global warming -- California's two senators this week offered markedly different approaches to slowing global warming, with Dianne Feinstein saying she may move to exempt power companies from her home state's landmark global warming laws and bring them under federal regulation instead. Janet Wilson and Richard Simon in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/18/07

Power players warm to Feinstein bill / Plan to reduce electric utilities' greenhouse gas emissions by 25% gets industry backing -- California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, joined by top executives from PG&E Corp. and other energy firms, introduced an aggressive plan Wednesday to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by electric utilities that is backed by some powerful players in the industry. Zachary Coile in the San Francisco Chronicle DENA BUNIS in the Orange County Register -- 1/18/07

Nuclear power gets PG&E ally -- PG&E Corp. Chairman Peter Darbee said Wednesday that it may not be possible to bring global warming under control without building more nuclear power plants. David Whitney in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/18/07

Experts cast doubt on toxic water plan / Scientists don't think pricey new drainage policy will succeed -- An internal government memo obtained by The Chronicle shows that the federal government wants to spend billions of dollars on a plan to fix one of the San Joaquin Valley's most intractable pollution problems. Glen Martin in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/18/07

Santa Ana banning Supercenters -- Hoping to protect its small-business owners from more competition, Santa Ana is poised to become the first Orange County city to prevent Wal-Mart Supercenters from opening. Dave McKibben in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/18/07

Democrats Push Climate Change To Front Burner -- The new Democratic-led Congress is trying to put its mark on one of the most contentious environmental and economic problems within reach: climate change. JOHN J. FIALKA and DAVID ROGERS in the Wall Street Journal FELICITY BARRINGER and ANDREW C. REVKIN in the New York Times -- 1/18/07

Deal to reduce plastic bag use hits the skids -- Large supermarket chains that agreed in 2005 to help reduce the number of plastic grocery bags in use in San Francisco have refused to release the number of bags they distributed last year, breaking a deal they made with the city. Charlie Goodyear in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/18/07

Cell phone didn't set man ablaze, probe finds -- Days after saying that a cell phone in a pants pocket set a sleeping man ablaze, Vallejo fire investigators have ruled out the phone. Matthai Chakko Kuruvila in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/18/07

Freeze depletes supply, sends prices soaring -- The produce section at your local supermarket will not be a pretty sight in coming days. After multiple nights of freezing temperatures that devastated crops throughout the West, shoppers can expect to share farmers' pain when they go to the grocery store. Carolyn Said in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/18/07

Grapes, wine fuel economy -- Drink up. It's good for the American bottom line. The U.S. wine and grape industry pours more than $162 billion annually into the nation's economy, according to a first-of-its-kind study released Wednesday. That counts jobs, sales, taxes and indirect benefits: the whole kit and caboodle. Although California is the far-and-away leader, with 2,275 bonded wineries and 800,000 grape-planted acres, other states are moving up. Michael Doyle in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/18/07

'06 housing stats tell a scary tale -- Two months ago Mark Aizenberg and his wife were Sunday driving when she spotted an open house and said four fateful words, "Let's stop and look." The rest is 2006 house-hunting history. The couple fell in love with the 2,400-square-foot Arden Hills home and watched the price tumble from $745,000 to $699,000 -- then to $624,000. The Aizenbergs offered $575,000. Then came a $600,000 counteroffer. Jim Wasserman in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/18/07

Bridge loses tollbooths, drivers gain FasTrak lanes -- Crews began removing eight of the brand-new toll booths on the new Benicia-Martinez Bridge this week to make way for a transportation innovation: open-road toll lanes. Open-road tolling allows vehicles equipped with FasTrak electronic toll tags to zip past toll booths and cross the span without slowing down. Kiley Russell in the San Jose Mercury -- 1/18/07

Panel urges officials to spare air in Valley from big dairy pollution -- A minister, a doctor and a former Fresno City Council member had a message about dairy expansion Wednesday night for Fresno County officials: Don't let it make air and water quality worse. Mark Grossi in the Fresno Bee -- 1/18/07

Tribune Draws Three Offers, All Short of Original Hopes -- At least three groups, including the Chandler family and a pairing of Los Angeles billionaires Ron Burkle and Eli Broad, submitted sharply varying proposals for newspaper and TV empire Tribune Co. by last night's bid deadline, giving the company's board the difficult task of deciding how to proceed. SARAH ELLISON in the Wall Street Journal KATHARINE Q. SEELYE and ANDREW ROSS SORKIN in the New York Times James Rainey and Thomas S. Mulligan in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/18/07

Ex-Official of Red Cross Is Charged With Fraud -- A former California accounting executive at the Orange County Chapter of the American Red Cross was indicted Wednesday on federal embezzling charges, adding to concerns raised by watchdogs over the financial management of the Red Cross and some of its chapters. RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD in the New York Times Mai Tran in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/18/07

L.A. urged to alter gang tactics -- Paramedics and firefighters have been shot at and threatened when responding to calls for medical help involving the city's gang violence, the head of the Los Angeles Fire Department said Wednesday. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/18/07

Officials: Attack on gangs must be cooperative -- With scores of anti-gang programs proving ineffective in stemming a wave of violence, a cross-section of city and community officials joined Wednesday to seek a unified solution to the crisis. RICK ORLOV in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 1/18/07

She called 911 and was put on hold -- With her Larkfield house on fire, Teresa Hay did what every child, teenager and adult has had drummed into their heads to do in case of an emergency, she dialed 911 on her cell phone. And she was put on hold. "I got some recording," Hay said Wednesday, her eyes red-rimmed and still visibly shaken. "I'm screaming, 'I'm on hold, I can't believe this.' You just want someone to help, you feel so helpless." So she drove to the fire station. BOB NORBERG in the Santa Rosa Press -- 1/18/07

Hot dog vendors add protest to the menu -- Operators accuse police of harassment, but officials say they are enforcing long-ignored laws. Adrian G. Uribarri in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/18/07

Judge is in race for U.S. attorney job -- Dickran Tevrizian was asked to apply as L.A.'s top prosecutor, a move many find unusual because he could retire or be a private jurist. Henry Weinstein and Greg Krikorian in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/18/07

Ex-fire official pleads not guilty -- A former Riverside County Fire Department manager accused of working with a colleague to embezzle about $1 million in cash and equipment pleaded not guilty Wednesday to all charges. Maeve Reston in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/18/07

Golden Gate Bridge: Fatal jumps rise sharply -- At least 34 people leapt to their deaths from the Golden Gate Bridge in 2006, a sharp increase from the average of 19 people who commit suicide from the majestic span each year, authorities said Wednesday. Marisa Lagos in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/18/07