Senator Schwarzenegger? California governor leaves future unclear -- Sen. Arnold Schwarzenegger? California's Republican governor said Thursday he's confident he can land a job after he leaves the Sacramento statehouse in 2010, but the former Hollywood star is being evasive about what that line of work might be. AP -- 4/24/08

Cost to funnel water around Calif. delta has soared -- The price tag for addressing the declining health of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta while providing a reliable water supply to California cities and farmers keeps getting higher. SAMANTHA YOUNG AP -- 4/24/08

California attorney general wants to expand use of DNA results -- California Attorney General Jerry Brown said Thursday he is changing state policy to expand the use of DNA results, a shift he said could rekindle some cases where other leads have gone cold. DON THOMPSON AP -- 4/24/08

Republicans offer their plan to fund education -- Republican lawmakers say they have a plan to save education funding, which like most other items in the deficit-drenched state budget is in danger of facing significant cuts in spending. Michael Collier Chronicle Politics Weblog -- 4/24/08

Schwarzenegger says deficit worsening -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Thursday the state budget deficit will be "probably more than $10 billion" in the next fiscal year as the state takes in lower than expected revenues in a flagging economy. Kevin Yamamura SacBee Capitol Alert AP -- 4/24/08

Reid, Pelosi, Dean may intervene in nomination -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Thursday that he may have to push undecided superdelegates to make their decisions in the Democratic presidential race, if the contest stretches into June. Daniel W. Reilly Politico -- 4/24/08

Pelosi says she doesn't want to see a joint ticket -- or at least the fourth time in a little more than a month, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has made it clear she thinks Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama shouldn't run together on a joint ticket this fall. Rebecca Sinderbrand CNN -- 4/24/08

Audit confirms Yountville nurse shortage -- A state audit has confirmed that chronic staffing shortages at the state veterans home in Yountville is contributing to limited nursing care for veterans. Judy Lin SacBee Capitol Alert -- 4/24/08

Criminal investigation of California Senate leader Perata urged -- Complaints are filed by a representative of state Sen. Denham, whose recall Perata is backing. The filings allege wrongdoing in calling on state employees to allegedly work on political campaigns. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times Shane Goldmacher SacBee Capitol Alert -- 4/24/08

8 patient lawsuits from UC Irvine fertility clinic scandal reinstated -- Court rules that women who say their eggs were stolen may pursue their cases against the University of California. The decision reverses a 2006 ruling that said too much time had passed. Christian Berthelsen in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/24/08

Candidates on equal footing in Indiana -- With a demographic landscape that’s well-suited to both Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, Indiana is shaping up as the most consequential battleground of the remaining states. JONATHAN MARTIN Politico -- 4/24/08

CalPERS pushes electronic database as way to reduce medical errors -- The California Public Employees' Retirement System has put its weight behind a statewide health information exchange system being developed by the California Regional Health Information Organization. Mark Glover in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/24/08

CalPERS pension investment manager Russell Read to resign -- Russell Read, the person responsible for managing nearly $250 billion in pension assets for the California Public Employees' Retirement System, announced Wednesday that he will resign as of June 30. Mark Glover in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/24/08

State vehicle fleet irks senators -- A Senate committee confirmed the appointment Wednesday of the director of the Department of General Services after an hourlong grilling over stalled efforts to "green" the state vehicle fleet. Will Bush, appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last year to run the department, admitted that the state's flex-fuel vehicles still largely run on standard gasoline and that the state continues to buy them even though the alternative fuel they are designed to use is still scarce. Kimberly Kindy in the San Jose Mercury -- 4/24/08

Tenants fear loss of rent control -- He's a disabled Vietnam veteran. She's a retired teacher who spends most of her pension on health insurance. Arnie and Marilyn Bernstein are among an estimated 1million Angelenos with a rent-controlled apartment. Dana Bartholomew in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 4/24/08

Early primary paid off for state and Clinton -- Californians can be thankful the state held its presidential primary on the earliest day legally possible. And Hillary Rodham Clinton should be especially grateful. Clinton probably wouldn't even be in the race today if California had not rescued her candidacy way back on Super Tuesday, Feb. 5, by delivering a timely victory that helped keep her afloat. The Pennsylvania primary Tuesday likely would have been irrelevant. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/24/08

Bill signed in bid to end lotto game controversy -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill Wednesday ending a four-year legal battle over the constitutionality of California's participation in multi-state Mega Millions lotto. The legislation carries out a judge's order to make California's prize-claim deadline match those of 11 other states so the game is fair to this state's schools, which receive lottery funds. Steve Geissinger in the San Jose Mercury -- 4/24/08

Dust-up at Coastal Commission after staff tries to cancel June meeting -- The California Coastal Commission has been bailed out of its budget hole by the state Department of Finance, just days after commission staff angered the Schwarzenegger administration by canceling its June meeting. Anthony York in Capitol Weekly -- 4/24/08

Insurance reinstatement orders put health plans on edge -- Last week’s move by state regulators, opening the door to restoring health insurance to thousands of customers who had their coverage cancelled by health plans, has the health care world waiting to see what will happen next. John Howard and Anthony York in Capitol Weekly -- 4/24/08

After uncertainty and internal turmoil, inmate job-training program thrives -- California’s Prison Industry Authority, once targeted for elimination by the Schwarzenegger administration, has moved through a bureaucratic minefield and survived – even though a majority of the appointments on the 11-member PIA board has lapsed. John Howard in Capitol Weekly -- 4/24/08

Window treatments vs. right wing conspiracy? -- When most people think of hot-button political issues, they probably don’t think of interior decorators. But California is the latest battleground in a national war that has raged across numerous states, not to mention The Wall Street Journal’s editorial page and George Will’s columns. Malcolm Maclachlan in Capitol Weekly -- 4/24/08

Falsely convicted man to be compensated -- He is in line to get $31,700 from the state for spending 10 months in prison, and also reaches a $550,000 settlement of lawsuits. H.G. Reza in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/24/08

Run on rice makes its way to U.S. -- Worried about rising prices worldwide, customers have been stocking up, prompting sales limits. Jerry Hirsch and Tiffany Hsu in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/24/08

Global rice shortage hits wallets in Silicon Valley -- At the Asian supermarket 99 Ranch, the price of jasmine rice has already doubled this year. Across the street, Costco is rationing its 50-pound bags of discounted rice - if you can get them at all. And some Asian restaurants are even reconsidering their longstanding policy of refilling rice bowls for free. Ken McLaughlin in the San Jose Mercury -- 4/24/08

Coping with the growing cost of coffee -- A street-level look at how Southern Californians are stretching their dollars in a sputtering economy. Alana Semuels in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/24/08

A federal cure for the U.S. housing crisis faces obstacles -- A House panel's plan may founder amid voter anger, mortgage industry opposition and even election-year politics. Peter G. Gosselin in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/24/08

Bush lawyer tangles with judge over wiretaps -- A Bush administration lawyer resisted a San Francisco federal judge's attempts Wednesday to get him to say whether Congress can limit the president's wiretap authority in terrorism and espionage cases, calling the question simplistic. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 4/24/08

Wiegand: Trust me, your legislator is a bargain -- The adage "misery loves company" may be timeworn, but it still drips with veracity. Doubters need only look to the tidal wave of approbation that greeted Tuesday's announcement by the California Citizens Compensation Commission that it was actually considering lowering the salaries of legislators and constitutional officers. Steve Wiegand in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/24/08

760 area code could be pulled from San Diego -- The California Public Utilities Commission appears ready to draw a line that will require changing the 760 area code to 442 for telephone users across northern San Diego County. Bruce V. Bigelow in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 4/24/08

Government to scrap prototype of 'virtual fence' along border -- The government is scrapping a $20 million prototype of its highly touted “virtual fence” on the Arizona-Mexico border because the system is failing to adequately alert Border Patrol agents to illegal crossings, officials said. Arthur H. Rotstein AP -- 4/24/08

Costly gas, housing woes stunt sale of new autos -- Hammered by rising fuel prices and declining home prices, sales of new cars and trucks plummeted throughout California in the first quarter, according to data released yesterday. Dean Calbreath in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 4/24/08

Dems face outsiders' dirty tricks / Mudslinging begins from the sidelines -- With North Carolina and Indiana taking center stage in the political slugfest between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the next critical primaries could be shaped by political dirty tricks from outside their campaigns. Carla Marinucci in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 4/24/08

Democratic superdelegates also divided over a prolonged race -- Many party leaders say an ongoing Democratic contest can't hurt. Others want it over well before the convention. Janet Hook, Mark Z. Barabak and James Hohmann in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/24/08

Barack Obama still takes in oil money -- The Illinois Democrat received $46,000 in donations from executives and workers last month. In a campaign ad, he said he took no money from oil companies. Dan Morain in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/24/08

For Obama, a Struggle to Win Over Key Blocs -- It is the question that has hung over Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, and it loomed large on Tuesday night after his loss to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in Pennsylvania: Why has he been unable to win over enough working-class and white voters to wrap up the Democratic nomination? ADAM NAGOURNEY in the New York Times JACKIE CALMES and MARY JACOBY in the Wall Street Journal -- 4/24/08

Assessing Strength in Swing States -- Hillary Rodham Clinton says she is best positioned to win in the fall, but exit polling shows that Barack Obama could do just as well. PATRICK HEALY in the New York Times -- 4/24/08

Fiorina as McCain VP? He 'could do a lot worse' -- Is it really a plug or just playful politics? With the top of the Republican ticket settled, the vice-presidential sweepstakes game is on, and one name coming up is former Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Carly Fiorina. Mary Anne Ostrom in the San Jose Mercury -- 4/24/08

California students log improvement in English fluency -- State figures show a 4% increase in the number of nonnative speakers advancing to higher-level work from the year before. L.A. Unified records similar gains. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times Kim Minugh in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/24/08

UC Berkeley broke rehiring rules -- UC Berkeley leaders granted improper perks last year to police Chief Victoria Harrison, who retired with a $2.1 million payout and was immediately rehired to the same position at a higher salary. Matt Krupnick in the Contra Costa Times -- 4/24/08

U.S. judge considers quality of classroom interns -- A suit over the federal No Child Left Behind law went before a U.S. District Court judge on Wednesday, setting the stage for a decision that could change who counts as good enough to teach in the nation's classrooms. Shirley Dang in the Contra Costa Times -- 4/24/08

Oakland: When school bullies get out of hand -- Anthony Cataldo of Oakland first raised concerns about aggressive bullying at his son's elementary school last year after Zachary lost four teeth on the playground - but he said he received only a verbal assurance that things would change. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 4/24/08

Grateful Dead archives going to UC Santa Cruz -- The archives of the Bay Area rock band the Grateful Dead - a treasure trove of more than 30 years of memorabilia that includes the band's first recording contract, life-size skeletons of band members and artwork hand-made by its fans - are headed to UC Santa Cruz, where they will be displayed at McHenry Library. Regan McMahon in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 4/24/08

For many California ninth-graders, it's shape up or more PE -- In California public schools, kids have been tested for physical fitness for many years. If they could do the push-ups and run a quick mile – great. If not – no big deal. Deb Kollars in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/24/08

Schools show gains with English learners -- Thirty-one percent of public school students who are learning English in Stanislaus County are proficient in the language, up from 26 percent last year, according to state test results released Wednesday. MERRILL BALASSONE in the Modesto Bee Eddie Jimenez in the Fresno Bee -- 4/24/08

State probes 6 online DNA-testing firms -- The California Department of Public Health is investigating consumer complaints against at least six online companies that conduct direct-to-consumer genetic testing, a hot new field that has garnered much attention and generated a competitive business environment in recent months. Victoria Colliver in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 4/24/08

Bull gold market drives run on old dental work / As price soars, folks cash in with fillings, bridgework -- Dazzled by the bull market in gold, people are digging through drawers for old dental caps, fillings and bridgework they saved years ago and selling them at prices that would make the tooth fairy blush. Stevenson Jacobs AP -- 4/24/08

It's SRO on many commuter buses as gasoline prices climb -- With the price of regular gasoline creeping toward $4 a gallon, commuters in Davis, North Natomas and Placer County are reporting a shocking sight when the bus pulls up. All the seats are taken. Suddenly, it's standing room only on commuter buses around the region. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/24/08

North Coast marine reserve plan goes to state -- A state task force recommended Wednesday a permanent ban on fishing in selected spots of ocean from Mendocino County to Santa Cruz, a move designed to protect 80 square miles of California's most pristine habitat. Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 4/24/08

East Bay water managers plan for drought -- East Bay water managers are mulling a slew of measures - from ordinary bans on car washing to drastic water bill increases - to protect their critically low reservoirs. Other Bay Area water districts haven't reached that point. Yet. Kelly Zito in the San Francisco Chronicle Mike Taugher in the Contra Costa Times -- 4/24/08

Urban wetlands park to be developed in South L.A. -- The City Council this week unanimously approved construction of an unusual urban wetland park on an old Metropolitan Transportation Authority maintenance yard in South Los Angeles. Jill Leovy in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/24/08

Analysis: California's patience running on empty over proposed U.S. fuel rules -- President Bush's popularity may have sunk to a new low this week in Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office as it discovered the language deep within new federal fuel economy standards released on Earth Day. Kevin Yamamura in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/24/08

Hundreds of EPA scientists report political interference -- An official with the independent group that conducted the survey says it indicates the widespread nature of the problem. Judy Pasternak in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/24/08

FAA moves to block ban on fastest jets at Santa Monica Airport -- City officials, citing safety concerns, say they will begin implementing the ban today in defiance of the FAA. Dan Weikel in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/24/08

U.S. offers L.A. $213 million for toll lane plan -- MTA will weigh project to convert carpool lanes to congestion pricing, beginning with parts of the 10 and 210 freeways, but many obstacles remain. Steve Hymon in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/24/08

Smog panel urges EPA to keep weighing the value of life in setting pollution rules -- A National Research Council committee finds 'strong evidence' that people are dying from breathing ozone. Marla Cone in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/24/08

North Coast growers fear they could lose 10% of their crops to frost damage -- The worst spring cold snap in more than 30 years is threatening to wreak havoc on the wine industry as three recent days of frost have killed grapevine buds up and down the crucial North Coast vineyard region. Kevin Fagan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 4/24/08

PG&E gets OK to build power plant in valley -- Pacific Gas and Electric Co. won permission from California energy regulators on Wednesday to build a $673 million, gas-burning power plant in Colusa County. David R. Baker in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 4/24/08

Costa's bill would tighten safety rules for imported food -- ted food would have to meet domestic U.S. safety standards under a bill Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, introduced Wednesday. Wading into a food fight that has long stymied other lawmakers, Costa and a Republican colleague offered a bill that they said would boost consumer confidence. At least in part, the legislation would lift other states to some food safety standards already imposed in Florida and California. Michael Doyle in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/24/08

Ridership soars on BART line to SFO -- Train ridership is surging on BART's rail extension to the San Francisco International Airport nearly five years after the new tracks to five new stations opened with far fewer passengers than expected. Denis Cuff in the Contra Costa Times -- 4/24/08

Authorities investigating other possible victims of Orange County deputy accused of molestation -- The deputy was found dead the day he was to be arrested. Hundreds of images, including some believed to be homemade, were found during a search of his home. Christine Hanley in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/24/08

Officer gets friendly with Laguna Beach's homeless -- As part of a citywide effort to get people off the streets, the new community outreach cop is trying to build trust with transients and persuade them to get help. Susannah Rosenblatt in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/24/08