Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Created: 12/23/2011 01:55:45 PM PST

ONTARIO – The light traffic at L.A./Ontario International Airport Friday was a boon for trucker Barry Culley, who was awaiting a stand-by flight to Reno and a chance to visit his daughter.

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December 23, 2011 1:41 PM
Brooke Edwards Staggs, City Editor

VICTORVILLE • A federal appeals office upheld the termination of Victorville’s EB-5 visa investor center, leaving the city with no option but to pursue a pricey lawsuit or say goodbye to millions in funding they’d hoped to borrow through the program.

City officials got the news Thursday afternoon, with plans to discuss next steps during the Jan. 17 city council meeting.

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Jim Steinberg, Staff Writer
Posted: 12/23/2011 06:38:05 PM PST

RIALTO – The city of Rialto will hold a public hearing Tuesday on a proposal to raise development impact fees for general civic facilities, such as police, fire, park, storm drain and water and sewer facilities.

Increases could be approved at the conclusion of the public hearing.

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Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, one of the high court’s more conservative members, says the death penalty is no longer working for the state.

By Maura Dolan, Los Angeles Times
December 24, 2011

Reporting from San Francisco— Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, who heads the state’s judicial branch and its highest court, said in an interview that the death penalty is no longer effective in California and suggested she would welcome a public debate on its merits and costs.

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Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
December 23, 2011

Responding to concerns by Gov. Jerry Brown, Democratic leaders and budget stakeholders, civil rights attorney Molly Munger today submitted a new version of her initiative to increase income taxes for California schools.

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Sen. Bob Dutton, left, discusses pension reform at a Capitol news conference in November. With him is state Sen. Tom Harman. Credit: Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press

PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State
December 23, 2011 | 12:58 pm

Republicans in the state Senate will get a new leader to go with the new year.

Senate Minority leader Bob Dutton of Rancho Cucamonga announced Friday that he will step down after the Republican caucus chooses a new leader in January.

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Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and U.S. Representative Ron Paul (R-Texas) have qualified for the Virginia primary ballot.

Posted at 03:40 AM ET, 12/24/2011

By Anita Kumar

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Gov. Rick Perry failed to submit enough valid signatures to qualify for the Virginia primary ballot, state GOP officials said Friday evening and early Saturday.

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By Phil Kuntz and Bob Ivry – Dec 22, 2011 9:01 PM PT

Dec. 7 (Bloomberg) — Matthew Winkler, editor-in-chief of Bloomberg News, talks about Bloomberg News’ response to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke’s letter to four senior lawmakers yesterday that said recent news articles about the central bank’s emergency lending programs contained “egregious errors.” Winkler speaks with Tom Keene on Bloomberg Television’s “Surveillance Midday.” (Source: Bloomberg)

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