The state Supreme Court, ruling on a case that has become pivotal in California's debate over gay rights, says the backers of ballot initiatives can defend their measures in court when the governor and attorney general refuse to do so.
The Bee's David Siders and Peter Hecht tell the tale: "In a major lift for supporters of California's same-sex marriage ban, the state's highest court ruled Thursday that proponents of ballot initiatives can defend their measures in court when the governor and attorney general refuse to do so."
"The California Supreme Court's ruling sets the stage for the continuation of a legal battle over gay marriage that is drawing national attention and is widely expected to reach the U.S. Supreme Court."
"In the wake of the opinion, the federal appeals court that is considering the legality of the state's gay marriage ban is expected to rule on constitutional questions at the heart of the measure."
The ban, Proposition 8, was approved by voters in 2008 but was ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge last year. Legal arguments over the measure's constitutionality had been on hold for months as the federal appeals court awaited this ruling.
Hotelier Doug Manchester bought the San Diego Union-Tribune on Thursday, returning the paper to local ownership in a sale that would appear to turn a big profit for a private equity firm that bought it two years ago.
From Rob Davis in the Voice of San Diego: "In a brief interview, Manchester said he paid "above" $110 million for the newspaper. "The asking price was a lot higher than that," he said. The price is more than double what the Wall Street Journal said Platinum Equity bought the paper for in 2009."
"Manchester, a prominent conservative downtown hotelier who insists on being called "Papa Doug," takes the reins as owner; John Lynch, a former radio executive, will become the president and CEO of the newspaper company. Manchester declined other comment, saying the parties in the sale had agreed to stay silent until the deal was finalized between Nov. 30 and Dec. 15..."
"During a newsroom meeting, a source said Publisher Ed Moss welcomed the sale and reported that Manchester was interested in the newspaper — not just the 13 acres in Mission Valley that comes with it. The paper's headquarters sits on valuable land just south of the Fashion Valley mall."
Speaking of newspapers, the state Supreme Court is going to decide whether disgraced journalist Stephen Glass, formerly of the New Republic, is fit to practice law.
Cheryl Miller in The Recorder has the story: "The announcement marks the first time in 11 years that the Supreme Court has granted review in a moral character case, according to the Bar."
"In his mid-20s, Glass was a high-flying writer for The New Republic who also penned articles for Harper's, Rolling Stone and other publications. His crackling tales about ill-mannered politicians, a teenage computer hacker and benevolent foundations gone awry led Vanity Fair to call him the "hottest young star in the competitive orbit of Washington journalism."
"But Glass' stories were just that — stories. After numerous complaints, The New Republic conducted an investigation and determined that 27 of 41 stories Glass had written contained detectable fabrications, some of which he went to great lengths to conceal. Glass was fired by The New Republic and was generally shunned by the journalism world."
The crackdown on protesters at UC Berkeley stirred memories of the campus' turbulent past, in which civil protests were met with force. Jennifer Gollan in the Bay Citizen has the story.
"The university embraces activism as part of its official history. But as the Occupy movement spreads to Berkeley, some students and faculty members said they feared that administrators were turning back the clock, using harsh tactics to suppress political advocacy protected by university policy that grew out of the Free Speech Movement."
"As night fell on Tuesday, protesters voted overwhelmingly to put up tents in defiance of Robert J. Birgeneau, Berkeley’s chancellor, who has prohibited encampments synonymous with the Occupy demonstrations. More than a week ago, the police dragged protesters by the hair and struck them with batons as they tried to protect a similar encampment."
"By Thursday, the new tent city was gone. University police in riot gear descended on Sproul Plaza at 3:30 a.m. and dismantled about 20 tents. Most protesters left peacefully, the police said, but two were charged with illegal lodging and failure to disperse, both misdemeanors."