High Sierra

Last year at this time, the high ground was brown and splotchy and barren -- barely enough snow for a good ball. This year, though, the snow is back in  the Sierra, and that means water for California when the spring thaw comes.

From Lisa M. Krieger in the Mercury News: "The ritual trek along Highway 50 near Lake Tahoe to survey the state's water outlook revealed more than four feet of soggy snow, with moisture 34 percent above average."

"That compares to last year's depth of 0.14 inches -- scarcely more than a few scattered patches..."

"Last year was dry, except for late spring showers. The crucial reading means the state will be able to deliver at least 40 percent of the supply requested by state water project members this year -- and it expects to give more, as -- and if -- winter storms accrue."

The deal to avert the "fiscal cliff" actually is a pork-filled menu of tax breaks for an array of interests.

From the Chronicle's Joe Garofoli and David Baker: "But the 150-plus-page compromise legislation that passed the House and Senate is stuffed with corporate and individual tax breaks that have nothing to do with averting a fiscal dive. Inside it are billions of dollars in tax breaks for everyone from racetrack owners to Hollywood producers to California's alternative energy industry."

"The recipients are, as the nonpartisan Sunlight Foundation put it Wednesday, "the sort of taxpayers who can spend millions on lobbyists and whose PACs (political action committees) and employees can give millions more to the campaigns of lawmakers."

"Many of these tax breaks are frequently tacked on to unrelated, end-of-the-session legislation that must pass. Many would have died lonely legislative deaths if forced to a vote on their own merits, analysts said."

Meanwhile, in Orange County, it's Apocalypse Right Now for the GOP.

From R. Scott Moxley in the OC Weekly: "When all the votes were tallied, Quirk-Silva didn't just squeak by Norby. The Fullerton mayor easily won a race that both liberal and conservative campaign experts labeled in pre-election analysis as a solid GOP seat. She pulled ahead early on election night, never relinquished the lead and ultimately sailed to victory with a 5,500-vote margin."

"For decades, Orange County Democrats such as Loretta Sanchez, Tom Umberg, Jose Solorio, Jerry Patterson and Lou Correa won state or federal elections only in portions of the county where they enjoyed sizeable voter-registration advantages. Quirk-Silva made history. With the help of her rookie campaign manager, 31-year-old ex-punk-rock band member Jason Mills, the elementary-school teacher did what was considered impossible in a place once hailed by conservatives as Reagan Country: defeated a Republican incumbent in a district where Republicans outnumbered Democrats at the outset of the race and which for decades had sent rabid right-wingers to Sacramento."

"Was the victory of another Latina Democrat over a veteran, white Republican politician a meaningless fluke or further proof of the GOP's inability to adapt to shifting population demographics? Have OC and California Republicans finally hit rock-bottom? Do they have a plan to recover some semblance of power? Or are they destined for more ballot-box irrelevance?"

Retirees from the Livermore Lab have a won a round in a legal battle stemming from forced cuts in their pension health care.

From the Chronicle's Bob Egelko: "A state appeals court has revived a lawsuit by retired employees of the University of California's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory over UC's decision in 2008 to switch their health insurance to a private plan that covered less and cost more."

"The four retirees presented evidence that the university had promised them lifetime health coverage and can try to prove that the shift to a lesser plan was a breach of contract, the First District Court of San Francisco ruled Monday. The court reversed an Alameda County judge's decision to dismiss the suit."

"Although they have not filed a class-action suit on behalf of all retired lab employees, Dov Grunschlag, a lawyer for the four retirees, predicted that their case would lead to reinstatement of all Livermore retirees' UC health coverage."