The governor, maneuvering against a federal court order to reduce California's prison population, took his case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
From the AP's Don Thompson: "Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday made one final bid to delay a federal court order requiring the state to release nearly 10,000 inmates by year's end to improve conditions in California prisons, saying it would jeopardize public safety."
"Brown's administration filed a request with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy seeking to delay the order forcing the state to immediately take steps to further reduce its prison population."
"If Kennedy agrees, it will push back the releases for a year while the Supreme Court considers the state's appeal."
Meanwhile, as some people in the Delta are busily putting up signs to protest the state's plans to build huge tunnels to move water, state officials are just as busily taking them down.
From the Bee's Matt Weiser: "State transportation officials have emboldened a protest movement in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta by removing yard signs objecting to Gov. Jerry Brown's plan to build two giant water diversion tunnels."
"The signs, proclaiming "Save the Delta! Stop the Tunnels!", have proliferated in yards fronting state highways in the region in recent weeks. It is an effort by residents and activists to make their voices heard on the controversial issue."
"But the signs began to vanish in the last few days, and residents learned they had been removed by workers from the state Transportation Department's maintenance office in Rio Vista. Caltrans officials said the signs were placed too close to the roadway, violating state law."
Money is flowing into state coffers at a rate that is higher than the Brown administration's projections, yet another sign that, finally, the recession is passing into history.
From the Bee's David Siders: "Controller John Chiang put tax revenue in June, the last month of the budget year, about 10 percent higher than Brown estimated the previous month, with revenue for the full year up about 2 percent."
"Brown persuaded lawmakers in budget negotiations this summer to accept relatively modest revenue estimates for the fiscal year beginning July 1, resulting in a budget that increased spending on social services far less than many Democratic lawmakers hoped."
"Rising employment, economic expansion and voter-approved tax increases have generated revenues outperforming even the rosiest of projections," Chiang said in a prepared statement.
"However, California's history of boom or bust revenue cycles should be a cautionary tale that informs our spending decisions and incentivizes policymakers to prudently pay down accumulated debt."
Weed growers are everywhere, everywhere -- including a California state park.
From the Mark Gomez in the Santa Cruz Sentinel: "After hiking two miles over rough terrain Wednesday morning, a law enforcement team found 10,000 marijuana plants deep inside Henry Coe State Park near Gilroy -- one of the largest hauls in recent years."
"The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office Marijuana Eradication team, accompanied by its SWAT team and state Fish and Wildlife wardens, discovered the pot plants growing in a canyon in the southeastern part of the park."
"The sheriff's office anticipated a garden of about 6,000 plants, according to Sgt. John Spagnola, who heads the team. Officers also seized two .22-caliber pellet rifles with high-powered scopes from the garden, which was most likely operated by a Mexican cartel, according to Sheriff Laurie Smith."
The Tribune Company, owner of the LA Times, Chicago Tribune and several other papers, is spinning off its newspapers into a separate business and focusing its main thrust on television. What this means for the Times depends on which analyst you talk to.
From the LAT's Walter Hamilton and Meg James: "The media giant announced Wednesday that it will spin off its publishing unit into a separate company, a maneuver that's likely to delay a long-expected sale of the Los Angeles Times. The spinoff could take nine months to a year to complete."
"The new entity, to be called Tribune Publishing Co., would comprise The Times, the Chicago Tribune and six other daily papers. All other assets, including the company's real estate holdings and stakes in several Internet sites, would remain part of Tribune Co. The spinoff would be tax-free to Tribune shareholders."
"Spinoffs are Wall Street's version of addition by subtraction. The steadily declining advertising revenue of Tribune's publishing unit cast a shadow over the entire company. Hiving off the papers eliminates that risk and raises the value of the company's television, radio and Internet properties."
Finally, you never know what's going to happen in Boston -- you might even catch a glimpse of the Beautiful Brown Booby.
"Some whale watchers got to witness a rare sight in Boston Harbor this week that had nothing to do with whales."
"A female Brown Booby hitched a ride on a Boston Harbor Cruises’ Whale Watch boat, the Asteria. The Brown Booby is a tropical bird that’s typically found in the Caribbean and the Gulf of
Mexico, but is rarely seen in New England."
"The birds’ wingspans can measure up to five feet."
Down the hatch ...