"The state
postponed condemned murderer Michael Morales' execution indefinitely Tuesday, two hours before it was scheduled to begin, saying prison officials could not comply with a federal judge's latest order to revise California's lethal-injection procedures," report Stacy Finz, Bob Egelko and Kevin Fagan in the Chron.
After anesthesiologists walked out on a scheduled execution yesterday morning, prison officials planned to inject Morales with a lethal dose of barbiturates last night.
"But Tuesday afternoon, U.S. District Judge
Jeremy Fogel imposed further conditions to minimize the risk of a botched and painful execution: The drug would have to be administered by a licensed professional and injected directly into Morales' vein, rather than flow through an intravenous tube from outside the death chamber, meaning that the person giving the injection would have to be in the chamber with Morales."
"State officials
rejected the conditions and said they would instead ask Fogel to reinstate the procedure used in California's 11 previous lethal injections. Sodium pentothal is administered under that procedure to render a prisoner unconscious, and two other drugs paralyze his muscles and stop his heart. A hearing on the request
will not be held until May, and Morales' execution cannot be rescheduled until after Fogel rules."
Linda Goldston
looks into the medical community's discomfort with executions for the Merc News.
"In a dramatic fall from a position of political influence, former Los Angeles City Councilman
Martin Ludlow announced his resignation Tuesday as head of a powerful Southern California labor group and was close to reaching a plea bargain with prosecutors who believe union money flowed illegally to his council campaign," report Patrick McGreevy and Steve Hymon in the Times.
"A veteran political figure and close confidant of Los Angeles Mayor
Antonio Villaraigosa, Ludlow served just eight months as executive secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor after resigning his council post to fill the union void left by the unexpected death last May of his mentor,
Miguel Contreras."
"According to sources, authorities offered Ludlow a deal that might allow him to avoid jail but
he would face $181,000 in fines, $81,000 in restitution and be barred for more than a decade from serving in public office or a union leadership position."
Steve Hymon explains in the Times why what would ordinarily be a fine for local or state campaign violations
threatens Ludlow with jail for a federal crime.
Ludlow "is alleged to have received at least $53,000 of assistance illegally funneled through a union, putting him in the crosshairs of a federal law that oversees dues paid by members of organized labor."
"In particular, according to sources, Ludlow was investigated by the federal government for conspiring to embezzle money, property or other assets from a labor organization."
"The regulation of unions has long been the domain of the federal government. Such laws have their roots in the government's attempt to protect the interests and money of rank-and-file union members while also keeping regulations of unions uniform from state to state."
From our
It's A Bird, It's a Plane Files, the guv will take a helicopter tour of local levees today with Sen.
Dianne Feinstein, Rep.
Richard Pombo, Reps.
Doris Matsui and Sacramento Mayor
Heather Fargo.
Meanwhile, Villaraigosa continues his Capitol tour, joining
Gavin Newsom,
Don Perata and
Fabian Nuņez to push for affordable housing as part of the infrastructure bond.
Speaking of bonds, Hank Shaw says the governor's proposed
$3 per month water user fee doesn't have a whole lot of support in the Legislature.
"As state Assembly and Senate bill writers draft their amendments to Schwarzenegger's $35 billion waterworks proposal, it is all but certain the legislation that emerges will not include the fee ... Southern Californians said the fee's structure made them pay for Northern California's protection. Northern Californians said that without that protection, those
Southern Californians had better learn to drink sand."
Steve Geissinger reports in the Oakland Tribune on the
scramble to replace Assembly Democrats in Bay Area districts. "The Democratic scramble for the open seat [in the 18th Assembly District] in the heavily Democratic Bay Area is part of the regular primary cycle every two years that resembles a political "musical chairs" game. All 80 Assembly seats statewide are on the ballot, along with 20 seats, or half, in the Senate."
A Stanford economics student caused a stir Sunday
when he streaked across the floor of the Stanford-Arizona basketball game, apparently in response to the recent firing of the Stanford tree mascot, who was arrested by Cal police for drinking on the job.
"The Sunday streaker had the word, 'Tree' and a tree image painted on his chest and abdomen and the words 'To be continued' on his back. He dashed across the floor at Maples Pavilion during a break in Sunday's (Feb. 19) game against University of Arizona, ran up a stair aisle, out an exit and streaked off."
And, yes,
there's a picture (safe for work).
"Animal activists nationwide are directing their fury at a small, Kern County high school
where a teacher castrated a live pig in front of her class," reports Lisa Shencker in the Bakersfield Californian.
"Letters of protest from across the country have been pouring in to Rosamond High School and the Southern Kern Unified School District offices since People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals posted an alert about the incident on its Web site."
The loudest protests, of course, were from the pig.
"District Superintendent
Rod Van Norman said such animal castrations are merely a reality of managing livestock and a valuable skill to teach students taking the agriculture elective. PETA officials and other animal activists disagree, calling the classroom castration, which was done without anesthesia, cruel and disturbing."
"'It goes on every day. If you think about where your food comes from, this is what happens,' Van Norman said. '
I don't know why they're picking on a little school district.'"
