Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration has acknowledged for months that it broke its promise to restore more than $2 billion in base education funding this year, but Schwarzenegger insisted Tuesday he never made the pledge and said education leaders are perpetuating a "right-out lie" by criticizing him over it.
• Budget drops special savings
• Dan Walters: $4.5 billion (or so) at stake as governor, Democrats joust over budget
• More budget coverage

The Sacramento City Council approved a generous pay increase to police Tuesday, giving raises of 25 percent to officers, 38 percent to sergeants and 41 percent to dispatchers over the next five years.

More than four in 10 California children born in the United States have at least one foreign-born parent, according to a study released today by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California.

Devin Leyden's not afraid to say it: "Star Wars" changed his life. It's not hyperbole: The 39-year-old Yuba City resident says he has seen the original film 3,597 times. Leyden may be an extreme example of "Star Wars" fandom, but he's certainly not alone in his obsession.

There have been many heated debates over the impact of farmed salmon on the environment, on populations of wild salmon, on the economic impact of the fishing industry and on the health of the fish and the consumers who eat them. If you just want a good piece of fish, which do you choose?
• Panel weighs in on costs, benefits of salmon farming
• More Taste

Where would Vida Blue be today without the demon of substance abuse dragging down his life of athletic brilliance, of love, goodwill and good work? He likely would be in the Baseball Hall of Fame. He likely would be a very rich man. He likely would be at work today, performing charitable acts for youth. And he likely wouldn't have six months of jail time staring him in the face.

Secretary of State Bruce McPherson said Tuesday that there is "no way" that legislative and congressional districts could be redrawn for the 2006 elections, even if voters want it done.

Current Sacramento Municipal Utility District ratepayers likely will not vote on whether the public utility annexes 70,000 Yolo County residents into the system. That was the consensus voiced by a majority of SMUD directors Tuesday at a policy meeting.

Mirroring the increasing dominance of Japanese automakers in the U.S. economy, a top Japanese tractor maker's growth in the farm sector has brought new muscle to Lodi's industrial district.