Top of the morning’s news
- The legal battle over same sex marriage returns to the California Supreme Court today when the court takes up whether sponsors of Prop 8 have legal standing to defend the state law banning same sex marriage after former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and then Attorney General Jerry Brown refused to do so. Mercury News
- Anderson Cooper’s syndicated talk show, “Anderson,” debuts Wednesday just a few floors down from his CNN studio in New York’s Lincoln Center. TV Newser
- The weather forecast from Al Gore: worse disasters ahead if there’s no action soon on climate change. The Daily Beast
- Today is Jill Abramson’s first day as executive editor at the New York Times, replacing Bill Keller. Romenesko
- Prominent Democratic campaign treasurer Kindee Durkee was arrested by the FBI under suspicion of running a fake “Californians for Obama” campaign that the Chronicle first reported on four years ago. Chronicle Politics blog
- Rick Perry may be far ahead of Mitt Romney among Republicans nationally, but among California GOPers, they’re running neck and neck. Chronicle Politics blog
- As the legislative session draws to a close, the move to overhaul California’s high-speed rail authority appears to be faltering. California Watch
“Californians have growing concerns about the state of the economy and the president's performance on economic matters, but they don't see anyone on the Republican side who they are willing to support.”-- USC/LA Times poll director Dan Schnur, on poll results showing President Obama beating Mitt Romney by 19 points and Rick Perry by 24 points among state voters in hypothetical head-to-head matchups.
Other news
- Wednesday night’s gala opening begins a year-long celebration of San Francisco Symphony’s 100th season. Chronicle
- A missing 69-year-old hiker who was found dead in his tent at Yosemite was believed to have died of natural causes. Chronicle
- In case you wondered, yes, the relatively cool Bay Area summer has indeed meant cleaner air with fewer smoggy days. Contra Costa Times
- The LA Times looks at the resurgent debate over California’s controversial three-strikes law, 17 years after it was enacted.
- Although it may go against the grain of Half Moon Bay’s idyllic image, a gang war has erupted there. Mercury News
- The rebound of tule elk at Point Reyes National Seashore has been an environmental success story, but at a cost to local ranchers who say the elk are eating grass and drinking water supplies intended for dairy cattle and other operations. Marin IJ
- They’re still giddy in Sacramento over Division I-AA Sacramento State’s stunning 29-28 upset of Oregon State in Corvallis Saturday. Sac Bee
- A shooting near Guerrero and Camp streets early yesterday was the third homicide in the Mission District in a week. KTVU 2
