Good morning -- here's what's happening 5.21.08

Day One with a bullet. Well, a shell casing, anyway. That's what's been found so far in the excavation of the Barker Ranch, where Charles Manson and his murderous band of followers once lived. Louis Sahagun is following the story.

An L.A. Unified police officer who reported sex abuse at South East High School says he was punished with "freeway therapy" and transferred to another campus for embarrassing school administrators. Richard Winton has the details.

That prison plan to shift low-risk offenders to community-level care? Great idea, says Michael Rothfeld.

West Nile virus has been found in 13 birds in the O.C. so far this month, David Reyes reports.

You're excused! San Diego city workers who don't want to officiate at gay weddings can just say no. AP via LAT.

Profits at Home Depot drop 66% as the housing slump continues.

Steve Lopez waxes nostalgic for the soon-to-be termed-out Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Who gave what to whom? L.A.'s richest residents (Geffen, Spielberg, Redstone, Selleck) spread their wealth all around the political spectrum, Tina Daunt reports.

Are you missing baseball's super-slugger Barry Bonds? Yeah, neither is the city of San Francisco, where he's quickly vanishing from the collective consciousness. John M. Glionna reports on Bonds' post-Giants slump.

-- Veronique de Turenne

Photos: Los Angeles Times; Associated Press

Comments

[Hoot]

Re: "San Diego County workers may be excused from gay weddings" . . . Imagine if the article read this way:

"Workers in the San Diego County clerk's office who object to mixed-race marriages may be excused from officiating at mixed-race weddings.

County Clerk Gregory Smith says he is considering allowing his employees to opt out of the ceremonies for religious or moral reasons.

The California Supreme Court last week overturned the state's ban on mixed-race marriages, meaning county clerks will be required to perform marriages for mixed-race couples starting next month.

Smith says no employees have asked so far to be excused from officiating at the ceremonies, but he wants to respect those with strong beliefs.

Smith says he doesn't think it's correct "to force employees to do it, and I don't think you would want someone who is hostile to your beliefs performing your ceremony."