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Saturday, March 20, 2010

THE SACRAMENTO BEE
sacbee.com

TOP STORIES

OVERHAULING HEALTH CARE: See the key provisions of the bill before the House and
what it would mean to you. Page A14

Rights supporters object to possible deal by Democrats
CAL ADVANCES AS CORNELL STUNS
No. 8 seed Cal defeats No. 9 Louisville 77-62 in the South Regional of the NCAA Tournament.
In the East bracket, 12th-seeded Cornell upsets No. 5 Temple 78-65. Sports, C1

Abortion foes’ votes sought

OUR REGION

The Meadowview Jazz Festival, one of the largest summer concerts in the city, has
been canceled – another victim of the sour economy. B1 One of Sacramento’s finest
eateries, the upscale Enotria Restaurant on Del Paso Boulevard, will embark on a
$1.5 million expansion. Bob Shallit, B1

President Barack Obama delivers an impassioned plea for the health care bill Friday
at George Mason University.

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

CAPITOL & CALIFORNIA

GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman is running a series of ads attacking rival
Steve Poizner. The Bee examines her latest ad – and reports why it’s inaccurate.
A3 The elderly Texas billionaire who married Anna Nicole Smith never intended to
leave the former stripper any portion of his vast fortune, a federal appeals court
rules. A4

A judge throws out a 9/11 settlement, saying the deal shortchanges sickened N.Y.
workers. A10

NATION

WORLD

Iraq’s election results portend battles reflecting various ethnic and religious
divisions. A6 Tribal leaders in Pakistan will meet today to discuss ending their
support for Taliban militants. A7

On Friday: House Democratic fence-sitters began choosing sides, but the bill’s
fate remained up in the air. Three more Democrats announced support after voting
against an earlier version of the bill, bringing the number of switches in favor
to seven. But three House members said they would switch from yes to no. One issue
causing fresh concerns from some undecided Democrats was disparities in payment levels
to Medicare providers in different areas of the country. Republicans sought to tarnish
Democratic claims of deficit savings, circulating a Congressional Budget Office estimate
that deficits would rise by $59 billion once the costs of raising doctor fees under
Medicare were added in. – Associated Press

Opponents of a health care overhaul rally outside George Mason University on Friday
before President Barack Obama makes an appeal for the package headed for a House
vote Sunday. “We are at the point where we are going to do something historic this
weekend,” Obama said.

TEMPERS FLARE OVER UNEQUAL MEDICARE PAYMENTS TO STATES
By David M. Herszenhorn who support abortion rights. and Robert Pear It was not immediately
New York Times clear if the bill could win apWASHINGTON – House proval without
some concesDemocratic leaders late Friday sions to Democrats seeking were exploring
the possibility tighter abortion restrictions. In similar late-hour wranof a deal
with abortion opponents that would clinch the fi- gling in November, Rep. Bart nal
votes to pass major health Stupak, D-Mich., succeeded in care legislation, but they
faced winning approval of tight limstiff resistance from lawmakers its on insurance
coverage of

abortions in the House health care bill. Stupak has said he would oppose the current
measure without similar limits. Other Democratic opponents of abortion have said
they are satisfied with the language in the Senate bill that bans the use of federal
money to pay for coverage of the procedure, and they have pledged support for the
package, expected to come to a decisive vote in the House on Sunday. “We don’t
want another

vote on abortion,” said Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., a champion of abortion rights,
as she left a meeting Friday evening in the office of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San
Francisco. “We are not going to vote for a bill that restricts women’s right
to choose beyond current law.” The abortion issue was just one complication that
Democratic leaders wrestled with Friday. A dispute over Medicare payment rates also
flared as rank-and-file lawmakers HEALTH | Back page, A14

1970s SLAYINGS

BUSINESS

It’s tax season, and the IRS is being particularly generous to some of the nation’s
largest home builders. B6

Cops fear they’ll find new victims in killer’s photos
By Gillian Flaccus
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO-SAN JOAQUIN DELTA

Science reviewers back pump limits
By Matt Weiser and Michael Doyle
mweiser@sacbee.com

SPORTS

The No. 1-ranked St. Mary’s Rams – and that’s No. 1 in the nation – are favored
against Sacramento High in today’s CIF NorCal girls championship. C1 It takes two
overtime periods at Arco but the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Kings 114-108. Tyreke Evans
gets hit in the mouth late in regulation and doesn’t return to action. C1

INSIDE
Sunny

Complete forecast Page B8

Business Classifieds Comics Crosswords Horoscope Jumble Living Here Lottery Obituaries
Movies Sports Television


HUNTINGTON BEACH – Police have been overwhelmed since they released more than 100
photos found in a serial killer’s storage locker, more than 30-year-old pictures
of unidentified girls and women in bell-bottoms, bikinis and Farrah Fawcett hair.
They look like long-lost sisters, mothers and daughters to bereaved callers across
the country and as far away as Denmark. Police have gotten more than 400 phone calls
in a little more than a week. The photos had been in the possession of Rodney Alcala,
who has been in custody since 1979 and recently was convicted of murdering four young
women and a 12-year-old girl. Jurors recommended the death penalty this month.

NICK UT Associated Press

Jurors recommended the death penalty for Rodney Alcala after his convictions recently
for killing four young women and a 12-year-old girl.

Prosecutors say Alcala used his camera to lure victims, and he was seen taking pictures
of the 12-year-old before she disappeared. They fear some of the unidentified people
in the photos released last week may have fallen victim to Alcala as well. “The
first thing is, ‘Oh, my God, I hope these girls are OK,’ and the next thing is,
‘I wonder if any of them are victims.’ Everyone has that question,” prosecutor
Matt Murphy said. “I can’t imagine for a million years that PHOTOS | Page A11

A high-level science panel Friday concluded that federal rules that limit water diversions
from the Delta to protect endangered fish are “scientifically justified,” dealing
a blow to south state water interests that had hoped the review would punch holes
in the rules. The panel of 15 experts was appointed by the National Research Council,
an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, in response to a formal request from
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and the Interior Department. They made their request
at the urging of water

users – particularly San Joaquin Valley farmers – who say the federal restrictions
on pumping in the Delta are ruining them financially. Called biological opinions,
the federal rules regulate how much water is diverted south from the Sacramento-San
Joaquin Delta, depending on the needs of salmon, steelhead, sturgeon and Delta smelt.
State and federal water WATER | Back page, A14

School superintendent race divides Democrats
TEACHERS UNIONS, LATINO ACTIVISTS, OTHERS AT ODDS
By Susan Ferriss
sferriss@sacbee.com

ABOUT THE POST
The job: In California, the schools superintendent shares power – there is also
a Board of Education, and the governor has a secretary of education – but enjoys
a bully pulpit for enforcing standards, nurturing programs and protecting against
budget cuts. The race: The superintendent race is nonpartisan, and if no candidate
gets more than 50 percent of the vote in June, the top two go to a November runoff.

VOLUME 298, NO. 79

It pays $182,000 a year, and comes with responsibility for public schools reeling
from budget cuts and an alarming dropout rate

among Latino and black children. The state superintendent of public instruction is
traditionally not one of the glamorous or bank-breaking political campaigns in California.
But heading toward a June primary, three interest groups with a stake in the race
have already given substantial donations to three candidates with the most money,
all Democrats.

It signals a serious internecine fight brewing among traditional Democratic groups.
Sen. Gloria Romero of Los Angeles is endorsed by EdVoice, a procharter school reform
movement that’s clashed with teachers unions and has support from Los Angeles Latino
activists and wealthy entrepreneurs like the founders of NetFlix and the Gap. SCHOOLS
| Page A11

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WIN McNAMEE Getty Images

CAPITOL & CALIFORNIA
State leaders fill the final slots of a new agency overseeing the Delta. Page A3