Some stories that we haven’t gotten to today:

• Asm. Portantino’s AB 53 salary freeze for state employees making $150K+ got the kaibosh in Committee today. I’m still fairly ambivalent about the bill, but my concern about recruiting and retaining good people remains.

• Following up on a story from a few weeks ago, Orange County supervisors have restored some sex ed funding for Planned Parenthood, after sparking outrage for taking it all away.  This isn’t a perfect fix, but the Supes did back down somewhat.

• Sen. Boxer likes the look of her poll numbers against potential opponents. A Field poll in March (PDF) showed her with just 42% of voters “inclined to re-elect” her.  However, dig down to who might actually run against her, and that poll shows her with huge leads over both Arnold and Carly Fiorina.

• Asm. Nancy Skinner, in the wake of Arlen Specter’s party-switching, sent out a funny invite to her Yacht Party colleagues that read in part:

I want to invite all my Republican colleagues in the California State Assembly and Senate to join the Democratic Party in honor of United States Senator Arlen Specter’s decision to become a Democrat and run with us for re-election… if you act quickly, California can lead the nation rather than following.  We need 54 Democrats in the Assembly and 27 in the Senate to match this.

To RSVP, go to http://www.sos.ca.gov/nvrc/fed… and change your party registration.

Somehow I don’t think she’ll get many takers.

• Schools all over the state are closing due to swine flu. Closings included Visalia and two schools in the Bay Area.  There was also a possible case at Cal State Long Beach.

• CalPERS and STRS are pressuring Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis to resign.

• Arnold’s VA Secretary, Tom Johnson, is retiring. I admit that I don’t know too much about the man, but he seems like a stand-up guy.