And off we go:

• Interestingly enough, despite all the economic troubles, Dan Walters points out that California’s population is still increasing. The best estimate of population is now 38,293,000.

• Cleve Jones and Robert Haaland explain why LGBTs should support labor and the Employee Free Choice Act.  We need more progressive coalitions like this.  And Dianne Feinstein, take note of who you’re pissing off here.

• Following up on Miss California Carrie Prejean’s new gig as a spokesmodel for anti-gay marriage forces, Digby has a great history lesson on fellow beauty pageant contestant Anita Bryant and what happened to her.

• There was a bomb scare at the Capitol today.

• Oooh, an interesting campaign for a seat on the CalPERS board.

• The Governor is finally pushing for a bill offering education breaks to state National Guard members.  We’re the only state in the union that doesn’t do this.  Schwarzenegger also has a crush on Obama.

• TPMMuckraker’s Zachary Roth has been doing great work on the Jane Harman story, and he delves further into the evidence that former CIA Director Porter Goss was behind this recent leak.