Martin Luther King Day is about more than a sale at your local department store. His legacy is just as important today as it was then. And the stories in the news today show that the fight for equality must continue.  Here are some links:

* The number of people seeking food stamps is still rising as jobs are tough to find.

* There are some big problems with the Governor’s plan to set up speeding cameras at traffic lights throughout the state. Not the least of which is that these would be illegal under current law. For good reason too, Big Brother.

*  Tea Parties: viable electoral force or angry mob?

*  There’s an interesting question of what to do with an endangered species of fish that were removed from the Santa Ana River for their own protection.  

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*  Greg Lucas looks at all the legislative fundraisers.

* California Watch takes a look at the Courage Campaign vs ProtectMarriage.com fight over the logo at the Prop 8 Trial Tracker.

* Not sure that Nicole Parra’s endorsement carries much weight in the Democratic primary, but Janice Hahn got it for Lt. Guv.

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*  A bakery in Auburn rented out its space to make an ad for a right-wing initiative in Oregon. So, apparently they couldn’t find a business in Oregon to do that?

*  CaliforniaWatch looks back at County party central committee federal election fines over the last few years. There are a bunch split between the two major parties.

*  George Skelton calls the argument that “baby-making” is the principal purpose of marriage “absurd.” He goes back and looks at the reasons for marriage and deems the logic of the argument ridiculous and rather offensive.

*  The state has raided the coffers of the recycling program, and the program is feeling the effect. It is actually in danger of collapse over the next 12 to 18 months. The governor wants to put some of the money back, but whether it is enough remains to be seen.

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*  Thanks to generic for today’s Open Thread Photo. It just works, doesn’t it?

*  Charles Munger, a big GOP backer of Prop 11, wants to take away Congressional districting powers from the Legislature too.  He’s now given about $2 million to the effort. I’m guessing this is grabbing Speaker Pelosi’s attention, and plenty of money will be dispatched to avoid any change to the redistricting process in California.  It is curious that Munger isn’t doing the same thing in Texas, isn’t it?

*  The toll increases on Bay Area Bridges are one step closer to being reality. The issue of ending casual carpool has been discussed here before, but it still stinks.

*  Arnold is getting ready to go to DC to try to smooth talk his hostage situation he’s got going on with the budget.

* CaliforniaWatch has a map of where the H1N1 flu is hitting hardest.

* Eric Wooten thinks that the Governor is setting up a special election for 2011 as one of his last acts before he leaves the joint.

* Some California nurses have volunteered to go to Haiti to help with earthquake relief. As a reminder, you can text Yele to 501501 to donate $5 to Wyclef Jean’s excellent charity, Yele Haiti.

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*  Poizner, sounding like somebody who is trailing badly in the polls, claims they don’t mean anything yet. There is some truth to that, but with Whitman matching and exceeding his spending, he’s going to need some big movement in the next 2 months.

*  Rumors are swirling that Tom McClintock will endorse Richard Pombo’s return to Congress in the 19th District. Looks like that’s going to be a nasty primary.

*  Greg Lucas reminds us that electricity ratepayers are still paying for Enron’s manipulation of our electricity system almost ten years ago.

*  Former Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata is running an initiative for a cigarette tax, and oh, by the way, is also running for mayor of Oakland. The committee for the initiative paid Ignacio De La Fuente, an Oakland councilman, $25,000 for outreach.

* Steve Cooley, LA County DA, officially launched his exploratory committee for AG.

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*  The newspapers of the Bay Area News Group asked for the tax records of the four major candidates for Governor.

*  CalBuzz hands out some awards to the media for recent coverage.

*  Bankruptcies in the Central Valley are at a record high. They are pretty high in the Bay Area too.

*  The California Teachers’ Association is advising locals not to sign any memorandum of understanding regarding the race to the top legislation.

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*  Dave Cogdill wanted out of the Senate, but not necessarily out of government altogether. He’s going to run for Stanislaus County Assessor.

*  There would be a few very happy corportations if the prisons are privatized.

*  Ed Mendel’s got a story in the Capitol Weekly about the state of CalPERS.

*  Richard Trumka, head of the AFL-CIO, stopped in the OC today and defended public pensions.

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*  Alameda County Supervisor Alice Lai-Bitker announced that she will not be seeking re-election. There will likely be something of a melee for the seat, with former Assemblymember Wilma Chan being the biggest name bandied about at the East Bay Citizen.

*  Rep. Radanovich’s endorsement of Sen. Jeff Denham to replace him isn’t going to change, or at least his friends tell the New York Times. Denham’s people are pointing out that if Richard Pombo wins the nomination, there will be a fight in the general election.

*  Rick Caruso, a rich Republican LA developer and possible LA mayoral candidate, has endorsed Jerry Brown for governor. It’s not a bad spot for Caruso, if he does run for mayor, he gets to say that he’s “bipartisan”. If he doesn’t, well, Jerry Brown wasn’t really all that bad to developers in Oakland.

*  The state has proposed a new lethal injection procedure as they aim to restore the death penalty after the four year plus moratorium.

* Asm. Noreen Evans has updated her budget blog with her thoughts about the State of the State.

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*  RIP Bobby Salcedo. The El Monte School Board Member was murdered while visiting his wife’s family in the Mexican state of Durango. The family is asking for donations to the Bobby Salcedo foundation for scholarships to needy families in lieu of flowers. Here’s the details on that: Rio Hondo College Foundation, Attn: Bobby Salcedo Foundation, P.O. Box 4218, El Monte, California 91734

* The Race to the Top legislation is rapidly making its way through the Legislature. In the interim, the administration is asking districts to sign a memorandum of understanding binding them to meeting Race to the top standards.

*  Arnold, a rubber chicken, and some kumbaya. How couldn’t this make everything all better.

*  Facebook privacy guru Chris Kelly dropped $2 million into his AG Campaign.

*  Frank Schubert, the guy who masterminded the Prop 8 Campaign, is supporting his sister for superior court judge. Not all that interesting until you find out that his sister in a registered domestic partnership with her female partner.

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*  The Legislature will be getting some help from some major universities this session. A panel of ten scientists will be on hand to help with legislation.

*  CalBuzz sits down with future Speaker John Perez to talk issues, temperament, and how to make the Assembly most effective.

*  The SoCal ports of LA and Long Beach are fighting to maintain their West Coast position as ports up and down the coast grow.

*  UC Merced is gradually building a relationship with the City of Merced.

*  Ron Dellums has managed to work out a deal with truckers on the emissions from their trucks. The state (and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District) made an additional $11 million available, and as that money is doled out, truckers who are in line can continue to work.