Morning Splash: CSU to Seek 12% Tuition Hike; LGBT Textbook Bill to Guv; Alameda Cty, DOJ Settle on Helping Non-English Speaking Voters

California State University Chancellor Charles Reed will ask trustees next week to raise tuition by 12 percent, or $588 a year, to help offset a cut in state funding of at least $650 million. The new prices would take affect immediately for the fall semester, the university reported. Tuition is already set to rise by 10 percent this fall, a decision trustees made last November.

A controversial bill that would add the historical contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans to public school textbooks in California is headed to the desk of Gov. Jerry Brown after it was approved by the Assembly Tuesday. Supporters say the bill would make California the only state in the nation to require inclusion of LGBT people in textbooks, though no state bans teaching on that topic.

Alameda County will have to step up efforts to assist Chinese and Spanish-speaking voters with limited English ability during elections as the result of a settlement announced Tuesday. The Department of Justice accused the county in a lawsuit of failing to train an adequate pool of Mandarin, Cantonese and Spanish speakers to serve as poll workers and assist voters on Election Day. The agency also alleged the county did not translate or properly distribute ballots and other election-related material in Chinese and Spanish, a violation of the federal Voting Rights Act.

Surveillance camera footage gives a "partial view" of an incident in which a BART police officer shot a knife-wielding man in San Francisco, but does not show his actions at the moment the shots were fired, BART officials said Tuesday.

...Two Sonoma County men — Russ Bautista of Penngrove and Shawn Chaddock of Petaluma — were among seven Americans still unaccounted for Tuesday as Mexican and U.S. authorities continued their search for survivors. Information relayed by the survivors to their friends and families provided a riveting account Tuesday of what they endured before their rescue. It also raises questions about whether the tragedy could have been avoided and whether the ship was properly outfitted for the howling winds and high seas that contributed to the boat capsizing.

Backers of Mayor Ed Lee's ballot measure to reform the city's pension and health care systems have long hoped Public Defender Jeff Adachi would withdraw his competing measure - but the chances of that appear to be increasingly unlikely. Adachi is scheduled to hold a press conference today, to slam Lee's pension deal with the firefighters and police officers unions. Asked about the likelihood of abandoning his pension effort, Adachi said, "At this point? Zero."

California Pacific Medical Center announced Tuesday what it is willing to offer San Francisco in exchange for the right to build a new hospital on Cathedral Hill. The benefits include money for clinics and affordable housing, but fall far short of what Mayor Ed Lee requested of the hospital in May. The announcement angered a coalition of nonprofit organizations that say the hospital should be doing more for the city’s residents.

Arts Commission Executive Director Luis Cancel has resigned as the head of the department tasked with providing money to artists, cultural centers and the symphony. Cancel told Mayor Ed Lee he is quitting the job, which pays $147,633 not including benefits, so that he can move back to New York. But the resignation also comes shortly after news leaked that members of the commission felt Cancel had been spending too much time in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he reportedly had a second home.

After drawing thinner crowds in two previous years, the Marin County Fair reported a more than 5 percent increase in paid attendance for the five-day San Rafael event that ended Monday. The fair sold 88,720 tickets, up from 84,233 last year and enough to bring in record admissions revenue of $1.3 million. The fair also generated record revenues of $1.1 million in food and drinks sales, $108,174 in parking fees and more than $36,000 in fine art sales. Art revenue was expected to rise by several thousand dollars on post-fair sales.

As California's elected leaders took drastic steps to cut spending last year, the state was paying hundreds of its workers six-figure earnings that far exceeded base salaries, according to newly released compensation data for public employees. The data, compiled by state Controller John Chiang, show that more than 500 state employees made more than $240,000 before taxes in 2010. The controller listed last year's pay for all 256,222 state workers on his website, but did not include their names.

The animals aren't the only ones who will benefit from a sprawling new veterinary hospital and a unique exhibit showcasing California native species. The Oakland Zoo expansion projects are expected to pump roughly $111 million into the city and county over the next few years, according to an economic impact report prepared for the zoo. Last month, after 13 years of planning, negotiating with neighbors, replanning and renegotiating, the zoo got the final approval it needs to move ahead with plans to expand by 54 acres into Knowland Park by building a 17,000 square-foot veterinary hospital; the California Trails exhibit featuring condors, mountain lions and grizzly bears; an aerial gondola; an overnight camping area and an interpretive center.

New data shows that 2010 was a record year for California's efforts to encourage homeowners and businesses to install rooftop solar panels. Californians installed 194 megawatts of new solar electric generating equipment in 2010 -- a 47 percent increase over 2009, according to a report released Tuesday about the California Solar Initiative. One megawatt is enough to power 750 to 1,000 homes. But since the sun doesn't shine all the time, solar industry experts say that one megawatt of solar can power about 200 households.