A.M. Splash: Lee, Mirkarimi Sworn In; Brown's Budget Proposes Killing Transitional Kindergarten

Standing under the towering Beaux-Arts dome of City Hall, Ed Lee took the oath as the mayor of San Francisco Sunday morning, the first Asian American ever elected to the city's top job. In his 26-minute inaugural address, Lee, the 43rd mayor of San Francisco, looked back at his year as the city's interim mayor and vowed to continue his efforts to bring "a new level of civility" to City Hall and not to let city government "get bogged down in acrimony."

Ross Mirkarimi was ceremonially sworn in as San Francisco's 35th sheriff in a packed Civic Center auditorium Sunday and wasted no time acknowledging the legal and political challenge he faces amid a police investigation into allegations that he abused his wife.

A clash between police and protesters Saturday night ended with six protesters arrested, windows broken in a Starbucks coffee shop and a handful of police cars, and Occupy Oakland organizers promising more action opposed to police violence. A crowd estimated at between 200 and 300 people began marching around 8 p.m. at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, which has served as a rallying point and occasional camping ground for Occupy protesters.

In his latest budget, the Democratic governor proposed a permanent elimination of funds for transitional kindergarten, a new program designed to serve children not yet ready for regular kindergarten. It would save $223.7 million in 2012-13 and $672 million at full implementation in 2014-15.

If the Legislature approves the plan Gov. Jerry Brown released Thursday as part of his budget blueprint, California could become the first state to entirely eliminate its prisons for youthful offenders, juvenile crime experts say. The responsibility for jailing all youths would shift to local governments. Fiscal pressure in a system with annual costs of $200,000 per ward drove Brown to propose halting new admissions into the Division of Juvenile Justice. Under the plan, beginning next year the state's three remaining youth prisons would be phased out as current inmates complete their terms.

...With one recall petition circulating and another recall group announcing the hiring of a campaign consultant and its intention to spend $30,000 on paid signature gatherers, Oakland lawmakers are trying to steer clear of the subject. While several council members say the recall effort would be an unfortunate distraction, only Nancy Nadel -- the lone council member to endorse Quan during the 2010 mayoral election -- says she would actively campaign against it.

Tens of millions of dollars that Contra Costa public agencies already have spent is on the line in the latest round of the epic seven-year battle between the county and Chevron over property taxes on the oil giant's Richmond refinery. After months of evidentiary hearings, the battling parties are expected to deliver closing arguments this week in the oil company's appeal of its 2007-09 refinery values, from which the county bases property taxes. The three-member county Assessment Appeals Board will likely issue a decision this spring. If Chevron wins everything it wants, local public agencies would repay as much as $73 million in property tax revenues.

As a prime mover behind the appointment and election of San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce consultant, activist and confidante of former Mayors Art Agnos and Willie Brown has re-emerged as one of the biggest power players in the city.

After years of planning and study, a proposed $84 million expansion of Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport is set for a vote Tuesday by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. The project calls for longer runways, more commercial flights and a new passenger terminal, along with other upgrades. It was approved by the county Planning Commission last month in a 4-1 vote.