State Assemblywoman Nell Soto, who is 80, has been out with a bad case of pneumonia since March — not that the political media has noticed. The San Gabriel Valley Tribune and Inland Valley Daily Bulletin have not noted her absence from votes or community appearances, and the L.A. Times hasn't mentioned Soto in any context this year, according to searches of the papers' websites. The Foothill Cities Blog turned up one citation behind the pay wall at the Sacramento Bee that says Soto hasn't been seen in the Capitol since March 8. Soto represents (if that's the right word) the 61st district cities of Ontario, Pomona and others.

* Then on Wednesday: Today's Times mentions, in a story on the same-sex unions vote, that Soto missed the tally due to absence.