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Gov. Jerry Brown will push this year to change the way California funds its schools, "hoping to shift more money to poorer districts and end requirements that billions of dollars be spent on particular programs." LAT
Columnist Jim Newton is having a hard time seeing Councilman Dennis Zine as city controller. "Zine has never struck me as a controller type. He's garrulous, outgoing, street-smart — the remnants of his first career as a Los Angeles police officer and union representative." LAT op-ed
Councilman Tony Cardenas goes to Congress, plus 13 other California freshmen. LAT, KPCC News
The City Council’s District 7 race in the spring primary has no incumbent on paper, but the race is shaping up as a classic battle between a political insider with money and organization against three less-experienced challenges. DN
New year brings a new gear for the LA mayoral race. KPCC News
10 stories to watch in California politics for 2013. John Myers
California's water wars are breaking out again, says Dan Walters. Sacto Bee
December may turn out to be the first month that the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services did not euthanize any treatable or healthy animals. "That is an extraordinary landmark in the world of animal welfare." LAT editorial
Embattled sheriff official Paul Tanaka said he would not seek reelection as mayor of Gardena. Breeze
TMZ says that the paparazzo killed while shooting Justin Bieber's car is Chris Guerra, and that in recent months he had worked exclusively on the "Justin Bieber beat." TMZ
Griffith Park, Point Dume, the 6th Street Bridge and a former community hospital in Boyle Heights were among the most popular local filming locations in 2012, with Griffith Park's Bird Sanctuary area #1. LAT
Former Herald Examiner truck driver Chuck Lutz has continued to work in the downtown building as its caretaker for the 23 years since the newspaper folded. He is retiring at age 68. Steve Lopez/LAT
With a six-week window opening for NFL teams to apply for a move to Los Angeles, no franchise has yet to indicate serious interest in relocating here, a key stadium executive said. DN
Wolf OR7 has remained in California since spring and traveled more than 3,000 miles, with only a few suspected sightings. LAT
Scott Sterling, the 31-year-old son of Clippers owner Donald Sterling, was found dead of unknown causes in his Malibu home. Drug overdose is suspected. LAT, AP
A lawsuit by a former member of the Beverly-Wilshire Homes Association alleges the organization's leaders have been giving favorable recommendations to businesses seeking permits, variances and licenses from the city in exchange for financial support. Park LaBrea News
The Clippers' 17-game win streak (including a perfect month of December) ended with a loss to Denver. ESPN LA
Ray Collins, original singer with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention in the 1960s, and more recently a "celebrity transient" in Claremont, was 75. Daily Bulletin, LAT
