Which Way, L.A.?

UC Institutes Comprehensive Admissions Review

With its nine campuses difficult to get into, The University of California has adopted the -comprehensive review- of potential students used by private, Ivy League schools. In addition to grades and extracurricular activities, applicants are asked to write an essay about the adversity they-ve had to put with in their lives. If they-ve overcome -life challenges- like a single parent, family illness or a father in prison, they can earn extra points. Critics call the policy a gimmick for raising enrollment of black and Latino students, which dropped after affirmative action was made illegal by Proposition 209. We hear more about the new admissions policy from an attorney for the Pacific Legal Foundation and the University-s associate vice president for student academic affairs. Newsmaker: Judge Rules El Paso Withheld Pipeline Capacity A federal regulatory judge has ruled that last year-s California energy crisis was partially the result of an artificial shortage of natural gas, created by the El Paso Corporation, the nation-s biggest natural gas pipeline company. Severin Bornstein, who directs the University of California Energy Institute, calls the ruling a clear vindication for Governor Gray Davis and a victory for consumers. Reporter-s Notebook: California-s State of Mind on Voting With a statewide election just weeks away, candidates are feverishly guessing what voters expect from elected officials. They might turn to the just published A California State of Mind: The Conflicted Voter in a Changing World. Its author is Mark Baldassare, of the Public Policy Institute of California, and one of the state-s best-regarded public opinion samplers.