Today’s News: Bid to arm teachers; Going after group homes; Villaraigosa to D.C.?

Arming teachers. A Southern California Assemblyman is expected to unveil a new proposal for countering gun violence in schools today: secretly arming teachers or other school officials. The bill by Hesperia Assemblyman Tim Donnelly is the Republican answer to a slew of gun control measures introduced by majority Democrats following the school shootings in Newtown, Connecticut. Donnelly received a fine and probation last year after pleading no contest to trying to board a plane at Ontario Airport with a loaded handgun in his carry-on luggage. Contra Costa Times

Group homes. The L.A. City Council is poised to vote today on a controversial proposal to impose stricter controls on group homes. The ordinance by San Fernando Valley Councilman Mitch Englander aims to rid neighborhoods of overcrowded – and some say dangerous – facilities that house recovering addicts, the mentally ill and the homeless. Critics say the law would have an adverse impact on some of the region’s neediest residents. L.A. Times

Immigration overhaul. Immigration reform activists in California are cheering President Obama’s proposed overhaul. The plan would allow many undocumented immigrants to work in the country legally and open a path to citizenship. California is home to about 2.5 million of the country’s estimated 11 million illegal immigrants. The president wants to speed-up the application process for U.S. citizenship and place less emphasis on border security. L.A. Times

Mayor’s future. Speculation is again heating up that L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa could get a job in President Obama’s Cabinet. Villaraigosa, who chaired last year’s Democratic National Convention, is reportedly on a short list of possible candidates to replace departed U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. The mayor is in South Korea for the Special Olympics this week and has not commented on the reports. L.A. Daily News

Prison conditions. Federal judges have given the state of California six more months to reduce inmate crowding to court-ordered levels. California was supposed to reduce its adult prison population to about 110,000 inmates by June. Governor Jerry Brown has asked the courts to lift the inmate population cap altogether. But a three-judge panel ruled the state is obligated to keep trying to meet the cap as the legal fight continues. The deadline, however, was extended to near the end of the year. Sacramento Bee