Which Way, L.A.?

Nursing Shortage

In a nation suffering from a shortage of nurses, California ranks 49th out of 50. Now, Governor Davis wants to require hospitals to increase their nursing staffs. To help make that possible, he's offering 60 million dollars to train 5,100 nurses over the next three years. While the nurses' union is thrilled, hospitals are worried about the money. We examine the proposal and its impact on patient care with representatives from California's largest nurses' union and a trade organization that represents private and public hospitals in the region. Newsmaker: State Court Backs Police on Searches Rights The California Supreme Court has split 4 to 3 on a decision the 3 dissenters say violates the US Constitution. It holds that, when a driver fails to produce a license or automobile registration, the police can search the car even without a warrant or reason to think any crime has been committed. Peter Blumberg writes for the San Francisco and Los Angeles Daily Journals, which specialize in the law. Reporter's Notebook: Opinion writing class Everybody's got an opinion, but not everybody's opinion gets published. Joel Bellman says you can learn how to do it, and he's the man to teach you. Bellman began professional life as a journalist and editorial writer before going to work for former LA County Supervisor Ed Edleman. Now he works for Edleman's successor, Zev Yaroslavsky.