Today’s News: D.A. to examine church abuse files; Billions for Dodgers TV rights

Church file fallout. The L.A. District Attorney is vowing to review all sex abuse files released by the Los Angeles Catholic Archdiocese for possible criminal conduct by church leaders. Newly released documents show Cardinal Roger Mahony and others worked to shield abusive priests from prosecution. Abuse survivors say Mahony and his former chief aide for sex abuse cases, Monsignor Thomas Curry, should be held criminally accountable for hiding the abuse and protecting priests who committed heinous crimes against children. The documents released this week show Mahony and Curry discussed strategies for thwarting police investigations of three priests who admitted abusing boys. But new charges are unlikely. The cases in question date to the 1980s and the statute of limitations on possible charges such as child endangerment have long since expired. Mahony, who retired in 2011, has apologized for the abuse scandal again this week and says he prays for the victims of abuse daily. Curry, now an auxiliary bishop in Santa Barbara, also apologized this week for his past actions. L.A. Times

Dodger doings. Baseball fans and sports economists gasped when Guggenheim Partners ponied up a record $2 billion-plus to buy the Dodgers last year. But a new local TV deal suggests Guggenheim may not have overpaid. The L.A. Times reports the Dodgers are on the verge of signing a 20-year pact with Time Warner Cable that would pay the team between $7 billion and $8 billion dollars – a record for a U.S. sports franchise. Time Warner will reportedly establish a new channel devoted to all-things Dodgers. Meanwhile, one of the team’s all-time greats is returning to a prominent role with the franchise. Sandy Koufax will be a special advisor to team Chairman Mark Walter. It’s the first time in more than 20 years Koufax has had an official role with the club. L.A. Times

Riverside cross. Despite public opposition, the Riverside City Council has voted to sell land where a cross erected more than a century ago has presented legal problems. Selling the parcel atop Mount Rubidoux could allow the cross to stand, and it enables the city to skirt a potential lawsuit from activists who say the cross is unconstitutional because it violates the separation of church and state. The city will auction the land. Riverside Press Enterprise

Cal State funding. Administrators with Cal State University are promising to hold the line on tuition next year, but they’re also asking the state for nearly $250 million more than the funding proposed in Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget. That’s not sitting well with the governor, who told trustees that the university will have to make do without everything it’s asking for. The governor’s proposed budget would give Cal State $125 million more than last year. It’s asking for a bump of $370 million. O.C. Register

The state’s bank account is looking better. California revenues may finish January about $4 billion ahead of projections because of a jump in income taxes. The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office also says the state set a single-day record on Jan. 16 when the Franchise Tax Board received $2.2 billion in taxes, mostly in payments from quarterly filers. Sacramento Bee