Outlook for home prices

The UCLA Anderson Forecast has weighed in with its prognostications on the evolving market of slumping home sales.

In its closely watched quarterly report, the UCLA economic group, which was among the first to declare the housing market a bubble, now predicts that housing prices, at least in California, probably will not decline significantly any time soon.

It does believe that the crumbling housing sector will slow state and national economic output and job growth through 2008.

But, absent a recession or, say, a job loss, the report says homeowners would rather hold on to their existing property in hopes prices will start up again than sell now into a deteriorating market.

“Expect home prices five years from now to be about the same as they are today,� says the forecast. Page C2

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Colorado key to political trends

Colorado has been a Republican stronghold since the mid-1990s.

But now evidence is mounting of Democratic inroads there, a crucial area if the party is to regain national political clout. Polls show Democrats holding an edge in most of the state’s key contests, from an open House seat to the governorship.

The results there in November’s midterm elections could not only tilt the balance of local power but help reshape the national political battlefield for the 2008 presidential election.

Necessity as much as opportunity is driving the new Democratic focus on Western states, including Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada. This November’s results will show whether the party can realistically hope to make further gains there in 2008. Page A20

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China moves on corruption charges

The Chinese government announces it has disciplined two officials for illegally seizing farmland, only 48 hours after it removes the Shanghai party chief on corruption charges.

Like many such moves, there’s more there than meets the eye.

The moves come a week before the Communist Party’s leadership meeting and could mean that President Hu Jintao is purging potential rivals while simultaneously appearing to respond to widespread popular unrest over government corruption.

Analysts say the moves are consistent with a major push against corruption. But the measures also allow repositioning of Hu allies for possible promotion in the coming months. Page A6

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The deputy’s mysterious slaying

Remember that mysterious shooting of a female deputy sheriff seven months ago? She was found by a newspaper deliveryman early one morning shot twice in front of a friend’s driveway in Long Beach.

There was speculation the death was tied to her job, that the real target was her friend or that she accidentally shot herself.

Now, authorities think they have it solved: She was simply the victim of a random crime. Two men tried to steal her purse early that morning. She reached for her service revolver, which jammed. And one of the robbers shot her twice.

Both men have been arrested, the police say. Page B1

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A vertical mall

A new style of high-rise mall -- San Francisco Centre -- opens in the heart of that city’s historical commercial district. Designers say the vertical mall could be a model for downtown redevelopment in L.A. and other cities. Page C1

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BUSINESS

7-Eleven drops Citgo gasoline

Although the move had been in the works for some time, 7-Eleven Inc. announces that it will stop selling the Venezuelan-owned Citgo gasoline brand at its convenience stores.

Citgo has been targeted for boycotts because of comments Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez made about U.S. foreign policy and President Bush. Last week at the United Nations, Chavez called Bush “the devil.�

Citgo’s 20-year contract with 7-Eleven expires at the end of the month. The convenience chain began making the transition to a Torrance-based fuel supplier, Tower Energy Group, two months ago. Page C1

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Dunn defends HP leak investigation

Former Hewlett-Packard Co. chairwoman Patricia Dunn will tell a congressional hearing today that it was her duty to pursue boardroom leaks.

Dunn, who lost her job because of the uproar over the corporate spying, says much of the investigation “struck me as old-fashioned detective work.� Dunn says she initiated but did not direct the spying, which also involved surveillance and an attempt to plant “tracing� software in a reporter’s e-mail.

“I did not find it objectionable that suspected leakers might be followed to see if they were meeting with reporters,� Dunn says in her written testimony. Page C1

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CALENDAR WEEKEND

Free ticket to TV land

If you have an itch to see the inner workings of Hollywood, Hollywood is willing to let you scratch its back. TV shows need studio audiences, and for you, the tickets are free. All you have to do is whoop it up and applaud on command, wait through the retakes and laugh at the punch lines. Page E28

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Bandmates, in every sense

Which is harder, keeping a marriage together or keeping a rock band together? What if two members of the band are married to each other -- does that count as double jeopardy?

Performers married to bandmates say mixing musical and personal passions carries its own advantages and drawbacks. For example, it’s hard to leave bad news at the studio when you live at the studio. “It is good that I have complete support from my partner and he has it from me, but sometimes you just want to have a normal weekend,� says Anita Robinson, half of the duo Viva Voce. Page E10

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Just don’t take one from the bottom

Supermarkets occasionally erect monoliths made of canned goods, attempting to inspire customers with awe (and the urge to buy tomato paste). Starting Friday, a Sherman Oaks shopping mall is upping the ante.

Edible edifices will go on display courtesy of Canstruction, a competition in which architects, designers and engineers build structures out of canned goods. In previous events, teams have created such wonders as a giant hot dog (below), a mermaid and an octopus.

It’s not all for fun. After the exhibition ends, the cans will be donated to a food bank, and visitors are invited to donate canned goods too. Page E14

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HOME

From Cher’s villa to your mantel

Cher is putting the contents of her Malibu villa up for auction, which gives the public a rare opportunity to purchase English Gothic revival antiques created or inspired by 19th-century architect Augustus Welby Pugin.

If that’s not your style, how about Cher’s high school biology workbook?

“I go from one extreme to the other,� she says, and so will the auction. She’s clearing space for new household decor: “Tibetan, Moroccan, Indian Zen. It sounds horrible, but it’s unbelievably beautiful,� she insists. Page F1

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When the stars are out, it’s showtime

Modern equipment and classic Southern California weather make it possible for you to set up your own outdoor movie theater for special occasions. Buy or rent the equipment, put out the chairs, haul in an XXL bag of popcorn and you can have your own uniplex al fresco.

Before you commission a neon marquee for the driveway, though, tag along with writer Jake Klein at two L.A. home screenings. He gathers suggestions and also lays out the costs of playing host to an outdoor cinema party. Page F3

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SPORTS

He’s a big fish in Angels history

Tim Salmon has played for the California Angels, the Anaheim Angels and the L.A. Angels of Anaheim. He worked for the Autrys, for Disney and for Moreno. He remembers when the playoffs weren’t an expectation but a far-off fantasy, and reminds his current teammates about the bad old days. “They don’t know how good they’ve got it,� he says.

Angels fans, though, know how good they’ve had it with Salmon, who’s retiring after this weekend. Page D1

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All ‘Eyes focus on Saturday

Chris Dufresne, in his weekly college football column, suggests that if the Iowa Hawkeyes ever want to join the game’s elite, this Saturday would be a good time to do it. Top-ranked Ohio State is coming to Iowa City, giving the Hawkeyes a chance for their first victory in school history over a team ranked No. 1.

“Obviously, there’s a real buzz on campus right now, like you’d expect when the top team in the country comes to town,� Coach Kirk Ferentz says. Page D8

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ON LATIMES.COM

Battle brewing over ‘Diamonds’

The diamond debates: In the upcoming film “Blood Diamonds,� Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou and Jennifer Connelly dramatize the links between jewel mining and civil wars in southern Africa. As Elizabeth Snead reports in her Hollywood Bytes blog, publicists for the glitz industry have been busy laying battle lines for a potential public relations war. Already the DeBeers diamond company has mounted a massive campaign to portray the benefits diamond mining has brought the region. And now, Snead writes, the Kalahari bushmen have entered the fight. Claiming to have been robbed of their land by diamond concerns, they are asking the film’s stars to support their struggle. When Hollywood faces a choice between baubles and causes, where will it turn?

latimes.com/hollywoodbytes

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