BRIEFLY ELECTRIC TROLLEYS MIGHT BE REVIVED.

A city board voted unanimously Thursday to study the feasibility of resurrecting the trolley system in Los Angeles.

The system being considered - more than 40 years after the last Pacific Electric Red Car clanged to a stop - would consist of a 5-mile-long loop connecting downtown landmarks from Chinatown to Staples Center, according to media reports. The Los Angeles redevelopment board agreed to spend $100,000 to determine the feasibility of building the system, which would use replicas - and possibly even a few original trolleys - from the historic Pacific Electric Railway that ran from 1903 to 1961.

- City News Service

Another condor chick found dead

SANTA BARBARA - A California condor chick that was part of an ambitious breeding program was found dead near its nest, the week after another was discovered with a broken wing and 35 bottle caps in its gullet.

The dead chick also had trash in its stomach, and the cause of death was unclear, said Mike Wallace, team leader for the California Condor Recovery Program.

- Associated Press

Pursued motorist jumps into ocean

VENTURA - A man who told officers he was trying to avoid a third drunk-driving arrest jumped off the Ventura Pier with officers in hot pursuit, authorities said Thursday.

California Highway Patrol officers tried to pull the man over about 2 a.m. Wednesday in Ventura, but he fled and eventually abandoned his car near the beach, CHP Officer Sergio Perez said.

Police were searching nearby dunes when a fisherman reported that a man swimming near the pier asked him for a rope, Perez said.

Brian Sutherland, 34, of San Jacinto was fished out of the water and arrested on a no-bail warrant, Perez said.

- Daily News

Illegal immigrant licensing backed

Los Angeles City Council members voted 12-1 to support state legislation that would allow illegal immigrants to receive California driver's licenses.

Council members said granting driver's licenses would encourage more immigrants to get insurance and would allow authorities to identify them more readily, reducing concerns about terrorism. In addition, drivers with licenses would be less likely to flee the scene of an accident, council members said. Councilman Greig Smith dissented. He said he opposes measures that confer legitimacy upon illegal immigration.

- Daily News

Council tightens news rack rules

Despite protests from newspaper industry representatives, Los Angeles City Council members have approved changes to the city's regulations on news racks.

The changes restrict the placement of news racks near crosswalks, bus benches, in front of businesses and near traffic signs. On March 31, the council had approved a set of regulations on the placement and appearance of news racks, which members said was necessary to reduce clutter on streets and sidewalks.

Representatives of the Los Angeles Times and the Daily News told the council that they don't oppose some regulations, but continued to object to a requirement that news racks be a uniform shade of green. That requirement deprives publications of their unique identities and brands, the industry representatives said.

- Daily News