Gifts

As lawmakers wrangled last week over how to plug California's giant deficit, the governor who once called them "girlie men" sent the state Senate leader a package that has some Capitol insiders tsk-tsking over what they see as an ill-timed display of machismo. The gag gift from Gov.

If you received some, ahem, unsatisfying presents during the holidays, you may be wondering whether you can regift them. Passing on gifts you've received as presents to others is OK in certain circumstances, says Regiftable.com, a site run by the nonprofit Money Management International. Don't regift homemade or one-of-a-kind items, signed books, monogrammed or free promotional items, the site advises. Only new gifts in good condition should be regifted.

California's political watchdog agency is drafting tougher disclosure rules for gifts accepted by elected officials and could ban many of them altogether for statewide office-holders. If the Fair Political Practices Commission adopts the proposals, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger could be in jeopardy of losing free overseas trips on luxury jets leased by a taxpayer-subsidized nonprofit, which is linked to the California Chamber of Commerce.

It's NOT a boy. Nor is it a girl. Not yet anyway. That's a ways down the road. But seeing as baby showers are the "it" event right now, I feel like I should plan ahead. So who wants to host this sucker? FYI: Online site Baby-shower.com suggests you create a 10-week timeline. Hmm. Let's make it 12 weeks. After all, you'll need three months to come up with a hip theme, hire a live band and concoct a signature drink -- the "infantini" or a "gin 'n' colic," perhaps?

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who runs one of the largest state governments in the country, approached the leader of another giant organization recently to ask for some financial aid. In a telephone call from his Capitol office, Schwarzenegger secured agreement from General Electric's chairman and chief executive, Jeffrey Immelt, that the Fortune 500 company would co-host and help pay for the Border Governors Conference this August at Universal Studios in Hollywood, which the corporation owns.

Ahhh, to be a member of the Anaheim City Council, with access to free tickets to baseball games at Angel Stadium, Ducks hockey games at Honda Center and rock concerts at the Grove. But, like the Ducks' offense, those perks may soon disappear. In Pasadena, the 2,100 grandstand seats for the Rose Parade that are gratis for the mayor and other city officials may also be in jeopardy. Ditto the luxury box reserved for San Jose city officials at Sharks hockey games and hip-hop concerts.

Congress has been awash in corruption scandals, the latest being the indictment of long-serving Republican Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, but prospects for legislation to make questionable practices like Stevens' alleged acceptance of gifts illegal in their own right appear grim. A year after a bipartisan group of senators proposed giving the Justice Department important new clout in pursuing official misconduct, the Public Corruption Prosecution Improvements Act is apparently blocked in Congress.

A $10-million gift to almost any art museum is not taken lightly. That kind of money can fund a new gallery, art acquisitions, staff positions or educational programs. But when a tiny upstart, such as the Claremont Museum of Art, gets a $10-million windfall, it isn't merely an enhancement. It's a ticket to transformation. And shock. "This has put us on the map," said William Moreno, the museum's director. "That's the short-term effect.

You know how it is. You want to get that certain someone a special holiday gift, but you would prefer to find it on sale at a big markdown -- something like, say, 40% off. If your loved one has always wanted an income-producing property, how about surprising him or her with a nice parking lot? An enterprising real estate broker at CB Richard Ellis is promoting one of his listings as a "holiday special," with the price reduced from $1.5 million to just $899,000.

Courtney Hamilton's mound of credit card debt turned her into a first-rate penny pincher this year. But as the holiday gift-giving season approaches, her finances may force her to really switch on her inner Scrooge. Hamilton, 29, a legal secretary from Van Nuys, has $200 to stretch across six gifts. She used to buy as many as 15 presents each year, spending up to $100 each.