Improvement

It's not enough that medical insurance companies want to dictate how much and what kind of treatment our illnesses deserve. Now legislators and law enforcement agencies are butting in, trying to curtail the use of high-powered painkillers because too many people are dying from abuse of prescription drugs. A physicians group is asking the Food and Drug Administration for stricter guidelines on how the drugs are used, an FDA advisory panel has recommended limiting patients to fewer pills and making prescriptions harder to refill, and Congress is considering a bill that would bump hydrocodone-based pills - Vicodin, Norco and Lortab - into the same controlled-substance class as opium.

With California still ranked last nationally in per capita state spending on government grants to the arts, advocates hope an improving economy will bode well for the first legislative bid in four years to address its lowly status. An Assembly bill introduced by Adrin Nazarian (D-Sherman Oaks) would dedicate $75 million a year from the state's general fund for the California Arts Council - up from the current $1 million. The bill, AB 580, passed the Assembly's committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism and Internet Media by a 4-2 party-line vote Tuesday.

Adrian Gonzalez hit a team-high .379 against left-handers in his partial season with the Dodgers last year. And he's doing even better in the early going this year after collecting two hits and three runs batted in against Pittsburgh's Jeff Locke on Sunday to raise his average against left-handed pitchers to .455. Gonzalez, a left-handed hitter, credits his approach for his success. "They allow me to simplify things," said Gonzalez, who is hitting .328 against left-handers over the last four seasons, more than 20 points higher than his average against right-handers.

The Lakers won a crucial game Friday night, defeating the Memphis Grizzlies, 86-84, at Staples Center. The Grizzlies give up only 89.8 points a game, best in the NBA.  The Lakers were able to win a defensive slugfest by besting Memphis at their own game. "I think we have a lot of poise -- patience. We're calculated," said Bryant about the team's late stop of a Mike Conley drive.  "During the timeout we were able to strategize as a unit what we wanted to do. "I think that's really the biggest difference," he continued.  "When you get in the playoffs you have to be able to scheme well as a group and we're starting to get that.

SACRAMENTO - A federal judge Friday rejected Gov. Jerry Brown's claim that California has improved its mental healthcare for inmates enough to end 17 years of court oversight, a victory for prisoners' lawyers who say they will use it to seek further sanctions against the state. U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton's 68-page decision is a blow to Brown's larger ambition to halt court control of California's entire prison medical program and to remove court limits on the prison population.

Two hikers who were hospitalized in critical condition after being found in the rugged terrain of Orange County's Trabuco Canyon are continuing to show signs of improvement, but a reserve deputy who fell during the rescue remains in serious condition. Nicolas Cendoya, 19, remains hospitalized in serious but stable condition at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, but is “progressing well,” said Tamara Sharp, the director of marketing and communications. He is expected to remain hospitalized over the weekend.

The two hikers who were lost for days in Orange County's rugged backcountry remain hospitalized and are showing signs of improvement, but a reserve deputy who fell during the dramatic rescue is in serious condition with head injuries. The day after the second of the two hikers was found hidden in head-high brush, family members thanked the search teams and volunteers who scoured the area around Trabuco Canyon, and one of the rescued hikers issued a statement Friday praising those who had come to his aid. "I want to thank all those who never stopped trying to find me and Kyndall….

Rather than do battle over a controversial parent-empowerment law, Los Angeles school officials earlier this year opted for collaboration. This week, that move started to pay dividends. A plan devised by the L.A. Unified School District and a charter school to improve 24th Street Elementary - a persistently low-performing school south of downtown - has been endorsed by leaders of a parents group. Under California's so-called parent-trigger law, parents could evict L.A. Unified from its own campus.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- The health of former South African President Nelson Mandela has improved, according to South African officials who said he is in much better shape than he was a week ago when he was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. “President Nelson Mandela continues to make steady improvement in hospital,” said a statement by Mac Maharaj, spokesman for President Jacob Zuma. “His doctors say he continues to respond satisfactorily to treatment and is much better now than he was when he was admitted to hospital.

The number of Los Angeles County Probation Department employees investigated for serious crimes last year remained roughly the same as in 2011 despite efforts to weed out misconduct through improved training, according to a report released Wednesday. In 2012, 64 employees were either arrested or questioned in crimes ranging from burglary to attempted murder, according to a report by the county's Office of Independent Review. In 2011, 69 probation employees were arrested. "The frequency of off-duty employee misconduct continues to plague the department," according to the report.