Red flag. The LAFD has declared a Red Flag warning and fire agencies around the Southland are gearing up for what could be the strongest Santa Ana winds of the fall. Forecasters are predicting gusts of up to 65 miles per hour in some areas. KTTV
Michelle Obama’s visit. First Lady Michelle Obama will be in L.A. today, one day after her husband stopped by for an appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” The First Lady has been a prominent figure on the campaign trail this election season. She’s scheduled to speak at a lunchtime fundraiser at the Calabasas home of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith. Later, she’ll visit with Jimmy Kimmel on his talk show. AP
Close race. A pair of new polls finds support for Governor Brown’s tax initiative slipping, but holding on to a slim lead less than two weeks before Election Day. The Public Policy Institute of California puts Prop. 30 ahead 48 percent to 44 percent. A USC-Dornsife poll finds the margin is 46 percent to 42 percent. Both polls say that Prop. 38, a rival tax initiative, is falling further behind. L.A. Times, Calbuzz
Prop. 32 falters. Meantime, the once-tight contest over a controversial campaign finance measure appears to be leaning toward the “No” vote. The PPIC poll finds support for Prop. 32 has dipped to 39 percent. This despite an $11 million 11th-hour cash infusion from an Arizona PAC. Sacramento Bee
Prison healthcare. State officials will regain a bit of control over California’s prison healthcare system tomorrow, a first step toward ending seven years of federal oversight. The court-appointed overseer says it’s possible that state officials could regain full control in two years. The feds took over seven years ago after a judge found that the poor quality of healthcare inside state lockups led to needless deaths and amounted to cruel and unusual punishment. L.A. Times
Foreclosures down. New foreclosure numbers offer more signs of a gradual housing recovery in California. RealtyTrac says foreclosures were down more than 30 percent in the third quarter compared to the same period in 2011. The bad news is that California cities still had the seven highest metro foreclosure rates in the nation, led by Stockton, Riverside-San Bernardino and Vallejo. Capital Public Radio
LAUSD court loss. The California Supreme Court has sided with the L.A. teachers union in a dispute with LAUSD over a plan to exempt some inner-city schools from seniority-based layoffs. The case involves a settlement reached between the district and civil rights groups in 2010. The groups claimed that seniority-based layoffs would decimate the staffs of several low performing schools. The L.A. Daily News reports that the state high court refused to overturn an appellate court ruling invalidating the plan. L.A. Daily News