Home grown. By the end of this year, a majority of Angelenos will be native born Californians. That’s a first for the city. After a century as the transplant capital of the Unites States, a study by USC’s Population Dynamics Research Group finds that by 2030, two-thirds of Angelenos will be native born. One of the reasons for the shift is a big drop in immigration from the record high levels of the 1990s and 2000s. The study also finds that L.A.’s population will gray substantially in the coming decades. L.A. Times
Prison costs. Governor Jerry Brown says federal supervision of California’s prisons has forced the state to spend billions of dollars that should have gone to other programs. Brown’s comments come in advance of a federal court hearing this month that could end federal oversight. State lawyers will argue that California has addressed its overcrowding problems and brought medical and mental health care for inmates up to constitutional levels. Sacramento Bee
Martian discovery. The Mars Curiosity Rover drilled into its first rock on the red planet a month ago. Today, scientists from NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory will reveal what’s inside. The rock results come seven months after Curiosity made a dramatic landing on Mars in an ancient crater near the planet’s equator. By analyzing the rock’s makeup, scientists hope to determine whether the landing spot was ever habitable. Discovery News
Shuttle boost. The Space Shuttle Endeavour is turning out to be good for business, very good. The California Science Center says more than one million people have visited the Exposition Park museum since Endeavour arrived in October. The museum initially projected about two-million visitors this year but that’s now been revised upwards to two-and-a-half million. That would be a record for the Science Center. L.A. Times
‘Argo’ angst. The Iranian government is sill chafing over “Argo’s” Best Picture win at the Oscars. Iranian news outlets report that culture officials plan to file a lawsuit to protest the film’s quote – “unrealistic portrayal” of their country. It’s not clear where the suit would be filed, or if it would target Warner Bros., Ben Affleck, George Clooney or others associated with the movie. Iranian officials are said to be particularly angry that First Lady Michelle Obama presented the Best Picture Award to “Argo.” Hollywood Reporter