HURDLE CLEARED: Supporters of the struggling effort...

HURDLE CLEARED: Supporters of the struggling effort to break up the massive Los Angeles Unified School District cleared a historic hurdle Wednesday: Two bills aimed at putting the breakup before voters passed their first state legislative committees. . . . Said Assemblywoman Paula L. Boland (R-Granada Hills), author of one measure: “This is a democracy bill.” (B1)

TRAGEDY REVISITED: They call it the most tragic moment in California Highway Patrol history. . . . Twenty-five years ago today, four rookie CHP officers were slain by two men in a Newhall restaurant parking lot (B1). But for those who gathered Wednesday to remember their fallen comrades, the incident was more than a bitter memory: It led to revised training for many law enforcement agencies.

STRONG WORDS: MCA President Sidney Sheinberg, above, Wednesday charged parent Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. of “destroying” the entertainment company by keeping its management in the dark while trying to sell it (D1). . . . Meanwhile, Matsushita brass plan to visit potential U.S. buyers, without an MCA stopover.

COURT WATCH: At least they won’t have to compete with O.J. . . . The June 12 retrial in the Menendez brothers murder case will be held at the same Van Nuys Courthouse where their first trial was conducted. Superior Court Judge Stanley M. Weisberg this week rejected a proposal to move the case downtown, saying the Van Nuys Courthouse was suitable.

HEALTHY PICTURE: Film fans can be thankful for the new Toluca Lake Health Center. . . . Built by the Motion Picture & Television Fund, the center is the first East Valley facility to provide medical care for entertainment industry workers. Actress Janet Leigh, who attended Wednesday’s grand opening, said even a runny nose can delay production. “When somebody comes in with a cold, the whole cast is going to get it,” she said.