WELFARE: As Congress prepares to shift the...

WELFARE: As Congress prepares to shift the cost of welfare to the states, California lawmakers brace for an onslaught of responsibility and expense (A1). “If this is the traditional Washington runaround, they will shift all the responsibility and keep all the money,” said Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sylmar). “It’s the same thing that the state does to the cities and the counties. That’s why I’m familiar with it.”

TOUGH JOB: She’s the oldest employee in the city of San Fernando, but her job is a bit on the creepy side. . . . Ellen Dickson takes care of evidence in criminal cases, from bloodstained clothing to sawed-off shotguns (B1).

EARLY CHEER: It may be summer outside, but it’s beginning to look like Christmas in Valley retail stores. You can buy a Santa Claus vest at Target. And Cost Plus, Price/Costco and others are displaying items like the nutcrackers and Santa baskets, above. . . . “People wait to buy gifts, but they want the home decorative items early,” said Tim Kirk of Cost Plus in Woodland Hills.

PUBLIC SAFETY: Despite news reports, City Councilwoman Laura Chick says she does not want to slow L.A.’s hiring of new police officers. . . . Maybe it’s a matter of semantics, though, because Chick said Tuesday that in order to make sure new recruits are properly trained about racism and police brutality, the city should “take a breath . . . to make sure we’re not sacrificing quality for quantity.”

ADD CHICK: Chick expects to answer questions about the issue at a community meeting in Sherman Oaks tonight. “We have two problems in the Valley,” said homeowner advocate Richard Close, president of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn., which is sponsoring the event. “Not enough police and rebuilding our local economy.” . . . The meeting is at 8 at Glendale Federal Bank, 13300 Ventura Blvd.