The Week Ahead

Monday

Budget: The Los Angeles City Council’s Budget and Finance Committee will begin a week of hearings on Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s $7-billion budget. The spending plan includes $90 million in fee increases and the elimination of 767 jobs.

Tuesday

Jail monitoring: The Orange County Board of Supervisors will discuss continuing a declaration of emergency to facilitate the purchase of video gear for Theo Lacy Jail. The board also will consider amending an ordinance to prohibit dogs, excluding service animals, from entry into any county building.

O.C. forecast: The Mid-Year Economic Forecast looking into the housing market, employment, energy prices and inflation will be presented by economist Anil Puri, dean of Cal State Fullerton’s Steven G. Mihaylo College of Business and Economics.

Ortega Highway: San Juan Capistrano officials will hold a public hearing on the California Department of Transportation’s environmental study on the Ortega Highway and Interstate 5 Interchange project.

Wednesday

Author honor: Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and Oscar-winning screenwriter Larry McMurtry will be honored at the 13th annual Los Angeles Public Library Awards Dinner, presented by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles.

Thursday

Americana opening: Caruso Affiliated will hold a grand-opening gala at the Americana at Brand, a shopping and residential project in downtown Glendale. The event will feature entertainers and a fireworks display.

O.C. sheriff: Attorneys for former Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona and his wife will ask a judge to sever their corruption trials.

Tustin center: Groundbreaking ceremonies will be held at the future site of the Tustin Family Campus, offering services to address the needs of children, youths, families and emancipated young adults.

The homeroom

Gompers Middle School teacher Lance Chapman writes on The Times’ Homeroom blog about the harsh wake-up calls that came with breaking up a fight:

As I was leaving school today, I saw one of my students walking home. Since he was alone, I decided to pull up along the curb and wish him a relaxing weekend. The very moment I parked, a group of six eighth-graders attacked him from behind and started beating him. When I say beat, I’m not just talking punches . . . rather kicking, punching, elbowing, all at once.

Of course, I immediately called security, but I realized that would not serve as immediate assistance. I was watching my student (within 10 feet of me) getting beaten, and for the first time in my life, I had absolutely no clue what to do. I felt horrible, but I’ve always been told never to split up fights physically, especially off campus (like this one). When they started kicking his head and bashing it against the sidewalk, I could watch no longer. If the other students had been my own, my presence would have been effective, but the fact that they knew I didn’t know them fueled their fire to continue.

Read more about it at latimes.com/thehomeroom.

Ask a reporter

If it’s Tuesday, is gasoline cheaper?

A barrage of consumer tips is flying around the Internet, fueled by this spring’s soaring fuel prices. We’re being told that gasoline is cheaper on Tuesdays, that we should be buy in cool early-morning hours, and to gently squeeze the trigger so gas doesn’t spurt too fast and evaporate. Most tips are pure urban legend, said Marie Montgomery, spokeswoman for the Automobile Club of Southern California.

Days of the week do not dictate pump prices, nor does the speed of pumping, she said, and temperature’s effects on gas volume is still under study. Her advice: Buy when gasoline prices are going down, “and if you’re in an area with cheaper prices, go buy it then.”

The tip

The 2007-08 flu season is winding down, officials at the county Department of Public Health say. The state reported two new cases of pediatric influenza last week, and flu cases can continue into May but more sporadically, said county health spokeswoman Rachel Tyree. Still, health experts urge people to wash their hands often, cover coughs and sneezes, and stay home when they’re sick -- though that last tip, she says, can be the hardest to follow.

Traffic report

10 Freeway: The east- and westbound HOV lanes between Holt Avenue and the Los Angeles-San Bernardino county line will be closed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday.

60 Freeway: The northbound Fullerton Road onramp to the westbound 60 will be closed from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday. The southbound Fullerton Road onramp to the westbound 60 will be closed from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday.

101 Freeway: The northbound Laurel Canyon Boulevard offramp from the northbound 101 will be closed from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday. The northbound Laurel Canyon Boulevard onramp to the northbound 101 will be closed from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday.