By JON ORTIZ, Sacramento Bee

As California's massive prison and parole department begins a historic downsizing to cut costs and comply with court orders, it's getting a hand from organized labor.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - California state government's "Help Wanted" sign drew nearly 23,000 new employees in the past year and a half, although the overall size of the state work force remained relatively flat.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Less than a month after ending unpaid days off for more than 200,000 California state workers, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is bringing back a scaled-down version of the policy that will take effect on Sunday.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - All it takes is a saw, some muscle and a few minutes. Day or night, it doesn't matter -- maybe they strike while you're in the mall. You don't know anything's wrong until your vehicle starts with a thunderous VAROOM.

And there you are, another hapless car owner ripped off by a catalytic converter thief.

As California state government faces a growing brain drain crisis, the Department of Motor Vehicles is trying to blunt the impact by grooming its brightest, most promising workers to take over.

California's government continues to grow despite a historic recession, budget cuts and employee layoff warnings, new data show.

About 4,000 more full-time workers drew state checks in June compared to a year before, with the biggest increases coming in prison hospitals, the state's unemployment agency and the Franchise Tax Board.

Add this to the list of issues vexing California's state government: It's getting a reputation as a lousy boss.Certainly the pay and benefits are pretty good if you can stick with it long enough. Civil service can be a noble calling. Where would we be without state-employed firefighters this summer?

Out with the old, in with the new. As holiday gift cards prod more shoppers into stores this week, retailers are clearing shelves with their traditional deep discounts.