There was considerable pomp and circumstance at the state Capitol for the start of the new legislative session, with 120 new and returning lawmakers taking the oath of office.

Rarely does this produce any major news, as lawmakers convene and then promptly adjourn until the new year. Most reporters this time focused on the lack of drama over the ascent of Oakland Democrat Don Perata to the post of Senate Pro Tem, after weeks of reports about FBI investigations into some of his associates and their business dealings.

But there were some other items worth noting:

* Pat Wiggins was a woman in need of a map Monday afternoon. The Democrat from Santa Rosa was termed out of the Assembly in November. But today, she was just another guest, seen on a Capitol elevator asking the elevator attendant, "is the [Assembly visitors] gallery on the 3rd floor?"

* A sign of the differences in protocol for the Assembly and Senate: the Assembly floor was packed with family and friends of newly sworn-in lawmakers. Many were sitting in folding chairs, crammed behind the historic legislative desks. In the Senate, however, there were almost no guests on the floor (except for a handful of children). It seemed appropriate that Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman later reminded some of his new colleagues, who had won election from the lower house (where rules are less strict and the debate is sometimes more personal) "this is not the Assembly."

* Ackerman also announced, tongue in cheek, that he would be looking for an investigation into why the powerful Cal Bears football team was shut out by the notorious Bowl Championship Series (BCS). He hinted that he may unleash former Pro Tem John Burton on the BCS committee.

* And some notable milestones made today: the first Vietnamese-American legislator in the nation (GOP Assemblyman Van Tran of Garden Grove); the first husband-wife team of California lawmakers (Senator George Runner and Assemblymember Sharon Runner, both of Lancaster); and the first African-American female lawmaker in almost a decade (Assemblymember Karen Bass of Los Angeles).

* On the Perata issue: in a show of unity, the Senator gave--and received-- hugs from almost every member of the Senate Democratic Caucus after his formal election. First in line: the woman who thought she had beaten him out for the Pro Tem job back in August, Senator Martha Escutia.

The longest-running source of news on state government and public policy is closing down operations, perhaps for good.

On Wednesday evening, the board of directors of the California Journal released a statement saying that the financially-struggling monthly magazine was calling it quits.

Even the magazine's admirers admitted that the modern era of 24-hour news made it challenging for a monthly publication to keep up. But more importantly, CJ was a place where well-reasoned policy debates were actually given space and consideration. It was required reading for those who really wanted to know where the state was headed... and why.

For more than a decade, the Journal was published by State Net, the Sacramento company that offers a well-known bill tracking service for several state legislatures across the country. Two years ago, the company jettisoned the money-losing magazine, which then was handed to a non-profit foundation.

Now, however, it appears the foundation has come up short of cash to keep the Journal afloat.

"In these times of excessive partisanship, it's a shame to lose a valued, non-partisan, journalistic voice," said well-known political journalist Lou Cannon in a prepared statement (Cannon has served recently as president and CEO of the magazine). The foundation, however, is leaving open the possibility that a new source of revenue (subscriptions don't cover the cost) could resurrect the magazine.

Many California political journalists have some sort of past connection with the Journal; my small connection was as a graduate journalism student in 1994, writing small blurbs on a handful of Assembly races during election season.

Nonetheless, CJ is a Capitol institution. And its first freelance writer? Then-governor Ronald Reagan, who wrote a congratulatory note to the publication printed in its inaugural edition in January 1970.

"California Journal accepts what is perhaps the highest obligation in our society", wrote Reagan, "to convey to the people - accurately, reliably and fairly - the conduct and actions of their representatives."