Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger yesterday called a special election for November to try to change the way California spends money, picks its politicians and hires its teachers.

The most controversial of Schwarzenegger's three proposals is a spending cap that would impose automatic cuts if revenues fall below projected income. It would do away with a voter-approved 2000 measure that sets a minimum funding requirement for public schools.

He also wants legislative and congressional districts to be drawn by a panel of retired judges, which he hopes will send more moderates to Sacramento. And he wants to extend from two years to five the amount of time teachers would have to work to get tenure.

Critics contend there is no urgent need to hold a costly special election this year, saying Schwarzenegger's initiatives could wait for the next regularly scheduled election, in 2006.

"The state of California is today strapped for cash, and I think it is a mistake to spend tens of millions of dollars on a special election, just eight months before a scheduled election," U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein said.

Bridgeport, Conn.

Mother, 3 children die in house fire

Fire in a three-family home killed a mother and three children and critically injured the father yesterday.

The blaze started shortly before dawn in the frame building on the city's west side. The cause was not immediately determined.

The woman and a 14-year-old boy were pronounced dead at the scene. Two girls, 3 and 11, were pronounced dead at a hospital, officials said. The children's father was in critical condition, a hospital spokesman said.

Denver

Diabetic man gets chance for new trial

A diabetic man convicted of trying to kill his wife won a chance for a new trial yesterday when the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that low blood sugar can cause involuntary intoxication and leave someone incapable of following the law.

The ruling said that under certain conditions, low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, can meet the legal definition of involuntary intoxication as a defense against any crime.

Steve David Garcia Jr., an insulin-dependent diabetic, was convicted of second-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault in the July 1999 attack on his wife. Prosecutors said Garcia hit her on the head with a hammer and ran over her with a van, three days after she told him she wanted a divorce. She suffered a fractured skull and other injuries.

Also

Seattle flight diverted: An American Airlines flight from New York to Seattle was diverted to Chicago last night after a passenger spotted a suspicious item in a restroom. It turned out to be a radio. The 158 passengers and six crew members on Flight 289 were evacuated, the plane was searched, then reloaded and departed for Seattle, officials said.

Tobacco trial: At the urging of Democratic lawmakers, the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility agreed to look into whether political interference influenced the government's decision to lower a potential penalty in the trial against major cigarette makers.

Compiled from The Associated Press