LOS ANGELES -- Residents sandbagged around their homes and were urged to leave them yesterday as a storm approaching from the Pacific brought a threat of floods and mudslides to areas of Southern California scorched bare in recent wildfires.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered state agencies to prepare to aid local organizations in case of disaster.

A low-pressure area about 700 miles off the coast was heading northeast and could bring an inch of rain through Thanksgiving and up to 4 inches in the mountains, said Stan Wasowski, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in San Diego.

Flash flood watches were posted through tonight for areas where grass and brush that normally anchors the soil, helping to prevent mudslides, burned away.

NEW YORK -- First lady Laura Bush confirmed to The Associated Press that she is planning a memoir and has met with publishers.

"I've been talking to some publishers, but nothing has happened yet -- just a few visits," she said.

Earlier this month, the AP reported on her proposed book, citing three publishing executives with knowledge of the discussions who asked not to be identified because talks were in the early stages and highly confidential.

Books by recent first ladies have had more dependable commercial appeal than those by former presidents.

NEW YORK -- Two New York City Council members say that Citigroup should show its thanks for a federal bailout by sharing the naming rights to the new Mets ballpark in Queens.

The struggling bank is slated to pay $400 million over the next 20 years to name the stadium Citi Field. The bank made the commitment years ago, when it was flush with cash.

Now that Citigroup is getting billions of dollars in federal aid, Staten Island Republicans Vincent Ignizio and James Oddo say the ballpark's name should be changed to Citi/Taxpayer Field.

MONROE, Ga. -- A Georgia prosecutor said a man accused of killing his estranged wife and another man at a New Jersey church has confessed to the shooting rampage.

Walton County Assistant District Attorney Eric Crawford said Joseph Pallipurath, 27, gave a videotaped confession yesterday, hours after he was arrested at a motel 40 miles east of Atlanta.

He's accused of killing his 24-year-old wife and a church member on Sunday and critically wounding his wife's cousin. Mr. Crawford said Mr. Pallipurath told investigators he would have killed everyone in the church if he'd had a machine gun.

SAN ANGELO, Texas -- A teenage member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints refused yesterday to tell a judge where her baby is so authorities can collect a DNA sample and determine whether the father is an adult.

The girl repeatedly refused at a court hearing to answer the judge and attorneys for Texas Child Protective Services about the infant's whereabouts.

The hearing was halted as attorneys for both sides met in the judge's chambers yesterday afternoon to decide what to do next. State officials believe the girl was married to a man in FLDS when she was 14, attorney John Dolezal said in the Nov. 14 motion requesting a court order. In Texas, someone under age 17 generally cannot consent to sex with an adult.