Weather Week: With hailstorms, high winds and...

Weather Week: With hailstorms, high winds and warm temperatures all in the same week, how on earth do you approach gardening? . . . Time to put in bare-root roses and fruit trees, says Hania Saoud of Sperling Nursery in Calabasas. But, she says, it’s a little early for tomatoes.

Winners and Losers: Multimedia companies scored last week, winning an 80% reduction in business taxes from the city of Los Angeles. Next: HMOs angle for similar relief. . . . The Valley might be the loser in a political contest for money to build an east-west rail line. Three eastside congressmen said they would block funds for mass transit if more money doesn’t go to a subway in their districts.

Mom to Mom: Marcella Quezada, the West Hills woman whose quintuplets turned 2 on Feb. 9, has this advice for Cheryl Fillippini and her husband, Robert, above, who Thursday became parents of quadruplets: “Take it easy and go one step at a time.” Moreover, Quezada said, they must learn how to manage the children by themselves, because although friends and family may pitch in at first, that will soon change.

The Week Ahead: Councilman Mike Feuer and the League of Women Voters will host a forum on charter reform on Feb. 27 at Dixie Canyon Elementary School, 4220 Dixie Canyon Ave. in Sherman Oaks, at 7 p.m.