[Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini, Mini Pro, Xperia Pro, A] Ticklefish:
Here's your original code:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.phone.PhoneStatusBarView android:orientation="vertical" android:id="@id/status_bar" android:background="@drawable/status_bar_background" android:focusable="true" android:fitsSystemWindows="true" android:descendantFocusability="afterDescendants"
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:systemui="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/com.android.systemui">
<ImageView android:id="@id/black_bg" android:background="#ff000000" android:visibility="gone" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="fill_parent" />
<ImageView android:id="@id/notification_lights_out" android:paddingLeft="6.0dip" android:paddingBottom="2.0dip" android:visibility="gone" android:layout_width="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:src="@drawable/ic_sysbar_lights_out_dot_small" android:scaleType="center" />
[COLOR="Red"] <LinearLayout android:orientation="horizontal" android:id="@id/status_bar_contents" android:paddingLeft="6.0dip" android:paddingRight="6.0dip" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="fill_parent">
<LinearLayout android:orientation="horizontal" android:id="@id/notification_icon_area" android:layout_width="0.0dip" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:layout_weight="1.0" android:alpha="@dimen/notification_icon_area_alpha">
<TextView android:textSize="15.0dip" android:textColor="#ff33b5e5" android:gravity="center_vertical" android:id="@id/carrierLabel" android:visibility="gone" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:singleLine="true" />
<ImageView android:id="@id/operatorLogoIcon" android:visibility="gone" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:src="@drawable/tw_stat_notify_operator_logo" />
<ImageView android:id="@id/operatorLogoIcon_org" android:visibility="gone" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:src="@drawable/tw_stat_notify_operator_logo_org" />
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.StatusBarIconView android:id="@id/moreIcon" android:visibility="gone" android:layout_width="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:src="@drawable/stat_notify_more" />
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.phone.IconMerger android:gravity="center_vertical" android:orientation="horizontal" android:id="@id/notificationIcons" android:paddingBottom="@dimen/notification_icon_bottom_margin" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:layout_alignParentLeft="true" />
</LinearLayout>
<LinearLayout android:orientation="horizontal" android:id="@id/system_icon_area" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:alpha="@dimen/system_icon_area_alpha">
<LinearLayout android:gravity="center_vertical" android:orientation="horizontal" android:id="@id/statusIcons" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="fill_parent" />
<LinearLayout android:gravity="center" android:orientation="horizontal" android:id="@id/signal_battery_cluster" android:paddingLeft="2.0dip" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="fill_parent">
<include android:id="@id/signal_cluster" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="wrap_content" layout="@layout/signal_cluster_view" />
<TextView android:textSize="@dimen/status_bar_battery_text_size" android:textColor="#ff33b5e5" android:layout_gravity="center" android:id="@id/battery_text" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:text="@string/status_bar_network_name_separator" />
<ImageView android:gravity="center" android:id="@id/battery" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="wrap_content" />
</LinearLayout>
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.policy.Clock android:textSize="@dimen/status_bar_clock_text_size" android:textColor="#ff33b5e5" android:ellipsize="none" android:gravity="left|center" android:id="@id/clock" android:paddingLeft="3.0dip" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:singleLine="true" android:includeFontPadding="false" />
</LinearLayout>
</LinearLayout>
[/COLOR] <LinearLayout android:gravity="center_vertical" android:orientation="horizontal" android:id="@id/ticker" android:paddingLeft="6.0dip" android:animationCache="false" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="fill_parent">
<ImageSwitcher android:id="@id/tickerIcon" android:layout_width="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size" android:layout_height="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size" android:layout_marginRight="4.0dip">
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.AnimatedImageView android:layout_width="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size" android:layout_height="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size" android:scaleType="centerInside" />
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.AnimatedImageView android:layout_width="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size" android:layout_height="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size" android:scaleType="centerInside" />
</ImageSwitcher>
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.phone.TickerView android:id="@id/tickerText" android:paddingRight="10.0dip" android:layout_width="0.0dip" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:layout_weight="1.0">
<TextView android:textAppearance="@style/TextAppearance.StatusBar.PhoneTicker" android:textColor="#ff33b5e5" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:singleLine="true" />
<TextView android:textAppearance="@style/TextAppearance.StatusBar.PhoneTicker" android:textColor="#ff33b5e5" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:singleLine="true" />
</com.android.systemui.statusbar.phone.TickerView>
</LinearLayout>
</com.android.systemui.statusbar.phone.PhoneStatusBarView>

The area of code we're interested in is in red.

And here's the code with the Best Method applied:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.phone.PhoneStatusBarView android:orientation="vertical" android:id="@id/status_bar" android:background="@drawable/status_bar_background" android:focusable="true" android:fitsSystemWindows="true" android:descendantFocusability="afterDescendants"
xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:systemui="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/com.android.systemui">
<ImageView android:id="@id/black_bg" android:background="#ff000000" android:visibility="gone" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="fill_parent" />
<ImageView android:id="@id/notification_lights_out" android:paddingLeft="6.0dip" android:paddingBottom="2.0dip" android:visibility="gone" android:layout_width="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:src="@drawable/ic_sysbar_lights_out_dot_small" android:scaleType="center" />
[COLOR="Red"] <LinearLayout android:orientation="horizontal" android:id="@id/status_bar_contents" android:paddingLeft="6.0dip" android:paddingRight="6.0dip" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="fill_parent">
<LinearLayout android:id="@+id/statusbarleftside" android:orientation="horizontal" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:layout_weight="1.0">
<LinearLayout android:orientation="horizontal" android:id="@id/notification_icon_area" android:layout_width="0.0dip" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:layout_weight="1.0" android:alpha="@dimen/notification_icon_area_alpha">
<TextView android:textSize="15.0dip" android:textColor="#ff33b5e5" android:gravity="center_vertical" android:id="@id/carrierLabel" android:visibility="gone" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:singleLine="true" />
<ImageView android:id="@id/operatorLogoIcon" android:visibility="gone" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:src="@drawable/tw_stat_notify_operator_logo" />
<ImageView android:id="@id/operatorLogoIcon_org" android:visibility="gone" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:src="@drawable/tw_stat_notify_operator_logo_org" />
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.StatusBarIconView android:id="@id/moreIcon" android:visibility="gone" android:layout_width="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:src="@drawable/stat_notify_more" />
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.phone.IconMerger android:gravity="center_vertical" android:orientation="horizontal" android:id="@id/notificationIcons" android:paddingBottom="@dimen/notification_icon_bottom_margin" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:layout_alignParentLeft="true" />
</LinearLayout>
</LinearLayout>
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.policy.Clock android:textSize="@dimen/status_bar_clock_text_size" android:textColor="#ff33b5e5" android:ellipsize="none" android:gravity="left|center" android:id="@id/clock" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:singleLine="true" android:includeFontPadding="false" />
<RelativeLayout android:id="@+id/statusbarrightside" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:layout_weight="1.0">
<LinearLayout android:id="@+id/statusbarinsiderightside" android:orientation="horizontal" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:layout_alignParentRight="true">
<LinearLayout android:orientation="horizontal" android:id="@id/system_icon_area" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="fill_parent" android:alpha="@dimen/system_icon_area_alpha">
<LinearLayout android:gravity="center_vertical" android:orientation="horizontal" android:id="@id/statusIcons" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="fill_parent" />
<LinearLayout android:gravity="center" android:orientation="horizontal" android:id="@id/signal_battery_cluster" android:paddingLeft="2.0dip" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="fill_parent">
<include android:id="@id/signal_cluster" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="wrap_content" layout="@layout/signal_cluster_view" />
<TextView android:textSize="@dimen/status_bar_battery_text_size" android:textColor="#ff33b5e5" android:layout_gravity="center" android:id="@id/battery_text" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:text="@string/status_bar_network_name_separator" />
<ImageView android:gravity="center" android:id="@id/battery" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="wrap_content" />
</LinearLayout>
</LinearLayout>
</LinearLayout>
</RelativeLayout>
</LinearLayout>
[/COLOR] <LinearLayout android:gravity="center_vertical" android:orientation="horizontal" android:id="@id/ticker" android:paddingLeft="6.0dip" android:animationCache="false" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="fill_parent">
<ImageSwitcher android:id="@id/tickerIcon" android:layout_width="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size" android:layout_height="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size" android:layout_marginRight="4.0dip">
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.AnimatedImageView android:layout_width="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size" android:layout_height="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size" android:scaleType="centerInside" />
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.AnimatedImageView android:layout_width="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size" android:layout_height="@dimen/status_bar_icon_size" android:scaleType="centerInside" />
</ImageSwitcher>
<com.android.systemui.statusbar.phone.TickerView android:id="@id/tickerText" android:paddingRight="10.0dip" android:layout_width="0.0dip" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:layout_weight="1.0">
<TextView android:textAppearance="@style/TextAppearance.StatusBar.PhoneTicker" android:textColor="#ff33b5e5" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:singleLine="true" />
<TextView android:textAppearance="@style/TextAppearance.StatusBar.PhoneTicker" android:textColor="#ff33b5e5" android:layout_width="fill_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:singleLine="true" />
</com.android.systemui.statusbar.phone.TickerView>
</LinearLayout>
</com.android.systemui.statusbar.phone.PhoneStatusBarView>

Your code is actually very easy to change as the developers have already divided your statusbar into a 'notification_icon_area' and a 'system_icon_area'.

If you wanted to be fussy, you could change those lines directly, which would make for slightly easier to read code. But it doesn't really make any practical difference.

Let me know how it goes and if you get any compiling errors, don't forget to say what the errors actually are. That way I can help you fix them. :)