Assembly Democrats refuse to allow California to pay its bills

This evening, Assemblyman Guy Houston (R- Dublin) offered up AB 24X3 which would allow the Sate of California to continue to pay its bills during the budget impasse. As predicted, the Assembly Democrats voted overwhelmingly to not allow the measure to be heard.

This just goes to demonstrate the hypocrisy of legislative Democrats. They can no longer blame Republicans for contractors and employees not getting paid, as they have refused to even discuss a measure that would have allowed the state to issue checks to school districts and vendors while the Big Five continue to debate the budget. But we all know that Democrats count on the teachers and the poor to come to the capitol to pressure Republicans to vote for the budget. And that doesn't happen if the money continues to flow.

So if you are a business owner who contracts with the state; a teacher or schoolboard member or a recipient of state aide who is waiting on the state to cut you a check STOP CALLING THE REPUBLICANS!!!!!!!!!

Assembly Speaker Karen Bass' number is (916) 319-2047.

Ask her why Democrats won't let the state pay its bills

Craig DeLuz to Host the Capitol Hour on 1380am KTKZ

I will be sitting in for Eric Hogue during The Capitol Hour, Next Tuesday, September 2nd from 12 noon to 1 pm.


Details Below:

When: Tuesday, September 2nd
Station: KTKZ 1380AM

Live Audio Steaming at http://www.ktkz.com/ (for those of you out of the Sacramento Region)

TIME: 12 noon-1 pm (PST)

Call in Numbers: (916) 923-3300 or 1(800) 923-1380

Schwarzenegger calls Dem tax and spend budget "Very Courageous"

Finally! More than two months after the consitutional deadline to pass a budget, Senate Democrats finally put a budget proposal up for a vote. And it is not news to say, it failed on a party-line vote.

But what is noteworthy is that while Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger praised the Democrat budget proposal that increases both taxes and government spending, calling it "Very Courageous". Legislative Republicans, whose votes are needed to pass the budget are not so impressed.

The Sacramento Bee reported:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today praised a new Democratic version of the state budget as "very courageous" and urged Republican senators to vote for it.

Schwarzenegger was 500 miles away in San Diego, campaigning against any budget that relies on borrowing money from local governments and transportation funds, as the Senate began debating the new Democratic version. He issued his words of praise in response to a reporter's question.

The new Senate Democratic version is based on Schwarzenegger's own latest proposal to break a near-record-long stalemate, with its centerpiece being a one-cent increase in the state sales tax for three years. Its chief difference is that Schwarzenegger would reduce the sales tax below the current after the three-year period while Democrats would merely end the extra penny without a further decrease.

Schwarzenegger stopped short of saying he would sign the new version.

On the other hand, Republican Assembly Leader, Mike Vilines sent out the following statement which appears to express the sentimant of most (if not all legislative Republicans):

“Today’s budget vote was neither courageous nor productive – it was more of the same from liberal politicians who would rather pick the pockets of hardworking families instead of cutting wasteful spending.

“Assembly Republicans commend our Senate Republican colleagues for defending hard-working Californians from billions in higher taxes and billions in new spending by standing united against the Senate Democrat budget. It’s clear that Senate Democrats didn’t even have unanimous support in their own caucus for this half-baked proposal.

“Their irresponsible budget would have hurt working families by increasing the state sales tax, threatened public safety byincluding a dangerous direct discharge parole scheme and done nothing to reform our broken budget system.

“Now that the Senate has joined the Assembly in rejecting a budget proposal containing tax increases, I hope we can finally get serious about working together to reach consensus on an honest budget compromise. We must come together to craft a state budget that helps California live within its means, improves our economy and protects Californians from higher taxes.”

One thing can be said for sure, the liberals who are working to increase our taxes are not interested in working with Republicans to truly fix this budget mess.

On Barak's Speech: Don't Believe the Hype!

When evaluating Barak Obama's acceptance speach last night one has to wonder who exactly he was talking about, because he sure didn't sound like he was describing himself.

I think Tucker Bounds, McCain 2008 spokesman, put it best when he said:

"Tonight, Americans witnessed a misleading speech that was so fundamentally at odds with the meager record of Barack Obama. When the temple comes down, the fireworks end, and the words are over, the facts remain: Senator Obama still has no record of bipartisanship, still opposes offshore drilling, still voted to raise taxes on those making just $42,000 per year, and still voted against funds for American troops in harm's way. The fact remains: Barack Obama is still not ready to be President."

Now before my liberal friends start accusing me of drinking the conservative Kool-Aide, let me share with you the following information on Barak and just a few of his misleading claims (Hat-tip to the CRP)

BARACK OBAMA'S TOP MISLEADING CLAIMS

MISLEADING CLAIM #1: Barack Obama Can Bring Democrats And Republicans Together. OBAMA: "America, our work will not be easy. The challenges we face require tough choices, and Democrats as well as Republicans will need to cast off the worn-out ideas and politics of the past." (Barack Obama, Remarks, Denver, CO, 8/28/08)

NPR's Juan Williams: Barack Obama "Doesn't Have The Record" Of Bipartisanship That John McCain Has." NPR'S JUAN WILLIAMS: "You think about everything from campaign finance to immigration and on, and there's John McCain working across party lines. Senator Obama doesn't have a record. Now, he can make the claim and he can hold himself up as pure and trying to reach to a new generation of post partisan politics, but he has to do so largely based on rhetoric and wishful thinking because he doesn't have the record." (Fox News' "Special Report With Brit Hume," 5/7/08)

To Watch: (Click Here)

The Washington Post's Richard Cohen: "There Is Scant Evidence The Illinois Senator Takes Positions That Challenge His Base Or Otherwise Threaten Him Politically." "Obama might have a similar bottom line, core principles for which, in some sense, he is willing to die. If so, we don't know what they are. Nothing so far in his life approaches McCain's decision to refuse repatriation as a POW so as to deny his jailors a propaganda coup. In fact, there is scant evidence the Illinois senator takes positions that challenge his base or otherwise threaten him politically. That's why his reversal on campaign financing and his transparently false justification of it matter more than similar acts by McCain." (Richard Cohen, Op-Ed, "McCain's Core Advantage," The Washington Post, 6/24/08)

Politico's Jonathan Martin: "He's pretty much a conventional liberal on the issues and has few examples of breaking with his own party, so how does Obama try to pull off being 'post-partisan?'" (Jonathan Martin, "Obama's Third Way: It's All In The Tone," Politico, 6/30/08)

Rep. Dan Boren (D-OK): "His Record Does Not Reflect Working In A Bipartisan Fashion." "Boren, the lone Democrat in Oklahoma's congressional delegate, said that while Obama has talked about working with Republicans, 'unfortunately, his record does not reflect working in a bipartisan fashion.'" (Tim Talley, "Okla. Dem Calls Obama Liberal, Declines To Endorse," The Associated Press, 6/10/08)

"The Record Shows Obama To Be A Fairly Doctrinaire Liberal Democrat ..." (Editorial, "Obama's Rhetoric Soars, But What Does His Record Suggest?" USA Today, 1/28/08)

In 2007, Obama Voted With The Democrat Party 97 Percent Of The Time. (Congressional Quarterly Website, http://corporate.cq.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=12, Accessed 3/3/08)

In 2006, Obama Voted With The Democrat Party 96 Percent Of The Time. (Congressional Quarterly Website, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpPp2usgY6Y&reason=0, Accessed 1/27/08)

In 2005, Obama Voted With The Democrat Party 97 Percent Of The Time. (Congressional Quarterly Website, http://corporate.cq.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=12, Accessed 1/27/08)

MISLEADING CLAIM #2: Barack Obama Will Ensure That Our Troops On The Ground Have "The Equipment They Need In Battle." OBAMA: "As Commander-in-Chief, I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will only send our troops into harm's way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home." (Barack Obama, Remarks, Denver, CO, 8/28/08)

Barack Obama Voted Against Providing $94.4 Billion In Critical Funding For The Troops In Iraq And Afghanistan. (H.R. 2206, CQ Vote #181: Passed 80-14: R 42-3; D 37-10; I 1-1, 5/24/07, Obama Voted Nay)

MISLEADING CLAIM #3: Barack Obama Has Not Supported The President. OBAMA: "These challenges are not all of government's making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush. ... But the record's clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush ninety percent of the time. Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than ninety percent of the time? I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to take a ten percent chance on change." (Barack Obama, Remarks, Denver, CO, 8/28/08)

Barack Obama Says He Voted With President Bush "For The Most Part." REPORTER: "For a couple of days, they've been saying you voted to raise taxes something like 94 times. That seems to be the drumbeat that's going to happen during this campaign. Are you going to raise taxes in a big way for average Americans?" OBAMA: "I mean this is the standard fare of politics. And the truth of the matter is that the only bills that I voted for, for the most part, since I've been in the Senate were introduced by Republicans with George Bush. You know, they were the majority for a big chunk of the time I was there." (KMOV [St. Louis, MO], 6/10/08)

To Watch Barack Obama's KMOV Interview (Click Here)

· The New York Times' David Brooks: Democrats Saying McCain Represents The Third Bush Term Are "Just Factually Inaccurate." "Finally, the Obama people are too convinced that they can define McCain as Bush III. The case is just factually inaccurate. McCain will be able to pull out dozens of instances, from torture to global warming to spending, in which he broke with his party, as Rush Limbaugh will tell you." (David Brooks, Op-Ed, "Calling Dr. Doom," The New York Times, 6/3/08)

Newsweek's Michael Hirsh: "As We Now Know Nearly Four Years Later, McCain Was Dead On In His Analysis Of What Went Wrong In Iraq." "In early November 2003, at a time when Fred Dalton Thompson was playing a tough D.A. on 'Law and Order,' John McCain was cross-examining Donald Rumsfeld for real on Capitol Hill. It was still very early into the U.S. occupation of Iraq, but the as-yet-unacknowledged (by Rummy, that is) insurgency was already out of control. Alone among his fellow GOP senators, McCain blasted Rumsfeld for not putting enough U.S. troops on the ground, and for resorting too soon to 'Iraqification' -- that is, transferring security to ill-prepared Iraqi forces. In an extraordinarily blunt speech at the Council on Foreign Relations that grim autumn, McCain warned that ultimately Iraq could become another Vietnam 'if we lose popular support in the United States.' The next day, the secretary of Defense asked McCain to breakfast. 'I read y our speech,' harrumphed Rumsfeld (that 'must have been an enjoyable experience for him,' McCain later joked to me). Then Rummy patiently explained to his fellow Republican why he and his top civilian brass (Paul Wolfowitz, Doug Feith and the usual crowd of incompetents) would continue to do things the same way. They 'believed there was no need for additional troops,' McCain later related. McCain had already realized that Rumsfeld was a lost cause. The real question, the senator suggested to me back then, was whether George W. Bush himself would push Rummy to make changes. 'I'd like to see the president fully engaged,' McCain said. Bush needed to be on top of 'more details of what's going on.' As we now know nearly four years later, McCain was dead on in his analysis of what went wrong in Iraq. Right down to the need for Bush to get engaged and fire Rumsfeld. McCain was so right that, among military experts today, the emerging conventional wisdom about Bush's current 'surg e' is that if it had occurred back then -- when McCain wanted it and the political will existed in this country to support it for the necessary number of years -- it might well have succeeded." (Michael Hirsh, "Why McCain's Collapse Matters," Newsweek, 7/26/07)

· John McCain Voted Against The 2005 Bush-Cheney Energy Bill. (H.R. 6, CQ Vote #152: Motion Agreed To 92-4: R 53-1; D 38-3; I 1-0, 6/23/05, McCain Voted Nay; H.R. 6, CQ Vote #158: Passed 85-12: R 49-5; D 35-7; I 1-0, 6/28/05, McCain Voted Nay; H.R. 6, CQ Vote #213: Adopted 74-26: R 49-6; D 25-19; I 0-1, 7/29/05, McCain Voted Nay)

· John McCain Is "Widely Acknowledged To Have Charted A Course Independent Of Bush" On Climate Change. "On global warming, McCain is widely acknowledged to have charted a course independent of Bush. Immediately after the 2004 election, in which he stumped for Bush's re-election, he sharply distanced himself from Bush on climate change, calling the administration's stance 'terribly disappointing.' McCain had co-sponsored a bill with Sen. Joe Lieberman to curb greenhouse gases in 2003. Bush had opposed any such move, citing possible harm to the economy and doubts over global warming." (William March, "McCain Bucks Ties To Bush," The Tampa Tribune, 6/11/08)

MISLEADING CLAIM #4: John McCain Believes We've Made "Great Progress" And Families Aren't Hurting. OBAMA: "He said that our economy has made 'great progress' under this President. He said that the fundamentals of the e conomy are strong." (Barack Obama, Remarks, Denver, CO, 8/28/08)

· FactCheck.org: Obama Use Of Quote Is "Misleading" And "Distorts" John McCain's Words. "The second and third quotes the Obama campaign uses from McCain are more misleading. The ad shows McCain saying: '[T]here's been great progress economically.' The quote comes from an interview McCain did with Peter Cook at Bloomberg Television in April. ... McCain was making a case for what he believed were positive economic developments during Bush's time in office. However, the fuller quote shows McCain was saying that whatever progress had been made, it wouldn't be enough to comfort families 'facing these tremendous economic challenges.' His comments overall are pessimistic; he cites 'challenging times' and 'enormous difficulties.' The Obama campaign distorts his views by using just a snippet of his remarks." (D'Angelo Gore, "Distorting McCain's Remarks," FactCheck.org, 8/19/08)

In The Full Question And Answer Cited By Barack Obama, John McCain Clearly Said That We Are In "Tough Times" And Families Are Facing "Tremendous Economic Challenges." Bloomberg's Peter Cook: "I'm going to ask you a version of the Ronald Reagan question. You think if Americans were asked, are you better off today than you were before George Bush took office more than seven years ago, what answer would they give?" McCain: "Certainly, in this time, we are in very challenging times. We all recognize that. Families are sitting around the kitchen table this evening and figuring out whether they're going to be able to keep their home or not. They're figuring out whether they're-- why it is that suddenly and recently someone in their family or their neighbor has lost their job. There's no doubt that we are in enormous difficulties. "I think if you look at the overall record and millions of jobs have been created, et cetera, et cetera, yo u could make an argument that there's been great progress economically over that period of time. But that's no comfort. That's no comfort to families now that are facing these tremendous economic challenges. But let me just add, Peter, the fundamentals of America's economy are strong. We're the greatest exporter, the greatest importer, the greatest innovator, the greatest producer, still the greatest economic engine in the world. And, by the way, exports and free trade are a key element in economic recovery. But these are tough times, tough times, and nobody knows that more than American families including in small towns of Pennsylvania. They haven't lost their fundamental religious beliefs, their respect for the Constitution, their right to bear arms. They are still-- keep America as a beacon of hope and freedom throughout the world." (John McCain, Interview With Bloomberg TV, 4/17/08)

To Watch Video Of Obama Economic Attack Compared To John McCain's Full Response: (Click Here)

ABC News: Barack Obama Proved "He Knows How To Twist With The Best Of Them" When He Cited The McCain Quote. "Although Obama gets substantial mileage out of running against politics as usual, he provided a reminder on Friday that he knows how to twist with the best of them. Speaking in Erie, Pa., Obama charged: 'John McCain went on television and said that there has "been great progress economically" over the last seven and a half years.' Obama did not tell his audience, however, that McCain's Thursday reference to economic progress was quickly followed by him adding that such progress is 'no comfort' to struggling families." (Teddy Davis And Talal Al-Khatib, "Obama Twists McCain On Economy," ABC News, 4/18/08)

MISLEADING CLAIM #5: Barack Obama Will Pay For His Massive Spending Increase. OBAMA: "Now, many of these plans will cost money, which is why I've laid out how I'll pay for every dime -- by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens that don't help America grow. But I will also go through the federal budget, line by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we do need work better and cost less -- because we cannot meet twenty-first century challenges with a twentieth century bureaucracy." (Barack Obama, Remarks, Denver, CO, 8/28/08)

Barack Obama: "I Do Not Make A Promise That We Can Reduce [The Budget Deficit] By 2013." "'I do not make a promise that we can reduce it by 2013 because I think it is important for us to make some critical investments right now in America's families,' Obama told reporters this week when asked if he'd match McCain's pledge." (Nedra Pickler, "Analysis: Obama Won't Try For McCain's Budget Goal," The Associated Press, 7/8/08)

Chicago Tribune: Barack Obama Has "No Interest In Eliminating Deficit Spending." "Since winning the nomination, Obama reportedly has been moving toward the middle of the political spectrum. But on the budget, he still sounds left of center, with no interest in eliminating deficit spending." (Editorial, "Failure Of Nerve," Chicago Tribune, 7/8/08)

The Associated Press: Barack Obama Not "Even Trying" To Balance The Budget And "Frankly Says He's Not Sure He'd Bring It Down At All In Four Years." "Barack Obama says John McCain's plan to balance the budget doesn't add up. Easy for him to say: It's not a goal he's even trying to reach. Not only does Obama say he won't eliminate the deficit in his first term, as McCain aims to do, he frankly says he's not sure he'd bring it down at all in four years, considering his own spending plans." (Nedra Pickler, "Analysis: Obama Won't Try For McCain's Budget Goal," The Associated Press, 7/8/08)

The National Journal's John Maggs: "[Obama] Has Rhetorically Committed To A 'Pay-As-You-Go' Approach By Offsetting New Spending And Tax Cuts With New Taxes Or Spending Cuts, But His Proposals Do Not Come Close To Meeting This Standard." (John Maggs, "Obama On The Economy," The National Journal, 5/31/08)

Los Angeles Times: Barack Obama "Has Not Identified New Revenue Sources Or Spending Cuts To Pay For Some Of" His Proposals. "The Obama campaign responds that tax cuts, once enacted, are usually renewed and do not expire. Therefore, they say, Obama can legitimately claim to be recouping money for other purposes by scaling back the tax cuts. Obama has not identified new revenue sources or spending cuts to pay for some of what he wants to do." (Peter Nicholas, "Adding Up The Cost Of Obama's Agenda," Los Angeles Times, 7/8/08)

The New York Times' David Brooks Said For Barack Obama To Fund His Domestic Programs, He Will Have To Break His Pledge Not To Tax The Middle Class. "Both [Obama and Clinton] promised to not raise taxes on those making less than $200,000 or $250,000 a year. They both just emasculated their domestic programs. Returning the rich to their Clinton-era tax rates will yield, at best, $40 billion a year in revenue. It's impossible to fund a health care plan, let alone anything else, with that kind of money. The consequences are clear: if elected they will have to break their pledge, and thus destroy their credibility, or run a minimalist administration." (David Brooks, Op-Ed, "No Whining About The Media," The New York Times, 4/16/08)

MISLEADING CLAIM #6: Under Barack Obama, We Will Achieve Energy Independence. OBAMA: "And for the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as President: in ten years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East." (Barack Obama, Remarks, Denver, CO, 8/28/08)

The Detroit News: Barack Obama's Energy Plan Will "Do Nothing To Answer The Nation's Long-Term Needs." "The latest additions to Sen. Barack Obama's energy plan, outlined during an appearance in Lansing Monday, may win the Democratic presidential candidate some votes from disgruntled consumers in November, but they'll do nothing to answer the nation's long-term needs." (Editorial, "Obama's Energy Plan Is Fueled By Populism," The Detroit News, 8/5/08)

The Washington Post Editorial: Barack Obama Offering Gimmicks On Energy. "When his presumptive Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), proposed a gas tax holiday as a way to reduce the high cost of driving, Mr. Obama showed political courage and intellectual honesty by refusing to sign on to that obvious gimmick. 'It's an idea to get them through an election,' Mr. Obama said. Now he has two such gimmicks of his own." (Editorial, "Tapping Tired Wells," The Washington Post, 8/6/08)

Barack Obama Opposes Allowing States To Decide If They Want To Drill Offshore To Increase American Energy Independence. Obama: "The politics may have changed, but the facts haven't. The accuracy of Sen. McCain's original position has not changed: Offshore drilling would not lower gas prices today, it would not lower gas prices next year and it would not lower gas prices five years from now." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks At Press Availability, Jacksonville, FL, 6/20/08)

Barack Obama Opposes Immediate Gas Tax Relief For American Families. Obama: "I think John McCain's proposal for a three month tax holiday is a bad idea." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks At Campaign Event, Blue Bell, PA, 4/21/08)

Barack Obama Called John McCain's $300 Million Prize For A Better Battery A "Gimmick." Obama: "In this campaign, John McCain is offering the same old gimmicks that will provide almost no short-term relief to folks who are struggling with high gas prices. Gimmicks that will only increase our addiction for another four years." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks At Campaign Event, Las Vegas, NV, 6/24/08)

Barack Obama Criticized Expanding Nuclear Power. Obama: "That might make sense in Washington, but it doesn't make sense for America. In fact, it makes about as much sense as his proposal to build 45 new nuclear reactors without a plan to store the waste some place other than, guess where? Right here in Nevada at Yucca Mountain." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks At Campaign Event, Las Vegas, NV, 6/24/08)

Barack Obama Is Proposing A Tax On Oil That Will Only Lead To Higher Prices At The Pump. "Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's proposal for a windfall profits tax on oil companies could cost $15 billion a year at last year's profit levels, a campaign adviser said." (Daniel Whitten, "Obama May Levy $15 Billion Tax On Oil Company Profit," Bloomberg News, 5/1/08)

The Washington Post: Barack Obama's Tax On Oil Will Only Lead To "Higher Prices At The Pump." "But to add a five-year tax increase on top of that to pay for a one-year gift to voters would, indeed, increase the cost of doing business. That cost would be passed along in forgone investment in new production, lower dividends for pension funds and other shareholders, and higher prices at the pump-- thus socking it to the consumers whom the plan is supposed to help. If oil prices fall, there might be no windfall profits to tax. Then the Obama rebate would have to be paid for through spending cuts, taxes on something else or borrowing." (Editorial, "Tapping Tired Wells," The Washington Post, 8/6/08)

MISLEADING CLAIM #7: Barack Obama Will Cut Taxes. OBAMA: "I will eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and the start-ups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow. I will cut taxes -- cut taxes -- for 95% of all working families." (Barack Obama, Remarks, Denver, CO, 8/28/08)

Barack Obama Voted Twice In Favor Of The Democrats' FY 2009 Budget Resolution. (S. Con. Res. 70, CQ Vote #85: Adopted 51-44: R 2-43; D 47-1; I 2-0, 3/14/08, Obama Voted Yea; S. Con. Res. 70, CQ Vote #142: Adopted 48- 45: R 2- 44; D 44- 1; I 2-0, 6/4/08, Obama Voted Yea)

FactCheck.org: The Budget Resolution Would Have Allowed Most Of The Provisions Of The 2001 And 2003 Tax Cuts To Expire, Effectively Raising Taxes On Those Making $41,500 In Total Income. "What Obama voted for was a budget resolution that would have allowed most of the provisions of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts to expire. In particular, the resolution would allow the 25 percent tax bracket to return to its pre-2001 level of 28 percent. That bracket kicks in at $32,550 for an individual or $65,100 for a married couple.... But as those of you who have filled out a 1040 know, that's not actually how income taxes work. We don't pay taxes on our total earnings; we pay them based on our 'taxable income.' The Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center's Eric Toder told FactCheck.org that 'people with taxable income of $32,000 would have a total income greater than that.' In 2008, anyone filing taxes with single status would be entitled to a standar d deduction of $5,450, as well as a personal exemption of $3,500. So to have a taxable income high enough to reach the 25 percent bracket, an individual would need to earn at least $41,500 in total income, while a married couple would need a combined income of at least $83,000." ("The $32,000 Question," FactCheck.org, https://mail.cagop.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.factcheck.org/, 7/8/08)

FactCheck.org: "Obama's Votes Indicate A Willingness To Raise Taxes." "Certainly Obama's votes indicate a willingness to raise taxes, and Obama has not been shy about saying explicitly that he will raise some taxes." ("The $32,000 Question," FactCheck.org, http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/the_32000_question.html, 7/8/08)

Obama Campaign: Barack Obama Voted For A Budget Resolution That Wouldn't Have Increased Taxes For Any Taxpayers Making Less Than $41,500. ROSEN: "Campaign aides to Senator Obama today, called the charge that he voted for tax hikes on people making only $32,000 a year, quote, 'bogus.' They circulated an analysis stating that the resolution that Obama had voted for would not have increase taxes on single taxpayer making less than $41,500 a year in total income." (Fox News' "America's Election Headquarters," 7/30/08)

The New York Times: Barack Obama's "Vote Was On A Budget Resolution To Raise Taxes On People Making $41,500 A Year." "FactCheck.org, a nonpartisan Web site, said the vote was on a budget resolution to raise taxes on people making $41,500 a year; the $32,000 figure, it said, was the amount of taxable income those people had." (Michael Cooper, "McCain Goes Negative, Worrying Some In GOP," The New York Times, 7/30/08)

California News Roundup - August 29, 2008

Feinstein considers run for governor in 2010 -- California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who has been forced to sit out this week's Democratic convention in Denver because of a broken ankle, acknowledged in an interview with The Chronicle on Thursday that she is actively considering running for governor in 2010.


Governor to GOP: Stop 'hiding -- As the state's budget crisis lumbered into its third month, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday intensified the pressure on the one powerful group that has done little to end the standoff: legislators from his own party. In an interview with the Mercury News in his Capitol office, Schwarzenegger accused GOP politicians of "hiding" their ideas for deep spending cuts and borrowing to close California's massive deficit and suggested the reason is that the public would find their proposals "quite shocking."


Perata offers budget with sales tax hike -- The state Senate will vote today on a budget by Senate leader Don Perata that's similar to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's latest spending plan for California that's 60 days late. But whether Perata will get two Republican votes needed in addition to unanimous support from Democrats to meet the two-thirds requirement in the Senate remains unclear. One significant issue is the Oakland Democrat's proposal to increase the sales tax by a penny per dollar for three years.


Prop. 11 backers file complaint against Perata, prison guards union -- Backers of an initiative to change the way California draws its political districts filed a complaint Thursday against Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata and the state correctional officers union charging that they violated state laws governing political contributions. Jeannine English, president of AARP California, filed a complaint with the Fair Political Practices Commission, arguing that the union inappropriately used Perata's political account as an intermediary to contribute $577,000 against Proposition 11.


Dan Walters: California's prison guards union, Indian tribes flex political clout -- One of the more significant developments in Capitol politics over the past two decades has been the evolution – from virtual obscurity – of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association and casino-owning Indian tribes into two very powerful interests. In both cases, the reason was quite simple – billions upon billions of dollars. And in the closing hours of the 2008 legislative session, the prison guards union and the casino tribes are using their clout to enhance their economic positions even more.

Paper or Plastic? How about a New TAX?

A bill that has been circulating around the capitol all year now has a new number, but it's still just as bad.

In the 11th hour “gut and amend”, legislation that would impose a $0.25 tax on paper and plastic grocery bags. A similar bill was held by the Senate Appropriations Committee earlier this month, yet the proponents are attempting to advance this proposal during the waning days of the legislative session.

AB 2769 being introduced here in California would place a twenty-five cent fee on every plastic or paper grocery bag used. This legislation was proposed by Assembly Member Lloyd Levine and amounts to a regressive tax that will hit the working class the hardest. Consumers in the state of California use 600 bags per second. If AB 2769 was passed than that would be $150 out of consumers pockets every single second. As a matter of fact, a recent Department of Finance analysis concluded that this tax on just plastic grocery bags used would result in $4.75 billion in new costs on consumers. And this new bill would actually tax ALL GROCERY BAGS.

Plastic bags were first developed as an environmentally friendly substitute to paper bags. In a time when energy costs are rising, it still makes sense to use plastic, which require far less energy to produce than paper bags and are fully recyclable.

Less than a year ago the legislature passed Levine's AB 2449 improving the recycling programs for plastic bags. And now,before we have even had a chance to see if this measure would make a difference, Levine has already ruled it a failure? How about giving this new law time to succeed?

In 2006, 812 million pounds of plastic bags were recycled — a 24% increase from 2005. This alone shows how a little information, as opposed to a tax, can go a long way in educating the public on how to do the right thing.

At a time when the state of California faces both fiscal and environmental problems, it is imperative that we find the most cost-effective way to meet these challenges. Well, AB 2769 goes in precisely the wrong direction.

Paper and plastic grocery bags are fully recyclable with curbside and drop-off programs available throughout the state. Ironically, California recently enacted the nation’s first state-wide plastic bag recycling statute. This program is just over a year old and the Integrated Waste Management Board has yet to publish any data indicating the amount of material being recycled under this law.

Nevertheless, indications are that more plastic grocery bags and other film-type plastics are being recycled in increasing numbers. In fact, Assembly member Levine agreed writing in a recent Op-Ed “that law has already resulted in a substantial increase in both plastic bag recycling and the use of reusable bags, thanks to environmentally conscious consumers.”

If the author of this legislation agrees that California’s existing recycling programs are working, why would the Legislature considering abandoning this new program and saddling consumers with a new tax proposal that does nothing to advance the recycling of these products?

Proponents argue that this legislation is an incentive for consumers to bring a reusable bag to the grocery stores. While this option is surely suitable for some, it is not a practical option for many especially those that rely solely on public transportation. Furthermore, consumers who accidentally forget to bring a reusable bag are left with no choice but to pay this exorbitant tax on a product that is fully recyclable and where recycling opportunities are becoming more convenient. AB 2769 does not make sense.

The Legislature should give the state’s recycling programs an opportunity to work and not further burden hard-working families with yet another tax proposal.

California News Roundup - August 28, 2008

Same-sex marriage ban behind in latest poll -- The gap between those who support and those who oppose same-sex marriage is closing, and a poll indicates that backing for a proposition to ban such marriages is lagging. Those were two of the main findings of a poll conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California and released Wednesday.


San Francisco gives teen drug suspect to immigration -- A San Francisco court's ruling that a 14-year-old drug suspect from Honduras should be considered an abandoned youth - entitled to shelter rather than deportation - was thwarted Wednesday when the city turned him over to federal immigration authorities.


Gerrymandering a key culprit in California budget mess -- For Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, nothing better illustrates the evils of legislative gerrymandering -- and the need for Proposition 11 on the November ballot -- than Sacramento's two-month budget stalemate.


California tribes seek to ban slot-like bingo machines -- Rich, politically powerful Indian tribes are pushingCalifornia legislators to outlaw some casino competition: slot-like bingo machines that generate millions of dollars for high school sports teams, the blind and disabled.


Schwarzenegger rips officer union's donations to Perata committee -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday denounced $577,000 in contributions that the state correctional officers union gave to a political committee controlled by Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata. The California Correctional Peace Officers Association has donated most of the money in the final month of the legislative session.


Guards union's donation sparks rare labor rift -- Tough times test relationships. With California's leaders bickering over how to close a $15 billion budget deficit, state workers are unsettled over news that the correctional officers union has donated more than a half-million dollars to a Senate leader's political cause.


Restaurant group drops opposition to posting calorie info -- The California Restaurant Association has dropped its opposition to landmark legislation that would require chains with 20 or more restaurants to post calorie information on their menus and indoor menu boards. Senate Bill 1420 cleared the Assembly on a 46-27 vote Wednesday and is expected to make it out of the Senate later this week.


GOP lawmakers put 'no new taxes' pledge in writing -- Don't read their lips when California's Republican lawmakers say 'no new taxes' – they've put it in writing, signed their names, essentially inviting their own party to oust them if they renege. Every GOP lawmaker except Fair Oaks Assemblyman Roger Niello has signed the "Taxpayer Protection Pledge" this year, casting a shadow on budget talks by making any vote to raise taxes a potential career killer.


Labor Department reportedly joins investigation of SEIU payments -- U.S. authorities are examining hundreds of thousands of dollars paid by the union and a related charity to firms owned by relatives of the Los Angeles local's president, sources say.


California insurance commissioner backs pay-as-you-drive policies -- Commissioner Steve Poizner releases proposed regulations. The plan is considered to be more accurate, and it would give a financial incentive to California motorists to drive less.


State knocks on doors to collect sales taxes -- They look like accountants, housewives, sales people, and computer geeks - even reporters. But they're not. They are tax enforcers and they are knocking on doors - thousands of doors - one-by-one, to make sure the state gets all the sales-tax money that's coming to it. The state tried a pilot program in San Francisco and the Norwalk area, in which tax officials personally visited businesses. Now, the Board of Equalization is taking the program statewide, prompted in part by a tight budget year.


Glide's food line: sanctuary for drug dealers -- For 35 years, the poor, the hungry and the homeless have lined up outside Glide Memorial Church in the Tenderloin for free meals three times a day. Lately, a growing group has been concerning police, frightening neighbors and victimizing others in line. According to San Francisco police Capt. Gary Jimenez, who runs the Tenderloin Station, drug dealers are using the line as a sanctuary.


Corrections developing policies on gay marriage -- The California Department of Corrections is preparing new guidelines for gay marriages in prisons in response to the court ruling that legalized gay marriage in California. Under the new rules, gay inmates will have the same marriage rights as straight ones: They'll be able to marry non-inmates, but will be barred from marrying other inmates.

The Great Education Debate- Funny but true! (Video)

One of the things I like about british humor is how "in your face" they can be when it comes to pointing out stupidity.

This video aptly demonstrates just how out of touch Educarats (Education Bureaucrats) are when it comes to understanding and meeting the educational needs of our children.

California News Roundup - August 27, 2008

Governor signs rail bill to get it on ballot -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who promised not to sign any bills until lawmakers reach a budget deal, reversed his position Tuesday and signed a measure for a statewide bullet train system that he strongly supports.


Dan Walters: Capitol's budget battle is going nowhere fast -- So where is the Capitol's struggle with a long-overdue, deficit-ridden state budget headed? Nowhere – fast.


CCPOA donates $577,000 to Perata committee -- The state correctional officers union has contributed $577,000 to a political committee controlled by state Sen. Don Perata, with most of the cash sent over in the final weeks of the current legislative session.


Citibank settles with state, to repay millions -- Citibank will refund millions of dollars to credit card customers and pay $3.5 million to the state of California to settle a lawsuit that accused the company of stealing funds from some of its customers who had died, gone bankrupt or fallen behind in their payments.


Manchester executive is troubled by boycott -- officials at the Manchester Financial Group have argued for weeks that a boycott by gay rights and union groups hasn't hurt business at its two San Diego hotels, the Manchester Grand Hyatt and The Grand Del Mar. But a top company official, in an e-mail obtained by The San Diego Union-Tribune, painted a different picture, saying the boycott could have dire consequences for hotel owner Doug Manchester that could cost him millions of dollars in lost business.


Gay Activists Target Businesses -- When William Bolthouse, a California philanthropist, donated $100,000 in March to support a proposition to ban gay marriage in California, calls and emails poured in -- not to Mr. Bolthouse, but to the corporate offices of a company that bears his name -- even though he sold it three years earlier.


Latino stuck his neck out to get Democrat outreach funds -- When the clock strikes midnight Thursday after Barack Obama makes his acceptance speech, Sacramento superdelegate Steven Ybarra will lose his seat on the Democratic National Committee. Ybarra, a Sacramento City College professor and veteran Latino activist, got voted off the select Democratic panel after a brash publicity stunt – offering to sell his vote to Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton for a $20 million party pledge to compete for Latino votes.


Surging Latino growth has country looking to California schools -- Latinos make up nearly half of California's K-12 public school students, and their numbers are surging across the country, underscoring a growing challenge for educators who are looking to the Golden State for ways to adapt to the changing face of America's classrooms.


Jerry Brown gets tough on medical pot clubs -- California Attorney General Jerry Brown has ordered a crackdown on medical pot clubs that are selling the drug for big profits. The move puts the state a bit more in line with the feds in dealing with the explosion of questionable marijuana dispensaries since the passage of Proposition 215 more than a decade ago.


State seeks to block Medi-Cal payment ruling -- State health officials have asked a federal judge to suspend her order requiring them to restore 10 percent cuts in Medi-Cal payments to doctors, dentists and pharmacists, saying the ruling was unclear and legally flawed and would be prohibitively expensive for California taxpayers.


Nurse assistant works hard to pay her SEIU dues -- Alba had a smile on her face last week when I arrived at the Los Angeles nursing home where she hustles through long, hard shifts night after night. Hard to believe she'd be in high spirits after changing the diaper of an elderly woman, but she had one thing going for her: She hadn't yet heard about the financial shenanigans of her union president.

Schwarzenegger reverses course again... Like anyone is really suprised!

Not exactly known for sticking to his guns, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced today that despite his proclaimation that he would not be signing any bills until there is a budget; he would be willing to sign bills containing bonds for high-speed rail and/or water bonds.

The Sacramento Bee issued the following Report:

Schwarzenegger reverses course; will sign high-speed rail
bill

By Kevin Yamamura - kyamamura@sacbee.com
Published 11:32 am PDT Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Nearly three weeks after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced he would block any bill that reached his desk until the Legislature approves a budget, he sent a letter late Monday to legislative leaders saying he will make an exception for a high-speed rail clean-up measure and a water bond.

Schwarzenegger indicated that in at least those cases, he is willing to renege on his Aug. 6 vow that "some good bills will fail."

The Assembly is expected to send the governor a bill today that will revise the $9.9 billion high-speed rail bond measure, which is already on the November ballot but is widely agreed to contain flaws in its current form.

Schwarzenegger plans to sign the bill when it reaches his desk, according to his press secretary, Aaron McLear. The Assembly passed it earlier this month but withheld it due to the governor's threat.

In the letter, Schwarzenegger asked leaders to send him four proposals immediately so they can be placed on the November ballot. Besides high-speed rail, they include a water bond, a plan to expand the California Lottery, and a budget reform plan to strengthen the state's rainy-day fund. The latter two proposals are part of budget negotiations that remain unresolved 57 days into the current fiscal year.

"The governor believes Californians ought have the opportunity to vote on these four measures on the November ballot despite the fact that the Legislature is two months past their deadline in passing a budget," McLear said.

Nobody knows for certain when the deadline is for placing new measures on the November ballot. McLear last week said his office believed it was this past Sunday, but Secretary of State Debra Bowen says only that the Legislature can change election laws and decide for itself when the absolute deadline is.

If lawmakers do not place the proposals on the November ballot, they would likely consider a special election after November or the regularly
scheduled June 2010 election.

From a practical standpoint, counties are scheduled to begin mailing ballots to overseas voters, including soldiers, on Sept. 5.

Schwarzenegger made a big splash early this month when he denounced lawmakers for passing legislation without a budget in place. He suggested that they should be focused on the budget alone, and he said he would not sign any bills until a spending plan was approved. He also said he would
veto any bill before it had a chance of becoming law without his signature.

"The governor remains committed that he is not going to sign any bills until we have a budget," McLear said. "However these four measures need to get
on the November ballot and he does not believe simply because the Legislature has failed to do their job that Californians should not have the opportunity to vote on these measures."

Democratic Assembly Speaker Karen Bass replied that the governor ought to spend more of his time convincing members of his own party to back a budget plan. "It is unfortunate that Republicans continue to block progress on a budget, budget reform, the lottery, and a water bond without any proposals of their own," she said in a statement. "It?s time for the Governor to stop sending letters and holding press conferences and start getting votes from legislators of his own party so that our state can move forward on these critical issues."

Still no budget while democrat Budget Chair parties at DNC

So much for working hard to solve the budget. According to the following press release from the CRP, the Chairman of the Assembly Budget committee John Laird (D- Santa Cruz) decided to go to the Democratic National Convention.

Democrat Budget Chair "Cringes" When Caught By Reporters At Convention

"It is time for every Californian to take action. Tell the Legislature that they need to pass the budget now." - Assembly Democrat Caucus budget website

As California enters its 55th day without a state budget, assembly Democrats are urging Californians to call their Legislator and tell them to immediately pass a budget.

That could prove to be difficult, however, because the Democrat Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, Assemblyman John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) is partying it up in Denver at the Democrat National Convention.


Despite a late budget that has hurt many Californians, Laird doesn't seem to be worried. In fact, this morning he was found leading chants of "we are one!" at a convention breakfast. (Source: Capitol Weekly Blog)

KCRA political reporter Kevin Riggs caught Laird playing hooky this morning. Riggs' convention blog says Laird "cringed" when he was caught by reporters cheerleading at the convention, instead of working to resolve California's budget crisis. (Source: The Riggs Report)

How can Assemblyman John "What Me Worry?" Laird abandon his duty as Chair of the Budget Committee during our fiscal crisis?

There are 14 Southwest flights from Denver to Sacramento today...the people of California expect Mr. Laird to be on one of them.

Save the Date: Sept. 20th is the Red County Red Meat Roundup!

Sacramento Republican Assembly is hosting a Red County Red Meat Roundup to raise money for local candidates running in the upcoming November election. This year's featured candidate is Mayor Abram Wilson, who is the GOP nominee for the 15th Assembly District.

The event is scheduled for September 20th from 3-7 pm at the beautiful home of Mike and Diane McCollum.

This will be a premier event, with local elected officials and candidates, a STEAK BBQ, music and DJ, microbrews, and plenty of good Republican conversation. You won't want to miss this exciting party!


Please mark your calendar for this must-attend event and Click Here to RSVP.



Event Details:


When: Saturday, Sept. 20th from 3-7pm

Where: 10196 Clover Ranch Dr., Sacramento, CA 95829 (Click Here for Map)

Cost: $50 per person / $99 per couple

For more information: Craig DeLuz- craig@craigdeluz.com or Angela Azevedo- azevedo1@juno.com

California News Roundup - August 26, 2008

No regrets for Perata, Swanson for missing convention -- Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata warned several weeks ago that it could come to this: If there was no budget resolution by Monday, lawmakers would be forced to skip the Democratic National Convention in Denver.


Dan Walters: California businesses may score in legislative duel -- As important and visible as it may be, the political stalemate over the state budget – whether to close a whopping deficit with new taxes, spending cuts and loans – is not truly uppermost in the minds of most legislators. While legislative leaders wrangle over the budget, rank-and-file lawmakers are more concerned with the annual game that pits business groups against unions, environmentalists, plaintiffs' attorneys and consumer activists over the latter's bills that would impose new costs and red tape on the former.


'We are one' - except when it comes to state budget -- State Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, was living in the moment Monday – while dreading it was about to end. He stood before the California delegation, delivering a thundering speech for the party to unify behind presumptive nominee Barack Obama. "We are one! We are one! We are one!" he shouted.


Court rules S.F. teen illegal needs services -- A San Francisco court set aside a drug-trafficking case Monday against a 14-year-old Honduran immigrant - a ruling that juvenile justice officials fear will undermine Mayor Gavin Newsom's new policy requiring that such offenders be held for possible deportation. Juvenile Court Commissioner Abby Abinanti concluded that the youth, identified only as Francisco G. because of his age, should be treated within the social welfare system, not as a criminal offender.


Home sales in state soar as prices plunge -- ornia home sales surged last month even while prices plunged a record amount, as buyers snapped up bargains among the state's hundreds of thousands of foreclosed and distressed properties, according to an industry trade group.


California attorney general issues medical marijuana guidelines -- Jerry Brown outlines steps to help patients and dispensaries stay within the law, help police know when to step in and, it's hoped, keep the federal government at bay.


Orange County woman is 1st in California to die from West Nile virus -- The 72-year-old from Buena Park had a serious neurological form of the disease, which an Orange County Health Care Agency spokesman said she likely contracted from a mosquito bite.


State tobacco control pays off, advocate says -- A newly published study by researchers at UCSF estimates that the California Tobacco Control Program has saved some $86 billion in personal health care costs - a 50-fold return on investment.


Gang violence seeps into Sacramento suburbs -- Nearly two years after the fatal shooting, a sense of unease – a memory of murder – lingers behind the peaceful facade of a middle-class neighborhood in Elk Grove called The Villas. Kids played basketball in the street on a sunny afternoon last week and neighbors kept their grass green and trim. Missing was a beloved neighbor killed by a gangster's bullet, a violent urban death stamped into the history of one of Sacramento's staunchest suburban enclaves.

Biden on Obama: This ad wrote itself!

It is going to be fun watching as Democrats try to spin these very public statements that Barak is not ready to lead by very popular figures like Biden & Clinton.

California News Roundup - August 25, 2008

Dan Walters: California's borrowing orgy unlikely to end soon -- A well-established economic principle, called the "wealth effect," holds that consumers' spending is influenced more by their sense of well-being than by their incomes. If consumers believe that their wealth is growing – from home equity or retirement savings, for instance – they're more inclined to run up credit cards, tap home equity and otherwise incur debt to buy things.


Oakland's missing millions -- Oakland's finances appear to be far worse than suspected. Former City Manager Robert Bobb, who has parachuted into town at the request of Mayor Ron Dellums to try to sort out the fiscal mess, has discovered that Oakland's reserves have been drawn down by as much as $48 million in the past year, and accounting for most of the missing funds hasn't been easy.


Farmworkers union chief wants change in voting -- United Farm Workers President Arturo Rodriguez has worked for more than three decades in the labor union co-founded by Cesar Chavez in the 1960s. Rodriguez was at the Capitol last week to lobby for Assembly Bill 2386, which would make it easier for the union to organize by allowing farmworkers to sign cards in lieu of secret-ballot voting.


Deal would allow state oversight of chemicals in California -- An ambitious proposal crafted in the dwindling days of the legislative session would for the first time give state regulators broad authority to oversee chemicals in consumer products.


Free grocery bags targeted for extinction in California -- The plastic grocery bag is fighting for its crinkly life. From the city of San Francisco to Los Angeles County, more than a dozen local governments around the state have proposed or passed plastic-bag restrictions, ranging from recycling mandates to outright bans.



Johnson attracts big names in Sacramento mayor's race -- Kevin Johnson took the stage of a packed Oak Park theater last week and accepted an endorsement from Jack O'Connell, California's public schools chief and one of the state's most visible elected officials.


Algebra - it's everywhere -- Algebra. The very word can twist the stomachs of otherwise well-adjusted adults, dredging up memories of nonsensical X's and Y's and a lifelong loathing of math. For many, the math course was the educational equivalent of castor oil, forced down the throats of teenagers who questioned when they would ever encounter that train leaving Boston at 60 mph.

Another Episode of "Democrat Senators Gone Wild"

Here is yet another story of a California State Senator acting like a fool.

Two weeks ago, Senator Pat Wiggins cursed at a pastor during a committee hearing, stating that is aurguments were "Bull S***t".

And yesturday, Senator Carole Migden's entire staff was sent home after she berrated and yelled at them.

Here is the story as reported by the Capitol Alert:

After yelling episode, Migden's staff sent home

Sen. Carole Migden's Capitol staff was sent home on Thursday afternoon and told not to report to work on Friday, after the San Francisco Democrat was heard berating them from the hallway.

Enedina Hidalgo, the director of personnel for the state Senate, overheard Migden screaming, according to a witness to the event. The source said Hidalgo entered the office while the senator was not present on Thursday, informing the staff of their rights.

Soon after, Hidalgo returned to Migden's office with Tony Beard Jr., the chief sergeant-at-arms of the state Senate. They told the staff to pack up their belongings and escorted them out of the building, the witness said.

A spokeswoman for Migden, Tracy Fairchild, declined comment and referred all questions about the incident to the Senate Rules Committee.

Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, an Oakland Democrat and chair of the Rules Committee, declined to comment. Secretary of the Senate Greg Schmidt, the top aide to the Rules Committee, and Hidalgo also declined to comment.

When Sen. Carole Migden was directly asked about Thursday's events, Perata aide Lynda Gledhill sought to intervene, telling Migden she did not have to comment.

"They weren't sent home," Migden said of her staff, before walking away.

Late Thursday afternoon, the phones to the Migden's Capitol office went unanswered and mail had piled up by 4:45 p.m., stuffed under the locked office door.

On Friday, none of Migden's regular aides reported to work in the Capitol. Her office was staffed by temporary workers from the Senate Rules Committee.

Migden, known for her brusque attitude, is a 10-year veteran of the Capitol, having served six years in the Assembly and one term in the Senate.

Earlier this year, she lost a three-way Democratic primary to Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco. She was the first California legislator in a dozen years to lose a primary re-election contest.

"We need responsible representation," Leno said to a Marin audience during the campaign. He campaigned in part on character issues.

Migden suffered a bout of bad publicity during the campaign, especially surrounding an erratic 30-mile drive last May on Interstate 80 in which she careened off the center divider and later rear-ended a car with her state-owned SUV.

She later suggested that medicine she was taking for leukemia may have contributed to the episode.

A no-nonsense lawmaker, Migden admitted during the primary that her curt demeanor sometimes rubbed associates the wrong way. But she was unapologetic. "I make no apologies that sometimes it's a tough arena," she said at the time.

Migden will leave office at the end of November.

California News Roundup - August 22, 2008

Governor may seek special election for budget -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Thursday that the budget deadlock could last for several more weeks, a delay that would force him to call a special election. Two significant pieces of his budget require voter approval, and many state lawmakers consider Sunday to be the drop-dead deadline for placing new measures on the ballot for the November election.


Steinberg elected as Senate leader (in waiting) -- Six months after the decision was made, Darrell Steinberg – a former labor lawyer and unabashed liberal – was formally elected Senate president pro tem Thursday in a unanimous voice vote by his colleagues. But in the longest legislative transition in modern California history, the Sacramento Democrat won't assume office until Nov. 30 – one day before current Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, is termed out of office.


Dan Walters: GOP spending a major player in California budget gap -- Republicans are largely bystanders in a Legislature controlled by liberal Democrats – except when it comes to the state budget. If they maintain discipline, the two-thirds budget vote requirement gives Republicans a pivotal role, one very evident in this year's game of political chicken over closing a $15 billion-plus deficit. But what kind of role?


Q&A: Governor says sales tax increase is right for state -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke to The Bee on Thursday after embracing a temporary 1-cent sales tax proposal to help bridge a $15.2 billion budget shortfall. Under the plan, the sales tax after three years would drop permanently by 1.25 cents, and lawmakers would agree to support long-term budget changes. The state is now 53 days into the fiscal year without a budget.


Bill would aid young violent-crime witnesses -- California children who witness violent crime - the killing of a neighbor or assault of a friend - would be eligible for up to $5,000 in mental health services under a bill awaiting the governor's signature. The bill would close a loophole in current law, which currently offers state victims assistance funding only for those directly affected by violence or those living with or related to the victims, said the measure's author, Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco.


Texting while driving? California Senate says 'GTG' -- Everyone knows not to get caught DWI, but tech-savvy drivers may soon be outlawed from engaging in DWT -- driving while texting. Trying to keep pace with advances in technology, a divided state Senate approved a measure Thursday that would outlaw text messaging by motorists in California.


Killer must be paroled, state high court says -- A convicted murderer who is eligible for parole, and poses no demonstrable threat to the public, can't be kept behind bars solely because of the horrific facts of a crime that occurred many years earlier, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday. The 4-3 decision rejected Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's decision to override the state parole board and veto the release of a Los Angeles woman who spent 24 years in prison for killing her lover's wife.

Gov's idea for rainy day fund is all wet

Yesterday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger offered, what he calls a "Compromise Budget" that he says, "responsibly addresses California's remaining $15.2 billion budget shortfall and reforms our broken budget system." (Click Here to See his Press Conference)

The truth is that his current budget plan is not new, not a compromise, does not contain budget spending reform and does not address the current budget deficit.

The Budget Reform measures being offered by the governor include:

A Strong Rainy Day Fund


• Increases the size of California's Budget Stabilization Account (BSA) from 5 percent of General Fund expenditures to 12.5 percent -or approximately $13 billion dollars today.


• Requires annual transfers to the BSA of 3 percent of General Fund and eliminates the ability to suspend those annual transfers. In years when the BSA is full (at 12.5%), the annual transfer is reduced to 1.5 percent. During economic downturns, when funds can be drawn out of the BSA, the transfer would not occur.


• In addition to the annual transfer of 3 percent of General Fund to the BSA, the compromise proposal requires that all current-year revenue above the amounts included in the Budget Act be transferred to the BSA, after first providing funding to education as required under Proposition 98. This would mean that any unexpected spike in revenues that occur during the fiscal year - normally recognized in the Governor's May Revision - would be transferred to the BSA.


• Funds could only be transferred out from the BSA under the following conditions: 1) actual revenues during the Fiscal Year must be below a specified level: prior year spending adjusted by population growth and per capita personal income growth; 2) funds transferred from the BSA back into the General Fund must be appropriated in a stand-alone urgency bill, subject to a 2/3rds vote of the Legislature. The amount transferred out of the BSA during a fiscal year would be limited to the amount which would bring revenues up to prior year spending adjusted by population and per capita personal income growth.


• When the balance in the BSA reaches 12.5 percent, the excess would be available for one-time purposes only. One-time purposes would include: paying down debt, paying off outstanding General Obligation bonds, investing in infrastructure and capital outlay projects, paying for "settle-up" dollars owed to education, pre-paying health care liability for retired employees (OPEB), and tax relief.



Mid-Year Reduction Authority


• Authorizes the Director of Finance to do the following when s/he determines, mid-year, that revenues have fallen below specified levels:


• Reduce state operations budgets by up to 7 percent without modifying or suspending the law.


• Freeze Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs), rate increases or increases in state participation in local costs, as designated in the Budget Act, for up to 120 days.


• Requires the governor to submit urgency legislation to permanently suspend COLAs and other rate increases. If the governor fails to act within the 120 days, or the Legislature fails to adopt the suspension, the COLAs and other rate increases are reinstated.

There are several problems with this proposal. First, there is noting in it that addresses the issue of overspending. All it requires is for the state to contribute 3% of whatever they spend to the reserve, thus increasing the amount that goes to the rainy day fund as spending increases. But it does not limit spending!

A firm spending cap would limit the argument for future tax increases as long as revenues are in line with spending. But under this proposal, Democrats will be free to increase spending as they wish as long as they offer tax increases to help cover the cost.

Secondly, what good is it to allow the governor to make mid-year reductions that will last only 120 days? That’s right! Unless the 2/3 of the legislature votes to make the reductions permanent, then spending goes back to normal levels.

Maybe I am mistaken. But I don’t think there are any Democrats who would vote to make such cuts permanent. And it is highly unlikely that Republicans will get a supermajority in both houses of the state legislature anytime soon. Thus, the offer of mid-year reductions as offered in this proposal is all smoke and mirrors.

It is regretful that the Governor has caved on the idea of a spending cap. I believe that legislative Republicans could legitimately consider supporting his proposal if it truly addressed the issue of out of control spending.

California News Roundup - August 21, 2008

Governor recycles sales-tax hike budget -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, calling the Legislature's failure to agree on a budget deal shameful, made public on Wednesday his latest spending proposal, which includes a temporary, one-cent increase in the sales tax, additional cuts and spending limits intended to bank revenue in boom years.


Republicans will strip local government limits out of budget proposal -- Republican legislators are planning on bringing back a controversial spending limit proposal that failed late last week. But the new version of ACA 19 will be missing most of the language that would have imposed tough budgeting rules not just on the state but on local governments as well.


State Senate passes bill aimed at thieves of metal fixtures -- Twice in the past four years, San Joaquin County farmer Richard Rodriguez has been victimized by metal thieves making off with nearly $25,000 in sprinkler pipes. "As long as there's a market and the people who buy this stuff don't ask questions, this is going to be a problem," said Rodriguez, who works 500 acres.



Hearing date means California workers get full pay for August -- California workers targeted by a gubernatorial order to cut their pay to federal minimum wage have dodged that bullet – at least for August. A Sacramento Superior Court judge Wednesday set a hearing to decide the pay dispute for Sept. 12, too late to affect this month's payroll.


The Buzz: Budget may keep governor from sharing GOP lineup with Cheney -- The Republican National Convention announced Wednesday that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is slated to speak on Monday, Sept. 1, the same night as Vice President Dick Cheney. But Schwarzenegger, who has told lawmakers to stay home from the national conventions if a budget deal isn't done, told reporters he will do the same.


Capitol Weekly: Ranking of the Legislators -- It's that time again. As Capitol staffers and lobbyists frantically come up against bill deadlines, and maybe even talk about the budget now and then, the editorial team here at Capitol Weekly has been busily reducing lawmakers to basic, rudimentary statistics.


Bill would give state tax relief for borrowers -- Struggling borrowers who persuade lenders to forgive part of their mortgage debt would get new tax relief under a bill, SB1055, on its way to the desk of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The bill, by Sen. Mike Machado, D-Linden, copies the federal tax forgiveness approved late last year by Congress and President Bush. Machado's version applies to California state taxes.


For rural California, stakes are high in Capitol’s budget wars -- Sen. Dave Cox's 1st Senate District enfolds nine counties and parts of three more, a district that is 80 percent rural and stretches north to the Oregon line and south to Mammoth Lakes on the Sierra Nevada's eastern slope.


Legislature takes aim at urban sprawl and global warming -- A bill calling for financial incentives to target greenhouse gases would be the first in the nation.


Bush plan would blunt state birth control law -- A proposed Bush administration regulation on contraception and abortion would stop California from enforcing a state law that requires Catholic hospitals and charities to provide birth control coverage for thousands of female employees, state Attorney General Jerry Brown and family-planning advocates said Wednesday.


Protected immigrant faces charges in stabbing -- An immigrant suspected of being in the United States illegally - freed after being shielded from possible deportation by San Francisco officials despite committing two gang-related assaults as a juvenile - faces charges that he tried to stab a man to death last year in San Mateo County, authorities say.


State officials plan to appeal Medi-Cal ruling -- State officials are planning to appeal a federal judge's decision this week that blocked 10 percent cuts in Medi-Cal fees to doctors, pharmacists and other medical professionals. The state also plans to ask next week for a reconsideration and a stay of the decision by U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder of Los Angeles, contending her ruling would cost California $575 million a year.


Tyrone Freeman steps aside as head of SEIU chapter -- President of California's largest local says it will be placed under a temporary trustee after Los Angeles Times stories reported payments to firms owned by his wife and mother-in-law.

California News Roundup - August 20, 2008

GOP leader stomps out of state budget talks -- Budget negotiations between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and four Legislative leaders fell apart Tuesday when one of the Republican leaders stormed out of the meeting, angrily charging that the talks "are not helpful." "Frankly, I was very frustrated when leaving that meeting," Assembly Republican leader Mike Villines from Clovis (Fresno County), said in an interview. "I'm tired of walking into (these meetings) and the only thing that's being talked about is more tax increases."


Schwarzenegger's push to hike sales tax riles GOP -- ov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has taken on an unlikely role as one of the Capitol's most steadfast champions of a tax hike, spurning his fellow Republicans' uncharacteristic effort to borrow their way out of budget trouble. The GOP lawmakers, preferring debt to a tax increase, say Democrats might have agreed to close the $15.2-billion budget gap with loans by now if not for Schwarzenegger.


Judge blocks state's cut in Medi-Cal fees -- A federal judge has blocked California's 10 percent cut in Medi-Cal fees for doctors, dentists and pharmacies, saying the money-saving measures appear to violate federal law and would worsen medical care for millions of poor people. In her ruling Monday, U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder of Los Angeles said she was aware of California's gaping deficit, now $17.2 billion (including $2 billion in reserves) with the budget 50 days overdue and legislators still deadlocked.

Dan Walters: This week's pivotal for state Capitol's budget, water battles -- This is shaping up as a make-or-break week not only on the long-stalled state budget but on other major issues, such as water bonds, that are tied to the Nov. 4 ballot.

Budget before conventions, governor says -- Presidential conventions? Not until California passes a state budget, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told legislative leaders Tuesday. "I told the legislative leaders that it's extremely important not to leave before we have a budget done," Schwarzenegger said.

Parra wins praise for political gumption -- A day after she was booted from her Capitol office, Assembly Member Nicole Parra on Tuesday showed no signs of backing off her demand that lawmakers approve a water bond before she votes on the state budget, now 51 days late.

Bill would make hybrids heard on streets -- Electric and hybrid vehicles may be good for the environment, but a California lawmaker says they're bad news for the blind. State Sen. Alan Lowenthal, a Long Beach Democrat, is pushing a bill aimed at ensuring that the vehicles make enough noise to be heard by the blind and visually impaired when they're about to cross a street.

San Franciscon cuts misuse of disability parking fine -- hile the prices of many parking infractions in San Francisco are going through the roof, there's one violation that has become a relative bargain - misusing a parking placard for people with disabilities. That used to cost miscreants $500 a pop. Now, the fine is a mere $100.

Indian tribes, charities reach deal on bingo fundraisers -- California's politically powerful Indian casino tribes and the state's major charities have worked out a "win-win" deal that would allow the charities to expand their bingo operations while preserving the tribes' constitutional monopoly on slot machines. But the compromise, which has attracted a swarm of lobbyists in the waning days of the Legislature's session, might be a lose-lose for some small charities, particularly in the Sacramento area, and for manufacturers of electronic games that look and play like slot machines but are advertised as "electronic bingo" machines.

State Senate sends bills on guns, traffic and bandit taxis to Schwarzenegger -- Among the bills is one that would close a loophole on carrying loaded firearms in unincorporated areas. Another would fine bandit cab operators $5,000 and disconnect their phones.

Twice as many in state can now afford a home -- A pair of reports released Tuesday highlighted the upside of the real estate downturn: Housing is becoming more affordable for more people across California and the Bay Area. The percentage of households able to buy an entry-level residence in the state reached 48 percent during the second quarter, double the level from a year ago, according to the California Association of Realtors.

Federal foreclosure-purchase program may fall flat in California -- To Congress, it looked like a way to both ease blight and provide affordable housing: give local governments $4 billion to buy, repair and resell homes lost to foreclosure. But the program -- included in the landmark housing bill signed by President Bush last month -- faces growing doubts among real estate experts and economists, who point out that the government will now be competing with lenders and private homeowners who have been struggling to sell in a depressed market.

Algebra 1 requirement highlights teacher shortage -- Now that the state has mandated Algebra 1 for all eighth-graders within three years, a deeply entrenched problem has become even more urgent: California does not have enough qualified teachers of mathematics. Districts recognize the problem and are doing what they can to cultivate more teachers. So are universities. The number of new math teachers emerging from colleges has been going up.

USD revokes invitation to feminist theologian -- A University of San Diego decision rescinding a prestigious position to a Catholic feminist theologian has thrust it smack in the middle of a national debate over academic freedom versus adherence to church teachings.

Dan Weintraub: For builders, clean-air rules' timing is tough -- Mike Shaw didn't want to be caught by surprise when the state starting cracking down on diesel engines. He owned more than 100 of them – powering the scrapers, graders and bulldozers that are the backbone of his San Diego construction business. So he paid close attention when the state's air pollution regulators wrote new rules requiring the owners of diesel-powered equipment to clean up their fleets. And as he thinned the oldest, dirtiest engines from his stock, Shaw thought he was well on his way to satisfying the state's requirements.

In Case You Missed It: Debates on CA Budget & Spending Cap (Video)

As promised, here are links to streaming video for anyone interested in viewing the Assembly Floor debate on the budget, which took place on Sunday or the Assembly Budget Committee, which met on Friday.

(Click Here for Assembly Budget Debate) **Warning** This is a long video! Debate lasted from about 4 pm until around 8:30pm.

(Click Here for the ACA 19 Hearing) Roger Niello did us Proud!

California News Roundup - August 19, 2008

Democrats vow to seek voter change of two-thirds requirement -- Assemblyman Sandre Swanson is convinced that the only way to avoid lengthy budget stalemates in the future is to strip the minority party of what he calls its out-sized influence.

Democratic assemblywoman banished from Capitol for withholding budget vote -- The only perceptible movement Monday in the Capitol's long-stalled budget debate came on the fifth floor – Democrat Nicole Parra was booted from her office for bucking her party during a vote Sunday night.

California Budget Impasse Persists As GOP Refuses Income-Tax Rise -- California's months-long budget standoff hit a low when an emergency State Assembly meeting failed to produce a compromise between Democrats and Republicans over how to compensate for a shortfall exceeding $15 billion.

California Assembly rejects two bills on chemical bans -- An avalanche of lobbying buried two bills in the Assembly on Monday that sought to ban controversial chemicals from fast food containers, microwave popcorn bags and baby bottles.

Dan Walters: Solar power tax break has a ray of irony -- The central focus of Sunday's four-hour Assembly debate over the long-stalled state budget was the Democrats' $6.7 billion package of new taxes. Republicans complained loudly that with California's economy mired in recession, raising taxes would be counterproductive, making the state less hospitable to business and propelling investment elsewhere.

Panel urges San Francisco to help teen immigrant felons -- A San Francisco city commission has taken a defiant stand against Mayor Gavin Newsom's directive on young immigrant felons by urging officials to permit the offenders to remain in the city and help pay for their housing, job placement services and immigration lawyers.

California leads nation in immigrant births -- A new and more nuanced national report about fertility shows a significantly higher share of babies are born to immigrants in California than in any other state, even as a lower-than-average share of the state's births are to poor women and women on welfare.

Peter Schrag: Another shot in math wars: A stink bomb -- Who says Jack O'Connell doesn't have a sense of humor? Last week, O'Connell, the state superintendent of public instruction, called for an additional $3.1 billion a year to allow California's middle schools to meet a three-year deadline by which all students must take (and presumably pass) algebra in the eighth grade.

Doctors can't use bias to deny gays treatment -- California doctors who have religious objections to gays and lesbians must nevertheless treat them the same as any other patient or find a colleague in the office who will do so, the state Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday. he justices rejected a San Diego County fertility clinic's attempt to use its physicians' religious beliefs as a justification for their refusal to provide artificial insemination for a lesbian couple.

Assembly OKs water park bill -- A proposal to improve child safety at wave pools - prompted by the drowning of a small boy at Great America last summer - drew spirited partisan debate among state lawmakers Monday but was eventually approved by a wide margin.