California News Roundup - January 9, 2009

Working overtime on red ink -- While debate in Sacramento focuses on tax increases versus spending cuts, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has resurrected an issue that's received less attention than it should. In calling for a comprehensive budget fix including more taxes, which we oppose, and more cuts and economic stimulus, which we favor, the governor also returned to a theme he championed six years ago.

Dan Walters: Voters could help solve the tax battle -- Five years ago, a newly inaugurated Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger beseeched California voters to pass a $15 billion bond issue to refinance the state's burgeoning budget deficit and "cut up the credit cards" with another measure that prohibited any budget that spends more than its revenues.

Borrowing $23.3 billion for state budget won't be easy, analyst says -- Shaky credit markets will make it difficult for the state to access capital for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal, which he intends to submit to the Legislature on Friday.

Let voters weigh in on budget, legislative analyst says -- Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor may have a fallback solution to the political paralysis that has thwarted a state budget solution – let the people decide.

Relaxed laws part of state budget drama -- California's budget fight is about more than the usual disagreements over spending cuts or higher taxes. This year, another big hang-up is over contentious proposals to change rules governing environmental review and lunch breaks, among other laws.

Furlough fight gets its day in court -- The governor's furlough plan heads to court today. A lawsuit filed by the Professional Engineers in California Government and the California Association of Professional Scientists seeks to block Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's executive order, arguing he needs legislative approval to force furloughs.

California's Plans to Close Gap Become More Drastic -- 's school year could be shortened by a week under increasingly Draconian proposals being considered by state lawmakers seeking to close a projected $42 billion budget shortfall by the middle of next year.

Brown's switch on Prop. 8 reflects times -- California Attorney General Jerry Brown has become a hero to gay rights advocates - and a potential leader in the 2010 Democratic gubernatorial field - with his recent controversial decision to mount a legal challenge to overturn Proposition 8, the initiative approved by voters that banned-same sex marriage in California.

Prop. 8 supporters sue to abolish campaign financing disclosure law -- The Proposition 8 campaign has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of California laws that require campaign contributors to disclose personal information, claiming donors to the campaign have been threatened.

Prison receiver's lawyers slam state's refusal to fund health care -- For political expediency, the state is trying to weasel out of continued cooperation with a court-appointed receiver's effort to bring prison health care up to constitutional standards.

Steinberg wants to limit members to 15 bills -- Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg wants to limit the amount of legislation members can introduce in 2009 in an effort to keep lawmakers focused on the state's budget.

Villaraigosa defends his support of Israel -- L.A. mayor comes under criticism from Muslim groups after he says the nation has a 'right and responsibility to defend itself' from Hamas rockets.

Feinstein Hunts Alone -- Depending on which Democrat you talk with, California Senator Dianne Feinstein is either becoming the conscience of the Senate or Majority Leader Harry Reid's biggest headache.

Hilda Solis' belief in unions runs deep -- President-elect Barack Obama's nominee to head the U.S. Labor Department sees her parents' membership as key to the success she and her siblings have achieved.

Decorated veterans could park free under new law -- Jim Foutz doesn't drive much anymore at 87, but the license plate on his car tells his story: The North Highlands man survived the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Teeing off on taxes -- Golden State golfers are mobilizing to fight the governor's proposal to slap the state sales tax on the game/sport/religion.

Property tax assessments could plunge across California, worsening fiscal crisis -- California's plunging property values have already clobbered homeowners, but now the trend is promising pain for struggling counties, cities and schools that rely upon property taxes — a downward shift unseen in decades.

Multimillion-dollar error found in San Jose pension system -- Though San Jose's employee pension system cannot fully cover the costs of future benefits, many retired city workers are still expecting bonus checks for high earnings reaped before the recent market crash.

Sacramento region's churches struggle in the recession -- Sanctuary from the economic downturn is tough to find, even in houses of worship.

California literacy at bottom -- Almost 1 in 4 adults in California have such poor literacy skills they cannot follow a simple newspaper article, a federal study released Thursday said.

Panel to explore why black students lag peers -- As the upcoming inauguration of the nation's first black president reshapes America's debate on race, the state Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday to create an "African American Advisory Committee" to ask why black students lag so far behind their peers.

Cash crunch slows high-speed rail project -- Just months after Californians voted to invest nearly $10 billion in a statewide high-speed rail system, the agency charged with getting it built is running out of money.

Oakland protest organizer watched in horror -- The man who organized Wednesday's BART police protest said he broke down in tears when he saw his peaceful march turn violent as some participants began throwing bottles, spitting on police cars and setting small fires.

Family of victim in BART shooting pleads for peace -- As family and friends of Oscar Grant III pleaded for peace Thursday afternoon, broken glass was being cleaned up from the previous night's disturbances in downtown Oakland, burned cars were towed away, and some business owners — fearing a repeat of the violence — made plans for nightfall, closing early and sending employees home.

Sarah Palin discusses media bias

This is an interesting video interview from Andrew Breitbart's Big Hollywood.

California News Rooundup - January 8, 2009

Schwarzenegger proposes 5 fewer school- Faced with a massive budget deficit, the governor wants to stop state funding for a week of classes. Educators criticize the plan as most harmful to poor students. .

Is public access TV dead?- Big cable may finally push out quirky cable. Your remote control isn't screwed up. As of now, there really is nothing on some cable channels.

Lawsuit seeking to block California Democrats' tax hikes is tossed- An appellate court says it cannot rule on the $9.3-billion package because the governor vetoed the legislation hours after the suit was filed.

Arnold: California can take a page from Irish- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger , speaking to the media in Sacramento this afternoon for the first time since returning from his Christmas ski vacation, offered a few interesting analogies to show how he and Democratic and Republican legislators can keep ...

Steinberg talks budget, 'God's work' and- As you may have seen, Senate leader Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, stopped by The Bee's Capitol Bureau on Wednesday. He talked budget. He talked budget. And he talked budget.

Dept. of Endorsements: DeVore announces GOP- It may be early and a certain governor of California still could enter the race, but Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, a conservative Orange County Republican, is already gathering up endorsements for his 2010 run against Sen. Barbara Boxer.

Governor, Democrats collide over environmental exemption for Hwy. 50- With the clock ticking toward insolvency, talks on fixing California's budget this week hit a bottleneck on Highway 50 in Rancho Cordova – where officials are at odds over the state's iconic and controversial environmental protection law.

Schwarzenegger promises a labor pick on Cal-OSHA Board of- State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said Wednesday that he had a commitment from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger nominate a labor representative to a long-vacant position on the three-person occupational safety appeals board.

The-Buzz- Friday's court date could be delayed for the lawsuit brought by the California Association of Professional Scientists and Professional Engineers in California Government against the state employee furloughs ordered by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger .

The State Worker: Schwarzenegger loses the rank and- A crisis doesn't build relationships. It reveals them. Little wonder, then, that California's budget fiasco has exposed the deep antipathy many state workers hold for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The animosity has been years in the making, ...

Obituary: Former California Assembly speaker Monagan- Robert T. Monagan Born: July 5, 1920. Died: Jan. 7, 2009. Remembered for: Former California Assembly speaker and Republican lawmaker; served as assistant transportation secretary in the Nixon administration and as mayor of Tracy; ...

State cancels computer modernization- Citing missed work deadlines and other problems, the state has terminated a $69 million contract with BearingPoint Inc. of McLean, Va. The company, which provides management and technology consulting services worldwide, won the contract to work ...

Editorial: Deal or no deal, Capitol- Following Tuesday's meltdown at the Capitol, the deterioration of California's finances appears to be matched only by the deterioration of its leadership. Close to a budget deal over the weekend, Democrats and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger suddenly ...

Editorial: Finally, real school data is within- Last year, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's stated No. 1 priority for getting education reform began: 'We need better data.' The economic downturn got in the way, and the state ended up doing only the minimum to meet federal No Child Left Behind...

Governor, legislative leaders to talk- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said today he will meet Wednesday with Democratic and Republican legislative leaders to restart budget negotiations, using his budget as a template to bridge the state's looming $41.5 billion deficit during the next 18 ...

Roadshow: Higher fine for using cell phone?- State Sen. Joe Simitian may introduce legislation to make penalties stiffer.

California News Roundup - January 7, 2009

California may delay tax refunds amid budget impasse- With Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's veto of Democrats' $18-billion package of tax hikes and cuts, the state could begin issuing IOUs as soon as Feb. 1.

Nature Conservancy backs Delta canal, with- One of the nation's largest environmental groups has decided to support building a controversial new water canal around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Sacramento council wants more details of mayor's plans- Kevin Johnson is mayor of Sacramento.It wasn't the kind of unruly crowd you'd see at, say, a New Year's Eve bash on K Street, but the Sacramento City Council's first meeting of 2009 came with a hint of attitude. Council members demanded Tuesday ...

The Buzz- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's deficit-closing plan to temporarily raise sales taxes by 1.5 cents on the dollar has drawn predictable howls of protest from the right. Now the left has weighed in with equal disgust. Peace and Freedom Party state ...

Daniel Weintraub: Newsom assesses his city – warts and all- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, sparring with legislators over the state's impending fiscal meltdown, has postponed his annual state-of-the-state address until Jan. 15, perhaps hoping that by then he can describe California's condition as anything but ...

Blue Shield to reinstate 678 canceled policies-Nearly 700 subscribers whose policies were canceled by Blue Shield of California will be reinstated as part of a settlement reached with the California Department of Insurance, state officials announced Tuesday. The insurer has agreed to ...

Dan Walters: New approach needed to aid poor-The ethnic, linguistic, aptitudinal, cultural and economic diversity of California's 6 million public school kids has expanded greatly over the past few decades, but the school system itself has become more centralized, more politicized and more ...

Steinberg: 'I am perplexed'-Assembly Speaker Karen Bass and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said today they were sending down their $18 billion majority-vote package despite Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's vow to veto the plan. 'In sending down our package this ...

Schwarzenegger to veto budget bills- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will immediately veto the Democratic plan to reduce the budget deficit by $18 billion and urge lawmakers to use his January proposal as a template for implementing midyear cuts, according to Schwarzenegger communications ...

Black support for Prop. 8 called exaggeration- Reports of overwhelming African American support for Proposition 8's ban on same-sex marriage were exaggerated in exit polls, a new look at the November election results has found. 'Party identification, age, religiosity and political view had much ...

Assessing a Whitman candidacy-Assessing candidacy of eBay's Meg Whitman Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, who made her political intentions perfectly clear when she quit various corporate boards on Monday, wouldn't be the first eBay alum to run for governor.

Governor rejects Democrats' budget; will unveil his plan this week- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Democratic lawmakers' $18 billion mid-year budget package on Tuesday after leaders of the state Legislature sent the governor their plan, saying they were perplexed by his unwillingness to break the deadlock.

Editorial: Governor finally wants prison-There may yet be a silver lining behind the calamitous $41 billion state budget deficit. It may force policy changes and budget cuts for a once-untouchable area of spending: state prisons.

California News Roundup - January 6, 2009

In California, it's the budget and the -Lawmakers have to take care of these two things before anything else. California has a long to-do list, featuring healthcare reform, repairing the ...

Long Beach puts airport privatization on -The City Council is expected to discuss leasing some or all operations at the city-owned facility to private investors. The airport generates $28 million a year and is self-sustaining. ...

Panetta a surprise pick to run the CIA- Leon Panetta, a former congressman and Clinton chief of staff, would give Obama a political ally at the helm of the troubled spy agency.

Gay-marriage opponents attack Jerry Brown's argument to void Proposition-Legal briefs filed Monday say the California attorney general's theory 'fails at every level' and contradicts the judiciary's role.

Ex-EBay chief Meg Whitman quits board seats-Her resignation from the boards of EBay, Procter & Gamble and Dreamworks SKG fuels speculation that she's planning a run for California governor.

Mayor Villaraigosa throws support behind Israel-Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa threw his support behind Israel this afternoon, backing the country in its latest strikes against Hamas and its invasion of the Gaza Strip.

AM Alert: So sue them- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger still hasn't signed that majority-vote budget Democrats passed back in December, but GOP opponents are going to court today to block the budget plan anyway.

Delta canal plan likely to land in court, experts agree-The Schwarzenegger administration's plan to fast-track construction of a water canal around the Delta leans on an old interpretation of state water law from a bygone era.

Sacramento lays off 8 workers as fiscal crisis- Sacramento officials have said for weeks that nothing is off the table when it comes to battling the city's historic budget crisis. For the first time in a year, that means layoffs. Eight employees with the city's Development Services Department ...

California's legislative leaders prepared to cut own budgets-Sen. Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, left, shares a bipartisan handshake with Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Moorpark, right, as Sen. Jeff Denham, R-Merced, center, looks on before the start of the Senate session Monday at the state Capitol.

Legality of proposed California tax plan in question- Any budget agreement between Democrats and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that skirts the state's two-thirds vote requirement for new taxes will almost certainly be challenged in the courts – and there's a significant chance the state would lose, ...

Dan Walters: Redevelopment bond scheme floated again-A convoluted and highly questionable scheme to generate billions of dollars for the state via local redevelopment agencies is being revived as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders race with the calendar to close an enormous budget ...

Schwarzenegger gives state board jobs to departed lawmakers-Two former Republican legislators termed out of the state Assembly have been appointed to $128,000-a-year jobs on the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made the appointments of Bonnie Garcia and George Plescia on ...

CalPERS made a bet – and lost- Getting a handle on real-estate investments has to be one the first orders of business for Anne Stausbolll, the new chief executive officer at California Public Employees' Retirement System.

Searches at 49ers and Raiders' games are reasonable safety measure - NFL teams like the 49ers and the Raiders use the threat of terrorism as their rationale for patting down fans as they enter stadiums.

California News Roundup- January 5, 2009

Back in town-The Legislature officially reconvenes today after the holidays. The budget's still pretty much the only game in town. In fact, one agency -- Cal-EPA -- is planning to shut its offices on the first and third Fridays of each month to comply with ...

Group gives bad scores to leaders-New year. New leadership. That's the theme emerging in our local political parties, which in coming weeks will elect the leaders they hope will help them secure victory in the 2009 and 2010 elections.

More new driving laws to know- If you're driving along the Golden Center Freeway today, better tell your friends 'CUL8R' before hitting one of the on-ramps.

Nuclear waste in Stockton?- Nuclear waste could be shipped through Stockton if a group of Fresno-area businessmen succeeds in its plan to build the state's first nuclear plant in more than two decades.

No Budget: Day 61-It's been 61 days since the governor called the first special session of the Legislature to address the state's projected $42 billion budget shortfall. Every day the state goes without an approved revised budget, it loses $40 million, and every ...

Cities Worried About Proposed Quarry's Impacts-A plan to create a hard rock quarry in eastern Sacramento County has some local officials worried about huge amounts of truck traffic.

Cable flips channel on public access TV- A new California law allows Time Warner to close 12 studios that provided community programming in Los Angeles. Critics say a valuable 1st Amendment platform is lost.

Dan Walters: California Capitol's 2009 prospects look grim- Most bills enacted by the state Legislature take effect on Jan. 1, so traditionally, California's major newspapers each December publish lengthy articles about new laws that the state's residents will have to follow. Those articles are a rough ...

The Buzz- Need more evidence that the Legislature is a polarized collection of politicians from the left and the right incapable of finding common ground on which to forge agreements? Pro gay rights group Equality California has released its annual rating of ...

Jerry Brown wins praise, criticism for stance on Proposition 8- A generation ago, then-Gov. Jerry Brown's conscientious stand against the death penalty prompted a revolt in the Legislature and eventually spurred voters to throw out his appointee as chief justice of the California Supreme Court.

California News Roundup- January 1, 2009

Phthalate ban in children's products now in force in California-Controversial law faced challenges to the end, most recently sidestepping federal preemption threat

Attorney General's office opts against challenging Jim Nielsen's residency.- Newly elected Assemblyman Jim Nielson will keep his seat, apparently. The office of Attorney General Jerry Brown has announced that it has not...

California's new budget plan has some ifs and buts-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's latest $40 billion budget solution relies on ballot-box contingencies and a borrowing plan that might not be paid off until after he leaves office.

Schwarzenegger opens new push on state budget-Gov.Arnold Schwarzenegger's office made the latest attempt on Wednesday to pressure state lawmakers into a budget deal, unveiling a plan to close an estimated $41.5 billion budget deficit in the next 18 months with huge cuts, new taxes and ...

Don't text and drive: It's now the law of the state-Amazing. In 2008, the California Legislature successfully passed laws on cell phones, Global Positioning System devices, car use taxes, teachers' licenses, Internet harassment, and massage therapists' certification requirements. But legislators were ...

Dan Walters: Governor has a new budget for old deficit-We've seen a lot of state budget proposals in the past year, and the only one that was enacted was laughably and obviously out of touch with reality. The Schwarzenegger administration unveiled another one Wednesday, calling it a comprehensive ...

Schwarzenegger seeks education cuts-California schools could eliminate a week of instruction and increase class sizes next year under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's new plan for solving the state's budget crisis. Vowing to give schools maximum flexibility to cut costs, the proposal ...

Budget breakdown-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan to close a roughly $40 billion budget deficit over the next 18 months and provide a $2 billion reserve relies on tax increases, spending cuts and borrowing. Here are the major components. Revenue: $14.8 billion ...

California panel misses deadline for Delta report-State officials skipped a Wednesday deadline to release a plan to improve the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The Delta Vision Committee, chaired by Natural Resources Agency Secretary Mike Chrisman, blamed the workload required to release the ...

Schwarzenegger urges health care shift for state workers- State workers would see a change in how they get their health insurance under the 2009-10 budget proposal the Schwarzenegger administration unveiled Wednesday. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger figures the change would save $132 million as he seeks to ...

Schwarzenegger vetoed bills at record rate in 2008-Last in a series about new state laws that take effect today 'For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: 'It might have been!' ' – American poet John Greenleaf Whittier Here are some proposed laws that won't be ...