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Issa cries 'propaganda,' White House defends job claim -- The Obama administration's claim that economic stimulus efforts have created or preserved more than 640,000 jobs is based on flawed reporting from the program's beneficiaries, the man tapped to oversee accountability in the process conceded Thursday. BEN GOAD in the Riverside Press -- 11/19/09 State pulls San Quentin financing from bond sale -- Last-minute objections from Assemblyman Jared Huffman and Sen. Mark Leno have prompted state Treasurer Bill Lockyer to put on hold plans for issuing bonds to pay for the expansion of death row at San Quentin State Prison. Richard Halstead in the Marin IJ -- 11/19/09 State lawmakers fail to block own pay cuts -- Just one day after the Legislative Analyst’s Office announced that California is staring a new $21 billion budget deficit in the face, legislators got the really bad news: Their pay and perks can, and apparently will, be sliced 18 percent to help deal with the shortfall. TERI SFORZA in the Orange County Register -- 11/19/09 Report: Info muddled on immigrants and crime -- That man in the back of a squad car on his way to jail: What are the chances he was born in the United States? CINDY CARCAMO in the Orange County Register -- 11/19/09 UC regents finalize fee hikes despite student protests -- University of California's full board of regents voted today to raise fees for undergraduate students by 32 percent in two steps over the coming year. They also agreed to increase fees for graduate students in 44 professional schools. Laurel Rosenhall in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/19/09 Hundreds rally at UCLA to protest expected 32% increase in student fees -- A second day of protests roiled the UCLA campus today as the UC regents prepared to approve a 32% increase in student fees. Larry Gordon in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/19/09 Overall number of hate crimes drops in L.A. County but crimes against gays increase, new report says -- Los Angeles County saw an overall 4% drop in hate crimes last year, while crimes against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people increased, prompted in part by last November’s highly charged Proposition 8 initiative, the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage in California, according to a new report released today. Raja Abdulrahim in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/19/09 California needs $20.7 billion more to balance next budget -- California once again will look under sofa cushions and scour every sector of state government to find another $20.7 billion to balance its budget over the next 19 months. Kevin Yamamura in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/19/09 Fox: So Now What? -- Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor officially let all Californians know what a lot of insiders were whispering about for months. The budget is already in the hole for this fiscal year and combined with the projected deficit for the next budget the state treasury is short a cool $21 billion. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds weblog -- 11/19/09 Wildermuth: No Happy Ending in LAO Budget Report -- But the hands-down most depressing, sinking-feeling-in-the-pit-of-the-stomach realization from the new budget report by the Legislative Analyst’s Office is that there is absolutely no chance this will end well. John Wildermuth Fox & Hounds weblog -- 11/19/09 Brown, Whitman tied in new Rasmussen poll -- With nearly a year until the general election, a new Rasmussen Reports poll puts GOP gubernatorial hopeful Meg Whitman and still-undeclared Democratic contender Jerry Brownlocked in a tie with 41 percent support a piece. Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol Alert -- 11/19/09 Whitman is a yes on water bond -- Picking a side in a debate that could split the GOP, gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman has come out in favor of the $11 billion water bond that lawmakers recently placed on the November 2010 ballot. EJ Schultz Fresno Bee News Blog -- 11/19/09 SF Mayor Newsom says press is the problem: Time to "start looking at the reporting in this town" -- San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom -- seen as unusually elusive since his recent withdrawal from the 2010 Democratic governor's race -- suggested to KCBS radio Thursday that the press is seriously overplaying the story. Carla Marinucci Chronicle Politics Weblog -- 11/19/09 Oops. Correa challenger doesn’t live in Correa’s district -- Orange County’s corner of the political blogosphere has been abuzz with talk of a mysterious GOP candidate who has emerged as a challenger to Democratic state Sen. Lou Correa of Santa Ana. BRIAN JOSEPH in the Orange County Register -- 11/19/09 Brown OKs legislative salary cuts -- Attorney General Jerry Brown opined today that the state's salary-setting commission for legislators can cut salaries in mid-term after all. Jim Sanders in the Sacramento Bee CHRIS RIZO Legalnewsline.com -- 11/19/09 Saunders: Jerry Brown snared in his Tapegate trap -- A recent Gallup poll found that 55 percent of Americans have an unfavorable view of the mass media. Debra J. Saunders in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/19/09 Fensterwald: One district’s embarrassing mistake -- Many school districts apparently have inflated the numbers of graduating seniors they say have the grades and course completion to qualify for a four-year state university. But probably none has overstated it as much as San Jose Unified. John Fensterwald educatedguess.org -- 11/19/09 California's poverty rate 13.3 percent - maybe -- California's poverty rate is almost exactly that of the nation as a whole, the Census Bureau says in its latest massive data release, while its median household income of $57,988 is higher than all but a dozen states. Dan Walters SacBee Capitol Alert -- 11/19/09 UC regents approve partnership with L.A. County to reopen King Hospital -- In a unanimous vote, the University of California Board of Regents today approved a plan to partner with Los Angeles County to reopen Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital by 2013. Molly Hennessy-Fiske in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/19/09
The end game: Governor shuffles senior staff as he preps for final year -- As Gov. Schwarznegger prepares for his final year in office, he has begun a major reshuffling of his senior staff. Anthony York in Capitol Weekly -- 11/19/09 CalPERS chief weighs public reprimands -- CalPERS' president, promising to clean up an influence-peddling scandal at the big pension fund, raised the prospect Wednesday of publicly reprimanding board members and employees who violate ethical standards. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/19/09 CalPERS undermined earlier reforms, former lawmaker says -- A former legislator is calling for reinstatement of his two decade-old law banning contact between CalPERS board members and persons selling investment products. Ed Mendel in Capitol Weekly -- 11/19/09 Budget Gap Widens in Sacramento -- California is deep in red ink again, according to a new report projecting that the cash-strapped state faces a $21 billion budget shortfall through June 2011. STU WOO in the Wall Street Journal JUDY LIN AP Kevin Yamamura in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/19/09 The State Worker: Budget forecast shows things could go from bad to worse -- The state's 200,000 or so workers, already taking a 15 percent pay hit from three furlough days per month, knew this was coming. What does the state's rotten financial picture mean to them? Jon Ortiz in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/19/09 California’s Next Governor Faces Four Years of Fiscal Hell -- The first term of California’s next governor will be a fiscal nightmare with a cumulative budget shortfall over four years of nearly $83 billion, according to the fiscal forecast released November 18 by the Legislative Analyst. Greg Lucas California's capitol weblog -- 11/19/09 California governor against tax hikes to close budget gap -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said on Wednesday he opposed tax hikes to close the state's budget gap, projected to be bigger than expected in the next fiscal year. Reuters -- 11/19/09 Skelton: California voters want a no-pork diet -- The water bond proposal written and passed by the Legislature needs a major rewrite, with an emphasis on de-larding it. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/19/09 California Watch: Despite state subsidies, class sizes begin to rise again in California schools -- Most of California's largest school districts are increasing class sizes in kindergarten through third grade, eroding the most expensive education reform in the state’s history. Hugo Cabrera, Louis Freedberg California Watch -- 11/19/09 Assembly to reconvene early to debate school reform -- The California State Assembly will reconvene in December, a month earlier than planned, to hasten the state's pursuit of federal Race to the Top stimulus funds, Speaker Karen Bass said Wednesday. Sharon Noguchi in the San Jose Mercury -- 11/19/09 Hiltzik: State's school funding process is failing -- Anyone who has spent time in or around government, from the deeply embedded bureaucrat to the young policy wonk, knows that there are two important issues in funding a public program. Michael Hiltzik in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/19/09 Liberals worry about Brown's move to 'center' -- Jerry Brown was sounding downright conservative when he told a group of corporate attorneys last week that the state's businesses are burdened with too many regulations. Steven Harmon in the Contra Costa Times -- 11/19/09 Fiorina faces the D.C. press corps, but offers few specifics -- It was meet the press time for Carly Fiorina on Wednesday. But, judging from her responses to many questions, it was not time for this rookie candidate to let the press pin her down. Mike Zapler in the San Jose Mercury Dena Bunis in the Orange County Register -- 11/19/09 Sen. Climate Change Denier endorses Fiorina -- GOP Senate hopeful Carly Fiorina added another feather to her ever-growing cap of conservative endorsements today: Senator James Inhofe. Marisa Lagos Chronicle Politics Weblog -- 11/19/09 Fiorina's fundraising in NYC with -- "Mack the Knife?" -- U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina has found a friend in John Mack, chairman and CEO of Morgan Stanley, who's giving a fancy fundraiser for her today in New York. Carla Marinucci Chronicle Politics Weblog -- 11/19/09 Whitman, GOP gubernatorial candidate, says during SLO visit she'd trim bureaucracy -- California GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman says she would “skinny down the bureaucracy” if she wins the election, saving 12,000 jobs a year for three years by not hiring people to replace state employees who have left. Bob Cuddy in the SLO Tribune -- 11/19/09 Elaine Howle eyes redistricting panel -- Next month, the State Auditor’s Office will begin putting together a redistricting commission under Prop. 11. Malcolm Maclachlan in Capitol Weekly -- 11/19/09 Judge orders compensation for gay couple who were denied healthcare, other benefits -- Skirting the Defense of Marriage Act, a 9th Circuit judge orders that a federal attorney be reimbursed the costs associated with the denial of coverage for his husband. Carol J. Williams in the Los Angeles Times Denny Walsh in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/19/09 More people fall behind in state taxes -- At the same time California is trying to speed up income tax revenue, people who owe the state taxes are paying more slowly. Kathleen Pender in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/19/09 Valley swing votes lobbied for health-care bill -- And with good reason, experts say. The legislation will almost certainly return to the House for a final vote. John Ellis in the Fresno Bee -- 11/19/09 House healthcare bill includes financial boost for California -- A little-noticed provision would increase federal Medicare payments by $300 million to doctors in many parts of the state. Lawmakers in other states cry foul. Richard Simon in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/19/09 Low turnout in Orange County Assembly race rekindles debate on mail-only voting -- Just 4% of registered voters in the 72nd District went to precincts to fill Mike Duvall's old seat. Another 14% sent in ballots. Jean Merl in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/19/09 Dems hope Palin disrupts GOP's game plan -- As GOP former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin kicks off a national book tour this week, there are some unlikely voices cheering "You go, girl!" - hard-core Democrats and progressives who hope Palin's 15 minutes of fame lasts all the way to 2012. Carla Marinucci in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/19/09 CalBuzz: Deep Thoughts: Who Validates the Validators? -- Web whacker alert: As the Ebert & Roeper of the still-emerging fine art of online political attack videos, Calbuzz believes that the pallid gnomes laboring away in the campaign media shops of eMeg and The Commish are having entirely too much fun. Jerry Roberts and Phil Trounstine CalBuzz -- 11/19/09
Truckers say Bay Area bridge toll hike will jack up consumer costs -- Bay Area truckers say a proposal to increase their bridge tolls by anywhere from $5 to $41.50 per trip ultimately would force them to charge more for delivering products, raising prices for consumers. Mike Rosenberg in the Oakland Tribune -- 11/19/09 Silicon Valley IPO: Fortinet shares soar on first day of trading -- Shares of Sunnyvale Internet security company Fortinet jumped 33 percent today in the first tech company public offering in the Bay Area since OpenTable earlier this year and the first in Silicon Valley since ArcSight, another Internet security company, last year. Pete Carey in the San Jose Mercury -- 11/19/09 Hollywood's Catered Stimulus -- Los Angeles County’s take of stimulus funds is by far the largest in California, which has received $18.5 billion in ARRA funds, intended to create 110,219.36 jobs statewide — a pricey rate of $168,264.08 per job. Tim Cavanaugh in LA Weekly -- 11/19/09 Women executives still stalled in state's biggest companies, UCD study says -- Women are making little progress cracking the executive glass ceiling in California, according to a study being released today by the University of California, Davis. Mark Glover in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/19/09
UC Regents committee approves student fee increases; at least 14 protesters arrested at meeting at UCLA -- A University of California Board of Regents committee today approved a series of controversial increases in student fees that, if passed by the full board, will raise UC undergraduate education costs by more than $2,500, or 32%, in two steps by fall 2010. Larry Gordon in the Los Angeles Times Matt Krupnick in the San Jose Mercury Laurel Rosenhall in the Sacramento Bee Eleanor Yang Su in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 11/19/09 CSU seeks $884M fund rise next year -- The California State University system, which has seen its budget slashed by 21 percent over the past two years, on Wednesday asked state elected leaders for an $884 million funding increase in 2010-2011. Kevin Butler in the Long Beach Press -- 11/19/09
Santa Rosa street closed for salamanders until January -- Fresno Avenue between Northpoint Parkway and Maitland Avenue in Santa Rosa is closed through early January to accommodate wood ramps that will funnel tiger salamanders — if there are any — off a future park site and toward vernal pools across the street. Bleys W. Rose in the Santa Rosa Press -- 11/19/09 California approves new standards on energy-hungry TVs -- The California Energy Commission votes 5-0 in favor of the nation's first efficiency regulations for televisions of up to 58 inches sold in the state. The stricter rules take effect Jan. 1, 2011. Marc Lifsher and Andrea Chang in the Los Angeles Times Jim Downing in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/19/09 Forest Service should change firefighting policies, report says -- The federal agency should allow water-dropping helicopters to fly at night and make greater use of local agencies, the L.A. County Fire Department says in its report on the Station fire. Paul Pringle in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/19/09
L.A. City Council puts off medical marijuana vote -- Although members appear likely to ignore prosecutors and allow dispensaries to sell pot, they say they need time to study numerous proposed amendments. John Hoeffel in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/19/09 What would marijuana legalization look like? -- With multiple initiatives in circulation and an Assembly bill gathering headlines, discussions about legalizing marijuana have become part of California’s political discourse. Malcolm Maclachlan in Capitol Weekly -- 11/19/09 As pot clubs proliferate, San Jose mayor warns they remain illegal -- Medicinal marijuana dispensaries have sprouted like weeds in San Jose since a city councilman proposed regulations to permit and tax them. John Woolfolk in the San Jose Mercury -- 11/19/09 Pot dispensary employee shot -- And here we always thought marijuana was supposed to help you mellow out. Tracy Manzer in the Long Beach Press -- 11/19/09 Shallit: Scent of (medical) pot is on Sacramento airwaves -- One of Sacramento's pioneering medical pot shops has a trailblazing new marketing vehicle: radio ads. Bob Shallit in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/19/09 Growers operated pot operation next to LAPD station for about eight months -- For about the last eight months, several suspects operated a sophisticated marijuana operation in a warehouse just 25 feet from the Los Angeles Police Department's Topanga Station in Canoga Park, police said tonight. Robert J. Lopez in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/19/09 UC regents expected to partner with L.A. County in reopening Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital -- Members of the UC Board of Regents meeting at UCLA this morning said that they were cautiously optimistic that they would vote Thursday to partner with Los Angeles County to reopen Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital in Willowbrook. Molly Hennessy-Fiske in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/19/09
L.A. County district attorney opens inquiry into City of Industry mayor's business connections -- The review aims to determine if David Perez, whose firms have contracts with the city, violated conflict of interest laws. Perez says he removes himself from city business involving his companies. Rich Connell in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/19/09 Donors to Benoit campaign were reimbursed by figures in San Jacinto corruption probe, documents say -- Inland state Sen. John J. Benoit, a soon-to-be Riverside County supervisor, received $3,600 from a bookkeeping company that was later reimbursed by a central figure in the San Jacinto corruption probe, according to a witness in the case. JIM MILLER in the Riverside Press -- 11/19/09 County jails face overcrowding, too -- The overcrowding in California’s prisons has captured public attention but the counties’ jails also are in dire shape. John Howard in Capitol Weekly -- 11/19/09
GOP leads media charge -- Now Republicans are charging ahead with their own social media agendas, which are becoming more prominent in state elections and day-to-day outreach to constituents. Kim Hart The Hill -- 11/19/09 |
