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Whitman agrees to second debate w/ Poizner -- live on TV -- Just confirmed that GOP guv candidate Meg Whitman has agreed to debate state Insurance Commish Steve Poizner Sunday May 2 sponsored by Comcast. Live on the TeeeVeee. This will be their second scheduled throwdown after their March 15 tussle. Joe Garofoli Chronicle Politics Weblog -- 2/19/10 Feinstein takes on Anthem Blue Cross over premium hikes -- Responding to growing outrage over plans by Anthem Blue Cross to dramatically raise health insurance rates for hundreds of thousands of Californians, Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Friday proposed giving the federal government new authority to block premium increases deemed to be "unjustified." Mike Zapler in the San Jose Mercury -- 2/19/10 De La Torre targets health insurance cancellations -- With today's deadline to introduce new bills in the Legislature, Assemblyman Hector De La Torre (D-South Gate) has reintroduced a bill to stop health plans from retroactively canceling a customer's health insurance policy. Capitol Weekly's Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/19/10 Villaraigosa says all L.A. employees -- even police and firefighters -- should take pay cuts to help cut deficit -- Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Friday called on all city employees to take pay cuts, including police officers and firefighters, saying it would be the only substantive way to alleviate the need to slash 4,000 city jobs. Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/19/10 Fox: Political Speech and Money -- Many political reformers will tell you that money corrupts politics. But how do we get through to voters without an aggressive effort to reach them, which nearly always involves money? Joel Fox Fox & Hounds weblog -- 2/19/10 Podcast: Battle Lines -- The next statewide election is still 109 days away, but you'd be hard pressed to know that given the battle lines already going up in some of the state's biggest contests. John Myers Capitol Notes weblog -- 2/19/10 ‘You don’t want to be poor and old in California’ -- The last few weeks have not been kind to the thousands of Californians who rely on adult day health care services. BRIAN JOSEPH in the Orange County Register -- 2/19/10 Safety complaints soar at San Onofre -- Employees at the San Onofre nuclear plant made 10 times more safety complaints in 2009 than the mid-range level for the industry, according to a leaked management memo posted online by a local environmental group. Pat Brennan in the Orange County Register -- 2/19/10 Schwarzenegger to meet Monday with Obama -- Schwarzenegger is heading to Washington, D.C., on Saturday for the annual National Governors Association winter meeting. The governors are scheduled to meet as a group with Obama on Monday, but Schwarzenegger also will have a private meeting with the president. Kevin Yamamura SacBee Capitol Alert -- 2/19/10 Fensterwald: Reiss on tap for ed secretary -- The word from Sacramento is that Gov. Schwarzenegger will soon name Bonnie Reiss, long-time friend and adviser, as his sixth — and, I hope, last — secretary of education. John Fensterwald educatedguess.org -- 2/19/10 TV show incenses black students at UCSD -- A student television show last night taking the side of fraternity members who held a party mocking Black History Month has further heightened racial tensions at the University of California San Diego. Eleanor Yang Su in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 2/19/10 How lawmakers turn perks into profit -- After long days of representing Orange County residents at the state Capitol, Assemblyman Van Tran returns here, to a gated community where he lives with wife and kids in a 2,658-square-foot house with two fireplaces and a three-car garage. BRIAN JOSEPH in the Orange County Register -- 2/19/10 Senate Sends Assembly Three Bills Democrats Say Create Jobs -- With some Republican support, Senate Democrats sent three bills to the Assembly February 18, which they claim will create more than 12,000 jobs. Greg Lucas California's capitol weblog -- 2/19/10 Meg Whitman, Steve Poizner face off in NASCAR primary -- Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines. Republican gubernatorial candidates Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner may not be debating any time soon, but they will both be looking for votes in the all-important NASCAR primary this weekend. Capitol Weekly's Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/19/10 Public pension plan targets ‘spiking,’ double-dipping -- With the state’s finances in a shambles, an issue that is drawing increasing scrutiny is the abuse of public pension systems, including double-dipping and pension "spiking." John Howard in Capitol Weekly Capitol Weekly's Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/19/10 Legislature will vote on governor's fire surcharge as a tax -- The proposal would raise $200 million for the state's general fund by imposing a 4.8 percent surcharge on residential and commercial property insurance. The proposal, Assembly Bill 185, requires a two-thirds vote of the Legislature because it has been deemed a tax. Kevin Yamamura SacBee Capitol Alert -- 2/19/10 Tale of two counties -- Marin is on the coast, Lake is inland. Marin has a heavily populated corridor along Highway 101 and some rural areas elsewhere. Lake is mostly rural. When it comes to health, the contrasts grow even more stark. Dan Weintraub HealthyCal.org -- 2/19/10
Outburst by Sen. Wiggins disrupts state Senate panel hearing -- Sen. Pat Wiggins, D-Santa Rosa, interrupted a committee hearing Wednesday afternoon, screaming and racing toward committee staffers who apparently had failed to refill a water canister that she found empty after the hearing's lunch break. Robert Lewis and Susan Ferriss in the Sacramento Bee DEREK MOORE in the Santa Rosa Press -- 2/19/10 Meg's domestics registered to vote -- when she was "too busy" to do so -- Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman has said that her admittedly "atrocious" voting record was the result of being "busy with my career and family" -- and she never registered to vote when she lived in an upscale Boston suburb during the 1990s. But her cook and house manager did, according to records obtained by The Chronicle. Carla Marinucci Chronicle Politics Weblog -- 2/19/10 Whitman campaign files complaint against Democratic campaign group -- Attorneys for Republican Meg Whitman's gubernatorial campaign have filed a complaint with state election officials against a group of Democrats who launched radio ads this week attacking Whitman. Capitol Weekly's Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/19/10 Ad Watch: Anti-Whitman radio spot lacks context -- An independent expenditure committee calling itself Level the Playing Field 2010 has released a radio ad criticizing Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman's record as CEO at online auction firm eBay. Jack Chang in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/19/10 New Meg Whitman ad targets state employees, lawyers -- State employees, lawyers and old computers are the focus of Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman's latest radio ad. The item is in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/19/10 Wildermuth: Demo Attack Ads Worrying Whitman -- Meg Whitman is running a full-court press to force Steve Poizner out of the Republican race for governor, which shows just how concerned she is about an upcoming series of Democratic attack ads. John Wildermuth Fox & Hounds weblog -- 2/19/10 Cruickshank: Now We See Why Meg Whitman Hides From The Public -- Whitman can control the message in a radio or TV ad; whereas she might actually have to engage with the public or the press on someone else's terms, so she has avoided doing so. Robert Cruickshank Cal Progress Report -- 2/19/10 U.S. Senate candidates set to debate in May -- The 60-minute debate, sponsored by ABC News and the League of Women Voters, will take place in Los Angeles and be broadcast on ABC affiliates across the state, debate organizer Scott Regberg said. He said all three GOP candidates have agreed to attend. Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol Alert -- 2/19/10 Walters: Cities' revenue tricks are step toward tribalism -- California's city governments, especially those that overspent windfall revenues during the housing boom, are in trouble as the state's recession grinds on. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/19/10 Feinstein may drop water plan -- Facing objections from a dozen West Coast lawmakers, Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Thursday that she might drop her controversial bid to direct more water to San Joaquin Valley farmers if the Interior Department takes action on its own. Michael Doyle in the Fresno Bee -- 2/19/10 North state lawsuit a major onslaught in war over water -- Invoking the specter of a century-old Los Angeles water grab, Northern California farmers have filed a lawsuit that may escalate the state's ongoing water crisis. Mike Taugher in the Contra Costa Times -- 2/19/10 Poll: $11.4 billion water bond may be in trouble -- More than half of those surveyed by Tulchin Research, 55 percent, described themselves as opposing the bond and, of those, about 32 percent said they would "definitely" vote against the proposal. Malcolm Maclachlan in Capitol Weekly EJ Schultz Fresno Bee News Blog -- 2/19/10 Schwarzenegger says water bond will be 'very challenging' -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says that persuading voters to approve an $11.2 billion water bond issue this year will be "very challenging" but he hopes that they "know the difference between spending money and investing in the future." Dan Walters SacBee Capitol Alert -- 2/19/10 State Senate approves bill to tax online retail sales -- The state Senate on Thursday passed a bill that would require Amazon.com and other online retailers to charge sales tax on purchases in California, generating an estimated $107 million a year. Kevin Yamamura in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/19/10 Wealthy donors press Pelosi on campaign reform -- A coalition of 57 of the country’s wealthiest and most politically active campaign donors wrote a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday, urging her to support campaign reform efforts in the wake of last month’s Supreme Court decision allowing unrestricted corporate spending on elections. Chase Davis California Watch -- 2/19/10 CalBuzz: Gavin’$ Problem; M&R and the Politics of Outing -- Calbuzz has assiduously avoided writing about the race for (and machinations around) the office of Lieutenant Governor because we think a) it’s a stupid statewide post that b) nobody cares about. Jerry Roberts and Phil Trounstine CalBuzz -- 2/19/10
Thousands of jobs expected as Colton rail project wins $34 million in stimulus money -- More than 3,500 jobs could be headed to the Inland Empire after an infusion of federal stimulus dollars that will help pay for a critical railroad project here. Michael J. Sorba in the San Bernardino Sun -- 2/19/10 Senate passes furlough bill -- SBX 8 29 would end furloughing workers in departments that get at least 95 percent of their funds from fees or federal money, such as the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Employment Development Department. Jon Ortiz in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/19/10 In down economy, CalPERS retirements up -- State and local government employees in California are retiring at a record rate, apparently because of the economic downturn, cutbacks in positions and pay, and an aging workforce. Ed Mendel Calpensions.com -- 2/19/10 L.A. City Council orders 3,000 more job cuts -- To help address the city's budget crisis -- and after the threat of a credit downgrade -- the council tells agencies to act by July 1. The move is on top of 1,000 cuts already in the works. Phil Willon and Maeve Reston in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/19/10 Sacramento-area home sales were terrible in January -- The new year in home sales opened with a thud. Jim Wasserman in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/19/10 Profit may rise but jobs may not -- A majority of Bay Area companies think their revenues will grow in 2010 but plan to restrain hiring, as they grow through acquisition or squeeze more productivity out of existing staff, according to a survey released Thursday. Tom Abate in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/19/10
Fensterwald: Consultant: shut down CALPADS now -- CALPADS, the new comprehensive student data system on which huge hopes for school and student improvement are riding, is hobbled by serious problems. John Fensterwald educatedguess.org -- 2/19/10 L.A. Unified head quits board of Scholastic Inc. -- Ramon C. Cortines says he is cutting his ties to the educational publisher to avoid the perception of a conflict of interest. The firm supplies the district's primary reading intervention program. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/19/10 Cortines recommends who should run 30 campuses; charter schools wanted more -- The chance to operate 18 new campuses would be divided among competing bidders in a politically balanced way under recommendations released Thursday by Los Angeles schools Supt. Ramon C. Cortines. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/19/10 UC Merced says no to waiting list -- UC Merced will not join seven other University of California campuses forming waiting lists for potential freshmen. UCLA also decided against the list; UC Berkeley is still looking into whether it will adopt a wait list. Jamie Oppenheim in the Modesto Bee -- 2/19/10
Pacts Signed to Help River and Salmon -- What supporters are calling the largest river and salmon restoration effort in American history took a critical step forward on Thursday, when formal agreements were signed to remove four dams and revise how water is shared in the Klamath River basin in southern Oregon and Northern California. WILLIAM YARDLEY in the New York Times -- 2/19/10 Google and Mountain View Recast Company-Town Model -- It is no secret that Silicon Valley is one long string of company-dominated towns. Hewlett-Packard and Palo Alto. Intel and Santa Clara. Apple and Cupertino. ASHLEE VANCE in the New York Times -- 2/19/10 Governor gets bill to expand solar energy sales-- More Californians who put solar panels on their roofs could sell the excess electricity they generate under legislation sent to the governor. AP -- 2/19/10 Oregon lawmakers extend moratorium on offshore drilling -- A 10-year moratorium on offshore oil and gas development along the Oregon coast won final passage in the Legislature on Thursday, though lawmakers stopped short of adopting a permanent ban. Kim Murphy in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/19/10
Berkeley wants to tax medical marijuana -- Berkeley is looking to medical marijuana as a way to raise badly needed cash as it faces a $14 million budget shortfall this year and probably more next year. Doug Oakley in the Oakland Tribune -- 2/19/10 Los Angeles city prosecutor targets medical marijuana dispensaries -- The Los Angeles city attorney today escalated his bid to regain control over the city’s medical marijuana dispensaries, filing suit against three and sending letters to 18 to try to force them to stop selling the drug, alleging the outlets have repeatedly violated state law. John Hoeffel in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/19/10 Mark Leno bill would require radiation labels for cell phones -- State Sen. Mark Leno said he's one of an estimated 4 billion cellular phone users worldwide – and loves it. Susan Ferriss in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/19/10 MRSA bacterial battleground moves closer to home -- For years, MRSA bacterial infections were chiefly the bane of nursing homes. Then the so-called “superbug” moved into hospitals, infecting 1 out of every 6 patients at the bacteria's height in 2001. Now, California researchers have identified several new fronts: homes, playgrounds, gyms and schools. Christina Jewett California Watch -- 2/19/10 Kaiser Permanente reports broken glass in its soup -- Glass fragments from a broken jar turned up in soup served to four patients at Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Northern California last week, Kaiser said Thursday. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/19/10
Confusion over early release of county jail inmates persists -- With the number of inmates who have been released from county jails around the state at more than 2,000, the confusion surrounding the law that has prompted the actions shows no signs of abating. Andrew Blankstein and Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/19/10 Computer vendor tries to reassure CalPERS -- Frustrated by delays in a huge computer project, CalPERS officials were promised by the vendor Thursday that the contract will get back on track. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/19/10 Plane crash ends three Silicon Valley success stories -- It was a car that had brought the three men together — a cutting-edge electric sedan that they were racing to finish by next year — but when the time came to get quickly to Southern California, they chose to fly a small, piston-driven airplane that was more than a quarter-century old. Bruce Newman, Lisa Fernandez and Diana Samuels in the San Jose Mercury -- 2/19/10
State announces new tool to help migrant students -- California schools will be able to keep better track of migrant students under a new program intended to boost their academic performance. Stephen Wall in the San Bernardino Sun -- 2/19/10
Obama to get specific on healthcare legislation -- The president will detail his ideas days before the televised congressional talks planned next week. It marks a change in tack from his approach to let congressional leaders take the lead. Noam N. Levey in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/19/10 Michelle Obama speaks frankly about race -- In tackling the problem of childhood obesity, first lady Michelle Obama is doing something that her husband rarely does — talking about an issue bluntly in terms of race and helping urban America. NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON Politico -- 2/19/10
Bipartisan Commission Is Established to Cut Debt -- President Obama on Thursday officially established a bipartisan commission to propose ways by December to rein in the growing national debt, despite reluctance in both parties to tackling the politically charged issue in a midterm election year. JACKIE CALMES in the New York Times -- 2/19/10 |
