|
 |
 |
|||
 |
 |
|
|||
Schwarzenegger wins another round in furlough legal fight -- The Schwarzenegger administration won another victory in court Thursday as a San Francisco Superior Court judge ruled furloughs at the state medical board were legal. Capitol Weekly's Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/4/10 Former speaker handed out staff pay raises -- Former Assembly Speaker Karen Bass quietly promoted 20 members of her Democratic caucus staff and gave them 10 percent salary increases that took effect her final days as Assembly leader. Jim Sanders in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/4/10 Jerry Brown's long political past cuts both ways -- Foes have abundant material to mine for their attacks, but Gov. Schwarzenegger may have dulled California voters' attraction to outsiders. Michael Rothfeld in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/4/10 DeVore, Campbell face-to-face in GOP Senate debate; Fiorina to phone in -- When the first Republican Senate debate takes place tomorrow, Assemblyman Chuck DeVore (R-Irvine) and former congressman Tom Campbell will face off at a Sacramento radio station, while their opponent, multimillionaire businesswoman Carly Fiorina, will be participating by phone. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/4/10 Meg Whitman, Steve Poizner set to square off in first debate March 15 -- Got a question for Meg Whitman or Steve Poizner? You can now e-mail those questions to be part of the first head-to-head debate between the two Republican gubernatorial candidates. Capitol Weekly's Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/4/10 Signature Uncertain on Transportation Financing Proposal -- A spokeswoman for the GOP governor said Schwarzenegger hadn’t decided to sign the measures because lawmakers sent no legislation to help create jobs. Greg Lucas California's capitol weblog -- 3/4/10 California gov rivals exchange barbs over state's ills -- Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown promised to offer specifics about how to solve California's budget and other problems when he launched his bid for governor this week, but so far is offering only generalities, Republican candidate Meg Whitman said Thursday. JULIET WILLIAMS AP -- 3/4/10 Countersuit filed over auto-insurance measure's ballot arguments -- Foes of Proposition 17, a ballot measure that would change state auto-insurance rules, filed a counter-lawsuit Thursday challenging proponents' ballot arguments as lies, one week after the proponents accused them of the very same. Josh Richman in the Contra Costa Times Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/4/10 L.A. County sheriff gives early release to 200 inmates, saying there was no place to house them -- At least 200 inmates received early releases from the L.A. County jail system this week because officials couldn't find beds for them as the Sheriff's Department attempted to downsize the population of a detention facility in Castaic. Andrew Blankstein in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/4/10 Jerry Brown: 'I have a sympathy for the underdog' -- After pulling up to his campaign headquarters Wednesday afternoon, Jerry Brown greeted his wife, Anne Gust, on the Third Street sidewalk near Oakland's Jack London Square. He was looking trim in a purple-tinted dress shirt and tie and turned around to let Gust prop a copy of his book "Dialogues" on his back and sign it. Jack Chang SacBee Capitol Alert -- 3/4/10 Fiorina attacks Boxer, Campbell at Orange County stop -- While short on specifics, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina made her priorities clear at an Orange County Forum speech Thursday: cut taxes and regulations imposed on businesses, and reduce government spending. MARTIN WISCKOL in the Orange County Register -- 3/4/10 Newsom endorses Harris for AG -- will she return the favor? -- Well, color us surprised -- San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced his endorsement of District Attorney Kamala Harris today, calling her an "effective and dedicated partner" (she gushed back, calling him an "exceptional leader"). Marisa Lagos Chronicle Politics Weblog -- 3/4/10 Legislature passes gas-tax plan to reduce state budget deficit by $1.1 billion -- The Legislature on Thursday voted to pare more than $1 billion of California's deficit through a complicated maneuver that would change how gasoline is taxed in California without altering the total amount collected in taxes at the pump. The plan would eliminate current restrictions for how gas taxes have to be spent, providing lawmakers the freedom to slice away at the state's estimated $20-billion deficit. Shane Goldmacher in the Los Angeles Times BRIAN JOSEPH in the Orange County Register JUDY LIN AP Steve Wiegand in the Sacramento Bee Dan Weintraub HealthyCal.org -- 3/4/10 California misses out on federal education funds -- California was not selected as one of the finalists for a $4.35-billion competitive school-reform grant program, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Officials in the state were notified early Thursday morning. Jason Song and Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol Alert Sharon Noguchi in the San Jose Mercury JULIET WILLIAMS AP -- 3/4/10 Capitol, campus rallies carry message: 'Save My Education!' -- About 500 students are gathered at the state Capitol, and more at college campuses around the state, to rally on behalf of California's struggling public schools - from elementary schools to universities. The item is in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/4/10 Rallies against education cuts begin; officials warn against violence -- A national day of protests against education funding cuts kicked off Thursday with generally peaceful rallies, walkouts and teach-ins at universities and high schools. But an incident of demonstrators smashing the windshield of a car trying to enter the UC Santa Cruz campus elicited a warning against any other violence. Carla Rivera, Nicole Santa Cruz, and Larry Gordon in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/4/10 Riverside County DA sends investigators to Northern California political consultant's office -- Riverside County district attorney investigators showed up last week at the Northern California offices of a prominent Republican consulting firm and a bookkeeping business linked to a defendant in the campaign-finance prosecution of several Inland political and civic leaders. JIM MILLER in the Riverside Press -- 3/4/10 Questions sink two Schwarzenegger Board of Education appointees -- Questions about the finances of an Oakland charter school and staunch opposition from education and minority groups may have derailed the confirmations of two State Board of Education members, according to interviews and public documents. Corey G. Johnson California Watch -- 3/4/10 Drive launched to derail state's greenhouse gas law -- The war to derail California's landmark greenhouse emissions law is on, launched this week by an initiative signature-gathering drive reportedly bankrolled by two large oil companies. Jim Sanders SacBee Capitol Alert -- 3/4/10 Pension reform ballot measure bites dust -- Tapping in to public outrage over gold-plated public employee pensions, the California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility filed two reform initiatives with the state Attorney General’s office in November, and was ready to rumble. But now – just a few months later – the foundation has suspended efforts to qualify the measure for the ballot. Teri Sforza in the Orange County Register -- 3/4/10 GOP lawmaker delays departure from the House, complicating healthcare math -- Rep. Nathan Deal, a Georgia Republican, announced Thursday that he will delay his resignation from the House so that he can vote against the Democrats' healthcare overhaul. Noam N. Levey and Michael Muskal in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/4/10 Pete Stark forced out as Ways & Means chairman after a day. Was it that shouting match with constituent? (Video here) -- Maybe House Speaker Nancy Pelosi decided that he was just too controversial. Or maybe it was that town hall meeting in Fremont, Calif., last fall, when one constituent complained that the government can't be trusted to run anything, let alone the health insurance business. Johanna Neuman in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/4/10 Why Pete Stark is staying put -- Rep. Pete Stark won't become interim chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. Josh Richman in the Oakland Tribune -- 3/4/10 Petition fatigue? Know your rights -- Secretary of State Debra Bowen sent out this helpful set of tips when it comes to navigating the petition signature-gathering cadre outside your local grocery or Target store: Lisa Vorderbrueggen Political Blotter weblog -- 3/4/10 Villaraigosa shocked at celebration of O.J. Simpson, RuPaul, Dennis Rodman at L.A. Black History Month event -- Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa expressed shock over allegations that three teachers at a South Los Angeles elementary school encouraged students to celebrate O.J. Simpson, Dennis Rodman and RuPaul during Black History Month. Alexandra Zavis in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/4/10 Assemblyman plans to explore tightening offender laws -- Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher has begun to explore tightening state sex offender laws in the aftermath of the rape and murder of Poway teenager Chelsea King. Michael Gardner in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 3/4/10 Senator apologizes for drunk driving arrest -- Sen. Roy Ashburn (R-Bakersfield) issued a written apology Wednesday after being arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. Anthony York and Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/4/10 Ashburn on personal leave a day after DUI -- A day after his arrest for DUI, sate Sen. Roy Ashburn,R-Bakersfield, did not show up for this morning's session of the state Senate. Senate officials said Ashburn was out on personal leave, meaning he would not collect a per diem check. EJ Schultz Fresno Bee News Blog -- 3/4/10 Retail sales show strongest gain since before the recession -- Merchants report a 4% increase in February over year-earlier sales, the biggest boost since November 2007. 'Consumers seem to be coming out of hibernation,' one analyst says. Andrea Chang in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/4/10 Unemployment for older workers soars 331% in a decade, says AARP -- The new millennium has been rough on older workers, who have seen a whopping 331% increase in unemployment over the last decade, according to the AARP. Tiffany Hsu in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/4/10 GOP keeps distance from RNC pitch -- Republicans, including RNC chairman Michael Steele, are scrambling to put as much distance as they can between themselves and a Republican National Committee fundraising document encouraging operatives to use “fear” to solicit donations, but several veteran Republicans say the tone of the pitch is nothing new. ANDY BARR Politico -- 3/4/10
Jerry Brown says he's never been so excited about a campaign -- To overcome what he called a "juggernaut of wealth" he will face in the fall against his Republican opponent, Jerry Brown told the Bay Area News Group on Wednesday that he will have to execute an almost perfect strategy to win this fall. Steven Harmon in the San Jose Mercury -- 3/4/10 Brown takes aim at GOP rival in Calif. gov race -- California needs an elder statesman who can broker deals to lead it out of its current fiscal morass, not an autocratic CEO who is used to giving orders, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown said Wednesday. JULIET WILLIAMS AP -- 3/4/10 Brown says he wants an 'honest' state budget -- Democrat Jerry Brown - acknowledging he's more pragmatic and centrist than when he was California governor three decades ago - said Wednesday that if elected again he will bring Republicans and Democrats together with "business people, union people and tea party people" to produce an "honest" state budget. Carla Marinucci, Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/4/10 Brown on Brown - and other California topics -- Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown spoke to The Chronicle Wednesday about his campaign for a third term. Some samples from that conversation: Carla Marinucci and Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/4/10 Jerry Brown says he'll consider California pension reform -- A day after announcing his candidacy for governor, Attorney General Jerry Brown said Wednesday that if elected he would consider overhauling public employee pension programs while opposing any move to privatize them. Jack Chang in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/4/10 Brown addresses age questions with fitness display -- Brown, making jokes about the memories of reporters younger than he, said in an interview at his Oakland campaign headquarters Wednesday that voters should not worry about his fitness. Michael Rothfeld in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/4/10 CalBuzz: Brown Speaks: “This Is Very Different Than 1975″ -- Since his youthful days as governor, Jerry Brown told Calbuzz, he’s learned the political importance of personalities and patience – two lessons that, if elected again, he would use to shatter Sacramento’s “specter of paralysis.” Jerry Roberts and Phil Trounstine CalBuzz -- 3/4/10 Skelton: The parable of 'Jerry Jarvis' -- There's an old Jerry Brown story that's often recounted but deserves repeating now because it gets right to the core of the guy. It's quintessential Jerry. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/4/10 New speaker sees ‘pathway’ for Maldo’s confirmation -- When Sen. Abel Maldonado’s nomination was taken up on the Assembly floor, new Speaker John Perez, D-Los Angeles, was among the members who voted against his confirmation. Anthony York in Capitol Weekly -- 3/4/10 Perez to seek putting majority budget vote measure on ballot -- Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez said today he is prepared to ask the Legislature to put California Forward's proposal to lower the vote requirement for passing a budget on the November ballot. Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol Alert -- 3/4/10 Agencies ordered to justify every cent -- California prisons, courts, fleet managers and dozens of state agencies will be asked to justify the existence of every one of their programs. Lisa Vorderbrueggen in the Contra Costa Times -- 3/4/10 Californians Compete for a Shot at Redistricting -- Here in California, Democrats have just one candidate for governor (and he has already done the job), and state lawmakers from both parties seem incapable of passing even modest legislation without a meltdown. JENNIFER STEINHAUER in the New York Times -- 3/4/10 Pete Stark grabs House by the purse strings -- Rep. Pete Stark took the gavel of one of the House's most powerful committees today — at least temporarily. Josh Richman in the Contra Costa Times Larry Margasak AP -- 3/4/10 Saunders: Stark, raving, Maryland -- Before she became House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi promised that if Democrats won control of the House, she would "drain the swamp" in Washington. How is she doing? Debra J. Saunders in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/4/10 Book: HP eyed Fiorina as dad ruled on case -- California Republican Senate candidate Carly Fiorina was negotiating for a lucrative job as CEO of Hewlett-Packard Co. a decade ago at the same time her father wrote a significant appeals court opinion that the high-tech industry had aggressively lobbied for, a new book reports. JOSH GERSTEIN Politico -- 3/4/10 State prison cuts could backfire, report says -- Recent cuts to California prison programs could result in more former inmates returning to prison and an increase in prison crowding, according to a draft state report. Marisa Lagos in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/4/10 Battle over ‘fire tax’ heating up in Capitol -- Financing the costs of fighting California’s ferocious wildfires and other disasters through a new property levy is back before the Legislature – the third time in as many years that lawmakers have considered, and rejected, the controversial proposal. John Howard in Capitol Weekly -- 3/4/10 State senator arrested on DUI charge in Sacramento -- State Sen. Roy Ashburn was arrested early Wednesday morning on suspicion of drunken driving in downtown Sacramento, authorities said. Bill Lindelof in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/4/10
Schwarzenegger's move on furlough cases stuns unions -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's request Tuesday for the California Supreme Court to take over seven key furlough lawsuits caught state employee unions off guard. Jon Ortiz in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/4/10 Recipes for Growth Collide in West Oakland -- The former Food Network host and cookbook author then began working with entrepreneurs and real-estate developers to transform the gritty neighborhood into one lined by modern homes and cafes. There was only one obstacle, in her view: the city of Oakland. BOBBY WHITE in the Wall Street Journal -- 3/4/10 Service sector, jobs reports offer promising signs -- The U.S. service sector last month marked its fastest expansion in more than two years while two employment reports Wednesday showed promise ahead of Friday's government jobs data. Tiffany Hsu in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/4/10 HP loses appeal on huge state health contract -- A state hearing officer has rejected an appeal by a Hewlett Packard subsidiary and cleared the way for the California Department of Health Care Services to award a $1.6 billion contract to a Texas firm to handle the state's Medi-Cal payment system. Bobby Caina Calvan in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/4/10
Proposition 98 fight at core of state budget debate -- When California voters narrowly approved Proposition 98 nearly 22 years ago, their anger was clear: They wanted to protect education funding from the Legislature’s political infighting and assure a stable source of money from year to year. In good years, the intricate, three-tier, school-funding scheme draws little attention. The item is in Capitol Weekly -- 3/4/10 A Brief Proposition 98 primer -- In 1988, voters approved Proposition 98, which set minimums for how much the state was required to spend on education. The initiative set up a number of formulas - called “tests” – to determine the amount of money schools would receive. Anthony York in Capitol Weekly -- 3/4/10 Schwarzenegger meeting focuses on higher ed cuts -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger met Wednesday with leaders of California's colleges and universities to discuss budget cuts that have left higher education in critical condition. Robin Hindery AP -- 3/4/10 Governor supports peaceful student protests -- On the eve of massive student protests over education funding in California today, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he is glad students are speaking out and that he believed the rallies on college and high school campuses from Eureka to San Diego would remain civil. Wyatt Buchanan, Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/4/10 As protests erupt Thursday, experts say California's higher education fee hikes actually help the poor -- Demonstrations will erupt across California today as students protest the soaring cost of education — but the fury overlooks the fact that fee increases actually help poorer students by providing more money for financial aid. Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury -- 3/4/10 Fensterwald: A day to read aloud -- In honor of the 13th annual Read Across America event, thousands of retired teachers and California Teachers Association leaders joined classroom teachers in reading aloud from their favorite books to elementary students across the state. John Fensterwald educatedguess.org -- 3/4/10 Rallies to focus on cutbacks in education -- Thousands of students, teachers and parents in California and across the country are expected to stage rallies, demonstrations, walkouts and other actions Thursday to decry what they say is an assault on public education at all levels. Carla Rivera in the Los Angeles Times Laurel Rosenhall in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/4/10 3 L.A. teachers suspended over Black History Month celebration of Simpson, Rodman, RuPaul -- Three teachers at a South Los Angeles elementary school have been suspended for allegedly encouraging students to celebrate O.J. Simpson, Dennis Rodman and RuPaul for Black History Month, officials said Wednesday. Alexandra Zavis in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/4/10 Pay hike plan for Yuba college chancellor dumped -- After weeks of protests, officials in the Yuba Community College District said Wednesday they would end the idea of a nearly $30,000 pay raise for Chancellor Nicki Harrington. Hudson Sangree in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/4/10
Texas-based refiners pledge to fund fight against California's global warming law -- Valero and Tesoro have reportedly pledged as much as $2 million to help gather signatures for a ballot initiative to suspend the greenhouse-gas-cutting law until the jobless rate improves. Margot Roosevelt in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/4/10 Black Lung Lofts -- Many children being raised in L.A.'s hip, new freeway-adjacent housing are damaged for life. Patrick Range McDonald in LA Weekly -- 3/4/10 Wet winter leaves Sierra snowpack above average -- California's wet winter has left an above-average snowpack in the Sierra Nevada, boosting prospects for additional water deliveries to cities and farms, water officials said today. Cathy Bussewitz AP Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/4/10
State can't cut Medi-Cal payments to hospitals -- A federal appeals court barred California on Wednesday from lowering Medi-Cal payments to doctors and hospitals by 5 percent and from cutting in-home care workers' wages by nearly 20 percent, saying the state's budget crisis doesn't justify violating federal laws that protect the poor and disabled. Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/4/10 Hiltzik: Lap-band promoters' troubled history -- The waiting room of the Beverly Hills surgery clinic was teeming with customers on a recent Saturday, with many of the patients there for the weight-loss operation hawked on freeway billboards, bus placards, and TV and radio commercials across Southern California: 1-800-GET-THIN. Michael Hiltzik in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/4/10
Lawsuits Renew Questions on Immigrant Detention -- When the Obama administration vowed to overhaul immigration detention last year, its promise of more humane treatment and accountability was spurred in part by the harrowing treatment of two detainees who died in the Bush years. NINA BERNSTEIN in the New York Times -- 3/4/10
In Final Push, Obama Urges ‘Up or Down’ Vote on Health -- President Obama, beginning his final push for a health care overhaul, called Wednesday for Congress to allow an “up or down vote” on the measure, and sketched out an ambitious — and, some Democrats said, unrealistic — timetable for his party to pass a bill on its own within weeks. SHERYL GAY STOLBERG and ROBERT PEAR in the New York Times -- 3/4/10
Baca says early inmate releases 'inevitable' if budget crisis continues -- Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said Wednesday it was "inevitable" that nonviolent inmates in county jails would be released early if the budget crisis persists. Andrew Blankstein and Robert J. Lopez in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/4/10 RFK's son slams LAPD for displaying clothing his father wore when assassinated -- A son of Robert F. Kennedy is criticizing the Los Angeles Police Department for displaying items in a homicide exhibit in Las Vegas that included the dress shirt worn by the senator when he was assassinated in 1968. Shelby Grad in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/4/10 New legislation targets same-sex divorce -- A new bill by Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, a Democrat, would make it easier for gay and lesbian couples to legally separate. Capitol Weekly's Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/4/10 Gay Marriage Is Legal in U.S. Capital -- It was cold and drizzling outside the City Courthouse just after 6 a.m. on Wednesday, but no one seemed to mind among the same-sex couples waiting for the chance to apply for a marriage license. IAN URBINA in the New York Times -- 3/4/10 Cuts to Sacramento County CPS felt by at-risk children -- At the end of the month, Julia Noto is losing her Child Protective Services job as a nurse going into homes with babies, most with mothers who used drugs during pregnancy. Robert Lewis in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/4/10 Pay for Wells Fargo's top executives soars after TARP exit -- CEO John Stumpf received a $21.3-million package in 2009 after the bank repaid $25 billion in federal bailout funds in December. He earned $8.8 million in 2008. E. Scott Reckard in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/4/10
Republican fundraising document portrays Democrats as evil -- Democrats on Wednesday sharply criticized a Republican National Committee fundraising document that caricatured President Obama as the Joker, while Chairman Michael S. Steele sought to distance himself from it. Perry Bacon Jr. in the Washington Post -- 3/4/10 |
