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New GOP website asks: What's Jerry Brown done to you? -- The site lays out its case against the former two-term governor of California, saying that his record speaks for itself: "He can run from it, but he can't hide." Carla Marinucci Chronicle Politics Weblog -- 3/23/2010 Whitman shifting on tax returns? -- Meg Whitman is now saying she will release only a summary of her tax returns, falling short of her initial offer only two weeks ago of releasing her full returns over 25 years. Political Blotter weblog -- 3/23/2010 Meg Whitman wants legislative 'teams' -- GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman, criticizing the Legislature as a "bill factory," said today that she would create legislative teams to focus on her top priorities as governor and veto most other legislation. Amy Chance SacBee Capitol Alert -- 3/23/2010 Poizner, Brown both attack Whitman's campaign spending -- But now, both Republican Steve Poizner and Democrat Jerry Brown are trying to use Whitman's money against her. Capitol Weekly's Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/23/2010 Quinn: Poizner's Suicidal Mission -- Two years ago, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner looked a good bet to be the GOP standard bearer for governor – a sensible fellow, the only Republican except Gov. Schwarzenegger holding statewide office, and a successful businessman in a time of economic distress. Tony Quinn Fox & Hounds weblog -- 3/23/2010 Wildermuth: Money Changes Look of 2010 Governor’s Race -- If this were an old-style governor’s race, where candidates relied on the kindness of strangers to finance their campaigns, Democrat Jerry Brown would be doing pretty well. John Wildermuth Fox & Hounds weblog -- 3/23/2010 Poll: Economy, deficit, top voter issues in California -- Voters rank California's abysmal economy and high unemployment rate, along with continuing uncertainty about the state's budget deficit, as the top issues facing the candidates vying to be governor, according to a Field Poll released Tuesday. JULIET WILLIAMS Associated Press -- 3/23/2010 Middle class families get bigger tax refunds this year -- thanks in large part to that stimulus bill folks love to hate, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, federal officials said. Teri Sforza in the Orange County Register -- 3/23/2010 Poll shows rapid increase in public support for health reform -- Polls aren't always right, but the Gallup Poll is generally one of the nation's most respected. And a new Gallup Poll released this afternoon finds an immediate and dramatic shift in public opinion toward the newly enacted health-reform law. Richard Dunham Chronicle Politics Weblog -- 3/23/2010 Analysis: Key factors that will determine political fate of health reform -- President Obama's sweeping overhaul of our health-care system is now law. But yesterday's legislative victory be tomorrow's political triumph -- or will passage of the largest new social program since Medicare become a political albatross around the necks of Democratic incumbents from Maine to California? Richard Dunham Chronicle Politics Weblog -- 3/23/2010 Schwarzenegger reaffirms opposition to federal healthcare bill -- Aaron McLear said Schwarzenegger's primary opposition stems from what the governor perceives will be additional costs to the state. Capitol Weekly's Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/23/2010 California Republicans take aim at health care bill -- Senate Republicans in Sacramento today announced that they have asked California Attorney General Jerry Brown (who also happens to be running for governor, as a Democrat) to join a lawsuit by other attorneys general challenging the massive health care overhaul signed today by President Obama. Marisa Lagos Chronicle Politics Weblog Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol Alert CATHY BUSSEWITZ AP -- 3/23/2010 Safeway bags a spot in health care history? -- Having survived the sausage making - including the reconciliation "fix-its" - the so-called Safeway amendment, modeled after Safeway Inc.'s Healthy Measures program, gets enshrined into law today when President Obama signs the health care bill. Andrew S. Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/23/2010 How the reform bills would affect seniors -- A new policy brief from the University of California provides a great synopsis of how the health reform bills will affect seniors. Dan Weintraub HealthyCal.org -- 3/23/2010 Villaraigosa warns of bankruptcy if L.A. City Council blocks electricity rate hike -- Facing resistance from the City Council over his renewable-energy plans, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has warned that any attempt to overturn higher electricity rates approved last week by the Department of Water and Power board would throw the city’s finances into disarray, causing it to run out of money in the next four months. David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/23/2010 Gay marriage advocates to appeal judge's campaign-documents order -- Same-sex marriage advocacy groups today signaled they plan to file an emergency appeal of a federal judge's order requiring them to release documents from the political campaign against Proposition 8 as part of the ongoing legal challenge to California's ban on gay nuptials. Howard Mintz in the San Jose Mercury -- 3/23/2010 Pay czar slashes top executives' compensation at five firms -- The Obama administration's pay czar said Tuesday that he was cutting compensation an average of 15% for the top executives at American International Group Inc., General Motors Co., Chrysler and two other firms that received exceptional federal bailouts and have yet to repay the money. Jim Puzzanghera in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/23/2010 Sacramento churches, telethon raise $225,000 for homeless housing -- About 80 houses of worship collected donations on Sunday, and KCRA held a telethon on Monday for the "One Day to Prevent Homelessness" campaign. As part of the drive, people were asked to donate one day's worth of rent or mortgage payments. Ryan Lillis in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/23/2010 State spends $40,000 to offload fairgrounds -- The state has spent nearly $40,000 to date in its efforts to sell the OC Fairgrounds and is continuing to look for ways to offload the property, officials said. The expenses, adding up to $38,541, include: ELLYN PAK in the Orange County Register -- 3/23/2010 University of California commission considers the "FUTURE" - coins number of big ideas -- Declaring a fiscal emergency, University of California experts presented a provocative set of recommendations to the university's "Commission on the Future" Tuesday in San Francisco, proposing to alter the cost, size, shape and business practices of the state's research campuses. Lisa M. Krieger in the Oakland Tribune -- 3/23/2010 State initiative would allow school districts to pass parcel taxes with 55 percent of vote -- Schools districts around the state are taking a stand on an initiative that would amend the state constitution to make it much easier to pass new taxes for education. Robert Jordan in the Contra Costa Times -- 3/23/2010 Fresno County comeback: Democrats retake voter registration lead -- It could change tomorrow, but right now, Fresno County has more registered Democrats than Republicans. John Ellis Fresno Bee News Blog -- 3/23/2010
Lawmakers, Schwarzenegger strike mini-deal on budget -- Responding to a demand by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, state lawmakers Monday sent him bills establishing another homebuyer tax credit and a sales tax exemption for environmental technology firms, satisfying him enough to win his signature on a transportation funding bill. Kevin Yamamura in the Sacramento Bee Marisa Lagos in the San Francisco Chronicle Shane Goldmacher in the Los Angeles Times Denis C. Theriault in the Oakland Tribune -- 3/23/2010 CalPERS election cost $3.1 million, 15.7% turnout -- Turnout in CalPERS board elections continues a two-decade slide despite a series of attempts to improve voter participation, including a $1.1 million runoff that boosted the total cost of an election last fall to $3.1 million. Ed Mendel Calpensions.com -- 3/23/2010 Meg Whitman spent $27 million on governor’s race in last 11 weeks -- The record-shattering pace stems largely from a television ad blitz intended to portray Whitman positively in the minds of voters and tarnish her opponents. Michael Rothfeld in the Los Angeles Times Jack Chang SacBee Capitol Alert Steven Harmon and Ken McLaughlin in the San Jose Mercury -- 3/23/2010 Campaign Cash: Burn Rate -- Why Reporters Love Campaign Finance Report Filing Deadlines: (1) It finally forces most candidates and political operations to show their cards and reveal how much money they've actually taken in (2) it allows us to see where all the money is being spent (3) it allows us to see how fast that money is being spent. John Myers Capitol Notes weblog -- 3/23/2010 Level the Playing Field raises about a quarter million -- The anti-Meg Whitman independent expenditure committee Level the Playing Field raised $228,681 between January 1 and March 17, well short of the $1 million that it said it had commitments for at its debut last month, according to a campaign finance report filed with the Secretary of State's office this afternoon. Jack Chang SacBee Capitol Alert -- 3/23/2010 Jerry Brown's backers throw fundraiser at his old digs -- His backers are throwing a fundraiser at 1400 N Street across from Capitol Park in the apartment where Brown, then a bachelor, lived while he served as governor from 1975 to 1983. The item is in Capitol Weekly -- 3/23/2010 Soaring spending reorders California governor's race -- Six-figure donations are rolling in, radio and online ads are running, and researchers are digging for dirt on Meg Whitman, the leading Republican candidate for California governor. MICHAEL R. BLOOD AP -- 3/23/2010 Field Poll: Issues in the governor's race -- A new Field Poll shows majorities consider jobs, the budget, education and health care among the most important issues in the governor's race. Dan Smith in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/23/2010 California GOP Senate candidates slam health care bill -- The three Republicans seeking to replace California Sen. Barbara Boxer on Monday condemned the federal legislation seeking to expand health insurance coverage, setting up another key difference between the eventual primary winner and the Democratic incumbent in November. KEVIN FREKING AP -- 3/23/2010 Former Secretary of State Rice endorses Fiorina in GOP Senate race -- Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has endorsed former Hewlett-Packard chief Carly Fiorina in the Republican Senate primary, Fiorina’s campaign will announce today. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/23/2010 SEC raises questions over donations to Angelides -- Securities and Exchange Commission investigators have raised questions about several campaign donations made to federal financial crisis watchdog Phil Angelides early in his term as California's treasurer. Chase Davis California Watch -- 3/23/2010 Steinberg delays first hearing of bill to name LOB after Bill Cavala -- An unpublished Senate committee analysis of the proposal reviewed by Capitol Weekly suggested that "the Legislature establish basic guidelines for naming buildings" and other areas. Malcolm Maclachlan in Capitol Weekly -- 3/23/2010 Florez's campaign chest overwhelms Parra's -- Democrat Fran Florez earned more than twice as much as Pete Parra, her primary opponent for the 30th state Assembly District seat, during the first fundraising period of the new year, campaign filings show. GRETCHEN WENNER in the Bakersfield Californian -- 3/23/2010 CalBuzz: Should the FPPC Regulate Tweeters, Facebookers? -- In the Age of the Internet, when campaigns, advocates, consultants and engaged citizens are using all forms of social media — Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Gmail Buzz, etc. — to communicate about politics, the Fair Political Practices Commission is struggling to figure out what in all that constitutes political communication that ought to be regulated — like paid advertising — and what is purely a function of free speech. It’s a fair question. Steve Maviglio CalBuzz -- 3/23/2010 Iconic Cal Poly Pomona building poses earthquake hazard -- Most of the buildings that engineers have judged risky in a big quake were constructed more than 40 years ago – before California building codes evolved dramatically. We didn't mention one building, however, that is considered a collapse risk, even though it was completed in 1993. Erica Perez California Watch -- 3/23/2010 Folkens sees long odds to unseat Baca -- Scott Folkens is a Republican, and a quite conservative one at that. He supports school vouchers, a tougher line on illegal immigration, and is an avid opponent of the health-care bill approved Sunday. James Rufus Koren in the San Bernardino Sun -- 3/23/2010
Gas prices rise on hopes economy will follow suit -- In a twist that has energy experts bemused and confused, gasoline prices have been climbing for the past month on the premise that the economy will get better, motorists will increase their driving and demand for gasoline will increase. Mark Glover in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/23/2010 Ordinance cuts business taxes for Internet-based firms in L.A. -- Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday signed a measure to cut business taxes for Internet-based firms, many of which last year saw their tax rate jump from the lowest in the city to the highest. Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/23/2010
Fensterwald: CSU’s new tack to cut remediation -- After a decade of notable work – but little success – in lowering the numbers of students who arrive on campus not ready for college work, the California State University system is turning up the pressure on students, its own campuses and indirectly on high schools to do better. John Fensterwald educatedguess.org -- 3/23/2010 Fensterwald: Deputy Supt. Rick Miller departs -- Rick Miller, deputy superintendent for the Department of Education and an architect of the state’s Race to the Top application, is leaving his post at the end of the week. His departure creates a void, as the state is regrouping in anticipation of applying for the second round of President Obama’s $4.3 billion reform competition. John Fensterwald educatedguess.org -- 3/23/2010 Students rally outside Capitol for increased education funding -- Demonstrations for increased education funding continued Monday as roughly 5,000 students and employees from community colleges and California State University descended on the state Capitol for a noisy but peaceful rally. Laurel Rosenhall in the Sacramento Bee Carla Rivera in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/23/2010 Walters: Protesters can't alter fiscal facts -- Thousands of public college students gathered at the Capitol on Monday to protest cutbacks in state aid to colleges and rising collegiate fees. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/23/2010 Green Dot to close Justice Charter High School -- Green Dot Public Schools, a leading charter school operator, is shutting down a campus because of low enrollment, financial pressures and subpar performance, officials confirmed Monday. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/23/2010
Lawmakers pass smoking ban at beaches, parks -- Tired of finding cigarette butts where animals forage and kids play, state lawmakers voted Monday to outlaw smoking at 278 state parks and beaches in one of the nation's most far-reaching regulations of tobacco use. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times Marisa Lagos in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/23/2010 Lazarus: L.A. mass transit agencies make only a token effort to get people onboard -- Too little is done to make the region's public transportation network a convenient and practical alternative to driving. David Lazarus in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/23/2010
Calorie counts to be required on menus nationwide -- Rules passed as part of the healthcare overhaul would preempt local and state laws. Chain restaurants, vending machines, buffets, alcoholic drink menus and drive-thrus would be affected. Sharon Bernstein in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/23/2010 Can health providers handle influx of newly insured? -- On the morning after Sunday's vote to revamp the health care system, Bob Caulk contemplated the enormous task of extending health care coverage to the nation's millions of uninsured. Bobby Caina Calvan in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/23/2010 Last Supper helpings have grown -- An unusual study looks at the food portions in artistic depictions of the Last Supper throughout history. The apostles have eaten better and better over the years, scholars say. Melissa Healy in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/23/2010
49ers pump more than $1 million into pro-stadium campaign in Santa Clara -- With the political campaign yet to reach halftime, the San Francisco 49ers have already poured nearly $1.4 million in cash and manpower into the effort to persuade voters to build a new $937 million stadium in Santa Clara, according to financial disclosure documents filed Monday. Howard Mintz in the San Jose Mercury -- 3/23/2010 District Attorney’s Boycott of a Judge Raises Issues -- Every Wednesday, prosecutors in Santa Clara County take part in a weekly ritual: as the new judges’ calendar goes online, they begin signing affidavit after affidavit to block cases from going before Judge Andrea Bryan. MICHELLE QUINN in the New York Times -- 3/23/2010 Bakery leader thought robbing drug dealer would net $500,000 to save bankrupt business -- As Your Black Muslim Bakery teetered on financial collapse in the spring of 2007, Yusuf Bey IV bragged that robbing an East Oakland drug dealer known for wearing white suits and driving a Mercedes-Benz would net the business a $500,000 windfall, his half-brother, Yusuf Bey V, testified Monday. Thomas Peele in the Contra Costa Times -- 3/23/2010 California correctional officer accused of lying about being shot at San Francisco sex club -- Instead, court records say, the altercation that led to his paralysis started at a swingers club, where he and his wife were engaging in sex with strangers and a dispute quickly escalated. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee -- 3/23/2010 In California, the Banana Museum Has Lost Its Appeal -- Ken Bannister is going bananas because no one wants his bananas. MARY PILON in the Wall Street Journal -- 3/23/2010
Health Measure’s Opponents Plan Legal Challenges -- Officials in a dozen states who oppose the health care bill say they hope to block it in court by arguing that requiring people to buy health insurance is an unprecedented intrusion by the federal government into people’s lives — the equivalent of going a step beyond simply regulating automobiles to requiring people to buy a car. JOHN SCHWARTZ in the New York Times -- 3/23/2010 G.O.P. Faces Drawbacks of United Stand on Health Bill -- Passage of the health care legislation challenges the heart of the Republicans’ strategy this year: To present a unified opposition to big Democratic ideas, in this case expressed in a stream of bristling anger and occasional mischaracterizations of what the bill would do. ADAM NAGOURNEY in the New York Times -- 3/23/2010 Lessons for the Democrats, Some Perhaps Cautionary, After a Signal Triumph -- But the paradox of the health care vote is that, even as Mr. Obama has gained a much-needed infusion of political capital, it may not help him advance his agenda on Capitol Hill. SHERYL GAY STOLBERG in the New York Times -- 3/23/2010 Nasty rhetoric could backfire on bill's foes -- The verbal nastiness that has shadowed the health care reform debate peaked as the bill rumbled to a finish, with opponents shouting racial epithets and spitting at members of the Congressional Black Caucus while yelling anti-gay slurs at Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 3/23/2010 Analysis: GOP can't wait to run against health reform -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had barely brought the gavel down on passage of the health reform vote when the Republican political machine went into high gear. DENA BUNIS in the Orange County Register -- 3/23/2010 GOP predicts health care vote will hurt Democrats in November -- California GOP leaders virulently opposed the health care package, but now that Congress has passed it, they predict a sharp voter turn to the right in November. Lisa Vorderbrueggen in the Oakland Tribune -- 3/23/2010 Republicans mobilize healthcare opposition -- Following their decisive healthcare defeat in the House, Republicans on Monday prepared a three-pronged effort to wage a continuing fight against the bill -- beginning with a drive this week to stall follow-up legislation in the Senate. Janet Hook and James Oliphant in the Los Angeles Times -- 3/23/2010 |
