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Protesters confront Poizner at San Jose book signing -- Steve Poizner, a Republican candidate for governor, was confronted by hundreds of protesters at a Barnes & Noble bookstore in East San Jose on Thursday evening for a signing of "Mount Pleasant," about a year he spent guest teaching at a public high school. Michael Rothfeld in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/1/10 AP Enterprise: Calif. lawmakers' schedules private -- When California lawmakers prepare to take a key vote—say when deciding state spending or last year's $11 billion water bond—how often are they meeting with lobbyists, special interest groups or others who have a stake in the outcome? Are constituents given the same kind of access to politicians as campaign contributors? SAMANTHA YOUNG AP -- 4/1/10 Hollywood's "Outfoxed" director Greenwald takes aim at Prop. 17 in comic new ad -- It's the silly season of attention-getting campaign ads, and Hollywood director, producer and political activistRobert Greenwald -- of "Outfoxed" fame -- may have hit the sweet spot with his spoof ad on Prop. 17, the coming insurance ballot initiative backed largely by Mercury General Insurance. Carla Marinucci Chronicle Politics Weblog Steven Harmon Political Blotter weblog -- 4/1/10 Oppo research group attacks Whitman for eBay’s failure to hire Latino managers -- Speaking of campaign attacks, here’s one from the anti-Meg Whitman oppo research group, California Accountability Project, which takes on Whitman for eBay’s hiring practices. Steven Harmon Political Blotter weblog -- 4/1/10 New website makes it easier to follow the money -- Following the flow of campaign dollars can be an arduous task. Navigating the official records at the secretary of state's website is often clumsy and imperfect. Capitol Weekly's Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/1/10 Dem strategist: Modest Meg money drop, early attacks on Brown -- A Los Angeles Times report that Republican gubernatorial candidate and billionaire Meg Whitman is planning to make a modest drop from her personal fortune into the campaign is in keeping with a Democratic strategist’s off-the-record predictions to me. And the political calculations are rich. Steven Harmon Political Blotter weblog -- 4/1/10 Washington Post poll shows anger over health-care debate -- . In follow-up interviews, many went beyond health care as they spoke of their deep misgivings about the country's leadership and the changes taking place around them. Sandhya Somashekhar and Perry Bacon Jr. in the Washington Post -- 4/1/10 Wildermuth: CTA Spending Big for Business Tax Battle -- The California Teachers Association has put another $500,000 into its effort to overturn a trio of business tax breaks, setting the stage for a nasty November ballot battle. John Wildermuth Fox & Hounds weblog -- 4/1/10 Eastman loses fight to call himself 'assistant attorney general' -- Attorney general candidate John Eastman lost his fight today to identify himself as "Assistant Attorney General" on the Republican primary ballot for the June 8 election. Jim Sanders SacBee Capitol Alert Shane Goldmacher in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/1/10 Fox: Oil, Oil Everywhere, But Not a Drop to Drill (off California) -- When it comes to oil, California is the new Nebraska. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds weblog -- 4/1/10 CalSTRS' credit rating lowered -- CalSTRS' credit rating on Wall Street has been lowered because of the state's budget problems. The item is in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/1/10 Pressure to reveal Palin payment increases on CSU -- Two defenders of the public’s right to know have joined state Sen. Leland Yee in demanding that California State University officials disclose how much former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is getting paid for an upcoming speech at the Stanislaus campus. Teri Sforza in the Orange County Register -- 4/1/10 GOP Senate candidates talk Tea Party -- U.S. Senate hopeful Tom Campbell, a law professor with a Ph.D. in economics, is often the smartest guy in the room. So I’m not sure if his comment regarding the Tea Party movement at Tuesday’s debate in Irvine was either ironic or ill-informed. Martin Wisckol in the Orange County Register -- 4/1/10 Federal government to day laborers: We're here to help -- The unprecedented visit was part of a campaign to bring long-established workplace protections to the nation's most vulnerable and underpaid workers, including those who have no legal right to be living in the United States. Matt O'Brien in the Contra Costa Times -- 4/1/10 Pot debate fuels CalChannel page views -- Legislative hearings on whether to legalize marijuana have heated up debates under the dome in this year. But the issue also fueled a traffic spike at CalChannel.com, the online hub for viewing committee hearings, floor sessions and other events around the Capitol. Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol Alert -- 4/1/10 Last NUMMI vehicle completed this morning -- The red Toyota Corolla rolled off the line, as hundreds of employees, dignitaries and company officials watched, according to workers and union leaders. The car is believed to be destined for a museum in Japan. George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury -- 4/1/10 Sierra snowpack slightly above normal -- The California Department of Water Resources reported Thursday the water content of the Sierra snowpack is slightly above normal this spring. It is 106 percent of the normal level across the 400-mile-long mountain range. SAMANTHA YOUNG AP -- 4/1/10 Grand jury indicts a top LAUSD official -- A grand jury has indicted a top Los Angeles Unified School District manager for allegedly funneling business from the district's massive school-building effort to a company he co-owned, highlighting flaws in the way one of the nation's largest public-works projects has been overseen. Andrew Blankstein and Jack Leonard in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/1/10 FBI arrests Commerce councilman in witness tampering case -- FBI agents arrested a City of Commerce councilman this morning after a grand jury indicted him and two family members for allegedly trying to hide illegal campaign contributions. Hector Becerra in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/1/10
Manipulating the media, California style; impact of traditional role dips with each cycle -- California is Ground Zero this year for changes in media and technology that have fundamentally altered the way political campaigns are run and covered. Anthony York in Capitol Weekly -- 4/1/10 Skelton: Meg Whitman is doing her homework -- Despite some gaffes, the Republican gubernatorial candidate shows she's learning the inner workings of the office, including the ability to pare pork from the $11.1-billion water bond proposal. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/1/10 CalBuzz: eMeg’s Wish List: What $40 Million Could Buy -- As the entire political world holds its collective breath awaiting Meg Whitman’s decision about how much fresh cash to toss into her campaign, the Calbuzz Department of Economic Research and Widespread Google Investigations has launched a major probe to answer a key question: What could she have bought with the $40 Large she’s already spent running for governor? Jerry Roberts and Phil Trounstine CalBuzz -- 4/1/10 Meg Whitman joins the fray of health reform reformers -- Before we peer across the California border, though, take a moment for a hat tip to the Los Angeles Times and other journalists who were paying attention in civics class. They pressed the leading GOP gubernatorial candidate after her speech on whether she could really “force” an attorney general to do anything. Christina Jewett California Watch -- 4/1/10 Whitman taps the grass roots, Harvard style -- Meg Whitman's campaign for governor is doing some grass-roots outreach in the Los Angeles area – to fellow Harvard alumni. Michael Rothfeld in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/1/10 Whitman goes Tea Party, wants to "take back California!"...from a Republican?/Plus: Hannity disses Poizner -- Indeed, she was on solo. "Hannity" didn't even invite her GOP primary rival, insurance commissioner Steve Poizner, confirms the show and Team Poiz. Joe Garofoli Chronicle Politics Weblog -- 4/1/10 Rove's book has a few unkind words for Pombo -- Tracy Republican Richard Pombo attended the Tuesday fundraiser for Fresno County Supervisor Debbie Poochigian, which featured former Bush White House adviser Karl Rove, who was touting his new book, "Courage and Consequence: My Life As a Conservative in the Fight." The question is: Has Pombo read the book? John Ellis Fresno Bee News Blog -- 4/1/10 Saunders: In the Bay Area, Karl Rove was arresting -- While a handful of protesters outside waved an "arrest Rove" banner, he hit ObamaCare, crowed about the "delicious opportunity" 2010 offers in defeating Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, and picked local Tea Party activist Sally Zelikovsky out of the crowd to extol her activism. Debra J. Saunders in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 4/1/10 How did California dodge Obama's offshore oil plan? -- In a word: politics. The Obama administration's plan to open up new offshore areas for drilling conspicuously avoids the North Atlantic and the West Coast. That means "Obama will only ruin the coast of red states," as Wonkette slyly noted. Robert Salladay California Watch -- 4/1/10 Obama's offshore drilling plan seen as a political olive branch -- The president announces the controversial proposal, which the administration sees as a way to garner support from conservatives for clean energy and climate change legislation. Jim Tankersley and Richard Simon in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/1/10 Budget battle goes Hollywood -- The painful piece of a two-part budget deal to get the strapped state some quick corporate cash in return for future tax breaks is poised to kick in. And Hollywood is playing a leading role. John Howard in Capitol Weekly -- 4/1/10 Critics want to know Palin's fee for CSU Stanislaus event -- Critics of private organizations that support public universities have seized on Sarah Palin's upcoming appearance at CSU Stanislaus as the latest reason to expand California's public records law. Laurel Rosenhall in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/1/10 AP Enterprise: Calif. freeing some violent inmates -- Inmates convicted of violent crimes are among those being freed early from California jails to save money, despite lawmakers' promises that they would exclude most dangerous prisoners and sex offenders. DON THOMPSON AP -- 4/1/10 CalPERS backs health care reform legislation -- The California Public Employees’ Retirement System, which will spend more than $5.8 billion this year on health care for 1.6 million members and their families, said the newly passed federal health care reform bill contains critical cost controls. The item is in Capitol Weekly -- 4/1/10 CalPERS, CalSTRS at risk in new credit squeeze? -- The nation’s two biggest public pension funds, CalPERS and CalSTRS, were big investors in debt-laden private equity during the boom years. Now some worry that a wave of debt coming due in two years could limit borrowing needed for refinancing. Ed Mendel in Capitol Weekly -- 4/1/10 California’s arts community gets a boost -- California art lovers, rarely at the top of the state’s priority list when it comes to budgeting and policy, got some good news: The price tag of the vanity license plates known as Arts Plates is largely tax deductible. Kate Henka in Capitol Weekly -- 4/1/10 Sipping These Wines Is Like Smoking And Drinking at the Same Time -- In wine vernacular, "smoky bacon" is a prized flavor for pinot noir. Not so is "wet ashtray," which is where the powdered sturgeon bladders come in. BEN WORTHEN in the Wall Street Journal -- 4/1/10
Cash-Poor Cities Take On Unions -- Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa once organized for a teacher's union here, and later ran a branch of the American Federation of Government Employees. That makes him an unlikely advocate for cutting the benefits of the city's workers. CONOR DOUGHERTY in the Wall Street Journal -- 4/1/10 Appellate court delays decision on furloughs to hear more arguments -- A state appellate court on Tuesday temporarily delayed three lower-court decisions to halt the forced furloughs of thousands of state employees who have been ordered to take three unpaid days off each month to help balance the state budget. John Howard in Capitol Weekly -- 4/1/10 Programmer/analyst sees room for voluntary furloughs -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger refueled state worker anger by beating back union efforts to end furloughs this week for tens of thousands of government employees. But while many of state programmer/analyst Kim Berry's colleagues were understandably steamed, he was glad. Jon Ortiz in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/1/10 The end is nigh for NUMMI -- Another 1,000 NUMMI employees were sent home Wednesday after their final shifts here at the auto factory, which is expected to produce its last vehicle and close Thursday. George Avalos in the Oakland Tribune -- 4/1/10 Data show lot size shrinking along with Sacramento housing market -- For a half-century, Sacramento real estate has resembled big-bang theory – waves of homebuyers headed to ever more distant suburbs for bigger houses on larger lots. Now comes the contraction. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/1/10 49ers stadium campaign is David vs. Goliath affair -- In short, it was nearly identical to what appears to be unfolding in Santa Clara, where a small group of city residents finds itself up against a powerful, deep-pocketed campaign to build the San Francisco 49ers a $937 million stadium in Silicon Valley. Howard Mintz in the San Jose Mercury -- 4/1/10
Key agency backs community college fee hike -- The bargain-basement price of California community colleges could be headed for a markup next year. Cyndee Fontana in the Fresno Bee -- 4/1/10 Fensterwald: Harlem Children’s Zone times 20 -- Non-profits and school districts nationwide will soon vie for $200 million that President Obama envisions as seeding the next generation Harlem Children’s Zones. A local school superintendent and organizers of the Santee neighborhood in south San Jose, a mix of poor Vietnamese and Hispanic immigrant families, hope to be one of them. John Fensterwald educatedguess.org -- 4/1/10 UC president: Hate acts may prompt policy changes -- Following a string of racist acts on campuses, the University of California is considering changing its policy on bias incidents, UC president Mark Yudof said. ROBIN HINDERY AP -- 4/1/10 About one-quarter of East Bay school districts are on the state's "watch list" for insolvency -- Nine East Bay school districts are on the state's "watch list" for insolvency because they will be unable to balance their budgets in the next three years without substantial cuts. Theresa Harrington in the Contra Costa Times -- 4/1/10 Baby doll cries are all too real, Sacramento teens learn -- Somewhere between a 4 a.m. feeding and a 5:30 a.m. diaper change, Quincy Cooper decided he wasn't ready to be a dad. Melody Gutierrez in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/1/10 Sacramento-area districts deal with problem math books -- Five times three equals five. Second-graders at 79 Sacramento-area schools can find that equation in their new math books. Diana Lambert in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/1/10
Federal ruling slows delta pumping -- It's the latest loss for farmers and other water users in the decades-long battle over moving water through the state. That battle continues today when water users and environmentalists square off in Wanger's court in what promises to be a pivotal case. John Ellis in the Fresno Bee -- 4/1/10 Feds unveil $38 million plan to quickly dispose of 25 obsolete ships in Susuin Bay -- The U.S. Maritime Administration will spend at least $38 million over the next two and a half years to clean and dispose of 25 of the 52 badly decaying ships in Suisun Bay, the acting chief of the agency said Wednesday in detailing an agreement with the state and environmental groups to settle a lawsuit. Thomas Peele in the Oakland Tribune Maria L. La Ganga in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/1/10 California sea otter numbers down for third year -- The fragile California sea otter population is in decline for the third straight year, according to a comprehensive year-end report issued by the Otter Project, a Monterey-based organization whose mission is to aid the rapid recovery of the animal. Jory John in the San Jose Mercury -- 4/1/10 Sacramento County wins EPA grant to fight climate change -- The rest of the country has a thing or two to learn from Sacramento County when it comes to combating climate change. Robert Lewis in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/1/10
Modest soda taxes don’t affect consumption or weight gain -- Modest additional taxes on sweetened soft drinks don’t do much to curb consumption or child obesity, according to a study released today. But more significant levies targeting soda might have more impact. Daniel Weintraub HealthyCal.org -- 4/1/10
Illegal immigrants less than 1 percent of California college enrollment -- Eight years after California's Legislature adopted a tuition break to help undocumented immigrants afford college, these students account for 1 percent or less of all students in the state's three higher education systems. Susan Ferriss in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/1/10 Percentage of foreign-born state residents down --- Immigrants' share of California's population has declined for the third straight year after a half century of growth, with the economic downturn and increased border enforcement discouraging fresh immigration to the state, according to a University of Southern California study released Wednesday. Jacob Adelman AP Teresa Watanabe and Hector Becerra in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/1/10 Supreme Court takes on issue -- The Supreme Court confronted in two cases Wednesday the stiff federal law that requires deportation of any noncitizen convicted of an "aggravated felony," even if that person has lived in the U.S. legally for decades. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/1/10
Obama tries triangulation lite -- Just days after Republicans fumed that passage of the health care bill tolled the death knell for bipartisanship, there was a very different message coming from some GOP quarters Wednesday: praise for President Barack Obama’s decision to lift the ban on some offshore oil drilling. GLENN THRUSH & LISA LERER Politico -- 4/1/10 For a look outside presidential bubble, Obama reads 10 personal letters each day -- The black binder arrived at the White House residence just before 8 p.m., and President Obama took it upstairs to begin his nightly reading. Eli Saslow in the Washington Post -- 4/1/10
DWP board ignores L.A. City Council, approves higher rate hike -- Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s appointees at the Department of Water and Power on Wednesday evening rejected the City Council’s proposal for a 4.5% electric rate hike, opting for a larger increase that was more in line with the amount Villaraigosa had sought for his renewable energy proposal. David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/1/10 Disenrollment activists taking their case to the UN -- The United Nation’s Human Rights Council (HRC) has begun a year-long review of the United States’ human rights record, with particular attention to be paid to the nation’s treatment of its indigenous American Indian population. Malcolm Maclachlan in Capitol Weekly -- 4/1/10 West Follywood -- How a progressive town founded on renters' rights and diversity ended up gridlocked, angry and elitist. Patrick Range McDonald LA Weekly -- 4/1/10
Obama’s drilling proposal sparks battle among Senate Dems -- President Barack Obama’s decision to open the nation’s coastline to offshore drilling has set up a fracas with Senate Democrats. Alexander Bolton The Hill -- 4/1/10 Palin to RNC: Take me off fundraiser -- Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has asked the Republican National Committee to remove her name from a fundraiser the committee is planning piggybacking off of the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, POLITICO has learned. ANDY BARR Politico -- 4/1/10 |
