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Assembly ready to consider Maldonado nomination -- The Assembly Rules Committee will hold a hearing Wednesday to consider Abel Maldonado's appointment as lieutenant governor. Confirmation could come before the full Assembly as early as Thursday. Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol Alert Marisa Lagos in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 4/20/10 Whitman calls in GOP heavyweights for fundraising help -- It's going to be a busy week for Meg Whitman, who is hoping to cash in some old chits on the campaign trail. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will be on hand for four fundraisers for the Republican gubernatorial candidate this week, and others including former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) are also expected to lend a hand. Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/20/10 Campbell launches anti-Boxer ad -- Get used to seeing a clip of Sen. Barbara Boxer asking an Army Corps of Engineers brigadier general to call her "senator" rather than "ma'am" during a 2009 hearing. Kevin Yamamura SacBee Capitol Alert -- 4/20/10 Obama to travel to California to raise money for Boxer. Again. -- In a sign of how concerned top Democrats are about Sen. Barbara Boxer’s reelection chances this year, her campaign announced Tuesday that President Obama would again travel to California in May to hold a fundraiser for the three-term senator and the Democratic National Committee. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times Rob Hotakainen in the Sacramento Bee Josh Richman Political Blotter weblog -- 4/20/10 Should Poizner merit a new look if the next polls show he’s cut deeply into Meg’s lead? -- So what happens if the next polls show Steve Poizner has cut Meg Whitman’s lead in half, as internal polling appear to be showing? Steven Harmon Political Blotter weblog -- 4/20/10 New study cites California's high taxes and spending -- California has one of the nation's highest levels of government spending and taxes, and it adversely affects the state's economic competitiveness, according to a new report by the conservative, San Francisco-based Pacific Research Institute. Dan Walters SacBee Capitol Alert -- 4/20/10 So is Occidental Petroleum 'greedy' or generous? -- Arnold Schwarzenegger assailed Texas-based oil companies last week as "greedy" for donating toward an effort to repeal his prized legacy piece, a 2006 law to reduce greenhouse gases 25 percent by 2020. But what to make of Occidental Petroleum? Kevin Yamamura SacBee Capitol Alert -- 4/20/10 Bankruptcy bill finally clears committee -- Highly controversial, union-backed legislation that would make it more difficult for local governments to declare bankruptcy has made it out of the Senate Local Government Committee after a nearly yearlong stalemate. Dan Walters SacBee Capitol Alert -- 4/20/10
Missouri group gives $500,000 to AB 32 repeal effort -- Last week, a nonprofit group called the Adam Smith Foundation, based in Jefferson City, Missouri, gave $498,000 to the campaign to repeal California's greenhouse gas law. That's quite a contribution, considering the group's entire revenues for the last two years were just $30,000 per year. Anthony York in Capitol Weekly -- 4/20/10 Obama arrives in L.A. to raise funds for Boxer -- At the California Science Center, the president defends his tenure while supporting the senator, who is locked in a tough reelection fight. The events are expected to raise nearly $3.5 million. Seema Mehta and Tom Hamburger in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/20/10 Republican Governors Assn. attacks Jerry Brown as big spender -- As Jerry Brown was receiving state Democrats' endorsement Saturday to be their candidate for governor, an affiliate of the Republican Governors Assn. launched a television ad, below, attacking Brown as a big spender throughout his long political career. Michael Rothfeld in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/20/10 Brown stays on message as he takes Moody's to task -- While Jerry Brown the candidate for governor is honing a campaign message that is critical of Wall St., Jerry Brown the attorney general is using his official perch to go after what he views as bad actors in the corporate world. Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/20/10 Schrag: At the Tea Party: Minutemen and Birchers, yes; Birthers no -- The organizers of last Thursday’s Tea Party event in Pleasanton, one of scores of similar affairs held in connection with this year’s income tax deadline, pointedly dis-invited Orly Taitz, the mother of all birthers. They seem to be working hard to show, and telling anyone who asks, that they’re just traditional American activists, not kooks. Peter Schrag Cal Progress Report -- 4/20/10 Hewlett-Packard probe roils California U.S. Senate race -- SEC and others are investigating whether company executives paid bribes to win a lucrative foreign contract while under the leadership of GOP candidate Carly Fiorina. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/20/10 Conservative group takes on Tom Campbell's tax record -- A new attack ad is on the airwaves in the Republican U.S. Senate primary -- and the funding didn't come from California. The Iowa-based American Future Fund launched a 30-second ad blasting former Rep. Tom Campbell for refusing to sign an anti-tax pledge. Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times Kevin Yamamura in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/20/10 U.S. Senate candidate Tom Campbell releases 2009 tax returns -- U.S. Senate candidate Tom Campbell on Monday handed over his 2009 federal and state tax returns to the Mercury News for posting on its website. Representatives of the Fiorina and DeVore campaigns said late Monday that the candidates were open to the idea of releasing tax returns but made no specific promises. Ken McLaughlin in the San Jose Mercury -- 4/20/10 Walters: Wall Street flap colors gubernatorial race -- When Attorney General Jerry Brown issued a broadside Monday against Moody's Investors Service, accusing the Wall Street rating firm of refusing to give him information on the global banking meltdown, it fit neatly into Brown's emerging strategy to win the governorship. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/20/10 CalBuzz: Jerry, eMeg and the Goldman Sachs Connection -- With the Securities and Exchange Commission formally charging the huge investment bank with fraud last Friday, Brown’s campaign has been handed a fresh opportunity, not only to disrupt the Whitman campaign narrative that her executive business experience splendidly qualifies her for governor, but also to perform political jujitsu on the exorbitant campaign spending eMeg is fronting with her personal fortune. Jerry Roberts and Phil Trounstine CalBuzz -- 4/20/10 Fox: Brown Debate Idea May be Ahead of it’s Time; But Not This Year -- Jerry Brown’s weekend suggestion at the state Democratic convention that a pre-primary debate take place between him and his main Republican rivals is a way for Brown to insert himself into the Republican primary. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds weblog -- 4/20/10 Criticizing stunts is a dangerous field -- It may well be that Jerry Brown’s call over the weekend for three-way pre-primary debates was a stunt, which is what Meg Whitman’s team called it after refusing to accept the offer. Steven Harmon Political Blotter weblog -- 4/20/10 Cruickshank: A Movement - and a Party - In Search of Leadership -- The question that Democrats will answer over the next few months: Did the 72-year-old Brown and 69-year-old Boxer infuse the faithful with a Tea Party-like energy? Robert Cruickshank Cal Progress Report -- 4/20/10 Dem Party endorses Florez -- The state Democratic Party is siding with Fran Florez over Pete Parra in the 30th District Assembly primary. EJ Schultz Fresno Bee News Blog -- 4/20/10 Group against helmet law supports Halderman -- Linda Halderman, a Fresno doctor who is running for Assembly, is touting the endorsement of a group that wants to repeal the state's motorcycle helmet law. EJ Schultz Fresno Bee News Blog -- 4/20/10 Democrats shower cash on GOP stronghold -- Orange County's biggest GOP stronghold is finally getting money for some of its most-cherished local projects, and a lot of the thanks is going to Democrats. JEFF OVERLEY in the Orange County Register -- 4/20/10 California Watch: Palin's speaking fees rival former presidents -- As politicians go, perhaps only Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and a number of former presidents can command the speaking fees it reportedly takes to land Sarah Palin, a Texas newspaper reported Sunday. Chase Davis California Watch -- 4/20/10 Redistricting panel gets few applicants as deadline nears -- With a 5 p.m. deadline today (Monday), only about 2,200 people have finished the second phase of the application process for California's first-ever independent panel to redraw political districts next year. Jim Miller in the Riverside Press Torey Van Oot in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/20/10 Members of Capitol salary panel miss disclosure deadlines -- Members of the California commission that regulates state legislators' salaries have a spotty record when it comes to filing their own mandatory economic interest statements. Susan Ferriss in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/20/10
Calpers, Apollo Agree On Fees, Middlemen -- Calpers has restructured its relationship with Apollo Global Management, wresting substantial fee concessions from the New York private-equity firm and ending Apollo's use of middlemen to win business from the nation's largest pension fund. PETER LATTMAN And GINA CHON in the Wall Street Journal Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/20/10 California pension fund to examine Goldman Sach's corporate practices in wake of civil charges -- The chief investment officer of California's giant pension fund said Monday he is disturbed by the allegations of wrongdoing against investment firm Goldman Sachs. CATHY BUSSEWITZ AP -- 4/20/10 CalPERS misses point, governor’s advisor says -- So we told you about the Stanford University study concluding that California’s public pension systems are massively underfunded. Teri Sforza in the Orange County Register -- 4/20/10 IRS ties up OC’s “groundbreaking” pension reform -- A new, hybrid pension plan for county employees — touted as groundbreaking pension reform — won’t save the county cash as quickly as officials had hoped thanks to a hiccup at the good ole’ Internal Revenue Service. Jennifer Muir in the Orange County Register -- 4/20/10 L.A. County budget shortfall at more that $500 million, layoffs possible -- Los Angeles County Chief Executive William T Fujioka said Monday he was grappling with a $510.5-million budget shortfall that could lead to the layoffs of about 100 workers, even with negotiations underway with labor leaders that could yield compromises. Garrett Therolf in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/20/10 Villaraigosa backtracks on gloom and doom over budget -- Despite predictions of 4,000 layoffs, mayor says no more than 750 may lose jobs in the next fiscal year. Maeve Reston and David Zahniser in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/20/10 Lazarus: Bank of America yanks Countrywide Financial customers' credit lines -- BofA, after reporting a $3.2-billion quarterly profit, says it has to cut off former Countrywide borrowers' home equity credit lines because of financial conditions. David Lazarus in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/20/10
Fensterwald: Cutting through the transfer maze -- The failure of the community colleges and state four-year universities to agree on common transfer requirements creates tremendous waste and confusion. It has become one more factor discouraging students from pursuing a four-year degree. John Fensterwald educatedguess.org -- 4/20/10 L.A. study affirms benefits of preschool -- Gains at the L.A. Universal Preschool programs were especially significant for learners of English. Carla Rivera in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/20/10 Needle poke turns into big problem at L.A. charter school -- Parents of a 6-year-old student at Goethe International in Marina del Rey have faced complex challenges in their effort to test a syringe that wounded their son on campus. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/20/10
Environmental groups turn in 760,000 signatures for November ballot measure to fund parks -- A plan to charge California motorists $18 a year to shore up the state parks system's finances took another step toward the November ballot on Monday when environmental groups submitted about 760,000 signatures to election officials. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury -- 4/20/10
California Watch: State moves to revoke license of embattled hospitals -- One week after Medicare announced that it will stop reimbursing two Riverside hospitals for care, state public health officials sent a letter yesterday telling executives that they plan to take the hospitals’ license away (in this case, two hospitals operate under one state license). Christina Jewett California Watch -- 4/20/10 Banks: Peddling prescriptions like candy -- The story of a Duarte doctor makes it clear a lot can go wrong between the handcuffs and the prison time. Sandy Banks in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/20/10 Poll: Valley opposes soda tax, but state backs it -- A new poll suggests that a majority of state voters support taxing sugary sodas to fund childhood obesity prevention programs -- except in the central San Joaquin Valley, home to the soda capital of California. Barbara Anderson in the Fresno Bee -- 4/20/10
Arizona's proposed illegal immigration crackdown akin to Nazi tactics, Cardinal Roger Mahony says -- Cardinal Roger Mahony blasted Arizona's proposed crackdown on illegal immigration, calling it "the country's most retrogressive, mean-spirited and useless anti-immigrant law." Shelby Grad in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/20/10
Supreme Court considers California law school's discrimination policy -- The Supreme Court appeared deeply divided Monday over whether a college's insistence that student organizations be open to all violates the constitutional rights of a religious group that wants to exclude gays and those who do not share its core beliefs. Robert Barnes in the Washington Post David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/20/10 U.S. Supreme Court may rule against California police officers and privacy in suit over reading of racy text messages --The Supreme Court appears likely to rule against public employees who claimed a local government violated their privacy by reading racy text messages they sent on their employers' account. Mark Sherman AP -- 4/20/10 Mystique of number 420 will light up pot parties today -- Today is the Fourth of July of weed. At places such as Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, Porter Meadow at UC Santa Cruz and Redwood Park in Arcata, thousands will light up in celebratory smoke-ins. Peter Hecht in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/20/10 Jazz Age Normandie Hotel may roar again as ‘pot-tel’ -- Peron, a hero to the marijuana movement, started the first dispensary in San Francisco and led the state's medical marijuana initiative. Now, he and a team of weed-loving friends hope to turn the 106-room Normandie into America's first pot-friendly hotel. John Hoeffel in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/20/10 For Apple, Lost iPhone Is a Big Deal -- For anyone who has ever lost a cellphone, remember this: it could be worse. You could be the person who left his phone in a bar in California. And it wasn’t just any phone; it was a supersecret version of the next iPhone. MIGUEL HELFT and NICK BILTON in the New York Times -- 4/20/10 Cyberattack on Google Said to Hit Password System -- Ever since Google disclosed in January that Internet intruders had stolen information from its computers, the exact nature and extent of the theft has been a closely guarded company secret. JOHN MARKOFF in the New York Times -- 4/20/10 Saunders: Exploiting the Oklahoma City bombing -- Monday was the anniversary of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that left 149 men and women - most of them federal workers - and 19 children dead. As is his habit, former President Bill Clinton used the occasion to bash his critics. Debra J. Saunders in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 4/20/10
White House gets GOP support on campaign finance fix -- Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) on Monday night became the first and only Republican to sign onto a bill pushed by President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats to blunt the impact of a January Supreme Court ruling that critics fear could open wide the floodgates to vast corporate spending. KENNETH P. VOGEL Politico -- 4/20/10 |
