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Meg Whitman infomercial to air tomorrow -- Remember that “town-hall meeting” that Republican gubernatorial primary candidate Meg Whitman held last month Orange County? Y’know, the private, ticket-holders-only event at which she’d asked the audience off-camera for “lots of cheering,” and some of the pre-screened questioners were made to re-ask their questions so she could have another go at answering them? Yeah, that one. Josh Richman Political Blotter weblog -- 4/24/10 Capitol Weekly poll: Voters narrowly divided on open primary -- A statewide survey shows that California voters are closely divided or uncertain about two hot-button issues – the so-called open primary and the role, if any, that recreational marijuana use would play in their choice of a candidate. John Howard and Anthony York in Capitol Weekly -- 4/24/10 Top GOP stars shine for Meg Whitman -- National Republican leaders lined up behind GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman at a $1,000-a-plate fundraiser Friday night, with stars such as U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz joining Whitman on the stage of the Sofitel Hotel in Redwood City. Jack Chang SacBee Capitol Alert Carla Marinucci Chronicle Politics Weblog Ken McLaughlin in the San Jose Mercury -- 4/24/10 "Queen Meg" nearly crosses paths with Meg Whitman at big GOP fundraiser -- Meg Whitman, the GOP gubernatorial candidate, almost had a face-to-face with "Queen Meg," the fantasy protest candidate Friday, as California Nurses staged a raucous demonstration inside the hotel where about 500 Silicon Valley guests paid $1000 to see the former eBay CEO alongside top party leaders. Carla Marinucci Chronicle Politics Weblog -- 4/24/10 Ad Watch: GOP governors' TV attack on Brown misleading -- While Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner are running ads criticizing one another in the GOP gubernatorial primary, the Republican Governors Association is running an ad attacking Jerry Brown, the Democrats' almost-certain nominee. Amy Chance in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/24/10 Whitman, Brown have ties to Goldman Sachs -- The Republican was on the Wall Street bank’s board, and the Democrat was mayor of Oakland when the city was involved in a complex financing deal with the firm. Michael Rothfeld in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/24/10 CalBuzz: Meyer on Meg & Goldman Sachs; Press Clips -- All the news that fits: Today’s Tom Meyer take on ‘eMeg’s Goldman Sachs connection offers some insight into the potential of the campaign issue that the billionaire business background of Her Megness hands to Jerry Brown; one sign of how effective the matter may be is the energy that Team Whitman is devoting to flogging Dan Walters’s oldie but goodie saga of Crusty’s financial connections to Indonesian oil. Jerry Roberts and Phil Trounstine CalBuzz -- 4/24/10 Another Packard slams former Hewlett-Packard chief Carly Fiorina -- David Woodley Packard, the son of Hewlett-Packard co-founder Dave Packard, weighed in on California's Senate GOP race Friday, arguing in an op-ed that neither his father nor Bill Packard would endorse former Hewlett-Packard chief Carly Fiorina. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/24/10 Health care issue doesn't boost voter registration -- Republicans have said they plan to turn public anger over the recently passed health reform bill into electoral wins this year, but with less than two months before June's primary elections, local Republicans haven't shown any forward momentum so far. James Rufus Koren in the San Bernardino Sun -- 4/24/10 Dems up, GOP down in statewide voter registration -- Democrats’ share of the state’s registered voters has increased from 42.7 percent in 2006 to 44.6 percent now. Voters declining to state a part affiliation now account for 20.1 percent, meaning more unaffiliated voters will be eligible to vote on June 8 than in any previous gubernatorial primary. Martin Wisckol in the Orange County Register -- 4/24/10 GOP voter numbers improve -- From January to April, the GOP's share of the electorate grew by .17 percentage point in Riverside County (to 41.47 percent) and .05 percentage point in San Bernardino County (to 37.51 percent). That compares to a 0.04 percentage point increase statewide, to 30.79 percent of registered voters. Jim Miller in the Riverside Press -- 4/24/10 Unions blacklist errant campaign consultants in California -- From textile workers to Cesar Chavez, organized labor has long used boycotts to flex its political muscle and deter business from companies deemed unfriendly. Torey Van Oot in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/24/10 Inspector General launches SEC probe at Issa's request -- Inland Rep. Darrell Issa's call for an investigation into the timing of the government lawsuit against Goldman Sachs has been answered. Ben Goad in the Riverside Press -- 4/24/10 The Chronnies, Local Edition: Best/Worst of the Week -- The envelope, please, for a few of the top quotes, fumbles, foibles and attacks of the week from our corner of the political world: Joe Garofoli Chronicle Politics Weblog -- 4/24/10
NUMMI will not be repaid by California agency -- The closed auto plant in Fremont was denied reimbursement of $2 million in training funds by a state agency that said the money would be better spent training workers at companies still in business. Marc Lifsher in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/24/10 Senate Bill 919: Overhauling state pensions -- Senate Republican Leader Dennis Hollingsworth has rolled out a bill that would curb retirement benefits for new state workers, trimming an estimated $110 billion from the state's retiree obligations over 30 years. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has supported the idea but hasn't commented on the bill's specifics. Jon Ortiz in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/24/10 Are venture capitalists inflating the bubble? -- The U.S. economy hasn't officially emerged from recession, but some observers fear a new bubble is already inflating in the venture capital industry. James Temple in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 4/24/10 State receives higher than expected bids for buildings -- California received "multiple bids" greater than $2 billion to purchase and immediately lease back 11 state properties as part of an effort to resolve the budget deficit, the Department of General Services announced Friday. Kevin Yamamura in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/24/10 Sales tax revenue plummets in Sacramento region -- In the last five years, sales tax revenue in the Sacramento region dropped by $76 million as consumers increasingly stayed home in the harsh economy, a Bee survey finds. Loretta Kalb and Ed Fletcher in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/24/10 Orange County auto dealers see March sales climb 20.2% -- The sales figures amounted to about a 66 percent increase from the month of February, and were the most cars sold locally in a month since at least last August and September, during the popular Cash for Clunkers program. Matt Degen in the Orange County Register -- 4/24/10
LAUSD teacher fired in harassment case after two years -- Thomas Shelden got his $73,500 annual salary but had no duties while the district investigated. Jason Song in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/24/10
Region begins new drive to curb greenhouse gases -- Four regional agencies have launched a major drive to rein in greenhouse gas pollution by reducing vehicle use, increasing public transit use and promoting compact development in the Bay Area's nine counties. Denis Cuff in the Contra Costa Times -- 4/24/10
Anthem Blue Cross extends delay on premium increase -- The insurer had postponed its planned hike for two months amid public outcry, and a spokeswoman says there won’t be an increase in May. Duke Helfand in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/24/10 Healthcare providers experiment with lump-sum pricing -- Charging a predetermined fee for common surgical procedures would eliminate surprises for patients and could help control costs, proponents say. Duke Helfand in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/24/10 Banks: Doctors’ second opinion -- Because of Healy’s crime, legitimate doctors can be fearful of providing narcotics and legitimate care can be compromised. Sandy Banks in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/24/10
Arizona's immigration law may spur a showdown -- Gov. Jan Brewer signs a bill that opponents say encourages racial profiling. President Obama calls the measure 'misguided.' A federal review is underway. Nicholas Riccardi in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/24/10
Obamas take a hike in a swing state -- The president and first lady relax in North Carolina, where the mountains are steep and his approval rating is dropping. Peter Nicholas in the Los Angeles Times -- 4/24/10
Council rejects L.A.'s plea for court cash infusion -- The California Judicial Council on Friday overwhelmingly rejected a plea from Los Angeles' top judge for an emergency cash infusion, despite the prediction it could lead to hundreds of layoffs. Paul Elias and Linda Deutsch AP -- 4/24/10 Goldman Sachs e-mails show bank sought to profit from housing downturn -- A Senate investigation into the financial crisis has found that Goldman Sachs, the storied Wall Street investment bank, sought to profit from the historic decline in housing prices by betting against the U.S. mortgage market. Zachary A. Goldfarb in the Washington Post -- 4/24/10 |
