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Meg Whitman to speak to Bay Area business group -- Meg Whitman is scheduled to make her first public appearance since losing the gubernatorial race at a Jan. 31 women's executive roundtable to be held at Chantilly restaurant in Redwood City, according to Joe Arellano, a spokesman for the Bay Area Council business group, which is hosting the event. Jack Chang SacBee Capitol Alert Joe Garofoli Chronicle Politics -- 1/18/11 Senate Dems hearing from Republican Safeway CEO and others -- Senate Democrats holding a closed-door policy conference today and Wednesday are reviewing options for slashing the state budget and listening to the concerns and ideas of Safeway's CEO and other business interests. Susan Ferriss SacBee Capitol Alert -- 1/18/11 Schwarzenegger: Sargent Shriver inspired 'power of the heart' -- Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a statement calling the life of his late father-in-law Sargent Shriver "a blueprint for those of us who aspire to place the needs of others above our own." Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol Alert -- 1/18/11 State senators get new wheels -- A week after The Times reported that the Assembly had spent $259,000 in taxpayer funds on new SUVs and other vehicles for themselves in the last year, the Senate released documents showing that its members have received four new cars costing a total of $155,900 in the last 12 months. Patrick McGreevy LA Times PolitiCal -- 1/18/11 State senator to pay fines for conflict in last job -- State Sen. Michael Rubio (D-East Bakersfield) has agreed to pay $3,500 in fines for a conflict of interest violation after the state’s ethics watchdog agency found that he voted as a member of the Kern County Board of Supervisors in 2006 to give his wife’s nonprofit a contract. Patrick McGreevy LA Times PolitiCal -- 1/18/11 Nancy Skinner to revive bill to tax online sales -- Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, is reviving her effort to make out-of-state, online-only retailers collect the same sales tax that California businesses must collect. Josh Richman Political Blotter -- 1/18/11 MediaNews looking for new CEO, president retires -- MediaNews Group Inc., the owner of the San Jose Mercury News in California, The Denver Post and more than 50 other newspapers, plans to replace William Dean Singleton as its CEO so he can focus on exploring possible combinations with other publishers while his successor tries to make more money on the Internet. AP -- 1/18/11 Jobs makes info about his health a trade secret -- It would be easier to gauge Apple CEO Steve Jobs' current medical problems if he had said more about the ones he has faced in the past. MARILYNN MARCHIONE AP -- 1/18/11 Sargent Shriver, Anti-Poverty Crusader and Peace Corps Founder, Dies at 95 -- Sargent Shriver, who helped found the Peace Corps and spearheaded a host of other enduring anti-poverty programs forged through the Great Society, passed away Tuesday after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease, according to a family friend. Jim O'Sullivan National Journal -- 1/18/11 Brown's challenge: He must inspire sacrifice for budget plan to work -- Jerry Brown promised Californians plenty of pain in his budget plan for the coming year, and he was right. Juliet Williams AP -- 1/18/11 California wants to lead the way on health care -- While Republicans open debate Tuesday on repealing health reform, leaders in California are sitting down to a completely different discussion: how they can most aggressively implement the new law and remain among the Obama administration’s model states on the reform — without stumbling over the significant challenges that stand in their way. SARAH KLIFF Politico -- 1/18/11 Seven Democrats contend for remap panel -- Seven Democrats suddenly are in the running to become members of California's first-ever redistricting panel following Friday's surprise resignation of Commissioner Elaine Kuo. Jim Sanders SacBee Capitol Alert -- 1/18/11 Supreme Court to hear key California budget cases -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear three cases involving California's medical reimbursement policies. Michael Doyle SacBee Capitol Alert -- 1/18/11 Taxpayer money wasted, misused, California auditor finds -- Hundreds of thousands of dollars were wasted or misused by California workers last year, the state auditor alerted Gov. Jerry Brown in a report Tuesday detailing a series of investigations. Patrick McGreevy LA Times PolitiCal -- 1/18/11 Eddie Wright hopes Jerry Brown shines -- Gov. Jerry Brown hasn't stopped by for a shoeshine since taking office, so Eddie Wright, the longtime shiner of shoes at the Capitol, walked over from his stand this morning to introduce himself. David Siders SacBee Capitol Alert -- 1/18/11 Jerry Brown moving press shop back to the Horseshoe -- Gov. Jerry Brown's press shop moved today from an exterior office to back inside the Horseshoe, to a suite previously occupied by former First Lady Maria Shriver. David Siders SacBee Capitol Alert -- 1/18/11 Fox: A Solution to End Gridlock: Put it All on the Ballot -- One argument made to persuade Republicans to provide the votes to put the tax extensions contained in Governor Jerry Brown’s budget on the ballot is that legislators should not prevent the people from deciding if they want to raise their own taxes. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds weblog -- 1/18/11 An LA Football Stadium Just Got More Real -- The No. 1 domino in the Los Angeles football stadium drama appears to be close to falling. Philip Anschutz, the billionaire behind Anschutz Entertainment Group, is backing his company's efforts to build a new stadium in downtown Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Business Journal is reporting. Liam Dillon Voiceofsandiego.org Matthew T. Hall in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 1/18/11
Brown's Countdown, Day 9: Special interests with hands in the budget pie -- A major challenge for Gov. Jerry Brown will be to build a strong coalition with enough well-financed interests to run a successful campaign while calming the fears of anybody else with a war chest. Kevin Yamamura in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/18/11 Brown's prison plan has a hitch: County jails are overcrowded, too -- Gov. Jerry Brown's plan to transfer state inmates to county jails faces a simple obstacle: Many jails don't have the space to hold them. Brad Branan in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/18/11 Brown's tax plan facing long odds -- Major hurdles await Gov. Jerry Brown as he tries to get support for billions of dollars worth of tax extensions in a possible special ballot in June, the least of which is that there are no Santa Ana winds then. JIM MILLER in the Riverside Press -- 1/18/11 Vallejo Drafts Bankruptcy Exit -- The city of Vallejo, Calif., is submitting a plan to a federal judge this week to steer itself out of California's largest municipal bankruptcy in a decade. BOBBY WHITE in the Wall Street Journal -- 1/18/11 CalPERS computer system over budget, late -- A modernization of the CalPERS computer system is scheduled to “go live” in September, nearly two years later than the original startup date, and the main contract is $276.6 million, up from $199 million announced five years ago. Ed Mendel Calpensions.com -- 1/18/11 Baugh retains Orange County GOP chairmanship -- Former Assemblyman Scott Baugh easily won reelection as chairman of the county Republican Party tonight, with members of the governing Central Committee favoring him over challenger Tim Whitacre 46-23. Martin Wisckol in the Orange County Register -- 1/18/11 Senator sees opportunity for change amid crisis -- If every crisis also presents an opportunity, state Sen. Mark DeSaunier thinks the state’s current predicament makes this an ideal time to restructure the way government operates. Daniel Weintraub HealthyCal.org -- 1/18/11
Early on, a downtick in salaries in governor's inner sanctum -- Salaries for top posts in Gov. Jerry Brown’s office are down by about 11 percent from the pay scale set by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, records show. And, as Brown promises to impose big cuts in state government, there are fewer jobs in the governor’s office. Lance Williams California Watch -- 1/18/11 State won't raid public transit funds this year -- California public transit operators for years have braced themselves for pain at the annual arrival of the proposed state budget because it usually meant a reduction in funds, leading to higher fares and service cuts. New governor. New budget, but no new take-aways. Denis Cuff in the Contra Costa Times -- 1/18/11 Seniors targeted for cuts -- Services for seniors and the disabled were often targeted for cuts under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and that trend is continuing under Gov. Jerry Brown. James Rufus Koren in the Inland Daily Bulletin -- 1/18/11 Many cities, counties fast-track redevelopment projects -- Cities and counties across California are putting more than $1 billion in redevelopment projects on the fast track in an apparent attempt to beat Gov. Jerry Brown's plan to eliminate redevelopment agencies. Brad Branan in the Sacramento Bee Marisa Lagos Chronicle Politics -- 1/18/11 Long Beach tries to circumvent state redevelopment take-away -- The City Council will vote today on committing $1.2 billion in current and future Redevelopment Agency money to local projects in order to keep the funding out of the state's hands. Paul Eakins in the Long Beach Press -- 1/18/11 East Bay businesses, officials worry about proposed demise of enterprise zones -- Local officials and businesses are concerned that Gov. Jerry Brown's proposal to eliminate an enterprise zone program will drive firms out of low-income areas such as Richmond that have benefited economically. Rick Radin in the Contra Costa Times -- 1/18/11 Libraries ponder cuts, fees due to state reductions -- Libraries throughout San Diego County that are already reeling from steep budget cuts locally may soon have to further limit hours and services. Some are even raising the specter of charging fees for library cards for the first time. Michael Gardner in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 1/18/11 Brown's skills key to budget -- Instead, Brown will try to marshal all the skills he has amassed over a lifetime in politics to sell his plan, but he will have to do so quickly. Juliet Williams AP -- 1/18/11
Road tax on Stanislaus agenda again -- The divisive idea of asking Stanislaus County voters for a road tax — again — will go before transportation leaders — again — Wednesday. Garth Stapley in the Modesto Bee -- 1/18/11
For Hollywood, it was a tough 2010 -- Sales of DVDs, CDs, video games and theater tickets all declined in 2010. And swift changes in technology will make it difficult for Hollywood to capture pre-recession levels of revenue. Dawn C. Chmielewski and Meg James in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/18/11 Lazarus: It's time to retire utilities' 'bulletproof' pension system -- There's nothing unusual about Southern California Edison's request for a 7.5% rate hike, partly to cover its pension fund losses. But at a time when few people have guaranteed retirement benefits, why can't utility workers share the pain? David Lazarus in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/18/11 Rare-earth mine opens in Calif., while Toyota looks elsewhere -- As California prepares a new transportation infrastructure for electric cars, automobile manufacturers are looking for ways to make sure these next generation cars are made from sustainable sources. Susanne Rust California Watch -- 1/18/11 Apple's latest bombshell could have ripple effects in Elk Grove -- Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs is taking another medical leave of absence, creating a fresh wave of uncertainty for the iconic Silicon Valley company and one of greater Sacramento's top technology employers. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/18/11 Apple's Steve Jobs likely stricken with one of two conditions, experts say -- Medical experts say there are two likely reasons why patients such as Apple CEO Steve Jobs, with pancreatic cancer and a new liver, need time off: complications from the transplant or recurrence of the tumor. Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury -- 1/18/11
Fensterwald: Community colleges plan to push back -- Community college trustees and administrators never expected to be exempt from budget cuts. Not next year. But they are particularly irked over how Gov. Jerry Brown is framing the 6.5 percent, $400 million funding decrease and a $10 per credit increase that he is proposing for the 112 community colleges’ budgets next year. John Fensterwald educatedguess -- 1/18/11 With voters in charge, high anxiety about teacher layoffs -- School districts are grappling with an excruciating dilemma: whether to plan for the coming school year based on the assumption that taxpayers will approve tax increases in a special election in June, or on an equally uncertain assumption that they will reject it. Louis Freedberg California Watch -- 1/18/11 Florida Has Classes Without Teachers -- Naomi is one of over 7,000 students in Miami-Dade County Public Schools enrolled in a program in which core subjects are taken using computers in a classroom with no teacher. LAURA HERRERA in the New York Times -- 1/18/11 Young: While they’re still in training, intern teachers are not yet highly qualified -- The recent posting “Alternate Route, Same Destination” by Catherine Kearney presents one perspective on the recent congressional action to reestablish California’s teachers who are still in training through an alternative program of preparation as “highly qualified.” Beverly Young TopEd -- 1/18/11 Walters: UC Berkeley bigwig loses grip on reality -- Within minutes after the Jan. 8 shooting spree in Tucson, Ariz., that left six people dead and 13 injured, including the local congresswoman, television talking heads, radio gabbers and other media types were debating causes and effects. Dan Walters in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/18/11
Group secretly tests mercury in tuna, swordfish -- Tuna and swordfish collected from some California grocery stores and sushi restaurants contained mercury levels as much as three times the threshold that authorizes federal food regulators to pull seafood from shelves, according to a study by an environmental health group. Kelly Zito in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/18/11
Green builders find that location matters -- Going beyond measuring a building's energy-efficiency, green builders are attempting to determine how much energy commuters use to reach that building. But quantifying how location affects carbon footprints has been a challenge. Julie Wernau in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/18/11 SMUD will build green facility that makes more energy than it uses -- The Sacramento Municipal Utility District's new $111 million, ultra-green East Campus will create 300 construction jobs and set in motion one of the larger redevelopment projects in Sacramento. Rick Daysog in the Sacramento Bee -- 1/18/11 PG&E slow on the offers -- Residents of the High Desert community of Hinkley, desiring to sell their homes to Pacific Gas and Electric, claim the utility is dragging its feet after recent appraisals of their properties. Joe Nelson in the San Bernardino Sun -- 1/18/11
State's farmers left without federal voice -- Karen Ross' departure for California's leading farm job will leave the nation's biggest farm state scrambling for a new Agriculture Department champion at a very delicate time. Michael Doyle in the Modesto Bee -- 1/18/11 Questions raised over MTA inspector general's ability to do its job -- With less than half the staffing of a decade ago, the MTA inspector general's unit is heading into a boom time in Los Angeles County transit projects. Dan Weikel in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/18/11 State's changing face, through centuries of books -- Google's Ngram Viewer allows anyone to see how often words and phrases appear in millions of books published over the course of centuries. Agustin Armendariz California Watch -- 1/18/11 Berkeley set to offer sex-change employee benefit -- While other cities are slashing employee benefits, Berkeley is slated to add one more: paying for sex-change operations. Carolyn Jones in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/18/11 Rancor prompts resignations in Arizona -- Three Republican Party district officials step down, citing increasing venom from conservative 'tea party' rivals. Kim Murphy in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/18/11
Obama administration's revolving door -- Candidate Barack Obama repeatedly pledged on the campaign trail that working in his administration would not be “about serving your former employer, your future employer or your bank account.” But with his administration at its midpoint, a traditional time for personnel turnover, it’s clear that despite Obama’s avowals, a longtime truism of Washington life — that a prestigious-sounding administration post can be a lucrative career enhancer — remains unchanged. KENNETH P. VOGEL Politico -- 1/18/11
GOP set to assail healthcare law and seek alternatives -- Civility gets its first test in the House since the Tucson shootings in a debate over repeal of Obama's healthcare overhaul. Noam N. Levey and James Oliphant in the Los Angeles Times -- 1/18/11 Sarah Palin defends ‘blood libel’ use -- Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin insisted Monday that she did know the definition of, and correctly used, the term “blood libel” in recently striking back at her critics. “Blood libel obviously means being falsely accused, or having blood on their hands,” Palin said in a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity. ANDY BARR Politico -- 1/18/11 Saunders: Gary Johnson's plate of choice cuts -- Gary Johnson, former Republican governor of New Mexico and likely 2012 presidential candidate, is serious when he says he wants to end deficit spending. He's so serious that he advocates cutting federal spending by 43 percent. Debra J. Saunders in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 1/18/11
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