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Brown: Democratic majority 'not there yet' on budget -- After two days of talks with Democratic and Republican lawmakers in Sacramento, Gov. Jerry Brown said this morning that even fellow Democrats are not yet sufficiently behind his budget plan. David Siders SacBee Capitol Alert -- 2/10/11 Brown sees "a lot of good will" from GOP on budget plan -- Preparing to lobby business leaders in Los Angeles on his plan to cut California's $26 billion in red ink, Gov. Jerry Brown said Thursday he sees "a lot of good will" among GOP legislators and believes there's "a very good chance..(they) will "stand up and make the tough choices" that can fix state finances for good. Carla Marinucci Chronicle Politics -- 2/10/11 Brown mingles at 35,000 feet -- Anyone who needed a reminder about how much has changed in terms of gubernatorial style with the election of Jerry Brown just needed to look at Southwest Airlines Flight 896 from Sacramento to Burbank on Thursday morning. Anthony York LA Times PolitiCal David Siders SacBee Capitol Alert Carla Marinucci Chronicle Politics (Shaky Hand Productions) -- 2/10/11 Fox: Unions at End of Brown’s “Big Pipe” -- Here's what I got out of Jerry's Brown press conference yesterday: the public employee union position is currently prevailing in the Horseshoe (the governor's suite of offices.) Joel Fox Fox & Hounds weblog -- 2/10/11 Lobbyist for tribes with casinos -- Frank J. Molina, who represents Indian tribes with casinos in Southern California, could face $50,000 in fines after commissioners balked at settling the case with a $30,000 penalty. Patrick McGreevy LA Times PolitiCal Torey Van Oot SacBee Capitol Alert -- 2/10/11 Latino voters and economy -- An opinion poll among Latino voters in the United States revealed a high level of economic anxiety in the community, a disconnect in the economic decisions made by the Obama administration and the highest level of concern ever seen about the current immigration policy. Pilar Marrero La Opinion -- 2/10/11 Rep. Jane Harman -- Retiring Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice) said Thursday she will resign her House seat on Tuesday to allow for a special election in early June to replace her. Jean Merl LA Times PolitiCal -- 2/10/11 Bell salary documents -- Bell's city clerk testified Thursday that former City Administrator Robert Rizzo directed her to hand over false figures about council salaries to a resident who asked for the information. Jeff Gottlieb and Corina Knoll in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/10/11 ZIP codes are personal ID info -- California merchants may not ask customers who pay with credit cards for their ZIP codes, the California Supreme Court decided unanimously Thursday. Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times Denny Walsh in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/10/11 America's Cup -- Tens of thousands of spectators are expected to crowd the shores of San Francisco Bay to watch giant catamarans race around Alcatraz and under the Golden Gate bridge during the America's Cup in 2013. Will Kane in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/10/11 'Darwin Day' -- Rep. Pete Stark, who made waves in 2007 by coming out as Congress' only avowed atheist, delighted secular humanists and took a jab at religious conservatives this week by offering a resolution to proclaim Saturday as "Darwin Day." Josh Richman Political Blotter -- 2/10/11
Poll: More voters unsure about Brown's job performance -- A growing number of Californians aren't sure what to make of Gov. Jerry Brown's early job performance, according to a new Public Policy Institute of California poll released Wednesday night. Chase Davis California Watch -- 2/10/11 Californians approve of healthcare reforms, fear effect of state cuts on services, new poll finds -- Californians are more likely to support President Obama’s healthcare overhaul than the rest of the country and fear the impact of state budget cuts on health services, according to a poll released late Wednesday by the nonprofit Public Policy Institute of California. Molly Hennessy-Fiske in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/10/11 Redevelopment leader says compromise is possible -- The head of the state's redevelopment association, signaling a retreat from the organization's entrenched opposition to Gov. Jerry Brown's proposal to abolish redevelopment agencies, told lawmakers Wednesday that there may be room for a compromise in which the agencies would turn over a greater share of their property tax revenues to other local government entities. Timm Herdt in the Ventura Star -- 2/10/11 governor drops plan to sell state buildings -- California Gov. Jerry Brown announced Wednesday he is dropping a plan hatched by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to sell 24 state government buildings to private investors because the high cost of rent did not make sense for taxpayers. JUDY LIN AP Shane Goldmacher in the Los Angeles Times Wyatt Buchanan, Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle David Siders in the Sacramento Bee Sam Pearson California Watch -- 2/10/11 Skelton: Give Brown points for killing ill-advised state property sale deal -- Gov. Jerry Brown showed smarts in backing away from his predecessor's plan to sell state buildings. He should show further wisdom and renege on his promise to bring a tax hike to voters. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/10/11 Brown wary of efforts to limit power to reduce sentences -- Gov. Jerry Brown signaled Wednesday that he will resist any constitutional amendment imposing a check on blanket pardon powers or limits on a governor’s authority to commute sentences. Michael Gardner in the San Diego Union-Trib -- 2/10/11 Brown getting to know Republicans -- At the Assembly Republicans' policy retreat Wednesday, Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown promised he'd look into a handful of oil drilling permitting problems that are of concern to some Republicans, perhaps the first tangible move that could begin thawing the cool relations between the two parties. Steven Harmon in the Contra Costa Times -- 2/10/11 Buyer's remorse: AOC computer system a fiasco -- The way the Administrative Office of the Courts has gone about building a new computer system is almost a case study in what not to do. Bonnie Lowenthal Capitol Weekly -- 2/10/11 Some legislative aides got promotions, raises, as bosses switched houses -- Thirty-seven staff members received salary hikes, most of them for promotions to jobs with new duties, after they switched houses with an incumbent legislator after last year's elections, records show. Jim Sanders in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/10/11 Morain: Big bucks hide behind enterprise zones -- Mike Hannigan is a perfectly presentable public face for the campaign to block Gov. Jerry Brown from abolishing the $500 million-a-year tax break collectively known as enterprise zones. Dan Morain in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/10/11 new scrutiny of family courts -- In January, State Auditor Elaine Howle released a long-awaited report on the family courts in Marin and Sacramento counties. In measured, bureaucratic language, Howle laid out the problems her office found. Her audit followed years of complaints about family court operations. Malcolm Maclachlan Capitol Weekly -- 2/10/11 Vernon battles in Capitol -- The tiny, scandal-plagued, industrial city of Vernon five miles south of downtown Los Angeles has launched a full-blown lobbying effort for survival, hoping to block a move by Assembly Speaker John Perez to abolish the city’s official status and fold it into the county’s turf. John Howard Capitol Weekly -- 2/10/11 Lucas: Under the radar: Lots cooking in the Capitol besides the budget -- While passage of dozens of bills to help close what’s now at least a $26 billion budget shortfall appears to be anything but imminent, it’s not like the Legislature didn’t do anything in January. Greg Lucas Capitol Weekly -- 2/10/11 Whitman money went far and wide -- More than 2,000 businesses and people in more than 30 states got a piece of the action in Meg Whitman's $177 million campaign for California governor, final reports show. Jim Miller in the Riverside Press -- 2/10/11 shark fin soup -- Assemblyman Paul Fong, D-Mountain View, plans to introduce a bill that would ban the sale of shark fin soup in California. But the effort to phase out this traditional Chinese delicacy could cause a rift among the eight members of the Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus. Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, has already come out against the idea. Malcolm Maclachlan Capitol Weekly -- 2/10/11 Brown still holds a torch for the Torch Club -- After lawmakers left their dinner Tuesday at the Stanford Mansion, Gov. Jerry Brown lingered behind in a private office with Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez, then headed with his wife to the Torch Club, an old haunt. David Siders in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/10/11 hints on Brown's court nominee -- Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye said Brown brought up the subject during a two-hour conversation in San Francisco on Friday and suggested his appointee would be relatively young, quite possibly a minority and not necessarily a current judge. Bob Egelko Chronicle Politics -- 2/10/11
Furloughs take toll -- After two years of furloughs and frustration, the fallout from state worker pay cuts is stark and tangible. Phillip Reese in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/10/11 The State Worker: Can the government really pare itself back? -- State workers got ticked last week that a nonpartisan office government analyst suggested lawmakers summarily cut employees' pay to help close the state's budget gap. Jon Ortiz in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/10/11 California plans $2-billion program to help distressed homeowners -- The Keep Your Home California program could help more than 100,000 struggling homeowners, including about 25,000 borrowers with underwater mortgages. Alejandro Lazo in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/10/11 Chris Dodd -- Hollywood's seemingly endless search for an industry lobbyist appears to be zeroing in on former Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.). Richard Verrier in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/10/11 Phone Makers' New Area Code: 650 -- When Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications showcases its mobile phones at a global conference next week, one of its new devices will have been developed for the first time in Silicon Valley rather than at the company's headquarters in Sweden. YUKARI IWATANI KANE in the Wall Street Journal -- 2/10/11 Former Sun CEO Worries About Region's Prospects -- Even as Silicon Valley's unemployment rate eases and many local technology companies post positive financial results, Scott McNealy is pessimistic. CARI TUNA in the Wall Street Journal -- 2/10/11 L.A.'s Small Businesses Fight The Pain Of The Downturn -- The real faces of the recession are the small businesses that struggle every day in the face of huge difficulties. The series is at USC neontommy -- 2/10/11 NFL stadium in L.A. -- The head of the entertainment conglomerate seeking to build a National Football League stadium in downtown Los Angeles shot back at skeptics Tuesday and reiterated his pledge that "not a penny" of taxpayer money would be spent on the mega-project. Patrick J. McDonnell in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/10/11 high-speed rail -- In the first formal step to figure out who's going to build and run California's high-speed rail system, officials Wednesday invited companies to speak up if they're interested -- and send in ideas. Tim Sheehan in the Fresno Bee Michael Cabanatuan in the San Francisco Chronicle Rich Connell in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/10/11 high-speed rail questions -- The influential chairman of the House transportation committee voiced skepticism Wednesday about California's high-speed rail plans. Michael Doyle in the Fresno Bee -- 2/10/11
'Parent trigger' delay -- A group will be appointed to study how to implement the measure, which lets parents petition for sweeping reforms at low-performing schools. Critics see it as an attempt to derail the law. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times Melody Gutierrez in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/10/11 Fensterwald: Parents: Don’t weaken ‘parent trigger’ -- The big unknown: How much will Legislature alter law? John Fensterwald educatedguess -- 2/10/11 Kerchner: Analysis of LA Times series shows pitfalls of using test scores to evaluate teachers -- Nearly half the rankings handed out to L.A. Unified teachers by the Los Angeles Times may be wrong. This is one of the conclusions reached by Derek Briggs and Ben Domingue of the University of Colorado at Boulder, who conducted a reanalysis of the data used by the Times in their value-added analysis of teacher performance. Charles Taylor Kerchner TopEd -- 2/10/11 School Workers Can Lose Jobs But Keep Salaries -- Under an unusual set of rules, some San Diego Unified School District workers who lose their jobs and settle into lower positions will continue to earn their same pay for a year or more. Emily Alpert Voiceofsandiego.org -- 2/10/11 California high schoolers do better and take more AP exams -- More California students are taking Advanced Placement tests for college credit, and low-income students are participating and succeeding at a greater rate than in other states, according to a report released Wednesday by the College Board. Carla Rivera in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/10/11
Poll finds disparities in how Californians view their health -- Californians who are well off, highly educated, white and insured generally feel good about their health, but others are more likely to say their health is not good, according to a new independent poll released this week. Daniel Weintraub HealthyCal.org -- 2/10/11 Hospitals threatened by retirements in allied health fields, survey says -- Looming retirements within the health care industry could pose significant challenges to hospitals, particularly in so-called allied health fields, according to a report released Wednesday by the California Hospital Association. Bobby Caina Calvan in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/10/11 tiny broken hearts -- A Stanford team has built a tiny broken heart, with a beat as erratic as a crippled metronome. Lisa M. Krieger in the San Jose Mercury -- 2/10/11
pollution in Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today plans to announce a comprehensive review of water pollution in the Delta, a first step in containing a problem the agency admits is overdue for closer analysis. Matt Weiser in the Sacramento Bee -- 2/10/11 Wind Farm Forecast: More & Bigger -- How much wind energy do we need to make California's goal of 33% clean electricity by 2020? Whenever I put this question to one of the experts, the answer is always: "It depends." But under almost any scenario, thousands more windmills will dot the California landscape in years to come. Craig Miller KQED Climate Watch -- 2/10/11
Soldier Finds Minefield on Road to Citizenship -- During 10 years in the U.S. Army, Luis Lopez served in Iraq and Afghanistan, won medals and had a commander laud his service as a "critical part of the success of his unit fighting the global war on terrorism." MIRIAM JORDAN in the Wall Street Journal -- 2/10/11
PG&E pipeline inspections -- Less than two months after the poorly welded San Bruno natural gas line erupted catastrophically on Sept. 9, PG&E was putting off inspections that could spot similar defects on several of its gas lines, including one near Santa Rosa where the pipe was known to have numerous welding "anomalies," according to state reports released Wednesday. Steve Johnson, Pete Carey and Joshua Melvin in the San Jose Mercury Jaxon Van Derbeken in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/10/11 autopsies by doctor with checkered past -- Yolo County’s Sheriff-Coroner Office will review the autopsy work in five homicide cases handled by a doctor with a history of errors to ensure the forensic pathologist’s findings are accurate. Ryan Gabrielson California Watch -- 2/10/11 After 18 years, Pelican Bay prison abuse case to close -- A long-running legal action that exposed widespread abuses at the state’s highest security prison and forced major reforms within California's department of corrections is drawing to a close. Michael Montgomery California Watch -- 2/10/11 Fake Twitter Accounts Get Real Laughs -- Twitter allows parody accounts as long as they are labeled as such, and many of the site’s most popular tweets are comedic — in 2010, the most re-tweeted message was a 10-word missive about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill from the comedian Stephen Colbert: “In honor of oil-soaked birds, ‘tweets’ are now ‘gurgles.’ ” ASHLEY PARKER in the New York Times -- 2/10/11 CalChannel turns 20 -- Indeed, CalChannel hasn’t wasted much time since it took off in 1991 airing the Assembly floor and committee hearings for 1.5 million homes across California. Within five years CalChannel was accessible to 4.6 million cable subscribers and had aired Supreme Court arguments on such monumental decisions as term limits and reapportionment. Jennifer Chaussee Capitol Weekly -- 2/10/11 Karpilow: Half of Welfare Cases Now Kids -- California’s welfare system, known as CalWORKs, is designed as a time-limited cash assistance and welfare-to-work program to help recipients get trained and employed. Self-sufficiency is the buzz word. Kate Karpilow HealthyCal.org -- 2/10/11 Saunders: AOL-HuffPo meet corporate greed -- In one of her many iterations, Arianna Huffington targeted "corporate greed" as a force undermining America. That was during one of her populist phases, which frequently are followed by Huffington morphing into what she once scorned. Debra J. Saunders in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 2/10/11
Obama's advisors split on when and how Mubarak should go -- The Obama administration's shifting response to the crisis in Egypt reflects a sharp debate over how and when Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak should leave office, a policy decision that could have long-term implications for America's image in the Middle East. Peter Nicholas and Christi Parsons in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/10/11
Turmoil in Their Ranks -- Under pressure to make deeper spending cuts and blindsided by embarrassing floor defeats, House Republican leaders are quickly discovering the limits of control over their ideologically driven and independent-minded new majority. CARL HULSE in the New York Times -- 2/10/11 House GOP leaders release list of spending cuts -- House Republican leaders unveiled a dramatic list of cuts Wednesday for the remainder of fiscal 2011 – snaring a wide swath of programs and grants, including law enforcement, NASA and welfare – as they prepare to uphold their campaign pledge to rein in domestic spending. Lisa Mascaro and Richard Simon in the Los Angeles Times -- 2/10/11 |
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