California Policy and Politics Today

Senate continues budget work through weekend -- The state Senate passed three minor budget-related bills on Saturday, but Democrats remain short of the two Republican votes needed to pass the one major component Democrats and the governor are seeking--a tax bridge. Paresh Dave SacBee Capitol Alert -- 6/11/11

Senate struggles to find compromise on tax hikes -- Just days ahead of their deadline to pass a balanced budget, state lawmakers struggled on Saturday to compromise on the most contentious issue to close California's remaining $9.6 billion deficit whether to renew expiring tax increases. ADAM WEINTRAUB AP -- 6/11/11

How Fund-Raising Lobbyists Grease San Francisco Politics -- In late March, Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi of San Francisco met with lobbyists from Zynga, the online gaming giant, and agreed to introduce a bill to eliminate the city’s unusual tax on corporate stock options. Gerry Shih Bay Citizen -- 6/11/11

AP Enterprise: Lawmakers elsewhere open calendars -- California's Legislature prohibits lawmakers from releasing their daily calendars, but across the country, legislators in other states voluntarily open their schedules so the public can see how they spend their time and, in many cases, who is allowed access to them. JULIET WILLIAMS AP -- 6/11/11

Defiant Anthony Weiner won’t resign, seeks ‘treatment’ -- Rep. Anthony Weiner will not resign and will instead seek treatment even as the top leaders of the Democratic Party abandoned him en masse Saturday after it was revealed that he had communicated online with a 17-year-old Delaware girl. JONATHAN ALLEN & MAGGIE HABERMAN Politico -- 6/11/11

District maps draw a new political landscape -- California's new voting districts could put Democrats within reach of as many as five more seats in Congress and enough in the state Legislature for the two-thirds majority needed to raise taxes, according to Democratic and Republican analysts. Evan Halper and Richard Simon in the Los Angeles Times -- 6/11/11

California Legislature may see more swing districts under draft political maps -- California's intensely partisan political system could see more swing districts, new faces and the most significant shake-up in decades under draft legislative and congressional maps released Friday by the state's redistricting commission. Jim Sanders and Paresh Dave in the Sacramento Bee -- 6/11/11

New state political maps propose more Inland seats -- Inland Southern California would pick up two new congressional seats, a Senate district and several Assembly seats in draft plans released Friday by the independent panel in charge of redrawing the state's political landscape. JIM MILLER, BEN GOAD and DUANE W. GANG in the Riverside Press -- 6/11/11

Release of new maps creates political 'tsunami' -- Some incumbents called their new proposed districts "baffling." Latino leaders called the maps a disaster. But political reformers characterized them as a vast improvement from the old, party-driven system. Lisa Vorderbrueggen and Tracey Kaplan in the San Jose Mercury -- 6/11/11

Political earthquake roils California delegation -- A redistricting panel has demolished California’s exquisitely gerrymandered congressional map, ushering in the prospect of a massive turnover in the state’s delegation and imperiling the careers of some of Capitol Hill’s most powerful pols. ALEX ISENSTADT Politico -- 6/11/11

Draft California congressional maps promise more competition -- Colleagues become competitors and political hometowns get unsettled under a proposed new congressional district map unveiled Friday. Michael Doyle in the Sacramento Bee -- 6/11/11

New draft redistricting map hurts Rep. Sanchez -- While the maps don’t dismantle Sanchez’s Democratic Latino district as radically as did an initial rough draft, they would diminish Democrats’ advantage in voter registration for the central county seat. Martin Wisckol in the Orange County Register -- 6/11/11

Redistricting by Citizens Has Test in California -- While other states have experimented with ways to minimize the political horse-trading — and retribution — that have become part and parcel of redistricting, not one has gone quite as far as California. ADAM NAGOURNEY in the New York Times -- 6/11/11

Redistricting should make elections less predictable -- The new California Citizens Redistricting Commission's draft maps have achieved at least one of the objectives that prompted voters to create the panel: They took partisan interests out of the equation. MARTIN WISCKOL in the Orange County Register -- 6/11/11

Bay Area stable in draft of state political map -- Most of Northern California's political landscape would remain comparatively stable, analysts said. San Francisco, however, would become one state Senate district instead of being split between two districts. Joe Garofoli, Carla Marinucci in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 6/11/11

New district maps would reshape the Valley -- The San Fernando Valley's political landscape was shaken Friday as elected officials scrambled to stake early claims within newly proposed congressional and state legislative boundaries, and analysts forecast pitched election battles in 2012. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Daily News -- 6/11/11

Early district maps reveal overhaul of Valley politics -- Fresno County, for instance, would be represented by five different congressmen. That would give the county -- population 930,450 -- more members of Congress than 18 states. John Ellis in the Fresno Bee -- 6/11/11

Baca weighs run for proposed new congressional seat -- Rep. Joe Baca, D-San Bernardino, says Democratic Party officials have asked him to consider running for a proposed new congressional seat that would represent Ontario, Chino, Montclair, Pomona and Rancho Cucamonga. James Rufus Koren in the Inland Daily Bulletin -- 6/11/11

Democratic challenger to Dreier 'totally emboldened' by new district lines -- A potential Democratic challenger to Rep. David Dreier said he was “totally emboldened” by the new draft congressional maps that carve out some of the conservative strongholds of Dreier’s current seat. Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge) has been raising money for months to challenge Dreier in 2012. Shane Goldmacher LA Times PolitiCal -- 6/11/11

Negrete McLeod to run for Congress: “I’m in, I’m in, I’m in, I’m in” -- Within hours of seeing the draft maps of new congressional districts in California, state Sen. Gloria Negrete McLeod declared she is running for Congress. Shane Goldmacher LA Times PolitiCal -- 6/11/11

Councilman Tony Cardenas announces run for new congressional seat -- Hours after a state commission released the first round of new congressional district maps, Los Angeles City Councilman Tony Cardenas announced his intention to run for one of the newly drawn seats in 2012. Anthony York in the Los Angeles Times -- 6/11/11

Lynn Woolsey is NOT happy with redistricting map -- Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Petaluma, is the first Bay Area House member to come out swinging against the first-draft maps released today by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission. Josh Richman Politico -- 6/11/11

Three Sacramento-area Assembly Democrats land in same district -- The Assembly maps approved today, which will serve as a starting point for further public comment, also have Democratic Assembly members Roger Dickinson and Richard Pan bunched with Davis Democratic Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada in a Sacramento-West Sacramento-Davis district. Dan Smith SacBee Capitol Alert -- 6/11/11

New redistricting maps show South Bay losing seats in Congress, Assembly -- New redistricting maps released today will drastically change the face of the South Bay's political landscape as the region loses two congressional seats, while the Palos Verdes Peninsula is more closely linked to its coastal neighbors. Art Marroquin in the Torrance Daily Breeze -- 6/11/11

New redistricting maps would take SLO County away from McCarthy -- Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy would no longer represent San Luis Obispo County in Washington and Democratic Rep. Lois Capps would likely face a tougher fight for re-election if tentative redistricting maps released this afternoon hold up. Bob Cuddy San Luis Trib -- 6/11/11

Proposed new political maps would make Central Coast a congressional battleground -- An analysis of political data shows that, although it would have a slight Democratic tilt in voter registration, the proposed district would be a political toss-up. Timm Herdt in the Ventura Star -- 6/11/11

Podcast: Esoteric and Significant -- That's one way to describe the process of redistricting, which is all the buzz this weekend in California political circles. John Myers Capitol Notes -- 6/11/11

California Senate rejects extending state taxes, votes to expand local tax power -- Senate Republicans blocked a tax solution to the deficit Friday, prompting Democrats to respond with a countermeasure expanding local taxation powers. Kevin Yamamura and Torey Van Oot in the Sacramento Bee Steven Harmon in the Contra Costa Times BRIAN JOSEPH in the Orange County Register Wyatt Buchanan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 6/11/11

Michelle Rhee sets up California PAC, hires Sacramento lobbyist -- Michelle Rhee has taken her first steps onto California's political playing field, establishing a committee to make campaign contributions and hiring a lobbyist. Laurel Rosenhall SacBee Capitol Alert -- 6/11/11

Rep. Rohrabacher told to leave Iraq -- A U.S. delegation led by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Costa Mesa, was told to leave Iraq after the congressman questioned Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki about the killing of 35 Iranian dissidents. Martin Wisckol in the Orange County Register -- 6/11/11

CalPERS has been automatically deleting emails after 60 days -- The move raises concerns among watchdog groups that the pension fund is destroying evidence of wrongdoing. Marc Lifsher in the Los Angeles Times -- 6/11/11

   Education

California's 529 college savings plan to be revamped -- Fidelity Investments, the mutual fund giant that has administered the plan since 2006, has dropped out of the running to keep managing it, and a state board will meet Monday to pick a new firm. Walter Hamilton in the Los Angeles Times -- 6/11/11

   Health Care

Patients, families, staff say goodbye as Sacramento adult care center closes -- Patients, family and staff members gathered Friday to recall challenges and successes as they tearfully contemplated life without the Robertson Adult Day Health Care Center. Cathy Locke in the Sacramento Bee -- 6/11/11

   Environment

Water war heats up; farmers sue over move to save salmon -- Delta water users have sued to block a temporary decrease in pumping meant to save thousands of salmon, a move that seems destined to raise the stakes in an escalating water war. Mike Taugher in the Contra Costa Times -- 6/11/11

San Francisco Tops List of Climate-Friendly Cities -- The new ranking places San Francisco at number one because of its "political leadership and commitment" in the fight against climate change, according to the study's author, Boyd Cohen of CO2 Impact, a Vancouver-based carbon offsets company. Gretchen Weber KQED Climate Watch -- 6/11/11

An Assault on Hetch Hetchy Dam from the Flank -- After years of frustration with the frontal assault, activists have shifted to a flanking maneuver to restore Yosemite's Hetch Hetchy Valley. The group Restore Hetch Hetchy (RHH) says it will challenge the re-licensing of Don Pedro hydroelectric dam, downstream from Hetch Hetchy. Craig Miller KQED Climate Watch -- 6/11/11

San Bernardino County solar project gets go-ahead -- Federal land officials late Friday lifted a stop work order at a solar energy project in northeast San Bernardino County after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that the project would not jeopardize the survival of the desert tortoise species. DAVID DANELSKI in the Riverside Press -- 6/11/11

   Immigration

Seven Democrats ask Brown to suspend California's participation in Secure Communities -- Members of California's congressional delegation called on Gov. Jerry Brown Friday to join three other states in suspending participation in a controversial federal immigration enforcement program. Paloma Esquivel in the Los Angeles Times -- 6/11/11

California legislators look at opting out of federal immigration enforcement network -- Statewide political support is building for legislation that would let California counties pull out of a federal program that tracks down immigrants at local jails, but law enforcement officials remain divided. Matt O'Brien in the Contra Costa Times -- 6/11/11

   Also..

Saunders: At least 4 good reasons to end the war on drugs -- "If we cannot destroy the drug menace in America, then it will surely destroy us," President Richard Nixon told Congress in a special message on June 17, 1971, that generally is credited as the day the "war on drugs" began. Debra J. Saunders in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 6/11/11

   POTUS 44

Jon Huntsman mailer slams Barack Obama -- A firm hired by Jon Huntsman has prepared a sharply-worded fundraising letter that would mark a dramatic departure from the way the former Utah governor has promised to run his campaign. KASIE HUNT & KENNETH P. VOGEL Politico -- 6/11/11

   Beltway

Sarah Palin's emails underscore polarizing effect -- Messages reveal fraught relationships with other Alaska elected officials while she was governor, but they also include praise from admirers who saw her as a rising star. Matea Gold and Tom Hamburger in the Los Angeles Times -- 6/11/11

Iowa takes its role as first presidential vetter very seriously -- And candidates had better too, otherwise a faux pas here may dog them through their campaign. See Obama, arugula; Thompson, Gucci; and Clinton, (gasp) let's skip Iowa. Robin Abcarian in the Los Angeles Times -- 6/11/11

Issa to Microsoft, Yahoo: Hand over hack records -- House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) fired off letters on Friday to Microsoft and Yahoo asking them to preserve all emails from the personal Hotmail and Yahoo Mail accounts of federal officials who may have been targeted in previous hacker attacks. JENNIFER MARTINEZ Politico -- 6/11/11

Rutten: Old-time religion, today's politics -- The sentiments expressed by John F. Kennedy in his famous 1960 speech on religion and politics are being swept away by Republican presidential contenders. Tim Rutten in the Los Angeles Times -- 6/11/11