As featured on p. 218 of "Bloggers on the Bus," under the name "a MyDD blogger."
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Good Thing We Passed Prop 1F!
Because the Citizen's Commission process that actually determines legislator salaries is clearly hopelessly br-
Declaring that elected officials must share the pain of California's fiscal crisis, an independent commission voted today to impose an 18 percent pay cut for statewide elected officials and all members of the Legislature.
The California Citizens Compensation Committee, which sets salaries for state officers, earlier voted in favor of a more modest 10 percent pay cuts in an April 29 meeting in Sacramento. But the action couldn't stand because the seven-member board lacked the required four votes.
But today the commission voted 5-1 to make a deeper reduction in elected officials' salaries because of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's announced plans to lay off 5,000 state workers.
The only reason this didn't pass before is that the Governor didn't do his job to keep the required amount of appointees on the committee. Of course, by his logic, aren't these state workers? Shouldn't they all be fired so we can "live within out means?"
Now that the already-in-place process did what it was supposed to do, clearly we can all agree that Abel Maldonado is the kewlest man evah. Two snaps up with a circle, Abel. Two snaps.
Special Election Fight Becoming Establishment v. Grassroots
The establishment in both parties continue to close ranks around the May 19 special election, even as the grassroots continues to reject it. Today Antonio Villaraigosa endorsed all six ballot measures, asserting that they will "bring stability back to California's budget system," like any artificial spending cap that forces spending $16-$20 billion dollars below initial baseline estimates during an economic crisis where state spending is needed urgently tends to do. Without question, Villaraigosa, a potential candidate for Governor, sees that giant pot of CTA money being tossed around in support of the measures and figures one of the candidates could draft off of that nicely in the primaries.
At the local level, more and more Democratic clubs are opposing the ballot measures, because unlike the establishment, they have read them and calculated that they would put the state in an objectively worse situation, and they are unmoved by the idle threats of Armageddon casually tossed out by the Governor and his minions. The dichotomy is both interesting and revealing.
Meanwhile, in maybe the lamest online initiative effort since the invention of Compuserve, Abel Maldonado's tears have created "Reform For Change," a site dedicated to the petty, self-righteous, useless Prop. 1F measure that would eliminate raises for lawmakers and staff during an economic downturn. In the silly video accompanying the site, Maldonado's tears tell us that "we can fundamentally reform California and change it forever," through apparently passing a .0001% change in funding for state lawmakers that is dealt with through an independent commission and not "the legislators themselves" (one of many lies on this site).
I'm reading the accounts of delusional maniacs from across the state with not a little bit of bemusement. The lack of economic thought is matched only by the lack of recognition that Republicans got far more out of this budget than they deserved to get, thanks to the anti-democratic 2/3 requirement. Here's a sample of this Algonquin Roundtable:
"The Republicans should have stood their ground," fumed 70-year-old Tony Dragonetti. "Abel Maldonado is sick, and so are the other Republicans who voted for this. They give the you-owe-me crowd everything they need, but the poor slob who is working day after day paying taxes gets nothing." [...]
"I think they could have held out. There are a lot more cuts they could have made," said Steve Pyle, 61, who said he was so unhappy with the country's direction that he seriously was considering moving to Australia. "They could start by getting rid of all the illegal immigrants and the teachers unions." [...]
"I don't believe everything would have stopped if this budget wasn't passed," Sanders said. "I support what the Republicans did."
Local GOP activist Adele Harrison predicted new taxes would push the state and country into a depression [...]
Terry Carter, 65, just smiled behind the counter and kept pouring coffee. The boisterous regulars have helped keep him in business for 22 years. As for his own opinions, he keeps those to himself.
"Sometimes the smartest thing you can do is listen," he said.
Well, that depends on who you're listening to. For example, listening to talk radio is most definitely NOT the smartest thing you can do. I've been tuning in to a lot of this down in Southern California, and the ignorance abounds. A typical commenter is a well-off suburbanite bitching about $700 bucks in new taxes for their $126,000 salary (that was an actual conversation). Roger Niello, one of the Yacht Party's own who voted for the budget, got hammered on a Sacramento station.
John in Sacramento warned, "You're going to bankrupt the state with taxes."
And Dave in Cameron Park told Niello he was "outraged that you, as a Republican, caved in and voted with Democrats." [...]
"You should have let (California) fall off a cliff," John from Sacramento told him. "Then, we pick up the pieces and put this state together, the way it used to be." (emphasis mine)
But I'm not sure it's such a force anymore. The John and Ken show ended Thursday with the two musing that "somebody should do something about this" and asking listeners to find each other to fight against the turncoats. In other words, they're not going to lead it. Ultimately, these are lazy people shouting at the end of the bar. Independents have turned dramatically against them, and the leader of the party won't show up at their convention. I don't know that they're entirely coordinated, after years of mismanagement and an almost broke state party apparatus, to even pull off the enforcer role. If someone like Anthony Adams survives a primary challenge, that would be a powerful signal that the Yacht Party is all sound and fury, signifying nothing.
"We are at the incredible gut check point for what happens next in American civilization," Sanford said in the introductory address for the state party's three-day Sacramento convention [...]
"Would you be willing to lose? Would you be willing to support folks who may likely lose," Sanford told the gathering at the Capitol Hyatt. He went on to say that it was paramount for party members to support the GOP "at a time when it may look like a losing cause" because their efforts will be "pushing the ball forward in the larger conservative movement."
Maldonado Deal To Secure His Own Election On The Table
Because he knows he can get it, Abel Maldonado is offering his list of demands in exchange for being the 27th vote on the budget. I guess Darrell Steinberg's "1 Republican Vote" sign got to him.
In what could be a break in state budget talks, legislative Democrats are contemplating a firm offer - approval of three constitutional amendments - from Republican Sen. Abel Maldonado as a means to closing the state's $40 billion budget shortfall.
Maldonado, R-Santa Maria, could provide the crucial 27th vote necessary to pass a budget package that has been stalled since Saturday. In a lunch meeting at Spataro with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maldonado asked for ballot measures to create an open primary system, prohibit legislative pay raises in deficit years and stop legislators from receiving salaries if they do not pass a budget on time.
Maldonado said in a brief interview Wednesday that there was "a good chance" for a budget vote tonight and that he wants all three of the reforms he has put forth to secure his budget vote.
Asked if he would settle for one or two, he said, "I'm asking for all three," before rushing into a meeting with Assembly GOP leader Mike Villines. "We're very close on the details and I just want to leave it at that."
The move here would be the one Rick Hasen at Election Law Blog came up with - to intentionally draft the law in a way that is unconstitutional. But there already is a draft of it, and it sounds similar enough to the law in Washington State that passed the Supreme Court's muster. Candidates wouldn't have to put their party on the ballot, leading to oftentimes intentional confusion. The vindictive part of me thinks I should sue to tangle this up in court until the day after the 2010 Controller's primary just to screw with St. Abel.
Oh, and Schwarzenegger has wanted this for a while. It's entirely possible that St. Abel is a sock puppet.
The three constitutional amendments, combined with the rest of the bill, would potentially put EIGHT measures on a hastily assembled ballot in May, all of which are essentially must-pass or it's back to the drawing board.
I hate this fucking broken system.
...the only saving grace is Roy Ashburn invoking Reagan raising taxes in 1967 on the Senate floor and shoving it in the rest of the Yacht Party's faces. Didn't know he had it in him.
Among their finds, to be formally announced today, is the nearly intact skeleton of a Columbian mammoth -- named Zed by researchers -- a prize discovery because only bits and pieces of mammoths had previously been found in the tar pits.
OK, Dennis Hollingsworth's new name is Zed.
I was just on KPFA's Morning Show with former Assemblyman John Laird, and we'll have audio of that in a bit. But as we see the Yacht Party spiral ever more into neanderthalism, I want to make a couple points. First, Zed Hollingsworth is crazy but that's a matter of degree. Dave Cogdill wasn't exactly reasonable prior to becoming Minority Leader - I don't think he had ever voted for a budget before. In the world of the Yacht Party, actually doing something to move the state forward is the highest treason.
Second, it's truly amazing to witness the utter irrelevance of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Asm. Laird had the money quote today - "I never thought I'd be wishing for Pete Wilson again, but I am." Pete Wilson was a lawmaker. He actually cultivated relationships with Republicans, and through carrots and sticks actually persuaded them. The Yacht Party has grown more entrenched over the years, but Arnold governs by magazine cover and doesn't even really know who any of them are. He's not even in the Capitol today - he went home to Brentwood last night. The failure of the chief executive to have any power within his own party is a major driver in this crisis. We don't need an action hero, just someone who knows the least bit about government.
Short-term, we're still in the same place. Darrell Steinberg is "making them filibuster," keeping the Senate in the building overnight. The perpetual answer is that something will break in the next 24 hours. It's a dispiriting choice between a bad deal and insolvency, but the latter is unthinkable. Your list of calls is short.
Senator Abel Maldanado (R-Monterey County, 916-651-4015) Senator Dave Cox (R-Fair Oaks, 916-651-4001)
President Pro Tem Steinberg has brought the Senate into session but there's no breakthrough to report. Steinberg had a conversation with Dave Cox, who is seeing lots of his constituents in Sacramento County get pink slips today, and he is encouraged that something will get done today:
"We're going to get there today," Steinberg predicted. "I can't tell you exactly who (will vote for the budget package). We all know who the candidates are. ...Today has to be the day." [...]
Steinberg did not elaborate on his meeting with Cox, who was once thought to be the deciding vote but has since said he could not in good conscience vote for the tax increases.
"Dave and I have known each other for almost 20 years, and we have always had a good relationship," Steinberg said.
On Monday, Steinberg first said he would put up the tax bill at 10 a.m. this morning and keep the roll open -- for hours, if necessary -- to pressure the final vote.
"There are caucuses and conversations that led me to hold off until noon," he said.
Anthony Wright and John Myers at Capitol Notes are still Twittering from the chamber. Myers reports on a talk with the Governor's press secretary about Abel Maldonado's ransom note wish list:
McLear: guv willing to look at ways to "augment" budget deal if it gets the 2/3 vote... But won't comment on specifically adding Sen. Maldonado's requests... Guv does support, though, both proposals: open primary, legis pay.
I'm more and more convinced that Maldonado is the Governor's sock puppet. Arnold has been talking about the same "good government" reforms for quite a while, in particular open primaries. It's not that these reforms are completely nutty - no pay for lawmakers without a budget and no legislative pay or per diem raises in bad economic times is fine, I guess - but they are pointless compared to what is needed. Clearly making Yacht Party lawmakers feel bad or hitting their salaries isn't going to upend the anti-tax jihad. And the only definitive outcome of open primaries to this point is a confusingly long ballot and decreased participation, not automatic moderate candidates. These aren't germane, and they are just a way to hold up the process to extract more concessions.
You can read the letter that 20,000 state employees got today here. These are real lives that the Yacht Party is messing with. And they're wasting taxpayer dollars by delaying the process in about 10 different ways.
Thanks to everyone around the blogosphere linking to Calitics in the past couple days as we report this out. In addition, I'll be on the Bay Area's KPFA morning show with Aimee Allison tomorrow at 7:00am to discuss the latest.
I've been trying to get confirmation on when a special election would take place if and when this horror show of a budget was to get passed. Well, the actual language in the budget bills (via Around The Capitol) states that the five ballot measures are being scheduled for a May 19, 2009 ballot. There would be Los Angeles city general election on that date for any seat that doesn't get a 50% +1 majority in the March 3 primaries, so with that large election already scheduled it makes a bit of sense. Still, that is fairly soon, and earlier than expected.
You can read and weep at the other bills here - actually 23 of them in the Senate and 22 in the Assembly have to pass to finish this budget deal.
Meanwhile, the New York Times has taken notice of the madness, which means people in LA might actually read about it.
The state of California — its deficits ballooning, its lawmakers intransigent and its governor apparently free of allies or influence — appears headed off the fiscal rails [...]
After negotiating nonstop from Saturday afternoon until late Sunday night on a series of budget bills that would have closed a projected $41 billion deficit, state lawmakers failed to get enough votes to close the deal and adjourned. They returned to the capital late Monday morning only to adjourn until the afternoon, though it was far from clear whether they would be able to reach a deal.
California has also lost access to much of the credit markets, nearly unheard of among state municipal bond issuers. Recently, Standard & Poor’s downgraded the state’s bond rating to the lowest in the nation.
This is something that's not clearly understood. We can't borrow money and that market will not snap back even if we pass a budget, especially since it hinges on must-pass initiatives that won't be resolved until May. And yet $11 billion of the budget is based on, yes, BORROWING.
By the way, Abel Maldonado's effort to get an "allow Abel Maldonado to be able to win a Republican primary" rider tossed into the bill takes major chutzpah.
Democrats, who had already given into Republicans’ long-held dreams of large tax cuts for small businesses and for some of the entertainment industry and a proposed $10,000 tax break for first-time home buyers, balked at Mr. Maldonado’s request that the legislature tuck a bill into the package that would allow voters to cross party lines in primary elections.
Mr. Maldonado, who is also seeking a constitutional amendment to prevent lawmakers from getting paid if budgets are late, defended his request that the open primary bill be included in the budget package.
“There needs to be good government reforms in this budget, and no member should be getting pet projects,” he said. “I think with an open primary, we would have good government that would do the people’s work.”
While he's at it, why not a law making his votes count three times as much as any primary opponent? I mean we need good government reforms like that.
...CapAlert reports that Maldonado has a "list of demands" - open primaries, no pay for lawmakers any day after a late budget, bans on legislative pay raises and per diem increases in down years, and "cutting out the pork" in the budget, which is just a revival of his nonsensical John Chiang feud. In other words, Maldonado wants some populist notches on his belt, and he wants the laws of the state tipped in the direction of his statewide electoral prospects. This part made me laugh out loud:
He wants an open primary system similar to those used by local governments in which the top two vote-getters regardless of party run in the general election. The system is said to favor moderate candidates, such as himself, rather than encourage primary hopefuls to woo voters at their party's extremes. He acknowledged he plans to run for statewide office, but sold the open primary as more of a "good government reform."
Um, yeah, Abel, if you are making up LISTS OF DEMANDS as a condition for your vote, the last thing I'd call you is "moderate".
The Senate is now scheduled for a floor session at 6pm, depending on how much tissue is needed to keep Maldonado from crying.
Two nominations here. By the way, since it recently came up in comments, the reason we here at Calitics call the California Republican Party the "Yacht Party" can be best explained here and here.
Nominee #1: Sen. Roy Ashburn of Bakersfield, who introduced a bill that would eliminate IOUs for tax refunds.
State Sen. Roy Ashburn, R-Bakersfield, has introduced legislation requiring California’s controller to issue state income tax refunds in cash.
Controller John Chiang has announced his office will have to delay refunds for 30 days starting Feb. 1 because of the state’s cash-flow problems. He has threatened he may have to issue refunds in the form of IOUs if a budget addressing the $41 billion shortfall the state’s projected to have by mid-2010 isn't passed.
Chiang has said refunds will resume when he’s sure there’s enough state cash on hand.
Ashburn has said tax refund money belongs to the taxpayers, not the government, and taxpayers should get it back in the form it was paid — “cold, hard cash.” California’s constantly taking in cash, he’s said.
Hey Roy, I know a bill you could pass that would get cold hard cash back in the hands of your constituents. It's called the budget, and without it California is out of money, and fiduciary responsibilities (sorry for the $1 word) stipulate that other priorities must be paid first. It's called "how government works," and though you're a State Senator I'm not surprised at your ignorance.
Nominee #2: Faux-moderate Abel Maldonado, angry about the Controller's office "requesting new furniture" even though the current Controller, uh, didn't do that.
"I don't like the fact that hard working people in my district are getting IOUs and he's buying millions of dollars worth of furniture," Maldonado said in an interview. (For the record, taxpayers due refunds from the state and others missing payments aren't getting IOUs just yet. They're simply not receiving anything at all.) [...]
"Had he done any homework, the senator should have realized that the expansion project, including furniture,...began before Controller Chiang took office," his office said.
Further, Chiang's office argued, the controller "demanded that staff cut down the costs, and by changing financing, materials, design, and construction, reduced the overall expense of the project by more than 50 percent" - a $4 million savings.
Next for Maldonado, he'll lambaste Arnold Schwarzenegger for Prop. 187. Wanker.
After running as a write-in candidate on the Democratic ballot line in June, Abel Maldonado is now buying spots on Democratic slate mailers, even though he is facing only token opposition from independent Jim Fitzgerald. This guy REALLY doesn't want to self-identify as a Republican.
Independent state senate candidate Jim Fitzgerald accused incumbent Sen. Abel Maldonado (R-Santa Maria) of wanting to have it both ways, running as a Republican but appearing on slate mailers for Democratic and independent voters.
"I wonder if John McCain would have let him speak at the RNC if he knew that Abel would be paying for flyers that tell voters to vote for Barack Obama," said Fitzgerald, a retired UPS worker who is self-financing his campaign, in a press release. "I wonder if the Republican Party would have contributed over $50,000 to Abel's campaign if they knew that he was going to pay $12,000 to appear on literature that promotes the Democratic ticket."
This is another reason why Don Perata's bullying of Democrats to keep them out of the race against Maldonado was such a failure. He wouldn't have an opportunity to buy his way onto these slate mailers if there was a Democratic candidate. And so he gets to position himself as an independent-minded reformer instead of the down-the-line Yacht Party Republican he is, for the most part. This enhances Maldonado's public image at precisely the time when he is likely to run for statewide office (I know he lost the controller's race in 2006, and afterward claimed that he'll never run for office again, but I don't buy it). He spoke at the RNC this year, a clear sign that the party views him as a rising star. The proper move for opposing parties is to try and cripple the other side's rising star. You don't enable them when they can come back and beat you years later.
Thanks a lot, Don Perata, don't forget to pick up your parting gift in a month...
Well this is kind of interesting. So the Yacht Party put together their "Let Them Eat Cake" budget in the Senate today, and predictably, it was voted down. What was not predictable is that two Republicans didn't vote for it, the precise number needed to flip to get a budget passed.
In the end, despite all Republican Senators being present, only 13 voted for the bill, AB 1793, and 21 Democrats voted against it. The two Republican Senators who did not vote, Abel Maldonado and Roy Ashburn, raised eyebrows as some consider their move to indicate they could conceivably be two votes in play for some compromise. Together with Democratic votes they could give the necessary votes to reach the two-thirds supermajority needed to pass a budget but gave no other outward signs that this would be the case [...]
Democrats are caucusing right now, after the vote. Senator Perata at the end of the Senate debate was clearly frustrated. He asked the Republicans necessary to pass the budget to contact him and let him know what was needed for their votes—or to do so publicly.
It's instructive to see what the Yacht Party budget would actually do, for the purposes of electoral politics. I'd love to see it mailed to independent voters in swing districts (call it the "Contract On California"). But in the short term, troops should be deployed to Sens. Maldonado and Ashburn's districts immediately. Ashburn has already proven himself amendable on a budget solution, as has Maldonado. Neither of them have to run again (the primary's already over in Maldonado's election) so that common Yacht Party threat is irrelevant. We need to end this stalemate as soon as possible, to literally save lives and end suffering, and so it's time to get it done. Fighting 2/3, or getting 2/3, is the medium-term goal right now.
Overall, I think we're seeing some coalescing on 2/3. High Broderist George Skelton came out for it today. Of course, a majority budget with a 2/3 rule for taxes is effectively useless. But at least the blame is being directed nominally correctly. Even multiple Republicans are quoted in the article agreeing on doing away with 2/3, for instances of accountability. I'm more than happy to have that argument because conservative policies are deeply unpopular.
Now, the corrections officers want to float a recall petition for the Governor, which I find hilarious (Arnold's laughing too). But it's hardly fair to blame him and not the structural problems that make California ungovernable. I agree that Schwarzenegger has been a horrendous chief executive, mainly because he lied about his ability to actually work within those ungovernable guidelines.
Pick off who you have to pick off to get the budget done. Then get 2/3. And make Republicans pay for their intransigence and anti-Democratic stances.
Despite Don Perata's extreme efforts to keep Democrats off the ballot to face his BFF Abel Maldonado in a plurality-Democratic district, Jim Fitzgerald has succeeded in getting enough petitions to mount a challenge on the November ballot. This is from his press release:
Independent Candidate, Jim Fitzgerald, is building support to unseat Abel Maldonado on November’s Ballot.
“I am running for office to bring independent thinking and change to Sacramento. Our state is still operating without an approved budget. The price of gas is out of control. Schools should not pay the price for wasteful government spending. These are just a few of the issues that are important to me and the citizens of our district.” (Independent Candidate Jim Fitzgerald)
Fitzgerald is not a career politician beholden to any party. He is an ordinary citizen who wants to breakup the gridlock in the State Senate divided on party lines.
Fitzgerald has worked for UPS for over 30 years ending his career as an account manager. He had personal dealings daily with small businesses throughout the Central Coast. Working from the ground floor up, he knows what it is like to work long days in order to support a family. Fitzgerald is not a professional politician but rather a hard working individual who will give back to the very people he is supposed to be representing.
Now, Fitzgerald is an independent candidate, not a Democrat. But his issue positions certainly lean Democratic. His main proposal on his website concerns modernizing the government fleet to make every state-issued car a hybrid or electric vehicle.
This is obviously longer than a longshot, but I appreciate Fitzgerald's efforts if only to force Don Perata to make good on his word to walk precincts for his good buddy Abel in the fall. That'll be a good use of time for the guy who just got $250,000 for his legal defense fund from the CDP.
SD-15: Media Failure In California Hits A New High
We've been talking a lot today about the media whitewashes and their failures to properly inform the country in the run-up to war, due to corporate dictates or budget constraints or sheer laziness. That has a residual effect everywhere. The same problems we see with the media at the national level are magnified at the local level, where money is even tighter and cluelessness abounds. I had to do a double-take when I read the LA Times' paean "GOP maverick" Sen. Abel Maldonado, supposedly in the context of his re-election "campaign" for State Senate.
SANTA MARIA-- -- Sen. Abel Maldonado crouched to desk level and, with a mischievous smile, enlisted the help of sixth-grader Michelle Grahame to sweat the governor over the state's looming budget cuts.
The 12-year-old was immersed in her computer animation project, an Earth-like blue sphere hovering behind a curiously grown-up message: "Please don't cut Education."
Maldonado, on a tour of Ralph Dunlap Elementary, persuaded her to tweak it to read: "Please don't cut Education Arnold." He left with a printout he promised to deliver to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is hashing over ways to close the state's estimated $2-billion budget gap.
"We're in some challenging times, but I've made a commitment not to cut education," Maldonado, a Republican, told school officials and PTA members after the tour. "We're going to have to get creative."
It was a gentle jab at Schwarzenegger, but Maldonado has crossed the governor and his party leadership before, earning the scorn of conservatives and Republican loyalists. One party official writing on a conservative blog declared that the senator, one of the few Latino Republicans in Sacramento, "is not one of us."
Those same maverick traits, however, have intrigued party moderates who are struggling to make the GOP more appealing to the fastest-growing segments of the California electorate: Latinos and independents.
I'm flummoxed at why you would publish this glowing profile, which reads like it came right out of Maldonado's press office, without revealing some information that people might find helpful. To wit:
• There is a fleeting reference to a "write-in campaign organized by Democrats," but absolutely no mention of Dennis Morris and his quest to offer the voters in the district an actual choice to the as-of-now unopposed Senator. Mark Buchman of the SLO County Dems is quoted blaming Don Perata for the lack of an opponent to begin with, but even though Buchman is Morris' acting campaign chair, the story never allows him the opportunity to mention the write-in hopeful.
• There is NO MENTION AT ALL of the fact that Maldonado has crossfiled to run as a write-in candidate on the Democratic ballot in an effort to short-circuit that campaign organized by those scheming Democrats, no mention of the effort to run on both sides of the ballot.
• There is no mention of Maldonado's actual record on anything but the 2007 budget, like his vote against the Global Warming Solutions Act, for example.
• There is a mention of Maldonado's signing on to a plan even more far-reaching than the Governor's, to SELL the California Lottery, a shortsighted and ridiculously stupid idea that amounts to borrowing against the future yet again, but there is no independent analysis of that proposal; it's just stuck in there as the midpoint between two supposed extremes and therefore teh awesome.
This is just an abandonment of actual reporting in exchange for a gauzy personal profile. And considering there's an election coming up in less than a week, it's an abdication of responsibility.
Now, the LA Times doesn't have much of a presence in the 15th Senate District, they don't have many full-time reporters covering California politics, so they stumble into these half-hearted attempts to inform before election time, and this is what they come up with - a hagiography of a guy who's running as a Democrat and a Republican to shut down any efforts to challenge him.
• Do read Robert in Monterey's report about Abel Maldonado, Don Perata's best buddy, running as a write-in candidate in the Democratic primary to stall an attempt to get an opponent on the November ballot. First of all, this is an example of why crossfiling should be banned once and for all. Second, Abel Maldonado is a snake and I can now see why Don Perata would knock on doors for him. Apparently, neither of them have much interest in the democratic process.
• Arnold thinks the legalization of gender-neutral marriage will be a boost to the sluggish economy, but I hope he's not basing his entire budget on a sharp uptick in gay weddings. I mean, there are only so many Mr. Sulus rich enough to have that surge register more than a blip. By the way, good for Mr. Sulu. And good for Ellen DeGeneres for telling Straight Talk Express where to shove it.
• Lucas mentioned this, but Darrell Issa got in the middle of a heated exchange between Henry Waxman and EPA Adminstrator Stephen Johnson over the EPA's breaking the Clean Air Act. Emptywheel has video:
• Why Fabian Nuñez is claiming racial bias at this late date over questions about his travel practices is completely beyond me. And he's taken to Spanish-language television for these accusations to stoke divisiveness in the Latino community, too. It's so counterproductive, as well as misleading.
• Speaking of Spanish-speaking media, this is an older story, but it's fascinating to me that the Spanish-language channels in LA are so much more substantive than the English-language ones, featuring longer, "more deeply reported" pieces.
• We could see a settlement very shortly on prison overcrowding in the state which would not require early release. There are some decent components to this deal, but it basically gives everyone three more years to clean up their act, and I wouldn't be surprised if it just puts us in the same siutation come 2011. The policies needed are well-known; the political will remains elusive.
• The Bay Area AQMD passed a carbon tax for businesses that emit greenhouse gases. It's "not enough to change behavior," one expert said, but it does presage what may be coming down the pike for polluters. Whether you get there through selling carbon permits at auction or with a tax, the bottom line is that pollution is going to cost enough money to alter business' approach to engaging in it. This is a good step.
• Arnold's plan to borrow against the lottery (and it is borrowing) is getting almost unanimously bad reviews, including from the budget nun.
• Interesting that we denied the endorsement to Rep. Laura Richardson (CA-37) on the same day that she is forced to defend herself against allegations that she walked away from her foreclosed home in Sacramento. It sounds like the Congresswoman renegotiated the loan, but the conservative fever swamps are all over this one (check the comments in that LAT blog post). She did buy the half-million-dollar home with no money down, and then left Sacramento almost immediately after winning election to fill the open seat in Congress.
Sen. Yee Throws Health Care Reform Into Total Chaos
The massive health care reform plan brokered by Governor Schwarzenegger and Speaker Nuñez has been fraying at the edges a bit in recent weeks. State hospitals appeared to waver on supporting the fees that would be charged to them under the plan, and hearings in the Senate Health Committee were delayed a week pending an analysis from the Legislative Analyst. That hearing is currently scheduled for Thursday, but State Senator Leland Yee just put a major wrench into that plan.
On the eve of a hearing for landmark health legislation, a spokesman for Sen. Leland Yee said the San Francisco Democrat will oppose the health care measure. The move throws into limbo whether the legislation has the necessary votes to move forward.
“The costs are a big concern for him,” said Adam Keigwin, a spokesman for Yee, regarding the $14 billion health care price tag that coincides with a projected $14.5 billion budget hole [...]
Keigwin said Yee conferred with labor leaders in his district over the weekend who were “almost unanimous” in urging Yee “to vote no.”
With Health Committee chair Sheila Kuehl already opposed to the bill, this means that it would be unable to get out of committee without a Republican crossover vote. And even with moderate (for the GOP) Abel Maldonado on the committee, that is unlikely.
I don't think this is the end of the bill by a longshot. Yee or Maldonado could have their arm twisted, or Kuehl could let the bill pass without a recommendation.
What happens next is unclear, though options certainly remain for passage.
For instance, Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata could ask Kuehl to grant the measure a courtesy vote, allowing it to proceed to the Senate floor despite her personal opposition.
In an interview Tuesday morning, Kuehl reiterated her position, saying, “I’ve been very clear with all the advocates and everybody that I do not favor the bill.”
She said she had not been contacted by Perata or his staff to support the bill. Asked if she would consider granting a courtesy vote if she was, she replied that she “can’t answer that.”
“In the Senate, we generally are equal as members,” Kuehl added.
Don Perata could also kick Yee off the committee and replace him, although he hasn't exactly been wildly supportive of the bill thus far.
What will happen is anyone's guess. But for the moment, this is a major blow to efforts to overhaul health care in California.
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