Most major papers lead with the governor's retreat on pension reform.
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger unexpectedly dropped his plan to overhaul public pensions, succumbing Thursday to pressure from firefighters and police officers who had opposed the proposal that seemed headed for the ballot this year,"
the Chron reports."'I saw friends of law enforcement officers and crime victims and widows, many of them Republicans, saying 'Please, governor,'' Schwarzenegger said. 'Then you know this is way beyond what you thought it was.'"
The Bee's Gary Delsohn reports: "One disappointed Republican suggested it may be the political equivalent of
a parent who gives in when a child throws a tantrum. More outbursts - and more giving in - are likely to follow.
Meanwhile the Merc's Dion Nissenbaum writes: "Schwarzenegger's
critics could not help but gloat Thursday, and the governor's retreat is certain to embolden the coalition fighting his agenda."
As if to make Nissenbaum's point, the Contra Costa Times focuses on
the governor's merit pay proposal. "Schwarzenegger has offered slim details and zero funding. Educators are wondering if merit pay is a red herring."
In fact, many people are wondering if the special election is a red herring...
For those of you keeping score at home, that's Attorney General
Bill Lockyer: 1, Gov. Schwarzenegger: 0. Lockyer's staff highlighted the elimination of death and disability benefits in the official summary of the governor's proposal. Lockyer was noticeably quiet yesterday, while Controller
Steve Westly and Treasurer
Phil Angelides were screaming victory from the rooftops.
The best spin of the day was from the ever-gleeful governor himself. "What happened today here, to me (is) very exciting. I declare victory on this. This is a victory for California."
While Democrats like
Cruz Bustamante sent out press releases piling on the governor's obvious, and very public, political defeat, Speaker
Fabian Nuñez struck a more gracious tone at his press conference yesterday. "The fact that he is the Governor of this great state, I think, deserves that we get back to the table and start discussing the issues that the Governor has put on the table. While
we embrace the Governor’s retreat on the pension initiative, we also want to call on him to sit down with us, and let’s clear the air." Of course, Nuñez did add that "if there were no initiatives currently being circulated that threaten a lot of these constituents that we care about,
we would probably have already negotiated agreement with the Governor on most of these issues.”
Call us skeptics, but somehow, we doubt it.
And while insiders get all aflutter with Schwarzenegger's defeat, some say
yesterday's retreat could help the governor. "'There are two ways to interpret it,' [political analyst
Barbara] O'Connor said. 'One, it's a sign of weakness and it means it's the beginning of the unraveling. Or it is once again Arnold looking at all of the data and deciding he's making a mistake, which people find attractive.'"
While yesterday was a bad day for the governor, it's true that this game is a long, long way from over.
Signatures are still being gathered on four other initiatives, backed by the governor: Two education policy proposals, one budget spending control measure and the proposal to change the state's redistricting process. But rising speculation indicates
a deal on redistricting may come next."A bipartisan group of legislators and two campaign reform groups urged lawmakers Thursday to agree to give up their power to draw legislative and congressional districts. But a state senator pushing a redistricting plan said he
doubted his colleagues would approve Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan" for a mid-decade redraw, reports the AP's Steve Lawrence.
While most are focused on the governor, the Chron gets the scoop on criminal charges being filed against
Kevin Shelley fundraiser
Julie Lee."State prosecutors charged a top volunteer fund-raiser for former Secretary of State Kevin Shelley with
grand theft and other felonies on Thursday, accusing her of
diverting $125,000 from a taxpayer-funded grant to Shelley's 2002 campaign fund, sources with knowledge of the case told The Chronicle."
LA Mayor's Race: If it seems like the momentum in the LA mayoral runoff is behind
Antonio Villaraigosa, the campaign finance provides confirmation. We reported yesterday that Antonio made a statement by filing an early report showing he has raised $653k. Yesterday,
James Hahn reported raising $408,000 in the same period.From our
National Affairs Desk, we would be remiss if we didn't bring Roundup readers up to date on a
proposed cheerleading ban currently being debated in the Texas Legislature. Yes, if appears that California is not the only state where legislators introduce quirky bills.
"It's just too sexually oriented, you know,
the way they're shaking their behinds and going on, breaking it down", said the bill's sponsor, Texas state Rep.
Al Edwards. So Edwards has introduced a bill to "end sexy cheerleading," according to the Associated Press.
Edwards says it's like porn, in more ways than one. "We can't describe it or demonstrate it. But
we know it when we see it."
We've never met Mr. Edwards, but we're sure that his colleagues are grateful that he won't be conducting a sexy cheerleading demonstration any time soon.
In the strange story that can only get stranger, police in the finger-in-the-chili investigation
executed a search warrant on the house of the woman that found it.