Governor Brown released his revised budget yesterday, adding an earned income tax credit for the first time, locking in tuition rates for in-state UC students, and increasing drought spending.
The UC tuition deal drew high marks from most quarters, and followed months of intense negotiations between the ‘committee of two’ – Brown and UC head Janet Napolitano.
Drought relief and water infrastructure will see $2.1 billion in increased spending under the revised budget. Paul Rogers at the San Jose Mercury News:
“In all, $2.1 billion in new funding was earmarked for water projects such as grants to cities and water agencies to expand conservation programs, water recycling, desalination and farm water conservation.
“Nearly all of that money is a one-time expense from Proposition 1, a $7.5 billion water bond passed by voters in November.”
The revised budget also seeks to reign in California’s reliance on out of state private prisons. From Paige St. John at LAT:
“The governor's latest plans, contained in revised spending proposals released Thursday, call for shrinking the number of inmates housed outside California in the next year by 4,000 -- reducing related state spending by $73 million. As of this week, the state had a little more than 8,000 inmates in private prisons in Arizona, Mississippi and Oklahoma, and another 6,250 prisoners in contracted lockups within the state.”
The gov’s budget left some in his party less than happy – particularly those advocating for increased health and social services spending.
And, despite more than $11 billion in transportation spending in the revised budget, it still won’t be enough to adequately address the state’s aging transportation infrastructure.
Brown also offered a dose of cold water to those hoping to revise the state’s tax code to include services – specifically Senator Bob Hertzberg’s SB 8. From Allen Young at the Sacramento Business Journal:
“’I have an open mind to that, but it looks difficult. It looks very difficult,’ Brown said. ‘I don’t see the path forward.’”
On the other hand, Brown backed another Hertzberg idea, a one-time amnesty for drivers caught in what he called a ‘hellhole of desperation’ of skyrocketing fines and legal fees.
Taken as a whole, the revised budget reinforces Brown’s image as a moderating force in California, which has been his path since his return to the governor’s office in 2011.
Brown released his budget at 10AM- just before that, the state Senate passed SB 277, the controversial bill to mandate vaccination for most California schoolchildren. The bill now moves to the Assembly where opponents vow a fierce fight. Erin Adlay, SFGate:
“The legislation passed by the state Senate on Thursday would require children in both public and private schools to be vaccinated.
“’Ultimately, our goal is boosting vaccination rates,’ said state Sen. Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, who authored SB277 with state Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento. ‘We don’t need 100 percent vaccination rates. But we need them to be higher than they are now.’”
Great story from KQED’s Marissa Lagos yesterday as she lays out one of the ugly truths of politics: money = access.
“[In] Sacramento, political giving from some special interests isn’t that special at all: Many big groups flex their political muscle by simply hedging their bets, spreading money around to both parties — and in some cases, even both candidates in the same race.
“The reason, say political experts, is the desire to ensure access, plain and simple…
“’Money buys access, and access is critical to influence,’ said Dan Newman, executive director of the nonprofit MapLight, which analyzes money in politics and assisted KQED News with the analysis. ‘These companies are regulated by the state of California, and what lawmakers do can have billions of dollars of effects on them. … They are willing to spend money to have the ability to get in front of lawmakers, to make their case and have influence.’”
And, speaking of influence, John Kabateck, one of Sacramento’s political heavyweights, is leaving the California NFIB to start his own public affairs firm.
Not to forget yesterday’s other big news: Representative Loretta Sanchez made it official, announcing her candidacy for retiring Senator Barbara Boxer’s seat. Her announcement followed an initial leak about her announcement, which was then followed by a vigorous assertion that she hadn’t actually made up her mind to run, and finally, another announcement confirming the leak.
Generally, the announcement that you're running is the single-easiest part of a political career. Sure, the Santa Ana pol is known for her ‘flake factor,’ but we’re not really sure how Team Sanchez bungled their rollout so spectacularly, but hey, we’ve never run for office, so what do we know? Anyway, as CalBuzz points out, at least it gives reporters something to write about.
That’s a perfect segue into our Friday feature where we give the award for the worst week in California politics.
Lucky for Sanchez that a few other high-profile pols had even worse weeks. Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson (and presumptive future Gov candidate) is under fire for sexual harassment – again - this time accused of inappropriate behavior by a former aide.
That accusation, however, is chicken feed compared to the story out of the Gardena Mayor’s office this week. Hailey Branson-Potts writes about our winner this week in the Los Angeles Times:
“Paul Tanaka, the former Los Angeles County undersheriff and current mayor of Gardena, is expected to ask the City Council for a leave of absence as he deals with a federal indictment, the Gardena city manager said.
“Tanaka, 56, surrendered to authorities Thursday after being indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly obstructing an investigation into excessive force and corruption in the jails.”
Tanaka was swept up along with sheriff’s Capt. William “Tom” Carey in a wide ranging probe into problems at the LA County Jail resulting in both being charged with conspiracy and obstruction of justice.
Congrats, Mayor Tanaka - and good luck with the trial…