As GOP and Democratic Senate leaders embraced opposing positions for solving California’s transportation problems, a senate committee voted to approve Sen. Jim Beall’s (D-Campbell) transportation tax bill which would raise the state’s gas tax by 12 cents per gallon. Jessica Calefati and Josh Richman, San Jose Mercury News:
“While significant, the party-line votes taken by the committees were merely an opening salvo in a battle between Democrats and Republicans that will play out over the next few weeks about the fairness of fixing California's crumbling roads and improving health care for the poor by imposing new taxes.
"’We don't want to dump the cost of our horribly maintained infrastructure on the next generation -- it will be too late to solve the problem if we delay,’ said Sen. Jim Beall, D-Campbell, whose transportation tax bill passed the committee 9-2, with all the yes votes coming from Democrats. The two no votes came from Republicans; two other Republicans abstained.
“Because tax and fee increases require the support of two-thirds of lawmakers in both houses of the Legislature, Democrats seeking to raise taxes will need help from their GOP colleagues, some of whom have indicated they're open to hiking the gas tax for the first time in more than two decades -- as long as the money is restricted to transportation improvements.”
Meanwhile, the Governor appeared at a press conference, declining to say where he stood on current proposals from the legislature, all in classic Jerry Brown fashion. Chris Megerian, LA Times:
“The governor spoke at the Oakland event after politicians and business leaders, including Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), said new revenue is needed to fund overdue maintenance. But he declined to endorse their proposals, which include higher taxes and fees on California drivers.
"’I'm not going to put all my cards on the table,’ he said. ‘As a brooding omnipresence, I stand above the fray here.’
“Brown said he would continue negotiating with lawmakers, and expressed confidence that a deal could be reached on an issue that both parties agree has become a pressing problem.
“’We’re not there yet,’ he said. ‘It’s going to take some real patience and openness of mind.’”
Back in Sacramento, Senate leader Kevin de Leon maintained his full court defense of SB350, the sweeping climate change legislation that has passed the Senate and is set for a “vigorous” debate in the Assembly. Patrick McGreevy, Los Angeles Times:
“California Senate leader Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) on Wednesday accused the oil industry of a campaign of ‘fear-mongering’ against his bill that would cut in half the use of gasoline on California roads by 2030, but said he was open to negotiating changes to the legislation.
“De Leon told reporters at the Capitol that his aim was to make sure that SB 350, which has already passed the Senate, achieved the goals of reducing greenhouse gases and improving the economy, but he said he was open to compromise to get it through the Legislature.
“’We have an incredible opportunity to tackle climate change and clean up the air we breathe, maintaining California’s global lead in building the economy of tomorrow’ De Leon said.”
Transportation bills aren’t the only things moving through the Senate this week – multiple tobacco-related bills passed the Health committee, and more legislation is in the wings. Janine Sobers at Capitol Weekly:
“Moves to crack down on electronic cigarettes, further regulate smokes in the workplace, raise the legal age to buy cigarettes to 21 years old and create new tobacco taxes all won support from the Senate health committee, the bills’ first major policy hurdle in the final weeks of the 2015 legislative session.
“The legislation by Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, would set up statewide rules for e-cigarettes similar to those governing tobacco cigarettes, including that they be labeled accurately and that they not be marketed to children.
“The measures are part of a special session called by Gov. Brown to find ways to come up with more money for Medi-Cal, the state’s health insurance program for the needy.
“A separate measure, not yet in print, to impose a $2-per-pack tax hike on cigarettes, also was in the works, with proponents saying they hope to go through the Legislature but let open the possibility of going to the ballot. “
Over on the Assembly side, legislators are looking at options to regulate that other smokey weed. Jeremy White, Sacramento Bee:
“Pushing hard to at last regulate California’s free-for-all medical marijuana industry, state lawmakers are wrestling with how a tightly regulated cannabis market would work.
“Increasingly, the answer looks to be a lot like the market for alcohol.
“Long-standing alcohol laws rigidly separate producers, distributors and vendors. The decades-old “tied-house” formula was conceived largely as an antidote to the gangsterism of Prohibition, seeking to disrupt the liquor monopolies organized crime groups had established.
“If Assembly Bill 266 passes – as looks more likely than with any previous attempt, given the support of law enforcement, cities and the large majority of Assembly members who voted it off the floor – a similar approach could apply to medical cannabis.”
White also took a look at the campaign to recall Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), which, so far, seems to be favoring the Pan camp, at least in fundraising. From the Sacramento Bee:
“Medical and labor groups have poured tens of thousands of dollars into fighting the recall of a state senator who carried California’s controversial vaccination bill….
“Recall proponents have until the end of the year to collect 35,926 signatures if they want Pan’s fate to go before voters in 2016. Their ballot committee had not registered any contributions as of Wednesday afternoon.”
Remember when we reported Newt Gingrich’s remark that Jerry Brown was likely to jump into the 2016 presidential fray? Not so fast, says the guv. Josh Richman at Political Blotter:
“Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich had opined Monday that if Hillary Clinton’s email woes continue to build, other Democrats might choose to enter the race – including Brown. Brown said Wednesday he’s ‘flattered by what Mr. Gingrich said, but I wouldn’t look to him’ for prognostications of candidacy.
Last month we linked to a story of a Rhode Island cemetery worker who used pilfered gravestones to build a driveway. Today we’re unhappy to say that this is not just an Ocean State phenomenon.
“A millionaire property developer who used children's gravestones to decorate the historic mansion which inspired All Things Bright and Beautiful has been ordered to pay £300,000.
“Kim Davies, 60, took tombstones from a derelict chapel and cemented them to the walls of Llanwenarth House in Abergavenny, South Wales, where Cecil Frances Alexander penned the famous hymn.
“Newport Crown Court heard how planners were horrified when they saw the 'decorative stone plaques' had been used as part of a gaudy £1m makeover to the Grade II-listed home, turning it into a 'palace for an Iron Curtain dictator'.
“One of the 150-year-old gravestones was even engraved with the names of three brothers and a sister who all died while under the age of four.
“The wealthy businessman also used some of the graves as flagstones for a patio which he built at the £2.2m country mansion. It means children are now lying in unmarked graves at the disused Soar-y-Graig Non Conformist chapel in the village of Llechryd.“