The Capitol Weekly's Shane Goldmacher reports on the lobbying merger that has
brought Jack Abramoff's former lobbying firm to Sacramento. "Greenberg Traurig, which severed ties with Abramoff in early 2004, has merged with Livingston & Mattesich, the Sacramento-based government affairs firm that counts State Farm Insurance Companies, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, and Miller Brewing Co. among its biggest clients."
"'Some clients have asked for additional information about the firm's role
with Abramoff," says lobbyist
Gene Livingston, who notes there has been some good natured ribbing from his fellow lobbyists in Sacramento about the timing of the merger."
The Weekly also launches its special health care issue, which will be on the streets later this morning. Malcolm Maclachlan reports on
stem cell efforts in other states, and what they've learned from California's Prop. 71.
"'A key lesson so far has been that low profile efforts seem more effective,"said
Aaron Levine, a PhD. candidate at Princeton University who has been studying stem cell campaigns in different states. "Because Proposition 71 dealt with such large sums of money, it became a national, if not international, issue and attracted significant opposition."
The University of California Regents were
joined by Regent Arnold Schwarzenegger yesterday, reports Tanya Schevitz for the Chron. "Schwarzenegger, who serves as president of the Board of Regents by virtue of his position as governor, showed up at the regents meeting in San Diego to discuss his announcement in late December that he is providing money to roll back fee increases planned for next year."
"'The UC system is the crown jewel of the world, and I'm proud I am able to work with you to make it stronger,' he said. '
I want to take advantage of our economic recovery and help the students. After four years of fee increases, this fall students won't have to pay a penny more.'"
Schwarzenegger "made no mention of the executive compensation issues," which were the primary focus of the meeting.
"University of California regents, stung by recent criticism from legislators and others for extravagance and inconsistencies in the university's executive compensation practices,
took steps Wednesday to increase their oversight and begin to standardize salary levels for top UC managers," writes Peter Hong in the Times.
"As the regents began a two-day meeting at UC San Diego, they gave preliminary approval to a plan that would allow them to keep a closer eye on severance agreements given to departing executives. The new policy, if approved by the full board today, would require all such packages worth $100,000 or more to be approved by the regents."
Meanwhile, former congressman
Jim Rogan quit the Bruin Alumni Association yesterday "after learning that the group's founder had offered students $100 payments to record professors' "non-pertinent ideological comments," reports Peter Hong in the Times.
"In his e-mail [to group founder
Andrew Jones], Rogan wrote, 'I am uncomfortable to say the least with this tactic. It places students in jeopardy of violating myriad regulations and laws.'"
After the Regents meeting, the governor
broke bread with GOP donors in Orange County, report Robert Salladay and Peter Nicholas in the Times. "At a closed-door luncheon with about 40 donors in this wealthy Republican enclave, Schwarzenegger sought to ease their fears about the direction his administration has taken in recent weeks. In an interview after the event, the governor said: '
We can work through anything, because we're from the same party.'"
Meanwhile, not everyone is welcoming the governor's overtures. "
Mark Chapin Johnson, a Tustin businessman and a Schwarzenegger campaign supporter, said he has been invited to meetings with the governor and campaign aides but will not attend. Johnson sees Schwarzenegger as drifting too far to the left."
"'I really wish him well, but I'm just standing back to watch,' said Johnson. 'I don't have any particular reason to be in a room with
Susan Kennedy.'"
And, the feeling is likely mutual.
Meanwhile, with a new job,
Karen Hanretty has a new perspective. "Karen Hanretty, a GOP consultant and former spokeswoman for the California Republican Party, is
encouraging GOP lawmakers to vote against the governor's state budget proposal because it includes deficit spending."
"'The governor's supporters in the Republican Party, who have always been his staunchest defenders, despite areas of disagreement on social issues, have great concern right now about the direction he is heading in,' Hanretty said."
Jean Pasco reports for the Times that "Only five of California's 58 counties have electronic voting systems
ready for the June primary, state election officials told a state Senate committee hearing Wednesday."
"'While we're moving as fast as possible, much of the time needed for each system is out of our control,' said
Bill Wood, undersecretary of state."
"A county's voting system must be certified by the state in time for counties to comply with state and federal mandates that voters be able use the machines and verify their choices from a paper printout."
"The counties with systems already certified are Contra Costa, Sacramento, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Stanislaus."
There's finally a
resolution in the Wendy's finger-in-the-chili case, reports the Times. "
Anna Ayala, 40, who said she bit into the digit, was sentenced to nine years. Her husband,
Jaime Plascencia, 44, who obtained the finger from a co-worker who had lost it in a workplace accident, was sentenced to more than 12 years."
From our
Can't We All Get Along Files: In what could be a lesson for bipartisan agreement this election year, the AP reports on a
snake and hamster who have become best friends at the Tokyo Zoo.
"Gohan and Aochan make strange bedfellows: one's a 3.5-inch dwarf hamster; the other is a four-foot rat snake. Zookeepers at Tokyo's Mutsugoro Okoku zoo presented the hamster -- whose name means "meal" in Japanese -- to Aochan as a tasty morsel in October, after the snake refused to eat frozen mice."
"But instead of indulging, Aochan decided to make friends with the furry rodent, according to keeper
Kazuya Yamamoto. The pair have shared a cage since."
"'I've never seen anything like it. Gohan sometimes even climbs onto Aochan to take a nap on his back,' Yamamoto said."
The political lesson: you can co-exist without eating each other.