"...Senate Democrats
will air television commercials starting Friday to promote their proposed infrastructure bond, which is more restrained than the governor's. Senate President Pro Tem
Don Perata said he sees his $13 billion proposal, which includes money for transportation, levee repair and affordable housing, as the natural compromise plan," report Carolyn Said and Lynda Gledhill for the Chron.
"The ads are intended to build support for the plan in the legislature by raising public awareness of the issue, said Perata, an Oakland Democrat. 'The success or failure of this bond will rest on whether it gets to the ballot,' he said. 'If it gets to the ballot, I have no doubt voters will embrace and support it.'"
Capitol Weekly reports the governor is
having a hard time finding support for his jail and prison bond, and not just among Democrats. The administration has been
unable to find a Senate author for the measure, and even the prison guards union is opposed unless amended. You know something's up when CCPOA is against a prison bond. That's like coming out against oxygen.
The governor is
not willing to consider a one-year bond, write Kate Folmar and Aaron Davis in the Merc News. "Ramping up his push to rebuild antiquated schools, roads and levees, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger insisted Wednesday that whittling his decadelong, $222 billion infrastructure plan down to just one year would be "unacceptable."
"'Sometimes you hear the rumbling that maybe they'll come down with a one-year plan or something like that,' Schwarzenegger said, referring to lawmakers. ``It will be unacceptable. It's not the way to go. . . . You cannot fix the road conditions with a one-year plan.' Nor, he said, can crammed classrooms, vulnerable levees and over-crowded prisons be resolved 'with a one-year deal.'"
But, there's probably enough wiggle room between a ten-year plan and a one-year plan to make everybody a winner...
"One of the Legislature's top two Democrats is willing to entertain a longer-term plan, but perhaps not the five election cycles of borrowing Schwarzenegger wants. "'
We would prefer it to be no more than two election cycles,' said
Steve Maviglio, a spokesman for Assembly Speaker
Fabian Nuñez, D-Los Angeles."
Meanwhile, the OC Register's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson reports Republicans have
their own problems with the bond. "Republican activists are gaining ground in a bid to get their party to denounce Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's spending policies, but there's no agreement between factions on their most contentious proposal: getting the state GOP to yank its endorsement of him in the November election.
In the meantime,
everyone wants a piece of the bond action. CW's John Howard reports that used-to-bes
Dick Gephardt and
Kathleen Brown have both been seen around the Capitol ducking into lawmakers' offices to talk infrastructure.
"Richard Gephardt--the former House Democratic leader and presidential candidate--now works for Goldman Sachs, and he was in the Capitol on Jan. 26 talking with Senate leaders and staff members about the benefits of public-private partnership for toll roads. The discussions were private."
The governor explained why
Susan Kennedy is being paid by his campaign account on top of her salary as chief of staff. "'
Because she works the extra hours, she should be paid for it,' the governor said. 'I made that decision when it came up, and it was perfectly fine with me.'"
Speaking of campaigns, CW's Shane Goldmacher
reports on the clients of political consultant Richie Ross, and how one of his clients, Richard Alarcon, is already being talked about as a potential Speaker of the Assembly. Ahh, the beauty of term limits.
"Alarcon denies that ambition--sort of. I just want to be a part of the team, I don't care if I have a powerful chairmanship or am part of the leadership," says Alarcon, who says any speakership discussions are premature because he remains in the Senate, and fully supports Nuñez."
GOP consultant
Matt Rexroad says the story line of Ross-as-Svengali is greatly overplayed. "There has been talk about political consultants trying to get their candidates to do well and be speaker. That would be like saying political consultants give candidates their political ambition," Rexroad argues. "Candidates go to political consultants to realize their political desires--not the other way around."
Goldmacher also reports on CTA's penchant for
videotaping candidates who come in seeking the union's endorsement. Think Sex, Lies and Viedotape, without the sex.
"In the letter sent to candidates inviting them to an interview, the CTA promises the tapes "will be used exclusively by the CTA for internal use only. No copies or excerpts will be made available to any individual or organization without your express written permission."
According to CTA spokeswoman
Sandra Jackson, the letter's disclaimer has been enough to assuage any fears candidates might have about a videotaped interviewing process."
Speaking of being on the hot seat, UC president
Robert Dynes went before the Senate Education Committee yesterday and
apologized for the various UC compensation scandals reported over the last couple of months, reports Tanya Schevitz and Todd Wallack in the Chron. "'It is with real regret that I have come to acknowledge that we have not always met the standards others hold us to in matters of compensation and compensation disclosure,' Dynes said. '
My ethics are upset by this.'"
Group hug?
Naaa...There are headlines to be had!
"'
Obviously, UC is still conducting business the old way,' said state Sen.
Abel Maldonado (R-Santa Maria). 'Why didn't UC officials learn from these past mistakes?'"
"State Sen.
Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles) suggested that she could push for UC administrators to be fired if any of the deals now considered questionable were found to be more serious."
"'
I want to know whether heads might roll,' she said. 'I want us to go beyond mea culpas and exact some responsibility.'"
Clea Benson takes a look in the Bee at
why many disabled are against allowing assisted suicide. "The advocates say societal bias combined with an emphasis on cost-cutting in the health care industry may pressure people with disabilities to request lethal prescriptions - and their doctors to provide them - when what they really need is more support for living."
"The matter is heating up in California, where Assembly members
Patty Berg, D-Eureka, and
Lloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys, say they will hold hearings next month on
Assembly Bill 651, a measure that would permit doctors to prescribe lethal drugs to terminally ill patients."
Google can be a cruel, cruel mistress. Type in the name "
Karen Hanretty" for example, and the
first site that pops up is the JerseyGOP.com Babe of the Week. In the case of Schwarzenegger spokeswoman
Julie Soderlund, who we Googled on a recent spell-checking expedition, the thing that pops up first is a
list of notable quotes from thinkexist.com
Now, the idea of having "notable quotes" from a member of the governor's press office is like having an Amish electrician. It's not their job to be "notable." Schwarzenegger's press office, like the Bush press office, can be helpful when reporters need information, but is not always the place to turn is you want a zinger.
Take this first example from the Soderlund notable quote list: "The governor considers each piece of legislation on a case-by-case basis.” That is vintage press officer. Short. Succinct. And it says absolutely nothing.
But we were far more intrigued by No. 3 on Julie's list of notable quotes. "I've been using it for two years and so far I haven't had any physical effects. But I am addicted to checking it every 30 seconds or so, much to the chagrin of my husband."
The site provides no context for what she is actually talking about -- though we're pretty sure it has to be the
Capitol Weekly Web site or
AroundTheCapitol.com.