The Legislature appears to be coming together on a
bigger bond plan, although is unlikely to meet today's declared deadline. The Assembly is expected to return on Sunday, with most members out of town and Speaker Fabian Núñez's
belated wedding reception scheduled for tomorrow.
Andy Furillo and Clea Benson report in the Bee "State Senate President Pro Tem
Don Perata, D-Oakland, promised a vote by midnight tonight."
"'We're still in the throes of negotiations,' Perata said during an impromptu press conference after shutting down the Senate for the night. 'We're making progress. The governor, the speaker and I have agreed that as long as we're making progress and still have time under the deadline, we'll continue to work. We'll continue to work through the night.
We're treating (Friday) night at midnight as the deadline.'"
"'We're very close to coming to an agreement,' Schwarzenegger said Thursday afternoon, just before settling into one of a string of meetings he has conducted in his office the past four days with Democratic and Republican leaders."
"'We have some hurdles to overcome and some obstacles to overcome,' Schwarzenegger said, "but I have great hopes.'"
Kate Folmar reports on the unease among Republican members, including the governor's de facto running mate. "Details of the negotiations, which occur in private, are closely guarded. Perata would not say what the hang-ups were, but it's widely believed that legislative Republicans are balking. Rounding up their votes, Perata said earlier in the day, is 'the governor's job. He's the head of the party.'"
"Sen.
Tom McClintock, a conservative Republican from Ventura County, said what he's heard so far doesn't meet his guidelines for voting yes. He wants to make sure that borrowing is used only for projects that will last a generation, that the projects approved will benefit the whole state and that anyone who derives a specific benefit from the borrowing must contribute a fair share."
"'I have not heard of any bonds that would meet those criteria,' McClintock said. 'All I've seen are rumors and wisps of rumors.'"
Speaking of Hail Marys, we got a strange note from the Yes on 82 campaign, after what has been a bad week for the initiative and its proponent,
Rob Reiner.
"Many of you may have heard that State Senate President Pro Tem
Don Perata recently revoked his endorsement of Prop. 82.
Perata is now encouraging other California state senators to do so as well. Now is the time to tell those who have endorsed the initiative to stand firm, and to urge others to get on board.
Only 13 Senators have backed the measure, with nearly half of the Democratic caucus refusing to endorse, at least as of now.
Phil Angelides released seven years of tax records yesterday, reports Kevin Yamamura in the Bee. "State Treasurer Phil Angelides
earned more than $11.6 million between 1998 and 2004, mostly from Sacramento-area land deals he made as a developer, according to tax records briefly made available Thursday by his gubernatorial campaign."
"Schwarzenegger plans to release his own personal income tax returns soon, said press secretary Margita Thompson. He released his 2000, 2001 and 2002 returns during the 2003 recall campaign."
Meanwhile, "On the eve of confirmation hearings for his place on the California State Board of Education less than three weeks away,
Alan Bersin is facing questions about expenditures from an educational fund he oversaw while superintendent of San Diego schools," reports Todd Milbourn in the Bee.
"A copy of a draft report from an internal audit, dated Nov. 1, 2005, and obtained by The Bee, highlights questionable record-keeping and spending from the fund, including $35,476 for meals and $3,801 for alcoholic beverages over a seven-year period."
And we thought The Roundup's bar tab was big.
"'Every one of the expenses was approved as being in accordance with purposes of the fund,' said Bersin in a telephone interview Thursday. 'This was all done in terms of supporting educational reform, supporting the team effort. And it was fully disclosed.'"
"The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, whose governing board includes major donors to Schwarzenegger's political campaigns, this week
launched a 30-second television spot that coincides with Schwarzenegger's efforts to pass an ambitious public works plan and win a second term," reports Peter Nicholas in the Times.
"The ad begins and ends with a picture of Schwarzenegger, contains footage of his State of the State speech in January, and praises his record as governor. 'I say build it!' Schwarzenegger exclaims in the commercial."
Spokesman
Eric Wohlschlegel "would not reveal what the ad campaign costs. Money to pay for it comes from member dues, he said. The chamber does not make public the names of its members."
"Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger has decided to parole James Tramel, a convicted murderer who was ordained an Episcopal priest in prison, a spokeswoman for the governor said Thursday."
"In declining to review Tramel's case, the governor is letting stand an October 2005 decision by the state parole board to free the 38-year-old inmate, said Julie Soderlund, a Schwarzenegger aide."
"The oldest son of Los Angeles City Councilman
Herb Wesson received $30,000 last year from a supposedly independent political fundraising committee whose initial treasurer said the group was organized with help from Wesson's office," reports Steve Hymon in the Times.
"When interviewed last week, Herb Wesson III would not specifically describe what he did for the money or for whom he worked beyond saying that he provided 'advice and some relationship-building.'"
"City ethics rules do not bar officials from hiring family members. Wesson's council election committee paid another son a $10,333 consulting fee, and his wife received $3,940 for holding a fundraiser and producing campaign mail.
"Though some ethics experts question the practice, citing concerns about nepotism and funneling money back to a candidate's or officeholder's family, others believe that it is mostly a matter of appearances and that disclosure is an adequate counterweight."
"'Whatever I did, I reported it,' Wesson said, referring to his campaign payments to his 23-year-old son and his wife. '
I've had my share of dings, but I try to adhere to the spirit and intent of the law.'"
Kimberly Kindy takes a look at the
quandary facing convicted sex offenders, using the example of a mobile home resident convicted of a drug-related molestation charge 25 years ago.
"'I think everyone knows about this [Megan's Law] Web site,' [
Tim Delaney] said in an interview in his mobile home. 'I've been receiving death threats since last January on my answering machine. Neighbors who've known me for years around here no longer talk to me.'"
"'We have to have a discussion about how and where we are going to place sex offenders in communities,' said Assemblyman Todd Spitzer, R-Orange. 'We can't continue to pass all these laws in a vacuum without talking about where we are going to put them.'"
"'They need to say how long ago the crime took place. People look me up, and they have no idea it was 25 years ago,' Delaney said. 'They have no idea I have never been arrested again. I'm lumped in with people who have raped and molested over and over again. There are a lot of dangerous people on that site; I'm not denying that. It's just hard to tell by looking at it.'"
From our
Urine Deep Trouble Now Files: A state appeals court has upheld the drug arrest for a Berkeley man who police frisked
after being caught peeing in public. "
Emptying one's bladder in a public place is a crime, even if there is no specific law prohibiting the practice, a state appeals court ruled."
"Ruling on an appeal brought by a Berkeley man who was charged with cocaine possession after an officer stopped him mid-pitstop, the Court of the Appeal for the Second District said Wednesday that public urination is a crime that justified the officer's search of the man's pockets."
"'Urination on or near a busy commercial street interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of both life and property,' Presiding Justice
J. Anthony Kline wrote in an opinion that concluded public peeing qualified as 'a public nuisance.'"