"Assembly Speaker
Fabian Núñez unveiled hotly contested legislation Thursday that he says
will give Californians lower cable television prices and more choice," writes Jim Sanders in the Bee.
"Núñez's
AB 2987 would allow telephone companies to compete directly against cable firms by obtaining a state-issued franchise rather than negotiating separately with cities and counties."
"'It will open the gates for real competition in the local cable market,' Núñez said."
"'This is the most significant piece of legislation in this area, perhaps, that California has ever seen,' said Assemblyman
Lloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys, a co-author of AB 2987."
"'It will give us the opportunity to bring lower prices, new services and higher-quality services to consumers,' said
Timothy McCallion, Verizon regional president."
"But
Dennis Mangers, a cable industry spokesman, said AB 2987 would tilt the competitive playing field to benefit phone companies at the expense of low-income communities."
Dan Walters looks at the
continuing fight over Proposition 98 and what the Education Coalition characterizes as money owed to schools. Last week,
Don Perata proposed a path for compromise, but CTA says it doesn't go far enough.
"Perata contends that the extra money could be construed as a one-time thing, so it
wouldn't go into the Proposition 98 base on which future payments are calculated and if so, Schwarzenegger would take that deal in a nanosecond. But administration officials are leery; a Department of Finance analysis concludes, in brief, that the repayment would have to be folded into the base unless - school finance law is extremely complicated - Schwarzenegger lost a CTA lawsuit that attacks his earlier refusal to repay the money."
"The differences in these two interpretations amount to billions of dollars, money that [CTA President
Barbara] Kerr says she wants and the schools need."
"'It's got to be in the base,' says Kerr. 'It's got to be something real,' adding, '10 years is way too long' to repay the debt."
Palmdale mayor
Jim Ledford is
trying to break up Team Runner, writes Jim Skeen for the L.A. Daily News. "Ledford said Assemblywoman
Sharon Runner, R-Lancaster, and her husband, state Sen.
George Runner, accepted donations totaling more than $100,000 over the past five years from tobacco, alcohol and gaming interests."
"'My opponent is fully positioned in front of the trough,' Ledford said. '
The money is being accepted by people who represent themselves as holier than thou.'"
"'I believe when you are raising money to help Republicans, you take in as much money as possible. The money is helping other Republicans get elected in the state,"'[Sharon Runner] said."
The California Teachers Retirement System yesterday followed the lead of the University of California Regents,
agreeing to divest from holdings in Sudan, reports Sarah Winter in the Daily Bruin.
"In a motion proposed by Treasurer
Phil Angelides, the California State Teachers' Retirement System voted 9-0, with one abstention, to divest after a rally in Sacramento where students, politicians and religious leaders came together to show their support for CalSTRS' divestment from Sudan."
First the state
takes away our lead, now
Alameda County is taking away our marijuana. Candy eating will never be the same. " Alameda County's Board of Supervisors moved a step closer to enacting
a ban on pot-flavored candy this week, voting 4-0 to ban the treats in unincorporated areas of the county. A final vote to enact the ban is scheduled for Tuesday. If approved, the ban would go into effect 30 days later."
The Bakersfield Californian reports "
Christina Cho of Los Angeles and
Brandi Valladolid of Virginia sported pasties, bikini bottoms and stilettos at 18th Street and Chester Avenue." Just
another day in the life of a PETA activist. (The story comes with
the day's best photo...)
The man accused of a BSWI (brain surgery while intoxicated) has gotten OK from the courts to
pick up his knife and mask again. "Dr.
Federico Castro-Moure was suspended from duty at Highland Hospital on March 6 after allegedly trying to perform surgery while intoxicated. Sheriff's deputies claimed at the time that Castro-Moure got in a scuffle with them when they were summoned by a nurse."
"The Alameda County district attorney announced Wednesday that he would not file charges against Castro-Moure, citing a lack of evidence."
Where the Candidates AreGov. Schwarzenegger is out of the state, and has no public events scheduled.
Phil Angelides holds a press conference at the California Federation of Teachers building in Sacramento to "outline the clear differences between Angelides and his Democratic Primary opponent,
Steve Westly, on the critical issue of fully funding public education." 10 a.m.