Dan Walters
looks at the Arnold for Senate argument. "Those around Schwarzenegger, in fact, have speculated about his running for the Senate, if not against [
Barbara] Boxer in 2010 then perhaps in 2012, were California's other senator,
Dianne Feinstein, ready to retire."
"Boxer is several notches to the left of California's political center and has never enjoyed particularly high voter approval ratings, even though she's won three six-year terms. The Democrats' newly minted Senate majority will mean that confrontation, a Boxer trait, will dominate Washington with Iraq the chief bone of contention. Her visibility will increase, which means she could either gain or lose ground during the next four years."
"If Schwarzenegger still has the political bug four years hence, and his own popularity remains relatively high, he'll almost certainly weigh a challenge to Boxer. But it could be much easier for him to run for a vacant Senate seat in 2012, when Feinstein will be 79 years old and perhaps contemplating retirement."
Closer to home, "Bonnie Reiss, a senior aide to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his closest friend in the administration,
will be leaving her position in January, the governor's office confirmed late Monday," reports Peter Nicholas in the Times.
"Her departure is the latest in a post-election shake-up of the governor's staff."
"Another official expected to leave is
Fred Aguiar, the governor's Cabinet secretary."
"Reiss is a confidant of Schwarzenegger who has known him for nearly 30 years. Within the governor's staff, she is seen as the aide with the best read on his thinking."
"Being smart is one thing, but to impact the world
one must take risks, state Controller
Steve Westly said Monday at Mission San Jose High School, a campus whose students' high test scores and grades get many of them into the nation's top universities."
"Urging students to 'think big,' take calculated risks and challenge people who say their ideas are impossible to achieve, Westly stressed the value of straying from the comfortable path."
"Had he decided to play it safe his entire life, Westly never would have left his teaching position at Stanford University -- which came with a hefty salary -- to work for a startup company, selling items out of a garage. Today, that company, eBay, allows millions of people worldwide to buy and sell items online daily."
So, what's the next big thought for Westly as he prepares to leave office? The speech, apparently, never got that far.
The
Mike Villines P.R. offensive continues, with articles today by Dan Weintraub and Steven Harmon.
Harmon writes "The bipartisan glow that enveloped the Capitol this year
may give way to partisan rancor, with combative conservative Michael Villines preparing to lead Assembly Republicans in the next legislative session."
"Villines, a Republican who was raised in San Jose and now lives in Clovis, seized power by riding the support of conservative lawmakers, who rejected former minority leader, San Diego Assemblyman
George Plescia, who was viewed as overly conciliatory toward Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger."
Weintraub writes "Instead of seeing Republicans on the sidelines until the last minute, when the governor exerts pressure on individuals to provide their votes, Villines
wants Schwarzenegger and the Democrats to have to deal with him as the leader of a solid bloc that won't be splintered the next time a big issue is hanging in the balance. The idea is that by acting as a group of 32 in the 80-member Assembly, they will be able to exert leverage on the outcome that members lack when they negotiate as individuals."
Lisa Vorderbrueggen looks into
what's next for Joe Canciamilla for the Contra Costa Times.
"'Hard Working Joe,' as he became known in his campaigns, says he will likely run for state Senate in 2008 after Sen.
Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch, terms out."
"But two years is a lifetime in politics and the prospects aren't good."
"Not only will Canciamilla have been out of office and the public eye, but he also has alienated many Democratic leaders who will undoubtedly direct their considerable support elsewhere in this heavily Democratic Senate district."
And by elsewhere, they mean
Mark DeSaulnier.
"'It's definitely more difficult to run after you have been out of office, and I have had several clients who have tried,' said Democratic political consultant Gale Kaufman. 'It really depends on who you run against.'"
"He has little interest in working as a lawyer again, which he did for a decade, or taking a turn at running his family's Pittsburg funeral home."
"He already has $500,000 seed money in the bank for the Senate campaign. He has also compiled notes and an outline of a book about his time in the Assembly, which he hopes to write next year."
"And he will help launch the Bipartisan Center for Research & Policy, a think tank that will offer independent analysis of state issues such as electoral, climate and health care reforms."
"'
I have no plans to become a hermit,' he joked."
"The state
abruptly altered its interpretation Monday of the meaning of a voter-approved law that restricts where sex criminals may live, telling a federal judge that the law would bar any of California's more than 90,000 registered sex offenders from moving to a home within 2,000 feet of a park or school," reports Bob Egelko in the Chronicle.
"Less than two weeks ago, Attorney General
Bill Lockyer's office said in a written filing -- the state's first official interpretation of Proposition 83 -- that the initiative would not apply retroactively. Although Lockyer did not spell out his meaning, his language implied that those already registered with the state as sex offenders would not be covered by the residency restriction, Prop. 83's most far-reaching provision."
"But on Monday, the Lockyer deputy who had signed the earlier brief argued in a San Francisco courtroom that the measure indeed would cover now-registered offenders -- not by forcing them out of their homes but by limiting where they could relocate if they decided to move."
"'We're not changing our position,' said Deputy Attorney General
Teri Block. Under the state's interpretation, she said, Prop. 83 'is not going to apply retroactively, except to the extent that a new residency is established.'"
Finally, from our
No Kimchi For You Files, South Korean athletes are upset that
their pickled cabbage has been taken away.
"A Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) official said organizers had banned food from being taken into the village but that the regulation was usually overlooked for traditional items such as Korea's spicy national dish, kimchi, Yonhap News agency reported."
"A member of the KOC was held by police for two hours after protesting the measure, the official added."
"While Korean food is provided in the athletes village, it is typically in short supply. The KOC said the lack of kimchi and other traditional food might hamper the athletes performance."
Excuses, excuses.