"Senate Republicans on Tuesday
released a health care proposal that would use existing tax dollars to provide health coverage for a lowered estimate of uninsured Californians," reports Judy Lin in the Bee.
"Unlike Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan, the Senate GOP proposal would not assess employers and health care providers to get the state's 6.5 million estimated uninsured residents some type of health coverage.
"'
We don't believe the state of California has the ability or could afford universal health insurance,' said Sen.
Dave Cox, R-Fair Oaks. 'What we do believe is we can satisfy the health requirements and the needs by changing some of the delivery methods.'
"Cox, along with Senate Republican leader
Dick Ackerman, of Irvine, and Sen.
George Runner, R-Lancaster, contend the number of Californians who deserve coverage is much lower than estimated.
"Citing figures from the independent think tank California HealthCare Foundation, the senators said 2.5 million are illegal immigrants, 2 million others can afford health coverage but choose not to purchase it, and 1 million are eligible for public subsidies.
"That leaves about 1 million people the state needs to address, the GOP senators said."
The Register's Brian Joseph
has the response to the proposal. "I look forward to working with my Senate Republican colleagues on their health care proposal," said the governor, whose own plan is radically different, with mandates on employers, doctors and residents.
"'As I have said from the start,' Schwarzenegger said, 'there is no perfect plan and every idea needs to be included in the debate.'"
"Senate Democratic Leader
Don Perata of Oakland, who also has proposed a plan, said: 'I am encouraged by this thoughtful proposal. Clearly, Senate Republicans are engaged."
"The leader of the Assembly Democrats, Speaker Fabian Núñez of Los Angeles, has a proposal as well.
"One of his deputies, Assembly Majority Leader
Karen Bass, also of Los Angeles, said: 'By failing to offer any proposals, it's clear that Assembly Republicans
are embracing the philosophy of a stop sign rather than engaging in the debate about making health care affordable and accessible to all Californians,' Bass said.
Hey, that's not very post-partisan of you, Mrs. Bass..."A fifth proposal is expected from Assembly Republicans, led by Mike Villines of Clovis. Spokesman
Morgan Crinklaw said the caucus won't produce a "plan per se" but a series of reform measures."
An anxious world awaits.
Meanwhile, the Bee's Aurelio Rojas reports: "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's universal health care plan requiring most employers to contribute to their workers' coverage
could face two major legal obstacles.
"Under the governor's plan, all employers with more than 10 workers would be required to offer insurance or pay the equivalent of 4 percent of their payroll into a state fund.
"Legal experts say such assessments may run afoul of the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), which pre-empts state laws dealing with employee benefit plans."
"'The dilemma faced by any health care reform proposal in California is this: If it proposes an employer mandate, it risks running afoul of ERISA,' said
Allan Zaremberg, president of the California Chamber of Commerce."
"...
Michael Shaw, assistant director for the National Federation of Independent Business, said the organization will go to court over any plan that includes an employer mandate.
"'What we do not want to see is for proposals that are suspect on legal ground to go forward,' Shaw said."
"The state Senate's Public Safety Committee
sought to rehabilitate California's recently upended sentencing system Tuesday by voting to give judges their own discretion to impose higher or lower prison terms on criminal defendants," writes the Bee's Andy Furillo.
"In a ruling last week, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down California's 30-year sentencing structure as unconstitutional because it allowed judges to hand out tougher terms based on facts that were never presented to a jury.
"Under Senate Bill 40, which the public safety panel approved on a 4-0 vote, judges could go ahead with the heavier sentences without having to make the factual findings. The bill also would give judges the same discretion to reduce sentences from the midrange.
"The bill written by the committee's chairwoman, Sen.
Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles, would apply only to future defendants. It does not address the thousands of inmates already sentenced to high-range terms."
Meanwhile, legislators are looking at
giving incandescent light bulbs the boot in favor of energy-efficient flourescents, reports Jim Sanders in the Beee.
"Assemblyman
Lloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys, said he plans to call his bill the '
How Many Legislators Does It Take to Change a Light Bulb?' act.
Hey, pal, it's gunna take more than cutesy bill names to take out
Fran Pavley...
"But Levine said the intent of his bill is very serious -- to phase out the standard, incandescent bulb in favor of a more energy-efficient model.
"'They're cheaper for the consumer, they save the state money and they're better for the environment,' Levine said of energy-efficient bulbs."
"State Sen.
George Runner said, tongue in cheek, that such legislation
could wreak havoc by forcing the redrawing of all those "I've got a new idea" cartoons that feature a light bulb hanging above somebody's head."
"Runner, a Lancaster Republican, said banning incandescent light bulbs would amount to "nanny government" in which lawmakers dictate how people should live their lives."
"Runner said the state should create incentives for buying energy-efficient light bulbs, perhaps, but not prohibit particular models."
"Assemblyman
Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, announced Tuesday that he has created a separate bill to ban incandescent bulbs by 2018, thus providing a 10-year phaseout period."
"Using the Davis train depot as his launching spot, West Sacramento Mayor
Christopher Cabaldon on Tuesday
announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the 8th Assembly District in the June 2008 primary," reports Lakiesha McGhee in the Bee.
"He's vying to replace
Lois Wolk, D-Davis, to represent the district, which encompasses most of Yolo and Solano counties.
"Wolk, a former two-term Davis mayor and Yolo County supervisor, defeated Cabaldon and
Steve Hardy in the 8th Assembly District Democratic race in the 2002 primary.
"Cabaldon, who is in his fifth term as West Sacramento mayor, announced his candidacy surrounded by supporters, including Yolo County Supervisors
Michael McGowan and
Helen Thomson and Woodland Mayor
David Flory."
Also endorsing Cabaldon is
Don Saylor, a Davis councilmember who was a rumored candidate.
The LAT reports
the FBI is looking at a California politician -- and it isn't Don Perata.
"The FBI is investigating Rep.
Gary Miller (R-Diamond Bar) for
a series of land transactions in which he avoided paying capital gains taxes after saying he had been forced to sell under eminent domain in Monrovia and Fontana.
"The federal investigation was initiated after The Times reported in August that officials in both cities denied that they had acquired Miller's property using eminent domain, which enables governments to buy land for certain purposes even if owners do not want to sell."
And from our
Power of YouTube Files, somebody went all Max Headroom after one of Karen Hanretty's recent appearances on Fox News. For all of you wondering just what we do for a living here at the Roundup,
click hereAnd finally, from our
Where Are They Now? Files, we get
this update from a blogger in New Hampshire on one of Gov. Schwarzenegger's former campaign staffers.
It appears this blogger was covering a Rudy Guiliani appearance in the Granite State, "when, all of a sudden,
a blond blur of Blackberry, Gucci, Neiman Marcus and Prada bustled over to me and chirped, "What are YOU doing here?""And then, without letting me even answer the question, Gucci continued, "YOU can't be down here!'
A fierce battle of wills ensues. Nothing is resolved. Life, it appears, will go on, with a warning to the Mayor from the Blogosphere...
"Fair warning to the Giuliani campaign - New Hampshire is a small state where everyone knows everyone else.
This is not New York City and we don't expect to be treated like we are in New York City.A humble Blogger with a simple Blog might not mean much to your earned media strategy.
But when that humble Blogger, slighted by an obnoxious broad on a power trip, tells the story over and over to high applause from his new friends in The Gang of 500 (limited watering holes in Manchester you may suppose) and all the NH Hampshire activists who read his blog every day, the storyline starts to stick...
"And, if
Katie Levinson wants to apologize for the way she behaved yesterday, it would be appropriate. Even if all I've got is a simple Blog and have never worked for The Terminator."
Damn, do we miss campaign season...