"Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez
said Tuesday that he could support raising revenue – including selective taxes on the wealthy – to help bridge the state's projected $14.5 billion shortfall," reports Jim Sanders in the Bee.
"Núñez said that a "fair compromise" would be to solve half of the money crisis with revenue increases and the other half with spending cuts.
"The Los Angeles Democrat, speaking at a lunch meeting of the Sacramento Press Club, said he could support the 50-50 approach used by Gov.
Pete Wilson when faced with a similar budget crisis in the early 1990s.
"'I think that's a fair compromise,' Núñez said. 'I think it's a conservative compromise, but a fair compromise nonetheless.'
"Republicans adamantly have opposed raising any type of taxes, contending the state has a spending problem – not a revenue problem."
Dan Walters writes that Nuñez's
position is a break from pal Governor Schwarzenegger.
Meanwhile, Nuñez also
said that he's done working on health care reform. The Merc News's Mike Zapler reports: "The sweeping health care reform plan that died in the state Senate last month probably won't be revived any time soon, Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez said Tuesday.
"'
I think that health care reform, for all intents and purposes, is not going to happen in 2008,' Núñez told reporters at a Sacramento Press Club luncheon. 'Somebody's going to have to pick up the ball where we left off in 2009 and 2010, and my hope is that that happens.'
"Hours later, Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who labored for more than a year to put a comprehensive health reform package together, insisted he was still committed to the issue.
"'I've made it very clear we won't give up,' the governor said after a meeting with health care providers. '
We're going to have comprehensive health care reform, even though we experienced a bump in the road.'"
Democratic party activist and consultant
Steve Ybarra made it onto the Drudge Report home page yesterday, after his email blasting
Hillary Clinton's demotion of campaign manager
Patty Solis Doyle.
Maggie Haberman reports in the New York Post: A prominent member of the national Democratic Party
has circulated a sharp e-mail saying the removal of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle was disloyal to Hispanics and should give "pause" to superdelegates and voters.
"The e-mail from, Steven Ybarra, a California superdelegate who heads the voting-rights committee of the DNC Hispanic Caucus, was sent to fellow caucus members in the hours after word broke that Solis Doyle - the most prominent Latina in Clinton's campaign - would be replaced by another close Clinton loyalist, Maggie Williams, who is black.
"The e-mail noted that Clinton, who is looking to Latino voters for a boost in the Texas and Ohio primaries on March 4, scored heavily with Hispanics in her California win.
"'
Apparently, loyalty is not a two-way street,' he wrote. 'Latino superdelegates like myself . . . will have cause to pause.'"
From our
Heckuva Job Brownie files: "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Tuesday that Commissioner
Mike Brown is resigning as the head of the California Highway Patrol, capping three years of controversy under Brown's leadership," writes the Bee's John Hill.
"Brown said in a letter to Schwarzenegger that he was resigning in response to the "incredible demands" of being the CHP commissioner. He asked to be reinstated to his former rank of chief, as provided by state law.
"Brown will be replaced by his deputy commissioner,
Joseph Farrow, on March 1, Schwarzenegger's office said. Farrow, 52, has been a CHP officer since 1979, and served as a top lieutenant for both Brown and his predecessor,
Dwight "Spike" Helmick."
Brown plans to spend more time with his family and take
roller disco lessons.
"The director of the state lottery said she
would cut her staff's conference travel budget to offset $50,000 in taxpayer money spent on a questionable employee-recognition party that was the focus of a state Senate hearing Tuesday," reports Steve Geissinger in the Merc News.
"
Joan Borucki, who was appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and is up for confirmation in the Senate, testified during an informational hearing by the Governmental Organization Committee that she is in the process of developing new rules for such events.
"During the Nov. 8 party, prizes such as iPods and digital cameras were handed out. The dinner party, held at the DoubleTree Hotel in Sacramento, was attended by about 300 employees and their guests."
Sounds like The Roundup's annual company party.
"Facing a torrent of criticism Tuesday,
Blue Cross of California abruptly halted its practice of asking physicians in a letter to
look for medical conditions that could be used to cancel patients' insurance coverage," reports the LAT's Lisa Girion and Jordan Rau.
"In a statement issued about 6 p.m., the state's largest for-profit insurer said, "Today we reached out to our provider partners and California regulators and determined this letter is no longer necessary and, in fact, was creating a misimpression and causing some members and providers undue concern."
If by "misimpression" the good people at Blue Cross mean "
Uh Oh. State lawmakers are getting ready to open a can of whoopass on us," then we concur.
As soon as
Darrell Steinberg locked up the vote for Senate leader, his political consultant,
Richie Ross sent a little reminder to the Capitol community. The implicit message: I'm baaaaaaack.
The phrasing of the short message is a true work of political poetry, simultaneously threatening and willing to deal. The text of the message follows:
"I am pleased that my 10-year client and friend,
Darrell Steinberg has been elected to lead the State Senate. I am confident that his election and leadership for the next 6 years will be good for the issues we care about.
Keep this relationship in mind and feel free to call on me if I can ever be useful. -Richie"
Finally, our thoughts are with
Sharon Runner, who disclosed yesterday that she has
a rare condition that has put her in line for a lung transplant. CW's Malcolm MAclachlan reports, "Runner was diagnosed with limited scleroderma, also known as CREST syndrome, 20 years ago. About 300,000 people nationwide have been diagnosed with the autoimmune disorder, 80 percent of them women. Scleroderma causes inflammation and scarring on connective tissue; serious cases can be fatal. The disease is not hereditary, and doctors don't know what causes it."
Her husband,
George Runner, took himself out of the race for Senate Republican leader after learning of his wife's condition.