"With state finances in turmoil, the state salary-setting commission on Tuesday
took a step toward lowering the pay of California legislators and statewide elected officials," reports Herbert Sample in the Bee.
"The California Citizens Compensation Commission informally agreed that this was no time to raise the pay of members of the Assembly and state Senate, the governor, lieutenant governor and several other constitutional officers.
"Two panel members, Chairman
Charles Murray and
Kathy Sands, said they want the commission to consider reducing salaries, given the precarious condition of the state budget and the drastic cuts to state and local government services that are under consideration.
"'We have a deficit of $7 billion' that news reports say will double by this summer, Murray, of San Marino, said during the short meeting. 'Everybody has to take a cut.'
"Sands, a retired banker and former mayor of Auburn, said a vote to reduce top government officials' salaries would send a message about their performance.
"
'We don't have a budget and they're not working any overtime to get it done,' she said. 'People have said that to me. They're not doing their job.'"
"The state Department of Education
has settled a long-running lawsuit with a whistle-blower, paying $4.25 million to the former worker who said he suffered retaliation after he reported corruption and fraud to then-Superintendent
Delaine Eastin," reports John Hill in the Bee.
"But that wasn't the department's only cost. Over seven years, it has paid another $1.2 million to law firms for defending the state through two jury trials and appeals.
"Still, the $4.25 million settlement represents a savings of sorts. In the second trial in 2007, a jury awarded whistle-blower
James Lindberg $7.6 million. With interest, the value of that judgment had increased to $8.6 million, said
Hilary McLean, spokeswoman for superintendent of schools
Jack O'Connell.
"'The settlement reflects both parties' determination that there were risks with continuing the litigation that outweighed the benefits of trying to pursue a final resolution in the Court of Appeal,' McLean said.
"'We think it was a benefit to taxpayers to reach a settlement. It ends the expense of continuing to defend this case in court.'"
"Sinking home values and the collapse of flimsy mortgages
fueled a record number of foreclosures in California in the first three months of this year, dimming prospects for any quick recovery in the housing market," reports Peter Hong in the Times.
"The number of homes lost to foreclosure rose to a record 47,171, more than four times as many as a year earlier.
"Default notices -- the first step toward foreclosure -- were sent to owners of 110,000 California homes from Jan. 1 to March 31, according to La Jolla- based DataQuick Information Systems. That's about 1.4% of the homes in the state.
"Defaults are up 143% from the same period last year. Homeowners in default can avoid foreclosure by catching up on payments, refinancing or selling. But fewer are doing so.
"Just 32% of the properties in default will avoid foreclosure, DataQuick estimates, down from 52% a year ago."
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
dedicated nearly 40,000 acres of Orange County open space and parkland Tuesday as the state's first-ever California Natural Landmark, a designation that provides ceremonial benefits but no environmental protections," writes the Bee's Kevin Yamamura.
"The acreage dedicated Tuesday is part of the larger Irvine Ranch Land Reserve and includes property already designated as a National Natural Landmark. The land is distributed throughout a network of coastal and inland parks in Orange County.
"State lawmakers and Schwarzenegger created the state landmark status in 2006, using the 45-year-old federal program as a model.
"California's program does not impose land use restrictions. It is meant to encourage landowners to preserve their property and promote an area's natural benefits, said Rick Rayburn, chief of natural resources for California State Parks. Landowners request the designation and qualify by demonstrating a property's scientific or geologic significance."
Speaking of acreage, "Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and wife Maria Shriver have purchased a 25-acre tract in an exclusive coastal enclave in Santa Barbara County for $4.7 million," reports the AP.
Just doing their part to stoke the housing market.
"The Santa Barbara area has long been a magnet for celebrities, from Oprah Winfrey to Michael Jackson. Schwarzenegger snapped up a parcel in the Rancho Monte Alegre project, a former ranch in Carpinteria dotted with waterfalls and lush canyons that is being transformed into privately owned estates ranging from 20 to 720 acres, the Los Angeles Times reported this month.
"It wasn't clear when, or if, the governor plans to build on the site, although it allows a home up to 8,500 square feet.
"He flirted with buying a home in Sacramento after he was elected in 2003, but is still commuting from his sprawling compound in Los Angeles' Brentwood area."
The governor
will be stopping by the Tonight show tomorrow night, reports Edwin Garcia in the Merc News.
"Schwarzenegger will discuss California's pro-environment agenda, part of NBC Universal's so-called Green Week, the network's campaign to encourage viewers to protect the environment.
"The governor last week joined with representatives from 17 other states to pressure Congress and the next president to aggressively curtail greenhouse gas emissions. Schwarzenegger also continues to tout California's landmark global warming legislation that he signed in 2006, which at the time seemed an unusual move for a Republican governor.
"'To have him on is very newsworthy and timely for us,' said
Tracy St. Pierre, a spokeswoman for 'The Tonight Show.'"
Dan Walters looks at the
conflict between backers of the solar energy initiative and many environmental groups, which mostly surrounds the specifics of implementing large-scale solar projects and the transmission lines required to deliver electricity to population centers.
Speaking of initiatives, Proposition 98 opponents are crowing about the latest member of their coalition, former governor
Pete Wilson. Mike Madrid
writes on his blog: "'Proposition 98 poses serious risk that it can be used to obstruct for years the development of critically and urgently needed water resources to California. That is simply an unacceptable risk.'
"'Therefore, I oppose the passage on Proposition 98 on the June 2008 ballot.'
"Governor Wilson joins Congressman
George Radanovich, a respected and leading voice on agriculture and water issues, as the most recent Republican leaders to oppose the dangerous measure."
The governor does understand that this is a
different Proposition 98, right?
The Chron's Bob Egelko reports, "the pilot of the container ship that struck the Bay Bridge in November and spilled more than 50,000 gallons of fuel oil into San Francisco Bay was
charged Tuesday with two felony counts of lying in annual physical exams about the medications he was taking."
"
Last week, federal officials said Cota had told the Coast Guard he was taking medication for depression, anxiety and sleep apnea, a condition that makes it hard to reach a deep sleep and often leads to drowsiness. National Transportation Safety Board investigators questioned Coast Guard officials about why they had renewed Cota's license last year after his disclosures.
"Cota's lawyer called the new criminal charges "spurious and irrelevant" and said tests conducted two hours after the accident found that Cota had not been under the influence of alcohol or drugs."
And finally, we have an answer to the age-old question, "how many firefighters does it take to rescue an iguana?" The answer, apparently, is 8.
"An iguana that sneaked onto a roof to catch some rays was rescued by firefighters after it got stuck in a chimney.
"Taz, the three-and-a-half-foot green lizard, decided on a change of scene so instead of sunbathing on the window sill where he normally lies climbed onto his owner's roof to sunbathe.
"Mrs Burton said Taz, who is an internet celebrity as he
has his own Facebook account, used to be owned by her daughter and her boyfriend, but after they struggled to look after him the couple adopted the pet