The Assembly
confirmed Bruce McPherson as Secretary of State.
Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez "used the occasion to
send a pointed political message that Schwarzenegger should be working with the Democrat-controlled Legislature to solve California's major problems rather than pushing ballot initiatives. "Let this confirmation today be an example of how Democrats and Republicans can work together without the necessity of a hammer over anyone's head," Núñez said. "Without the threat of an initiative or signatures being gathered or political threats being made on both sides."
Let it also be an example of how, in the end,
the governor's wishes usually trump those of the Legislature. Democrats wanted the governor to appoint a "caretaker" that would not run for reelection in 2006, but the governor got his appointment through, and McPherson may well run for reelection in 2006.
While rumors abound that another Democrat will shortly throw his hat in the gubernatorial ring,
Phil Angelides is
sharpening his message to appeal as the anti-Arnold, writes LA Times columnist George Skelton. Angelides is noticeably turning up the volume in advance of the Democratic Party convention two weeks from this weekend in Los Angeles. "'I stood up and said Schwarzenegger was wrong and I didn't care how high his poll numbers were or how big his megaphone was,' says Angelides. 'And too many other Democrats laid down.'"
The message is an exact parallel of that used by
Howard Dean to rally the base at last year's state Demo confab.
Senator
Dave Cox ran into difficulties getting his
bill to take away the little bit of authority the Lieutenant Governor has out of committee yesterday. Democrats on the Senate's Government Modernization, Efficiency and Accountability Committee used the bill's hearing as an
opportunity to blast the governor for his out-of state travels. The Bee reports: "'I'm a little testy about the fact that the governor has made a big deal about whether we are here working,' said Sen.
Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica. 'I have not missed 20 percent of the time I'm supposed to be here, but the
governor has missed 20 percent of the time he has been in office.'"
Meanwhile, Democrats are also taking umbrage at
the governor's penchant for declaring public emergencies, reports the Times's Robert Salladay. "This month, the Schwarzenegger administration used its emergency authority to allow the state to immediately
take the assets of Medi-Cal recipients after they die as repayment for services rendered. Advocates for the elderly were incensed by the move. Last November, Schwarzenegger issued an emergency order
reducing the number of nurses required in hospitals. A Sacramento Superior Court judge overturned the order this month, saying the governor's declaration of an 'emergency is arbitrary and capricious and entirely lacking in evidentiary support.' Schwarzenegger has appealed the decision."
The
governor was in the Los Angeles City of Anaheim yesterday, with his old radio talkshow buddies John and Ken,
gathering signatures for the special election. The traveling band of lovable protesters, or angry union hordes, depending on your political persuasion, has diminished to just a couple of hundred, the OC Register reports.
"At least one Schwarzenegger foe did make it inside Wednesday, shouting at the governor mid-broadcast. He was booed, then led off peacefully by police while host
Ken Chiampou called for a commercial break."
In the Inland Empire hamlet of Murrietta,
recall is all the rage. Two councilmembers face possible removal from office by voters for the sin of "worshiping at the alter of developer money." "
The recall drive began last year after a series of controversial projects and road construction frustrated some residents. A group of residents started a recall petition drive. The petitions were certified in December."
In national news, Washington Post political guru
David Broder points his compass to California to look at the state's "Soviet-style conformity" in elections, thanks to gerrymandered districts. Broder says California isn't all that different than what's happened with congressional districts across the country. Since 2000, "in the three election cycles,
a grand total of 21 House incumbents were defeated. Most of the others were effectively unchallenged, vastly outspending their opponents and swamping them at the polls."
While Nuñez gets a plug as "perhaps the sharpest of Schwarzenegger's partisan critics," the speaker steps even further out in support of some kind of redistricting reform, saying "
It is not in the best interests of democracy to have legislators drawing their own districts. We have to move [that power] to some neutral party."
Meanwhile, the
First Lady gets the New York Times treatment. "After an initial period of ambivalence, in which she left her network television job because of possible conflicts of interest and assumed a potentially retro role, Ms. Shriver is on her way to becoming
California's most influential first lady ever, observers say."