The Bee's Judy Lin looks at the impact of proposed budget cuts to health
and human services.
"Low-income
families like the McGriffs would be particularly hard
hit under the
governor's plan because they receive assistance from different
state
programs. The couple live off a $1,544 monthly Social Security income,
rely on government-sponsored health insurance and stay out of costly
nursing homes through an in-home care program – each of which has been
proposed for reductions by the governor as the state
faces a $15.2
billion deficit for the fiscal year beginning July
1.
"Under his
plan, an estimated 84,000 seniors would lose help with daily chores
like laundry, cleaning and bathing. Seniors and the
blind and disabled
would not receive a cost-of-living increase in their Social Security
checks despite rising gas and food prices."
<cue cat food stories>
"Poor adults would
lose basic dental and vision care. Health premiums
for children of
low-income families would increase by $3 or $4. Legal immigrants would
be restricted to emergency health care.
"Working poor families
would receive 5 percent less in cash assistance. And the average amount
given to care for a foster child would drop from $723 per month to $651
starting in October.
"'The magnitude of the cuts to vital human services programs
is both staggering and frightening,' said Frank Mecca,
director of the County Welfare Directors Association.
'The safety net
is badly frayed to begin with. This budget would obliterate
it.'
"The Republican administration doesn't dispute the severity of the cuts.
"'The governor's been very upfront about this,' said Kim Belshé,
secretary of the state health and human services agency.
'There are no
easy reductions… . We recognize these proposals are painful.'"
"With jails, drug-rehab centers and probation offices already swamped,
Los Angeles County officials are bracing to take on thousands of additional low-risk convicts who could come their way as part of a proposed legal
settlement to reduce state prison overcrowding.
"The
idea of reducing the state prison population by shifting
offenders to
county programs and facilities is causing anxiety among
those who would
be expected to take on the additional responsibilities.
"'I'm pretty worried,' said Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca,
whose jail system is under a court order to ease overcrowded
facilities. 'The impact is substantial because we have the largest
percentage of the prison population coming out of our
county. If you
don't plan it carefully and with success in mind, what
you get is
catastrophe.'
"The proposed settlement comes two years after
attorneys for prisoners petitioned a federal court
to impose a cap on
the prison population.
"They have argued that crowded prisons
contribute to the state's failure to address serious problems with
mental healthcare and medical treatment given to inmates.
"Under
the draft agreement, new offenders and parole violators
would be
diverted from state prison and remain in their home
communities to be
watched over by county probation officers, jailers
and state parole
agents."
The LAT’s Marc Lifsher reports that it isn’t just cuts in the governor’s budget.
"For the last two years, the Legislature passed bills
to increase benefits for workers, and each year the
governor vetoed the bill. But this year it appears
that a modest increase in benefits for disabled workers
is in the works.
"Ever since California overhauled its troubled workers' compensation insurance system in 2004, injured workers have complained that they were the
big losers. That may be about to improve.
"As part of the changes, disability payments were slashed
by at least 50%, workers lost the right to choose their own physician
and insurance adjusters often delayed and denied requests
for medical treatments.
"While injured employees saw benefits slip away, Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger's overhaul proved a boon for employers and insurers.
"Premiums for legally required workers' comp coverage plummeted by 60%, while insurance company profits soared to their highest
levels in three decades.
"The governor, backed with research compiled by his
workers' compensation experts, may be ready to give disabled
workers an increase in benefits of 16% and possibly more.
"'The governor always said he was open' to increasing benefits 'when there was better information,' said Schwarzenegger spokeswoman Camille Anderson."
"When Karen Bass ascended to speaker of the California Assembly recently, she drew wide notice as the first African-American woman in the nation to hold such a post," reports Edwin Garcia in the Merc News.
"But
what may be more significant is that Bass is part of
a growing crowd -
the African-Americans, Latinos and Asian-Americans who have gained
influence in the state Legislature.
"Five of the last six
speakers have been either African-American, like Bass, or Latino, like
her predecessor Fabian Núñez - testament to the Legislature's status as
one of the most hospitable environments in the nation
for minority
politicians.
"There are many explanations for minorities'
booming presence in the Capitol - the increased opportunities after
term limits dislodged white incumbents; a reapportionment that drew
favorable geographical districts from California's increasingly diverse
population; the influence of labor unions; and formidable fundraising
by the African-American, Latino and Asian-American legislative caucuses
that invest heavily in up-and-coming candidates.
"The result is
a Legislature where more than one-third of members belong to a minority
group, making California's Assembly and Senate the country's
second-most diverse legislative houses, after New Mexico.
"'Suddenly and finally, legislative leadership is looking
more like the state's population,' said Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, a senior scholar at the University of Southern California's School of Policy, Planning and Development.
"Even
more surprising is that the 37 percent of lawmakers who are minorities
far surpasses the 25 percent of likely voters who identify themselves
as African-American, Latino or Asian-American."
Dan Walters is not impressed by Fabian Nuñez's claim that criticisms of his campaign fund spending practices are attributable to racism .
"Núñez's spending wasn't terribly out of line, if at all, with the Capitol norm. Perpetually, legislators have treated their campaign accounts as private slush funds and some of their expenditures have been more egregious than Núñez's quasi-official sojourns to Paris and elsewhere.
"It's not been uncommon, for example, for lawmakers to funnel money from their campaign accounts to friends, relatives and lovers. One state senator paid his second wife from campaign funds almost exactly what he was sending his first wife in child support and alimony – and didn't report wife No. 2's income as the law required. Another senator paid his psychotherapy bills from his campaign funds.
"Two factors elevated Núñez's spending into a political sensation. One was that he handled it very poorly, ducking reporters – even running from them – who sought to question him. The second was that Núñez was asking voters to modify legislative term limits and allow him to continue as a legislator, so opponents of his ballot measure immediately exploited the Times story.
"Núñez himself had the last word, however, and it was the same kind of tone-deaf response he made last year when first confronted with the Times article, one that demeaned himself and his speakership."
The LAT's Michael Finnegan looks at the fight over a Los Angeles Supe seat and
what it portends for black political clout.
"The hard-fought race for a rare open seat on the Los Angeles
County
Board of Supervisors looks like a traditional clash
over a top perch of
black political power in California.
"The contest between
L.A. City Councilman Bernard C. Parks and state Sen.
Mark Ridley-Thomas
(D-Los Angeles) also foreshadows an uncertain future for black
political leaders in the L.A. Basin.
"Latinos outnumber African
Americans now by nearly 2 to 1 in the county's vast 2nd Supervisorial
District, an area of 2 million people that was predominantly black
until the 1990s. At its core are Crenshaw, Watts and Baldwin Hills;
around the edges are Marina del Rey, Culver City, Koreatown,
Compton,
Carson and Inglewood.
"'The changing demographics make a lot of
people a little uncomfortable, because many African
Americans feel
they're losing political power,' said Kerman Maddox, a veteran
advisor to candidates in the area. 'After 12 years, is the next
[supervisor] going to be African American? A lot of people aren't so
sure.'
"Even now, Ridley-Thomas is relying heavily on organized labor -- the engine of Latino power in California -- to defeat Parks, who is backed by leaders of the black political establishment. Parks' supporters include incumbent Yvonne B. Burke, former Lakers star-turned-businessman Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), the leader of a mighty old-guard political machine. The seat is the only one on the board currently held by an African American."
The AP’s Lisa Leff reports that June 14 may become more than just Flag Day . “Same-sex couples in some counties will be able to marry
as soon as June 14, the president of the California's county clerks association said Monday.
"Stephen Weir, who heads the California Association of Clerks and
Election Officials, said he was told by the Office
of Vital Records that clerks would be authorized to
hand out marriage licenses as soon as that date - exactly 30 days after the California Supreme Court ruled that
gay marriage should be legal.
"The court's decisions typically take effect after 30 days, barring further legal action.
"'They are shooting for the 14th,' said Weir, adding that the state plans to give California's 58 counties advice early this week for implementing the
historic change so local officials can start planning.
"An effort, however, is under way to stay the Supreme
Court's decision until voters can decide the issue with an
initiative planned for the November ballot. The measure
would overrule the justices' decision and amend the state constitution to ban gay
marriage.
But it looks like the fight over eminent domain is
dividing some traditional political allies. While the
Yes on 98 campaign is being led by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers
Association, Ted Costa, CEO of the People’s Advocate has come out against the measure.
“As we approach the 30th Anniversary of Proposition 13, the Jarvis Taxpayers Organization has now aligned
itself with large Apartment and Mobile Home Park Owners
to put the screws to the very renters and mobile home
park tenants who made it possible for Prop 13 to pass.
"We need real eminent domain reform, but I can not support
Proposition 98 because it will surely hurt renters and people who
live in mobile home parks,” Costa said in a statement. “In fact, Prop 98 takes away all Proposition 13 protections from mobile home owners.
“Simply put, Proposition 98 is a good idea that is badly executed and will cause
more problems than it solves.”
The LAT's David Kelly reports that the city of Needles is feeling neglected and considering joining Arizona or Nevada.
"Depending on their mood and whom you talk to, people in this parched railroad town clinging to the eastern edge of California call it the poor stepchild, the redheaded stepchild, the ugly stepchild of San Bernardino County."
Snoopy's brother Spike was unavailable for comment.
"They
grouse about not getting their roads paved, about being
220 miles from
the county seat, about being a dumping ground for parolees
and sex
offenders -- all the while gazing enviously across the Colorado
River
at boomtowns in Arizona and Nevada.
"'The building codes are
stricter here, the taxes are higher,' said Patricia Scott, a nurse. 'I
cross into Arizona and it's growing by leaps and bounds. We are the
only community in the tri-state area that hasn't grown, and it's
probably because we are in California.'
"Kohl's, Target and Sam's Club stand like beacons on the not-so-distant shore. Gas is almost a dollar a gallon cheaper across the
river. Casinos beckon. Cities mushroom. And Needles slowly
fades away.
"'Have you been downtown?' asked City Councilman Richard Pletcher. 'It's like little Hiroshima. It's HiroNeedles.'"
Minus the 140,000 people dead.
"Resentment
has been mounting for years, but the county's decision to reduce the
Colorado River Medical Center, the town's once proud hospital, to a
small urgent-care facility has sparked open rebellion. Needles is
now
considering leaving California to join Nevada or Arizona
or to create
its own independent county.
"'This is not a publicity stunt. We
are serious about secession,' said former Mayor and Councilman Roy
Mills. 'Look at Nevada, they are booming. Look at Arizona,
they are
booming. We want to level the playing field. I was
initially skeptical
about splitting off, but the more I learn about it,
the more doable it
seems.'"
And while it was a slow fundraising weekend, or at least a slow fundraising reporting weekend, here are the top earners, as reported by ElectionTrack.com:
No 98/Yes 99: $287,000
Yes On Prop 99, No On Prop 98: $158,000
Working Families For Progressive Leadership : $50,000
Strickland For Senate: $21,800
Dymally For State Senate: $12,850
Connie Conway For Assembly: $12,700
Tax Fighters For Anderson: $10,450
Joe Simitian For State Senate: $8,200
Huffman For Assembly 2008: $7,200
And finally, from our Do Not Disturb the Sexy Files, Victoria's Secret finds itself in one "sexy" legal fight after a trademark board ruled that its "So Sexy" hair products create confusion with a rival company's family of trademarks.
"The latest tussle over who has legitimate claim to what's "sexy" in tresses came late Friday, when Victoria's Secret filed court papers challenging a federal Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ruling in favor of Sexy Hair Concepts LLC.
"The board concluded in April 2007 that consumers were likely to confuse the lingerie giant's "So Sexy" trademark for hair-care items with Sexy Hair Concepts' various trademarks using the word "sexy" for its own coiffure line.
"The Columbus, Ohio-based company that also introduced the Very Sexy bra said its study proves "that the word `sexy' has not acquired distinctiveness among purchasers of hair care products."
"Thus, it added, Sexy Hair Concepts 'is not the owner of a family of trademarks in the word 'sexy.' ' "