"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will sign the state budget [this] morning, his office said. That would make the budget law 85 days after the fiscal year began, a record in state
tardiness," reports Jordan Rau in the Times.
"Schwarzenegger is expected to veto line items amounting
to millions of dollars in spending.
"Aaron McLear, the governor's press secretary, said the governor would sign the
budget in his office without the public ceremony that
often accompanies such events.
"About 80,000 unpaid state bills have piled up during the impasse.
Controller John Chiang's office said it planned to pay out about $3.6 billion within 48 hours of the budget's becoming law.
"In preparation for state money to begin flowing again
after nearly three months, Chiang is urging state agencies
to attend first to the backlog of payments owed to
nursing homes, community colleges, day-care operators and small businesses."
The governor is expected to try to parlay anger over the budget standoff into support for his redistricting measure, Proposition 11, on the November ballot. The governor will appear at a Yes on 11 event Tuesday.
Capitol Weekly reports on more potential fallout from the budget deal.
"The high command of the California Teachers Association is holding an emergency meeting Monday to craft new political strategies that may include a ballot initiative and a freeze on spending for Democrats. The action follows the passage of the tardy 2008-09 state budget that provided public schools with some $3 billion less than had been sought.
"Capitol sources said the hastily called meeting of the CTA's directors and top executive staff will consider the union's position on Proposition 11, the November ballot initiative that would create an independent commission to draw the district boundaries of legislative and Board of Equalization Districts.
"The proposal has significant support from rank-and-file Republicans and government-reform groups, while the state Democratic Party, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other ranking Democrats have been opposed. Thus far, the powerful CTA has been neutral."
CTA has already made the decision not to fund the Opportunity PAC, which has given millions to Democratic candidates over the last several election cycles.
Dan Walters looks at the upcoming ballot battle over elements of the budget deal.
"Two major components of last week's agreement that ended a months-long stalemate over the state budget will require voter
approval – permission to borrow against future state lottery
profits and granting Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger some
budget reforms – and therefore a special election next year is almost
certain.
"The logical, or at least most economical, date for
such an election would be March 3, when voters in Los Angeles, the state's largest city, are already going to the polls. But
that appears increasingly unlikely, and June is looming
as the most likely date for what could be far more
than an election on those two measures.
"Schwarzenegger signaled last week that June is more
likely when he said, 'But I think March is probably too early, so it could
be June.'
"One reason for a delay, it appears, is that Schwarzenegger
and others who want the budget reform measure passed
worry that a March 3 election would be heavily weighted by mostly Democratic
and union-centric voters in Los Angeles. Public employee unions
dislike giving the governor more power over spending."
The Oakland Tribune's Matthias Gaffni reports that legislators seem almost embarrassed explaining this budget to their constituents.
"As
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger prepared to sign the tardiest
state budget
in history, Assembly members Mark DeSaulnier and Loni Hancock sat down
with two county supervisors and an assortment of department
heads and
staff to vent, kvetch and vow to change the supermajority
voting
threshold they say held Democrats hostage.
"It won't get better until we get rid of the supermajority,
in my opinion," DeSaulnier said.
"The
Martinez Democrat said he expects a June special election
will carry an
initiative to change budget passage to a simple majority,
rather than
the current two-thirds threshold. It would take $3 million to $5
million to run a statewide campaign, he said.
Jeremy Oberstein of the Glendale News Press has more
on the two-thirds requirement, and other changes that may be in the offing. "California is one of three states — the others being Rhode
Island and Arkansas — where at least two-thirds of the state’s
lawmakers are required to agree on a budget, a hearty
task as no party
owns an overriding majority in the Senate or Assembly.
"But
Republicans have been wary of changing the two-thirds mandate. Leaders
in the minority party of both houses said the state
needs a two-thirds
majority rule to protect against tax increases they
feel Democrats
would try to enact without a check from across the
aisle.
"Assemblyman Paul Krekorian
dismissed such concerns, saying: 'The governor has a line-item veto, so
the argument that if we have a simple majority vote
on budget that
would allow increases in spending is ridiculous because
the governor
can veto.”
"At a news conference Friday, Schwarzenegger stressed
an idea he had floated a day earlier: imposing penalties on the
Legislature should a similar fiscal delay befall the
state next year.
“I
think that the one thing that I would recommend very
strongly to look
at right away is to create consequences, so that when
the Legislature
is late one day, there are consequences, because right
now there are
not consequences,” he said. Republican Assemblyman Cameron Smyth, whose
district includes Glendale, said he would “happily take on penalties”
if voters approved the measure, but believes restructuring
the
Constitution to rid the state of its two-thirds majority rule would
fiscally harm Californians."
"The campaigns for and against Proposition 8 have raised a combined $30 million, with donations given in support of the proposed ban
on gay marriage running considerably ahead of those
to the opposition," report Dan Morain and Jessica Garrisson in the Times
"So far, the main group promoting the Constitutional
amendment, which would overturn a recent California
Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage, has raised $17.8 million. The main No-on-8 campaign has raised $12.4 million.
"But the anti-Proposition 8 forces have announced high-profile donations in recent days.
"The entertainment industry is becoming more heavily
involved, with director-producer Steven Spielberg and his wife, actress Kate Capshaw, announcing Monday that they were giving $100,000 to the No-on-8 effort.
"Their donation matched the $100,000 donated by actor Brad Pitt last week.
"San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, whose 2004 decision to allow gays to marry in his city prompted
the Supreme Court review that led to same-sex marriage becoming legal, is traveling to Manhattan
on Thursday for a $5,000-per-person fundraiser cohosted by New York Gov. David Paterson.
"Foes of Proposition 8 also announced Monday that they have started airing
their first television ad, which will be shown in markets
across the state from now until election day."
The Bee's Aurelio Rojas writes:
"Supporters of Proposition 8, which would reverse a state Supreme Court ruling
that overturned a ban on gay marriage in California,
reported raising $14.7 million through last week. Opponents had brought in
$13.5 million.
"'Our objective is to raise $20 million,' said Frank Schubert, the Yes on 8 campaign manager.
"Steve Smith, who is managing the No on 8 campaign, said opponents will remain competitive.
"'My guess is that by the time this is over, we're going to be within a million bucks of each other,' Smith said."
Barack Obama announced his California political team in a press release Monday. "Obama for America today announced the campaign's California team will be Mitchell Schwartz as California State Director, Mary Jane Stevenson as California Field Director, Rusty Hicks as California Political Director, Laura Velkei as California Volunteer Director and Gabriel Sanchez as Communications Director for California.
LA Observed reports, "Mitchell Schwartz, a veteran of Bill Clinton, Barbara Boxer, Gray Davis and Antonio Villaraigosa campaigns, is state director of the Barack Obama campaign. Schwartz is also president of the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters. Communications director of the campaign is Gabriel Sanchez, who held the same title for Speaker Fabian Nunez and was deputy press secretary to Gov. Gray Davis.
Meanwhile, the fight over toll roads continues in San Diego. AP reports, "More than 1,000 people turned out Monday at a public hearing over a proposed toll road that would pass through one of Southern California's most popular parks and nearby a world-class surf break.
"Until now, the fight over the road -- which would bisect San Onofre State Beach and end a half-mile from the surf break Trestles -- has focused on its environmental impact.
"The California Coastal Commission rejected the plan in February after environmentalists and other opponents argued that the 16-mile, six-lane road would wipe out several endangered or threatened coastal species, decimate an ancient Indian burial ground and block sediment that creates world-class waves at Trestles."
And that totally awesome surf break.
Finally, "[a] pet food company has come up with a novel way of
gauging the public mood ahead of the New Zealand's general election -- which political leader would you like to see fed to
the dogs?
"Masterpet has made rubber chew toys for dogs with likenesses
to the two politicians vying to run the country after
the November 8 election, website http:/www.stuff.co.nz has reported.
"Masterpet said it will publish sales of the Helen Clark and John Key toys as an informal "dog tucker poll." Whoever sells the most could be in trouble come election
night.
"'Early data in our reverse poll suggests a preference
for (Prime Minister) Helen Clark,' Masterpet North Island sales manager Peter Couchman
told Stuff.co.nz."