It was like a mini State of the State address.
"The Republican governor said negotiations over the
state's dismal budget mess should focus on the "four-legged" proposal his administration unveiled last week, rather
than the majority-vote plan Democrats and Schwarzenegger have discussed
since mid-December.
"Without an immediate fix to the state's estimated $40 billion budget deficit, California could run out of
cash next month. State finance officials warn that
the state would have to give IOUs to state vendors
and elected officials, as well as delay refunds for
taxpayers.
"Schwarzenegger plans to call Republicans and Democrats together for a "Big 5" meeting today. He will focus on the budget proposal he put forth last week for the rest of the current fiscal year and the one that starts July 1."
The Chron's Matthew Yi writes: "The governor characterized his proposal as a four-legged stool: spending cuts, revenue increases, an economic stimulus
package and efficiencies in government.
"'With the financial crisis ... we need all four legs
to be strong,' he said."
Now, are we supposed to be sitting on that stool right-side up, or upside-down?
John Howard reports that schools are among the groups likely to take a hit in this year's budget. "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s plan to cut deep into education funding includes shortening the K-12 school year by a week – the first time in the history of the state, experts say, that the school year has been sharply reduced, rather than lengthened. But that measure, among others, is being offered because the current economic crisis “is probably the most challenging budget situation the state has ever faced,” the administration says.
"'Most other industrialized countries are in excess of 200 days a year, and today we go 180 days. This proposal would whack that to 175 days,' said state schools Superintendent Jack O’Connell.
"Schwarzenegger’s proposal is one of scores of
budget-balancing ideas offered by the governor in an attempt
to cover a nearly $40 billion shortage over 18 months. Including his
proposed $2 billion emergency reserve, the total budget described
by the administration is $41.6 billion, although Capitol budget experts
say even
that number may be too low."
Continuing on the skewl story, "A proposal by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to shorten the
school year by five days is creating panic among educators
across California,
who say they barely have enough time to fit the state's academic
standards into the existing 180-day calendar," writes Seema Mehta in
the Times.
"The idea to cut funding equivalent to five school days
would save $1.1 billion at a time when California faces a massive
budget deficit. But state Supt. of Public Instruction
Jack O'Connell called the proposal 'devastating.'
"'It would particularly hurt our low-income students and students of color,' he said, because affluent districts are more likely
to be able to pay for the five days themselves while
poorer districts will be forced to eliminate those
teaching days. 'The result would be a further widening of the achievement
gap,' he said.
"If the Legislature approves the proposal, California
would join Kentucky, North Dakota and a few other states
that require the least number of school days."
Meanwhile, a "state appeals court Wednesday threw out a lawsuit that antitax activists and Republican
lawmakers filed to nullify a package of tax hikes Democrats pushed
through the Legislature," reports Evan Halper in the Times.
"The package, containing new and increased taxes on
gasoline, sales and personal income, was vetoed by
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday, hours after
the lawsuit was filed. The court said it could not
intervene because the proposal had not been signed
into law.
"'Absent the Legislature's passage and the governor's signing of such legislation, adjudications of its
constitutionality and the other matters raised by the
petition are not yet ripe for judicial review,' said the ruling from the 3rd Appellate District."
Capitol Weekly looks at how some of the requests and holds out being made by budget negotiators appear to contradict their past positions.
"The paradoxes are everywhere in the ongoing battle to close the state’s budget gap. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is pushing for an economic stimulus package, even as he is advocating a tax increase – the antithesis of economic stimulus. Meanwhile, Democrats are holding out for environmental safeguards on transportation projects, even though their leaders sponsored a bill that eliminated similar regulations for housing projects just months ago.
"The stalemate continues, in part, because of Democrats’ objections to eliminating some environmental protections,
even though similar protections were lifted in a bill
by Senate Leader Darrell Steinberg last year at the
behest of housing developers. Meanwhile, the governor,
who diligently projects an international image of environmental
crusader, is leading the charge for weakening these
same environmental laws.
"Welcome to the world of California politics."
"With the clock ticking toward insolvency, talks on fixing California's budget this week hit a bottleneck on Highway 50 in Rancho Cordova – where officials are at odds over the state's iconic and controversial environmental protection
law," reports the Bee's Tony Bizjak.
"Because of the jobs it would create, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
is pushing for a fast-track launch this spring of a project to build a seven-mile-long carpool lane between Sunrise Boulevard and Watt
Avenue.
"The Highway 50 project and nine other state highway expansions would
boost California's sagging economy, Schwarzenegger said.
"To speed those projects, the governor wants them exempted
from further review under the California Environmental
Quality Act, and to give them immunity from future
lawsuits.
"But legislative Democrats, led by Sacramento's Darrell Steinberg, the Senate president pro tem, argue that such exemptions
would undermine the landmark law and dilute California's leadership in the fight against global warming.
"That highway fight is one of several state budget issues
the governor and legislators failed to settle this
week."
"Unemployed workers seeking jobless benefits have overwhelmed state phone lines, leaving some frustrated callers to give up and instead pile into employment offices in hopes of speeding up the process," reports Andrew McIntosh in the Bee.
"Many callers say they've been unable to get through to the state Employment
Development Department to file for unemployment insurance
for days or weeks, facing busy signals or being cut
off after waiting on hold when they finally did get
through.
"EDD call centers were averaging at least 2 million calls a day during the holiday period after
big employers filed notices of layoffs to come this
month, spokeswoman Loree Levy said. In October, the department received 9 million calls, compared to 7.3 million calls for the same month in 2007.
"Because of high unemployment, California's unemployment insurance fund is about to run a multibillion-dollar deficit. A mix of state and federal extensions
can give some recently laid-off workers up to 59 weeks of benefits. Depending on salary and work history,
a jobless worker can receive a maximum of $450 a week.
"Deborah Bronow, deputy director of the unemployment insurance program,
said she has redirected EDD staff to meet demand, but
officials are facing big challenges and a lot of stress."
"State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said Wednesday that he had a commitment from Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger to nominate a labor representative to
a long-vacant position on the three-person occupational safety appeals board," writes the Bee's Susan Ferriss.
"Steinberg made the announcement in the Senate Rules
Committee, which he chairs, during a renomination hearing
for Candice Traeger, the chairwoman of the Cal-OSHA Board of Appeals.
"The governor appointed Traeger in November 2004 to a fill a slot reserved for someone with ties to
business, but a seat for labor has been vacant since
January 2007.
"Rules Committee members voted to approve Traeger again,
but only after rebuking her for some policies and questioning
why penalties issued to employers who violate safety
regulations have been slashed to pennies on the dollar
– even after workers have died."
From our Doogie Howser, M.D. Files: "A state official is promoting a bold plan that would allow high school graduates to earn medical degrees in just five years, potentially creating 23-year-old physicians — the youngest in the nation," reports Lisa Krieger in the Merc News.
"Lt. Governor John Garamendi, who is also a University of California regent, envisions
a program at the University of California-Merced which would create more Central Valley-grown family doctors, using an educational approach
that is cheaper, quicker and less specialized than
traditional schools. He hopes by combining undergraduate
and medical degrees, the fast-track program would supply much-needed medical care to the underserved region.
"It is the most extreme example of a growing trend.
Currently, the quickest combination degree is a six-year program at University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine.
"'I applaud the concept,' said Dr. Henry Sondheimer, senior director for student affairs and student programs
at the Association of American Medical Colleges, noting
that several states are adding new rural medical schools.
"The idea of shortening the process is gaining traction
everywhere. ' ... Because the costs of going to college and medical
schools are increasing, many are looking to see if
there are ways to shorten it.'
"But others wondered if young UC-Merced is up to the task — and cautioned that such an approach needs to be planned
with care.
"'The problem with accelerated programs is that students
are still very immature,' said Erin Quinn, dean of admissions at the University of Southern
California School of Medicine. 'Maybe they're superstars in high school, but you really need maturity
for medical school.'"
"Robert T. Monagan, a centrist Republican from the San Joaquin Valley
who became speaker of the California Assembly in 1969 and worked with Democrats to professionalize the Legislature
and pass major reforms, including the California Environmental
Quality Act, died Wednesday at a Sacramento nursing facility. He was 88.
"He died of natural causes, according to his wife, Ione.
"Monagan ended a 10-year dry spell for the state GOP when he rose to the
speakership, succeeding Jesse M. Unruh, the formidable
Democrat who had ruled the Assembly for a decade. Twenty-five years would pass before another Republican held
the powerful post.
"Elected to the Legislature in 1960, Monagan was a leader of a group of freshman Republican
moderates known as the Young Turks, who weren't afraid to defy Unruh or the establishment in their
own party. At the same time, he was known for his pragmatism
and bipartisan approach that helped the Legislature
run smoothly during an era of massive social change."
And in this era of term limits, there really is only one way to measure one's political power -- in square feet. CW's Malcolm Maclachlan looks at this year's office assignments. While there are expected to be a few changes during the Dems' upcoming policy retreat, there's much you can tell about the Capitol by the seating chart.
"Democrats didn’t just pick three seats in the Legislature in the November elections. They also appear to have slightly widened their advantage when it comes to Capitol office space.
"According to office assignments listed on Capitol directories
this week, the average Democratic Assemblymember gets
1,082 feet for themselves and their staff. Their GOP counterparts
must squeeze into a mere 703.
"Things are more spacious over in the Senate, while
the difference between the parties is smaller. Democratic
Senators get an average of 1,117 feet to move around, compared to 902 for Republican Senators. None of these figures count
the top few offices specifically allotted for leadership.
"The difference in the Assembly, currently at 379 feet, widened from 324 feet at the beginning of 2007. This difference itself is nearly as big as the Capitol’s smallest legislative office—the 391 square foot space affectionately known as “The Doghouse.” That space, as usual for the beginning of a session, is occupied by a freshman Republican, Jeff Miller, R-Corona. The two-room office, 5194 in the annex, is so small that taking him out of the mix raises his GOP colleagues’ averages by 11 feet."