"That was quite a sight at Tuesday's inauguration ceremonies. There were California's top Democratic gubernatorial contenders - Attorney General Jerry Brown, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa - all sharing the same platform with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who just might upset all their applecarts," report Matier and Ross in the Chron.
"'We could have played musical chairs and decided the primary then and there,' said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's daughter Christine Pelosi, who was sitting a few feet away.
If it's coming down to musical chairs, our money's on Gavin...
"All through the big day - and the days leading up to it - the state's Democratic divos preened and paraded their way through
a steady stream of parties and press availabilities.
And all the while, Feinstein, as chief hostess of the
inaugural bash, got the spotlight.
"'As a former governor and presidential candidate, Jerry
is probably the best-known of the three here in Washington,' Christine Pelosi said of the non-Feinsteins. 'But in terms of star power, Gavin and Antonio both
held their own. They were surrounded by scores of fans
wherever they went.'"
Dan Walters writes that Californians shouldn't expect any special treatment from Barack Obama.
"Much of that balderdash is coming from Democratic politicians,
who equate their connections to the White House with
benefits to California, a different thing entirely.
The least credible speculation is that Obama is going
to give California tens of billions of dollars to close
its huge state budget deficit.
"It's highly unlikely; one might speculate, in fact, that because Obama won
the state by such a large margin, he could afford to
take it for granted while lavishing attention on the
states he won narrowly. And if he accedes to demands
from those states for international trade restrictions,
California could be a big loser."
"In the midst of a $40 billion budget deficit, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed former Democratic Assemblywoman Nicole Parra to a newly created $128,124-a-year job and named former Republican Assemblyman Greg Aghazarian to a board slot with a similar salary, his office announced Tuesday," reports Kevin Yamamura in the Bee.
"The appointments were the fourth and fifth six-figure jobs that Schwarzenegger has given to legislators
who departed office last year. The Assembly and Senate
appointed three other former lawmakers to positions
with similar pay.
"The board appointments have drawn fire because they
pay high salaries for less than full-time work. One critic said creating Parra's new position as director of the Governor's Regional Development Initiatives is bad timing, as
the state may run out of cash soon and Schwarzenegger
has ordered state workers to take unpaid furloughs
starting Feb. 6.
"'If it's a full-time position unlike those phony boards, I'd feel better about it, but on the other hand, why
is a new position being created today?' said Bob Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies
in Los Angeles. 'This, plus the appointments to those boards, sends
the wrong message that the governor is not taking his
rhetoric seriously.'
"Parra's job will be to coordinate economic development in
the Central Valley in economically underserved regions,
said Schwarzenegger spokeswoman Rachel Cameron."
And, she'll actually have an office!
"The California Teachers Association introduced a radio advertisement Tuesday begging for
state lawmakers not to approve a $10.8 billion cut to public education, according to a spokeswoman.
"The ad states the latest budget cut proposed by Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger would come on the heels of the
layoffs of some 5,000 teachers, an already apparent increase in class sizes
and a decline in the number of school libraries, according
to spokeswoman Sandra Jackson.
"The ad calls for lawmakers to take action against the proposed
budget cuts, which the teachers association declares
will have a harmful impact on schools and students.
"'It's time to break the silence, time for the governor
and the Legislature to fix the budget and fund our
schools-because high-quality schools mean a stronger California for everyone,' the ad says."
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders plan to resume budget talks Thursday, the first time all five will be in Sacramento this week," reports Kevin Yamamura on Capitol Alert.
"After attending today's inaugural festivities, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg will remain in Washington through Wednesday afternoon.
The two Democrats plan to meet with California's congressional delegation Wednesday during its weekly
luncheon before flying home.
"Meanwhile, Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines and Senate Republican Leader Dave Cogdill are convening joint meetings of the Republican caucuses
today and tomorrow at the Hyatt in Sacramento.
"Schwarzenegger is expected to return to California
this evening after attending the inauguration."
The LAT's Jordan Rau looks at the environmental projects caught up in the capital construction freeze.
"Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of voter-approved projects have been halted because of the state's financial problems. That includes $12 million that the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission
was counting on to prevent dirty storm water and filthy
runoff from draining into the bay.
"'People expect to be able to enjoy the beach and not
come home sick,' said state Sen. Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills), chairwoman of the state Senate Water and Natural
Resources Committee.
"The money freeze has immobilized construction of new
biking trails along the Santa Ana River in San Bernardino
and Orange counties. It has stopped plans to tear down
the Matilija Dam in Ventura County and restore the
sediment-filled Matilija reservoir. It has impeded efforts to
boost the populations of salmon and steelhead trout
off the coast of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
"The halting of such projects is one of the most concrete
results of California's cash crunch.
"Last month the state's top financial officials froze all state projects
that rely on borrowed money. The funds for the environmental
projects come mostly from four bond measures approved
by voters since 2000."
"Angered by the passage of Proposition 8, grass-roots activists are working to place measures on the ballot to reverse
California's ban on same-sex unions," writes Aurelio Rojas in the Bee.
"The sparsely financed groups are acting independently
of the No on 8 Campaign, which is challenging the measure in the
state Supreme Court. They plan to use the Internet
to collect the nearly 700,000 signatures of registered voters needed to get on the
ballot.
"Two groups took the first step toward qualifying a
ballot measure last week with the state Attorney General's Office, asking for an official title and summary.
A third group is expected to follow suit this week."
"Voters in Industry approved the sale of up to $500 million in bonds for infrastructure improvements in their city, including some that would support a planned $800-million NFL stadium," reports Cara Mia DiMassa in the Times.
"The stadium, which was proposed last year by billionaire
Ed Roski, would be built by Roski on 600 acres of city-owned land as part of a massive development that would
also include retail and office space, as well as practice
fields and banquet facilities.
"Industry residents approved selling bonds to build
streets in the development, add sewer and other utility
connections and fund civic improvement projects not
related to the stadium. Additional projects could be
identified as needs arose, Industry Mayor David Perez said. The preliminary vote count was 60 to 1.
"The vote Tuesday was one of two signs expected this
week that the city, which has fewer than 800 residents and more than 2,500 businesses, is marching in support of the proposed
stadium. On Thursday, the Industry City Council is
expected to ratify a supplemental environmental impact
report that would describe the stadium's effect on the area."
And if Al Davis gets his act going again, we could have an NFL team called the Raiders of Industry.
And if you're riding your bike through Colorado, be on the lookout for a bovine bully. AP reports, "A woman escaped serious injury and refused medical treatment after a cow knocked her down and walked on her legs. Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks ranger Pete Taylor said the woman was riding her bicycle along the South Boulder Creek Trail on Monday when she encountered the cow and stopped to let the animal cross.
"Instead, the cow knocked the woman over and stepped on her legs.
"The cow had left the area by the time rangers arrived, but other people warned fellow bikers and hikers on the trail about the animal.
Boulder Mountain Bike Alliance vice president Jason Vogel called the incident "odd, rare and random."
A cow interviewed at the scene called it "hamburger's revenge."