With the Big 5 set to return to work today, the Merc News's Mike Zapler writes that legislators are being attacked from both sides.
"Labor groups are furious that hard-won worker protections could be shelved. Schoolteachers
fret that a class-size reduction program will end. And conservative radio
hosts are rallying their listeners to call Republican
lawmakers and 'tell them to stand firm on no new taxes or else!'"
With "or else" meaning decapitation...
"Caught in the middle are the governor and legislative
leaders, who are trying to fashion a compromise to
close a $40 billion shortfall without sending their supporters
over the edge. Any deal to close that big a gap is
bound to offend; their challenge is to head off a revolt.
"'It's a very fine line to walk,' said Dan Schnur, who served as an aide to former Gov. Pete Wilson
and now directs the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics
at the University of Southern California. 'There is no earthly way to solve a budget crisis of
this magnitude without making your best friends very
angry.'
"The budget negotiations are being conducted in private
with an agreement not to leak news, so it's difficult to gauge how well-founded the interest groups' fears are. Their goal, however, is clear: To stop proposals they oppose before they have a chance
to gain steam. Or, more menacingly, to put the scare
into legislators and the governor.
"In a conference call with reporters Friday, one labor
leader threatened to mount recall campaigns against
legislators who vote to ease overtime and meal-break laws, which the governor and Republican leaders
are insisting be part of any budget that includes higher
taxes."
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's budget proposal to allow school districts to use
state class-size reduction funding any way they choose is alarming teachers unions and community activists, who say it will inevitably lead to ballooning classrooms
in the state's neediest communities," reports Seema Mehta in the Times.
"'What's most offensive is that eliminating class-size reduction won't save the state one dime,' said David A. Sanchez, president of the California Teachers Assn., which
is launching a television ad blitz this weekend urging
Californians to call Schwarzenegger and their legislators
to oppose the proposal. 'Districts will continue to receive that funding from
the state but won't have to spend that money on class-size reduction, or, frankly, even in the classroom.'
"Activists say the proposal will take the greatest toll
on minority and poor districts.
"'I can assure you that the districts in poorer neighborhoods
will be the first to increase classroom sizes, [which] means the achievement gap will widen,' said Alicia Gaddis, board chairwoman of the Sacramento branch of the
Assn. of Community Organizations for Reform Now. 'That is a tragedy.'
"A Schwarzenegger spokesman called the CTA's claims 'misleading.'
"'If a school district believes class-size reduction is one of the highest priorities, nothing
in the governor's proposal will prevent them from being able to carry
it on,' said H.D. Palmer, spokesman for the state Department of Finance."
George Skelton writes that while illegal immigrants aren't the cause of the state's budget deficit, they are a contributing factor.
"My view is this: These people are here illegally and shouldn't be, regardless of whether they're just looking for a better life. Do it the legal
way. And enforce the law against hiring the undocumented.
"On the other hand, they are here. We can't have uneducated kids and unhealthy people living
with us. We have moral obligations and practical imperatives.
"The Obama administration and Congress need to finally
pass an immigration reform act that allows for an agriculture
work program and a route to citizenship.
"Meanwhile, California should be honest about the costs.
Illegal immigrants are not the sole cause of the state's deficit. But they are a drain."
Dan Walters takes note of Arnold Schwarzenegger's newfound affinity for Keynesian economics.
"Schwarzenegger's shift of allegiance has fully flowered as the state
copes with what may be the worst recession since the
Great Depression. The governor is pleading with President
Barack Obama and Congress for billions of dollars to
finance what he says are nearly $30 billion in "shovel-ready" public works projects while pushing the Legislature
to speed up highway construction and other infrastructure
financed with the $40-plus billion in bonds that voters approved in 2006.
"The spending, he said, would slow California's soaring unemployment, now among the worst in the
country and headed for double-digit levels. The state had 1.7 million unemployed workers in December, up by more
than 600,000 from December 2007.
"As welcome as those jobs may be, however, we should
also keep in mind that they would be temporary at best,
dependent on the ability of state and federal governments
to borrow money. Longer-term recovery is utterly dependent on Friedman's markets turning around and producing growth in private
sector activity."
But we don't remember the the whole "tax hikes during a recession thing" in any Kenyesian theory...
And since we missed it last week, take a look at Jim Miller's piece on Assemblyman Anthony Adams.
"Adams took a 45-minute, 50,000-watt pounding on KFI's "John and Ken
Show" for being one of only a few GOP lawmakers willing
to say he would
consider higher taxes to help solve the state's budget mess.
"Adams, of the High Desert city of Hesperia, acknowledged
this week
that his budget stance could trigger a primary challenge
in 2010 and
threaten his political career. There even have been
rumblings that his
comments could risk his newfound chairmanship of the
county GOP.
"But Adams has stood his ground. After the radio interview, he got a
phone call from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who also
has been
criticized by the conservative broadcasters.
"'He laughed and laughed,' Adams said of Schwarzenegger. 'He said, 'Now you know how I feel when I go on John and Ken.'"
And the New York Times takes a look at how California is waiting on Washington to bail it out if its fiscal mess.
"Even as lawmakers in Washington debate the final form of the $819 billion stimulus package, state and local officials of both parties across the country are gearing up to spend the money. More than two-thirds of the states are facing budget shortfalls this year and next — including yawning gaps in Arizona, Nevada and New York — and could use the money to help balance budgets, blunt potential cuts in education and shrink Medicaid obligations.
"Some big, battered states — led by Michigan, which has the highest unemployment rate in the nation — could use the plan to mend a frayed social services net straining under bad conditions, with new federal money expected for food stamps and unemployment benefits.
"But in California, which has a projected budget deficit — $42 billion — that is larger than the total expenditures last year in each of 39 states, the federal stimulus will be put to its sternest test. The infrastructure and energy projects, high-tech job creation, rural outreach and low-income benefits included in the proposal make the state a proving ground where nearly all the plan’s potential benefits, and pitfalls, converge.
"All told, Congressional estimates show that California’s two-year take from the House version of the bill, which was approved on Wednesday, could top $32 billion, or nearly $1,000 a resident. The State Finance Department puts the number even higher, at $37 billion.
That 70-degree January weather wasn't exactly a good thing, as the state may be facing the worst draught ever seen, reports the Bee's Matt Weiser.
"'Our worst fears appear to be materializing,' said Wendy Martin, drought coordinator at the state Department of Water
Resources. 'It's going to be a huge challenge.'
"The bottom line, water officials said, is that right
now, everyone must start using less water. The public
can expect higher water bills and fines if they don't, because the alternative is a real water shortage
– one that is threatening tens of thousands of Valley
jobs.
'It's pretty scary,' said Tim Quinn, executive director of the Association of California
Water Agencies, who has more than three decades in
the water-supply business. 'The public needs to tighten their belts. You have to
rearrange all the molecules in your brain to think
about using water differently.'
"What worries the water gurus is not just a likelihood
that 2009 may be a third dry year in a row, but what appears
to be the state's dramatically reduced flexibility to respond."
The LAT's Peter Hecht writes that Antonio Villaraigosa is making a political comeback.
"Barely a year ago, Antonio Villaraigosa's political star seemed anything but luminous.
"His wife divorced him after he admitted an affair with
a Spanish-language television reporter. A court blocked his high-profile move to seize control of Los Angeles' troubled school system. News columnists charged that
a notorious self-promoter was getting his public comeuppance.
"And yet the Los Angeles mayor is soaring again in the
City of Angels. He is running virtually unchallenged
for re-election in March against a field of under-funded unknowns. He is widely discussed as a likely
2010 gubernatorial candidate.
"Villaraigosa, who emerged from a difficult upbringing
in the tough urban district of City Terrace to take
over City Hall in America's second-largest city, is leading again with passion and swagger.
"Despite questions of personal character, Villaraigosa
has consolidated his power with public charisma and
backroom chutzpah. With a month to go before the election,
he has chased away serious challengers, vacuuming up
campaign dollars despite the city's $1,000-per-person limit.
"'He is a powerful politician with a brand name across
the nation in political circles,' said Jaime Regalado, director of the Pat Brown Institute
of Public Affairs at California State University, Los
Angeles. 'The perception is that he can do somebody harm if you
get on his wrong side. Politicians who want a future
in L.A. have pretty much decided not to challenge him.'"
The Bee's Peter Hecht writes that the Gambling Control Commission has backed off its planned efforts to more closely regulate tribal casinos.
"Some tribal officials said the delay signals a recognition
by the state that the tribes themselves hold primary
responsibility to regulate casino operations.
"'The dispute really isn't about the standards. The dispute is over who has
the authority to enforce them,' said Howard Dickstein, a lawyer representing tribes including United Auburn,
operator of the Thunder Valley Casino near Sacramento.
'The state apparently doesn't have adequate respect for tribal governments and
their gaming agencies' independence.'
"But a gambling watchdog charged that state officials
are blinking under intense politicking and threats
of lawsuits from the tribes.
"'I think the state is caving in to tribal pressure,' said Cheryl Schmit, director of Stand Up for California, which tracks
tribal gambling issues. She said the commission 'drew a line in the sand' only to 'back away' from its 'strong position.'
"Evelyn Matteucci, chief counsel for the gambling commission, said in
an interview that she told tribal leaders at a Dec.
18 meeting that the board would work "with representatives of the tribes to continue to negotiate
the terms" of the state's oversight role."
The Bee's Steve Wiegand reviews CTA's new ad, which accuses the governor of trying to kill class-size reduction.
"The main point of the commercial is inaccurate.
"As part of negotiations for closing the state's $40 billion budget gap, Schwarzenegger and legislative
leaders are contemplating a proposal that would let
local school districts decide whether they want to
use state money to fund the CSR program in their district,
or use the money for something else.
"There is no evidence of a plot or any desire to abolish
the program, permanently or otherwise, and districts
could choose to continue to run it.
"There have been studies that indicate smaller class
sizes do improve student achievement. And the proposal
wouldn't save money, but would allow it to be used for other
purposes."
The Modesto Bee catches what it calls a "sneaker bill," and editorialized against it. "It happens every time the Legislature draws close to closing a budget deal. As lawmakers scramble to approve a final package, special interests pressure them to attach "sneaker bills" -- legislation aimed at benefiting certain constituencies.
"Lawmakers are now mulling various sneaker bills. We don't have a complete list, but we came across one the other day that is truly onerous.
"The proposed bill would benefit the state's judges, including many of the 1,600 who serve on superior courts, the appellate courts and the state Supreme Court.
"These jurists, who receive base salaries ranging from $171,648 for a superior court judge to $212,000 for the Supreme Court's chief justice, receive a varying array of state and local benefits. In Los Angeles County, for instance, judges until recently could supplement their state salary and benefits with more than $46,000 in benefits from Los Angeles County, including a professional development allowance, a 401(k) plan and other compensation.
And finally, from our Can't Blame A Girl For Trying Files , "Dressing as a girl to take a high school Regents exam in place of another student landed a 17-year-old upstate New York boy in some serious detention. Deandre Ellis, 17, of Schenectady was arrested on a felony charge after the incident Tuesday. City school officials said a monitor verifying that each student was taking the proper exam suspected something was amiss when the name on the test and the person taking it didn't match.
"District spokeswoman Karen Corona said a closer look revealed the test-taker was a boy masquerading as a girl.