This week marks the end of the regular legislative year ... though some sort of special session overtime seems likely. To navigate the events of the week, Capitol Weekly has compiled a running guide to the week's events. In addition to the big deals on water, prisons and renewable energy, CW keeps an eye on a fight pitting cities vs. firefighters, health plans vs. consumer advocates, universities vs. free-speech groups and more...
CW's John Howard reports the water conference committee met Monday afternoon, and Senate leader Darrell Steinberg promised a bill by the end of the day Tuesday.
"Legislation containing a multibillion-dollar overhaul of California's water system likely will emerge from a special two-house conference committee by tomorrow night but without one critical piece - the money.
"Steinberg, responding to close questioning from Republican committee members, said the all-critical finance piece of the proposals would take more time. "Hypothetically, some combination of bonds and fees," he noted.
In a joint statement after the committee adjourned, Republican leaders in both houses condemned the conference committee process.
"While the alleged purpose of this committee has been to craft a bipartisan, comprehensive solution to the state’s water crisis, this failed process is nothing but a dog and pony show," said the statement from Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth, R-Murrieta, and Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee, R-San Luis Obispo. "What’s currently on the table does not reflect any Republican input."
Hey, dogs and ponies need water, too...
But really, who needs the Legislature when we've got the Air Resources Board? Michael gardner reports, "State air-quality regulators appear back on track to impose the nation's first broad-based fee on greenhouse gas emissions, potentially costing Californians a little extra to fill their gas tanks, turn up the heat or go out to dinner.
"Regulators estimate that overall, the average consumer will pay less than $1.50 a year more once the fee is passed down by energy providers and others that release greenhouse gasses linked to global warming.
“We are all aware that California's present economic environment is less than favorable and this is a difficult time to propose a fee,” said Jeannie Blakeslee, a state regulator who helped craft the plan"
Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't the only one with legacy issues. The LAT's Zanhiser and Reston report on the shake-up in Antonio Villaraigosa's administration . "His team is having trouble coming to grips on what
to really focus
on; not only what can be focused on but what they can
get results
from," said Jaime Regalado, who runs the Edmund G. "Pat" Brown
Institute for Public Affairs. "There's been a sense that the early part
of his new administration has been adrift and trying
to find its legs,
and trying to find a singular policy issue that will
resonate."
The mayor showed little patience for those
who think he should narrow his agenda, saying he always
knew it was too
big to accomplish in four years.
"Many of the goals that we set,
we're going to meet; some of them we may not," Villaraigosa said. "But
it won't be from not setting the bar high."
The University of California has set up a new panel to help tackle the issues associated with unpredictable budgets. "Called the UC Commission on the Future, the panel will hold public meetings each month starting today, and oversee groups tackling key issues facing the university that include: How to keep the school accessible to students even as California invests less in it; Whether the size and shape of UC should change, given fiscal realities; How to bring in more money from more sources."
Dan Walters plays a round of the Capitol's new favorite parlor game -- who will replace John Garamendi?
"The office probably should be abolished to save a couple of million dollars. Whatever utility the office might once have had – serving as acting governor when the governor was out of state – has been eliminated by modern communications."
After throwing out a couple ofnames of the usual suspects --Bob Hertzberg, Abel Maldonado-- Walters concludes, "Whatever happens, it's of interest mainly to historians and political junkies, not real people."
And congrats to Khamir Grant, Exhibit A of today's Roundup Gun Safety Lesson. The NY Post reports, Grant "shot himself in the penis Sunday after fumbling with a gun that had slid from his waistband, authorities said yesterday.
"Grant told cops that he was walking home from Amersfort Park at East 39th Street and Avenue J in East Flatbush around 1:30 a.m., when the gun began to fall into his pants, sources said.
When Grant grabbed for it, he accidentally pulled the trigger, firing a bullet right through his penis."