Green machine

The governor got the headlines he wanted today, as he signed a new executive order directing the state to move toward getting one-third of its power from renewable sources by the year 2020.

Marc Lifsher reports, "The state's electric utilities will be required to get at least a third of their power from wind, solar and other renewable resources by 2020, under an executive order signed Tuesday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"With this action, we will ensure that California remains the pioneer in clean energy and clean jobs," the governor said in issuing the order.

"But his call for California to set the nation's toughest renewable energy standard didn't generate much enthusiasm from Democratic lawmakers and environmentalist activists, who have labored for the last nine months to pass a pair of bills that they contended would boost the development of new "green" industries in the Golden State.

"Schwarzenegger said Tuesday that he would veto the Democratic bills, which were backed by some but not all of the state's utilities."

Sens. Darrell Steinberg and Joe Simitian responded with an angry letter, complete with a crack at the governor's press office. 

"The criticism of this legislation by your press office, mere hours after the bills’ passage, surprised and disappointed us," the senators wrote. "Clearly, the statements were made without acknowledgment of the most recent amendments to the bills that provide significant new compliance flexibility, allowing unlimited amounts of renewable energy to come from out of state resources, including up to 30 percent by way of renewable energy credits."

Clearly or not, those vetos are coming soon...

From our Revenge Served Cold Files, Michael Finnegan reports, "Seventeen years after Bill Clinton and Jerry Brown clashed in the 1992 race for the White House, the former president made clear Tuesday that bygones will not be bygones: Clinton signed on to support Brown rival Gavin Newsom in the Democratic primary for governor.

Meanwhile, Steve Poizner comes out as a supply-sider. " Despite projections that the next governor will inherit multibillion-dollar deficits, Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Poizner on Tuesday promised to slash taxes on personal income, corporations and sales.

"Poizner said that as part of his "Jobs Plan," he would reduce those rates by one-tenth, as well as cut capital gains taxes in half.

In a conference call with reporters, Poizner said his plan would generate more revenue, not less, although he did not provide data on what budgetary impact his proposal would have. He said lower taxes would prevent residents from leaving and allow businesses to invest in more jobs."

The LAT's Paul Pringle reports the feds are snooping around Mark Ridley-Thomas . "Federal authorities investigating alleged union corruption have been examining a labor coalition's backing of Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas' 2008 campaign and whether his supporters illegally used city property and a nonprofit group in his earlier runs for office, people familiar with the matter say.

"In addition, investigators have questioned people about whether Ridley-Thomas played any improper role in the hiring of a longtime associate by a contractor building the Expo Line rail project, according tothe sources, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the inquiries."

"Impatient with the piecemeal approach to gay rights adopted by Democratic leaders, 90 House liberals, including Oakland Rep. Barbara Lee, introduced a bill Tuesday to repeal the central federal law governing same-sex couples ," Carolyn Lockhead reports. 

"Leading the effort is Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., who said that when the law was signed by former President Bill Clinton 13 years ago, same-sex marriage was hypothetical, but today tens of thousands of gay and lesbian couples are legally married under the laws of four states."