Writing about the governor's legacy building is a cottage industry lately, and today the Bee's Dan Walters gives it a shot.
"Instead, Schwarzenegger is spending his last weeks in office in legacy mode, attempting – or so it would seem – to convince Californians that his roller coaster governorship has been a success, even though three-fourths of them consider it to be a failure."
"I'm going to run to the finish line," Schwarzenegger said Monday during a news conference on the steps of the state Capitol that was, if anything, a celebration of failure."
A proposal by Jerry Lewis -- the Inland Empire Republican, not the comedian, although both can be pretty funny -- to rescind billions of dollars in stimulus money due California is drawing sharp criticism. The congressman, however, hopes to burnish his fiscal credentials as he tries for the chairmanship of the House Appropriations Committee.
From the Riverside Press-Enterprise's Ben Goad: "He is expected today to make his formal pitch to fellow Republicans for the job overseeing the federal spending process in the House -- a position he held in 2005-06."
"Lewis on Nov. 15 introduced a bill that would rescind roughly $12 billion in yet-to-be obligated funds from last year's $787 billion economic stimulus package."
California is shipping thousands of more inmates to out-of-state prisons to ease the burden on the state's dangerously overcrowded system, reports Marisa Lagos in the Chronicle.
"The latest deal will ship another 5,800 inmates to private prisons across state lines, bringing the total to more than 15,000. The transfers will begin in May under a contract that runs through June 2013 - nearly halfway through the term of Gov.-elect Jerry Brown."
"California has a prison population of about 164,000 people, but its corrections facilities are only equipped to house around 100,000. The state is under court order to reduce the inmate population by 40,000 though state officials are challenging the order, and the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case today."
Beleaguered Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles, who faces a House Ethics Committee trial, wants the proceeding to start quickly -- before the GOP takes control of the House. The LA Times' Richard Simon tells the tale.
"Waters,
a member of the House committee that oversees banking,
is accused of
intervening improperly on behalf of OneUnited Bank.
Her husband served on the
board of OneUnited and owned stock in the bank."
"The bank received $12 million in bailout funds three months after Waters
called
then-Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson during the financial
crisis to set up a September 2008 meeting between his staff and representatives
of minority-owned banks. The bank hadn't repaid the money as of
this month,
according to the latest Treasury Department report."
Voter-approved Proposition 26, which redefined fees as taxes and requires two-thirds votes, is putting a crimp into San Francisco's fiscal landscape, reports the Chronicle's Heather Knight.
"The average city fee - like for recreation classes, renting city property for an event, parking tickets and utilities - won't be affected. But rarely is San Francisco average, and that means the city could be affected more than others as it copes with a $400 million budget deficit for next year."
"Frankly, it's a measure that is going to reduce the flexibility available to local governments when we need it most," said Controller Ben Rosenfield. Supervisor Sean Elsbernd, known as the most fiscally conservative member of the board, said he believes that in 20 years, Prop. 26 will be seen the same way Prop. 13 is today."
And from our "Any Port in a Storm" file, a drunken man sneaked into a restricted area on a cruise ship and released the anchor -- in the middle of the ocean. At least, he could have waited until they hit Tampa.
"Ehlert
was identified using surveillance footage. He reportedly
acknowledged releasing
the anchor, as well as throwing a life buoy overboard,
when questioned by the
FBI."
"Ehlert, who reportedly said he was drunk at the time,
explained that the cruise
ship's anchor system was similar to the system on his
own 50-foot boat."
Set course for Gilligan's Island...