The Legislature's approval to use of cap-and-trade funds to finance the high-speed rail is drawing cautious support from clean-air advocates.
John Howard reports in Capitol Weekly: “The first-year installment, $250 million contained in the 2014-15 budget approved Sunday by the Legislature, will begin flowing to the bullet train beginning July 1. In subsequent years, a fourth of the auction money will go to the train. The budget requires the governor’s signature to take effect.”
“Dependent on state and federal funding, the proposed bullet train would link northern and southern California through the central valley, with the entire project to be completed by 2029. The project has run into a number of legal and political roadblocks, including GOP opposition from Rep. Kevin McCarthy, a Bakersfield Republican and a contender to become House Majority Leader, second in leadership only to House Speaker John Boehner.”
Enviros object to an unexamined measure inserted in the final hours of the joint budget conference that will extend solar tax breaks.
John Myers reports for KQED: “In a letter distributed to lawmakers over the weekend, opponents — including wind, geothermal, and biomass energy groups — suggested that solar energy no longer deserves special treatment.”
““An extension [of the solar property tax break] should go through the normal legislative process and be transparent,” says the flyer, signed by 21 different groups.”
“Sen. Leno, the legislative champion of the surprise solar tax break, admitted in a Sunday night interview that the general goal in dealing with tax policies that expires, or ‘sunset,’ is to take a close look at whether they still works before granting an extension — something that didn’t happen in this case.”
Republican lawmakers are mere spectators to the state budget spending whims of Democrats.
Melissa Gutierrez reports for The San Francisco Chronicle: “Republicans have been largely marginalized in the California Legislature since voters approved Prop. 25 to lower the threshold for passing a spending plan. The change occurred just as Democrats were increasing their footprint in both houses.”
“The result is this: Democratic lawmakers crafted a budget for their Democratic governor to sign.”
A fundraising ban bill that died last week has been resurrected.
Laurel Rosenhall reports in The Sacramento Bee: “It fell short of that margin last week when Senate Republicans argued that the bill didn't make clear that it covered all legislative candidates -- not just incumbents. Padilla got their votes when he brought it back today by saying he promised to make that amendment as the bill moves through the Assembly. It passed today with bipartisan support from 32 senators.”
“Republican Sen. Joel Anderson voted "no" and four senators withheld their votes: Democratic Sen. Bill Monning and Republican Sens. Tom Berryhill, Ted Gaines and Mimi Walters.”
It’s official, Los Angeles area state Sen. Kevin De León is the new leader of the senate.
Patrick McGreevy reports in The Los Angeles Times: “De León will be the first Los Angeles resident to lead the state Senate in two decades and the first Latino to hold the position since 1883.”
“Steinberg noted that it was a “watershed moment” in California’s modern history and predicted good years for the state with de León at the helm of the senate.”
State Senators pay a heavy tab to investigate a shooting involving a former Sergeant-at-Arms.
Laurel Rosenhall reports in The Sacramento Bee: “In March, attorney Sue Ann Van Dermyden and threat assessment expert James Cawood completed their investigation of issues raised by the December 2012 shooting outside the Sacramento home of Gerardo Lopez, who was a sergeant-at-arms for the Senate until he was fired last month. The investigators billed the Senate $41,486 for the work, according to information provided by Mark Hedlund, spokesman for Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg.”
“The results of their investigation fall under attorney-client privilege and will not be released by the Senate, Hedlund said.”
The Cal State University system gets a boost in funding – but proponents would’ve liked to see billions more.
Josh Dulaney reports for the LA Daily News: “The items were packed into the $156.4 billion budget plan the state Assembly approved Sunday for the fiscal year starting July 1, which also included $142.2 million Gov. Jerry Brown proposed for CSU as part of his multiyear plan for the system.”
“Trustees had asked for about $95.5 million more than what Brown proposed.”
A $10.5 billion water bond is heading for the November ballot – that is, if penny-pinching Gov. Jerry Brown approves it.
John Howard reports in Capitol Weekly: ““Everybody is waiting for the governor to show his hand,” said Timothy Quinn of the Association of California Water Agencies.””
“The price tag of the compromise is billions of dollars higher than originally envisioned by several lawmakers who offered rival proposals. The new bill is seen as more tightly written than the original, but the lineup of projects represents a delicate balance between north and south, environmentalists and water contractors, farmers and conservationists.”
In San Francisco, a fight over affordable housing is brewing over a measure to ensure about a third of all new units are below market rate.
J.K. Dineen and Marisa Lagos report for The San Francisco Chronicle: “Affordable housing advocates have been pushing for a measure like this for years, but so far San Francisco's development community sees little it likes. They argue that the measure will give antigrowth activists a tool to slow down or block new housing by adding a discouraging level of environmental review.”
California Democratic State Party head John Burton held the spotlight yesterday for the opening of the new party headquarters.
Jeremy B. White reports in The Sacramento Bee: “Among the donors helping to get the project off the ground was environmental activist and billionaire Tom Steyer, who contributed an undisclosed amount to the cause. The building was purchased for $830,000 and required just over $2 million worth of work, according to party spokesman Tenoch Flores.”
"It took a lot of money to get it to where it is now," Flores said. "It was essentially a renovation project."
California’s Alpine County may be the least populated, but they sure know how to turn out the vote.
Seema Mehta reports in The Los Angeles Times: “Nearly everyone in this community along the crest of the Sierra Nevada — carved through graceful, tall pine groves and mountain peaks, halfway between Lake Tahoe and Yosemite — makes their mark on election day. On June 3, in one of the least compelling gubernatorial primary elections in memory, nearly 70% of voters cast ballots, the largest turnout per capita in the state.”
“California as a whole is on track to hit a record of a more dubious nature — 18.3% of voters cast ballots through election day on June 3. Absentee and provisional ballots are still being counted, but voting experts expect the state to end up with a turnout of 22% to 23% — far less than any in recent history — when the tally is finalized in early July.”
