Smiles were everywhere yesterday as Sacramento marked the beginning of a new session of the California Legislature. The swearing in was followed by instructions for newbies, like how to actually cast the vote. There were new faces like Assemblywoman Patty Lopez, AD-39, there with her diminutive mom, and old faces, like Senator Bob Hertzberg, SD-18 who later hosted friends at his home. Also on hand were journalists who wrote about it all: Samantha Gallegos and John Howard for Capitol Weekly, John Myers at KQED, Jessica Calefati for the San Jose Mercury News, and Laurel Rosenhall and Jeremy White at the Sac Bee:
“A day of swearing-in ceremonies marked the first meeting of a California Legislature profoundly shaped by term limits, with a majority of members entering their first or second terms. This year’s election has also altered the political dynamics. While Democrats still dominate both the Senate and the Assembly, they no longer wield the two-thirds “supermajorities” they briefly secured in 2012.
“Legislators launched the new session by introducing bills covering policy areas ranging from the minimum wage to electronic cigarettes. And in an introduction to Sacramento’s workings, they were greeted by lobbyists and representatives of various interest groups at a cornucopia of special events.”
Sacramento is heading for a showdown with the UC Board of Regents over funding. A new poll from PPIC shows that the public wants them to find a solution without raising tuition – or taxes. From John Myers at KQED:
“Fifty-nine percent of those surveyed say there’s not enough current funding for higher education in California, with even more concern among Democrats and ethnic communities. While the overall number is down compared with PPIC polls asking the same question in 2010 and 2011, those were also recession years in which government funding for everything was being cut to balance the books.
“But when asked whether they’d favor higher tuition or new taxes, Californians in the new survey pretty much say no to both options: 56 percent oppose an earmarked tax increase, 77 percent oppose an increase in tuition.”
Voter turnout in the 2014 election was expected to be low, just not this low. Many see voter disaffection as a cause for big concern. Christopher Cadelago looks at the turnout and its cause and effect for the Sacramento Bee.
“Though three small counties have yet to report, voter turnout in the midterm election stood Monday at just 42.2 percent, and isn’t expected to change significantly. That will obliterate the state’s modern-era record for voter apathy of 50.6 percent in 2002, when Gov. Gray Davis cruised past Republican Bill Simon.
“’I wasn’t surprised that we broke the record,’ said Mindy Romero, director of the California Civic Engagement Project at UC Davis. ‘I was surprised, and I am very concerned, that we actually smashed it.’”
The use of microbeads – tiny plastic particles found in skin cleaning products – narrowly survived the last legislative session. Environmental groups, who say the particles wreak havoc on marine life, will try again this year. From Melody Gutierrez at SFGate:
“Assemblyman Richard Bloom, D-Santa Monica, introduced a bill in California in February that would have required microbead products to be off shelves by Jan. 1, 2016, but it fell one vote short of passing the state Legislature. Bloom plans to carry a similar bill in 2015.
“’I think we will win this year,’ Wilson said. ‘We’re going over drafts right now and building a broader coalition to sponsor this.’"
We may be getting rain this week, but the drought still looms large – for some. At the Los Angeles Times, Bettina Boxall reports on the state’s largest suburban water user: Rancho Santa Fe.
“Behind the groves of orange trees and gated driveways in this wealthy San Diego County enclave lie estates boasting Gatsby-sized lawns, resort-style swimming pools, water falls and even putting greens.
“It is Southern California's denial of its dry geography writ large.
“And it's the reason that on a daily per capita basis, households in this area lapped up an average of nearly five times the water used by coastal Southern California homes in September, earning them the dubious distinction of being the state's biggest residential water hogs.”
And, if you’ve ever yearned to own a piece of personal memorabilia from ‘70s superstar Burt Reynolds, here’s your chance. After years of financial woes, the film icon has decided to ‘downsize,’ and is offering up an incredible array of over 600 pieces of memorabilia and personal items to be auctioned off on December 11 and 12. From Alex McCown at the AV Club:
“Entitled Property From The Life And Career Of Burt Reynolds, the auction catalog is actually an incredibly substantive collection of memorabilia from Reynolds’ work in film and television. The jacket Reynolds wore in Smokey And The Bandit II? Check. His football helmet from the original The Longest Yard? Check. His signed copy of a mass-market book of photographs taken by Kenny Rogers? SUPERCHECK. Also, there are leather chaps, belt buckles, and Stetson hats aplenty. The Burt Reynolds auction has something for everyone.”
But, if the chance to own Burt’s Golden Globe for Boogie Nights, or his high school football trophies isn’t going to be quite enough for you, the Burt Reynolds superfan, you’re in luck! Car collector Tim Wellborn will be parting with the 1978 Pontiac Trans Am made famous in the Smokey and the Bandit series (and forever memorialized by Bruce Springsteen in the song “Cadillac Ranch”) in a Mecum auction to be held in January.
Save your pennies!
