The LAT's Jordan Rau reports that a
deal avoiding a contentious ballot showdown appears unlikely. Senate leader
Don Perata appeared at a mid-morning press conference, dismissed the possibility of a negotiated agreement, and set the scene for a November 8 battle.
"
'This is going to be a referendum on the governor,' said [Senate leader
Don] Perata, who asserted that Schwarzenegger's emphasis on a special election had stymied more "thoughtful" approaches to state problems."
"The governor's spokeswoman,
Margita Thompson, said, 'The governor is an extremely optimistic person, and he will not accept defeatist attitudes. He will continue to work as hard as he can for a negotiated bipartisan agreement on the ballot.'"
Meanwhile, Secretary of State
Bruce McPherson called for legislation to provide his office with
more time and authority to review petitions submitted for ballot measures to avoid circulation problems like Proposition 77's two different versions. McPherson also hinted that
he will make an announcement soon about running for the office next year, which he was appointed to in February following the resignation of
Kevin Shelley.
"'He's a Republican politician,' said
Bob Mulholland, a spokesman for the California Democratic Party. 'Everyone outside the Capitol knew this was a dog looking for a job.'"
From our
Who Let the Dogs Out Files: Sometimes, having a rally does a cause more harm than good. The jury is still out on whether the boisterous Capitol rally featuring pit bulls and other "he's never violent near us" breeds yesterday helped or hurt their cause, which is to defeat
SB 861. The bill by Senator
Jackie Speier would allow local governments to pass ordinances restricting the possession of dogs by specific breed, introduced following stories of violent attacks in San Francisco.
Speaking of big dogs, the pharmaceutical industry
took to the air in what we imagine will be the first of several hundred bazillion commercials in its campaign against Proposition 79 and for Proposition 78 yesterday with a statewide ad buy. The release triggered sparring comments between advocates of each of the conflicting measures.
"'Thankfully consumers know that they can't trust what the drug companies promise and will approach these false claims with a hefty dose of skepticism,' said
Anthony Wright, director of Health Access, one of the consumer groups behind Proposition 79."
"'If you are interested in playing politics with unions, then you'll be behind Prop. 79. Our campaign is going to explain what the policy difference are between the two,' [campaign manager
Frank Schubert said. 'We are not hiding the fact the pharmaceutical industry is involved in our campaign. We put it in our first TV ad.'"
...as
required by law.
The California Department of Education
released school test scores yesterday, and the results are a conclusive "good, but not good enough." Reminds us of our own high school days.
"Students in grades two through 11 have steadily increased their test scores over the last four years, progress that officials attribute to a strong focus on academic standards in classroom instruction. The pace of the students' improvement, however,
has not come quickly enough for all schools to keep up with requirements in the federal law — a looming problem particularly for campuses that serve predominantly Latino and African American students, whose test scores remain far below those of their white and Asian peers."
From the ElectionTrack wire: Following the withdrawal of her opponent, Assembly District 53 candidate Mary Jo Ford
added $55,000 from her personal funds to her campaign account yesterday. This brings the physician's personal commitment to the campaign to $155,000.
In more special election news, the governor
called the election to fill the seat left vacant by the confirmation of new SEC chairman Chris Cox. "Schwarzenegger set
Dec. 6 as the date for the special election for the 48th District seat that Cox vacated two weeks ago so he could become chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. But voters in the Newport Beach and Irvine-centered district could have a new member of Congress sooner if someone gets a majority of the votes in the
Oct. 4 primary."
From our
Ah Yes, I Remember it Well Files, Capitol television sets will turn to Channel 3 at 4 p.m. today, when
Gigi Goyette appears on the tabloid show "Inside Edition" to discuss her acceptance of $20,000 from American Media, Inc. to stay quiet about the nature of her relationship with
Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Bee reports that Goyette will deny that she had an affair with Schwarzenegger, something he stopped short of doing yesterday.
"At an event Monday in Stockton, where Schwarzenegger sought to highlight money in his state budget for school bus safety, a reporter asked the Republican governor:
'Did they (the magazines) cover up an affair?'"
"
'Not that I know of', Schwarzenegger said in a transcript released by his press office. 'You have to ask them. I have nothing to do with that.'"
"On 'Inside Edition,' Goyette characterizes the behavior differently, according to the show's press release, describing it as
'hugging, kissing and petting.'"
"I do that with all my friends," she said. "
And I've done it in front of Maria. Hello, how are you? Kiss both cheeks, good to see you, Maria. How's the kids? What's going on?
Harmless, completely harmless.'"
Did she say petting?
