A number of Sunday pieces come to the conclusion that, by and large,
this year's legislative session was a waste of time. The LA Times' Jordan Rau writes this year was a "stalemate" because of the special election. "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's yearlong focus on prying power from lawmakers provoked a backlash that paralyzed this year's legislative session, shredding the agendas of both the Republican governor and the Democratic majority."
But not all was lost. "
Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, the Assembly GOP leader, boasted that lawmakers had
raised the state's credit rating above Lithuania's." And speaker Fabian Nuñez says everyone played well together.
Knight-Ridder's Laura Kurtzman and Andrew LaMar write "2005 is likely to go down as one of the Legislature's least productive years. Far from prodding Democrats into action, the governor's call for a special election made them
dig in their heels."
Was that some kind of gay marriage crack?
"'When you look at the civility with which things got done in this Legislature," Nuñez said Friday, 'I think it is a disservice to a lot of the progress we have made to both dismiss the hard work that has gone on during this legislative session and the things that got accomplished.'"
Senate Leader Don Perata was a bit more critical in his assessment. "'I'm disappointed, because we could have done more this year,' said Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland. '
If this were football, we wouldn't be in the playoffs."
Switching sports, Perata tells George Skelton. "We wasted this year.
This was like a rain delay in baseball. We had to wait for the weather to clear before the game could continue. And the rain delay continues."
Dan Walters uses another example of deadlock. "The Assembly handily approved Assemblywoman Lois Wolk's second attempt to beef up protections against urban development in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in May. With no organized opposition, she believed her bill would soon be sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk.
"When the Legislature adjourned Thursday night, however,
Assembly Bill 797 was still ensnarled in bitter squabbling that involved leaders of the two legislative houses, Wolk's complaints of 'extortion' by a former state senator and some unusual machinations by a senior Senate staff member."
And you thought your desk was a mess. The California Legislature "handled more than 3,000 bills" this year, with 1,600 of them landing on Gov. Schwarzenegger's desk. The governor has until Oct. 9 to sign or veto the bills, or allow them to become law without his signature. The LA Times
gives us the breakdown, from alcohol to x-rays.
The
list of enrolled bills is available on AroundTheCapitol.com.
Most of of the animal bills that garnered Roundup space this year
didn't make it to the governor, writes the Union-Tribune's Ed Mendel. "'My perception is that animal bills always get a certain amount of ridicule,' said Assemblyman
Paul Koretz, D-West Hollywood, whose ear-clipping bill stalled in committee. 'It's hard to get them taken seriously, even though everyone's constituents care a lot about animals. It shouldn't be the case. Nonetheless, it is.'"
But today, the guv leaves all that behind, beginning a week of campaigning that is expected to culminate in Schwarzenegger
announcing his run for reelection. Today, the guv begins a series of
invite-only town halls, this one in Riverside. From the governor's campaign: "The Governor will kick off the fall campaign season with 'Conversations with Californians,' a town hall-style meeting where he will answer questions posed by voters. This is the first in a series of “Conversations with Californians” that will be held statewide."
And, if you believe
conservative Canadian political columnists, he's going to win the hearts and minds of Californians.
The Times reports on American Media's efforts to
suppress a Playboy video during the recall campaign which may have been embarrassing to the governor. "American Media Inc., publisher of the National Enquirer
paid Thomas Wells of Los Angeles $2,000 for a copy of the video under two agreements that barred him from discussing it with anyone but the company.
After the Enquirer secured Wells' tape in September 2003, the tabloid did not mention it in any articles. The video was being sold on the Internet at the time; it is not clear whether the company knew that when it made the purchase.
Speaking of things that were kept under wrap in 2003,
Mort Zuckerman-backed Radar magazine says that the governor's upcoming veto of
Mark Leno's same-sex marriage bill
ends a longstanding relationship between the governor and the gay community. "Veteran Arnold watchers say the California governor’s announced veto of his state’s historic same-sex marriage bill is an affront to the memory of his most enthusiastic early supporters: the gay sugar daddies of the international bodybuilding circuit."
"
Paul Barresi, an L.A.-based private investigator and retired gay porn star, who claims Schwarzenegger’s camp hired him before the 2002 gubernatorial race (through the offices of P.I.
Anthony Pellicano) to 'look into' any compromising relationships the then-prospective candidate still had in the demimonde, said he was “shocked that Arnold would turn his back on the very people who were obviously so helpful to him.
In fact, Arnold even met his wife, Maria [Shriver], though his friendship with a gay member of Maria’s family.'"
Moving on, voters head to the polls tomorrow to pick a replacement for the late Assemblyman
Mike Gordon, who died of a brain tumor earlier this year. The
LA Times has a preview. "Although a Democrat has held the seat since 1992, it is considered vulnerable. Voter registration in the district is 41% Democrat and 35% Republican, but 20% decline to state party affiliation."
Finally, the two women that made 1992 the Year of the Woman are working to ensure that 2006 isn't, at least in
Senate District 20.
Barbara Boxer endorsed
Alex Padilla this weekend, adding herself to
Dianne Feinstein's support of the LA councilmember, which he received last week. Padilla is running against Assemblymember
Cindy Montañez.
