George Skelton
summarizes his view of the Susan Kennedy pick. "Looked at one way, Kennedy's appointment
was a dumb move because the governor didn't need any more political grief."
"But a clearer view is that if this Democrat can save Schwarzenegger — get him working productively with the Legislature —
it may be his smartest move as governor."
Get ready for even more Susan Kennedy coverage as the new chief of staff is made available to reporters in the next few days.
On the policy front, Kennedy's biggest impact may be in
tweaking the governor's workers compensation overhaul, reports Capitol Weekly's John Howard.
"'We do expect that workers' compensation will be on the radar in '06. We think our job really will be to defend that reforms that have been enacted. Those reforms are, in fact, working,' said
Nicole Mahrt of the American Insurance Association."
Meanwhile, Edward Barrera of the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
talks to area Assembly Republicans following their meeting with the gov. "'The governor has delivered on every promise he has made to us,' said Assemblyman
Bill Emmerson, R-Rancho Cucamonga. 'He has said he would be a fiscal conservative. He said he would be a reform governor and reduce the deficit.
If Susan Kennedy implements the governor's approach, I'm not going to be critical of her.'"
"'This goes beyond the grass roots and conservatives and (includes) the broader base,' said Assemblyman
Russ Bogh, R-Yucaipa. 'Most of the burden is on Susan Kennedy to show she is loyal to the governor. We are sitting back and waiting for that.'"
If only Assembly Republicans had the same loyalty...
"
Legislators said at the meeting that the governor dismissed talk of pushing for a $50 billion bond, though he wouldn't reveal specific plans for an infrastructure bond. He also said he had not agreed to back Oakland Democrat state Sen. Don Perata's $10 billion infrastructure bond either."
"'The big concern for many is that we have taken a $30 billion deficit and reduced it to almost zero,' Bogh said. '
We want to make sure we don't go down the path of Gray Davis and start spending ourselves into oblivion."
And speaking of the special election, Capitol Weekly's Shane Goldmacher gets a hold of a
threatening letter sent from the Alliance for a Better California to the Chamber of Commerce on how to play nice with others.
"In the letter, the union leaders, which included [
Lou] Poulson,
Barbara Kerr, president of the California Teacher's Association,
Mike Jimenez, president of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, and
Sal Rosselli, president of the SEIU California State Council among others, took umbrage with the Chamber's backing of the special election, and Proposition 75 in particular."
"'Had the Chamber not participated, the voters of California would have been spared this ordeal,' they wrote, adding that the union coalition was 'forced to spend millions of dollars protecting California schools, public safety and the working people of this state.'"
You can
read the entire letter here.
A group of out-of-state students
sued California's public university and community college systems for
providing lower fees to some undocumented students than required of out-of-state students, reports Stu Silverstein in the Times. "The suit, filed in Yolo County Superior Court, challenges practices based on 2001 state legislation that allows certain undocumented immigrants to pay the same charges for college as other California students. California is one of at least nine states that permit some undocumented immigrants to pay in-state fees, an issue that has drawn fire from advocates of tougher policies against illegal immigration."
"Among the plaintiffs are former San Diego County Rep.
Brian Bilbray, the Republican running for the seat vacated by Rep.
Randy "Duke" Cunningham, who recently pleaded guilty to corruption charges. Bilbray has been active in efforts against illegal immigration. Also named are Bilbray's two children, Briana and Patrick, who reportedly had to pay out-of-state tuition at San Diego City College after moving back to California from Virginia."
Meanwhile, Attorney General
Bill Lockyer was successful in his campaign with New York AG
Eliot Spitzer to pressure RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company to
drop a direct mail campaign that Lockyer argued promoted irresponsible drinking, writes Andrew McIntosh in the Bee. "The nation's second largest cigarette manufacturer canceled its 'Drinks On Us' direct mail campaign Wednesday after attorneys general in three states condemned the promotion for encouraging binge drinking and excessive smoking among young adults."
"The snake bite must have worked,' Lockyer said. 'The company has a corporate culture that lacks a moral compass.'"
Capitol Weekly's Malcolm Maclachlan reports on a group affiliated with the Church of Scientology that is
making its presence felt inside the Capitol.
"Members of the Citizens Crusade for Human Rights seem to have been downplaying the group's affiliation with the Church of Scientology, instead positioning themselves within a growing movement of psychiatry skeptics outside of the Church.
"The CCHR has been pushing for greater limits on the use of psychotropic drugs, and they have gained traction with some legislators. A spokeswoman for the CCHR, Cassandra Auerbach, was quoted in a press release last year from Asm.
Dennis Mountjoy, R-Monrovia. Asm.
Ray Haynes, R-Murrieta, is shown on the CCHR's Web site performing a ribbon cutting for a display the group ran in outside the Capitol last spring about what they see as the dangers of psychiatry."
Following the hanging of
Gray Davis's portrait in the Capitol last week, Sacramento News and Review's Capitol Bites is
looking for ideas for Governor Schwarzenegger's official portrait. "The question Bites poses is: What should Schwarzenegger’s portrait look like when he leaves office? What should he be wearing, and where should he be standing? Send your artistic visions to
Bites."
