Representatives of road building firms and labor unions
called for a 1/4 cent sales tax to support a large bond on next year's ballot. "The California Alliance for Jobs called for a bond package of $30 billion to $40 billion for transportation and levee improvements next year, agreeing with Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, state Treasurer
Phil Angelides and legislative leaders that California is woefully behind on road, flood-control and other projects."
"'We recognize that the tax thing is problematic from a political standpoint,' said Jim Earp, executive director of the alliance. 'There is reticence to go in that direction. From our research, we feel voters are ready to go there.'"
The administration, however, is not.
"'We don't believe you have to have a tax increase as part of a responsible financing plan for infrastructure,' [Finance spokesman
H.D.] Palmer said. "We believe you can have a mix of financing for a broad-based infrastructure package that doesn't have to increase taxes.'"
John Howard reports in the Capitol Weekly that the Senate is close to
introducing a bond in the neighborhood of $12 billion, which will be unveiled early next year.
"After months of negotiations,
an $11.7 billion transportation and infrastructure plan to repair roads, ease traffic, strengthen levees, and expand affordable housing is coming together in the Senate. A similar proposal, with new school construction funding, will be unveiled in the Assembly in January. Both houses hope to get their proposals ready within two weeks, when the new legislative session gets under way."
"And Gov. Schwarzenegger's own plan, which Capitol sources say
may be pared down from its original $50 billion price tag to $35 billion and may be phased in over time rather than in one lump, is scheduled to be unveiled on Jan. 5."
The University of California
won the competition to continue operating the Los Alamos National Laboratory yesterday, edging out the University of Texas. "The decision, announced by Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman in Washington, D.C., allows UC to retain management of the lab it has run since World War II, but now it will do so in partnership with a larger consortium that includes corporate giant Bechtel National of San Francisco."
Former state senator
Richard Mountjoy said yesterday that he intends to seek the Republican nomination to
challenge Dianne Feinstein in her U.S. Senate reelection bid next year, writes Mike Sprague in the Inland Valley Daily Tribune.
Mountjoy didn't exactly demonstrate "fire in the belly" for the race.
"'
If somebody with money gets into the (Republican) primary, I don't want to do battle,' said Mountjoy, 73. 'With this campaign to take her out, it will take energy from start to finish.'"
Hey, the Roundup gets a new quote machine for Christmas! Thanks, Mr. Mountjoy!
George Skelton writes that 1.2 million "aged, blind and disabled" Californians are
receiving letters from the state that amounts to a lump of coal in their stockings. "The mangled message was this: Normally, you'd be getting a cost of living adjustment (COLA) starting Jan. 1. But don't look for it. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature grabbed the money to balance the state budget without raising taxes."
"Bah humbug! This Christmas, Sacramento plays Scrooge."
The "Protect Marriage" initiative, which would have placed a ban on same-sex marriages in the state constitution,
failed to get enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.
Meanwhile, the Bee's Andy Furillo reports that
Mark Bucher, a Tustin attorney who is treasurer and vice chairman of the Republican Party of Orange County,
has filed two proposed initiatives with the attorney general's office to restrict campaign contributions. "One of the measures submitted this month for review to the state attorney general's office mirrors the recently defeated Proposition 75 and would
prevent public employee unions from spending their individual members' dues money on political campaigns without first obtaining their annual written consent. An alternative would
prohibit corporations as well as labor unions from contributing money to state and local campaigns."
"'As you recall during the discussion of Proposition 75, the unions would say, 'We're singling out the unions, let's include the corporations,'' Bucher said. 'I thought, '
That sounds like a pretty darn good idea. Let's take 'em all out.'"
"It didn't come as a good idea, though, to the California Chamber of Commerce or the California Business Roundtable, two of the leading business organizations in the state - both of which supported Proposition 75 on the Nov. 8 special election ballot."
"
Allan Zaremberg and
Bill Hauck, the respective presidents of the two groups, put out a joint statement Wednesday criticizing the concept as potentially thwarting their efforts to keep the focus at the Capitol next year on transportation, energy and education issues." And in the process, they seemed to want to make piece with organized labor.
"'It would be counterproductive,' the statement said, 'to solving the state's problems if an upcoming ballot included another union dues measure or a similar measure to seek shareholder approval before company resources could be spent in the political process.
An acrimonious campaign on either one of these measures diverts attention from critical issues facing the state and should be avoided for the best interests of California.'"
Wrapping up loose ends before the end of the year, a federal audit has found that former Secretary of State
Kevin Shelley mismanaged, misspent or failed to account for $3.8 million in federal voting funds, writes Jim Sanders in the Bee. "Improprieties included spending federal funds for speechwriting and various promotional items, including T-shirts, buttons, balloons and other souvenirs, auditors found."
"The federal funds were meant to help states transition to electronic voting, compile statewide voter registration lists, buy new equipment, train new poll workers and increase voter turnout."
Glad that we got that wrapped up.
Dan Weintraub writes in the Bee about
Tom McClintock's
effort to place an eminent domain limitation measure on the ballot, and suggests that it could parallel the Prop. 13 tax revolt.
"'
There is nothing that stirs the American heart more than a manifest abuse of power that creates an injustice,' McClintock told me last week. '
Taking one person's home or business to give it to another for personal gain is exactly such an abuse of power.'"
"McClintock's proposal could sharply limit the scope of redevelopment in California, forcing the agencies that do such work to deal only with willing sellers if they intend to transfer title of the land to another private party. And even in those cases where property owners are willing to sell their land, the kind of constitutional protection McClintock is talking about would probably drive up the price of property government agencies are seeking to acquire."
"'Homes aren't being seized in upscale Republican neighborhoods,' McClintock said. 'They're being seized in working-class neighborhoods. Major corporations aren't suffering from the seizure of their businesses. It's mom-and-pop shops that are being seized.
This is the theft by the politically powerful of property owned by the politically weak. That strikes a chord among honest liberals.'"
"If he's correct, eminent domain may prove to be as powerful a political issue as it has been as public policy."
Steve Westly will hold a press conference today, trying to capitalize on the slow news day to get a little ink. A release from Westly's office says the Controller will "discuss issues of transparency with regard to personal income tax return disclosure, the Governor’s China trip, Treasurer Angelides’ pattern of secrecy, and the race for Governor. A media availability will follow."
Sounds like quite an agenda.
Finally, from our
Are You Sure I'm Not German? Files, Reuters reports on a new survey that shows
some Germans would rather spend Christmas with a tree than with their families. 75 percent of those surveyed said a tree was essential to celebrate Christmas, while only 65 percent said spending the holiday with family was essential.
