"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration is expected this month to
release a far-reaching proposal to combat global warming that
calls for increasing the price of gasoline to fund research into alternative fuels and requiring industries for the first time to report the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions they produce," reports Mark Martin in the Chron.
However, the plan is expected to face criticism from the gov's Republican base and the business community.
In fact, we can see the smoke coming out of their ears now..."'I think if you look at most polling, Californians want their taxes on gas to go toward improving the transportation system, not toward something that might marginally improve carbon emissions,' said
Allan Zaremberg, president of the California Chamber of Commerce, which is spearheading a new coalition called Sustainable Environment and Economy for California, or SEECalifornia, that intends to represent business interests as the global warming initiative progresses."
Meanwhile, somewhere in the governor's shadow,
Phil Angelides began "laying out an environmental agenda he hopes to pursue as governor. Angelides' plan involves
proposed cutting California's oil consumption by 25% over 10 years with a plan that would require all new vehicles sold in the state to be able to run on a mix of gasoline and alternative fuels," reports Michael Finnegan in the Times.
"To accommodate the new vehicles, the Democrat would require oil companies to convert filling-station pumps to sell blends of gasoline and bio-fuels, such as corn-based ethanol. The state and every local government in California would serve as a model for consumers: all vehicles bought by public agencies for their fleets would have to be highly fuel-efficient, such as hybrids, or run on an alternative energy source. To further cut gasoline use, the state would
try to curb suburban sprawl by spurring developers to build housing around mass-transit stops in city centers."
Apparently, Angelides is regretting the
Natomas developments that made him wealthy.
What's that?
Steve Westly's office on the line, and the
Bee has the response.
"A spokesman for opponent Steve Westly, the state's Democratic controller, dismissed Angelides' plan, saying the treasurer is '
no friend to the environment.'"
"Nick Velasquez said the Sacramento developments Angelides built before his election to statewide office increased sprawl in the region and damaged wetlands."
Ah ha! A campaign theme is beginning to emerge...
But Angelides' plan was enough to get the backing of the Ralph Nader wing of the party. Angelides received $10,000 yesterday from the family of
Norman Lear, the "All in the Family" creator who backed Beatty's flirtation with running for president in 2000.
Ameriquest and San Diego Padres Chairman and UC Regent
John Moores each chipped in $100,000 for Don Perata's infrastructure campaign. Bay Area developer Albert Seeno added another $50,000.
For more information, check out
Electiontrack.com.
Good thing the Democrats found a way to get their hands on some cash that doesn't fall under Prop. 34 limits!
Speaking of campaigns, the State Supreme Court ruled yesterday that Proposition 77 was
properly placed before the voters in November's election, even if there were minor differences in the petitions circulated to qualify it, writes Jim Sanders in the Bee.
"The high court ruled Thursday that "inadvertent" procedural errors were insufficient to disqualify Proposition 77 from the ballot because voters were not misled."
"The court was split 4-2 on the key issue, known as 'substantial compliance.'"
"
Ted Costa, who helped craft Proposition 77, applauded the court's order but quipped that he hardly considers himself the winner."
"'
Let's put it this way - it seems like you lose even when you win,' said Costa, head of the People's Advocate watchdog group. 'We lost at the ballot box.'"
Meanwhile, "On Thursday,
Sen. Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch, introduced a bill that would
put a measure on the June ballot asking voters to delay the after-school payments until the state pays schools billions of dollars owed for general operating costs.
"'We're headed for big trouble again in terms of the stability of the budget, with a $6 billion structural budget gap for next year,' said Torlakson, a member of the Senate Budget Committee. 'This is one way to deal with it.'"
"Former Los Angeles City Councilman
Martin Ludlow is
considering stepping down as head of an influential and politically active labor group and is
weighing a plea bargain with prosecutors investigating the alleged misuse of union money in his 2003 campaign for the council, associates and sources said Thursday," report Patrick McGreevy and Steve Hymon in the Times.
"Union officials seemed stunned as word circulated that Ludlow might face criminal charges. Only last summer, he resigned his council post to became executive secretary-treasurer — the top staff position — of the powerful Los Angeles County Federation of Labor upon the sudden death of his union mentor,
Miguel Contreras."
"'I'm just devastated,' said
Rick Icaza, federation president. 'We're going to have to have an emergency meeting to appoint a successor.'"
Condemned inmate
Michael Morales has
added Kenneth Starr to his legal team in a last bid for clemency. Louis Sahagun writes for the Times "Starr, dean of the Pepperdine Law School, said he was convinced the execution would be "a grievous injustice of profound proportions" — even though Morales doesn't deny that he raped and murdered 17-year-old Lodi high school senior Terri Winchell in 1981, choking her from behind with a belt, beating her on the head with a hammer and stabbing her with a knife."
"At issue is the testimony of a jailhouse informant that Morales bragged about the murder in conversational Spanish. That provided prosecutors with the basis for the special circumstance that landed Morales on death row."
"But it was later learned that Morales, a Stockton high school dropout, doesn't speak Spanish."
Dorsey Griffith reports on the
ethical conflicts facing physicians that are scheduled to participate in Morales's execution.
Meanwhile, the residents of Palo Alto have
lost in their divorce proceedings from East Palo Alto. "Several hundred residents who say they're paying too much for car insurance tried and failed to convince the U.S. Postal Service to allow them to migrate to a ZIP code where insurers charge cheaper rates."
"The Palo Alto residents argued they were unfairly paying too much because they share the 94303 ZIP code with the neighboring city of East Palo Alto, where rates are often higher because of increased accidents and break-ins, community organizers said."
"'My intent is not to say I don’t like East Palo Alto,' said
Arthur Keller, president of the Adobe Meadow Neighborhood Association. 'It's a bread-and-butter economic issue.'"
The dancing gecko was unavailable for comment.
And sad news from Palo Alto, as reports find that
the Stanford Tree was, well, out of her tree at a recent basketball game. "The student wearing the costume of the legendary mascot was
suspended from duty after
UC Berkeley police observed her drinking from a flask during a Stanford-Cal basketball game last week, officials said today.
Really, why else dance around in a giant pine tree costume if you can't have a pull or two off the flask? Is it really going to affect her job performance?
"'She was taking drinks inside the tree,' said
Kevin Klintworth, assistant athletic director at Cal. 'The officers could see the flask through the costume.'" Which raises an interesting question: If a tree gets drunk in the forest, and no university cop is there to see it... oh, never mind.
We knew that rivalry was serious, but this means war...
Finally, we have another reason for state legislators to aspire for election to Congress--
free subscriptions to Hustler magazine.
"Tucked in a conservative-looking manila envelope, the latest edition of Hustler goes to all 535 members of Congress. Free of charge."
"Not that most members want it," reports the Salt Lake Tribune. "It usually gets thrown in the circular file marked 'trash.'"
(And then pulled out of aforementioned circular file when nobody else is looking.)
