"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
has until Friday to get parts of his record public works spending plan on the June ballot, a deadline that doesn't seem to have him particularly concerned," reports Steve Lawrence for the AP.
"'
If you're lucky, we can do it for the June ballot. But both... parties agree that we should not really think about that so much, but let's think about doing it well and doing the right thing,'' he said last week before leaving for Ohio for the Arnold Classic, a weekend of fitness and athletic events."
"'It could be done by June or it could be done by November. One way or the other, we're going to get it done.'"
Rep.
Bill Thomas will
announce his reelection plans today at a news conference. If Thomas decides not to seek reelection, as expected, Assemblyman
Kevin McCarthy would step down as Republican leader and enter the race to succeed him, leaving Assembly Republicans to pick a new leader heading into this year's budget negotiations.
If you listen close, you can hear the scurrying now...
Laura Mecoy reports for the Bee on the
development of Prop. 82. "Labor leaders sat across the table from the state's business elite. Republicans chatted with Democrats, and multimillionaires schemed with early childhood education experts in the screening room of [
Rob] Reiner's Brentwood home in September 2004."
"Reiner gave his hand-picked cast his directions: They were to work out their differences and craft an initiative paying for preschool for all of the state's 4-year-olds. Thus began an innovative, seven-month process that produced Proposition 82, the measure on the June 6 ballot seeking to raise taxes on wealthy Californians to pay for universal preschool."
"'There were a lot of contentious moments and people struggling with the issues,' Reiner said. 'But at the end of the day, people's better angels came through.'"
Well, except for
Don Perata...
Meanwhile, there's growing criticism of the after-school program championed by
Arnold Schwarzenegger before he became governor.
"There's mounting pressure on the governor
to delay his after-school program expansion — or dump it entirely. Ultimately, if Schwarzenegger allowed it, that question would be put to California voters, who approved Proposition 49 by a 57% majority," George Skelton writes in the Times.
"'First things first,' says Sen.
Tom Torlakson (D-Antioch), a former school teacher who's sponsoring legislation that would place a measure on the June ballot to delay the program.'Let's get our financial house in order. We've mandated programs and pulled the rug out from under schools. They need discretionary money. There's a whole host of things not being funded: Class-size reduction. Preparing students for the exit exam. Attracting and maintaining math and science teachers."
Skelton writes "The truth is, many schools don't have the matching money to qualify for the Schwarzenegger grants anyway. So the program may be phased in naturally on its own.
Schwarzenegger loves this program. It's his pet. But he should be asking himself whether "living within our means" was merely a one-year political slogan, or a guiding principle to govern by."
Speaking of programs that the governor loves, David Whitney reports from the Bee Washington bureau on the governor's
comments at his fitness exposition this weekend in Columbus, Ohio. "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger conceded Sunday that getting drugs out of the bodybuilding sport he loves so dearly will be close to impossible."
"Before heading back to California, ... Schwarzenegger said he doesn't think performance-enhancing drugs can be eliminated from sports. 'Everyone has tried,' he said. 'But there is the other side of it, that is people's egos, wanting to be the best and wanting to outdo the next guy and all those things.' He cited the recent Winter Olympics in Italy as an example."
"'Think about what people are risking when you saw the Olympics,' he said. 'I mean, people crashing on the ice and people crashing on the downhill race and people sometimes die on those downhill races.
It's amazing what people are willing to risk in order to be No. 1.'"
Eric Bailey reports on the
construction of the Capitol security perimeter for the Times. "Near several entrances to the statehouse, heavily fortified planter beds 3 feet tall already stand sentry. Steel posts ring several sides of the Capitol. Inch-thick cable will be strung from the deep-sunk posts, and rows of bushes will hide them from view."
"Along pathways, workers have installed a complex system of hydraulics beneath the pavement, so security posts can be lowered to clear the way for firetrucks and ambulances.Posts in high traffic spots will be dressed up with tapered exteriors topped with a state seal. But they'll be deceptively strong, able to absorb the impact of a big-rig truck."
"'If someone hits this,' [Senate Sergeant at Arms
Tony] Beard said, patting one of the steel posts, "
the engine will end up in his lap.'"
The SF Examiner's David Carpenter reports on the
race to replace Jackie Speier in the senate. "With three Democratic candidates in the 8th Senate District primary focused on the same issues in a heated race, who wins may come down to a matter of leadership style, according to candidate and former San Mateo County Supervisor
Mike Nevin."
"Nevin, along with former Assemblyman
Lou Papan and current Assemblyman
Leland Yee, D-San Francisco/San Mateo, locked horns Tuesday night in the first of a series of forums in their bid to win termed-out state Sen. Jackie Speier’s seat. Speier is running for lieutenant governor."
"
Nevin announced Saturday that he had received the endorsement of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, while Yee previously received the nod of state Sen. Carole Migden."
Ted Lieu "wants to
discourage Tom Cruise fans from following the celebrity's lead by buying their own ultrasound machines, commonly used to capture sonograms of a developing fetus," writes Michael Gardner in the Daily Breeze.
"The fear is people will copy what he has done," said Lieu in introducing
legislation that would prohibit the sale or lease of ultrasound machines in California to anyone other than licensed medical professionals.
"Lieu said he decided to introduce the measure after he read that Cruise, one of the world's most popular actors, had told ABC's
Barbara Walters in November that he bought one for fiancee
Katie Holmes, star of the former television series 'Dawson's Creek.'"
Finally, from our
Department of Corrections: We reported last week that the League of Cities was supporting the governor's infrastructure proposal. The league wants a bond on the June ballot, but is not backing a specific proposal.
