"Two days before the state firefighters union finalized a $5 million independent advertising effort to back gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides, its president
attended a meeting last week in which Angelides officials discussed with labor leaders the Democrat's recent drop in polls," reports the Bee's Kevin Yamamura.
"
Lou Paulson, president of the California Professional Firefighters, confirmed that he attended the April 18 meeting with more than a dozen other labor officials, but he said he never discussed advertising strategy with Angelides campaign staff."
But the IE did happen to launch its television spots just as the Angelides campaign went dark.
"The firefighters and two law enforcement groups spearheaded the independent expenditure committee Californians for a Better Government,
which by law cannot coordinate or consult with a candidate on whose behalf it spends money."
"'The meeting had nothing to do with the independent expenditure we're participating in," Paulson said. '
We've never coordinated in any way, shape or form with (Angelides) on that. This organization doesn't break the law.'"
Angelides is up on the air again today, with a new spot once again featuring his daughters. "The ad underscores Angelides’ role as a national leader in the corporate reform movement as well as his leadership in standing up to Governor Schwarzenegger’s cuts to education and health care" according to a statement from the campaign. The ad, which will run in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and Sacramento, will be available online later today.
"With just six weeks left in their primary race for governor, the fight between Democrats Steve Westly and Phil Angelides is
turning into a test of money versus institutional muscle," writes Mark Barabak in the Times.
"For months, Angelides, the state treasurer, was perceived as the front-runner in the contest, collecting a string of high-profile endorsements, ignoring Westly and campaigning against Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as though the Democratic race had been decided."
"But now Angelides acknowledges he has fallen behind Westly, the state controller, whose wide-open wallet has kept him on the television airwaves nonstop since January. Having earned tens of million of dollars in the dot-com boom, Westly has said he will spend whatever he considers necessary between now and the June 6 vote."
"'Whatever happens from this day forward will be a … lot more consequential than what's gone on before,' said
Bill Carrick, a longtime Democratic strategist who is neutral in the primary."
"A bill that would slap a windfall profits tax on California oil producers was
approved by a state Assembly committee as gasoline prices surged past $3 a gallon," writes the AP's Steve Lawrence.
"
The bill debated Monday would levy a 2 percent tax on oil company income of more than $10 million and use the revenue to help low- and moderate-income senior citizens pay for prescription drugs."
"It was approved by the Revenue and Taxation Committee, 4-3. The vote sent the bill to the Appropriations Committee, the last stop before the full Assembly."
"'The only thing I can think of why prices are going up is pure and simple greed,' [author
Johan Klehs] said. 'The way oil companies can avoid paying this tax is reducing the price of gas at the pump.'"
Apparently, a nuclear standoff with the
world's fifth largest oil producer has nothing to do with it.
This just one day after Gov. Schwarzenegger blasted oil company profits on ABC's "This Week." The Republican governor called record profits by oil producers in recent months "unbelievable ... outrageous," and sympathized with residents whose household budgets are being drained by climbing pump prices.
He did not address any specific piece of legislation. "'We've got to protect the people,' the governor said at another point, referring to oil profits."
"Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger said Monday that prominent public officials of Mexican heritage, including Los Angeles Mayor
Antonio Villaraigosa,
have recently received racially motivated death threats," report Peter Nicholas and Duke Helfand in the Times.
"At a news conference in the Capitol, Schwarzenegger said he had asked district attorneys throughout the state to take extra precautions against hate-based crimes."
Villaraigosa told KCAL-TV that he had received threats, but did not elaborate, while Lieutenant Governor
Cruz Bustamante received a postcard with offensive remarks and threats.
"Schwarzenegger's communications director,
Adam Mendelsohn, said the governor 'learned about these threats that have been sent to the Latino elected officials and he felt it important as governor that he come out and denounce these activities.'"
Meanwhile, "[l]egislation to require virtually every Sacramento home and business owner to purchase flood insurance as a hedge against catastrophic levee failure
died Monday in an Assembly committee."
"The measure by Assemblyman
Dave Jones, D-Sacramento, ended with a whimper when nobody seconded a motion to approve
Assembly Bill 1898,
thus ending the Banking and Finance Committee session without a vote."
...thus meaning that no legislator can be accused of voting against flood insurance when this bathtub fills up.
"'I think we've missed a very important opportunity to make sure people are protected so that when a flood comes, they'll have something to fall back on,' Jones said."
From our
Let Their Be Light Files: "The University of California gave most of its top executives bonuses, housing allowances or other perks that
weren't publicly reported or approved by the governing Board of Regents in violation of its own policies, according to a report released Monday," report Tanya Schevitz and Todd Wallack in the Chron.
"A
$1.5 million audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the university system's outside auditor, focused on 32 top administrative jobs and the 63 men and women who have filled them over the past 10 years, plus one additional manager, former UC Davis Vice Chancellor
Celeste Rose."
"Among its major findings, the audit disclosed that UC President Robert Dynes or his designees made more than 90 "exceptions" to university policies or procedures to grant extra benefits to 44 of the 64 executives."
"State Sen.
Jack Scott, D-Altadena (Los Angeles County), who chairs the Senate Education Committee, said he expected the audit to uncover problems but was surprised by how often the policies were set aside by the granting of exceptions.
"'There is a serious failure here,' Scott said. '
The exception has become the rule in the case of UC compensation.'"
Today, Phil Angelides and Gov. Schwarzenegger address the California Chamber of Commerce at the group's annual legislative summit.
From our
Leave the Hard Work To Santa Claus Files we find one more reason to leave a spare key under the mat as police in Hayward found
a man lodged in his chimney yesterday. A 23-year-old Michael Urbano of Hayward "came home early Saturday morning and, finding himself locked out and without his keys, tried to enter the single-story house through its chimney."
Did we mention he was bare-assed naked?"He told us he took off his clothes because as he was going down the chimney the clothes would rub up against it and slow him down," Branson said. "If it was skin on cement he felt he would go down easier."
"Urbano's effort ended disastrously when a cable-television wire he used to lower himself snapped. He fell and was wedged in a section of the chimney tapering into the home's fireplace."
"For the next four hours he cried out for help. A neighbor called police and fire fighters, who dislodged Urbano, Branson said. Officers
booked Urbano for being under the influence of drugs, he added."
