It's May Revise day, which may turn out to be one of the most important days in the 2006 gubernatorial election. The governor plans to spread the wealth of the state's overflowing coffers around 1 p.m., likely silencing many critics and taking away arguments from his Democratic challengers.
However, the governor
promises not to go on a spending spree with the state's unexpected revenue. "He told a crowd of national county officials Thursday that, after paying for education, much of what's left of a $5 billion-plus surplus should be used to deal with the state's structural deficit," reports Steven Harmon in the Merc News.
"'Some may think this is a moment now where we can dramatically increase spending, but I urge them to resist that temptation,' Schwarzenegger said in an address billed as his budget philosophy. 'Our investment must go hand in hand with responsible budgeting. We must continue to build for the future by using these revenues not as ongoing revenues but as one-time revenues, and pay down our debt.'"
"Assemblyman
John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee, said Democrats expect the governor to spend some of the surplus, especially on education, and put some aside -- but it can't come at the expense of program cuts.
"'The last thing he wants to do is to make cuts in an election year and have long budget fights,' Laird said. 'I think the governor is working very hard to narrow the differences.'"
Such as?
"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is
scrapping a plan he announced in January to block increases in welfare payments for elderly and disabled Californians, administration officials said Thursday," writes Evan Halper in the Times.
"The governor will not include the more than $43 million in planned reductions, which set off angry protests among advocacy groups and social services officials, in the revised state budget plan he releases today."
So much for those commercials featuring kids in delapidated wheelchairs.
"'It looks like the governor has been staying up late watching tapes of what Assembly Democrats have been doing to reverse his harsh cuts of last year,' said
Steve Maviglio, spokesman for Assembly Speaker
Fabian Nuñez (D-Los Angeles). '
This is another example of the governor's election-year reversals that Democrats are pleased to see.'"
We can think of at least a couple that aren't so happy to see the change of heart. We're not naming names, but
one wrote a $5 million check to his campaign yesterday.
While the governor was finishing off his budget revisions, the Assembly speaker walked out on Berkeley's graduation. "State Assembly Speaker
Fabian Nunez refused to cross a picket line to speak at the University of California, Berkeley, commencement, leaving the school's chancellor to deliver the keynote address."
"Nunez, D-Los Angeles, was scheduled to speak Wednesday before thousands of Berkeley graduates at the university's Hearst Greek Theatre
but chose to leave campus rather than speak while up to 20 union janitors demonstrated for higher wages."
As a Roundup courtesy, we'll help them
find those higher wages.
"'The speaker doesn't cross picket lines,' Nunez spokesman
Richard Stapler said."
"Saying more role models could help reduce the social estrangement and high suicide rates of gay and lesbian students, the state Senate
voted Thursday to require that the historical contributions of homosexuals in the United States be taught in California schools," reports Jordan Rau in the Times.
"'Even though we passed an anti-harassment bill seven years ago, it's still pretty obvious that there's a hostile environment for kids who are gay or lesbian — or even thought to be gay or lesbian,' said Sen.
Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica), the bill's author and one of six openly gay legislators. 'Part of that stems from the fact that nobody reads about any positive examples.'"
The bill is expected to pass the Assembly, and then it'll be a nice election year quandary for the governor.
Meanwhile, Eric Bailey reports in the Times that "[a]mid controversy over the placement of paroled sex offenders at hotels and motels near Disneyland, the state
fired its parole chief and began removing offenders from areas closest to the theme park, officials said Thursday."
"Parole and Community Services Division Director
Jim L'Etoile was removed from his job Wednesday. Reached at home Thursday, he declined to comment on why he was terminated but said it wasn't because of the Disneyland-area placements."
"'I don't believe it had anything to do with that, because all those parolees were housed in compliance with existing law,' he said."
"Enjoying a big lead in the race for attorney general, Oakland Mayor
Jerry Brown is
coming under increasing attack from opponents in both parties over his city's dizzying jump in homicides this year," reports the LAT's Eric Bailey.
"Brown's foe in the Democratic primary, Los Angeles City Atty.
Rocky Delgadillo, took the wraps off a TV commercial Thursday suggesting that deep cuts in Oakland's public safety budget in 2003 helped lay the groundwork for the recent rash of homicides."
"'There's a clear contrast between my record, my actions and his,' Delgadillo said after a news conference to announce his latest commercial, already airing in the Bay Area and hitting TV in Los Angeles during the next few days."
A new website has popped up in
AD 43, where two Democrats are tearing each other apart to succeed
Dario Frommer. The site,
www.teachersagainstvouchers.com is spreading a video showing candidate
Frank Quintero say that he supports school vouchers.
The domain, of course, was
registered anonymously.
Finally, from our
Don't Ask What Color Her Hair Is Files: "A supermodel
fell out of a coach travelling at 50 mph after mistaking an exit door for a toilet door.
"It happened as
Tatyana Simanava was returning to her seat from the WC."
"Instead of opening the door to the passenger area she pulled open the emergency exit."
"The 21-year-old blonde was pitched out onto a busy road in the middle of New York."
Fortunately, even without implanted airbags,
she wasn't hurt.
